For Your Daily Beauty

Haircolor Catastrophes

Beauty blunder #1: I bought a hair dye because I loved the color of the model's hair on the front of the box. Why didn't my new color look anything like hers?

Beauty Rx: Probably because you and the model on the box don't have the same natural hair color. A better color guide? Use the one that's usually provided on the back of the carton, which shows how hair your color will look after dyeing.

Beauty blunder #2: While bleaching my hair, I left the product on too long and burned my scalp.

Beauty Rx: To keep your scalp safe when you bleach, don't shampoo or brush your hair for an entire day before, says Gary Howse, creative director of Seattle's Gary.Manuel Salon.

Beauty blunder #3: I washed my newly dyed red hair with a dandruff shampoo and removed the color completely!

Beauty Rx: Dandruff shampoo is the strongest on the market, says Yann Varin of his eponymous New York City salon. Next time wait at least 24 hours before you wash your hair, then use only a dandruff shampoo and conditioner formulated for colored hair, such as Nizoral A-D.

Beauty blunder #4: When highlighting with a cap, I pulled too much through and ended up Pamela Anderson blond!

Beauty Rx: Go see a pro, who will add some lowlights in a tone slightly darker than your natural color.

Beauty blunder #5: I broke out in a hideous rash after coloring my hair. What should I do?

Beauty Rx: Sounds like you're the one woman out of a thousand who is allergic to hair color (many are just sensitive to the stuff). To treat the irritation, apply an over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream.

Skin S.O.S.

Beauty blunder #6: I popped a huge zit, and it wouldn't stop bleeding. How can I make the swelling go down?

Beauty Rx: Apply firm pressure to stop the bleeding, and use a cold compress or an ice cube wrapped in tissue to quell swelling. (Next time, don't pick!)

Beauty blunder #7: I plucked an ingrown leg hair, and it got so infected I ended up in the hospital for three days!

Beauty Rx: You can get a secondary infection from something minor, reports Helene Rosenzweig, M.D., assistant clinical professor of dermatology at UCLA School of Medicine. Before attempting bathroom surgery, sterilize both the skin and the tweezers with alcohol or hydrogen peroxide, and apply a topical antibiotic afterward.

Beauty blunder #8: I tried a home recipe for a papaya mask, and my skin turned fire-engine red.

Beauty Rx: Calm the irritation with a milk-soaked washcloth, then apply an OTC hydrocortisone cream to the red areas. Before you smear any new product on your face -- homemade or store-bought -- always patch-test it first on the inside of your arm.

Tanning Trauma

Beauty blunder #9: I applied self-tanner unevenly and ended up with a streaky tan. How can I fix it?

Beauty Rx: Here's a little-known sunless-tanning tip, courtesy of Elaine Sauer of Mario Tricoci and Elizabeth Arden salons: Massage mineral or baby oil into your skin to dissolve the self-tanner, then use an exfoliator.

Hair Removal Horrors

Beauty blunder #10: I used a depilatory on my face, and it burned so badly I had to take it off immediately. Could it be because I'm using Renova?

Beauty Rx: You betcha. Both Retin-A and Renova make skin more sensitive, explains New York City dermatologist Doris J. Day, who recommends avoiding both of them for a few days prior to defuzzing.

Beauty blunder #11: After a bikini wax, the area bled slightly. Is that normal?
Beauty Rx: Some pinpoint bleeding is common in this thin-skinned area. A cotton compress saturated with hydrogen peroxide will stop it and prevent infection.

Nail No-No's

Beauty blunder #14: After a manicure, I developed an infection. How can I stop this from happening again?

Beauty Rx: Your best bet is to bring your own precleaned tools (wipe them down at home with alcohol-soaked cotton balls). Also, tell the manicurist not to clip your cuticles, since they protect the finger from bacteria.

Beauty blunder #15: I removed my polish, and now my toenails are bright yellow.

Beauty Rx: Remove the stain with a cotton ball saturated with a few drops of both lemon juice and peroxide. In the future, use a protective base coat.

Beauty blunder #16: After spending a lot of time in the ocean, my nails became really brittle.

Beauty Rx: Too much exposure to water can weaken your nails. Keep them short for a while, and always wear a base and top coat.

Beauty blunder #12: While waxing my eyebrows, I accidentally ripped off half of one.

Beauty Rx: Waxing eyebrows can be very tricky because you have to be so precise, says aesthetician Joey Marangello (professionally known as Just Joey), who recommends tweezing the area instead. While you're waiting for the hair to grow back, sweep a bit of brow-colored eyeshadow over the bald spot.

Beauty blunder #13: After my last lip wax, I left the salon with an ugly irritation "mustache."

Beauty Rx: Next time prep the area with powder so the wax grabs hair rather than skin. Then minimize any post waxing redness with an over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream.

Trashed Lashes

Beauty blunder #17: A flame from a gas stove shot up and torched my eyelashes! What should I do until they grow back?

Beauty Rx: Go faux with a strip eyelash. For the most natural look, opt for one with an invisible band (as opposed to a black band, says New York City makeup artist Lea Siegel.) Try Ardell Invisibands.

