Skin Deep- When Acne Attacks!

If there is one think I was always know for was my flawless skin – wait, before you start booing, we all know nothing is forever!

After my son was born a change in Hormones caused my face to break out uncontrollably, with daily bumps and red spots that became more and more obvious and harder to cover up.

As a fashionista and a beauty consultant I wanted to hide my face under the sand!
I tried all the creams and treatments at the drug store, but nothing worked, it actually seemed to aggravate my skin.

So, in desperate search for a cure I went to my GP to get recommended to a dermatologist. Turns out that the wait for a visit to the dermatologist can take 3 to 6 months…enough time to do serious damage to your skin! But luckily I have a very knowledgeable Doc, who prescribed me antibiotics!! Really!! I had no idea that it could be cured with antibiotics, and I did a bit of research, so listen up: According to my GP, for Acne Vulgaris over-the-counter meds are crap!

Those with mild acne will only have an occasional pimple, but if the problem is not controlled it can worsen and the number of pimples will increase; in severe cases it can turn into very painful cysts which can leave permanent scars on the skin.

Contrary to what people believe, poor eating habits and are not a cause of acne, just like washing the skin often is not the key to prevent acne. However, it is to my amazement that some beauty products (oil-based) can aggravate acne!!

Here is the advice I received: Wash your face twice a day with a mild soap like Dove©, SpectroJel© or Cetaphil© - massaging the soap on the skin for at least 30 seconds. These soaps are not expensive and can be purchased at any drug store.
Use a mild moisturizer for sensitive skin, like Imprüv©, and an oil-free sun block cream for outdoor time (since the antibiotics make your skin more sensitive to the sun harmful rays).

Then I received an oral antibiotic and a topical antibiotic cream containing Benzoyl peroxide to apply to my whole face- given the peroxide in it, you should be careful as it can discolour you hair and clothing.

Disclaimer: Obviously this was the treatment for my level of acne. On more severe cases another preparation containing tretinoin can be prescribed to soften up the superficial layer of the skin, and in extreme situations a powerful vitamin A derivative, Isotretinoin (Accutane®) is prescribed.
DO NOT put in your own hands to cure such a serious skin condition as acne! Visit a doctor as soon as possible, often on mild cases your GP can be very helpful in treating it, before you have to visit a specialist.

Be fabulous,

Ella Bonanni

Personal beauty, fashion trends, style, glamour like celebrities.

http://www.beautybyella.com/

http://community.beautybyella.com/

Welcome BBE Jewelry

Lately I have been so busy with Styling photoshoots and my involvement with the magazine that I just grew tired of having to hunt down jewelry designers!!

I love accessorizing with an artist creation, but at time borrowing thousands of dollars worth of jewelry was just a big added stress to my job.

So I started to create my own pieces...and then got hooked!!!

I never knew what a great creative outlet jewelry making was going to be. And it's so much fun too!

My creative process starts with finding good beads - only the prettiest products- then I look at beads collectively get inspired and start to assemble the final product. Once I'm done with one piece of jewelry I immediately think of the piece to layer with, and of the rest of the jewelry set.

In the end the jewelry piece is a fashionable accessory, great to layer with other pieces and most of all, something I would wear!

Look forward to my Jewelry Photo Gallery, as I have decided to sell some of these unique pieces.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Be Fabulous,

Ella

Personal beauty, fashion trends, style, glamour like celebrities.

http://www.beautybyella.com/
http://community.beautybyella.com/

Golden Globes 2009- Worst Fashion on the Red Carpet

We discussed what made us love the Golden Globes 2009 red carpet, now let's illustrate what not to do, and where some of these celebrities got it wrong:

Taraji P. Anderson's gown has too many frilly pieces of fabric which distract from the nice fit. I love her H. Stern jewelry. I don't hate the look, I know though, when it comes to fashion she can do so much better!

