July Favorites

Hi all! I know this is a little late, but considering the circumstances, I hope you'll forgive me this time. (Ok, so I'm usually late anyway, but I was trying to be on time with this one!)

I love a good cleanser - and especially one that exfoliates, yet is safe for sensitive skin. The Suki Skincare Exfoliating Foaming Cleanser covers all the angles. Its bright lemon fragrance, gentle exfoliation and generous lather leaves skin feeling soft, smooth and refreshed. It has become my staple cleanser because it preps skin perfectly for moisturizing.
I go to an Aveda salon, and they always have little samples of things to take home and try. One in particular has become a favorite and it's the Botanical Kinetics Intense Hydrating Soft Creme. I like it because it's good for all skin types, it isn't greasy, it melts into skin fast, yet leaves skin with a moisturized feeling for hours.If you have dry skin, they also have a "rich" formula. Same great product, just more moisture for those with skin that needs a little more moisture.


I love a little luminosity on my face. Milani's Illuminating Face Powder in Hermosa Rose does a great job of making my face look lit from within, warming up my face with a hint of bronzer - without being too sparkly or shockingly highlighted. It just leaves a gorgeous all over glow. I use the Hermosa Rose, but there are two other shades, so lighter and darker skins can take advantage as well. Milani is a drugstore brand, and I typically get mine from CVS, because they have promotions a lot of the time. When I repurchased mine, it was Buy 1, Get 1 50% off. Not too bad!

Looks like I'm due for an August favorites - so keep your eyes open for that! ( I promise to get that finished before the end of September!)

xoxo,
B

February Favorites

I've been rekindling my love with some forgotten products and here they are:

1. Clean & Clear Oil-Free Shine Control Moisturizer
This is a great light moisturizer for the day that helps keep oil slicks away. I see this becoming my daily go-to product over the next few months as it warms up. I still use a heavier moisturizer at night and my day and night serums, but this is an excellent day lotion.

2. Londontown Lakur nail color in Thames from the Eye
I've been wearing this on my toes for a while now. I love the color. It's unique and sophisticated and fun - plus it reminds me of ocean water which has been nice during the crazy weather we've been having. But, the best thing about this polish it its staying power. It really lasts! I will be looking into getting some additional colors once my obsession with this turquoise color fades.

3. Ahava Dead Sea Osmoter™Concentrate
This is my holy grail serum. I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but it bears repeating. It's amazing. So light and silky feeling, but it really helps hold moisture in my skin. I can tell if I forget to use it. It's perfect to use day and night along with your preferred day and night cream. It lasts a long time - I've been using mine for about 2 months now and have not had to replace it yet. So, while it's a bit pricey (about $60) - it's worth it because it will last you at least a couple of months, bringing the price down considerably each month.

December Favorites - A List from Mimi

Mimi at 98

Yikes! I got really off track with my blog after my grandmother Mimi passed. It was a sad time for our family, as we had collectively decided Mimi would live forever. It just wasn't meant to be.

In honor of her, I will dedicate my December favorites to the things that Mimi taught me about beauty and skin care.

1. Drink Water
Yep, good ol' H2O does wonders for your skin. Keeps it hydrated, fends off wrinkles - all the things we want. How much water? Mimi always said drink 8 glasses a day.

Her skin looked great into her 90's, so how can I argue with that? There's nothing better than a dewy, fresh complexion, and hydration is the way to get there.

She would say to drink it plain,but I might need to add a squeeze of citrus juice in it. 

2. Wear SPF
Protect that delicate skin with an SPF. I cannot recall how many times Mimi would "get on me" about using sunscreen. So many times! I usually listened, but not all the time, which now I wish I had! Today it's easier than ever to include in your daily routine. Many moisturizers, foundations and other products made specifically for the face contain SPF, so it's not necessary to add an extra step.  The one I'm using now is Dr. Lewinn's BB Cream. It contains an SPF 15. If you have very fair skin, you might want to use a higher SPF.

3. Moisturize
Mimi always said she used Pond's on her skin every night before bed. While Pond's may be a little old school, her message was clear. Keep skin moisturized overnight. A night cream is a great way to do this - a night cream called a "sleeping mask" just sounds better. Good thing it works. Peter Thomas Roth's Camu Camu Sleeping Mask is packed full of Vitamin C and other nutrients to replenish your skin while you snooze. Just apply a thin layer before bedtime and rinse off in the morning. No worries, it's not greasy at all.

4. Add Some Color
Everyone looks healthier, therefore prettier in a little color. Mimi always wore jewel-toned tops and for special occasions, she'd add a bit of Revlon's Fire and Ice lipstick. It always made her look vibrant and put together. A little lipstick goes a long way. You don't have to go dramatic and choose red - any pink or peach shade you like will do. I've been enjoying the Palladio lip liner in Rockin' Red, topped with a gloss. It always gives me a little perk and polishes off my look.


