Apr26th

Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask

Categories: Skin care
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bliss oxygen maskTriple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask by Bliss is an at-home facial mask that is supposed to replicate the super popular oxygen facial at the Bliss Spas. I received a sample of the mask, and was curious to see if it would give me perfectly glowing skin, which is what the world famous Bliss Spa triple oxygen facial promises.

The at-home mask is easy to use - you apply a generous layer of the product to damp skin, wait 5 minutes, and then wash it off. Once you rinse off the mask, you can apply a moisturizer. The best part about the product is that it smells nice (like oranges), and it creates a frothy texture on your skin that feels refreshing. This is the first mask I’ve used that creates a shaving cream-like texture, and I personally liked the feeling. The frothiness (if that is even a word) only lasted a few minutes before it disappeared, and by the time 5 minutes was up, my face was feeling a little tight.

Results
The mask did make my face feel softer. My skin looked nice and smooth after using the mask, but it wasn’t glowing, and I’m not sure if it looked less “dull, tired and sallow” like it promised. I basically looked the same as before using the mask, but my skin was ever-so-slightly smoother and more even-toned. The product can be used up to 3 times a week.

Is it worth it?
The mask is fine for all skin types, and it doesn’t have pore clogging ingredients. It has some skin cleansing ingredients (like Sodium Laureth Sulfate), which seems sort of weird for a mask. At $52 for a bottle, it is pricey, although it contains 3.4 fl oz, which should last for several months or longer. I haven’t done extensive research on the benefit of added oxygen for your skin, or if it’s even possible to give your skin extra oxygen, but from what I have read, the whole oxygen thing is all marketing hype, and adding oxygen is actually not beneficial. The mask contains some good antioxidants, but if the product really does increase the oxygen in your skin, I wonder if that would negate the effects of the antioxidants since oxygen is a source of free radicals. Hmmm.

A lot of people do really like this mask, because there are some great reviews of it online, and other people think it’s fine, but not really worth it. The best thing about any skin care mask is that you feel like it’s a little pick-me-up for your skin, so even if it doesn’t do much, you feel better just knowing you did a little something extra. Due to the cheaper price and excellent hydrating abilities, I prefer the Paula’s Choice hydrating mask, but I would only recommend that one for normal to dry skin, and it doesn’t do any cool frothing or smell good, so it’s a bit boring.

*Buy Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask* (you can also view the full ingredients of the product here). Have you used the Bliss mask? What do you think?

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Apr22nd

A New Way To Shape Eyebrows

Categories: Skin care
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eyebrow shapingEyebrow shaping is something I’ve become obsessed with because it’s amazing how much better perfectly shaped eyebrows can make you look! Ever since I lost my perfect eyebrows and they become thin and patchy, I’ve been searching for new ways to make them look better. Since eyebrow waxing may have been what damaged my brows, I gave up waxing and only do minimal plucking.

Eyebrow planing – a new way to shape eyebrows
I read about eyebrow planing last year, and it seemed like a great thing to try because it removes stray eyebrow hairs without the possibility of permanently damaging hair follicles, which can happen from waxing, tweezing and threading. Eyebrow planing is basically a fancy razor! I know it sounds crazy, but I used to use shaving razors to clean up peach fuzz above my eyebrows, because I hate how makeup and sunscreen looks when it sticks to the peach fuzz. Obviously regular razors are big and bulky to use around eyebrows so they aren’t ideal to shape eyebrows.

I bought a Precision Brow Planer from Christi Harris, which is a little tool that is sort of like a men’s straight razor. You hold it flush with your skin and shave away excess eyebrow hairs to create sculpted brows. When I bought the tool, it came by itself and it was pretty inexpensive (like $12 for two), but now she apparently only sells it with an eyebrow makeup kit, so it costs a lot more. On her site, she has a little video that shows you how to shape eyebrows by brow planing. Since the planer just shaves away hair, you aren’t permanently damaging the hair follicles. But the hair will grow back faster than if you had waxed or tweezed.

