Natural Skin Is In

Remember the days when tanning was the it thing to do? Back in the days of Jay-lo and the spray tan. Seems more and more today, many girls are sick of the fake tan look and are feeling more and more comfortable with their natural skin tone. No matter what skin color you are, it’s time to love what you have…

As a light skinned girl, it’s always been a mission to get tan during the summer. I can get pretty tan during the summer from just the sun, never really dark though. Then about 9 or 10 years ago, spray tanning became the thing to do. I lived in LA and I felt like I always needed to be tan. Needless to say, I’ve made many mistakes while fake tanning but actually got pretty good at it. Then it just became a hassle to do it and it was costing a lot of money. I always felt the need to be tanner. This went on for many years and although the natural tan during the summer will always be in, I finally feel like it’s okay to be pale during the rest of the year.

More and more celebrities are laying off the spray tan in turn for their natural skin tone without the sun or spray; Jessica Alba, Kate Beckinsale, Angelina Jolie, Anne Hathaway and younger celebs like Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez. You know what I think it is? I think most people are just sick of the hassle of getting a fake tan. Also many times, skin comes out orange or not looking natural at all.

I really try to protect my skin, but I don’t mind getting a natural tan during the summer from being at the beach. I really don’t think about getting super tan anymore. I’d rather focus on keeping my skin young looking. And to tell you the truth, people always look better with their natural skin tone. Whether you’re light or dark just love what you have.

Photo Source/askmen.com

Tags: 10 Years, Angelina Jolie, Anne Hathaway, Celebrities, Celebs, Demi Lovato, Fake Tanning, Girls, Google, Hassle, Jessica Alba, Kate Beckinsale, Lt, Money, Natural Skin Tone, Script Type, Selena Gomez, Skin Color, Sun, Tanner, Text Javascript, Truth

Juice Organics Skin Brightening Line

The lovely ladies over at Juice Organics contacted me after my last post to send me some samples of their skin brightening line. I was super stoked to try the samples and I love them! I had such a great response to the last post of Juice Organics, that I wanted to see what all the fuss was about and now I know. They’re priced reasonably, are a great product and are now sold at Target (which my readers seemed very excited about). What I love best about Juice Organics is…

They are literally made out of organic juice. Instead of a water base, they use 5 different juices to create their base. Their line is filled with antioxidants which destroy free radicals. Free radicals causes our skin to wrinkle so it’s important to get enough antioxidants to fight free radicals. And Juice Organics never uses any harmful or synthetic chemicals in their products.

I really love the skin brightening samples they sent me. The cleanser is so gentle and doesn’t dry out my skin at all. “This brightening blend of certified organic, hydroxy acid-rich apple and lemon juices, refreshing botanicals and purifying cleansers will brighten and even skin tone and texture, revealing a healthy, beautiful complexion.

• Brightening glycolic acid
• Evens skin tone & texture
• Deep cleansing

Next up is the Skin Brightening Serum which feels so good when you put it on. Serum is basically vitamins for your skin so it’s essential to your skin care regimen. “Put your skin on a healthy diet of Juice Organics’ age-defying, certified organic ingredients and you’ll love the way your skin looks and feels. Powerful age-defying peptides, alpha lipoic acid, co-enzyme Q10, and vitamin antioxidants are expertly blended with a brightening hydroxy-acid complex of certified organic apple, lemon and raw cane sugar to even skin tone and texture, help smooth fine lines, revitalize and firm for healthy, beautiful skin.

• Brightening hydroxy-acids
• Revitalizing and firming Vitamin C
• Line smoothing peptides

And lastly moisturize with their Skin Brightening Moisturizer which makes my skin super supple. “Nourish your skin with safe, healthy organic ingredients. You’ll love the way your skin looks and feels. This antioxidant-rich moisturizer combines powerful age-defying peptides, alpha lipoic acid, co-enzyme Q10, and vitamin antioxidants with a brightening hydroxy-acid complex of certified organic apple, lemon and raw cane sugar to brighten skin tone and texture, help smooth fine lines, revitalize and firm for healthy, beautiful skin.

• Brightens skin tone and texture
• Line smoothing peptides
• Revitalizing and firming Vitamin C

I highly recommend this line and I want to thank Tanya over at Juice Organics for sending me the samples. For more information about their products, check out their site Juice Organics.