Presenter Sting, must have received his invitation late! What in the world!!!??? his beard looks at least 2 days past the rock star look! I don't mind the fashion too much but he could have been much edgier for a rock legend!

Oh poor Mickey Rourke!!! We are all so glad he made a come back, but why would he dress in the dark for such a big occasion?? Something here went terribly wrong! And someone please tell him to stop plumping his face...not cute!

Marisa Tomei went from my best dressed list at the People's Choice Awards to the bottom of the barrel. What's with the lacy pirate shirt and the nun skirt? I love the belt and the many strands of necklaces, but the rest doesn't suit her quirky-fun personality very well.

Maggie Gyllenhaal took a chance on the Red Carpet with the leopard print Lanvin dress...and failed miserably! The head to toe print is waaaay too overwhealming on her figure...it's like a leopard swallowed her whole! Hair and makeup is really nice though.

Cute Hayden Panettiere picked a great color for the Red Carpet, and is well in with the season's trends, however the fit of her purple Ferrè gown is all wrong for her. It looks like she has a man's chest and no waist. I love her hair and makeup: very polished and classy!

Leave it to Heidi Klum to sport the edgiest fashions on the red carpet. However this time, even "the Body" couldn't sustain the puffy dress with a huge red flower on the hip and the dominatrix 5 inch sandals! Heidi, something's gotta give! Once again...I love her hair and makeup, and her accessory, Seal, looks great as well!

The amazing Glen Close opted for a pant suit for the Red Carpet event. Nothing wrong with the pant suit, except that being all in gold she looks like one of the Oscar's statuettes!

Golden Globe winner Sally Hawkins, chose a black sheer top gown; which couldn't have been more wrong for her skin color! Her porcelain skin makes her look like Morticia Adams instead of a doll! Her makeup is too pale and the lack of color in the accessories, takes her down to the bottom of my list!

I usually like Cameron Diaz choices for the red carpet, and I don't mind the color she chose for the Golden Globes Red Carpet. However she looks like she just came from the beach! The style of the dress, looks like a wrapped a curtain and her hair looks hair dried...ouch, not pretty!

Blake Lively is going to the prom! Oh no wait...this is her dress from last night's Golden Globes awards. Oh boy, didn't anyone tell her she would be walking the Red Carpet? She is so Blah...not interesting at all!

We need to see more Lively attire from a young vibrant woman like Blake!

I knew that she was going to show bling! Nothing wrong with bling or with showing your curves, except that I have a Sausage in my fridge less contricted than Beyonce! This beautiful Elie Saab dress is definitely a couple of sizes too small! Having said that, I absolutely love her collar Lorraine Schwartz necklace and her hairstyle!

Beautiful Angelina Morticia Jolie, blew it big time with the bloused shapeless Versace gown! Is Angelina Jolie hiding another pregnancy or is she purposely trying to live down her "most beautiful woman in the world" title? She definitely has more curves than that column figure she's parading at the Golden Globes, and her hair needs to be up (at least to show the curve of her neck!).

Beautiful and super talented Amanda Seyfried, paraded down the Red Carpet in a pale gray draped goddess gown. I found that the color did absolutely nothing for her fair skin and the style was too old fashioned for a "Mamma Mia" young emerging star! Not my favourite look on her!

Ah...the crazy print! I was waiting for someone to commit the sin! The empire waist gown with the deep V is a great choice for Jenna Fischer's body, the print however...need I say more?

Oh poor Anna Paquin, she looks so sad in this mauve dress! Someone give her some color... please - maybe a red lip or some dramatic chandelier earrings! Her hair does not save her either, too severe!

To see other Golden Globes Red Carpet's fashion and celebrities, check the Fashion Community (Fashion Events Gallery).