I hardly have any stray hairs anymore, so I mostly use the brow planer to get rid of peach fuzz. It works pretty well to remove hair, but it’s hard to maneuver to perfectly shape your brows, although I’m sure some people would be better at it than me. I also find it a bit bulky to get under my brows as well as I’d like. It can also chafe your skin, and it’s sharp, so you need to go slow and plane carefully. The brow planer can also be used on peach fuzz on your upper lip, so that’s an added bonus! I’m sure it would also work for any excess facial hair.

Ardell Trim & Shape Grooming Tool
Right after I bought the Christi Harris planer, I saw a $3 version at CVS! I haven’t tried it, but it looks very similar. I think this Ardell Trim & Shape is the same one I saw, but it’s hard to tell from the picture. At that price, it’s definitely worth trying once to see what you think. Also check out your local drugstore to see if they sell similar eyebrow shaping tools. If you have unruly eyebrows, I think getting them professionally waxed, plucked, or threaded is still the way to go, but just remember you may never see those excess hairs again, so make sure the person doesn’t overdo it! If you are like me and don’t have enough hairs left to work with, try the eyebrow planing to shape your eyebrows!

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Apr19th

Stretch Mark Removal

Categories: Body
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stretch mark removalGetting rid of stretch marks is something that most people want. There are so many products that promise stretch mark removal, but do any of them work? 90% of women and 40% of men have stretch marks, so like cellulite they are totally normal, but just about everyone wants them gone.

Causes of stretch marks
Stretch marks usually appear after rapid weight gain or weight loss, growth spurts, and pregnancy. Even excessive weight lifting can cause them. Genetics also play a role, so getting stretch marks can be hereditary. Stretch marks are a breakdown of the skin’s collagen and elastin, and surprisingly doctors are still unsure of the exact reason why stretch marks occur. Theories, though, include elevated stress hormones and other hormone changes, and well as the skin stretching beyond its capacity, or stretching too quickly.

Stretch mark products to avoid
So how do you get rid of stretch marks? It’s not easy to get rid of them, but there are some possible solutions to make them less noticeable. I’ve had white stretch marks on my hips since high school, and most of the time I don’t even notice them anymore, and I suspect it’s because I don’t tan anymore, and that has helped them blend into my currently pale skin.

Most over-the-counter products that claim they will fade stretch marks do not work at all, and they are a complete waste of money. Mederma, onion extract, aloe, cocoa butter, wheat germ oil, and other creams and oils will unfortunately not reduce stretch marks, despite their fanciful claims. Your skin may appear more hydrated, but that’s it. These products are a waste of money.

Ways to really get rid of or reduce stretch marks
If you have just developed stretch marks and are concerned about them, I would visit a Dermatologist right away because the faster you start on treatment, the better your end results. Fresh stretch marks are usually red, pink, or brown. Eventually they will fade to a white or silvery color. If you are breast feeding, though, most of your treatment options will be limited until you are finished nursing – your doctor can tell you what is and is not safe. A lot of doctors, however, will tell you that nothing can be done for stretch marks, so unfortunately you might end up spending money on treatments that are not effective. Ideally treatments would come with a money-back guarantee, but I doubt many doctors or medical spas offer this.

Retinoids
Topical retinoids like Retin-A and the generic Tretinoin can have some improvement on stretch marks. Your doctor will need to give you a prescription, and you can’t use retinoids when you are pregnant or nursing. Using retinoids on fresh stretch marks might give you the best results.

Chemical Peels and Glycolic Acid
Your Dermatologist may perform medical-grade chemical peels (with TCA or Glycolic Acid) to reduce the appearance of stretch marks. Topical Vitamin C could also increase your collagen production and you could rotate between Vitamin C, Tretinoin and over the counter Glycolic Acid products at home. If you see any results, they probably won’t be that dramatic. Dermabrasion performed by a Dermatologist may also slightly help with textured stretch marks.