Tags: Alpha Lipoic Acid, Beautiful Skin, Botanicals, C Line, Co Enzyme Q10, Complexion, Free Radicals, healthy diet, Hydroxy Acids, Lovely Ladies, Organic Apple, Organic Ingredients, Peptides, Raw Cane Sugar, Rich Apple, Skin Care Regimen, Skin Tone, Synthetic Chemicals, Target, Water Base

Benefits of Sea Salts

For me there is nothing more relaxing than soaking in a sea salt bath. Sea salt baths relax your muscles, expel toxins, and even improve cellulite. After doing some research for this post, it seems sea salts are full of other great benefits too…

I normally never add any salt to my diet because I’ve read how bad too much salt can be for your health.  I eat salty olives everyday, so I just figure that’s where I get my daily sodium intake.  But after reading so much about the difference between regular table salt and sea salt, I might need to reevaluate.  You see, table salt has been stripped of all it’s minerals, bleached and even has added chemicals.  Sea Salt is in it’s natural state, full of minerals like magnesium which is so important to our health.  Many are claiming that while table salt can increase blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes, sea salt can actually reduce blood pressure and cardiovascular risks.

According to deliciousorganics.com, these are some other benefits of sea salts:

• in proper proportion to water, regulates and normalizes blood pressure.
• stabilizes irregular heartbeats.
• helps to balance blood sugar levels.
• helps us maintain energy levels.
• in combination with other essential minerals, sodium helps regulate metabolism.
• helps remove acidity from our cells and is a strong alkalinizer.
• helps our body absorb nutrients.
• enables the liver and kidneys and adrenal glands to function properly.
• helps maintain the electrolyte balance inside and outside of cells and helps the cells communicate and function properly.
• helps prevent muscle cramps, dizziness, exhaustion and convulsions.
• supports life like water and air support life
• helps flush mucus and congestion.
• helps control saliva (otherwise saliva would pour right out of our mouths while we sleep.  Wait, you know someone like that?  Which, by the way, if you are a salivator, it’s highly likely you are not drinking enough water either!  When you don’t get enough water you saliva glands work in overdrive to lubricate your insides and this can, in turn, get this, lead to a double chin because the glands are so overactive!  So DRINK UP!)  Salt works with water to help rehydrate us!
• Salt helps make strong bones and bodies.
• Salt helps brain cells function properly.
• Salt can help regulate sleep and can help us get a good night’s sleep.
• Salt is a natural antihistamine and can help relieve allergies.
• Salt is necessary for proper digestion and works to eliminate digestive problems.
• Salt helps build a strong immune system and prevent disease and health problems (like gout, spider veins, and more) and can help our bodies heal (from surgery, sickness, burns, mental disorders, depression, etc.) and stay healthy.
• Salt is a necessary part of good health.

Throughout history, sea salt has been highly regarded as a healing property, so maybe I should try a little sea salt on my dishes.  If you have high blood pressure, make sure to check with your doctor before you start adding sea salt to your diet.  As for now, why not take a relaxing sea salt bath with your favorite essential oils.  Sounds like heaven…

Tags: Acidity, Adrenal Glands, Blood Sugar Levels, Cardiovascular Risks, Convulsions, Daily Sodium Intake, Electrolyte, Electrolyte Balance, Energy Levels, Essential Minerals, Heart Attacks, Irregular Heartbeats, Mucus, Muscle Cramps, Proper Proportion, Saliva Glands, Sea Salt Bath, Sea Salt Baths, Sea Salts, Table Salt

For Soft Skin, Avoid Harsh Soaps

Most people know that using harsh soaps can dry out your skin, but yet they continue to the be the best selling soaps just because of their household name. Even most soaps that claim to be moisturizing are still filled with synthetic detergents and chemicals. To find something more gentle and made with the earth’s natural cleansers, step out of the your mainstream drug store and into your local health food store…

Harsh soaps have been linked to dry skin, allergies and eczema. When you use a soap that is filled with chemicals and synthetic ingredients you are exposing those ingredients to not only your skin, but also the inside of your body. These harsh soaps also strip away the natural oils our skin produces, making it easier for chemicals to penetrate your skin. And yes, skin can absorb chemicals. More and more cancers have been linked with the usage of most skin care and cosmetic products. Check out skin deep for more information.

