Beauty, Charm & Style

I remember when I first realized I needed to take better care of my face and skin.  When I was eight I just scrubbed my face in the tub and went about my day.  But when I was eleven, and a burgeoning woman, with puberty looming over my head, I realized I needed to step up my game.

Going strictly off my commercial watching and TEEN magazine advertisements, I decided makeup remover pads, astringent and my mom’s face lotion was the perfect skin care combination for me.

Following a good face scrub, I wiped the damp pad across my face and tossed the pad in the trash.  Then I soaked a cotton ball in astringent and spread the alcohol laced, sterile smelling potion all over my face.

And then my face began to burn. Beauty is pain, right?

I smoothed over some lotion and looked in a mirror and my face was RED!  Eek!

I ran downstairs, found my mom, she laughed at my red face and I instantly began to cry. After calming me down, she lathered on some super strong lotion and told me to go rest.

I canceled my very important evening plans of a pizza party and a sleep over, and hit the hay early that night, sulking all the way to slumber.

After a good night sleep, the lotion sank in and my when I awoke, my face was back to normal – more or less. It still took about another day to completely heal, but my skin is resilient and it returned to its normal, pre-pubescent state.

The important lessons learned here were that I have sensitive skin, I shouldn’t use alcohol-based products and that my face takes a long time to de-redden.  Luckily, I’ve come a long way since this red-faced revolution and have a better knowledge of what my face needs and what works well with my system.

My mother, my sister and myself (upper right) before I realized the importance of propper skin care.

I have a new boyfriend and he makes me smile from ear to ear.  He’s really earthy, and totally cool and natural and he always smells fresh.  And best of all, he makes my lips tingle just at the slightest touch.

Okay, so he’s not my boyfriend, but his name is JASON and it’s a line of oral hygiene products I have fallen in love with. I’ve started using both the JASON Natural Cosmetics brand Power Smile Toothpaste and Mouthwash and its done wonders to my smile.

JASON Natural Personal Care Products

Just because it’s a natural product doesn’t mean it’s different from the stuff you grew up with as a kid.  Using it the same was as I would the regular, chemically infused brands, I brush my teeth twice a day for at least 2 minutes each round.  I rinse with the mouthwash afterwards for about a minute, spit it all out and smile at myself in the mirror.  It is the same routine I’ve been doing for a quarter of a century.

The peppermint taste leaves my mouth clean during the day and the whole time I’m asleep – no hot, stinky morning breath for me!  And knowing I’m using an oral hygiene line that doesn’t contain harsh, untested chemicals makes me smile even more.

The Breakdown:

• $3.39 for 6 oz tube of toothpaste
• $6.63 for 16 oz bottle of mouthwash
• Infused with botanicals, plants, roots, herbs, proteins, vitamins and minerals.
• Contains 3 natural whiteners to polish and whiten without harsh abrasives.

Tips:

• If you have problems adjusting to the new natural taste, rinse your mouth out with a big gulp of water after you brush and use the mouthwash.  You get the same benefits without the aftertaste.

My family back home in Texas is a rather proper Southern family.  Sororities, country clubs, charity leagues, white gloves and ladies tea parties were all part of my upbringing.  I took my first etiquette class when at the age of 12 where I learned proper table manners and how to conduct myself in the most gentile of ways.

All rules went out the window at my grandparent’s house, especially when my Granny was away.   And Saturday breakfast was always grapefruit with my Gramps. True, we used the proper grapefruit spoon, but I doubt my Granny would have approved of us squeezing the grapefruit out onto the bowl and slurping up the excess juice.  Luckily, she never caught us.

Grapefruit is still one of my favorite fruits, and the citrus smell of a fresh cut Texas Ruby Red, brings me back to these lazy summer days.  And with a stoke of luck, I can revisit those days at my grandparents house every morning when I open up my jar of My Beautiful Soap & Co’s Grapefruit Salt Scrub.

My Beautiful Soap & Co’s Grapefruit Salt Scrub

What’s a girl to do when she has 5 minutes to spare in the shower while she waits for her hair masque to fully hydrate her hair – Full Body Salt Scrub!

Going about my salt scrub is the most basic manner; I just dig my fingers in and pull out a handful of the yummy mixture and start to rubbing. Exfoliating dead skin off my shoulders, elbows, check, tummy, hips, booty, knees, legs, feet and my back, the salt scrub leaves my skin soft, smooth and silky.

