A reader asked about peels so I thought I’d elaborate because I’ve really seen a difference in my skin since starting one. A peel isn’t as scary or as invasive as it sounds. Usually, its pad like those old fashioned Clearasil pads, that’s soaked in alpha hydroxy acid and beta hydroxy acid, your derm may have his own line or you can buy one online, at Bliss or at your drugstore. Dr. Gross’s peel is MD Skincare Alpha Beta Daily Face Peel, it’s a combination of both alpha and beta hydroxy acid that makes your skin shine by gently sloughing off dead skin, dissolving the yucky stuff in clogged pores and builds collagen so you skin looks firmer. According to Dr. Gross skincare products with several different kinds of acids (AHA and BHA) are the most effective and least irritating, because when many acids are combined, the peel contains a milder concentration of each so you get a little bit of the good stuff, without irritating you skin. Your face will look a little red after and you absolutely have to wear sunblock when you are using a peel.

I’ve also heard good things about Earthen Instapeel which is face and body peel but it’s a gel that you use in the shower. Bliss sells it. But be careful because they also sell an Earthen kit with a French blackhead extractor which is a recipe for disaster. Even the most disciplined beauty lover can’t resist letting her inner-aesthetician use that tool to pluck blackheads. I’ll admit an extractor is extremely satisfying when it works, but it’s also dangerous because it practically eggs you on to dig just a tad too deep and end up with a huge zit that then becomes a pock that heals into a life-long scar.  Beauty treatments can turn ugly so fast.

And lastly, just yesterday I was at CVS and noticed this product: Medical University Face Lift Wrinkle-Free Kit. Granted the name sounds like a total fraud and the site is very much in the infomercial genre. Think the Ginsu of beauty brands. But the products use serious ingredients: GABA (which instantly plumps) and hyluronic acid, which brings moisture to your skin, even though they don’t explain its benefit very well. According to some Walmart shopper reviews their products work—especially the University Medical Face Lift 20 Minute Wrinkle Free Eyes. It got 5 stars and women said they saw a difference right away.

I’m helping run the school tours this week. It’s something that happens in my town because we have seven elementary schools to choose from and prospective parents get to tour each one to figure out which is right for their child. They send their list in order of preference to the town registrar and hope for the best.

Naturally, since I’m running the tours at my son’s school, I believe in the program. It’s based on an integrated curriculum (there are thematic units that incorporate all subjects) and the responsive classroom (an approach to learning that makes children feel proud about their work for themselves, rather than look for external reinforcement, be it grades or praise from teachers or parents.)

Here are some of things parents have asked me so far:

“Do you guys raise millions of dollars at your fundraisers? Don’t some schools really raise a million dollars?”

“I’m hearing a lot about learning, I need to hear about fun. What’s fun about this school?”

I overheard this:

“My daughter is really exceptional and I just can tell that this place its not going to be enough for her.”

And while touring two a mom’s they asked a a second grade boy what he liked about school and he said, unprompted:

“It’s like a family and everyone cares about each other here.“

Maybe it’s winter. Maybe it’s that I spend most of my day alone with dogs and I miss human co-workers, but I’ve been noticing some similarities between my dogs and celebrities.  Maybe you agree?

Since I’ve been blogging for W I’ve been thrown back into the world of high fashion which is really fun, except when you forget how seriously everything is taken (case in point, Armani has been asked to push his couture show back a whoe 90 minutes because Dior requested a time change and he has refused with a strongly worded letter accusing Dior of being insensitive to other people’s time and labor. Really? I mean 90 minutes is how long you can wait for a show to start). Anyway… so while writing about that I also got a huge kick out of  The Cut’s post on The Cat Version of the Sartorialist, an addictive fashion portrait blog. Here’s their post:

Cats are in for spring, so there’s no better time to study the fashions of the most stylish felines walking this earth today in our new favorite thing, the Catorialist blog. Don’t miss “The Catorialist for Purberry’s Art of the Trench.” Or these musings on “A Gentleman’s Style“: “To this day I am impressed with the way he carries himself; he is from an age where cats learned to wear their fur instead of letting their fur wear them.” [Catorialist]

Now if only their were a canine version.

