Multitasking for your Skin!

Last year I bought my first BB Cream. The funny thing was the moment when the beauty consultant and I were wondering, together, what the BB stood for! ...and you'd would think she had to know that! Well, she was partially right. She told me "I think it means blemish balm!" When the other beauty consultant came back from her break she added the other half: "It also stands for beauty balm!" This was a Clinique inside Nordstrom, last Fall! BB stands for both blemish balm and beauty balm, and there are many brands that carry a BB cream. This type of cream is like a bit of magic for your face!

Time went by and here we are: Spring 2013 with Summer right around the corner. If your skin is like mine, it acts quite differently when it becomes hot and humid outside. I may have more breakouts and definitely need to watch out for the harmful sun rays. My skin gets oily in a matter of seconds, and sticky too. While during the colder days I need a different approach for my skin, the warmer time of the year requires a bit of a shift.

I still don't want to give up the BB Cream in the hot weather! I like it a lot and it's quite beneficial for the skin. It acts like a multitasker, covering up imprefections and evening out skin tone making it possible for you to skip foundation and concealer, moisturizing the skin (even oily skin needs moisture!), protecting from the sun, adding antioxidants to the skin and acting like a primer if you're applying make up after it. Talk about the possibility of saving space on your vanity and your travel beauty bag! This BB cream was first developed in Germany and when it hit Asia, South Koreans were the first ones to go crazy about it!

So, what I decided to do was test out 4 different BB creams: Clinique, Maybelline, L'Oreal and Revlon. These 4 were featured last month in a popular beauty magazine, and I decided to give it a try.

While all of them have a nice tint (you can choose light, medium or dark) I believe the "dark" option is not truly a darker tone like you'd see in a foundation that has so many different color variations. So, the tint color may actually disappoint a few people. I am not too fair but not too tanned either, and I tried the medium tones, which worked best for me. The Clinique BB cream was too light for me and made my skin look a bit ashy. The Revlon one and the Clinique one had a very similar, thicker texture and I can see it working well for Fall and Winter time, if you have "oily issues" like I do. Both have a broad spectrum sun protection (SPF 30) which is wonderful! The L'Oreal BB cream was a nice surprise: It's actually white with grey grains that, when applied in light circular and even motions to your skin turn beige like the skin. Very light texture, but once applied (and when you wash your hands) you feel the moisturizing action in it. The only thing I missed in the L'Oreal BB Cream was sun protection! My favorite of all these 4 was the Maybelline BB cream! It's got great sun protection (SPF 30), the texture is not too light and not too heavy and the coverage is perfect! The price factor is also very appealing (these 3 except for Clinique range between $8 and $10), as you can find it in all drugstores and it's not expensive if you compare it to Clinique and others such as Estee Lauder, Boscia, Too Faced, Stila, Smashbox and other BB creams in the higher end (all $30 and up).

My advice is this: If you're interested in using a BB cream, protecting and beautifying your skin, look at your budget and "invest" in 2 or 3. Don't just do the cream on the hand test at the store. You gotta wear it for a whole day to approve it or not! If you don't like it, find a friend who'd like to try the ones you didn't like and she can do the same, passing on the creams around your friendship circle. That's what I will do!

I'm so excited already because the fun won't stop here: Have you heard of the newer CC Creams?

Treat yourself well and be happy! Have a wonderful Sunday!

Little girls' nails deserve the BEST!

Little, tiny fingers deserve what's best out there!

My girls love getting their nails painted and we usually do this on the weekends! My biggest worry is not a matter of an early onset of excessive vanity (honestly, I came to the conclusion that little girls are born with a nice healthy dose of vanity!), but the toxic chemicals present in nail polish.

Let's be realistic here: Kids put their hands in their mouths all the time. I truly don't want them to be ingesting all of the bad stuff.

So, I came across 2 companies that make beautiful nail polish with less toxic chemicals than other well known brands.

I often use them on my nails as well, after all, hey, we deserve good stuff too, and you can see them in the picture below: Zoya and Butter LONDON

Zoya's natural nail polish doesn't contain toluene, formaldehyde, camphor or DBP (phthalates). This is GREAT! They have over 300 colors to choose from, and I wish Ulta, the store I purchase them at here in Florida, had a larger selection. Please note, Ulta's web site is not showing they distribte Zoya. I don't know if they will discontinue carrying the line, so I suggest you either look at their web site or try different local nail salons.

