The New York Times on Who Made That? (Lipstick)

I didn't write it - Pagan Kennedy did - but I can urge all you makeup mavens to read "Who Made That? (Lipstick)" in today's New York Times Magazine.

I've never thought about the creative process that brought us modern-day lipstick. Read about biochemist Hazel Bishop, 50 Shades of Red, and more. I think it's a good, short read.

Photo courtesy of the New York Times

Love Fragrance? You Must Read This!

Fragrance lovers and horticulturalists unite! The New York Times published a must-read article, A Fragrant Harvest, on Thursday.

Find out how to make your own natural fragrance - or where to buy one that was lovingly created by natural perfumers. You will need to get your hands on some grain alcohol. When I was in college, that wasn't difficult. We mixed it with fruit punch at the University of Virginia, with intoxicating results. Kind of amusing now that I use term "intoxicating" to describe fragrances.

Update 6/13: I'm glad I (and everyone else in my circle) survived those crazy days in college. I know things haven't changed much, but I don't condone drinking grain alcohol. I think the public is more aware of the dangers today than people were back then.

Photo courtesy of Kevin Scanlon for The New York Times

FDA Warns Dermatologists

Today's New York Times featured an article by Natasha Singer titled "F.D.A. Aims at Doctors' Drug Pitches." All credit for reporting belongs to Ms. Singer and the New York Times. The article was so interesting to me, I want to encourage you to read it on the New York Times Web site. For those who don't have time, here's a recap.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has regulations that prohibit clinical trial investigators from promoting drugs before they receive FDA approval. These regulations are intended to protect the public from unscrupulous investigators who "push" products that may not be deemed safe and/or effective once study results are examined by the FDA. So far, so good.

Now the FDA has turned its attention to the "rarified world" of fashion magazines and beauty editors, including Allure, and dermatologists who specialize in beauty, cosmedicine, injectables, and cosmetic surgery. The government agency recently warned Dr. Leslie Baumann (shown here - she looks great, huh?) that her comments to the media in 2007 regarding Dysport (an injectable anti-wrinkle drug that has not been approved) violated their regulations. Cited in the New York Times article were Dr. Baumann (frequently quoted in Allure) and Dr. Fredric Brandt, both considered "celebrity dermatologists."

The article left me wondering, "What's the difference between providing information and promoting an investigational drug?" Where do doctors draw the line between the public's insatiable appetite for news about beauty advances and promotion of unapproved drugs? I'll bet there are a lot of dermatologists trying to figure out what they can and cannot say - and to whom!

What do you think? Do you feel a need to be protected from advance information?

Photo and news courtesy of the New York Times