“Your face is the only place you don’t put clothing on,” proclaims celebrated esthetician Greta Rubens. “If your skin is fresh, young, and healthy-looking, your self-esteem is built up. And your life changes!”
Renowned for keeping the faces of such entertainment luminaries as Leonardo DiCaprio, Gina Gershon, Patricia Clark and Jaleel White bright and beautiful, she says, “I have worked with many very wonderful people — famous and not. All of them provide me with a lot of excitement and personal satisfaction in my work.”
A skin-care specialist for 30 years, Rubens has built her reputation and a solid following by taking the holistic approach in helping some of Hollywood’s biggest names achieve a lasting, glowing complexion.
“In the end, natural beauty and health never go out of style,” says Rubens who counts Jane Fonda as her primary role model. She admires the Oscar-winner’s courage, insight and tenacity, qualities that she herself abundantly possesses.
“My major philosophy toward beauty is ‘love yourself.’ All the skin problems are emotional at the start, but when you’re the best you can be inside, the outside is the reflection of it!”
Born and raised in Belgium, Rubens recalls hanging out in the salon of her best friend’s beautician-mother every day after school, then taking what she learned there home to practice on her dolls.
“My mother gave me these expensive Madame Alexander dolls — the real big ones,” she says. “I’d be washing their faces, putting different makeup on them, cutting and changing their hair and clothing — they were the ‘extras’ in my imaginary world. I did not know my mother was giving them to me just to look at!”
Later, when she moved to Paris, she apprenticed with some of that city’s most prestigious salons. But it was in the United States that she completed her more formal esthetics and skin-care training, studying under a number of well-respected dermatologists in Hollywood.
By then firmly settled in Southern California — and understanding the importance of keeping her clients looking fresh, young and camera ready — she soon was putting her training to good use and incorporating her European beauty secrets. These treatments and their effects quickly came to the attention of several members of the entertainment industry.
At the request and encouragement of many among her regular clientele and with the help of a chemist friend, Rubens soon considered creating her own line of products, beginning with six natural, anti-aging, cream-based ointments and cleansers. After realizing this aspiration, she looked for a more efficient way to aid more consumers in their daily grooming, while avoiding unneeded mess or bother.
“I wanted to target more of the problems that so many of us have, but anything that inhibits a treatment’s regular use inhibits its effectiveness, too,” she notes.
Happily, says Rubens, “three years ago, I had the terrific fortune to meet up with two individuals whom I consider ‘genius men.’ They had the knowledge and same beliefs regarding the holistic, natural approach, as well as the same passion as me.”
Together, their solution was to prepare products in quick and easy spray-liquid form.
“I love sprays,” she says with a smile. “They’re simple to use, efficient, easy to travel with and not time-consuming,”
Thus, the existing Faces by Greta preparations were joined by Miracle Mist, Fit and Slim, and Liebe-Do.
“I’ve been a problem-solver for the face, so I wanted to keep on being a problem-solver,” she explains.
I found that the sprays helped. A few pumps of Fit and Slim taken orally before meals curbed the appetite and increased energy. Rubens says it promotes healthy thyroid and parathyroid functions, which will assist in natural weight loss over time. Miracle Mist cools and refreshes while toning and softening the complexion via natural mineral moisturizing without leaving any greasy residue. In fact, with only a few days of continued use, it healed acne blemishes and men’s razor burns, noticeably reversing signs of aging.
Perhaps most interestingly though, Rubens points out that the word “Liebe” in her “Liebe-Do” spray’s name means love in German. More than any massage oil, this product is designed to make pleasurable times more intense by significantly heightening the sensations around those intimate areas when sprayed directly on them.
To bring the products to the attention of those who could use and appreciate them, she turned to Ronnie Kroell, who appeared in the inaugural season of Make Me a Supermodel and the film Eating Out 4: Drama Camp.
“I had the grace of meeting Ronnie, who has beauty AND brains, and we sort of teamed up,” she says. “Now he’s the creative director of Faces by Greta.”
Rubens credits another close friend, Shawn Adeli, for making “such a beautiful website for us. Thanks to the Internet, we are international now!”
In promoting these sprays, Rubens is also calling upon her deep compassionate nature. In March, she held a gala launch party at the popular Eleven Nightclub in West Hollywood that also was a benefit for Living Beauty (Livingbeauty.org), a foundation that helps those recovering from cancer by rebuilding their self-esteem through make-overs. Shortly thereafter, on the opposite coast, the company sponsored Beneath the Sheets, an event benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, which took place at New York City’s fashionable Players Club.
Thanks largely to Kroell’s encouragement, Rubens has made special efforts to reach out to a group that particularly appreciates looking and feeling their best: the LGBT community. Just recently, this included sponsoring a booth at this year’s Pride festival in Phoenix.
All this however, is just the beginning. Rubens says that plans are in the works for still more products, also to be packaged in vapor-dispenser form.
