Occasionally, I get asked about the products I use to keep my skin so radiant (I’m not convinced that it is; this week it’s rather zitted, in fact). It’s not that difficult to achieve doll face skin, as long as you have the right tools: at least six different kinds of face washes, two or more pumice scrubs, three kinds of lotion, coarse face cloths, and sturdy cotton pads.
1. To begin, get your pores wide open with a steamy hot shower.
2. Use a small amount of Kiehl’s Gentle Foaming Facial Cleanser ($11, available at Holt Renfrew, Neiman Marcus, and Saks), in gentle circular motions, all over your face, focusing on the “t-zone,” that oil-catching area comprised of your forehead and nose. Rinse. Because it’s good to alternate products, every other day replace the Kiehl’s with Neutrogena Deep Clean Cream Cleanser ($6, at Walgreens and Target). You’ll die when you feel how soft and supple your skin is after using this stuff.
3. Out of the shower, the shave is a tough proposition. It kills your face, so you must pick a product that will help your skin revive itself after repeated scraping. I prefer Anthony Logistics for Men Shave Gel ($15, at Sephora and Parkleigh in Rochester). Also appropriate is the Jack Black Beard Lube Conditioning Shave with Jojoba and Eucalyptus ($15, at Bloomingdale’s and Ogilvy in Montreal). Neither will lather, and they shouldn’t. Only a thin layer is needed for an effective shave.
4. After your shave, drape a steaming hot face cloth (preferably a rough, hard-water-washed one) on your face, let stand for 15 seconds, then rub all over to clear your pores. Be rough. You have a lot of dead skin to take off.
5. Now that your pores are wide open and vulnerable to toxin filled-air, close ‘em up with the Kiehl’s Blue Astringent Herbal Lotion ($10 at Kiehl’s in Vancouver). Use a sturdy cotton pad to apply, using circular motions and again focusing on the t-zone.
6. After these five simple steps, just slather your face with Neutrogena Oil Free Moisture($10 at CVS), or during the sunny months, Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Moisturizer with SPF ($16). By now, you should look fabulous!
7. If you’ve made it all the way to Step 7 without quitting, your hands are feeling a little wrinkly with all the product lathering you’ve done. So rejuvenate your hands with sweet grass-scented hand lotion from Nancy Boy, the San Francisco cosmetics line designed especially for gay men. ($15, at Nancy Boy in the Castro, or nancyboy.com). Two pumps does the trick, and then people will say, “Wow! How do you smell so good?”
It’s that easy.
My fav designer and former babysitter 
Air Canada’s e-zine, 
Ever wondered what L.A. people talk about? “It’s a stereotype that people in Los Angeles sit around at dinner parties and discuss cosmetic surgery,” 
Martha Stewart was 
Autumn has returned to New England and it’s hard to miss the signs all around. A cursory glance down Newbury Street reveals that everyone is back in their fall finest — which in new England means a sturdy yet stylish piece of Patagucci or a fleece from the North Face, even if the wearer never ventures north of Beacon Street.