If you had to stop and think about what the Best Beauty Inventions were, what would you say? I was recently asked to come up with my list of favorite beauty inventions – and there were a few that seemed obvious (the blow dryer and curling iron) but other than that – what’s the best beauty invention? The tweezer? The eyelash curler? Lip plumper? I sat down, thought about it long and hard – and came up with what I consider to be the top 5 beauty inventions, which was no easy task.

Here are my top 5 Beauty Inventions – in no particular order.

#1 – The blow dryer. Invented in the 19th century, I would say that the blow dryer is one of the most important beauty inventions of all time. The first hand-held blow dryer was created in 1920. I can’t imagine there are many women out there who don’t own a blow dryer.

#2 – Lipstick. Lipstick is a beauty invention that can transform a woman from bland to beautiful with a single coat. No one could argue that lipstick is one of the best beauty inventions of all time. Lipstick is special in it’s own way. It’s set apart from all the other makeup, seems more special than eye shadow or foundation. Lipstick has a way of changing a woman’s face in a way that not many other beauty products can.

Ancient Mesopotamian women were possibly the first women to invent and wear lipstick. They crushed semi precious jewels and used them to decorate their lips. Cleopatra had her lipstick made from crushed carmine beetles, which gave a deep red pigment, and ants for a base.

Lipstick started to gain popularity in England the 16th century, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, who made piercing red lips and bright white faces a fashion statement. By that time, lipstick was made from a blend of beeswax and red stains from plants. The first lipstick was invented in 1884. The first lipstick was invented by perfumers in Paris, France. It was covered in silk paper and made from deer tallow, castor oil, and beeswax.

#3 – The curling iron and hair straightener. The curling iron (or a form of) was invented back in 1890, when Adam Frisby came up with the idea of using a heated rod to curl hair. Believe it or not, the hair straightener was invented shortly after in 1906. The two have been used by women for decades, and like the blow dryer, it would seem most women have either a curling iron, or a straightener (I have a couple of both).

#4 – Mascara. Mascara is a beauty product that like lipstick, can change how a woman looks with just one coat.  Mascara is that one beauty product that even if you skip all the other products, just one coat of mascara can make a huge difference. There are days where I don’t have the time to put all my makeup on, but one coat of mascara will suffice. This makes mascara one of the best beauty inventions of all time. It’s a must-have for women. I can’t think of anyone I know who doesn’t have at least one tube of mascara lying around.

The word mascara derives from the Italian maschera, which means “mask” from Middle Latin masca or from Old Occitan masco. Modern mascara was created in 1913 by a chemist named T. L. Williams for his sister, Mabel. This early mascara was made from coal dust mixed with Vaseline petroleum jelly. The product was a success with Mabel, and Williams began to sell his new product through the mail. His company Maybelline, whose name is a combination of his sister’s name and Vaseline, eventually became a leading cosmetics company.

Mascara is used to darken and thicken lashes, and was composed of colorants and carnauba wax. Users wet a brush and rubbed it over the cake, then applied it to the eyes. Mascara is used to enhance the appearance of the eyes as well as draw attention to them.

The modern tube and wand applicator was more appealing to the market than the old “cake” mascara. Max Factor was the first to create a mascara with a wand applicator in the product tube, which started the modern mascara products available today.

#5 – The tweezer. Tweezers are known to have been used in predynastic Egypt. There are drawings of Egyptian craftsmen holding hot pots over ovens with a double-bow shaped tool. Asiatic tweezers, consisting of two strips of metal brazed together, were commonly used in Mesopotamia and India from about 3000 B.C., perhaps for purposes such as catching lice. There is evidence of Roman shipbuilders pulling nails out of construction with plier-type pincers.

Needless to say – tweezers have been around for centuries, for many, many different purposes. For women – they serve a very important purpose – plucking eyebrows. Women have been using the handy tool to pluck eyebrows for centuries making this invention one of the top 5 beauty inventions of all time.