There is such a thing as being too clean. We live in a time where a lot a people take multiple showers a day cleaning themselves with toxic harsh soaps. Repeated exposure to these soaps can lead to problems down the line. Since the industrial revolution, we have had a plethora of soaps to choose from, but most of them contain the same ingredients that have been proven over the years to lead to cancer and birth defects. Cancer rates are rising and it’s mainly due to being exposed to all these chemicals, whether they’re in food, skin care products or the environment. 100 years ago, people were not exposed to the amount of synthetic chemicals that we are today.

I was not aware of this until about a couple years ago. I would buy whatever had the best scent or the cutest bottle. And I’m not just talking about shopping at a drugstore. Most products in places in Sephora, Ulta and Bath and Body Works contain harsh chemicals in their products. Now I’m very careful about what I buy. Today when I wash my body and my hands I use Dr. Bronner’s.

Dr. Bronner’s is a very interesting brand. It is a true castile soap which originates from the Castile region in Spain. Castile soap was originally made from olive oil, but now refers to any vegetable oil based soap. What I love about Dr. Bronner’s is that it is organic and 100% vegetable based with absolutely all natural ingredients and no foaming agents. I use the almond soap which smells delicious. It contains olive oil, coconut oil and hemp oil. I never would imagine that oil would be cleansing, but it is! And it actually does get pretty foamy. It’s awesome, it keeps my skin really soft and not too dry. You can also use this soap as laundry detergent and as a house hold cleaner. You can buy Dr. Bronner’s at any health food store and I think they have it at Longs too now.

Tags: Bath And Body, Bath And Body Works, Cancer Rates, Cosmetic Products, Dr Bronner, Drug Store, Harsh Chemicals, Harsh Soaps, Health Food Store, Household Name, Industrial Revolution, Local Health Food Store, Natural Cleansers, Natural Oils, Skin Allergies, Skin Care Products, Soft Skin, Synthetic Chemicals, Synthetic Detergents, Synthetic Ingredients, Ulta

Juice Organics Skincare

Oooh, just found a new organic skincare line. Actually it turns out that they’ve been around for awhile, but they’re new to me and maybe you. The company is called Juice Beauty and Juice Organics.

Juice Beauty is a USDA certified organic skincare company. The company was started by Karen and Melissa, two gals who have a lot of experience in the natural beauty industry. Karen has spent 25 years launching healthy lifestyle companies, that’s pretty cool, and Melissa has 15 years experience creating organic beauty formulations, really cool.

So this is something new that I learned today from the Juice Beauty website. While most organic skincare companies claim their whole product is organic, Juice Beauty says that the water base which makes up most of the product, might only be 5% organic. Juice Beauty has developed and patented a 100% organic juice base in place of a water base, which will give even more nourishment to your skin. And it’s made with 26 different juices. Pretty awesome. And they’re products are up to 95% organic.

Juice Beauty has also launched another line called Juice Organics which is sold at Target and Ulta. What’s cool about this line is, well, it’s way cheaper than Juice Beauty. You see Juice Beauty uses more concentrated ingredients. And Juice Organics uses only 5 organic juices instead of 26 in it’s juice base and their products are only up to 70% organic. Regardless, for people on a budget, like me, Juice Organics sounds just fine. And they don’t test on animals…double fine.

Did I mention that they’re products are paraben, petroleum and pesticide free? This is very important because what’s the point of having organic skincare if there’s still harmful synthetic chemicals in it? There are companies out there that do that, so always read the ingredients. Juice Beauty sounds like the real deal though. And they use environmentally friendly packaging.

So I personally haven’t used there products yet..just found about them today, but if you have, let us know if you like them. It sounds like a great brand…maybe I’ll try the Green Apple Mousse Body Cleanser, yummy!

Tags: Beauty Industry, Beauty Website, Gals, Healthy Lifestyle, Natural Beauty, Nourishment, Oooh, organic beauty, Organic Juices, organic skincare, Pesticide, Petroleum, Real Deal, Skincare Companies, Skincare Company, Skincare Line, Synthetic Chemicals, T Test, Target, Ulta, Water Base

Homemade Skin Care

My friend at work, Wendy, made a huge batch of salve with some amazing herbs to help combat skin problems and I bought a small tub off her last night. I was so excited to use it, I put some around my eyes to prevent crows feet and on my neck. Which got me thinking how great homemade skincare is.

