November 14, 2005

The Holidays Are Coming!

Ok, I know it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but Christmas decor has been on sale in every store here in Los Angeles since October (before Halloween)! Before you know it, Christmas stuff will be up all year round and ads will be telling you to get an early start on Xmas in the middle of January. "Stock up now! These savings won't be here for long," the announcer will say.

I know it's early, but it doesn't hurt to get a move on with your holiday shopping. So, beat the after-Thanksgiving chaotic rush and start now without even getting out of your seat! Click to shop at these great online stores!


125x125 Free Ship Banner 10000171 Seasonal2_125x125

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November 08, 2005

Oil Slick, Craters, and Blackheads! OH MY!

Your skin needs oil to function properly, but there is such thing as too much oil. I've been struggling with oily/problem skin since puberty. I have oily/acne prone skin and I've tried almost everything under the sun to treat my problems. After years of trying many different products and methods from drugstore brands to prescription treatments, I've found the stuff that actually works!

Treating Oily/Problem Skin
You've probably seen alpha hydroxy acids in most anti-aging products, but did you know that they help treat acne (and the oily skin that comes with the acne) too? Alpha hydroxy acids (AHA) come from fruit or milk and have the ability to penetrate deep into the skin.

There following are five types of AHA's:
- Glycolic Acid which comes from sugar cane
- Lactic Acid which comes from milk
- Malic Acid which comes from apples
- Citric Acid which comes from oranges and lemons
- Tartaric Acid whihc comes from grapes

How AHA's work:
Your skin sheds millions of skin cells every day, but the rate of shedding is faster than usual on some people. So, the skin cells come off when they aren't even ready to yet and clog pores, causing acne. AHA's are exfoliants that "unglue" the skin cells and slough away dead skin cells, leaving room for new skin to grow. With regular use, AHA's can reduce the look of wrinkles, discolorations, sun damage, and blemishes.
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Alpha hydroxy acids aren't the only things that help oily/acne prone skin. What comes after alpha? Beta! That's right, there's just one beta hydroxy acid (BHA) which most of you know as salicylic acid. BHA's actually do the same thing as AHA's.
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Benzoyl Peroxide is another product that treats acne and controls oil production. This stuff kills bacteria that can clog pores and cause acne.
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Sunscreen Alert!
You should always use sunscreen whenever you use AHA's (actually, you should use it everyday, no matter what you use).
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Step by Step

1. Wash your face with a cleanser that contains both alpha and beta hydroxy acids, like Neutrogena Pore Refining Cleanser. Make sure to lather for at least one minute so that ingredients actually penetrate the skin and go to work.

2. (Optional) Use an alcohol free toner that contains glycolic acid and or salicylic acid.

3. Apply a thin layer of benzoyl peroxide acne treatment, like Zapzyt, to skin.

4. Most acne treatments, including benzoyl peroxide, dry the skin up. So, be sure to follow with a good moisturizer.

Tip: During the day, a good sunscreen can be your moisturizer. Coppertone Ultra Sheer Sunscreen has collagen, elastin, vitamins, and antioxidants that protect your skin from environmental damage. The best part about this sunscreen? It's inexpensive and non-greasy!
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Follow these steps and you'll be on your way to clear skin in no time!


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September 24, 2005

Smells Good!

Aromatherapy this, aromatherapy that...what the heck is aromatherapy anyway? It's the therapeutic use of essential oils extracted from herbs and plants. Each essential oil has its own healing qualites such as relaxation, stress relief, and skin care, oh, and they smell good also. There are various ways to use these oils such as dabbing them directly on the skin, adding them to handmade soaps, or even mixing them with unscented lotion.

Here are two essential oils that are great for skin care and stress relief. Give them a try!

Lavender - Lavender is an evergreen woody shrub about 3 feet tall, with gray-green narrow linear leaves with the most beautiful purple-blue flowers perched on a long stem. The name Lavender is derived from the Latin word 'lavera' to wash. The Romans used Lavender frequently in their bath routine, and it is said to have been introduced by them into England, where it soon became a favorite.

Lavender has a soothing and calming effect on the nerves, relieving tension, depression, panic, hysteria and nervous exhaustion in general. It is also effective for headaches, migraines and insomnia.


