Green Week - Skin Care

Natural, organic products seem to be everywhere now, but there are some that have been around since "natural and organic" wasn't considered "cool". This companies have fought really hard to sell not necessarily a product but a philosophy, a way of life, the secret to wellness and good living, be good to your self and nature. To take better care of your body doesn't stop at eating healthy the outside is important too. The skin is the largest organ in the human body, it protects you from external irritants and pollutants and keeping it healthy is vital. The reason our skin ages is due to cellular oxidation caused by free radicals that are constantly bombarding our cells damaging their structure and DNA. To keep your cells and therefore your skin healthy free-radicals must be neutralized immediately. Antioxidants neutralizes free-radicals rendering them less destructive. By using a skin care routine full of antioxidants you will be giving your skin the boost it so desperately needs to renew and repair so you can look younger longer. Who doesn't want that? The featured brands are true and tested full of good-for-you-ingredients from plant extracts that have been grown organically, which is good for the planet.

Derma E


Ester C Moisturizing Creme with E Skin recovery Complex $16.95. Available at www.dermae.com

This cream is packed with super potent antioxidant Vitamin Ester C, Vitamin E, Borage Oil and Green Tea to promote the production of collagen and elastin.


Dr. Hauschka


Dr. Hauschka Quince Day Cream $29.95. Available at www.drhauschka.com

Dr. Hauschka's ingredients for their products are grown organically in their own farms to ensure the highest level of quality. This rich moisturizer contains Quince seed extract, Shea Butter, Witch Hazel, Almond Oil among many other natural ingredients to encourage skin moisture balance.


Origins


A Perfect World White Tea Skin Guardian $32.50. Available at www.origins.com

A personal favorite of mine this serum is created to form a protective shield on your skin so external damaging agents can't get in. With ingredients like Silver Tip White Tea, Boswelia, Bergamot and Orange you skin will be well protected from youth offenders.

Aveda

Aveda Botanical Kinetics Hydrating Lotion $30.00. Available at www.aveda.com

This light weight lotion contains Coconut, Jojoba, Chamomile and Lavender for a super soft, supple skin.


Kiss My Face


Kiss My Face So Refined Jojoba and Mint Scrub $10.00. Available at www.kissmyface.com

This scrub is gentle yet effective with Jojoba beads for exfoliation, Mint to stimulate circulation and aromatic essential oils of Tea Tree, Eucalyptus and Bergamot this will be a true experience.


Burt's Bees


Burt's Bees Almond Milk Hand Creme $8.00. Available at www.burtsbees.com

This cult favorite (and mine) is a deliciously rich hand creme that contains Vitamin E, Aloe and Almond Oil to keep your hands looking forever young.


Pangea Organics


Pangea Organics Facial Cleanser $21.99. Available at www.pangeaorganics.com or www.drugstore.com

Pangea's facial cleanser is full of benefits with a never ending list of natural ingredients such as Calendula, Blood Orange, Chamomile, Lavender, Rosemary, Jojoba, Almond Oil, Rose, Shea Butter, Vitamin E and the list keeps going on!

Pangea Organics is very serious about their commitment with the environment, even their packaging is recyclable and a portion of their profits go to help build the Pangea Institute, an organization dedicated to the researching and teaching of sustainable living and business practices.



Tom's Maine

Tom's of Maine Long Lasting Deodorant Roll-On $5.49. Available at www.tomsofmaine.com or www.drugstore.com

These deodorants like every Tom's of Maine products are made with only natural ingredients and 10% of their pre-tax profits go to charitable organizations around the U.S. Awesome, ha?


Weleda


Weleda Skin Food $11.79. Available at www.weleda.com or www.ihealthtree.com

Skin Food the name says it all. An ultra-moisturizing creme with pure Lanolin and Pansy Extract to keep skin healthy.


