Archives for category: Shout Out

Shout Out: The Essence of Hydration

September 10, 2010 //
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I’ve been a Tweet-aholic for the last month but so remiss about posting on my blog. I know you all have great questions for me about sunscreens, mineral makeup, etc. and I have been a bad, bad, blogger. The basic reason is that I will be starting a new job (in natural skin care, hooray!) and moving, so life has been busy. And it’s been summer and finally got hot here so I needed to enjoy that. Frankly, I’ve also been spending a ton of time of the excellent No More Dirty Looks blog, which you should all check out, but please keep tabs on me, too, OK?

Speaking of heat, I wanted to let you all know how I’ve been hydrating this summer. I have completely fallen in love with Dr. Ayala’s Herbal Waters (which I got samples of because we covered them at the magazine I work for). These beverages are lightly accented with a combination of essences, from lavender to lemongrass to ginger and cinnamon, and they really go down easy (as you can see from my pile in the recycle!). But unlike sodas and other drinks, they are totally calorie free and just basically water. I’m not a huge bottled water person (hate the waste, hate the price), but these drinks I would actually buy. If you have trouble getting enough water daily, I do suggest giving them a try. (Go online and sign up for their newsletter, and you’ll get a coupon for $5 off.)

Categories Shout Out

Shout Out: No More Dirty Looks, the book

August 17, 2010 //
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Just a quick note to tell you all to check out the new guide to natural skin care from a pair of GOOD mag editors. I can’t fully recommend it yet, because it’s still on my nightstand (boo!), but they put up a great Q and A with the authors on Time’s website. I’m intrigued because the interview talks about quitting use of glycolic and other AHAs because of skin sensitivity, and these products are something I’ve recommended to my consultation and facial clients with acne-prone skin. I’ve already had one client have a reaction after several months of using malic acid products (characteristic little red bumps on the forehead), and now I have another client whose skin is freaking out and I’m suspecting that maybe she’s got a sensitivity, too… More investigation needs to be done on my part, so stay posted.

And while you’re reading, check out Newsweek’s beauty issue online. Great stuff in there, recommended by the author of the excellent blog Beauty Schooled Project.http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thesk0f-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0738213969&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr

Categories Shout Out

Shout Out: Rosie Jane Cheek Gloss

July 23, 2010 //
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I’ve just been diving into this week’s beauty blogs, and natural beauty expert Christy Coleman has a post about runway trends from this summer to try. Usually, I would never even bother imitating model looks; I have my ways I like my makeup, and I don’t really change them much. But fancy that two of the new looks—rosy cheeks and hot pink lips—are totally easy to replicate with one of my favorite products, Rosie Jane Cheek Gloss in Rose. Now, I can’t speak to this product’s green-ness, I’ll say that first off (and Coleman recommends a great natural option), but I just love Rosie Jane’s makeup. The cheek gloss is in a tiny compact with a mirror, so it fits in a purse bag with your lip balm or nail file or whatever, and is a perfect dewy pink me up for skin any time. Rosy cheeks add freshness and glow—the makeup artist who invented the line was mimicking those glow-y cheeks of 30s actresses. And amazingly, the color lasts a long time, both on your skin and in the package. A little really does go a long way. I rub my finger lightly in the compact, then pat each cheek and massage in to blend. That’s it. And if you’re liner challenged, try her Eye Defines. These pencils are rectangular and don’t have to be sharpened; the formula smoothly applies in a neat line and doesn’t look harsh.

Categories makeup, Shout Out

Shout Out: Alterna Dry Shampoo

June 24, 2010 //
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I know, I know, if you have to read another blog entry or article about “No Poo” you’ll scream. But I have to say I really like not washing my hair. It’s more manageable and soft if I space out the washes. Of course, I love washing it, too, especially when it’s been nearly a week and it’s really ready, if you know what I mean.

Enter dry shampoo… I’ve read about it on a couple mom blogs, what a lifesaver it is when you have a newborn and you’re sleep-crazed and can’t find time to pee, let alone shower. A more practical purpose for me, an outdoor-loving stepmom, was a couple weekends ago on a camping trip in the wine country. With no showers. We’d had a campfire the night before. And then we were going to a nice place for lunch. When my friend pulled out her handy bottle of Alterna Dry Shampoo, of course I wanted to try it. (P.S. It’s also supposed to be great if you get blowouts or do your own; it makes them last.)

First off, the ingredients in this are pretty clean and simple: essential oils, cornstarch and clay, some peptides. I’m impressed with this in a hair product, because I tend to think of that stuff as junky. This was just what you need to soak up oils and make your hair smell nice (I told my friend it could easily double as foot powder, it was that basic). Still, I’m amazed that it works as well as it does with no residue. It’s super easy to apply, since the bottle is a variation on those bottles that come with hair dye, and it’s a lightweight powder. You can either pour it directly on your scalp, or in your hands and rub in. My hair definitely smelled and looked better. I would totally buy it.

My only complaint is the ridiculous full name, which is so lame I refused to write it above. It’s actually called Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Dry Shampoo. Your hair is dead, so I have no idea how a product can anti-age it. Beauty marketing really is such a scam sometimes. But then again, who would buy it if they called it Cornstarch-Clay Powder for Foot and Scalp?

Categories hair care, Shout Out

Shout Out: Peppermint-Free Lip Tint

April 30, 2010 //
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I’m not a lipstick gal. I just mess it up if I have to wear it, smear it and get it on my teeth (although, I admit, I wore this lipstick at my wedding and used up the entire tube in the months after, since every time I applied it, I thought of that day). Instead, I love lip tints. They moisturize like simple lip balm and give the sheer color of gloss, minus the stickiness (you know, when your lip-gloss laden smile sticks to your hair… )

Recently, I noticed a number of natural lip tints popping up on drugstore shelves. So, I picked one up from a brand I trust. I applied it throughout the day, even keeping it next to my computer at work. Then I noticed my lips were getting more chapped than usual, even uncomfortably so. I actually had to heal them back to suppleness with this. Looking at the ingredients list, I figured it out… must be the peppermint oil! I started searching for a peppermint oil-free natural lip tint, and every single one had it. Even natural lipsticks have it, too.

I guess this is because peppermint lip products taste good when you apply them, and I admit it lends a refreshing feel (and maybe plumps lips a bit, too). But peppermint is stimulating; too much can even burn. And your lip skin is sensitive. It’s very thin, which is why it’s red—the blood vessels show through to the surface. It also lacks oil and sweat glands, which help protect the skin elsewhere on your body.

Fortunately, I just found a natural lip tint with no peppermint oil by Colorganics! It was actually the first lip tint I ever tried, and even though the company is from San Francisco, I originally bought a tube in Australia. I encountered it again in Arizona recently, noticed it was peppermint-free, and bought a new color, a super girly pink.

I know most people like to try lip color in person, so if you can’t find Colorganics where you live, look for Badger’s new lip tints. I was introduced to this company by my client, NaturesBasin.com, and the natural beauty blogs are abuzz about this new product, since the brand is trusted for its cocoa butter–based lip and body balms. I promise that neither of these two products will cause chapped lips!

Categories lip care, Shout Out
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