Neroli Oil - Neroli oil is extracted from the flowers of Citrus aurantium var. Neroli oil has a sweet, floral and slightly haunting aroma, the color is pale yellow and the viscosity is watery. This essential oil is also known as 'orange blossom' and it takes about 1000 lbs. of orange blossoms to make 1 lb. of Neroli oil. The name Neroli is said to originate from the Italian princess, Anne-Marie de la Tremoille, Countess of Nerola, who used the oil as a perfume and to scent her bathwater and gloves.

Neroli oil helps with the regeneration of skin cells and is useful for scar tissue, skin care and stretch marks; it is also very relaxing and can relieve chronic anxiety, depression, fear, shock and stress.

Give these a try!
Aura Cacia 100% Pure Essential Oil, Lavender (Calming)

Ananda Aromatherapy Pure Neroli Oil


Thanks to Lush Cosmetics and the Lush Life Online Newsletter for the info.

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September 22, 2005

DIY Body/Face Scrub

Exfoliation is the process of scrubbing your body and/or face with gritty ingredients to remove dead skin cells. Exfoliating your skin two to three times per week is the key to keeping your skin soft and smooth.

The ingredients in some scrubs include dyes, frangrances, and even stuff you can't pronounce! Those pricey "all natural" exfoliators have ingredients that you can find in the the grocery store.

You don't need to spend tons of money on a scrub, just make your own! Here is a simple recipe to make your very own face/body scrub!

DIY Scrub:
1. Pour some sugar into a bowl, tupperware, jar, anything that will hold it.

2. Add a little water to make a paste and scrub away! This can be used for both face and body.
- Tip: Wet face or body with warm water before scrubbing.

Some variations of the recipe:
- Substitute sugar with sea salt for a salt scrub or mix both sugar and sea salt together for extra scrubby goodness!.

- Instead of mixing with water to make the paste, try mixing it with olive oil, grape seed oil, sweet almond oil, or even honey. All of these ingredients are very moisturizing and won't clog pores.

- Don't forget to mositurize, moisturize, moisturize after exfoliating! -

See, I told you it was simple. Talk to you later my little beauty hunters!

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September 20, 2005

The Real Fountain of Youth

No, the fountain of youth is not a plastic surgeon. It's in a bottle which contains a lotion called...drum roll please...SUNSCREEN!!! This stuff isn't just for summer or beaches anymore, it's the anti-aging secret that's, well, not much of a secret now that I've told you. This broad spectrum miracle lotion protects your skin from the aging (UVA) and burning (UVB) rays of the sun. Sunscreen should be used everyday, even on cloudy days; just becasue the sun isn't out doesn't mean it won't poke through the clouds once in awhile. So, which suncreen should you choose? How do you apply it?

How to Choose the Right Suncreen

1. Pick a broad spectrum one that protects against both UVA (aging) and UVB (burning) rays.
- Some key ingredients to look for in sunscreen are oxybenzone, avobenzone (Parsol 1789), octylmethyl cinnamate and cinoxate, sulisobenzone, salicylates, titanium dioxide, and zinc oxide

2. Choose a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher.
- SPF refers to the product's ability to screen the sun's burning rays. The SPF rating is calculated by comparing the amount of time needed to produce a sunburn on protected skin to the amount of time needed to cause a sunburn on unprotected skin.
Let us take for instance a fair-skinned person who would normally turn red after 10 minutes in the sun. Ten minutes is their "initial burning time." If that person uses a sunscreen with SPF 2, it takes 20 minutes in the sun for that person's skin to turn red. Now, if that person uses a sunscreen with SPF 15, it multiplies the initial burning time by 15, so it takes 150 minutes, or 2 and half hours, for that person's skin to turn red.

3. Non-greasy ones absorb quickly and don't leave a thick film behind.

4. Just because it's more expensive does not mean it's more effective. Why shell out thirty bucks for a 3oz. bottle of sunscreen when you can get a 6 oz. one for one third of the price?

5. Some ingredients in sunscreen degrade over time, so be sure to check the expiration date.

How to Apply Sunscreen

1. Before applying, shake the bottle well to mix ingredients that may have separated.

2. Apply at least thirty minutes before going out in the sun. This gives it time to absorb into the skin so it's less likely to rub off.

