Here are my favorite, and most informative Savvy Skin posts from December 2007-February 2008. I’ll do a wrap-up each quarter to make it easier to view my older articles. Also read my Best Of Summer 2007 and Best Of Fall 2007.

• Skin Care

Save Money While Looking Fabulous
Lots of tips to save money, without sacrificing your beauty needs.

MAC Strobe Cream
A luminizing moisturizer that’s great, but only for some skin types.

Get A $125 Wrinkle Cream For 99 Cents!
I found a nearly identical moisturizer to Creme De La Mer, but it’s 100 times cheaper!

Sunscreen Is A Tax Deduction!
Reduce your taxes by buying beauty products!

How To Pick A Retinol Product
Retinol is a great anti-ager. Here’s how to find the best retinol and retinoid products.

Hydroquinone, The Skin Lightener
How to even out your skin tone, and lighten sun and age spots.

What’s Wrong With Freckles?
Freckles are cute, but here’s why I personally don’t want them.

Freeze 24-7 Review
Can you instantly erase wrinkles with the right skin care product?

Product Reviews
This is my approach to doing unbiased product reviews.

Olay Regenerist Deep Hydration Regenerating Cream
A review of one of my favorite peptide moisturizers.

Philosophy The Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash
Review of a cleanser that’s great for oily skin.

• Medical Spa & Cosmetic Dermatology

Alternative To Botox?
Can you find a true alternative to Botox by using the right skin care product?

Botox Backlash In Hollywood
Botox can make you look years younger, but at what price?

Botox Bunny Lines
Tell-tale signs that someone has had Botox injections.

• Acne

Cosmetic Acne
How to avoid getting acne from your skin care and makeup products.

Great Makeup I Won’t Use
It’s a shame that lots of great skin care products clog your pores.

Proactiv Solution For Acne
My review of the super popular Proactiv Solution.

Murad Acne Complex
Will Murad Acne Complex cure your acne? Read my review.

• Beauty

The Truth About Beauty
A must-have book for beauty junkies.

Nostalgic Beauty
Reminiscing about fabulous beauty products from the past.

Don’t Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me 7th Edition
A new edition of this cult-classic book is out. Another must-have for beauty junkies.

Beauty No-Nos
What sort of naughty things do you do for the sake of beauty?

Beauty Tips From Lolcats
Silly pictures of cats giving out beauty advice.

My Favorite Makeup
Here’s the makeup I wear on a daily basis.

• Body

The Cellulite Solution
Will this book help your banish cellulite forever?

Fig LipoDissolve Goes Bankrupt
Hopefully thousands of Fig LipoDissolve customers will be able to get their money back after this unfortunate event.

Are You Allergic To Your Boyfriend?
Emotional issues can manifest themselves in physical problems - including skin issues.

• Hair

Prevent A Hair Disaster
A simple tip to avoid a hair dye disaster.

Why My Hair Is Now A Frizzy Mess
Nothing is more frustrating that finding the perfect beauty product, and it then gets discontinued.

I’ve just tried an interesting sunscreen called UV Natural Sunscreen Baby SPF 30+. As you know, I’m a big fan of Zinc Oxide-based sunscreens, and this UV Natural product has 24.8% Zinc Oxide, which is the highest percentage I’ve seen in a sunscreen. UV Natural sunscreens are biodegradable, not tested on animals, and the packaging is recyclable. Also, no fragrances or preservatives are added. The Environmental Working Group (EWG.org) also rates this as the best sunscreen. That is quite a feat, because that website hates just about every skin care product on the market and thinks just about every product is bad for our health! This product is about $32 for a 5 ounce tube, so it’s much more expensive than a drugstore find, but per-ounce, it’s cheaper than a lot of my other sunscreen favorites.

I’ve only tried the Baby version of the sunscreen, which appears to have the same ingredients as the Adult version. There’s also a Sport version, which I assume is more water resistant. These sunscreens contain no chemical sunscreen ingredients, so the only active ingredient is Zinc Oxide.