I have a crush on a dermatologist. There I said it. But then I really love doctors, some people are star-struck I’m med-struck. But what really makes me swoon is when I meet a  dermatologist who gives great interviews. One of my all time favorite derms is Dr. Dennis Gross. Now that its really winter, the kind of cold that isn’t charming or atmospheric just draining, gray and making my skin itch I asked him how I can feel just a little bit better about my skin tone. I’m sharing his tips because they are as reassuring as smelling hyacinth in the dead of winter.

I’m 40 do I need to start to lay down big money on my face cream? I will if I have to.

A gentle daily peel is an anti-aging cure-all and if I had to recommend only one product this would be it! (Naturally he really likes his daily face peel product). The peel not only diminishes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, but helps complexion problems, balances oil, tones skin, increases clarity and provides microexfoliation. It’s gentle enough for everyday use so start as early as possible to reap its cumulative results.

Also, look for moisturizers that contain hyaluronic acid, which actually brings water from the atmosphere into your skin, so it will look plumper and firmer. Hydration, both internally and externally, is key to maintaining that degree of plumpness. When skin is plump, lines and wrinkles are less apparent and enlarged pores look smaller.

Can eating certain foods, more than just drinking water really make my skin look younger?

There is no question that diet is important for your skin. What’s good for the heart is good for the skin. Skin requires essential fatty acidswhich are not naturally produced so eating things like avocado, cheese, dairy products on a daily basis can be beneficial.

I also recommend the tri-color salad approach. If you order a salad, make sure they are a bunch of different colors- red cabbage, green lettuce, etc. Eat vegetables that have a lot of color, nature color codes vegetables for us. The more colors you eat, the better.

What’s the one thing I should stop doing to improve the skin on my body?

It is important to understand that with very little effort, you can make a big difference. In general, don’t walk around in your sweaty clothes after exercising. Doing so may trap oil and bacteria in the skinwhich can lead to back acne. It is a good idea to shower and change your clothes immediately after an exercise session.

No matter how much cream I use, I feel like my skin is dry?

To lock in moisture close the bathroom door and let the steam build up while you shower. Afterwards, immediately moisturize in the steam.  More moisture is present in the atmosphere, which means your skin is able to draw in more moisture via the humectants in your lotion.  And try not shower in very hot water.  Hot water strips the skin of its own natural oils, leading to drying and possible irritation, which sounds like the cycle you’re caught in.

I was just invited to a friend’s house in Miami for President’s day weekend. I want to go, but there’s something in my way (beyond not being ready to be in a bathing suit and having pasty, white, winter skin). It’s my fear of bikini wax. Seriously, I’m a baby and once when I much younger I treated myself to a  Completely Bare wax and the nice cosmetologist (who was also a body buildler) told me that she’d do it, but I was not cut out for this kind of beauty treatment. She kept saying, you are shaking, you are so scared, maybe you should be happy the way you are. Mind you, she had just confided in me that once she tore off part of a woman’s labia because she flinched when she wasn’t supposed to. Waxing is always going to hurt, she said, unless you keep coming to get calluses used to the pain. I didn’t go back.

But I can’t wear those bathing suits with skirts. I will have to get it done eventually. So I decided to investigate and I called Nikita Wilson, a chemist and vice president of Cosmetech Laboratories in Fairfield, New Jersey to get the real deal on an ouchless wax. “You’re never going to get a painless wax,” she said, but she does think new breakthroughs have made waxing more bearable.

Here’s what you do: Pretreat the area with an over-the-counter lidocaine cream (such as GiGi Anesthetic Skin Numbing Spray, $20), which acts like a low dose topical novocaine. Sprinkle powder on your bikini line. It zaps moisture and makes the hair easier to grip. Whether you’re getting waxed at a salon or using a kit, make sure the wax contains essential oils or an antimicrobial to soothe. Lavender oil and tea tree oil create a barrier between the wax and your skin so the wax grabs only your hair follicle—not the skin surrounding the hair, which is one reason you feel pain. Also be sure your kit that contains azulene, a potent anti-inflammatory that won’t reduce the sensation of stripping but will reduce the sensitivity and irritation afterward.  Salons may use a wax infused with anti-inflammatory, or they may apply azulene oil (like Parissa Azulene Oil Aftercare, $9) as a post-treatment.

When you are ready to rip: The direction you tear the wax off can reduce the intensity of the pain. Apply the wax in the same direction your hair grows, then press down. When pulling the wax off, don’t tear the strip up and off as if you would a Band-Aid. Instead, quickly pull the strip away as if you are turning a page in a book; this puts less pressure on your skin and hair, so it stings less.

