Skin Care

Pacifica Totally Makes Scents: Take Malibu Lemon Blossom Body Wash and Body Butter, For Example

March 30th, 2010 by Karen 38 Comments

How’s it going out there, ladies? I’m sorry about the late post, but I wanted to make sure it made scents before I clicked the big button to publish. 🙂

You see, three days ago I started using the Malibu Lemon Blossom Body Wash ($18) and Body Butter ($15) from Pacifica, a brand known for the light, refreshing scents and good-for-your ingredients of their natural body washes, moisturizers, perfumes and soy candles.

The line also doesn’t use parabens, sulfates, synthetic dyes, phthalates or artificial colors, and both of the products I’m covering today are vegan and Tabs-approved, which means, much to Tabs’ delight, that neither of them was tested on animals.

I’ve had my eye on the brand for a while and decided to treat myself on a recent trip to Sephora.

What do ya think of the packaging? It’s what first caught my eye. I think it’s elegant yet casual, and definitely cheerful. It reminds me of the beach, aka one of my favorite places to chill.
[Continue reading…]

If It Doesn’t Clear Up in a Week, Try Physicians Formula Organic Wear Makeup Remover Towelettes

February 18th, 2010 by Karen 14 Comments

You know that old saying, “Third time’s the charm”? It came to mind when I started putting Physicians Formula Organic Wear Makeup Remover Towelettes ($7) to the test.

They’re the third products I’ve tried so far from Phys Formula’s line of Organic Wear makeup removers (check my first attempts here and here).

Like the lotion and eye makeup remover pads I tried, these towelettes look *faboo* on paper, with excellent bona fides. 🙂 Bio-degradable, with a soothing lavendar scent, and manufactured without the use of funky chemicals or animal testing — yay, right? They look good both for peeps AND the planet.

So, do they hit it out of the park?
[Continue reading…]

Physicians Formula Organic Wear Facial Makeup Remover Lotion: Should You Marry This Doctor?

February 15th, 2010 by Karen 21 Comments

Even though Physician’s Formula Organic Wear Eye Makeup Remover Pads didn’t knock my socks off, I really tried to keep an open mind when I tested the doc’s Organic Wear Facial Makeup Remover Lotion ($10).

Like the pads, this lotion has all the makings of drugstore greatness — affordable, no sketchy chemicals, cute (always a plus), and it wasn’t tested on animals. My picky nose loves the real deal lavender scent, too, and the lotion feels silky soft against my skin.

So far, so good…

Will it be the organic drugstore lotion of my dreams?

To give it a fair shake and prepare my skin before testing, I stopped using my trusty Clinique Cleansing Balm a few days beforehand.
[Continue reading…]

Benefit’s Bathina Body Balm Gets a Makeover for Spring

January 14th, 2010 by Karen 20 Comments

Benefit’s moisturizing Bathina body balm (lucky girl that she is) just got a spring makeover.

Hey, now, don’t stare! Just “Take a Picture… It Lasts Longer…” — that’s actually the product’s name. And for $28 she flaunts updated packaging and a shimmery new color (a light golden pink).

I think it’s part of a beauty conspiracy… Have you heard the news? Benefit recently marked down the original Bathina (Body So Fine) from $30 to $22.50, an obvious ploy to prep us for the arrival of Bathina 2.0.

Speaking of the prequel, Body So Fine and I go waaay back. We have history, yo! My bestie, Jen, gifted me a tin for my 26th birthday, and I’ve been a fan ever since — the light floral fragrance and super softening balm adds a touch of sexy pink shimmer to legs and arms (great for date nights with the boy).

Luckily, the updated version’s just as fab as before (if not better). Benefit kept the same formula and fragrance but tweaked the shimmer. Instead of a silvery pink, the new Bathina gives skin a golden pink glow, one I wager more girls will be able to wear well.
[Continue reading…]

Do Josie Maran’s Bear Naked Wipes Take It All Off?

January 7th, 2010 by Karen 18 Comments

josie-maran-bear-naked-wipes-review-1

Oh, the pink packaging, the adorable photo of the polar bears, and the slick title font… THE FONT! — is that Helvetica Neue Ultra Light?!

Reacting to this perfect storm of marketing cuteness, I just impulse purchased these $12 Bear Naked Makeup Wipes by Josie Maran.

I tried to resist — honest, I did — but part of the proceeds go to the Polar Bear SOS Initiative. How cool is that?

josie-maran-bear-naked-wipes-review-closeup

With 30 wipes per package, the cost breaks down to about 40 cents a wipe — a little on the expensive side, but you’re mostly paying for what you don’t get…

That is to say, these wipes come without parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, synthetic dyes, petro-chemicals and phthalates. 🙂 They’re biodegradable and feel oh-so-gentle on my skin, too, thanks to a soothing blend of aloe vera, chamomile, cucumber and vitamin E.

And Tabs likes that they’re 100% cruelty free.
[Continue reading…]

What’s Your Favorite Exfoliator?