Butter LONDON follows a "3 free philosophy" and the nail polish they sell is also free of toluene, formaldehyde and DBP. The great thing about Butter LONDON is that they also have beautiful lip glosses.  You can find them all at Ulta as well!

Again, as I had mentioned in previous posts: I have no affiliation with either Zoya or Butter LONDON. I simply love the brands and enjoy showing them off here! Good things deserve to be mentioned more often!

My point is: If I'll be spending money on my girls, I'll do so wisely. That doesn't mean "expensive". It means being conscious of what I'm paying for. In this case, I'm looking for less harmful health impact combined with fun and the possibility to create wonderful memories together!

I know what we'll be doing tomorrow morning after breakfast!... :)

Your skin SO deserves this!

I got good feedback from some of you about my post on cosmetics. Nothing like being KIND to our skin, right?
As I had written before, I would have been a great research subject for any Dermatologist over the years. Read my other post (click here) to understand what I mean!

Ever since I can remember, my Mom has always taken very good care of her skin. She's well over 60 now and always receives compliments on her skin. The benefits of using the right products, the need to protect, exfoliate, treat and put time (an sometimes $) into a good skin regimen SHOW. Alright, some of us have great genes that help tremendously, but, let's face it, it's not always the case. At least not my case!

My Mom has taught me by example. Her diligent routine has allowed me to understand, over the years, the benefits of taking good care of our skin. Mostly, protecting it from environmental damage, like the sun, cold, pollution or dry and recycled air. No matter what phase in my skin situation I was in (puberty, adult acne, dry & flaky skin, allergies, sunburn, you name it), there was always something that could be done.

But all these cremes, lotions, serums, ...all this time and money spent! Yes...it's not always easy. The idea of keeping it simple is so appealing, but that will also depend on your skin type, your budget, the time commitment you want to put into it and your age!

There is ONE product, however, that I now LOVE with all my heart and wished I had started using a while ago. This one thing goes well for every skin type and I say that because it's part of a major step: cleansing. I'm sorry, but don't you dare put on anything on dirty skin. No, no. Go wash it first!

I can't picture my life without the Clarisonic Skin Cleansing System. If you don't have one yet, either go get one now or save up (prices range from around US$120 to US$235) because IT IS THE BEST.

Our hands-on way of cleansing our face and neck doesn't get all the dirt and make-up off, and if we wanted to try, we'd be scrubbing for the longest time, irritating our skin and potentially damaging our skin's collagen. Because our gentle hands can't possibly do the real deal work, creams, serums and lotions have a bit more of a challenge penetrating our skin, jeopardizing how many benefits we're truly getting from all these products.

What I find with  the Clarisonic brush is that it's gentle brush massager truly cleanses the skin. I can even feel the water totally refreshing my pores. I'm not joking. I use the Clarisonic brush mornings and evenings, and use a bit of the gel cleanser from that brand (they have a good variety of gel cleansers to use with the brush).You wet your face, apply the gel cleanser, turn on your handheld Clarisonic brush and use light, circular motions over the face to cleanse it. Then, you rinse your face with water. Work wonders. It's quick and efficient.

Do something GOOD for yourself and invest in a Clarisonic Cleansing System. I honestly don't think you'll be disappointed at all. If you want to pass the kindness along, this makes for a grate birthday gift, Mother's day gift, Christmas gift, Valentine's gift, raffle prize, silent auction prize or even graduation prize!

Please note, these are my personal opinions on this product. I don't have any connections or affiliations with Clarisonic International. I'm simply a very happy customer spreading the word and sending out good vibes!
(picture of the product found in Google Images)

Happy cleansing, all!

From my personal "Collection"!...

Don't we all have things we simply love? Some people are crazy about shoes. Others love journals and fancy pens. I have a friend who's the biggest "PEZ" collector (yes, the candy!...Hi, chica!)! We all have things, stuff, we love! These things make us happy, don't they?
I, for example, LOVE pajamas! If you know me, you didn't see this one coming, huh? I sort of collect pajamas! I use them, I really do! I'm a bit of a fake collector, guess. I USE my collections - I don't just leave them alone.
Another collection that I actively use is SOAPS! I LOVE soaps! The more, the merrier!

There are a few requirements for a soap to make it into may collection, though: It's gotta be "cruelty free" (not tested on animals" and should have the least amount of animal products (such as honey, goat milk etc) as possible. Handcrafted soaps are a big hit in my collection!

