You know I’m all about the skincare, so if I have the opportunity to try something new, I’m tripping over myself to do it. When Strivectin recently announced version 2.0 of their famous wrinkle-reducing intensive moisturizer, I was all, “Me! Over HERE!!” My theory has always been: an ounce of anti-aging prevention is worth a pound of Botox–so start early, kiddies.

Strivectin’s new slogan is “More Science, Less Wrinkles,” (hmm, I think it should actually be, “More Science, Fewer Wrinkles,” but what’s a little grammar between friends, right?) and to accomplish it they’ve included more collagen-stimulating peptides, more skin-repairing niacin in the form of NIA-114, plus antioxidants and collagen-stabilizers.

Here’s the thing with skincare. At the end of the day, I firmly believe that all skincare can be divided into two camps: stuff that works, and stuff that doesn’t work. Some of the good stuff costs $15 and can be found at the drugstore (read: Olay); other stuff costs $400 and is just generic crap with a fancy name and even fancier marketing campaign. So the two important factors for me boil down to how you feel while using the product (sure, it’s an airy-fairy concept, but enjoyment of your skincare is important and weds you to a regimen!) and how your skin looks after using the product.

Strivectin might not be the sexiest brand under the sun, and it’s definitely not the cheapest–the Intensive Concentrate for Stretch Marks and Wrinkles retails for $135, oof!–but it became popular because of happy word-of-mouth, and because ultimately it really does work. And that’s why I hopped on board. (FTC disclaimer: the company isn’t giving me any money. I’m simply provided free products and have promised to blog about my experiences.)

In the 4 weeks since I’ve been using the Intensive Concentrate for Stretch Marks and Wrinkles, Eye Concentrate for Wrinkles, and Instant Retexturizing Scrub, my skin has been flawless. I currently use the Intensive Concentrate and Eye Concentrate twice a day (in conjunction with my Cor Silver Soap and bi-weekly passes of the ANSR laser and Zeno Heat Treat) and so far, so good. More updates to come soon!

But in the meantime, if you want to try one of the new kits for yourself (don’t be silly, of course you do), Strivectin has offered up 2 for Jolie readers! The Strivectin Discovery Kits include samples of StriVectin-SD Intensive Concentrate for Stretch Marks & Wrinkles, StriVectin-SD Eye Concentrate for Wrinkles and StriVectin-SD Instant Retexturizing Scrub (everything I’m currently using). The giveaway will be open until next Friday, October 8th, and is open to all North American readers. To enter, simply comment below. 2 winners will be chosen at random next Friday, October 8th after 11:59pm PST. Good luck!

This is a model, not Jolie, because I couldn't access my photo--so let's just pretend that this IS me and that I suddenly got 50 times hotter

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Ralph Lauren’s Pink Pony foundation–which supports breast cancer research–100 style bloggers were chosen to model the brand’s newest Pink Pony polo: and yours truly was one of ‘em!

Ralph Lauren has also partnered with Charity Buzz for a glamtastic auction that goes live tomorrow, Thursday October 1st. 100% of the proceeds will go toward cancer-related initiatives. You can bid on RL clothing, a trip to New York Fashion Week, and even a stay at Ralph Lauren’s own property in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Want to take part yourself? Donate $10 instantly (c’mon–we can all spare ten bucks and it’s good karma!) by texting PINKPONY to 501501.

Visit StyleList to see the full gallery of bloggers (including La Jolie!) who took part in the Ralph Lauren Pink Pony project.

I’ll be in New York briefly this week for a meeting and to speak at the HBA Expo Beauty Conference on a panel called “Tips on the Beauty Blogosphere.” Normally, I’d be excited about a trip to the city, but when I was there earlier in the month for fashion week, I was assaulted by bedbugs at my hotel! (Biggest. Nightmare. Ever.) Now, I’ve become obsessed with the little critters and am terrified to go back to the city. Anyhoo, if you’re in the city and free tomorrow (Tuesday, September 28th), stop by the Javits Center at 12:30pm and come watch me speak about beauty, blogging and new media with Lianne Farbes and Shannon Nelson. I’ll also be signing copies of my books Confessions of a Beauty Addict and Beauty Confidential–come say hi!

People, this is huge.

Oregon Health and Science University has just released the following news: they’ve repeatedly tested brand-new batches of “formaldehyde-free” Brazilian Blowout solution and have found that they each contained shockingly-high levels of formaldehyde (at 10.6%, 6.3%, 10.6% and 10.4%). This comes after a previous test conducted last week, but from older bottles.

I’ve been researching the Brazilian treatments for the past several months and have been dying to blog on the matter, but didn’t want to go on the record until I had dotted my “i”s and crossed my “t”s.

But this news is pretty damn big. Let me rephrase it for you: one of the hottest new companies in the beauty industry is allegedly lying to consumers and saying they don’t contain formaldehyde when they allegedly really might.

The time for tiptoeing around the topic is over.

Formaldehyde, of course, is highly carcinogenic in humans, and has been linked to myeloid leukemia (as well as a host of other problems, including brain cancer, plus eye, throat and lung irritation). There’s no way I would have done the treatment last summer if I knew it might have still contained formaldehyde. I know not everybody feels the same (though I don’t quite understand that line of thinking, as formaldehyde-exposure is up there with cigarette smoking in the land of Terrible, God-Awful, Really, Really Bad For You things).