3. Be extremely careful when applying around the eyes.

4. Use sunscreen on all exposed areas of skin including arms, back, legs, neck , ears, etc.

5. Be sure to apply enough sunscreen, one ounce (an entire handful) should be used for the entire body.

6. Reapply after swimming or sweating.

7. Wash your hands after applying sunscreen. If you don't wash your hands and you rub your eyes, they'll turn into a painful, stinging, blurry mess.
- If you do get sunscreen in your eyes, flush with cool water for 10 to 15 minutes. If I were you, I'd just wash my damn hands right after applying.


So, which sunscreen is my favorite?

I use Coppertone Ultrasheer Sunscreen, SPF 45 everyday. It's non-greasy, doesn't leave a filmy residue, and doesn't seep into my eyes. It also makes a great makeup primer!

Thanks to WebMD Health and MedicineNet.com for the information.

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September 12, 2005

Scratchy Soap

My cousin just came from Thailand to live with my family (he goes to college here in Los Angeles). He brought tons gifts including a great soap set. The soaps are infused with essential oils and other moisturizing ingredients. It also has a giant chunk of loofah in each one. The soaps are great, but the loofah's inside are extremely harsh on the skin. Using it everyday made my skin red and feel raw. I think I scrubbed off the first layer of skin, ouch! So, after a week of using it, I took the rest of the soaps and whipped out my trusty soap making kit. I melted the soaps, took out the loofahs, changed the colors, and poured the them into molds and let them set. An hour later, I had bars of soap without the harshness of scratchy loofahs. I'll stick to using my nylon exfoliating gloves two to three times per week with my new loofah free soaps.

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September 10, 2005

Butter Me Up!

Cocoa Butter, Mango Butter, Brazil Nut Butter, so many butters! Which butter is best?

Good ol' shea butter, of course! Shea butter comes from the nuts of the Shea-Karite tree which is only found in Africa. The traditional way of extracting shea butter is as follows:
- the nuts are picked, cracked open, grilled, and then pounded.
- after pounding, they're boiled in water for hours until the shea butter rose to the surface.
- then it's scooped into gourds and left to cool down and "set." Shea Butter is solid at room temperature although it quickly liquefies right around body temperature.

Forget using cocoa butter to treat and prevent stretch marks; shea butter has way more moisturizing properties than any vegetable butter. It's full of vitamins A, E, and F which nourish and protect the skin from damage (i.e. from the sun) and dryness. Not only is shea butter great for skin, but it's also great for the hair and scalp. That's right, it also protects hair from damage (i.e. from coloring or heat styling) and moisturizes the scalp.

There are so many products that include shea butter in the ingredients, but never enough to reap any benefits from it. That's why I use 100% pure shea butter, nothing added, nothing taken away. I use it as an eye cream, lip blam, cuticle blam, body balm, everything! Note, not all shea butters are the same. There's a difference between East African Shea Butter and West African Shea Butter. There's also different types of shea butters: raw, refined, and highly refined.

NOTE: Since it is a natural product, shea butter can vary greatly in color, smell, and quality depending on where and how it was extracted.

There is some confusion as to which shea butter is better: West African (Vitellaria Paradoxa) or East African (Vitellaria Nilotica). Here are the differences between East and West African Shea Butter:

East African (Ugandan) Shea Butter


Higher in olein (the liquid part of the Shea Butter) - Because of this, East African Shea Butter is softer and more fragrant than West African Shea Butter. The product is highly valued and gives Ugandan women farmers over five times the amount received by their West African counterparts.

Lower in saturated fatty acids - This results in a higher absorption rate. Ugandan Shea Butter is excellent for dry knees, elbows, rough hands and dry scalp. It is especially helpful for dry scalp, dermatitis eczema, sunburn and as a lip balm.

Lower in vitamin A and less sterols - Not as effective for stretch marks.

West African Shea Butter


Higher in vitamin A - More effective in prevention of stretch marks.