UV Natural Sunscreen Baby review

The Good:
This sunscreen is hydrating, so it’s great for someone with dry skin. You may be able to skip your moisturizer all together. When I first applied it, it seemed extremely sticky and greasy-feeling, however after waiting 10 minutes, it seems to sink into my skin, and just leaves it hydrated. UV Natural says not to put too much on to avoid the sticky feeling, so I’m not exactly sure how much is needed to achieve the SPF 30 rating. I needed to wait several minutes before applying my makeup (which is annoying) but my makeup went on smoothly, and this gave my face a bit of a glow. It also doesn’t leave a white cast. This product is safe to use on babies, and it’s also water resistant.

The fact that this has 24% Zinc Oxide is awesome. This is a great sunscreen for someone that can’t tolerate chemical sunscreen ingredients, or that has a problem with fragrances. It also contains antioxidants, and the packaging appears to be stable, so that the antioxidants can stay active.

The Bad:
This is not the sunscreen for you if you have oily skin. It’s just far too hydrating and thick, and it will just make your skin oiler. If you have normal skin, though, this should be fine. If you don’t like heavy feeling sunscreens, then this is not for you, but personally it doesn’t bother me. The other sad news is that this is probably not for you if you have acne-prone skin. UGHHH. The first inactive ingredient is grape seed oil, which is a 4 out of 5 on my pore-clogging list. This is the reason I never bought this sunscreen in the past, however I received this sunscreen free, and figured it was worth the acne-risk, because of its overall positive features. I have used it twice now, and have not had any breakouts. I will keep you updated on whether it breaks me out, and if that’s the case, this still makes a great body sunscreen. The smell of this product is a little weird - there are no fragrances added, but it has a slight smell, but not enough to bother me.

Shiseido SPF 55 vs. UV Natural SPF 30
Higher SPF sunscreens are generally better, because they offer more protection from getting burned (SPF 55 is maybe only 3% more protection than SPF 30, but to me that’s significant). My favorite sunscreen - Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Cream For Face SPF 55 only has 13.9% Zinc Oxide, compared to the 24.8% in UV Natural. It achieves a higher SPF because it has an added chemical sunscreen (7.4% Octinoxate). So which product is better? Currently I don’t know! I do feel that either of these sunscreens is much better than your typical drugstore sunscreen (due to the Zinc Oxide content), so you can’t go wrong with either one.

SPF measures UVB rays (the ones that burn you) but you also need to be watchful for UVA rays (the ones that give you wrinkles) and Zinc Oxide is capable of blocking both types of rays. My personal experience is that sunscreens with Zinc Oxide work better than any other types of sunscreen. Now that summer is coming, I will go to the pool and do some unscientific testing on myself, and compare a bunch of sunscreens at once.

Purchase UV Natural Sunscreen Baby SPF 30+

Whenever I look for a new skin care product, it’s always a huge plus when it contains antioxidants. Topical antioxidants are supposed to help neutralize the assaults our skin takes on a daily basis - pollution, the sun, cigarette smoking, etc. Then, of course, there are the antioxidants we get from healthy foods (fruits and vegetables, for example) which help to neutralize the free radicals in our bodies. All forms of antioxidants can help us look younger, stay looking young, and stay healthy.

Topical Antioxidants
I would recommend using a topical antioxidant once or twice a day. Lots of moisturizers come with them, but you need to make sure your moisturizer comes in a tube or bottle that is not exposed to light or air, or the antioxidants will stop working. So any jar moisturizer is useless antioxidant-wise. It still annoys me to no end that my favorite moisturizer - Clinique Moisture On-Line is packaged in a clear jar, so while it hydrates my face extremely well, that’s all it does.