Nature's Gate


Nature's Gate "Light Switch" Brightening Serum $29.95. Available at www.naturesgate.com

A super charged Vitamin C Serum that is packed with Lemon, Grapefruit, Lemon Verbena, and Japanese Mandarin to help diminish the appearance of age spots and refine skin tone.

There are many more wonderful brands, I can keep going on for days about the beauty-health companies that offer amazing products and are also very much determined to have the littlest possible impact on earth, but these are my favorites the ones I have tried and swear by. Tomorrow I'll talk good-for-you-good-for-the-planet cosmetics. Stay tuned, you don't want to miss it!

That's Handy!

I have been miserable these days. After two beautiful summer-ish days a couple of weeks ago the weather has gotten stock in stubborn winter like temperatures. I can't take it anymore, my skin can't take it anymore! Where's spring?!? Cold temperatures are torture for my hands. They have been peeling and cracking and it is not only hurtful it's very unattractive too. So, I decided to give Skin MD a try. I got it on the mail like the gazillion of samples I get sent all the time and didn't give it much thought . But I needed something that would actually work because not even putting lotion every 5 minutes was working anymore. So I reached for Skin MD in my products cabinet because I remember reading on the pamphlet it came with that Skin MD was excellent for acute conditions like eczema and dermatitis and it is dermatologist recommended. Skin MD Natural is loaded with good-for -you natural ingredients like Aloe, Comfrey, Arnica, Yarrow, Chamomile and Vitamin E. that forms a protective shield on your skin to keep irritants out and moisture in. I've been using this product for more than a week now, but I saw results immediately. The itch, cracking and peeling is gone and my hands have never looked or felt better. This lotion feels so velvety and luxurious it is hard not to keep applying it all over my body and a little bit goes a long way. Now winter is no match for my skin.




Skin MD Natural $25.00 for a 4 oz. bottle. Available at www.skinmdnatural.com

A Day With Out Make Up

My morning routine, when it comes to skin care, it's pretty simple. Not because I have found that miraculous product that does it all, but because I haven't found a good moisturizer that will actually deliver, so I don't care much. If it wasn't because my skin feels really tight after cleansing I would skip moisturizing altogether and go straight to make up application. My skin is the dreadful oily/combo which means that some days I got a shiny T-zone AND dry, flaky patches on the rest of my face, so I use a pore minimizer on my oily areas and spend the rest of the day re-applying moisturizer on the dry ones. How is that possible?!?!? That is until I discover Boots Botanics. Recently, I ran out of my blah moisturizer and thought that since they are all the same to me I will not spend more than $10 on a new morning cream. So I headed to Target ready to get any Aveeno or Olay moisturizer with SPF and there it was, the Boots display so pretty and new (I love pretty and new) it attracted me like flypaper. The first thing that actually caught my attention was the No 7 line with their high potency, age fighting ingredients at prices ranging from $5.99 to $20.00 it was a dream come true. But I have to admit that I am a natural products junkie, I love everything that says "botanical" because I believe in the power of plants. Boots Botanics claims to have very high concentrations of plant extracts in their product so you can actually benefit and see a noticeable difference on your skin. That day I got me the Complexion Refining Day Moisture Lotion SPF 12 and the Skin Brightening Cleanser. The next morning I washed my face and noticed that it didn't feel tight at all, but proceeded to apply the moisturizer with the same indifference I do everyday. I was running late so I didn't do my make up thinking that maybe I would have 5 minutes to do it at the office, the day got crazy and I never did my make up. What a surprise when I went to the restroom and looked at the mirror, my face was glowing, no shiny areas, not a dry patch, no huge pores, just beautiful skin. I honestly just stood there in disbelief, I have finally found a product that actually delivers, that is natural and that doesn't cost a fortune. Now I actually look forward to my morning routine and might as well just skip make up altogether, well, not really, but I could.

Boots Botanics Complexion Refining Day Moisture Lotion SPF 12 $12.99. Available at www.boots.com or Target.

Boots Skin Brightening Cleanser $6.99. Available at www.boots.com or Target