RMS Living Luminizer
$38.00
More info HERE
The theme this week unintentionally seems to be ‘things you did not know you needed until you have them, and then you realize you can’t live without them.’
This is one of those things. Continue reading
Skin Care
The lip balm chronicles continue
$5.00
More info HERE
Any reader of this blog knows how much I love lip balm. I have not counted my stash of lip products recently, that could be another post, but I know that its at least 100. Nevertheless, when it comes to most lip balms I have not that much to say, they are balms, they are okay. But sometimes I come across a balm that I cannot stop applying. Sprout lip balm did not start out that way. Continue reading
Wax on.
Waxelene the Petroleum Jelly Alternative
$6.99
More Info HERE
I was on the quest for my cousin Ben, to find him something to soothe his hands (he works outside and inside and just generally puts them through the ringer).
I came across this little jem one late night at Whole Foods.
Its pretty balm. Continue reading
Oh sheaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Alaffia Shea Butter Hand & Body Balm
$7.95
More info HERE
No stranger, is my late night love of beauty product shopping.
Last, Friday after some drinks with friends JennyG and Sophia at Silver Lining, my friend JennyG suggested that we take a detour before heading back to Brooklyn to explore the Whole Foods Beauty Section in their Tribeca Store.
I was looking for something stripped down, super natural, no water based hand/body balm, for use as a hand creme. My hands because of the dips in temperatures were getting a beating and even my old standby by Weleda was not cutting it. So, I tired a bunch of the body balms and hand slaves they had. I settled on this one because the scent was spot on (Roses), the texture was great and it hit all the right points with ingredients. The balm sank in super quick, did not leave a greasy residue and left my hands super soft for hours.
This morning when I showered I decided I was going to use this post shower, my skin had been a bit dry, and starting to feel the effects of the cooler weather too. At 2 oz, this little jar might be kind of expensive for everyday body cream, but that was nixed when I used it because a little does go a long way.
The staying power, the hydrating power and the ‘this sinks in faster than super toxic cream power’, is AMAZING. It sinks in so quick so I can get dressed super fast without freezing my bottom off, and it hydrates like whoas. I could see myself trading in my longstanding Jojoba Oil post shower ritual for this, because its super quick and dries almost instantly. And the scent, the scent is the most perfect not too overpowering rose scent that I can’t get enough of.
Overall, this was a great late night impulse purchase that I don’t regret. I can’t want to decant some of this into a little jar for on the go hydration.
Tone it down just a bit
Suki Concentrated Balancing Toner
$32.95
More Info HERE
I was getting some new foundation a few months ago, when I got into a skincare conversation with my makeup artist from Laura Mercier. I talked about how I thought I need foundation v. tinted moisturizer because I was breaking out and needed to hide my spots. Well she gave me some great tips for a new cleanser and moisturizer, but then told me something I had no idea about: that toner is pointless and bad for your skin.
A deep moral dilemma arose, were toners really that bad? Was I stripping my skin of vital oils? Was I actually making my skin worse? I thought about these things, and tried out her suggestion. I tried out the tip about not using toner and my skin did felt better, less dry, less tight, less red and generally less reactive. But I had all of this toner left over, and by all, I mean like several bottles. So I tried to think of new ways to use it.
Because the Suki Toner is in a spray bottle, I thought well, if I don’t use a cotton pad to wipe the toner on my face, inevitably stripping away good skin stuff, what would happen if I just sprayed it on right after cleansing and before moisturizing? Bingo. This was the combo I needed.The Suki Toner promises to reduce redness and spots. While the Suki Toner does calm down my redness, I have not noticed any difference from this product in terms of breakouts.
The best thing about this toner is that first, I feel super glam misting my face twice a day. The scent is really appealing in a super glam earth mama kind of way. And second I’ve noticed that having a moist face really increased the absorption of my moisturizer, making me use less product which means I save money on buying moisturizer, which is awesome.