I’ve mentioned in posts before about how many skincare companies claim to use natural products. They derive a little bit of this, and a little bit of that. Why not just go straight to the source. For example, I massage jojoba oil on my face before I wash it with raw unfiltered honey. There are so many effective facial masks, cleansers, scrubs and moisturizers you can make natural ingredients in your kitchen.

Wendy is actually in school for homeopathic medicine which is more about preventing disease than curing it.  She spent 10 hours making this batch so there was a lot of love put into it.  Here are some of the herbs she put into it and their healing properties:

Chamomile-hypoallergenic, smooths skin, moisturizes, increases elasticity, reduces wrinkles, good for sensitive damaged skin, reduces inflammation an risk of skin cancer

Nettles-clears eczema and psoraisis, slows bleeding

Elderberries-helps with minor burns and rashes, reduces wrinkles

Lavender-soothes bruises and sunburns, is anti-fungle and anti-inflammatory

Peppermint-moisturizes dry skin, encourages oil production, helps with poison oak and poison ivy

Passion Flower-anti-spasmadic, calming, anti-fungle, and antibacterial

There are countless homemade recipes out there.  Here are a couple of recipes from one of my favorite books, Beauty Wisdom by Bharti Vyas. The book is all about natural skincare and the importance of massage and nutrition.

Exfoliator

• 2 heaped tsp fine oatmeal
• 2 tsp honey
• 1/4 tsp lemon juice

Leave on for ten minutes, can have a sloppy consistency.

Eczema Mask

• 2 tsp gram flour
• 2 tsp almond oil
• 1/4 tsp salt

Smooth and fairly liquid consistency.  Leave on for 10 minutes.

Here are some websites for homemade skincare:

Skin Care Recipes and Recipes

Natural Skin Care

Possumsal

Kristen’s Guide

Smart Skin Care

Tags: Almond Oil, Beauty Wisdom, Bharti Vyas, Crows Feet, Elderberries, Facial Masks, Gram Flour, Healing Properties, Homemade Recipes, homemade skin care, Mask 2, Minor Burns, Moisturizers, natural skin care, Natural Skincare, Nettles, organic skin care, Passion Flower, Poison Oak, Raw Unfiltered Honey, Skin Cancer, Skincare Companies, Tsp

Winter Skincare Tips

Winter can be the toughest time of the year for your skin. For most of us, our skin feels dry, our lips are chapped and our hair is brittle. Here are some tips to keep your skin and hair supple through the harsh months of winter.

You might need to change your skincare routine during the winter, especially those who live in extreme winter weather. The first thing I would recommend is to use a very gentle cleanser that won’t dry out your skin. For me, I like to use raw unfiltered honey as a cleanser because it keeps my skin feeling soft and not so dry and tight. Use whatever works for you, but a creamy cleanser would probably be the best choice.

I personally never use a toner, but if you do, consider skipping it during the winter. Toner strips your skin of it’s natural oils which our skin desperately needs when it’s cold out. Cold weather already drys out our skin so we don’t want to use anything that will enhance the dryness.

Moisturizing is of course a must. Use an eye cream for your eyes, a serum for all over your face and neck, and then a facial moisturizer. Eyecream is especially important because the skin around our eyes is very delicate. I love using a serum because they’re full of vitamins. You might need to change your facial lotion to something more moisturizing during the winter. Moisturize your face day and night and also your body. It’s also very important to moisturize everytime you get out of the shower while your body is still damp.

Here are some other tips:

Deep condition your hair weekly with coconut oil.

Make sure you to have some hand lotion and chapstick on hand when you’re out and about. Try not to lick your lips!

Wear sun screen during the winter. The sun can be very bright and harsh when it’s reflecting off the snow.

Also wear sunglasses every time you go outside during the day to prevent crows feet and protect your eyes.

Lastly, drink a lot of water to stay hydrated. Keeping hydrated will help keep your skin from drying out.

Well hopefully you’re already doing these steps to keep your skin looking nice and pretty during the winter, but if not I hope these tips help!

Tags: BEAUTY, Best Choice, Chapstick, coconut oil, Cold Weather, Crows Feet, Extreme Winter, Eye Cream, Facial Moisturizer, Gentle Cleanser, Hand Lotion, Lips, Lot Of Water, Natural Oils, Raw Unfiltered Honey, serum, Skin Feeling, Sun Screen, Sunglasses, Vitamins, Winter Weather

Sweet Health Benefits of Honey

Honey is has so many health benefits, it’s hard to believe.  It’s good for your insides, good for your skin and taste delicious.  I used to just eat honey because it tastes good, but after doing something research it’s clear that’s it’s much more than just sweet.