But this isn’t news, right? Doesn’t everybody already know, based on the 2007 Allure magazine piece Scared Straight, that the special sauce in these Brazilian treatments is formaldehyde? Not quite, thanks to some great marketing spin: after the treatments exploded in popularity, so did the buzz over the dangers, and within a year or two, “formaldehyde-free” versions like Brazilian Blowout began popping up and doing insanely brisk business, recession-be-damned. Visit Brazilian Blowout’s website and you’ll see trumpeted, in all caps, “NO FORMALDEHYDE!!” As of April 2010, the company reportedly began claiming their formulations were “hyde-free”, period.

And then this recent report from OHSU was released. Very interesting.

(It is perhaps even more interesting to note, by the way, that no huge industry player has snapped up these Johnny-come-latelies. Why hasn’t L’Oreal bought Brazilian Blowout? Why is P&G sitting this cash cow out? Where’s Estee Lauder to get their golden share of this lucrative pie? I wonder what their lawyers had to say about the potential health risks.)

So, I have my own theory about what might be going on behind the scenes, but it’s just an opinion, a hunch, a guess. First, a quick side-note about how these treatments work:

While some salons shy away from the formaldehyde/Brazilian connection by billing these treatments as “keratin” based, implying they are more gentle/less toxic, keratin is not the story here. Keratin does not straighten hair; it’s a fortifying protein which can make the hair look shinier, but will in no way produce the dramatic, very long-lasting straightening and sleekifying results common to the Brazilian. Keratin, in fact, requires a reactive agent to bond to the hair…like formaldehyde.

Remember when the food industry was coming under fire for MSG and partially hydrogenated soybean oil? They learned to be savvy about concealing ingredients under different names like sodium caseinate, glutenate or yeast extract. I wonder if the same thing might be happening now in the beauty industry with formaldehyde. Other formaldehyde substitutes which create the desired straightening effect—and also carry significant health risks—include: formalin, methylene glycol, methylene oxide, oxymethelyne, morbicid acid and methanol. (Formalin, for example, is simply a liquid version of formaldehyde, which is a gas.)

Because the various Brazilian blowouts require the solution to be applied to the hair and then sealed on with a flat iron—at temperatures up to 450 degrees—these solutions are released into the air and breathed in by consumers and salon owners.

Formaldehyde-free? Well, maybe. Technically.

Safe? Nein.

But again. That’s just my theory, my opinion.

Will be fascinating to see how this all plays out.

Last week’s Jezebel post about breaking up with significant others got me thinking about another crucial break-up topic: Breaking up with your hairstylist.

I’ve been there, you’ve been there: suddenly Jean-Luc just isn’t cutting it (literally) and you wonder if it’s best to slink away quietly, or to have the “It’s not you, it’s me (well, okay, actually it’s you)” talk.

What to do? How to do it? And what if, God forbid, the new stylist you’ve fallen in love with works in the very same salon? (Cue dramatic orchestral music.)

I haven’t always handled this gracefully in the past. Little wonder: I’m terrible at breaking up with guys and horrible at cutting out friends, so it’s no big surprise that I’m similarly disastrous when moving on from stylists. I instead went to 3 top celebrity hair pros for answers. They each had a slightly different take, so luckily, it appears there are no hard and fast rules. Things will also probably be much easier if your old stylist isn’t a thin-skinned diva!

Amanda George

My colorist Amanda George, co-owner of Neil George Salon–and blondifier to Reese Witherspoon–says: “Breaking up with your hairdresser can be emotional and distressing, as we all know, but how to do it right? I think that if you plan to stay in the same salon, you have two choices: be upfront and tell him or her that you want to try someone else and hope that he or she will forgive you (pretty, please!) or make the appointment on the day that they don’t work.

“It happens to the best of us, and in my opinion, it’s far better to tell the stylist than to slink in hoping you aren’t noticed and then avoid eye contact (how big can a salon be?) Email is probably the least uncomfortable or a little note is classy. But absolutely, breaking up is always hard to do.”

Luke O'Connor

Suave Professional Celebrity Hairstylist Luke O’Connor says, “Sometimes it can be best just to slink away…It really depends on the reason you left. Personally, I would want to know. Corrective criticism is the best lesson. But if you do confront the stylist, don’t expect him or her to go down without a fight. If you had a good relationship with the stylist, it would be okay to tell them you found someone else – an e-mail would be sufficient.

“And what if you’ve found another stylist in the same salon you like better? As a salon owner, I see this all the time. I try to encourage this, rather than allow the salon to lose the client. Most of my stylists feel the same way. I do feel the stylist that’s been left deserves an explanation, even if it’s from the new stylist the client went to. The bottom line is that we are all adults, and we can look at the change as a lesson to grow from.”

Tracey Cunningham

Tracey Cunningham, co-owner of Byron & Tracey salon and Redken creative consultant, says: “If you’re unhappy with your stylist or want to try someone new, GO FOR IT! You don’t owe your stylist an explanation and should not feel badly about it – it’s your hair and you’re paying to have it done. If you try someone new in the same salon, just let your current stylist know that you’d like to try someone new and they should be understanding. In our profession, we have a certain way that we work and sometimes one person’s style may work better than another’s.

“A key to remember is that it is a relationship akin to all others – communicate and be honest with your stylist. You hire us to help you, so we want to do our best. If you don’t like something, let your stylist know so that they can do their best for you. Don’t be afraid and have fun with it!”