Currently I use Paula’s Choice Skin Recovery Super Antioxidant Concentrate in the mornings. It’s a light serum designed for normal to dry skin that you can put on under a moisturizer, makeup, and sunscreen. Paula’s Choice also makes similar serums for normal skin, and for oily skin. These products don’t clog pores, and they contain all sorts of antioxidants, in stable packaging. Ideally I would like to find a moisturizer (in stable packaging) that I love, that contains a lot of antioxidants, but this hasn’t happened yet. Actually, it would be great to find a product in stable packaging that has loads of antioxidants, works to moisturizer super dry skin, and has a high SPF, with a high percentage of Zinc Oxide as its main sunscreen ingredient. That’s my dream product! I’m sure it’s out there waiting for me to discover it!

What I don’t like about the Paula’s Choice antioxidant serum is that it doesn’t appear to do anything. My skin doesn’t look better when I use it, and after using it for a year or two now, it hasn’t improved the appearance of my skin. It’s like an insurance policy - it’s there to protect you, but that’s about it. There’s also no way to know if it works or not, so I feel like I’m going on blind faith, since I’m just hoping that it’s preventing future wrinkles.

Types of antioxidants
It seems like each week a new antioxidant is discovered, and is touted as the next big thing. Right now Coffeeberry is getting lots of hype, and last year Idebenone was the “it” antioxidant. Green Tea, Vitamin C, Kinetin and CoQ10 have all also been in the spotlight as “wonder” antioxidants. The problem is that visually it’s hard to really see much of a difference when you use them.

Both Idebenone and Vitamin C are supposed to actually produce visible results - namely a reduction in fine lines, and an evening out of skin tone and texture. Plus they are also supposed to prevent future damage.

Personally I need to do a lot more testing and research to really figure out which antioxidants I find the most valuable. If Prevage (Idebenone is its main ingredient) didn’t cause my face to break out like crazy, I’d probably use that every day, because I’ve read that it’s one of the most potent antioxidants. I should look into finding another product with Idebenone to test. Hmmm… Another product I want to try is SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic, which contains Vitamin C and E. Lots of testing is being done as we speak on antioxidants, so new and exciting breakthroughs will continually be happening.

What antioxidant product (in stable packaging) do you use?

My boyfriend produces corporate events here in Las Vegas, and last weekend his company worked on a big show for Passion Parties, the company that is sort of like Avon, but for sex toys! Instead of tupperware parties, women now host passion parties in their homes. Passion Parties gave out all sorts of “party favors” to his company, and as a joke he brought me Cremesicle Edible Massage Cream. It’s supposed to be a strawberry massage cream, however I realized it’s actually just a thick body moisturizer. Since it’s pretty thick, it seems to work really well on my super dry skin. The sickly sweet strawberry smell is a bit much for me, though. This also comes in Orange, which I haven’t tried.

Edible Moisturizer?
Since this is an edible product, I tasted it and it tastes like strawberry candy. Here’s the weird part…The ingredients are pretty much identical to your standard body moisturizer, but with some sugar added in. Some of the ingredients include: Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Safflower Oil, Shea Butter, and Methylparaben. It’s also not tested on animals, which is great.

A lot of people (myself included) are paranoid about the products they use on their skin, and they worry that the ingredients are harmful for their skin or body in some way. Now here’s a product that comes along, and not only can you massage it on your skin, but you can eat it too! I was expecting to see the ingredients in this product to be “food,” not “moisturizer” ingredients. Assuming this product has passed whatever sort of food regulations there are, maybe we are far too paranoid about skin care, if this is actually safe enough to eat!

Cremesicle is only $13 for 4 ounces, and so far it seems like a great body moisturizer. If you like the smell of super sweet strawberry candy, look for your local Passion Parties event, and try it out! Or you can shop online at their site - Passion Parties.

“Might as well face it, you’re addicted to love…” Flash back to the 80s and see Lilan from The Daily Cookie recreate a look from a popular music video!

Check out Beauty Anonymous‘ Current Favorite Lippy - Einstein Lip Therapy Hydrating Lip Cream.

A Touch of Blusher puts on more blusher……

The Beauty Bug previews the new products that hit the counters and shelves this month.