Honey has been used for years as an antibacterial medicine and to treat burns.  Before modern medicine people had to find things in nature to treat ailments.  Honey was one nature’s go to medicines and it’s still a healthy alternative to use today.

Burns and cuts

Back in the day before modern skin grafting, when people got burned they would apply honey to the burn and cover it with a bandage.  How does honey help?  First, honey is antibacterial and antimicrobial so bacteria cannot grow in it.  Second, honey absorbs excess water from inflamed tissue which reduces swelling.  Now, if you get a serious burn, by all means go to the doctor, but for a little burn or cut, try using honey to heal it.

Anti bacterial qualities

Honey’s anti bacterial qualities are twice as effective when diluted with water.  Honey actually helps your teeth believe it or not.  It kills dental plaque bacteria and blocks growth of new bacteria.  Have a sore throat?  Drink a hot cup of honey and water to sooth inflamed throat tissue and kill bacteria.

Skin Care

Honey has been used since the ancient times for skin care.  Ever notice all the skin care products available with honey in it?  Why not go straight to the source instead of spending a ton of money on a product that you already have in your kitchen pantry?

Use honey to wash your face.  I know this sounds kinds of funny, but yes, you can use honey to wash your face day and night.  Honey removes dirt from your pores, kills bacteria that causes acne, reduces redness and inflammation and leaves your face glowing.  It literally gets rid of blackheads too, it’s amazing.  You can leave it on for 5 to 10 minutes as a mask and just rinse it off.  Depending on the time of the year, you might not even need a moisturizer after.

There are so many homemade facial recipes out there that contain honey.  For example you can use honey with oatmeal as an exfoliator or honey and cucumbers for a extra hydrating mask. Another good one is honey and milk which gets rid of dead skin due to milk’s natural alpha hydroxyl acids.  But there are soooo many other combinations out there you can find by googling “honey facials”.

Other Benefits

Honey is great for treating allergies, soothing an upset stomach, is easy to digest, cleanses blood, clears conjunctivitis, reduces stress, helps with insomnia, lowers bad cholesterol, prevents osteoporosis, helps with infertility by increasing sperm count, and lowers blood pressure.

And just a word of advice, it is common knowledge never to feed honey to infants under a year old because it can cause infant botulism (food poisoning).  Check with your doctor to see when it’s okay to start feeding your children honey.

Also, only buy cold press raw honey which retains all of it’s natural nutrients.  Buy organic honey if possible. Most honey sold in stores has been heated which kills the beneficial nutrients of honey.

Tags: Ailments, Bacteria Growth, Bandage, BEAUTY, Benefits Of Honey, Blackheads, Dental Plaque Bacteria, Excess Water, Health Benefits Of Honey, Honey Honey, Hot Honey, Inflamed Throat, Inflamed Tissue, Inflammation, Kitchen Pantry, Modern Medicine, nutrition, Pores, skin care, Skin Care Products, Skin Grafting, Sore Throat, Sweet Honey, Taste Delicious, Things In Nature

Why The Body Shop is Where It’s At

The Body Shop used to be one of my favorite stores and since then I’ve gone on to try other products. But recently I decided to take a deeper look into what they’re all about and I like what I see. Not only do they have a multitude of some the of the best smelling products ever, they do some pretty awesome things to help the planet.

As of 2007 The Body Shop products are 100% vegetarian which not only help save animals’ lives, it reduces green house gasses. They are also beginning to use 100% recycled bottles and are limiting their packaging.

The body shop does not do any animal testing on ingredients or finished products and advocates alternative testing. They actually refused to have any of their products made in China due to so called required animal testing over there.

The Body Shop has been involved in Community Trading since the early 90s. Their fair community trade program’s objective is “creating trade to help people in the Third World utilize their resources to meet their own needs”. Because of their free trade a paper factory making bags and scented drawer liners was built in Nepal and employs 37 people. A soap factory was built in the depressed region of Glasgow in Scotland employing 100 people, many previously unemployed.

The Body Shop was actually founded back in 1976 by Anita Roddick and has grown tremendously since then and is actually the second largest cosmetic franchise in the world. In 2006 The Body Shop was acquired by L’Oreal which created quite a controversy. L’Oreal has always done animal testing and now that they own The Body Shop, the argument is that buying Body Shop products promotes animal testing.