Would you agree with my top 5 Beauty Inventions? If not – which ones do you think deserves to be in the top 5?

America’s first 4G phone is also the first to deliver download speeds up to 10x faster than 3G and be a mobile hotspot for up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices. Not to mention front and rear-facing cameras and the ability to stream live video to the Web. And you get access to over 65,000 apps you’ve come to expect from an Android. So the only question is, what will you do first with EVO? sprint.com/firsts

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Sprint via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Sprint

With thousands of products available today claiming to erase years from your face and make you look younger, consumers are confused by, and mistrustful of, these anti-aging promises. That’s why Good Housekeeping is announcing its First Annual Anti-Aging Awards, the first – and largest – scientific study that compares products making anti-aging claims in a dozen categories. Good Housekeeping is one of the most respected and trusted brands in the country – and the Good Housekeeping Research Institute, the magazine’s state-of-the-art product testing laboratory, is one of the reasons why. The anti-aging products scientifically proven to work are revealed in the October issue.

NO MORE NEEDLES: GOOD HOUSEKEEPING’S 18-MONTH STUDY REVEALS BEST ANTI-AGING PRODUCTS BACKED BY IN-DEPTH SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

Magazine’s First Anti-Aging Awards Find Many Winners Under $25

NEW YORK, NY (September 7, 2010) – Thousands of anti-aging products crowd drugstore shelves and department store counters, but do any of them really erase fine lines and wrinkles, or give women the more youthful appearance they are searching for? To help readers find out, Good Housekeeping performed the first – and largest – scientific study comparing products making anti-aging claims in a dozen categories. The magazine’s First Annual Anti-Aging Awards are revealed in the October issue, on sale September 14.

The scientists at the Good Housekeeping Research Institute evaluated 90 products in 12 categories, conducting 3,000 lab tests and 5,600 before and after photos on 820 volunteers, ages 35 and older, over the course of 18 months. The 14 winning treatments and 12 honorable mentions received the highest rankings in lab and consumer tests and will offer readers guidance to make the smartest investments in products that actually work.

“Anti-aging claims are everywhere, and it’s frustrating to buy a product – often an expensive one – and find that it doesn’t perform,” says Rosemary Ellis, editor-in-chief of Good Housekeeping. “We weren’t sure if anything we tested would really work—but some did, and the best performers weren’t always the most expensive ones.” Ellis points out, “In the Good Housekeeping Research Institute, we have the in-house ability to evaluate products based on science and experimentation. So we can make recommendations our readers can really trust.”

Good Housekeeping’s 2010 Anti-Aging Award Winners are:

Best Facial Moisturizer with SPF 15+:
Chanel Ultra Correction Lift Lifting Firming Day Cream SPF 15: $150

Best Eye Cream:
Olay Pro-X Eye Restoration Complex: $42

Best Night Cream (tie):
L’Oréal Paris Advanced RevitaLift Deep-Set Wrinkle Repair Night Creme: $20

Vichy Lift-Activ Retinol HA Night: $42

Best Anti-Aging Serum:
Boots No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Beauty Serum: $23

Best Body Lotion:
Fresh Sugar Açai Age-Delay Body Cream: $65

Best Hand Cream with SPF 15+
Dior Capture Totale Multi-Perfection Hand Repair Creme SPF 15: $56

Best Instant Wrinkle Smoother (tie):
Boots No7 Intensive Line Filler: $18

Olay Regenerist Filling + Sealing Wrinkle Treatment: $19

Best At-Home Peel:
Boots No7 Advanced Renewal Anti-ageing Glycolic Peel Kit: $25

Best Facial Firmer:
Peter Thomas Roth Firmx Growth Factor Extreme Neuropeptide Serum: $150

Best Age-Spot Fader
Roc Multi Correxion Tone Perfecting Treatment: $13.80

Best Instant Redness Reducer:
Clinique Redness Solutions Instant Relief Mineral Powder: $32.50

Best Body Sunscreen with SPF 30+:
Banana Boat Ultra Defense SPF 50 Lotion: $10

For the complete results of Good Housekeeping’s Anti-Aging Awards, including the 12 honorable mentions, visit www.goodhousekeeping.com/antiagingtips.

