Maggie Q, Star of Live Free, Die Hard

Maggy Q, star of Live Free, Die Hard is in the August issue of Elle Magazine. Her choice of natural skin care products? Susan Posnick.

"It's so simple to use and makes my skin look flawless," Q says.

Susan Posnick is a celebrity make-up artist with over a twenty-year, award-winning career painting the faces of the most beautiful women in film and fashion.

Her work has been featured in Vogue, bazaar, Essence, Elle, and Allure.

After developing skin cancer, Posnick decided to pioneer a healthy make-up line that protects skin from the harmful rays of the sun. Every one of her formulations contains SPF-26 protection. Read more...

My Dry Hands Are Like Reptile Skin

My hands are as dry as reptile skin. What do you recommend that I use?

Your best bet for extremely dry hands and skin in general is the AIR REPAIR RESCUE BALM. It's the best $18.00 you'll ever spend on a skincare product! Not only will it help soften the skin, but the shea butter will act as a "humectant" to help from further moisture loss. It seems a bit thick at first, but keep working it in and after a few minutes, all you will be left with is soft skin. Makes an excellent lip balm too! It's also a totally "green" product. And, if you're a cook, bartender or anyone who works around water, this is the best salve for soothing your dry skin.

Put Puffy Eyes to Rest

Which is better for eye puffiness especially under the eyes? Chinese Tea Eye Gel or the Karin Herzog Oxygen Eye Cream?



For de-puffing, the Chinese Tea Eye Gel is better. However, for an extra effective eye treatment, I like to put the gel on first (lid and under eye), applying with a very light "stippling" motion for a minute or so.

 

Then for smoothing out lines and to add more moisture, I put the Oxygen Eye Cream over it. This duo can be used both morning and night. Also, I like to keep the Chinese Tea Eye Gel in the refridgerator for an extra de-puffing effect. However, this is not necessary for it to be effective.

The Zodiac Killer’s Brother Wears Make-Up

It was just another normal day at Visage Studio sometime ago in the 90’s. RIINNGGG… “Hello, Visage Studio, can I help you?” A man named William asked if we did prosthetic make-up. Although this was not my specialty, at that point I my life, I was willing to be a bit of a make-up “whore”.

Anyway, I figured if I out priced my services, he would take a pass. Being under-experienced and overly confident I said “yes”. “Can you make me look like the Zodiac Killer?”, he asked. Why I said, “Of course, we do this sort of application all the time, but it will cost you $500.” “That’s fine, he said.” WHAT! Before I knew it, I had committed to a date and time at my Studio to make William look like someone who had terrorized my childhood!

Calling in the forces, I was not about to take this on alone. A friend of mine who digs this sort of thing (not serial killers, prosthetic make-up jobs), agreed to help me out. We were sent a police composite drawing of the “Z” and asked to make the prosthetics from this.

William arrived on time, dressed like a gentleman with his partner in crime who just happened to be some sort of sheriff, gun and camera in tow. This was starting to feel very “David Lynchian” to me, but I went with it. He was older, very poised and polite with a seemingly colorful, yet normal background.

He was an attorney and had written a book on WWII, which he proceeded to give me an autographed copy. I asked him why he wanted to look like the Zodiac Killer and he said he had always been fascinated with him. We completed our task and collected payment. The “Sheriff” took photos and they went on their way. Harmless…

A couple of weeks later, I was at my local San Francisco TV station (I freelanced quite often at that time doing celebrity makeup work). I was holding court in the make-up room, which housed a little monitor so that I could check my makeup work from time to time. All of a sudden I heard, NEWS FLASH… “Bay Area Man Claims To Be The Zodiac Killer’s Brother.” News at 11. Yes, it was my man William. Little did I know what was to follow later that year. Let’s just say I was starting to get a reputation for specializing in serial killer’s relatives.

I did make-up services on who’s mother?! Stay tuned…

His Name Was Michael Jackson

No, it’s not what you are thinking. I didn’t set off to North Africa in search of ”The Thriller’s” beauty secrets. I went to Morocco in search of the single woman’s empowering adventure. Of course, if I found some really cool beauty products along the way, even better!

I started my adventure with a newly divorced friend whose spirit for travel and adventure matched mine. Our first stop was Marrakesh. We made our home base here, as it seemed cosmopolitan enough for our taste, yet still there was a sense that “we were not in Kansas anymore.” We made our way though the labyrinth of souhks, better known as the shops that sell a variety of high quality crafts, as well as a fair amount of rubbish. We visited mosques, gardens, museums and the Djemaa el-Fna, a huge square in the medina that is illuminated at night with food stalls, snake charmers, storytellers and magicians.

(Oh don’t worry, there really is a Michael Jackson affiliation with this story…read on.)