Looking for affordable high quality makeup brushes? Check out The Makeup Divas review on these cosmetic brushes.

Girl Gloss loves Maybelline Volume XL Seduction Plumping Lip Gloss.

Product Girl tries out Avon’s Supershock Mascara and gets shockingly plump lashes.

The Muse features her very favorite, holy grail mascara from Japan (Nope, not Fiberwig!)!

Mischo Beauty has a fabulous reader who wrote in to share why she loves Sunsilk’s De-Frizz 24/7 Crème.

The Beauty of Life hearkens back to her childhood with Bonne Bell LipSmackers. Check out her favorites!

See what products Beauty Blogging Junkie has deemed promtastic.

In need of an awesome hair mask? Glossypink found one!

Cybelesays has found some winning makeup brushes with the new ones from Sonia Kashuk.

Embarrassed by dark marks, sun damage, or age spots? Don’t get mad. Spoiled Pretty tells you how to get even!

Is your hair showing signs of frizz? StyleBell has discovered the secret to keeping those locks soft, shiny and frizz free all on a budget! Hint: Apple Cider Vinegar.

15 Minute Beauty Fanatic starts off her sunscreen review series by looking at Neutrogena’s UltraSheer with Helioplex.

Elessa of Pursebuzz.com gets a makeover by Glamour. Beauty Pro’s transform’s youtube “web stars” see it all here. Check out newsstands for May’s issue, can’t wait, go to Glamour.com.

Makeup Moxie feeds her faux glow addiction with Fake Bake Tantalizing Self-Tanning Butter.

Elke asks, if runway makeup has gotten too creative. Plus, the April Issue of The Beauty Ideal is out!

Stylish Opinion finds these truly stylish headbands.

The Beauty Blog Network spotlights their ‘post of the day’.

Toya tries 100% Pure Cosmetics - with real fruit pigments!

Karen from Makeup and Beauty Blog loves Gazelle, Chanel’s hottest and newest lipgloss.

Aging Fabulous tells you about a lip enhancer and moisturizer that really works.

Petite Fashionista has a $100 Gift Card to Lands’ End to Give Away enter today!

Beauty Match discovers Clear by Hydroderm: adult acne solution free beauty samples

Viva Woman reviews Ferro Cosmetics fabulous mineral makeup and offers her readers an exclusive promotion code.

Beauty Bento Box invites readers to discuss RivaleSkin and CoffeeBerry.

Tops 2 Bottoms has a new ruffled dress, lace top, and a desert scarf, all from Irene’s Closet!

Beauty Secrets Revealed is Giving Away Normal Skin Kit Worth $315 From Esente Physioceuticals

Style Manila tries on Vintage Silk for a change.

Shopalicious has a flashback to Charlie’s Angels’ time with this sunset print string bikini!

There is still time to join NY Spender’s Bikini Club.

SugarShock Beauty is indulging in yummy pink buttercream frosting treats but this stuff is guilt-free, courtesy of Jaqua.

Beauty and Fashion Tech spent six weeks trying a unique acne treatment, DS Labs Trioxil Acne Treament Gel.

ShoeBlitz talks about fun spring sandals from Prada, Christian Louboutin and Betsey Johnson.

Style…A Work In Progress goes cuckoo…or should that be pigeon…for racing pigeon ring necklaces.

All That & a goes green with a look at Beau Soleil’s new spring collection.

It’s time for prom mania and Indie Style File has got a bunch of great dresses for you.

Karen fromMakeup and Beauty Blog road tests skin care products from Dove’s new Go Fresh line and loves them!

Her Accessories is celebrating springtime flowers with these fun flowery rings, hair clips and even a flowered belt.

ShopDiary is quite excited about the Comme des Garçons for H&M designer collaboration.

Canadian Beauty tells you about Julia Allison’s makeup.