The differences between raw, refined and highly refined Shea Butter lie in how the Shea Butter is extracted from the nut and how it is processed after that. Manual extraction processes leave more of the raw ingredients in the Shea Butter. After it is extracted, it can be further refined removing color and impurities that some people don't like. This further refining can also remove some of the smell. You can think of the difference between raw Shea Butter and refined Shea Butter as being similar to the difference between wheat bread and white bread. Truly raw Shea Butter can even be unfiltered. That is one end of the spectrum. On the other end, there is Shea Butter that is extracted using chemicals that is pure white, has no smell and has lost a lot of its healing properties in the process.

Thanks to Treasured Locks for the information.

Raw Shea Butter is extracted without color stripping chemicals. That's why this one has a yellow color and a sight smell to it. It has not been processed by chemicals to remove the color or scent.



Refined Shea Butter has been processed to remove the color and smell so all that's left is an unscented white balm. Although some of the skin saving qualitites may have been removed, it is still extremely effective. I use this kind of shea butter and am very happy with it. It protects and nourishes my skin like a lioness proctects and nourishes her cubs. Good stuff!

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September 02, 2005

Green Beauty

There are so many natural beauty brands on the market, but are they just as effective as the chemical filled products? Some brands include Burt's Bees, Kiss My Face, and Alba Hawaiian. I've tried cleansers, toners, and moisturizers from Burt's Bees and they've made me break out. Kiss My Face's lip balm made my lips even dryer than they were before. Alba Hawaiian's moisturzer made my face sting and burn! As you can see, I have yet to find a great natural product. If any of you beauty junkies know of any good products, please let me know. For now, I'll stick to my Neutrogena, Zapzyt, and Vitamin E Cream.

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August 31, 2005

Skin Care Basics

With the millions and ba-gillions of products out there, it's not surprising that skin care (make up, hair care, and even nail care) can be a bit daunting. The truth is, you most likely don't need everything the sales rep at the cosmetic counter just sold to you. How many face creams do you need anyway?

My number one rule for any beauty routine is to keep it simple. I've seen skin care sets that consist of six steps, twice daily (not including sunscreen, more on this to come)! I don't know about you, but four steps is seriously pushing the limit when it comes to skin care for me, sunscreen included. Skin care is important because your skin is your body's first defense against, well, almost anything that's not supposed to be inside of you (for example, flu causing bacteria). So, here are some tips on how show some love for your largest organ.

1. Drink lots of water. If you don't drink enough water, toxins build up inside of you (yuck!) and it can show in the condition of your skin. So, drink at least 2 liters of water per day to help your body flush out those nasty toxins. Your body will thank you for it.

2. "If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience?I will dispense this advice now". Baz Luhrmann was right on the money with this tip (it's also a great song). Sunscreen protects your skin from the damaging rays of the sun. It's not just for summer anymore either, the sun can still show up on a seemingly cloudy day. Doctors say SPF 15 is enough, but the sun is pretty harsh here in La La Land. So, I use an SPF 45; my favorite is Coppertone Ultra Sheer Suncreen. It's non-greasy, doesn't smell funny, and doesn't seep into your eyes, making them sting like crazy.

3. Wash your face in the morning and at night. Washing in the morning cleans away icky bacteria from the the night (your pillow's got a lot of junk on it, changing it every 2-3 weeks helps keep pore clogging bacteria to a minimum). Washing at night cleans away all of the junk your skin attracted during the day.

4. Unless you want to wake up with a bunch of zits the size of Texas, remove ALL make up before going to sleep. Sleeping with make up can seriously clog your pores and it's just gross, period. Don't believe me? Try it and see what happens.

5. Always moisturize. People with dry skin aren't the only ones who need moisture, oily skin needs it too. Apply a body lotion right when you get out of the shower/bath. Apply a facial moisutrizer right after washing your face with a gentle cleanser.

6. A day cream is a night cream and a night cream is a day cream. Just because the jar/bottle says it's a day cream doesn't mean it won't work at night and vice versa. Night creams tend to have more emollient ingredients though.

7. Do your homework. Learn what the ingredients inside of your products are. Most online stores list product ingredients; just use Google to search for the function of each ingredient. This takes time, but it helps to know what you're putting on your skin. Come on, haven't you ever wondered what dimethicone is?

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