“In the near future, we will be adding an energy booster, and a great sleep aid. These, too, will be fast and easy to use and above all, natural!”
Now everyone can learn what a few movers, shakers and deal-makers have known for years: For awesome-looking skin, Greta Rubens is the woman to talk to!
For more information or to order online, check out:
www.facesbygreta.com or www.facebook.com/home.php#!/FACESBYGRETA.
WhistlePig and Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake Wind Tunnel-Trialed Whiskey Is a Ryed You Don’t Want to Miss
SHOREHAM, VT (September 13, 2023) — WhistlePig Whiskey, the leaders in independent craft whiskey, and Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake are waving the checkered flag on a legend-worthy release that’s taking whiskey to G-Force levels. The Limited Edition PiggyBack Legends Series: Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake Barrel is a high Rye Whiskey selected by the Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake drivers, with barrels trialed in their wind tunnel to ensure a thrilling taste in every sip.
The third iteration in WhistlePig’s Single Barrel PiggyBack Legends Series, the Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake Barrel is bottled at 96.77 proof, a nod to Valtteri Bottas’ racing number, 77, and the precision of racing. Inspired by Zhou Guanyu, the first Chinese F1 driver, this Rye Whiskey is finished with lychee and oolong tea. Herbal and floral notes of the oolong tea complement the herbaceous notes of WhistlePig’s signature PiggyBack 100% Rye, rounded out with a juicy tropical fruit finish and a touch of spice.
Like Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake’s signature C43 racing vehicles, trial barrels were tested in the team’s wind tunnel in Switzerland before hitting the track. Select barrels then endured varying levels of G-Forces at the WhistlePig farm and distillery for the finishing touch, accelerating the interaction between the whiskey and the wood, staying true to the physical nature of Formula 1.
“Partnering with WhistlePig has been a very exciting experience. Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake is dedicated to being the best on the track, and the crew at WhistlePig is fearless in their pursuit to create the best whiskey out there,” said Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake’s driver. “We’re really looking forward to fans tasting our custom Rye Whiskey and raising a glass to the rookies, veterans, legends and the exhilarating sport of F1.”
"Joining forces with WhistlePig to release a Single Barrel Rye Whiskey that represents my culture and team has been an honor,” said Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake’s driver. “Formula 1 brings together fearless, thrill-seeking motorsports professionals, and WhistlePig has a shared passion for boundary-pushing innovation. Together, we’ve selected something alarmingly good for fans to enjoy this season when the cars are not on track.”
The Limited Edition Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake Barrel will be available for purchase online starting around September 13 for $49.99 MSRP per 750ml bottle and sold in select stores across the U.S. Consumers can win VIP merchandise by scanning the QR code on the back of each bottle.
"We're taking our third Legends Series release on a ryed like never before,” said Meghan Ireland, WhistlePig Head Blender. "Our experiments with dynamic aging went full throttle during finishing trials at the Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake wind tunnel, in turn inspiring new ways to expose barrels to G-forces back at the WhistlePig Farm. The herbal and floral notes of the lychee and tea barrel selected with the team create a new, podium-topping experience for PiggyBack Rye."
Fans and collectors have followed WhistlePig PiggyBack Legends Series, celebrating those who give 100% in the name of greatness, since its launch in March 2022 with Major League Baseball Hall of Famer, David Ortiz (“Big Papi”), followed by Country Music Duo Brothers Osborne in November 2022.
To learn more about WhistlePig Whiskey, visit whistlepigwhiskey.com. You can also check out WhistlePig Whiskey on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About WhistlePig Whiskey
Located off the grid on a 500-acre Vermont farm, WhistlePig Whiskey is crafted by a new generation of whiskey distillers and blenders driven to reinvent and unlock the flavor of Rye whiskey. Through their rebellious pursuit of experimenting and pushing boundaries in the industry, WhistlePig has become the leading independent craft whiskey brand for innovation. WhistlePig is committed to becoming the best whiskey on and for the planet, starting with its locally sourced ingredients and sustainable supply chain and distilling process. For more information, head to whistlepigwhiskey.com.
When I started medical transition at 20 years old, it was very difficult to get the care I needed for hormone replacement therapy because there are very few providers trained in starting hormones for trans people, even though it’s very similar to the hormones that we prescribe to women in menopause or cisgender men with low testosterone.
I hope more providers get trained in LGBTQ+ healthcare, so they can support patients along their individual gender journey, and provide the info needed to make informed decisions about their body. I’ve personally seen my trans patients find hope and experience a better quality of life through hormone replacement therapy.
If you don’t have a primary care physician who specializes in LGBTQ+ care in your community, you may need to educate yourself (and your provider). But, before you seek such therapy, here are five things you should know!