Lasers
There are several types of lasers that are currently being used to reduce the appearance of colored stretch marks. On pink, red and purple stretch marks, Dermatologists and Cosmetic Surgeons use V-Beam, and IPL (Intense Pulsed Light – not a true laser). Brown stretch marks may be treated with Q-switched lasers. What I haven’t been able to determine is if the colored stretch marks turn skin-colored after treatment, or if the laser just speeds up the fading process, thus making the stretch marks white. In that case, it seems sort of pointless since they will fade to white on their own, yet they would still be visible.

Fractional Lasers / Fraxel
If you have old stretch marks that have turned white or silverly, and if they are textured, then fractional lasers may give you a noticeable improvement. Fractional lasers haven’t been around for very long, so using them to treat stretch marks is still pretty new, but it’s a promising solution. From what I’ve read, some people see a good improvement, yet others don’t see any improvement. Fractional lasers, or any type of lasers, must be handled by doctors that are extremely skilled, so you will need to get referrals, check on the doctor’s credentials, and ask to see before and after pictures. You also might want to check with more than one doctor to compare their approach. Lasers aren’t cheap, but if you are really bothered by stretch marks, it may be worth it.

How celebrities remove their post-baby stretch marks
Tummy tucks can remove stretch marks on your stomach – the actual skin is surgically removed, along with the offending stretch marks. You will have a scar, but it’s usually low enough to be hidden under a bikini bottom. I have a feeling a lot of celebrities get tummy tucks to achieve the perfect post-baby body. This is major surgery, but it may be the most effective solution to remove stomach stretch marks, along with saggy, crepey, and flabby skin that doesn’t respond to diet and exercise.

Permanent makeup or cosmetic tattoos
An unusual approach to disguising stretch marks would be to have white stretch marks filled in with flesh-colored tattoo ink. I don’t know how well this works, and there’s always a possibility of making the stretch marks look worse, so you would need to find an excellent cosmetic tattoo artist that specializes in permanent makeup. I was unable to find before and after pictures of stretch mark cover up with permanent makeup, so this doesn’t seem to be a common thing. Regular tattoos can also disguise stretch marks, though. The ink might blur over the stretch mark, so your tattoo artist would need to be skilled to figure out how to incorporate this into the design. And of course this solution is only good if you prefer tattoos to stretch marks!

Unfortunately, even with the best procedures, a total removal of stretch marks is usually not possible. Some people will see no improvement, while others will see a decent improvement from various treatments. Do you have any stretch mark solutions? Do you have stretch marks but aren’t bothered by them? Finally, I wasn’t able to find any medical references to the use of silicone scar pads and sheets on stretch marks, but I do wonder if they would be effective at all on improving the texture of stretch marks, specifically on newly formed ones.

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Apr15th

Eat Chocolate To Prevent Sun Damage

Categories: Skin care
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chocolate prevents sun damageCan eating chocolate reduce sun damage? It’s always a great day when I read about chocolate being beneficial to my skin and health! A study in the “Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology” reports that eating chocolate can significantly protect your skin from UV light!

Don’t throw out your sunscreen just yet!
The article states “Cocoa beans fresh from the tree are exceptionally rich in flavanols. Unfortunately, during conventional chocolate making, this high antioxidant capacity is greatly reduced due to manufacturing processes…Our study demonstrated that regular consumption of a chocolate rich in flavanols confers significant photoprotection and can thus be effective at protecting human skin from harmful UV effects. Conventional chocolate has no such effect.”