Some soaps I truly love come from two companies that are so hip and won't break your wallet: "Shea Moisture" and "Pharmacopia". The soaps from Shea Moisture are made in the U.S.A. and I find them at Walgreens and Target, while Pharmacopia soaps, made in Canada, I buy at The Vitamin Shoppe! You see, nothing that will require you to spend a lot. And the smell SO good!

Let me show you some examples of these great soaps that would also make great GIFTS!
Below you will see pictures of 4 soaps. It's so sad you can't smell them!...

While I love these 4 soaps, I'd like to point out the "African Black Soap" (great for troubled, combination skin - bumps on your back, anyone?). There is such an incredible story behind this soap! In 1912, Sofi Tucker started selling Shea Nuts at their local market in the small village of Bonthe, in Sierra Leone. When she was 19, this Mom of 4 and at that time widow, had a wide array of natural beauty products she was selling; all homemade! Sofi left a legacy, empowering disadvantaged women to follow their dreams of a bigger and brighter future! When you purchase these soaps from Shea Moisture, you're helping a wonderful cause! Isn't this simply amazing? Give the gift of kindness, to yourself and your loved ones!

Be Kind to your (aging...) skin!

I am grateful my skin has been changing over the years.
From puberty's pimples to an oily adulthood, passing through 2 pregnancies, breastfeeding years, stress, happiness, awful eating habits in College, wonderful eating habits packed with exercise, facials and TONS of medicated and non-medicated cosmetics, healthy sun bathing and terrible sun burning, good make-up and cheap make-up - my skin has been through it all over my almost 35 years.

Today I want to talk about an awesome skin line: Dermalogica

This privately owned company is headquartered in Carson, California and has offices spread around the world, in dozens of countries. All products are made in the USA.
I first explored Dermalogica a bit when my Mom, in her mid-60s, purchased a starter-kit at Ulta about a year and a half ago. My Mom's very dry and aging skin did not react very well to it, however, as my Mom was used to a much richer consistency. I do not remember which starter-kit she purchased.

About 2 weeks ago, I went to Ulta looking for a skin-brightening solution. My skin started showing some serious sun damage. I love freckles, don't get me wrong, but those are sun spots from toasting in the sun throughout the years before I understood the great importance of a good  sunscreen!
I browsed around, left and went back a few days later. I wanted to research online before settling on anything and spending a bit more than usual. Good skin care IS more expensive. Do NOT believe in cheap miracles. Really. You WANT to put good stuff on your skin! It's your skin! Be kind to it! The quality of the ingredients, the place from where and the way natural ingredients were acquired, the packaging, the care, the storage, the Chemists, the team, the research (hopefully NOT involving animal testing!!!), oh my goodness, all this COSTS. The more you eliminate from the large equation, and the more you mass produce and the less care you put into the cosmetics, the cheaper it will get. I want good stuff for my skin.It deserves it! Please note, I don't splurge on cosmetics all the time. I go to Walgreens and CVS all the time. There are some things, though, that I believe are worth the big bucks.

I fell in love with Dermalogica's mission, which puts strong emphasis on Education and Innovation, offering us products free of common skin irritants, free of animal testing, free of fragrance and artificial colors, mineral oils, alcohol etc). To the company, skin care is a health issue, not just a cosmetic problem. The focus is not on selling us their products through pretty packaging and catchy names. They are straight-forward as can be. You know what you're getting and what I've gotten for my skin is MARVELLOUS.

I just recently started using the Clarisonic Mia 2 Skin Cleaning System. I feel the skin cleaner and more fully and efficiently absorbing the products I use.
This is what I bought from Dermalogica and rave about:

C-12 Concentrate: A strong brightening treatment I use during the day. I apply sunscreen afterwards, without a doubt. I learned my lesson! I have an oily T-zone, but the smooth, silky texture is just perfect for my skin. It's very light!

Overnight Repair Serum: Even oily skin needs to stay moisturized. Don't think that by drying it out you'll keep the oil away. Our skin needs a natural barrier against indoor and outdoor exposure. I love this serum. It makes me feel I'm truly nourishing my skin with so much goodness. It's greasy, but don't be fooled: It's good stuff from Argan and Rose oils, which, by the way, smell oh-so-good! I have tried the serum by itself and have mixed it in with my night moisturizer. In the morning, my skin feels soft, looks bright, looks rested and stress-free. This serum is a serum that helps your skin cope with aging. Everyday our skin ages. It doesn't matter if we are 25, 30, 40 or 50. Skin is still aging.

Be kind to it.