- Monitor closely. At Spectrum Medical Care Center, we screen patients for certain risks before starting anyone on hormones. We frequently monitor patients in the first year to ensure there are no adverse reactions and lab results are within safe ranges. Follow-up care is also important to assess your comfort with the transition as well as the social impact and social support you’re experiencing.
- Some changes are permanent, some temporary. For transmasculine individuals going on testosterone, they’ll experience these permanent changes: deepened voice, clitoral enlargement (also known as bottom growth), more body, facial hair, and male pattern baldness. Reversible changes include cessation of menses, increased muscle mass and strength, body fat redistribution, and skin oiliness or acne. For those going on estrogen therapy, the most permanent change is breast growth. Feminizing hormone therapy can also cause atrophy (shrinkage) of the genitals and loss of erectile function that may not be reversible. Estrogen will thin body hair, soften the skin, can increase scalp hair, and decrease muscle mass and strength, all of which are reversible.
- You can’t pick and choose results. Unfortunately, you can’t pick and choose the physical changes you want, which may feel challenging. Some of my patients will say, ‘Okay, ‘I’ve seen the permanent changes I want, and I don’t want it to go any further,’ and so at that point, we stop therapy. Low-dose hormone therapy can slow down the rate of changes, allowing for a more gradual physical transition. We counsel patients in advance about the common changes, and it’s up to the individual as to when they’d like to scale back and determine whether some benefits are worth the potential risks.
- Be aware of risks. Like any medical treatment, there are potential risks involved. Some risks with testosterone therapy include increased red blood cell mass, acne, hypertension, sleep apnea, weight gain, and dyslipidemia (increases the chance of clogged arteries). Cardiovascular disease is likely increased with additional risk factors for testosterone and estrogen therapy. Transfeminine patients going on estrogen therapy may experience weight gain, thromboembolic disease (when a blood clot breaks off and blocks another blood vessel), and a high level of triglycerides in the blood.
Descanso Resort, Palm Springs' premier destination for gay men, just received Tripadvisor's highest honor, a Travelers' Choice "Best of the Best" award for 2023. Based on guests' reviews and ratings, fewer than 1% of Tripadvisor's 8 million listings around the world receive the coveted "Best of the Best" designation. Descanso ranked 12th in the top 25 small inns and hotels category in the United States. Quite an accomplishment!
Open less than two years, Descanso Resort offers gay men a relaxing and luxurious boutique hotel experience just minutes away from Palm Springs' buzziest restaurants, nightclubs, and shopping. Descanso has quickly established itself as a top destination for sophisticated gay travelers, earning hundreds of 5-star guest reviews and consistently ranking in Trapadvisor's top positions alongside brother properties Santiago Resort and Twin Palms Resort.
"Our entire team is honored to be named Best of the Best. To be the only gay men's resort recognized in the Top 1% is incredibly humbling," said Kent Taylor, General Manager at Descanso. "We appreciate Tripadvisor and we're grateful to all our guests who gave us such high marks and reviews to help us reach this achievement."
“Ranking among the Best of the Best demonstrates that you have provided exemplary experiences to those who maZer most: your guests,” said John Boris, Chief Growth Officer at Tripadvisor. “With changing expectations, continued labor shortages, and rising costs, this is no easy feat, and I am con6nually impressed with the hospitality industry’s resilience and ability to adapt.”
Santiago Resort was once again honored by Tripadvisor with a 2023 Travelers’ Choice award, placing it among the top 10% of travelers’ top reviewed des6na6ons. Twin Palms will become eligible for ranking in 2024.
Check out all the reviews, and discover more about Descanso Resort on Tripadvisor here. We have an excellent library of resort imagery available to accompany editorial and additional resources on our press page. Please contact Descanso Resort’s General Manager, Kent Taylor, at kent@descansoresort.com for further information.
About Descanso Resort
Inspired by Palm Springs’ history as a des6na6on for Hollywood stars to unwind in privacy, Descanso offers guests a casual yet modern take on the legendary style of that 6me. Created by the same hospitality team that revitalized Palm Springs’ much-loved San6ago Resort and recently launched the all-new Twin Palms Resort, the Descanso property opened in 2022 featuring 15 spacious guest rooms with custom-designed furniture, dreamy King-size beds, and luxe details. Ameni6es include continental breakfast, poolside lunch, welcome snack basket, and lots of special touches. For guests who need to stay connected, the entire property is equipped with blazing-fast Wi-Fi. Mul6-speed bikes are available for exploring the surrounding midcentury neighborhoods and public art installations. Like the Hollywood stars before them, guests at Descanso are encouraged to unwind, relax, and rest in style.
About Tripadvisor
Travelers across the globe use the Tripadvisor site and app to discover where to stay, what to do and where to eat based on guidance from those who have been there before. With more than 1 billion reviews and opinions of nearly 8 million businesses, travelers turn to Tripadvisor to find deals on accommodations, book experiences, reserve tables at delicious restaurants and discover great places nearby.