Be fabulous

Ella

Personal beauty, fashion trends, style, glamour like celebrities.

http://www.beautybyella.com/

http://community.beautybyella.com/

Golden Globes 2009- Best Fashion on the Red Carpet

Oh wow, most of my Golden Globes Red Carpet predictions came true!!!
The biggest trends on the Red Carpet were: Mermaid and tiered skirts gowns with a strapless or one shoulder bodice, gold and colored stones jewelry, subdued makeup and hair-with an increasing number of red lips throughout the night- Metallic clutches and a lot of bold jewelry.
However I did not foresee the sea of black and beige gowns!!! Talk about lack of imagination...with all the fantastic choices from the Spring/Summer 2009 Collections, most celebrities chose to play it safe!

Here is a summary of my favourite from the Golden Globes Red Carpet, the rest of the pictures can be found in the fashion community (Events Gallery)- I will post my least favourite Red Carpet fashion in another article.


Best Dressed

Holy moly...Colin Farrell was smoking hot...I'm not only talking about his win at the Golden Globes, but also about his fashion!!! He looked polished and so red carpet worthy; he punched up the classic tux look with a touch of color in his vest...Two thumbs up Colin!

What a better way to style up a classy tuxedo than with a bit of Satin? Very stylish choice from Tom Cruise who looked impeccable and timeless (as usual!).

I'm not a big Tina Fey fan on the red carpet, and even though she played safe with black, she looked very glamorous in this halter top gown with a drop neckline.

This is how you do stripes on the Red Carpet! Wow, Viola Davis' brown illusion-dress fits her like a glove and she looked amazing!!!

The White J. Mendel gown was an excellent choice for Kate Beckinsale...she looks so glamorous with her ruffled top which was a nice contrast with the severely pulled back hair. The blue tone jewelry was a great contrast.

One of the most beautiful women on the planet (in my opinion), did not come short to wow the croud a the Golden Globes. Megan Fox looked stunning in this simple gold dress with sheer embroidered overlay and emerald green jewelry and clutch. The 22 inch-waist celebrity looked gorgeous!

If you must do black on the red carpet, this is how you should do it! Very elegant lines, effortless makeup and sophisticated hair. Kate Winslet stole the show (and a Golden Globe) in this black strapless Yves Saint Laurent dress.

I love this orange color on Madeline Zima, and the goddess style gown makes her look like..well, a goddess!

So soft, pretty and youthful, Demi Moore never ceases to amaze me! Her daughter Rumor is old enough to be Miss Golden Globe, yet she looks like a 30 year old. The pale pink gown is gorgeous on her skin tone and hair color.

Beautiful Christina Applegate looked so adorable in pale yellow and red lips. I wish she would have turned it up a notch with some colored gems or a colored clutch, nevertheless she still looks amazing.

Who in the world did her hair??? They should be shot!!! How can you possibly make a beautiful woman like Drew Barrymore in a jaw-dropping Dior by John Galliano grey chiffon gown with the most perfect accessories, look like a prom queen?? The hair ruins it for me, but the rest is so amazing!

At first glance I did not recognize the stunning girl in the purple dress...then I realized it was Rumor Willis, also Miss Golden Globes 2009! Wow, the red hair looks so much better on her than the severe black color she had. The gown is amazing and I love the jeweled belt!

"House" Jennifer Morrison is amazing in the electric blue Oscar de la Renta strapless gown, but most of all I love the Lorraine Schwartz jewels and her perfect size clutch.

Oh America Ferrera, how amazing! I love the girl fashion choices, they work so perfectly for her body. The grey color is fantastic on her skin, the one shoulder strap gown makes it sexy, the metallic accent keeps it interesting and the cropped lenght makes the gown really age appropriate and fresh...what is there not to love?? One thing I would add, a colorful clutch ( a deep red, or ice blue).

Other celebrities worth to mention: Eva Longoria Parker, Kristin Scott Thomas, Eva Mendes, Laura Linney and Mary-Louise Parker...check their photos on my Fashion Community Gallery.