I can understand this argument, although the Body Shop continues to be cruelty free and is even taking further steps to make their products safe. Founder Anita Roddick still will have input on decisions and free trade vendors will still have future contracts with L’Oreal. I believe choosing The Body Shop brand over other L’Oreal products will make an impact on their future decisions. I love what The Body Shop represents and I will continue to support them as long as they continue to do what they have always done.

Ok, and aside from them being cruelty free, eco friendly, vegetarian, and developing third world communities, their products are awesome. I personally love their Brazil Nut Body Butter! Their products are so potent that it seems like you could literally eat them. Don’t though! They aren’t edible, but they smell delicious!

So tell me, what do you think of the Body Shop? Are there any products you just have to have? Do you still support them even though their owned by L’Oreal? Let us know what you think!

Tags: Advocates, animal testing, Anita Roddick, BEAUTY, Body Shop Products, Contracts, Controversy, Cosmetic Franchise, Eco Friendly Products, Favorite Stores, Finished Products, Glasgow, Green House, L Oreal, Multitude, Nepal, Produc, Products Made In China, Scented Drawer Liners, Soap Factory, Third World, Trade Vendors

Get the Best Skin Ever!

It is possible to get beautiful supple skin without expensive creams and treatments. All it takes is a little hard work and a lot of consistency. For my personal pointers, read on…

I used to have not so pretty skin back in high school. I had a small acne problem, my skin was very oily and I really didn’t know how to take care of it. I used really really harsh soaps to control the oiliness but that didn’t help. I finally went to a dermatologist my senior year get rid of the acne around my chin. He was going to put me on Accutane which basically dries your skin out to the point that it starts peeling. Luckily he tried this other stuff in a pill form that worked immediately so I didn’t have to go on Accutane. I wish I could remember what it was because it worked so well and my acne never came back!

After high school I became a little obsessed with buying high end name brand skin care. I wouldn’t recommend this for a couple of reasons. Most of those expensive skin creams have ridicules claims that they never live up to. They rob your bank account and usually don’t work much better than the cheaper creams you find in the drugstore. And there is always some new miracle cream the magazines hype up and we fall for it. It’s a never ending money spending cycle for something that just doesn’t exist.

So how do you get great skin? Well, lets start from the beginning. Beauty literally start from the inside out. What you eat affects your skin now and especially in the future. Eating a healthy diet feeds our skin giving it the nutrients it needs to stay supple.

What exactly do you need to eat to get great skin? A heck of a lot of veggies. Remember in the last post I talked about how antioxidants are essential for getting rid of the free radicals that cause cancer and disease? Well those free radicals also cause wrinkles and skin damage.

Free radicals happen naturally from our environment. Sources that cause free radicals are the sun, pollution and cigarette smoke. (By the way, if you smoke, grow up and cut it out!! There are no excuses for it.) So there’s really no way to get around free radicals unless you just never go outside.  But there is a way to stop these little suckers from causing damage.  Can you guess what it is? Yup, antioxidants. That’s why it’s soooo important that if you want great skin, the first thing you have to do is eat foods with plenty of antioxidants; prunes, berries, green tea, spinach, kale, onions, garlic and so on…check out my last post for more info.

Second essential must for great skin is drink lots of water.  Duh…we all know this right?  But for some reason, some of us have a really hard time doing it ( me included).  We get busy and forget, but it’s something we have to make a habit.  Why?  Water flushes toxins out of our system.  Toxins ravish our insides and our skin.  So make sure you drink 8-10 glasses a day.  Also, cut out the soda and energy drinks completely.  Cut out or cut down on alcohol ( this is a hard one, I like to have a beer every once in a while).  Just give your body what it needs and cut down on what it doesn’t need.

So after you eat a bunch of veggies and drink a lot of water, what do we actually put on our skin to keep it looking great?  Well, the more and more I research about skin care, I’ve learned the skin responds better to natural resources than chemicals derived in a lab.  So I’ve made a conscious effort that before I put anything on my skin, I’ve researched the product.  I only buy brands that are all natural and cruelty free.  Buy products from your local health store.  There are a ton of all natural products out there; Mychelle (my favorite), Desert Essence, Josie Maran, Origins, Kiss My Face, Dr. Hauschka, and many others.  If you don’t have a health store around you, buy online.  Be careful that you avoid product with parabens, fragrances (aside from essential oil based fragrances), phthalates, and carcinogens. For more info on this check out safecosmetics.org.