Throw out the M&Ms!
I’ve read countless articles that say eating small amounts of chocolate that contains 70% or higher cacao is good for your health due to the high amount of antioxidants it contains. I’m not sure if the 70% dark  chocolates you can get at the supermarket (like Lindt and Ghirardelli) count, since I would assume they are made in a “conventional” way. Nonetheless, I’m still eating them for now, unless I find out they aren’t full of flavonoids like I had thought. And even if dark antioxidant-rich chocolate does help prevent UV damage, sunscreen is still essential! The chocolate just provides a little bonus to your skin – like wearing topical antioxidants. It’s a shame M&Ms and Snickers will never count as an antioxidant-rich food:(

Lots of other foods are full of antioxidants and great for your skin and health, but they aren’t as fun to talk about – berries, dark colored veggies, bright colored veggies, spices and herbs, and green tea are just a few super healthy foods. On a side note, did you know that chocolate/cacao is grown on trees? When I was a kid growing up in Hawaii, I went on a field trip and was shown a “chocolate tree” but I didn’t believe that’s really where chocolate came from. We tasted the seeds and they were bitter and horrible, so it wasn’t until years later I found out chocolate really does grown on trees (and it’s the sugar that makes it taste good!)

The original sun damage / UV protection study was published in volume 8, issue 3 of the “Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology.”

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Apr9th

Skin Care Packaging

Categories: Skin care
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skin care packagingSkin care products come in so many different types of packages, but is some skin care packaging bad – specifically jar packaging? I am in mourning this week because my favorite moisturizer of all time has been discontinued - goodbye Clinique Moisture On-line. I knew this day would come, and I actually can’t believe how upset I am. The product worked better than any other to hydrate my dry skin, and it temporarily plumped up my skin, making it dewy and supple looking. There was always one huge problem with the product, though – it came in jar packaging!

Jar packaging looks pretty
Jar packaging may look pretty, luxurious and expensive, but it comes with a lot of unnecessary issues. If you read reviews on MakeupAlley.com, you’ll notice a lot of people hate jar packaging, so I’m not the only one. I continued to use the Clinque Moisture On-line because it worked so well as a moisturizer, but it was $40 a jar, and all it did was hydrate my skin. I felt like a sucker every time I bought it, but I knew in some ways it was cheaper to keep using it than to try out one product after another to find an equivalent that wasn’t in a jar.

What’s wrong with jar packaging?
Antioxidants, peptides, and retinol are some ingredients that degrade when they are exposed to air and light. Thus every time you open your pretty jar, the ingredients you paid big bucks for are being deactivated. Your expensive antioxidant cream or retinol treatment is suddenly just a glorified overpriced moisturizer. Most products these days aren’t just marketed as moisturizers, so you are expecting and paying for the added ingredients to be somewhat beneficial to your skin, aside from just moisturizing it. Even though the Clinique product I used contained antioxidants, I assumed they were worthless because they were in a jar, and thus I would apply a separate antioxidant serum under it. There goes even more money!

Jar packaging is also more unsanitary and more prone to bacteria growth than stable packaging. Every time you reach into the jar, you’re spreading whatever was on your hands into the jar, and then applying that right on your face! Personally I’ve never had any health problems from jars, but it’s still icky to think about. Sample jars at Sephora and makeup counters are teeming with bacteria because so many people put their fingers in them. Gross.

Because jars aren’t airtight, the products inside may not last as long as those in pumps or tubes. In the past, I’ve had several jars smell rancid after a few months. Most products, though, do come with ample preservatives to make them last long enough to finish the jar if you use it every day. Some “natural” companies don’t use preservatives, or traditional preservatives, because they don’t want to include parabens in their products. These products also may not last very long in preservative-free skin care packaging.