Be Fabulous,

Ella

Personal beauty, fashion trends, style, glamour like celebrities.

http://www.beautybyella.com/

http://community.beautybyella.com/

Golden Globe's Award - Red Carpet Fashion

Hours away from the Golden Globes Awards Red Carpet, we await anxiously to see all the beautiful fashion the celebrities will parade in Beverly Hills.

With amazing movies and fantastic shows on TV, we will be expecting a star studded night!

The Big celebrities I look forward to, are Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Cate Blanchett, Penelope Cruz, Anne Hathaway, Kate Bekinsale and Marisa Tomei, who usually amaze me! Oh, let's not forget about my dearest Johnny Depp...I sure hope he will show!

I'm expecting Tina Fey in black, Kate Winslet in a romantic frock, George Clooney and Leonardo Di Caprio in their usual boring black suit.

I'm interested to see what Beyonce -usually a hit or miss- is going to wear. Milo Ventimiglio is also another of my favourite on the red carpet, excited to see if he continues with his stylish picks.

I'm already liking what the hosts are wearing, and keeping in true fashion to the runway choices I'm expectin a lot of chiffon and sheer fabrics, metallics accents and floral themes and a lot of short fun dresses; as for colors a lot of vibrant colors gowns (purple, tangerine, lime, yellow), and some black basics. As for jewelry, a lot of big bold necklaces, bold cuffs and cocktail rings.

Hair is simple with free hanging updos, makeup simple and natural as well with dramatic smokey eyes.

Let's get ready for the Show..check the Golden Globes 2009 Red Carpet's arrivals Live on E!

Enjoy!!! And keep posted for my Golden Globes Best and Worst Dressed List...to follow.

Be Fabulous,

Ella

Personal beauty, fashion trends, style, glamour like celebrities.

http://www.beautybyella.com/

http://community.beautybyella.com/

People's Choice Award- Best and Worst Dressed List

Another year has began and with it the so awaited Award Season...and we begin the year with a boom!

I have to say, after watching a few of the award events in the past nights, my list of worst dressed is very short; I mostly condemn these fashions, not as atrocities but as boring choices! And this time I choose to call them Safe & Boring choices, rather than worst dressed.

Let's begin with my most favourite/out of the box choices:

Best Dressed

Country Singer Carrie Underwood hits the mark with this gorgeous lime green Empire-waist tiered gown! The color is vibrant and the embroidery elegant especially when accessorized with Cinta by John Hardy Jewels. This was her backstage dress (1 out of 3 changes), but much more red-carpet worthy than her floral dress!

Dress number 2 for miss Carrie Underwood was a tangerine bejeweled short dress by Jenny Packham SS09 collection. The jeweled neckline is hot this upcoming season, as is the vibrant color!

The third and final dress choice (the red carpet pick of Carrie Underwood), is my least favourite of the 3; nonetheless, it's still a gorgeous dress with fabulous fit! The floral and metallic theme is hot this upcoming season, as the Naeem Khan Pre-fall 09 suggests. Carrie accessorizes it beautifully with Cinta by John Hardy Jewels and Mary Norton Clutch.

Jennifer Morrison metallic dress has to be my favourite of the night! The details on the bodice of the Gianfranco Ferré Spring 08 dress is so interesting and a perfect choice for the red carpet. Jennifer accessorizes it beautifully with Christian Louboutin slingbacks and a perfect grey clutch.

Marisa Tomei looked stunning in the strapless
vibrant red dress with asymmetrical hem line by Donna Karan. The choice of gold jewelry and accessories is exquisite. Marisa looks classy and timeless!

What a stunner Dakota Fanning. The teenager holds her own on the red carpet. The electric blue is fantastic against her skin and the one shoulder BCBG mini dress is very age appropriate. She keeps it simple and stunning with no jewelry or accessories.

Show host Queen Latifah, looked beautiful in her purple Georges Chakra Couture gown. The color is great against her skin and the chiffon and jeweled neckline makes it red carpet worthy.

