Ever wonder why organic products are on the rise? And why more and more beauty products are coming out as natural & or organic? Reasoning is because we are finding as women there are a lot of ingredients in our beauty products we dont want to be using on our bodies.

Chemical-free skincare products are increasing as women are discovering just what they want and dont want to put onto our bodies. We are discovering more each day that there are natural alternatives to using man-made chemicals.
These chemicals such as parabens, petrochemicals, silicone and foaming agents such as sodium laurylsulphate. You will find these ingredients can be found in a lot of everyday products such as shampoos, body washes and liquid hand soaps. More reasoning to move to using more natural and organic products because its estimated that our skin may absorb over half of what we put onto it.

Did you know its possible that we might be using up to 200 different chemicals a day in just our daily skincare regime? Ways to cut this down is to start looking into more organic beauty products with less ingredients.

Did you know that there are now more natural ingredients being tested that can give you the instant results once only done by chemicals? Start checking out looking for ingredients in your beauty products such as essential oils, oak extracts, green and or white teas, chamomile and rose waters just for starters.

For makeup such as eye shadows, blushes, and foundations start looking into mineral lines. But be aware that some foundations have ingredients that are not natural. Again look for mineral products with the least number of ingredients. Not all organic makeup is truly organic but most mineral makeup is. Using only mineral pigments, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide they are also non-comedogenic and wont clog your pores. There are multiple number of companies online and off that offer mineral makeup now.

Mineral makeup is free of parabens, artificial colors, silicones and are fragrance-free. By using mineral makeup that comes in less packaging also helps reduce your carbon footprint overall.

As we as consumers start making demands for more choices about our cosmetics being more organic, beauty companies are starting to take notice. From sulfate free shampoos to organic body care and food, as we speak up against chemicals in our daily beauty needs things are slowly being to change.
Going green in a whole is not as hard as one thinks, just start thinking about ways that you yourself can help use more organic beauty products in your everyday beauty needs.

No artist has bridged the gap between photography and painting quite like John Baldessari. For over 40 years, he’s given the world art that truly blurs the line between the two, normally thought of as separate arts. And for the most part, John Baldessari prints and his works have been well received by many critics and fans of all ages.

Now in 2010, at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art-or LACMA-Baldessari is front and center to the Los Angeles crowd with his new show, “John Baldessari: Pure Beauty.” The show acts as a complete retrospective of his work, and gives an all encompassing view on the progression and growth of his art.

The whole retrospective begins with some of his earliest paintings, as Baldessari originally began his works as a painter. By viewing some of his paintings, dated around 1962-you really get to a great view on the marvelous beginnings of this prolific artist. Some of his earliest pieces are no doubt the roots of Conceptual Art. For example his work, “Tips for Artists Who Want To Sell” is one of his most famous pieces, and gives a humorous take on the role of the artist-and what an artist must to do captivate. The last line says “Subject Matter is important: It has been said that paintings with cows and hens in them collect dust-while the same paintings with bulls and roosters sell.” Quite clever for the work of a younger Baldessari.

His later works-available in the form of John Baldessari Prints-deal with the merging of photography and painting. Formally-this is definitely some of the earliest appropriation art, as the compositions are done over culturally significant film stills. For example his work, “Foot and Stocking” gives the prolific vision, and original use of color. The John Baldessari prints of said works, are quite hard to find-and collectors scramble to collect this culturally mind-bending work. One of his most prolific works is no doubt, “God Nose” which depicts a decapitated nose, in the middle of a sky with clouds. The bold statement is clear-as is the pure magnificence of John Baldessari prints and his work. Actually, “God Nose” is one of the most sought after Baldessari works, as it really marks the end of his career as a conceptual artist-and marks the start of his more culturally relevant work, in his newer appropriation style.

Baldessari’s ability to close the gap between the camera and the brush is a skill that will not be soon forgotten. His work in this light is sometimes happy, and other times can emit emotions of surprise-but the inventiveness of his artwork is unquestionable. Through the 140 plus works on display at the LACMA, the musings and concepts of Baldessari are made quite evident.