After you find a some brands you like all you need is a cleanser, serum, moisturizer, eye cream and sunscreen.  Avoid toners because they dry out your skin.  I don’t believe you need a different moisturizer for day and night so save some money and just use one.  I definetly recommend a serum because it’s a basically a topical vitamin for your skin.  Eye cream is a must because the skin around our eyes are delicate and need extra attention.

Also take your dermatologists advice with a grain of salt.  Remember that they are making a profit off the brands they sell you in their office so always research before you buy.  And if they tell you what you eat doesn’t affect your skin, find another dermatologist.

Lastly, avoid botox and all those nasty injections.  They make you look weird!  Look at all those celebrities that got all botox happy and now their faces look morphed and puffy.  Aim to look good for your age, not 20 years younger.

As for me, since I’ve taken the natural route, I have never gotton more compliments on my skin.  And I’m spending way less money too!  What more can you ask for?

For more info check out these books; Beauty Wisdom and The Wrinkle Cure.  You can find more about these books and Mychelle, Desert Essense and Josie Maran by checking out my Sweet Fuzz Amazon Store.

Tags: Accutane, Acne, Acne Problem, Acne Skin, BEAUTY, Cause Cancer, Cigarette Smoke, Dries, Drugstore, Eating A Healthy Diet, Free Radicals, Harsh Soaps, Magazines Hype, Miracle Cream, Nutrients, Pointers, Senior Year, skin care, Skin Creams, Skin Damage, Supple Skin, Wrinkles

Josie Maran Natural Cosmetics

Many of you might recognize Josie Maran from her modeling days for Maybelline and Sports Illustrated. These days, Josie Maran is focusing her interests on her own cosmetics company. Josie Maran Cosmetics is an awesome organic eco friendly skincare and cosmetics line.

Josie grew up in a bohemian family in Northern California where she learned to appreciate natural beauty. She didn’t even wear makeup until she got into modeling in her late teens which is kind of ironic considering she owns a cosmetic company now. She spent several years as a very successful model and after having her daughter, she was inspired to give back and thus created Josie Maran cosmetics.

I have been using her cosmetics for about a year and I really like them for several reasons. Number one being they are truly non toxic, biodegradable and cruelty free. Josie signed with the safe cosmetics campaign to help take toxic chemicals out of cosmetics and now over 600 companies have joined. That’s awesome and it just goes to show that there are plenty of alternative options out there.

Another reason I lover her cosmetics is that they are very high end luxurious brand. The actual cosmetics are very high quality and you can tell that they put a lot of time and love into creating their products. I am a sucker for cute packaging and the Josie Maran line is gorgeous and sleek. Not to mention the packaging is biodegradable.

I personally like supporting brands that are actually trying to do some good and are not just in it for the money. Josie is involved in Global Green, which teaches kids about the environment and reducing their carbon footprint. She is also involved in the website Skin Deep which goes into depth about what’s good and bad in most cosmetics. If you use any sort of makeup or skincare, check out Skin Deep, it will open your eyes.

I highly recommend her brand if you’re interested in organic cosmetics.  Her site, josiemarancosmetics.com has a ton of information about what ingredients are in each individual product.  Her products include tinted moisturizers (what I use), concealer, powders, bronzers, blush, eyeshadow, lip gloss, brushes, makeup remover and Moroccan argon oil.  Josie Maran also won the Allure Editor’s Choice Award for her mascara.

You can currently buy Josie Maran Cosmetics at Sephora and on her website.

Tags: BEAUTY, Bohemian, Carbon Footprint, Cosmetic Company, Cosmetics Company, eco friendly, High Quality, Josie Maran, Love, Makeup, Maybelline, Money, Natural Beauty, Natural Cosmetics, Northern California, Organic Cosmetics, organic skin care, safe cosmetics, Skin Deep, Skincare, Sports, Toxic Chemicals

Desert Essence Organics

Desert Essence is a company that has been bringing natural skincare to the United States for over 30 years. Now they have a new line, Desert Essence Organics. All the products in the Organics line are 100% vegan, wheat free and gluten free. All of their products are free from parabens, sodium lauryl/laureth sulfates, phthalates, artificial fragrances or colors, silicones, EDTA, glycol, and petroleum-based ingredients.