So while, the Suki Concentrated Balancing Toner is great for reducing redness and okay at reducing my blemishes, the moral of the story is that you should spray toner not wipe it on with a cotton pad. If your toner does not come in a spray bottle, as I have mentioned here before, Whole Foods sells great empty jars, bottle and mini spray containers that I pretty much put all of my products in, for travel and on the go access, these bottles are not only functional, but look super cute too.
All the bebes are doing it
Mustela Hydra Stick
$9.50
More info HERE
I have mentioned before that I love French beauty products, not because I am obsessed with France, even though it is a lovely country that I had a great time visiting (Hey Rosey!) but because the EU regulates personal care products differently than the US, by regulating what chemicals are allowed to go into personal care products to protect consumers. The EU does not allow chemicals known to cause things including cancer, reproductive and neurological harm, into personal care products. The US, not so much. The EU has banned over 1,000 chemicals from being put into personal care products while the US has banned only nine. I like products made in the EU because they make me feel extra safe.
The first time I used the Mustela Hydra Stick was in high school. I saw it in a magazine and hunted it down to a fancy pharmacy in NYC. I toted it around like I was the coolest person ever because I had this coveted little piece of magic from France.
Nevertheless, as I have mentioned in other posts, I like to, late night on the weekends, on the way home from being out, I like to go to drugstores. Conveniently, there is a great drug store that carries super hard to find brands and is open 24 hours a day down the street and on the way home to my house. So the other night after dinner with my friend Rosey, I stopped in and was inevitably greeted by the night staff that know me well.
I found myself in the baby aisle staring down this little pint-sized deodorant shaped stick of moisture goodness. Because I know Mustela is made in France I knew it would be made without parabens, sulfates, synthetic dyes, phthalates or triclosan, which it is, so I didn’t even have to do my compulsive label checking. I walked that little stick to the register and skipped home.
The Hydra Stick is a great shape to haphazardly slap it on your lips and it lasts a super long time without being sticky. Its not shiny shiny, but rather it leaves a healthy moistness to your lips and because it is creamy, it tones your lips into this nice supple color, that’s not obvious and is totally unisex. It has a mild baby scent that’s odd for a lip product, but since that’s not its only use, as you can use it on your face too, that makes sense and besides the scent is nice. Its super cute in your purse and it makes me smile every time I pull it out because this little stick is so adult for a baby product and its funny to think of little French kids using it on the playground. Well I don’t know if that’s what all French kids do on the playground, but using my own childhood as a source, that’s what I would do.
*Above image used without permission from HERE
In plain sight
Malin+Goetz vitamin E Face Moisturizer
$45.00
More info HERE
I’ve been treating my skin, inside and out pretty bad recently. Eating dairy, some gluten and a TON of diet Coke. I blame travel and working from home, but nevertheless its taken its toll on my skin. Its super dry and oily at the same time, uber combination skin.
I have been using my same moisturizer as the temperature dips that I used in summer, but it almost seems like its making my skin more oily and leaving a film on my face. I’ve been noticing that my skin gets shiner and that my makeup seems to be sliding off my face.
Enter Malin + Goetz, a brand whose packaging always caught my eye, but a brand that I knew not enough about of to warrant taking a closer look. In fact, I was thrown by the packaging, how could something so pretty actually deliver results. That was until one of my favorite makeup artists for Laura Mercier, recommended the line I had seen so many times, urging me that this would be super gentle and bring my skin back to normal.
I’ve had the generously sized samples sitting around for a while, but they just sat in my sample drawer. I try so many products for the blog, that sometimes my skin gets super reactive and ‘burny.’ Desperate for relief I reached for the these little guys and went for it.
Not expecting much, this moisturizer instantly absorbed into my skin, which must have been super super dry. The fine lines I had been experiencing were greatly reduced, and in my very unscientific opinion something happened to my enlarged pores in a good way. They seemed to me at least, before I used the lotion, because my skin was super dry, very exacerbated and obvious, but with this moisturizer they really seemed to be minimized.