Here’s your chance to win a free ThermaClear, the zit zapping tool that has been getting rave reviews, and retails for $150 at Sephora. Therative, the makers of ThermaClear asked me if I wanted to test out a ThermaClear, but now that I don’t really get acne anymore, I thought a better choice would be to allow one of my readers to win this tool instead!

The ThermaClear works on mild to moderate inflammatory acne, usually characterized by red pimples or bumps. ThermaClear is not intended for use on blackheads, whiteheads, or cystic acne. The device works by sending heat to the source of the pimple, and it can make the pimple go away up to four times faster. I personally have not tested the ThermaClear, but have read a lot of good reviews about it, and a lot of my fellow beauty bloggers swear by their ThermaClear.

Win a ThermaClear from Savvy Skin!
The contest starts today and ends Friday, April 18th. To enter, just write a comment to this post telling us your worst pimple story, and include your name and email address (which will not be visible to viewers). As you know, my worst pimple story includes having acne all through high school, and then suffering from it for several years in my late 20s! My persistent acne is what caused me to make a whole website devoted to skin care! The ThermaClear winner will be chosen at random, and will be notified by email after April 18th.

Please note that by entering the contest, your email address will be shared with Therative, so that they can send you information about ThermaClear. If you would also like to receive information about ThermaClear via snail mail, you can email me your mailing address to jenipix (@) yahoo.com, but this is not a requirement.

Read more about ThermaClear at Sephora.com
Good luck, everyone!

I went to the Dermatologist yesterday for the first time in three years. I picked yet another doctor at the same Dermatology clinic, because I like to see a different doctor every time, so that I can learn as much as possible about skin care. First I had him check my suspicious moles on my back for skin cancer, and he said they were totally fine, and nothing to worry about. Despite knowing what to look for with skin cancer, I still get totally confused, and it’s better to be safe than sorry!

Wrinkles and Acne
The other main reason I was there was to get a presciption for topical acne/wrinkle products. I have been using Differin for several years for acne, however I don’t know if it’s the best treatment to use for fine lines as well. I have used Retin-A Micro in the past, but it was pretty harsh on my skin, so I wanted to avoid that. After some research, I discovered that Renova looked like a promising alternative. Renova is basically Retin-A, but in a moisturizing base. For some reason, I thought Renova contained pore-cloggers, but that doesn’t appear to be the case.

The doctor gave me a prescription for both Renova .05% cream, and Differin .03% gel. Differin is usually preferred over Renova for acne, however now that my acne is minimal, Renova should be strong enough for my acne, and it will give me a chance to see if it works better on wrinkles than the Differin. If I end up hating the Renova, then I will just go back to Differin. I had been using the .01% Differin, but the doctor said the new .03% isn’t any harsher, and that I might as well try the stronger one. Renova is generally not covered by insurance for acne (but my insurance doesn’t cover Differin either) so I order my products through a reputable online pharmacy.

Blackheads
The only acne I can’t seem to get rid of are the blackheads on my nose. They are super annoying, and they are always there! I also asked the Dermatologist for a prescription for Tazorac, because I’ve read that is the best treatment for blackheads. Luckily he gave me some sample tubes of it, which I will only use on my nose. Tazorac is similar to Differin, but it’s stronger, and also harsher. It’s probably better for someone with oily, non-sensitive skin.

Eyebrows
Finally, I told the doctor my eyebrows have been thinning a lot - especially the outer edges of them. They also feel itchy all the time - like something is crawling on them. Ugh. He said they look fine, and since there’s no redness or scaling, that there’s nothing he can do. He said it’s probably just heredity, or possible an auto-immune problem, but he had no suggestions. I briefly mentioned I have been struggling with hair loss for five years, but he had no comment or suggestions.

This is why I hate going to the doctor - they rarely have helpful answers to anything. It’s extremely frustrating going to the doctor, only to feel worse than before you got there. That’s why I do all my own research, and figure out what will be the best choice for me on my own. I just get frustrated when I have a problem I can’t fully solve (hair loss, thinning eyebrows) and the doctor knows less than I do.