Honestly, now I’m kind of excited, but we’ll see what really happens.

One of my closest friends adopted this dog over the summer and has turned out to be allergic to her so after lots of debate, dermatologists, facials and inevitably tears, she has decided to give her to us. She is an eight-month old “Bowl of Noodles” a Bolognese and a Poodle mix. And as you may have guessed from her sweater (and post title) she is a girl! I am so in love with her I almost don’t mind if Chewie, our 13 year-old Bichon can tell.

But of course, I really do care. I don’t want him to feel demoted so now I’m fawning over him more than I ever have and fussing over her only when his back is turned. As a result, he’s kind of acting like Will Farrell in Stepbrothers, “Hey! That’s my stuff!!”

My furry Barbie’s given name is Bella, and we’re calling her all sorts of things to figure out what sticks. She is bella for sure, but the really fun part of owning a pet is to name it. Conrad calls her Belda. I keep calling her pussy cat, but that name is out for obvious knickname conflicts. Maybe Belda will morph to Zelda…or we’ll just stick with the name she knows.

We are supposed to be trying it for a month because maybe one of us will have an allergy too (God forbid!). Dashiell actually started sneezing tonight but I am going to believe its nothing more than a cold. Also, David wasn’t sure he wanted another dog so to be fair to him we needed an out clause.  David also wanted to make sure the kids wanted the dog too. They don’t really enjoy Chewie. He steps on their Legos, hogs their beds, and if you sit next to him while he is panting you think you are sitting next to a garbage pail. Unbeknownst to me, David asked Conrad to spend some time thinking about whether or not we should add a sixth member to our family. Last night before bed, Bella/Belda/Pussy/Zelda/Bebe fell asleep on Conrad’s bed and he said, I think we should take her. Where? I asked. No, he said, take her, for, like, ever.

I was chatting with Troy Surratt, an amazing makeup artist and he told me that if you want to brighten your eyes but are fresh out of mascara just color your lashes with a Sharpie. What?! I was shocked but he swore that it worked and said he does it all the time right before he has to go on camera or just needs a lift. Being a cynic but curious I came down from my attic office and convinced my my babysitter Jessica to try it with me.

We painted our lashes with the big thick marker from my junk drawer and our eyes blossomed to Lady Gaga proportions.

It was a miracle. I went back upstairs feeling pretty. She went out to play with the kids feeling glam. Then later I had to interview a beauty expert who was a little dull and a little full of himself, it was late in the afternoon, and I rubbed my eyes. Within a few minutes my lashes started to burn and my eyes were tearing and I actually had to stop the interview because my eyes were on fire.

Lesson learned: Beware of makeup artists clever ideas that have poor real life applications! I’ve known that Sharpie’s are a quick way to mask the occasional stray gray hair on your head.  You simply apply the marker to the hair, it works but then I guess you but you don’t rub your hair. Troy is so smart and articulate, he had just described curling your eye lashes like rolling an awning on the window of your soul to let the sun shine in. How could I have not believed him? I guess he knows better than to touch his face.

PS: Unfortunately, in the rush of  the evening kid hand-off my sitter and I didn’t get to chat about the Sharpie malfunction. She found out the hard way when she was in the shower that night and the ink washed into her eyes! Needless to say she sent me a strongly worded text about being a beauty guinea pig. I could not blame her.

This past week I’ve been writing a story for Parents about what happens when your child turns 7 year’s old. I was talking with an amazing psychologist, Susan Linda Rose, Ph.D., director of the Child & Family Center at the William Alanson White Institute in New York City and she told me, “You know when I think of seven year old, I think of a kid who is missing his two front-teeth.” Then she said that the Waldorf school considers a child ready to read when he has lost his two front teeth.

Conrad has only lost one tooth— the bottom left center tooth—and he is struggling with reading. He can do it, he just doesn’t think he can. What’s wild is while the science is loose, its reassuring. If you have a seven year old, look at your kid’s friends and you are bound to see the theory in action. Wednesday, Conrad had a playdate with a friend in his class who is reading on the highest level—purple— and both his front top teeth are dangling by threads in his mouth. I wanted to tie a string around each tooth and then to door and shut it to pull the teeth out and put him out of his misery. Then the tooth fairy could come and leave a few copies of Magic Treehouse book under his pillow.