Beauty, Charm & Style

Three weeks ago my bike was stolen. Last week I bought a new bike, it has basket.  This weekend I rode my bike all around my town.  Markets.  Shopping centers.  Cafes. Friends’ houses.  Bars. Yes, I’m doing my part to reduce my carbon footprint, and with gas prices continually on the move, so am I, riding my bike around town and saving cash.

But with the sun blaring down from a cloudless sky, and the temperatures soaring to unbearable heights, and my skin down right burnable, I need a daily moisturizing sun block I can rely on to protect my face and care for my skin.  I needed Kinerase Daily Defense Cream.

Kinerase Daily Defense Cream

The best part about Kinerase is even though its powerful enough to block out the sun, it is also a darned good daily moisturizer.  Thick like a night cream, Daily Defense Cream pulls double duty as a sun block and a regular face lotion as it hydrates the skin with a matte finish. Meaning no oily, shiny foreheads and no white greasy lotion that takes forever to rub in and no melting sunscreen stinging my eyes.

Not having to apply two moisturizers in the morning saves me time and keeps me from forgetting to put on sunscreen (I’m totally guilty of forgetting the sun block and getting caught in those nasty UVA and UVB rays)

And here’s the secret, magic part of Kinerase Daily Defense Cream.  Not only does it immediately act as a shield to the sun it also helps improve skin that has already been sun damaged.  Like that time I rode in the convertible,  the baseball game where the sun came out at the top of the 5th and those multiple sun burns my nose has experienced. It stops future damage while also working to fix the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and blotchiness of the past.

The bottle comes with a little cap and a pump so I can keep it in my purse and easily reapply during the day.  And since it’s not shiny, I don’t need to put any powder on over it.  Good for the beach, the bike, or even the office with the big bright windows.

The Breakdown:

• SPF 30
• $135.00
• Non-comedogenic, fragrance free, dye free and hypoallergenic
• 2.8 oz airless packaging
• For normal to dry skin types

Tips:

• Don’t forget to apply to your neck and your ears – they’re part of your face, too.

A man once said, ‘If I owned Hell and Texas, I’d live in Hell and rent out Texas.”

Anyone having visited the Lone Star State in the summer months (March – October) knows that there is no relief from the sun, the heat or the humidity and the only hope for a breeze is the occasional tornado.

Luckily, I carry in my clutch my Murad Oil-Free Sunblock with an SPF 30.

Murad Oil-Free Sunblock

As a fair skinned lady, I know my sunblock.  And so does Dr. Murad; he’s been influencing modern dermatology since the 80s.  A believer of good body health leading to good skin health, Dr. Murad has been utilizing antioxidants; such as pomegranate to help treat the environmental damage skin faces every day.  Thinking back, my skin always looks clearer when I’m healthy and looks terrible when I’m sick.

As part of the Age-Proof Suncare line, the Oil Free Sunblock gives me the coverage I need and it doesn’t sweat off!  That is THE most important part of my sunblock regime.  As an active girl, I’m outside most of my weekends.  Biking, walking, gardening, softball practice – I can’t worry about my sunblock melting away and leaving me exposed.

It’s oil free so I don’t break out the next day.  My face stays clean and smooth and protected and never shiney.  Pro-active about sun exposure, I’m so glad Murad’s got my back…er, face.

The Breakdown:

• Oil Free Matte Finish
• Infused with pomegranate extract – a great antioxidant
• 1.7 oz bottle for $30
• Not tested on animals

Tips:

• Apply 30 minutes before going out into the sun
• Also available in an equally awesome waterproof version

The year is 1968.  The Vietnam War is in full force. The first heart transplant happens in France.  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated.  Israel gets broadcast television. Richard Nixon is voted president. Columbia University students took over the school in protest. Tony Hawk and LL Cool J are born.  And after reading a magazine article titled, “Can Great Skin Be Created?” Estee Lauder decides to develop Clinique. Flash forward 40 years and here comes Clinque’s Almost Powder Makeup SPF 15 - a perfect product for today’s modern hippie chick.

Almost Powder Makeup SPF 15 by Clinque

I’m not someone who wears a lot of foundation, cover-up or base, and I lean towards natural looks, not ones that are cakey and fakey. But I had a long night last night and today my face needs a little boost; some caffeine for the face.  Clinique’s Almost Powder is so light; it’s going to do just the trick.

Applied easily with a sponge (or you can use a brush), my skin is instantly brighter!  It eves out the blotches, de-redden my nose and covers up the visible blue veins I have that show through my transparent skin.  Best of all, I found a perfect match for my very, very, very fair skin.

For forty years, Clinique’s been using its classic green color on all it’s packaging – leading the way for green movement.  The powder is allergy tested and fragrance free so it won’t irritate my face and won’t fight with my perfume de jour. Plus, it has SPF 15, sunscreen in a powder form, not a greasy lotion.  Genius!

The rest of my makeup goes on without a hitch, and not to sound too braggy, but my face looks awesome! And it’s so easy to use, and so easy to apply and it works so well.

The casual chick inside of me, that spawn of my hippie dad, the girl who likes stuff natural and light – I can use Almost Powder everyday and not feel like I’m weighed down with makeup.  So come on everybody, join me in wearing paisley, putting begonias in my hair, slipping on my sandals and hitting Haight-Ashbury, this hippie chick is feeling hippie chic.

The Breakdown:

• Available in 8 shades (Fair, Neutral Fair, Light, Neutral, Medium, Deep, Deep Honey, Deep Golden)
• .35 oz compact
• SPF 15…in a powder – best idea ever!
• $22.50 a piece

Tips:

• Since it’s extremely light, don’t use this as a cover up for pimples.