Overall, I was quite surprised by my experience with this face lotion, I really loved it. My face felt smoother, the burn I was experiencing was greatly reduced, and my face looked better. In my own head I look more rested and just generally hydrated. I just bought a new moisturizer for day, but I am and have been trying to rationalize a reason to purchase this full size. I really am obsessed, I can’t stop thinking about how great my face feels. Maybe when I finish my summer moisturizer I will restock with this, or at least I’ll wait until the temperature dips and I really need it.
Have you tried any other Malin + Goetz products, I would love to know what you think!
*Above image used without permission from HERE
Goldenseal-Myrrh
Mountain Rose Herbs, Goldenseal-Myrrh Compound
$5.85 & $ 8.00
More info HERE
I love Mountain Rose Herbs for purchasing my bulk herbs, but an unknown gem is that they sell the greatest stripped down beauty products.This Goldenseal-Myrrh Compound, is no exception, and it reminds me of something one would get at a magical forest emporium, or a dusty old shop staffed by some super eclectic ladies. This compound, or essentially salve, is a pretty much an easy to carry first aid kit. The salve uses goldenseal for its “anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.” It has very little scent, but if you happen to use it on your cuticles like I do, and occasionally bite your nails, the taste is a little weird, it’s very achem, discouraging, thus preventing you from biting your nails.
Bam! Moisture fix and nail-biting problem solved.
*Above image used without permission from HERE
It might as well be winter, dry skin hits early, and other tales.
Weleda Calendula Line
$12.50 to $16.50
More info HERE
One of my favorite sources for products is the aisle in the drug store devoted to babies. Not only because these products are generally cheaper but because they are typically more gentle, super moisturizing and have the cleanest scents.
Enter Weleda baby products.
This line is amazing and has the most relaxing, calming, soft scent ever. I use the Calendula Oil, Calendula Diaper Care and Calendula Shampoo/Body Wash. Each product has that irresistible light scent and all of them soften really well without leaving a residue behind.
The Oil, is amazing. I don’t really use body lotion because its really just an extra step that I am not willing to do, especially not in the winter because my bathroom is SO cold. Enter oils. I slather these on at the end of my shower, and I don’t have to moisturize when I get out. The soft, clean scent lingers, but does not compete with whatever perfume I am wearing that day. I have only used this oil during the warmer months, so I can’t vouch for its its moisturizing properties during the winter, but during the summer at least, I was never left greasy or sticky, just perfectly moisturized.
The stand out of this bunch though is the Diaper Care. OMG. This is the most perfect hand cream ever. Whenever I complain about my cuticles being ragged or dry, it is because I am not using this. Diaper Care, is super thick, almost like frosting. While it does not sink in immediately, the greasy hands aspect goes away quicker than most other really thick hand creams. Diaper Care also has that scent I can’t get enough of, making this the most perfect hand cream for colder weather.
If having Diaper Care in your bag is not something you can get down with, then you can do what I do and put it into a travel jar. I like the travel jars from Whole Foods, they sell them in the Beauty section. They are a dark indigo blue and super sleek. I use these for everything, from face cleanser to toner, which I put in their blue mini spray bottles. Not only do you not have to carry around the Diaper Care tube, but the jar is much smaller than the tube and it is way more user friendly.
The Shampoo/Body Wash is also super moisturizing. But its really not a product that stands out as a body wash. The best part is that its great for travel when you want to carry less stuff, because the Body Wash is also a Shampoo. As a shampoo I like it more, it moisturizing enough without weighing my baby fine hair down and I don’t have to use conditioner. I also use this a lot when I am at home and I am feeling lazy and know I am just going to let my hair air dry, its a nice balance and generally less work on my part.
If for no other reason, the scent of these products is pretty much perfection and enough of a reason to try them out, but if I had to pick just one, it would be the Diaper Care.
*Above image used without permission from HERE
One Product at a Time 