Debra Messing took chances on the red carpet with the Steel grey Donna Karan dress and I love it! The choice of gold jewelry is also a great fit.

The interesting shape keeps it fresh and daring...awesome for a red carpet choice!

Paris Hilton is usually not one of my favourite dressed on the Red Carpet. I find that her choices are repetitive, and so she continues on the People's Choice Award red carpet with another one of her baby-doll dresses. However I can't deny how much I like the low cut full skirted Jenny Packham dress! The floral appliqué and gold sequins makes it fresh and pretty and the Fendi bag is a great accessory.

Safe & Boring Dressed

Ok, I don't think this is the worst dress on the red carpet, actually I think Jordin Sparks looks adorable in Jessica McClintock, and the vibrant blue is excellent; however I'm growing so tired of the prom queen look! If the dress could be worn at prom...it might not belong on the red carpet...it just needs a bit more edge when you are a superstar like Jordin!

I think I have this dress (in brown)!!!

Given that the steel grey is gorgeous and the fit on AnnaLynne McCord is amazing, I don't think a jersey/spandex dress fits on the red carpet...a club or a restaurant maybe! and I have seen this dress a million times!

Christina Applegate black chiffon dress by Jenny Packham is pretty and a bit more detailed than the boring LBD on the People's Choice Award's red carpet (to follow on the list). The sheen creates a few extra bulges.

Jennie Garth is looking very epoch in her LBD, especially with the red lips and big curls. And has been seen how many times already?? The red carpet has a need of fresh looks or it becomes plain Boring.

Exhibit A! Boring to the Nth degree! Reese Witherspoon has looked so much better on the red carpet, the LBD here is just plain lazy and playing it safe!

Imagine the possibilities with Lisa Edelstein's baby blues and gorgeous skin! The little blue accent in her dress already pops...however she decides to go safe with a boring and flat hued Black dress.

Be Fabulous,

Ella

Personal beauty, fashion trends, style, glamour like celebrities.

http://www.beautybyella.com/

http://community.beautybyella.com/

Social Media and Fashion Business

Lately, I have not only been addicted to Social Media Networks but also come to know the huge weight in Business-Networking they carry.
I am talking about networks as Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin (to name a few).

Many user learn these new technologies as a way to keep in touch with friends and family. In numerous occasion these tools have served well in resuscitating some old relationships and friendships. However many users fail to see that these social networks are an actual science! What seems to be a fad, it's actually a new networking way of doing business.

In the Fashion world, these media network photographers, agents, models, stylist and even buyers and retailers. It's incredible how entering one of these circles can boost a new career!

It is actually possible to meet professionals online, make sure their career comes highly recommended by people who know people we know and trust, and actually do business with them without even meeting in person!

An online recommendation is the most sought after credential in this Networking world!

It is also a must to be profiled in as many networks as possible; a professional not having a virtual profile, is seen as a negative, as a being-out-of-touch with the professional world -almost as serious as not having a business card or a phone!

I personally like to separate my fashion business contacts, from my friends and family. Keeping a secret identity -in a way- except when the two worlds collide and some of my professional contacts make it through to my friends list.

It is also vital to pay attention who you associate with in your online social networking, since a bad chip can sink the ship- and can get your reputation to go along with it to the bottom of the online abyss!
An On-line agent or photographer with a bad rep can and will ruin your credibility with future clients! So be extremely cautious. But don't get intimidated by the new technology, and don't ignore it, it won't just go away.
So be warned: if you fail to network yourself in these new media, you will be left in the dust!

Check out some of my business profiles and join some of the networks/web-tools here:

Ella-Linkedin
Ella-Twitter
Ella-WorldWebinarNetwork
Facebook
Flickr
MySpace
So on and so forth...

Be Fabulous,

Ella

Personal beauty, fashion trends, style, glamour like celebrities.

http://www.beautybyella.com/
http://community.beautybyella.com/