And why exactly is this combination of painting and photography visible in John Baldessari prints such as “Person with Guitar”-so important? Today is the media age, and any citizen who lives in the year 2010 is bombarded with images at all times-so to a great degree we’re largely desensitized to the power of great imagery. And photographs have also lead the decreased significant in paintings. Yet Baldessari has a solution-he gives us photographs of cultural importance, things we should FEEL and SEE-yet paints atop them in the most original ways possible to give us the most fresh view possible. He reintroduces the power into powerful imagery.

In all the show was beautiful-and perfectly themed for the year 2010, in a time when people often take artistic media for granted. Going through a complete retrospective of the work of John Baldessari is an experience that I could recommend to anyone. It’s heavily evident from his magnificent and prolific works that John Baldessari prints and original works will definitely be assets in the future. After all-this man created conceptual art, and really truly does blur the line between photography and painting.

So if you’re looking for John Baldessari prints that were featured in the LACMA show “John Baldessari: Pure Beauty” be sure to visit Gemini G.E.L. for a large variety of art prints from Baldessari and other well renowned artists.

If you’re interested in John Baldessari prints be sure to make an appointment by calling 323-651-0513 as our galleries are appointment only.

For women especially, beauty is something that we obsess about. Maybe you have seen Iman and wondered how you can get your skin to look as beautiful as hers especially at her age. Or Gabrielle Union’s skin, Halle Berry’s and so on. By following the beauty tips for beautiful black skin discussed below, you too can have the skin you have always wanted by working with not against what you have.

Although most celebrities have “beauty teams” including makeup artists, hair stylists, easy access to exclusive cosmetics, etc, there are several tried and true beauty secrets that will work for anyone who is seeking to have more beautiful skin whether you are dealing with sensitive skin, oily skin, hyperpigmentation, etc.

There are many harmful beauty practices that are damaging black skin such as skin bleaching and other harmful chemicals as well as poor diet, and eliminating these harmful practices is the beginning of having beautiful skin.

If you have a poor diet, it will be shown in your skin. When you start properly nourishing your body by following a beauty diet, your skin will start to glow and you will not be as dependent on beauty creams and makeup for your skin to look beautiful.

A proper beauty diet includes nutrient rich foods containing high quality proteins, healthy carbs and good fats such as omega 3 fatty acids contained in salmon for instance. Beauty foods are also rich in beauty enhancing vitamins such as vitamin C and E, minerals, antioxidants and phyto chemicals.

Finally, beauty food should be fresh, organic, unrefined and high in fiber to be the most beneficial to you body, skin, hair and nails. Drink at least 8 to 10 glasses of water to remain properly hydrated.

The one biggest misconception relating to black skin is that “black don’t crack”. It does crack. Black skin has a high content of melanin which provides some sun protection of about SPF 13 which is not enough to protect against the suns damaging rays.

It is important that you use a sunscreen containing an SPF of between 15 to 30 and more if you spend a lot of time outdoors. Sunscreen should be applied on a daily basis rain or shine. Lack of sun protection will lead to sun damage as well as premature aging.

If you suffer from acne, depending on the severity, you can get a prescription for topical retinol products such as Retin-A which work by increasing cell turnover and stimulating the body’s natural collagen production. Over the counter beauty products to treat and manage blemishes and acne usually contain salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide. For those with sensitive skin, products containing alpha and beta hydroxy should be used instead.

Another problem that affects black skin is hyperpigmentation. This occurs because of the high melanin content of black skin and represents the dark marks left over from acne and blemish scars that have healed. The high melanin content is the reason that most women are plagued with uneven skin tone at a greater rate than those with fairer skin.

To fade these dark marks, it is important to use sunscreen on a daily basis so than the sun’s damaging raise do not exacerbate the problem. Prescription strength combination hydroquinone is usually prescribed to even out spots over time however, it is important that you check with a dermatologist to ensure that you are not sensitive to hydroquinone. Hydroquinone abuse is also common in the harmful skin bleaching practice.

There are also various other skin creams that address uneven skin tone that you can get over the counter and do not contain hydroquinone that work just as well as prescriptions.

The basic skincare regimens should be followed and includes cleansing twice a day, moisturizing for you particular skin type (oily, combination/normal, dry or sensitive) otherwise black skin will tend to look ashy, exfoliation once or twice a week and sun protection to prevent wrinkles and skin cancer. If you have oily skin you can add a skin toner or astringent two to three times a week. A toner is usually unnecessary for most skin types.