I personally love their body and hand lotions which come in some amazing scents; sweet Bulgarian lavender, rich vanilla chai, spicy citrus, almond and coconut. They smell so good and are all organic. They also are a great moisturizer which I use after every shower. If you’re looking for a great all natural organic lotion, I recommend this line.

Another awesome point about Desert Essence is that their facility is run by wind power which is clean energy thus helping our planet. In addition, wind power is the cheapest alternative energy which is great for us, the consumer, because it allows them to keep their prices low.

Desert Essence is also a supporter of animal rights. None of their raw material or finished product is ever tested on animals. Something to keep in mind; if a product says “finished product is not tested on animals” that does not mean that the actual ingredients of the products were “not” tested on animals. There are companies out there that send their ingredients out to contracted labs that do animal testing, but then put the label “finished product not tested on animals” on their products because the actual finished product wasn’t. That’s still animal testing. So that’s another reason that I love Desert Essence because everything that is or isn’t in their product is on the label.

Aside from their sweet body lotions, they have an array of other products in their Desert Essence Organics line such as jojoba oil (which I use everyday), tea tree oil, pistachio foot repair cream, pumpkin hand repair cream, green apple shampoo and conditioner, lemon tea tree shampoo and conditioner, red raspberry shampoo and conditioner, Italian red grape conditioner, and travel kits.

Click here to go to their site Desert Essence or check out the Sweet Fuzz Store for Amazon’s best deals on Desert Essence.

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Mychelle Natural Skin Care

Mychelle is my favorite natural skin care line right now.  It’s a completely cruelty free, vegetarian and plant based line which means they don’t use any synthetic chemicals or toxins to preserve their products.  Instead they use essential oils, antioxidants, and antimicrobial extracts.  Never any parabens, coloring agents or fragrances which have been linked to cancer and birth defects.

I love Mychelle because their products make my skin feel supple yet able to breath.  Also I know that when I use Myshelle, I’m not putting anything on my skin that can harm me in the future.  Did you know that our skin absorbs 40% of what’s put on it?  So I want to know for sure what ingredients are in the products I use.

Below are some Mychelle products I recommend. For more products check out
http://sweetfuzz.com/store/

Mychelle has a great selection of organic products, everything from cleansers to serums to eye creams.  I can’t see myself switching over to any other line right now, since they have everything I need.

Tags: Amazon, Amp, antioxidents, Birth Defects, Cancer, cleansers, Coloring Agents, cruelty free, eco friendly, essential oils, Extracts, eye creams, Fragrances, Lt, Marketplace, mychelle, Mychelle Products, natural skin care, organic, Organic Products, serum, skin care, Skin Care Line, Synthetic Chemicals, Toxins, vegetarian, Widgets

Skincare Secret #1

I have a pretty simple skincare regimen. For me, simple is better. One of the most important things I do during my regimen is before I wash my face I massage my face with jojoba oil. I really feel like it makes my skin more supple after I wash my face.

I started doing this when I went to get a facial at Aveda. By the way, their express facials are awesome and really reasonable. Anyway, after exfoliating, she massaged all this oil all over my face and then proceeded to do a final wash. I asked why she put all the oil on and she said it breaks up all the dirt in our pores and we stay moisturized after we wash our face. They sell a bottle of oil specifically for this which I was going to buy, but it was about $18 for a tiny little bottle. I remembered I had some jojoba oil at home so I decided to try it with that, and low and behold, it works.

On really hot days when I’m likely to get sweaty I don’t use it, but otherwise I use it every day and night. I always make sure to apply it around my eyes to prevent crows feet and then I give my face a little mini massage with the rest.

Jojoba oil is actually the closest oil to our own oil we produce called sebum and t’s very popular in skincare products. If you’re going to buy it, make sure to buy the unrefined oil which is a light golden yellow. It can be an expensive oil, but I just use Desert Essence brand. It’s a pretty small bottle but it last a long time since all you need is a couple drops to massage your face.

Courtesy of Stock Expert

Tags: Aveda, BEAUTY, Crows Feet, desert essence, Dirt, Exfoliating, Express, Face, Face Massage, Facial, Facials, health, Hot Days, Important Things, jojoba oil, Long Time, Massage Oil, Pores, Sebum, Secret 1, Skincare, Skincare Products, Skincare Regimen, Stock