Anyway, I will keep you informed on my experiences with the Renova and Tazorac!

The Makeup Divas Beauty Blog is blown away by these ProSilk Hair Products!

Beauty Anonymous brings you Anna Sui Beach Collection for Summer 2008!

Tousled, textured hair is the top tress trend for Spring 2008! StyleBell shows you how to create Beachy Waves with your flat iron.

The Muse shows you the solution to eyeshadow fall out woes with a review of Shadow Shields!

A Touch of Blusher can’t live without this foundation.

Beauty Blogging Junkie tells you how to channel the look of your fave The Hills girl here.

SugarShock Beauty is channelling fashion muse of the moment Amy Winehouse – (in a subtle way, we promise!) – with Stila’s new liquid eyeliner.

Beauty and Personal Grooming shares some DIY Antiwrinkle face masks.

Mischo Beauty shares her best tips on how to prepare for a bikini wax and what to expect!

The Daily Cookie reviews a dupe for the popular MAC 187 blush brush for a fraction of the price!

Glossypink reveals her favorite eyeshadow of all time!

Cybelesays Gets To The Shea Of Things with a feature on the best products out there containing the most Shea Butter.

Product Girl is having her first giveaway. Enter to win a Philosophy Breakfast in Bed Shower Gel Set from now until Monday night!

Makeup Moxie reviews Cargo Blu-Ray High Definition Mascara.

Just when you thought SPF 15 was safe, The Beauty Bug makes you think again, and tells you why you should up your dosage of SPF!

Toya from “The Life of A Ladybug” still hasn’t decided how she feels about Bourjois and these eye products haven’t changed her mind.

Karen from Makeup and Beauty Blog shows you how to get Mariah Carey’s look with MAC Heatherette Beauty Powder.

Spoiled Pretty hearts her T3 hair dryer. But what’s the one thing she would add to it? Find out what extra would push her head over heels…

The Beauty of Life finally figures out how to banish undereye circles for good! Check out her two miracle products!

15 Minute Beauty Fanatic reconsiders blonde hair after some great color advice from Brad Johns!

Currently I work as a freelance photographer, but I have been looking for jobs this week. I just bought a condo, and I’m freaking out that I won’t have enough money to pay for it, so I’m trying to get as much income coming in as possible. It’s hard to find a job that is flexible enough to work around the freelance photography jobs.

I just got a call back about a resume I sent out for a flexible photography/computer job. Sounds great, except the job would be taking pictures of people at a golf course! I live in Las Vegas, and it gets to be 115 degrees in the summer. The UV index is off the charts most of the year, and I try to avoid the sun at all costs. I have the interview tomorrow, but how do I explain that the job sounds great, but I don’t want to get wrinkles, so I can’t take it, even though I’m desperate for money? Ahhh.

I could always work in a casino. Casinos are where most of the jobs are in Vegas, and they pay better (I think) that other types of jobs. I refuse to work in a casino, though, because of the smoking! Not only am I allergic to smoke, and hate it, but I don’t want to be around it all day, and prematurely age my skin (and get cancer). I get nervous just walking through casinos on the way to the movies, or restaurants, because I’m afraid of all the wrinkles. I know - I’m obsessed!

When I was in college, my dream summer job was working at a pool as a cocktail waitress. I love pools, and this sounded like the best job ever. I was so sad when I never got hired at a pool. All the casinos here have awesome pools, and they’re all hiring right now for cocktail waitresses. I would love to do that job, but I won’t apply, because I don’t want to be in the sun all day!

I would like to work in a Dermatology office, or another Medical Spa. I thought the fact that I have this skin care blog could be a big help, because how many job candidates write about skin care on a daily basis? How unique! However, I’m always saying bad things about skin care, and different treatments, so the places I would apply at would be paranoid I would be writing bad things about their company. So I guess my skin care blog must remain a secret!

I know there are lots of jobs out there that won’t cause wrinkles. I just haven’t found one yet!