SOURCE

I swear we have the coolest contests EVER! I was sent this blow dryer to try out for myself, and I kid you not, I tossed my other two dryer’s in the garbage not more than a day after trying this!

One of my major problems is frizz. So a good blow dryer is very, very important to me. This dryer actually does make a difference with how my hair looks and feels once it’s dry. It’s much more smooth, much less frizzy. I don’t even think $38 is very much for a dryer. I think I spent more than that on my last dryer, and it wasn’t half as good as this one!

Are you ready to take back the power?  Say goodbye to your hair Pro and hello to ours…the new Infiniti Pro by Conair™ 1875-Watt Salon-Performance AC Motor Styling Tool puts salon-performance power in the palm of your hand!  The Infiniti Pro utilizes an AC (alternating current) motor, which is the high-performance motor typically designed for hair stylists and salon use.  However this professional performance tool is 15 percent lighter than most AC motor dryers, making it easy to harness salon power at home.

What’s the significance of an AC motor?  Here’s why “AC” = “A+!”

• Quiet, yet powerful air velocity to dry hair faster and lessen heat exposure/damage
• A true blast of cold air when “Cold Shot” button is engaged, to better set your style or provide lift at the roots
• Up to a 3x longer life span as compared to typical (DC motor) hair dryers!

In addition to the AC motor benefits the Infiniti Pro dryer also generates neutralizing ions to seal the hair cuticle, reducing frizz and enhancing shine.  It also features 3 heat/2 speed rocker switches for heat and airflow control along with 2 concentrator attachments to achieve a variety of styles. A removable filter prevents damaging lint buildup and further extends the motor life.

The new Infiniti Pro by Conair™ 1875-Watt Salon-Performance AC Motor Styling Tool is available nationwide at mass market and drug store retailers, as well as www.conairdryer.com, for an average retail price of $38.99.

PS: I did some digging, and I found it for cheaper! It’s only $34.99 at Target!

You can also find out more great info by “liking” Conair’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/conairhair or following them at www.twitter.com/conair_hair

THE LUCKY WINNER IS:

• Donya! Congrats!

Gossip Girl’s Blake Lively looks gorgeous on the cover of October’s Marie Claire UK! She opens up about being a style icon and what she thinks of Chanel:

‘I’ve always loved fashion,’ she beams with child-like enthusiasm. ‘Love it!’ she repeats before adding, ‘that’s why I don’t use a stylist. Number one, it’s such an expression of self,’ then regales me with the tale of how, while filming Gossip Girl in Paris, she recently got to meet a fashion hero of hers, Karl Lagerfeld. ‘I was speaking with Anna Wintour,’ she casually name-drops the famed editor of American Vogue, ‘and we were just talking about different fashion houses and I said, “I love Chanel”, and she said, “You should come with me to the show.” I also said I loved Dior. She said, “OK, well, I’ll take you to the Chanel and Dior shows and we’ll meet with Karl and John [Galliano] afterwards.” So I went to dinner with Karl Lagerfeld and we got to spend a lot of priceless time together. Oh my gosh, riding around in Karl Lagerfeld’s Rolls-Royce with the top down. Insane!’

‘It was like a fairy tale,’ she gushes. ‘Afterwards we went to dinner and we’re climbing back inside his Rolls-Royce and someone said to me, “See, you’re so lucky, you get to see the real Paris with the real Parisians.” And I said, “What part of this do you think is the real Paris and the real Parisians! This is fairy-tale Paris.” It’s not everyday life. I mean, I know I’ll go back but it won’t be the same.’