What should you do?
If you want to buy a product with antioxidants or retinol, make sure it’s in an opaque or dark container, and that it comes in a pump or tube, or some sort of packaging that won’t allow the product to be exposed to air and light. And if you’re concerned about hygiene, skip jar packaging. I admit that if Clinique didn’t discontinue my favorite product, I would still buy it, but because it’s now gone, I’m taking this as a sign that I must take a personal stand and boycott jar packaging from now on! It’s just not worth paying $40 for a moisturizer when there are so many products that come in stable packaging that provide a lot more benefits. For now I’ll be using Paula’s Choice Skin Recovery Hydrating Treatment Mask as a moisturizer because it’s half the price as the Clinique, it’s twice the size, it contains antioxidants, and it comes in stable packaging. Even though it’s a mask, it can be left on as a moisturizer. It’s almost as good of a moisturizer as the Clinique, but its value is much higher. One thing I will miss, though, are the Clinique gift-with-purchase products:( I really do like their free mascara…

Do you care one way or the other about jar packaging?

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Apr6th

Travel Size Skin Care

Categories: Skin care
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travel size skin careSince most airlines charge to check extra bags, and you can’t bring full size skin care products on the plane, tons of companies are now offering travel size skin care products. I’ve always loved travel size toiletries because they’re cheap to try, and great for committment-phobes, but now more higher end companies are making mini versions of their products too.

3 Fl oz
As a carry-on, the TSA allows a quart-size ziploc bag with products up to 3 fl oz each. With a little practice, it’s amazing how much you can stuff in one little bag – last time I flew, I shoved about 15 products in my ziploc, which is sort of scary since I only went on a weekend trip! 3floz.com is a website dedicated entirely to travel size products! They specialize in mostly non-drugstore brands like DDF, Go Smile, and Phyto. Their slogan is “for those who travel, those who are curious, and those who can’t commit.” Beauty.com and Dermstore.com are other sites with a lot of mini products.

Sephora.com, Inc.

Sephora also has tons of travel size versions of their best-selling products. In the website’s search box, just type in: travel. As a bonus, this week they’re giving away 10 free skincare samples with any order.

Travel Size at Amazon
If your drugstore doesn’t have your favorite travel size beauty product, check out Amazon – they have tons of the cheaper drugstore-brand travel toiletries. And of course for the frugal person, there’s always the free hotel room toiletries! You know you’re really frugal when you stay at hotels that don’t even provide free products – up until a few years ago, that was me! Usually I just buy little plastic containers at Target and fill them up with my shampoo, sunscreen, and moisturizer, etc., but it’s still fun to actually find your favorite product in its mini version, even though it costs more per ounce. Just remember that some products will lose their effectiveness when put in non-airtight jar packaging, so don’t put retinol or antioxidant products in new containers.

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Mar29th

Are Self Tanners Bad For Skin?

Categories: Tanning
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are self tanners bad?It’s a fact that excessive sun tanning is bad for your skin and health, but self tanners are the perfect, completely safe alternative, aren’t they? Maybe not. Why does everything good have to be bad for you??? I guess self tanners aren’t that great since they smell bad, they’re hard to apply, and they can turn you orange and streaky, but still…

So it turns out that DHA (Dihydroxyacetone), the ingredient in self tanners that gives you color, also creates free radicals, which ironically age the skin:( This information comes from one study out of Germany that showed a 180% increase in free radical formation during sun exposure after using a product with a 5% level of DHA. The increase in free radicals from the sun lasts for about 24 hours. Most drugstore sunless tanning products contain 3-5% DHA. Professional products can contain up to 15% DHA. I have a feeling spray tans are pretty high in DHA since they can produce such dramatic results.

How to keep your skin safe when wearing self tanner
Essentially, don’t go in the sun if you’re wearing a self tanner! Luckily, that’s the point of self tanners – to avoid the need for sun exposure to get tan. Of course it’s impossible to totally avoid the sun, so wear lots of sunscreen, plus put on a topical product with antioxidants to neutralize the extra free radicals. And it’s only the first 24 hours that produces the extra free radicals, and most people only apply self tanner every few days.

