Winter and Fall can leave skin feeling dry, chapped, and parched for moisture. And we don’t always have the time to devote to truly hydrated skin. We’ve all had that moment of horror when we realize a patch of dry skin on the leg or a cracked looking elbow. And what is worse than chapped lips? Here are a few easy tricks to keep moisturized through the cold months even if you don’t have the time.

1. Skip the lotion and use a moisturizing body wash. I often find myself scrambling in the morning to get ready after the shower. Any easy and quick way to stay moisturized is to simply use a moisturizing soap or body wash. This way your skin stays soft and hydrated, without all the hassle and time spent applying body lotion.

Try: Kiehl’s Creme De Corps Nurturing Body Washing Cream which contains Jojoba Butter and Shea Butter or for a less expensive alternative try Alba Organics Cream Body Wash available in Coconut Milk and Papaya Mango.

2. Manicures and Pedicures are important in the winter months. But let’s admit, we tend to forget about pedicures when sandals are obsolete. Any easy way to keep your cuticles from looking cracked and dry is to use a cuticle cream. This is one quick step that you can do when you don’t have time for a full nail treatment. Simply apply a bit on the cuticles daily to keep the soft.

Try: Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme which locks in moisture with a beeswax formula or L’Occitane Shea Butter Nail and Cuticle Cream.

3. Use a hydrating night cream. One important step to keeping moisturized through the winter is to have a super hydrating moisturizer. Let a deep hydrating cream penetrate dry skin when you sleep, and wake up to soft, supple skin. Find a cream that contains ingredients with hydrating properties such as hyaluronic acid which holds in the skin’s natural moisture.

Try: Mario Badescu Cream X which is a thick cream that is great for sensitive skin or Dermalogica Super Rich Repair.

4. Use a multipurpose hair product. Instead of using multiple hair products, use one. Find a styling product that moisturizes as well as gives the hair hold. This will skip the extra step of leave-in conditioner. Plenty of styling products on the market today offer moisturizing ingredients.

Try: Bed Head Small Talk by Tigi. It is used as a body building styler that also moisturizes and it smells like Bubble Yum Bubble Gum! Or try Bumble and bumble Styling Lotion.

5. Keep a lip moisturizer by your side at all times. It is great to have a chap stick in your purse for emergencies, but a moisturizing lipstick is a great staple as well. You can have both moisturizer and color in one by buying a hydrating lipstick. Find a color that works well with your winter and fall wardrobe and also contains a softening ingredient like Vitamin E.

Try: Nars Lipstick. They have a great selection of sheer colors and they keep lips creamy and moist. Or try Estee Lauder Pure Color Lipstick.

Posted in Cold Weather Beauty ~ 0 Comments

This is a fairly lightweight formula which blends into the skin evenly and looks very natural and soft. It contains vitamins A, C and E. I wear Laura Mercier Oil-Free Foundation in “Sunny Beige,” which gives a warm glow to my skin while remaining very close to my natural color. I would recommend this foundation for a daily makeup regime; however, you may want to find something a little quicker to apply on the weekends. Use a damp sponge to apply and blend evenly. The 1 oz bottle also does not travel well and not great for trips. I’ve had quite a few and every time the cap breaks within a few uses. The result is a messy applicator pump.

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A basic lip gloss I have been using for years is Clinique Glosswear for Lips in “Air Kiss.” I love this color because it is a clear icy gloss with a tint of pink. It works nicely alone or with a lip pencil and is great to drag along in your purse for a quick gloss fix. However, I wouldn’t recommend it with lipstick. I think it looks better alone. It can be a bit sticky and after awhile the tube doesn’t smell that fresh. The tube lasts forever, but isn’t scented so the stale smell can transfer over to your lips. It isn’t the best choice for long term so you will need to replace more often.

Posted in Lips ~ 0 Comments

Consumers buy them. Professionals recommend them. Magazines award them. And we use them. Below is a list of the most demanded, talked about, and used products among the beauty world.

MASCARA: Dior Diorshow Mascara. No need for fake lashes.

What experts say: A best seller at Sephora beauty stores, who call it, “just off the catwalk look in just one coat.” Featured multiple times in Instyle Magazine and ivillage.com recommends it because it “gives lashes a lush, full look.”

What Dior says: “Inspired by runways and behind-the-scenes tricks of the professionals.”

SHIMMER: Bobbie Brown Shimmer Brick. In all the magazines these days.