And this scrub is thick.  Not some pansy scrub that deteriorates at the faintest IDEA of water, my grapefruit scrub stays put and gets to work. Rich in vitamin E, my skin is so soft and supple, it is as if I won’t need my lotion later. And since its chalk full of essential oils and botanicals, my skin stays smooth long after I towel off and start my day.

The Breakdown:

• 14 oz jar
• $16.99 each
• Alcohol, petroleum and animal free

Tips:

• If scrubbing in the shower, be advised that you should rinse out the tub upon completion, unless you want your shower tub to be filled with left over salt.

HYDRA.  No, I’m not sitting on a panel at the recently concluded San Diego Comic Con.  I’m not talking about the secret criminal organization within the Marvel Universe, nor am I speaking about the Transformers character or even the DHARMA Initiative station on the TV series Lost.  Rather, I speak of the alternative spelling of the prefix hydro, referring to water.

Hydration is a vital part of everyone’s life existence.  Without hydration a living creature withers and dies.  Example – the basil plant in my backyard that dries up when I neglect to water it, but magically comes back to life after a simple bath in water.

Same goes for my body. After a hard workout, I drink a tall glass of cool water and I feel my insides becoming refreshed.  And when I feel like I have neglected my face and it is dehydrated, I use the high-performance moisturizing cream HYDRAMAX + ACTIVE from Chanel.

Chanel Hyrdamax + Active

Quenching my skin’s thirst, after applying the cream, my skin is supple, smooth and has a slight radiant glow.  I use the moisturizer in the morning and at night, boosting my skin’s hydration.  It’s like Gatorade for my face.

The moisture content of my skin cells remains at its optimal levels, and I bask in the sweet, soft citrus smell covering my face. In conjunction with my 8 glasses of water a day, I enjoy my day and never worry about my skin becoming dry or flakey.

The Breakdown:

• 1.7 oz jar
• $65.00
• Subtle scent of fruity white peaches, jasmine, citrus and peony.

Tips:

• Pay close attention to that delicate skin around your eyes, and the places where wrinkles pop up first (laugh lines and forehead).

Here’s a secret.  I spent two years of my adult life working on film sets as a set dresser.  This may sound glamorous: hanging out with celebrities, making movies out in sunny Hollywood, exclusive parties.  Well it’s not.  In fact, movie sets are far from the sensational Hollywood on the covers of trash mags. Most of my days were spent in jean cut offs, tank tops, work boots and some sort of power tool in my hand while working 12-hour days in the sun during the summer with no relief of shade.

So, why would I leave this life to come review beauty and body care products?  Duh – my hands were starting to get callously, rough and dry.  Ew. I’m a girl who likes manicures, sun dresses and chardonnay and I loathed the way my hands would be at the end of a production shoot.

Now, to keep my hands looking 25 and not 52, I massage lotion into my fingers, palms and arms all day long, especially after I wash them, after shuffling piles of papers and organizing anything remotely dusty.  All three of those daily, office routines can dry out the thin skin on your hands and digits. Recently I’ve taken a shine to Liz Earle’s Nourishing Botanical Body Cream.

Liz Earle’s Nourishing Botanical Body Cream

Since this lotion isn’t exclusively for hands, I use it when I get out of the shower in the morning over my whole body, keeping my shoulders, elbows, knees, ankles, tummy and more, nicely moisturized and soft. This concentrated, deeply hydrating body cream helps my skin retain moisture throughout the day as well as helping to comfort, and improve my skin’s smoothness.

But in addition to my morning lather, I keep the lotion on my desk so I’m sure to reapply liberally as the day continues.  The lavender aromas calm me, even in the most stressful moments at work, like a little bit of incense. And since I rarely wear perfume, the floral smell of Liz Earle’s body cream doubles as my sent, calming me and those around me.

The Breakdown:

• • 6.7 fl. oz / 200 ml bottle
• $30 each
• Echinacea promotes cell renewal and actively encourages the production of fibroblasts, which eventually form the supporting structure of the skin. Echinacea is also anti-inflammatory and is renowned amongst herbalists for its ability to help skin disorders such as acne, eczema and psoriasis.
• Sweet orange citrus oil helps stimulate circulation and improves skin tone.
• Vitamin E protects skin against free radical damage caused by pollution and the sun’s radiation.

Tips:

• If any type of lotion is ever spilt on clothes, gently scrape to remove any excess lotion. Moisten the spot with water and apply an enzyme presoak (follow directions on label). Wait for 30 minutes, then, flush area with water. If possible launder immediately. If not, allow fabric to air dry.

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