Erythulose, which is another self tanner ingredient, also causes a similar increase in free radicals. I’ve only heard of this one particular German study on sunless tanning ingredients, so maybe other studies would show different results, but I sort of doubt it. The study goes on to say ”…dihydroxyacetone also has an effect on the amino acids and nucleic acids which is bad for the skin.” This is what scares me the most, because I don’t know what exactly that means, and does that mean DHA is bad for your skin even if you don’t go in the sun? UGH. Leslie Baumann, a Dermatologist who wrote one of my favorite books “The Skin Type Solution” also reports on whether self tanner ingredients are dangerous.

Will this information have any impact on how much you use self tanners? Usually I am too lazy to apply self tanner regularly, but now that spring is here, I am self-conscious about my big pasty arms, and in fact I just slathered on some self tanner on them this morning. I will definitely skip applying self tanner on days I know I will be outside, but I don’t see myself giving up on them completely. I haven’t used many bronzers, but maybe I will look into those for my face as an alternative.

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Mar23rd

The Tanning Tax

Categories: Tanning
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tanning taxWhen the new Healthcare Reform goes into effect, it appears there will be a new “tan tax” – a 10% tax for using tanning beds at tanning salons. According to the WSJ, this tax can bring in 2.7 billion over 10 years to help with healthcare costs! Awesome! Personally I think this is great, and it makes sense to me to tax stuff like cigarettes and tanning, since these have been proven to contribute to increased medical costs and health problems. Tanning salons have successfully tricked people for years into believing that tanning is safe, but last year the World Health Organization declared tanning beds do indeed cause skin cancer. The delusion is over – tanning beds are absolutely unhealthy. Sorry Snookie and the rest of the “Jersey Shore” cast. It’s a fact.

Now if only they could tax excessive outdoor tanning – that alone could probably rake in enough money to make health insurance free! Ha. I’m not completely against going out in the sun, because Vitamin D from sun exposure (or supplements) is vital to our health, but moderation is the key!

The Botax
Similar to the Tan Tax, the Botax had been proposed also, and it would have meant a 5% tax on cosmetic procedures, such as Botox and elective plastic surgery. For now, though, it appears that tax is not going to happen. This is great news for girls on “The Real Housewives of Orange County.” The main reason they need so much plastic surgery, Botox, and fillers, is because they prematurely aged their skin with excessive tanning. Maybe Lynne could have saved her house if she had only worn sunscreen, thus not needing a facelift. Just kidding. I love that show!

What do you think about the Tan Tax? I’m sure there will be a lot of opponents to it.

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Mar19th

Vanicream Sunscreen

Categories: Sunscreen
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vanicreamVanicream makes several high-quality, inexpensive sunscreen products that contain zinc oxide, and that are paraben-free and non-comedogenic. They also have a sensitive skin version that is free of chemical sunscreen ingredients. I’ve been using Vanicream sunscreens all winter long due to their great value and quality. For people concerned with ratings on the Environmental Working Group website, Vanicream gets excellent safety ratings. 

Vanicream Sunscreen Sport SPF 35
As much as I love my favorite Shiseido SPF 55 sunscreen, it’s expensive, and during the winter months, I switched to Vanicream Sport because it’s 4 times cheaper per ounce, and it contains the same active ingredients as the Shiseido. Vanicream Sport contains 8% zinc oxide and 7.5% octinoxate, so while it doesn’t have as much zinc oxide (Shiseido had 13.9% until they recently changed their formula), I think it’s plenty for wintertime, unless you go skiing, or live somewhere extremely hot. Usually when I see the word Sport in a sunscreen, I assume it’s water-resistant, but the package doesn’t state this to be the case. So I wouldn’t use this in the water, or when you’re sweating a lot.

I used Vanicream sunscreen several years ago and didn’t like it, so I think they have changed their formula to go on more sheer, or maybe I’m just easier to please now. The Sport sunscreen goes on slightly thick and white, but it soaks in well, and it would be good for anyone with normal to dry skin. I have light skin and it looks almost sheer on me, but I’m not sure how well it would look on someone with dark skin. The sunscreen is slightly shiny on my face, so I always wear a light foundation and powder over it, and makeup goes on perfectly over it. It gives my face a slight glow, and it never causes me to breakout. It is oil-free, odorless, preservative-free, and it doesn’t contain any pore clogging ingredients. Keep in mind that everyone is different, so the product still could cause breakouts even though it won’t in most cases.

