Great Beauty Resources

I love Vogue and W. Like Playgirl and Playboy, they have plenty of terrific articles but the draw for me is really the pictures. Along with thousands of other women, each month I leaf through the seemingly hundreds of pages of the newest issues of Vogue and W. I learn about the styles and looks that designers hope will catch on in two seasons (silk and tulle when many of us are shopping for heavy cottons and wools ? or vice versa) and fashions which I can?t afford or don't fit my lifestyle. That?s not to say that all the contents are fashion forward; the ads are right in the moment.

[Next to the pictures, my favorite is the headlines. For example, ?Gwyneth takes Paris!? (what does that mean exactly?), ?GREAT LENGTHS, The New Lust for Long Hair? (really?), ?SECRETS OF THE SUPER BRIDES? ? compared to those, how lame is ?GREAT beauty resources??

I?m always disappointed when I get to the end of Vogue and W; then I put them aside and ?forget? about them. While it?s important to know what?s ?happening,? isn?t the trick to selecting great (beauty) resources in choosing those that help you enhance your lifestyle and further your interests and goals?

So, considering my age, health and fitness level (which I plan to maintain ... my health and fitness, that is), I pick up InStyle, Allure, More, pilatesstyle, Prevention ? oh, and anything with anti-aging in the title. While I browse, I also want to learn how to ?Cut Cancer Risk, 30 steps to take now,? ?WALK OFF WEIGHT THIS WINTER, Our easy 7-day plan? (easy?), ?AGE-PROOF BEAUTY, THIS STUFF WORKS!,? ?134 NEW FALL LOOKS ? and how to wear them? (!!!). There?s always a tip or trick to learn and, much more importantly, I can relate.

Thankfully, the beauty industry and magazines have evolved from covering the prevailing fashions to helping women adapt the current modes and offering them choices for their lifestyles and purses (notably, InStyle and Style network?s show ?The Look for Less?). While the focus is still stubbornly on youth (which is hard to understand with the number of baby-boomers who have plenty of disposable income), any number of resources are on the market with tips, trends, techniques .. and pictures.

What are ?great? beauty resources for me won?t necessarily work for you, of course, since ?great? is so subjective. You have your own style and focus which makes you unique and attractive. The GREAT beauty resources are the ones that help each one of us enhance our individuality ? and maybe they include Vogue and W.

? Copyright 2005. Charlotte Maddox. All rights reserved.

Charlotte is an experienced independent beauty consultant with Mary Kay Inc.

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