What experts say: Quoted as “can’t live without” shimmer compact and “giving glamorous glow to the face,” in Instyle Magazine. A favorite for fall at ivillage.com.

What Bobbie Brown says: “Pearlized pigments that blend together for a soft golden glow.”

BLUSH: Nars Blush in “Orgasm”. Wait a minute…you don’t use this?

What experts say: Best selling blush at Sephora beauty stores. Featured a dozen times in Instyle Magazine who say it’s “a longtime favorite of professionals,” and “youth in powder form.” Town & Country Magazine voted it their top 150 Best Beauty Products and say that this “golden peach hue gets an A+.” Also Allure’s Best of Beauty in Makeup.

What Nars says: “Made with transparent pigments,” which “imparts a natural, healthy glow for any skin tone.”

MOISTURIZER: La Mer’s Creme de la Mer. Expensive Taste…honey where’s our furniture?

What experts say: About.com says “moisturizers don’t get any better than this.” Town & Country Magazine rate it 150 Best Beauty Products and call it, “the precious sea-kelp formulation with legions of followers.”

What La Mer says: “In a short time, skin becomes softer, firmer, looks virtually creaseless. Aging lines and pores are noticeably less visible. Even the driest of complexions are healed. Sensitivities are soothed.”

SKIN SERUM: Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair. Everyone’s talking about it.

What experts say: Cosmopolitan Magazine’s Best Skin Perfecting Serum. Town & Country Magazine say it’s “the secret to waking up refreshed,” and vote it 150 Best Beauty Products.

What Estee Lauder says: “Helps boost your skin’s natural ability to repair.” They say to use it for 21 consecutive nights and it will leave your skin, “even-toned, supple, smooth, and noticeably more healthy looking.”

FOUNDATION: Bare Escentuals i.d. Bare Mineral Foundation. Put minerals in your skin diet. Even your aunt Gene in Dover, Kentucky, population three hundred sixteen, has heard of it.

What experts say: Featured multiple times in Instyle Magazine. “Always garners compliments,” says Elle magazine. “Huge fan base,” says Shape Magazine. Smart Magazine says it’s “a weightless, do-it-all foundation that covers EVERTHING from blemishes to under eye circles and it evens out your skin tone.” Glamour Magazine gave it the Glammy Award for Best Prestige Foundation, twice. And the list of publicity goes on and on…

What Bare Escentuals says: of course…”Make up so pure you can sleep in it.” It is “free of preservatives, talc, oil, fragrance, and other harmful chemicals,” plus gives “impeccable coverage for every skin type and skin tone, and protects with natural sunscreen.”

HAIR: Bumble and bumble Thickening Spray. I know it’s good cause my hair dresser uses it.

What experts say: Cosmopolitan Magazine’s Top Hair Transformers as a Supreme Body Builder. Instyle Magazine quotes, “It makes fine hair look like Texas hair,” and “instant fullness.” Allure Magazine gave it the Best of Beauty for Hair award.

What Bumble and bumble says: “A heating tool essential”, and “not just for fine hair.” It “builds body,” but amazingly still “tames frizz” and “helps define curls.”

TINTED MOISTURIZER: Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer. Ahh!!Foundation..oooh…tinted moisturizer.

What experts say: Won both Allure Magazine’s Best of Beauty award for Makeup and Cosmopolitan Magazine’s Flawless Complexion Creators as sheerest tinted moisturizer. Best seller at Sephoria Stores, and Instyle Magazine says it delivers “actual coverage”, and quotes makeup artist Vasilios Tanis saying it’s “sheer enough to be mistake-proof”. Town & Country Magazine rated it as 150 Best Beauty Products because it is an “ingenious product for casual wear or the foundation-phobic.

What Laura Mercier says: “Perfect for all skin types & provides protection from both UVA & UVB rays with an SPF 20. The sheer lightweight moisturizer adds a hint of color that can be used in place of foundation for a natual appearance while adding a healthy glow to your complexion.”

Posted in Popular Products ~ 1 Comment

This is a great priced color saving shampoo. I start using it right after I get my hair colored and it keeps it from fading out.

Enjoy’s Sulfate Free Shampoo does not strip the color unlike most shampoos which contain sulfates. It keeps the hair soft and shiny and full of color.

I really believe this shampoo lengthens the life of my hair color. Make sure you thoroughly drench your hair before using. I usually get a better lather the second time I apply.

If your hair is suffers dry damage from the color try Enjoy’s Hydrating Shampoo which is also sulfate free.

Posted in Hair ~ 0 Comments