A while ago I rated Blue Lizard as my favorite drugstore sunscreen, and I still really like Blue Lizard, but it’s not recommended for acne-prone skin, unlike Vanicream. While Vanicream has a drugstore price ($14 for 4oz), I haven’t actually seen it in drugstores, although you may be able to get it at your pharmacy, according to the Vanicream website.

Now that the UV index is past 5 in Las Vegas, I will soon switch back to a stronger sunscreen for my face because I’m obsessive about sun-protection, but if you don’t live in an extreme climate, Vanicream Sport would be a great year-round sunscreen for your face and body, as long as you don’t have really oily skin. Just keep in mind that since it goes on a little shiny, it might be too greasy looking when the humidity is really high.

*Buy Vanicream Sunscreen Sport, SPF 35*

Vanicream Sunscreen SPF 60
This is a sunscreen product that only has chemical-free active ingredients, so it’s great for sensitive skin, and for use on children. The SPF 60 contains 7.5% titanium dioxide and 7.5% zinc oxide. There is also an SPF 30 version that I haven’t tried, which contains 5% titanium dioxide and 5% zinc oxide. This SPF 60 sunscreen feels very similar to the Sport version, but I find it’s even more shiny, so even under makeup, it’s a little too “glowy” for me. I also get nervous about putting a lot of titanium dioxide on my face because other sunscreens with that ingredient have caused me to breakout. So far though, this sunscreen has been safe for me, and it doesn’t contain other pore cloggers. Like the Sport version, it’s fragrance-free, paraben-free, and preservative-free. If you can handle a little glow on your face, this would be a great sunscreen for normal to dry skin, and it’s a great kid’s sunscreen. As far as I know, this is not a water-resistant, so I wouldn’t recommend using this if you’re swimming at the beach or pool, or if you’re excessively sweating.

*Buy Vanicream Sunscreen, Sensitive Skin, SPF 60*

Have you tried Vanicream sunscreens? What do you think?

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Mar11th

RevitaLash Contest !!!!

Categories: Beauty Products
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revitalashHere’s your chance to win a RevitaLash Eyelash Conditioner, which sells for $150 on the RevitaLash website, and in salons and spas. The product is designed to create fuller, thicker, longer looking eyelashes after 3-10 weeks of daily use. I was given two boxes of RevitaLash by Athena Cosmetics, and instead of using them on myself, I want to give them away to two Savvy Skin visitors. Personally, I haven’t tried RevitaLash yet.

There will be two contest winners, each who will win one RevitaLash Eyelash Conditioner. To enter the contest, leave a comment on the bottom of this article about why you want to win RevitaLash, and be sure to include your name and email address (your email address will not be visible to others). I will randomly pick two winners and notify each winner by email, and then I will get your address and send you your prize. You can only enter once.

The contest starts March 11th and ends March 25th, 2010.

Visit RevitaLash FAQ to read more detailed information about the product. RevitaLash is a cosmetic, so its current formula does not contain any “drug” ingredients and you don’t need a prescription to use it, unlike Latisse. RevitaLash should be safe to use for everyone, but you must follow the instructions in the box carefully, and if you have any concerns, speak with a doctor before using it. In some cases, you could be allergic to an ingredient in the product, so discontinue using it immediately if this is the case.

RevitaLash Ingredients: Water, Sodium Chloride, Panthenol, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, Disodium Phosphate, Trifluoromethyl Dechloro Ethylprostenolamide, Cellulose Gum

With all that said, Good luck!!!

Update: The contest is over. Congratulations to the winners – Adelaide and Ria!

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