Beauty, Charm & Style

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.

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. 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.  I cancelled my evening plans of a pizza party and a sleep over, and hit the hay early that night.

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.

Did you know that Kool-Aid comes from Nebraska?  It was invented BY Edwin Perkins in Hastings back in 1927.  Those wonderfully helpful CliffsNotes – they too are a Nebraska native as well.  Nebraska Cornhusker Football has brought pride to the state, and a few bouts of heartbreak. But one of the biggest things to come out of Nebraska is CORN!

Corn is wonderful and versatile and it is renewable and abundant.  From corncob pipes, to popcorn, to grain alcohol, to corn syrup and the ever popular ethanol/biofuel – corn can make practically anything.  Including lipstick tubes.

That’s right, CARGO Cosmetics have come out with their PlantLove™ Botanical Lipstick.

CARGO PlantLove

Seeing as I have been getting into darker lip color, I was pumped to try the Muir Woods color, which is a dark spicy mauve color inspire by the Muir Woods of Northern California.  A sexy and zesty color, my lips look ready to hit the town.  Light pinks and shimmer is perfect for daylight, but under the moon, I need something with a little more POW.

The lipstick goes on smooth and I feel the shea butter and mango seed oil hydrating my lips, making them silky and smooth.  It doesn’t flake off after a few minutes and it doesn’t fade away after one cocktail.  Rather, my lips stay soft and supple and perfectly kissable. And with no petroleum and mineral oils, my lips will STAY kissable way past the stoke of midnight.

And no, my lips don’t smell like corn.

The Breakdown:

• Orchid Complex, Meadowfoam Seed Oil and Mango Seed Oil
• $20 each
• 20 shades available
• The box the lipstick tube comes in has SEEDS in it so when you look to throw it away, how about planting it instead and getting a nice bouquet of flowers!

Tips:

• CARGO is donating two dollars from the sale of every shade to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The seeds we sow today affect future generations so invest in the earth and the children for the future of the planet!