Beauty, Charm & Style

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.

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.

This last holiday season, my fun family decided rather than riding sleighs to grandmother’s house in Nebraska, we’d all hop a plane to sunny Cancun.  Because when I think of the birth of Jesus, I think tequila shots, fajitas, and cabana boys.  Don’t you?

Now, I’m not saying I didn’t have an absolute blast; it is just a unique way to spend the holidays.  I had great fun with my sister and brother as we went to the ancient ruins of Chichen Itza, laughed with my aunts while tipsy on margaritas, and heard Santa Claus bellow, “Ho Ho HO-Ole’!”

Something nice about the Mexican holiday was the amazing fresh smells, fresh fruits and abundance of fresh salsa with plenty of cilantro and limes.  Now back in the states, I look fondly back at the pictures of me with parrots, pyramids and drop dead gorgeous cabana boys.  Sigh.  So, when I feel like escaping from my real life, I use Earthworks Sweet Lime Shower Gel.

Earthworks Sweet Lime Shower Gel

With one pump onto my body puff, my whole nose, body and steamy shower are engulfed in the strong, refreshing scent of freshly picked limes. The clean, crisp and lingering smell of the fragrance, brings one of the most exquisite and invigorating feeling.  My body tingles and I’m transported straight back to the cabana with my sister sipping margaritas and without a care in the world.

A gentle foaming shower gel, Earthworks cleanses my body and softly scents my skin. And the scent, strong enough to last all day, is still soft enough just to tease everyone’s noses. A beautiful fragrance, I’m captivated by the luxurious smell and my skin is soft, supple and silky.

The Breakdown:

• Recyclable packaging
• Paraben Free
• 8.5 oz / 250 mL bottle
• $18 each
• 12 different pure scents, like Seringa Blossom, Rose, African Jasmine

Tips:

• Don’t be surprised when strangers start to smell you, it’s a good thing.

“Arabian nights
‘Neath Arabian moons
A fool off his guard
Could fall and fall hard
Out there on the dunes”

Those are lyrics from the opening song of the cartoon movie, “Aladdin,” one of my absolute favorite movies.  Flying carpets, opulent jewels, puffy pants – what more could a girl want? I can clearly remember watching that movie over, and over and over again, literally memorizing both the songs and the dialogue and desperately wanting my hair to look like Jasmine’s.

Perhaps my devotion to all things Aladdin, encouraged my sense of exploration into the Arabian culture.  I want to go to Morocco and visit the markets that have been in continuous existence for 900 years.  Through these ancient lands are steeped in thousand of years of tradition and legend, Bella Luccè’s Desert Oasis Body & Linen Mist and Exotic Date and Wild Honey Buff brings me to this place where I have never been before.

Bella Lucce

First off, Belle Lucce means “Beautiful Glow,” in Italian and has a delicious history of creating natural products  that have the decadence found in luxurious spa products. With the mist, there are two options – Linen or Body.

Sensuous sandalwood mingles with pure vanilla in this non-staining mist that adds a sophisticated touch to bed linens, bathrobes and cotton towels. Spraying my pillows, the ever so soft scents fill my nose and my sleep brings on dreams of desserts, palaces and camels.

The Exotic Date and Wild Honey Buff, suddenly engulfs my skin in Arabian’s natural treasures, Turkish coffee and real vanilla beans and suddenly my skin is infused with pure honey, real dates, red sandalwood and Moroccan lava clay. And I swear up and down, that, the first week I spritzed my body with this spay, I received so many compliments and everyone wanted to know what I was wearing.

This may mean I have a terrible natural odor, but who cares? The memory of that handsome man stepping closer to get a better wiff of my soft skin sends shivers all over my body.  It is almost as if the Dessert Oasis has kissed bare skin with a light veil of moisture, leaving me smelling fabulous.

The Breakdown:

• 6.2 oz spritz bottle  for $17.00
• 10 oz. Jar for $28.00
• Paraben, petroleum, phtalates,sulfate and silicone free
• Aloe-infused and pH balanced

Tips:

• Shake mist well before use to get all the spicy scents mixed up and ready.

I talk nonstop about natural products, products without parabens, products not tested on animals and a whole bunch of factors you should think about when it comes to your beauty buys.

Skin Deep is a safety guide to cosmetics and personal care products brought to you by researchers at the Environmental Working Group.

Skin Deep pairs ingredients in more than 25,000 products against 50 definitive toxicity and regulatory databases, making it the largest integrated data resource of its kind. So you simply type in your lotion, shampoo, mineral makeup and it tells you what no-no chemicals are inside those pretty bottles.

But why did a small nonprofit take on such a big project? Because the FDA doesn’t require companies to test their own products for safety. Due to loopholes in federal law, companies can put virtually any ingredient into personal care products without pre-market safety tests.

So have fun and check out your products! And while you’re at it, here are 3 easy tips for creating a healthier beauty regime.

1. Use fragrance-free products since fragrances are notorious for allergic reactions, big and small.
2. Read the labels because an informed beauty is the best type of beauty.
3. Use fewer products because you never know what type of chemical reaction will happen. This if your face, NOT a science lab.