Cutting and Styling Snafus

Beauty blunder #18: I trimmed my bangs after I got out of the shower, and they're way too short. How can I do it right next time?

Beauty Rx: "Wet hair always looks longer, so you run the risk of cutting too much," says Joelle, senior stylist at New York City's Avon Centre Salon & Spa. Dry hair completely before sectioning off the designated bang area by clipping back the sides. Comb down through your bangs and stop just short of the ends to hold bangs in place. Begin to trim hair a quarter inch at a time from one temple to the other, stopping after each snip to check your work. Then layer the ends by loosely clasping sections of hair between your index and middle fingers and making tiny vertical snips every quarter inch or so.

Beauty blunder #19: I got my hair tangled in a curling iron, and it took three friends more than two hours to get it out. I even had to cut off some of my hair! What did I do wrong?

Beauty Rx: There are two possibilities: The first is that you put too much hair in the curling iron, which makes it more likely to tangle. Or you wrapped the curling iron around your hair rather than your hair around the curling iron -- a seemingly minor detail but one that makes a big difference in preventing tress distress.

Beauty blunder #20: I tried to curl my still-damp bangs with an iron. The next thing I knew, they were gone -- singed. What happened?

Beauty Rx: Ever hear a sizzle when you're ironing a damp piece of clothing? That's exactly what you did to your bangs. Curling irons should only be used on completely dry hair, says Yann Varin of the Yann Varin Salon in New York City.

Perming Problems

Beauty blunder #21: While giving me a home perm, my sister had me leave the curl enhancer in all night. The next day my hair was mushy and frizzy. Help!

Beauty Rx: Your only recourse, says Gary Howse, creative director of Seattle's Gary, Manuel Salon, is to lop off the offending locks. "Once hair becomes spongy, it's damaged beyond repair."

Beauty blunder #22: I permed my hair at home, and one side came out kinky while the other side was a loose wave. What did I do wrong?

Beauty Rx: According to Howse, it sounds like you wrapped your hair using a different tension on each side, a common problem since we don't have equal coordination in our right and left hands. The solution: Have a friend do the wrapping.

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Happy Days, Always*

Protect Your Age-Prone Zones

By Carol Straley

Age Defiers

Some parts of your face and body begin to show the signs of aging before others. Here, the areas that need special attention -- and how to care for them.

Lips

The area around your lips is vulnerable to wrinkling, particularly if you smoke. Repetitive pursing of your lips causes lines. The best advice? If you smoke, quit. Wear a sunscreen with an SPF 15 or higher daily. And use special creams for the lip area, which add moisture to soften lines.

Eyes Lines around your eyes show up first because the thin skin here is quicker to lose its elasticity. To soften these crinkles, pat on a little eye cream in the morning and at bedtime. But don't expect a cream to make lines disappear for good, says New York City-based dermatologist Arielle Kauvar, M.D. Moisturizing ingredients will temporarily plump up the skin, but can't prevent the fine furrows that form every time you laugh, cry or squint. Don't stop smiling, but do wear sunglasses to minimize squinting.

Hands

Also a thin-skin zone, your hands can give away your age before your face does. Sun exposure speeds the thinning process, which makes veins more visible. Get into the habit of using hand cream with an SPF of 15 or higher. One with antioxidants such as vitamin E will help absorb skin-damaging free radicals, says Dr. Kauvar. Once a week, pamper hands with an exfoliating scrub to smooth away roughness.

Neck

It's never too soon to give this area extra attention. But you don't need a separate neck cream, says Dr. Kauvar. Simply apply the same anti-wrinkle treatment you use on your face. Using both hands, massage in the cream with upward strokes, from the middle of your neck to the back, swiping it up behind your ears, too. Note: The skin on your neck may be more sensitive than on your face, so you may want to avoid creams with alpha-hydroxy acid, which can sting and irritate.

Can You Reclaim a Baby-Soft Complexion?

Why is a newborn's skin so irresistibly soft? Because it contains an abundance of compounds called natural growth factors as well as antioxidants, proteins, and collagen, needed to produce fresh, healthy cells. Some companies now use different sources of natural growth factors in their latest anti-wrinkle treatments. For example, NouriCel, a solution extracted from skin substitutes made to treat burns and wounds, is enriched with natural growth factors. It is the main ingredient in SkinMedica's TNS Recovery Complex ($125; Skinmedica.com). Other products with natural growth factors include: DDF Cellular Revitalization Age Renewal ($125; to order, call 800-723-2889) with amino acid proteins; and Bio Jouvance Bio Lift ($159; Bio-jouvance.com), which takes live cells from animal and plant sources.

Do they work? "Our bodies make very little of our own natural growth factor after the age of 35," says New York City-based dermatologist Howard Sobel, M.D. "Reintroducing these compounds into the skin increases cell energy. By making skin cells act younger they can repair themselves faster."

Plastic surgeon Cap Lesesne, M.D., in New York City, has seen the studies on these creams but says there needs to be more investigation. Dr. Lesesne also questions whether the growth factors are really absorbed. To date, there have been no significant side effects.