Cosmetics

After two years as a wig stylist, Edith Khatami, a cosmetologist from San Francisco, began to experience memory loss, nausea and dizziness and she had trouble with breathing, vision and balance. "I can't remember things I did just a short while ago," Khatami said. "I have to write everything down."

A federal appeals court on Friday declared unlawful the Food and Drug Administration's decision allowing the use in cosmetics of two dyes that contain traces of cancer-causing chemicals. The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals here ruled that the FDA had violated what is known as the Delaney Clause that bars cancer-causing substances in dyes and food additives, even though the judges agreed with the agency's determination that the risk posed by dyes Orange No. 17 and Red No. 19 was extremely minimal.

They're the magic word in the beauty biz: freebies. Call them giveaways or goodie bags, they're the sweet carrot dangled before cosmetic queens to keep them coming back for more. Nothing fosters brand loyalty like a free tube of lipstick. Although not exactly free, the gift-with-purchase strategy is the most visible and prevalent way to get your hands on beauty products. Who in their right mind wouldn't wait to restock their favorite foundation until a promotion means freebies can be snagged?

Manufacturers of over-the-counter drugs and cosmetics joined the food and beverage industry Monday in pleading for blanket exemptions from the warning label requirements of Proposition 65, the antitoxics initiative approved by voters in November.

This summer, 60-year-old actress Diane Keaton will be smiling back at you from an ad campaign, but not one for Geritol, life insurance or other artifacts of life beyond the sixth decade. She'll be the new face of a skin-care campaign for L'Oreal Paris, which selected the film star to portray a new view of beauty -- a wrinkled one. Keaton will appear in print and television ads for a new formula of L'Oreal anti-aging creams.

Welcome to the Hollywood beauty wars, where vendors recruit strangers in airports to hand carry "rush" orders to far-off movie locations. Where store doors open at odd hours so that stars like Michael Jackson can shop for stage makeup in private.

Don't want to stumble through the sand on laser-cut platforms at a Malibu beach party? Rubber flip-flops too casual? Tkees, a collection of dressy leather sandals, are a beachy choice with an interesting slogan: Cosmetics for your feet. Tkees were introduced in 2009 as foundation-matching flip-flops for a barefoot effect. The basic "nude" colors range from the lightest Seashell to the darkest Mocha. Last summer, the brand expanded the makeup concept to include other cosmetic-inspired shades in different leathers such as patent for glosses, soft suede for creams, shimmery-finishes for eye shadows and matte leathers to match lipstick and eyeliners.

Cosmetic artist Jan Thielbar, owner of Make-Up Creations in Irvine, suggests the following tips for making up after 50: * Start with a non-oily moisturizer and light, water-based foundation on the face. Blot with a tissue to remove excess. * Use a very light foundation or highlighter not only under the eyes but also wherever there are shadows, especially down the side of the nose, at the corners of the eyes and below the corners of the mouth.

In a deal combining the smell of greasepaint and the color of money, consumer products giant Procter & Gamble agreed to spend $1.14 billion on Revlon's historic Max Factor & Co. as well as Revlon's German cosmetics subsidiary, the two companies announced Wednesday.

When sales representatives such as Alma Caudillo are selling Avon cosmetics, they like to help customers carefully brush on some makeup, perhaps add a bit of eye shadow and then earnestly invoke the company's motto: "Look how good you look now!" But in ethnic Los Angeles, Caudillo often has more success saying it this way: "Mira que bien luce ahora!" Increasingly, Avon is calling in Spanish, and those calls are translating into big sales.