January 5th, 2010 by Karen 87 Comments

whats-your-favorite-exfoliator

I once thought exfoliating was a pretty useless skincare step, and I felt I had better things to do with my time, like playing Duck Hunt, reading cheesy V.C. Andrews books and watching The Craft for the millionth time.

That changed around the time I hit 30. My skin started to change, started looking duller and less dewy.

Turns out that as we age the body takes progressively longer to “turn over” new skin cells, the process of pushing new cells to the surface of the skin to replace dead ones.

FUN FACT: When we’re born, a complete cell turnover takes about two weeks; by age 50, the same process takes four to six.

Why exfoliate?

The longer dead skin cells hang around on the surface of the face, the greater the likelihood of clogged pores, acne and a dull, lackluster complexion.

Exfoliation to the rescue!

Exfoliation, whether physical (like with a facial scrub) or chemical (like with a toner containing salicylic acid), brightens dull skin by sloughing away dead skin cells and increasing the rate of cell turnover.

It can also help to clear breakouts, smooth out the skin and enhance the efficacy of anti-aging treatments and moisturizers by increasing their rate of absorption.

I definitely notice a difference in my skin now when I go too long without exfoliating. It looks older, as in less rosy and glowy.

How often should you exfoliate?

Many beauty experts and dermatologists are divided on how much exfoliating one should do. Some doctors recommend exfoliating just once or twice a week; others say twice a day.
[Continue reading…]

Philosophy The Miracle Worker Worked a Miracle on Me

December 23rd, 2009 by Karen 11 Comments

Written by Jen, aka Raging Rouge

Today Jen of Raging Rouge describes a miracle she saw with her very own eyes.

Philosophy The Miracle Worker

I’m not one to turn readers away, but if you’re under 35 and under the belief that ignorance is bliss, stop reading this now. Seriously, do yourself a favor and go out for a drink with the girls. 🙂

I say that because if I had to publish a description of my relationship with my skin on Facebook, it would be tagged like this: It’s complicated.

After 35, Mother Nature just smacked me in the face with a 4 by 4. Fine lines started cropping up out of nowhere, and (adding insult to injury) I’m still breakout prone!

Now, for those of you who were brave enough to keep reading beyond the first paragraph, let me offer one more hideous thought: if you thought teen acne was bad, just WAIT until you get pregnant!

Days before my 36th birthday I delivered my second beautiful son, and just like my first pregnancy, the skin around my jawline was a mess. Big patches of cystic acne riddled the area, which had always been completely clear before my pregnancioes. The second time around, though, the breakouts didn’t disappear on their own, and drastic times called for drastic measures!

My first step: regular use of a powerful peel.

Step two: I had tremendous success clearing up the left side of my face using the Exuviance Rejuvenating Treatment Mask but needed something even more powerful along my right jawline. After reading some positive reviews of Philosophy skincare products, I took the plunge.

The superb prices of their holiday value kits also encouraged me to give them a try, like the Miracle Worker kit, which comes with $156 of products for only $85! YeeHa!

I did add one extra ingredient to my skincare cocktail — and this was crucial — Philosophy “Help Me”. It’s a time-release retinol formula known for its strength and effectiveness in clearing up acne and minimizing the appearance of fine lines.

Here was my combined regimen:
[Continue reading…]

Some of Stef’s Favorite Exfoliators and Cleansers with Kick!

December 22nd, 2009 by Karen 23 Comments

Written by Stef

Today Stef of the fantastical We Heart This (a little bit of everything, a whole lot of love) shares five of her favorite exfoliators.

exfoliatorsB

When my face flakes
When my skin’s dull
When I’m feeling sad….

Gather ’round, children. I’d like to tell you about a few of my favorite scrubs (and I promise not to make your play clothes out of curtains!). That’s right — a good exfoliator can send me spinning on a mountaintop like a modern day Julie Andrews.

But first, why should you exfoliate? Because your skin is constantly shedding dead cells to make way for new ones. The old cells dull your skin, making it uneven and sometimes even dry. So you want them gone, pronto. Exfoliating moves this process along faster. With a good product, your skin will look fresher, you’ll have a smoother surface for makeup application and you’ll get more out of your other skin care products because they will penetrate the skin’s surface better.

Here are my current top five favorites:

1. Bobbi Brown Buffing Grains ($40)

Multi-taskers, listen up. This little time saver cuts two-product facial cleansing/exfoliating down to a single easy step. Bobbi Brown’s Buffing Grains are made of Japanese Adzuki bean powder, gentle yet powerful little granules that you can mix into your favorite cleanser to make it an exfoliator too.

And for bargain hunters, Angel Face Botanicals makes a version with 4 times as much product at half the price.

TIP: You can buy the bean powder from many health food stores for practically free. DIYers can even buy Adzuki beans whole and grind them at home!

2. Aveeno Skin Brightening Daily Scrub ($7.50)

Want another time saver? Check out Aveeno Skin Brightening Daily Scrub, my drugstore scrub of choice. I really consider this to be more of a cleanser with a kick, as it’s not quite the exfoliating powerhouse as some of my other favorites. But here’s why I like it…
[Continue reading…]