I hope these tips prove useful in your life, as they were in my Mimi's and the rest of our family. Here's to the start of some great new habits and a wonderful 2014!

Fight Flaky Dry Skin

While the changing of the seasons from summer into fall feels great, it can be stressful to our skin. Sometimes moisturizer alone just doesn't cut it. If you've been noticing dry, flaky patches on your face (probably in the t-zone) don't worry. You're not alone! And, thankfully, it's a fairly easy fix. 

Here's what you'll need:

1. Your favorite facial cleanser

2. An exfoliating sponge like the one I found at CVS. 

3. A good moisturizer. (A night cream works well)

As you may have guessed, you're going to wash your face with your cleanser and rinse with warm water. Using your hands is fine for this step. 

Once your face is clean, wet your exfoliating sponge, add some cleanser to it and buff lightly in circles in your face. There's no need to be rough. You just want to go over the forehead, cheeks, nose and chin to increase the circulation and remove some dead skin cells. Avoid your eye area, as the skin there is the most delicate. 

Once you've rinsed and dried your face, apply your moisturizer. I prefer to do this in the evenings, so my face has a chance to rest and soak up the moisturizer before I put it through the paces with makeup again. 

You'll probably already notice a smoothness to your skin, but the next morning it will be even better. 

Try this once or twice a week, and say goodbye to patchy dry skin for good! Your makeup will look fresher and your skin will be radiant. 

Get a Glowing Complexion

It's getting close to that time of year again, ladies. Time to begin exfoliating and getting some much-needed color on those pretty faces of yours. How should you do it? Never fear, I've got a step-by-step explaining how to take your face from drab to fab.

For a gorgeously glowing complexion:
Step 1: EXFOLIATE
There are several ways to do this effectively, depending on your budget and your preference.

Revision Brightening Facial Wash and a Mia Clarisonic device.


Step 2: MOISTURIZE
Ensure that your skin is as healthy as your glow shows - here are several products that will help:

• Skinfo Vita Lite Moisturizer, packing a rich blend of antioxidant vitamins A, C, E, green tea extract and coenzyme Q-10 to quash aging free radicals before they reach your skin.
  
• Intraceuticals Rejuvenate Daily Serum plus Antioxidant Booster to revitalize dull skin and improve elasticity.

Step 3: SMOOTH ON SELF-TANNER
Skip the embarrassing streaks with Dermaquest DermaGlow Self Tanner- Face—the self-tanning ingredient Erythrulose promises a gradual and even tan. Plus, advanced liposome technology repairs and prevents UV-induced DNA damage.

Vani-T Bronzing Silk ( more on this next!)

Meaningful Beauty

Ok let's face it, ladies. We should all be so fortunate to look like Cindy Crawford - my lord, does that woman ever age?? It just doesn't seem fair to the rest of us, does it?

Well, when a box of her line of skincare Meaningful Beauty arrived at my doorstep to review, I must confess, I sorta snubbed my nose at it at first. After all the celebrities who have smacked their name on label for this or that, I just wasn't sold.

So the poor box sat. And sat. And occasionally, I'd open it up and see what Cindy had to say about her miraculous products filled with this rare melon extract. And then I'd close it back up and go back to whatever I was using at the time.

And it's not that I have "bad" skin or "troubled" skin - but I want that "lit from within" skin. So a few nights ago, as I was taking inventory of my stock in my bathroom, deciding what to keep and what to toss, I decided to give Meaningful Beauty a try.

This is what true love feels like! I look forward to washing my face everyday now - this formula removes makeup without causing my skin to become stripped. Skin just feels clean and soft after using.
Combine that with the Créme de Serum, Skin Brightening Décolleté and Neck Treatment SPF 15 and my oh my will your skin feel amazing.  I can't speak to the anti-wrinkle effects of the line, as I don't have any wrinkles, but I will say that your skin will feel healthy and moisturized while using this line and that, I believe, is half the battle!

I did not encounter any sensitivity issues nor did I break out at all while using Meaningful Beauty - in fact, I noticed a decline in hormonal breakouts! I would definitely recommend this line to anyone looking to change up their skin care routine.

Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize!

Let's face it. The weather has been brutal lately. All the more need for a good facial moisturizer. Nobody wants rough, itchy dry skin. Certainly not me! I recently started using Bliss Best of Skintentions Moisturizer and I'm in love! Its light formula and delicate fragrance is great for most skin types (and good for men as well!).

Best of all, it has an spf 15, so no matter what the weather is doing outside, your skin will be protected. At $35, this is a great deal.

To purchase from drugstore.com, click the link below.

Best of Skintentions