Now, it was time to head out on a REAL adventure. Having done a bit of research about Essaouira, a charming coastal town that from all the travel guides, sounded a bit like Santa Cruz here in Northern California. I consulted a local tour guide as to what it would take to get there; “A couple of hours and a car and driver”, he said. And so, here we were in the middle of July (not the time to travel here, as it is bloody hot combined with the fact that we were riding in a 1974 flint stone-powered Mercedes) heading to our destination in the middle of the sweltering Sahara desert! At times we were so isolated, that, well, let’s just say that if we had have broken down, we would still be traveling back to Marrakesh by camel.

There was little in the way of modern civilization, as we know it. This was the land of the Berbers, whose villages were beautiful in their simplicity, but modest at best and certainly devoid of modern amenities. Just as I had surrendered to whatever travel fate that was to become us, our driver pulled over. He spoke no English and of course we spoke no Arabic but we tried to figure out by way of sign language what on earth was going on. Then, he pointed to what looked like ordinary olive trees except they were peppered with… GOATS! Not one, not two, but several goats just hanging out in the middle of the desert in trees. My first thought was this has got to be a staged photo-op for gullible tourists, but no tourists would have the sense to travel out here. Just as I was “coming to” and digesting all of this, a little Berber boy comes walking anxiously toward me with, of all things, a black baby goat! He made a gesture that he wanted me to hold this adorable little creature; I couldn’t resist. Praying silently that I would not be pounced upon by one of his relatives in the trees, I agreed to have my photo taken. As I handed this sweet goat back to the little boy, he was able to understand my question, which was: “What is your goat’s name?” His answer: “Michael Jackson.”

Oh, by the way, I did learn a beauty secret from the goats of all things. The reason they risk their lives to climb those trees is to eat the argon fruit, which is what these trees produce. Like our olive trees, this precious fruit is also made into an oil, which is then used in beauty tonics and skin softening oils. No longer the beauty secret of goats, you too can experience this pleasure by checking out my latest European import, Les Bains du Marais products. Just in case the goat thing freaks you out, this oil has also been the skin care secret of many beauty women from North Africa to the Orient.

Behold the Skin of the Sharpei…

Cute for a doggie but “unflattering” on us girlies! So, when our phones started lighting up like a Chinese New Year's Day parade with SOS calls from our customers around the country, I went into high gear, and came up with some bona fide beauty solutions. Lamenting that the “cold snap” (or slap!) had taken a toll on their skin, prematurely aging them into the next decade, I personally put together youth -inducing skincare regimens that would reverse the nasty little ravages that winter had bestowed on them. You too, can contact me with your personal skin “sob” stories. I’ll be armed and ready to address your needs – from post-party puffy eyes to dreadful dry skin. In the meantime, here are some rockin’ remedies that will have you saying bye-bye to “bow wow” skin!

Remember your skincare routine should change “like the weather”. In a colder climate, skin is dryer and more sensitive, and dead skin tends to build-up, giving cause for the “I look ten years older” panic when looking in the mirror! I call my quick solution M E R L O; no, that doesn’t stand for drinking large amounts of red wine. It’s the following five-step solution:

M-ASK: A super quick fix for dull, dry skin, applying a mask can help revive even the most sallow skin. While you are having your coffee (oops! herbal tea) in the morning, slather on Anne Semonin’s Sea Gel Mask, it hydrates, soothes and tones the skin. Even five minutes of masking is better than going to work looking like a worn-out rock star!

E-XFOLIATE: Sloughing off dead cells is the key to boost, balance, and brighten the skin. Forget mind-blowing, microderm machines; simply use Karin Herzog’s Mild Scrub daily, it will also make those large pores appear smaller.

R-ESCUE: The skin (all over the body) needs extra help in this climate. Internal heating systems as well as the lack of humidity can leave skin irritated and literally so dry it “cracks”. (Have you looked at your heels lately?) My very own Air Repair Rescue Balm is a soothing, chemical-free all-purpose salve that can be used ANYWHERE skin is dry. For all you holistic fans, it is completely preservative-free as well! Another skin-saving remedy is our Air Repair Skin Vitality Mineral Mist. This can be sprayed on the face anytime to re-hydrate, even over makeup.

L-AYER: In this weather, one layer is never enough! Start by putting a nourishing oil or treatment serum on a clean face, follow with a moisturizer, then sunscreen. My suggestion for a “triple treat” for day- Skinceutical's C E Ferulic, followed by Karin Herzog's Vita – A – Kombi 1 and finishing with Skinceuticals SPF 30 OR SPF 45. For night, replace the C E Ferulic with the Anne Semonin Olgio Anne Serum with the Karin Herzog Vita –A Kombi 1 over it. Obviously, forgo the sunscreen.

O-XYGENATE: Increasing oxygen levels in the body and skin instantly energizes your whole being. For your “inside”, try some deep yoga breathing or quick aerobic activity. For the “outside”, a generous layer of Karin Herzog Vita –A – Kombi 1 Cream is your best bet. Use it day and night just as you would a moisturizer.