skin care

Natural Shielding Lotion

admin — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Finding hand lotion that works is probably not high on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. It actually seems frivolous in light of the images of suffering and destruction we’ve recently seen from Haiti and Chile. While I recognize that earthquakes aren’t caused by global warming, lately I find myself balancing my own petty concerns against scientists’ gloomy predictions of climate refugees becoming a real problem if this issue isn’t addressed. In the meantime, I reassure myself with the thought that I still have to function in my day-to-day world; if finding a hand lotion that actually does what it claims to do is a more immediate and manageable goal, I will not castigate myself for that quest.

Living in the Chicago area, we’ve experienced particularly brutal winters the last few years and dry hands seems to be another symptom of this endless winter we’ve had this year, along with snow days and subfreezing temperatures. So when I came across Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion, I was curious to see if it could live up to its claims. I tend to be skeptical about such claims, but I was curious to try this lotion.

According to the brochure, the Shielding Lotion not only keeps your skin moisturized, but cures the problem of dry skin because its unique formula restores moisture while also enabling your skin to replenish its own moisture. Although the pamphlet included a number of testimonials from happy customers who saw immediate results from using the product on various body parts, I decided to test it primarily as a hand lotion. At $13.00 for a 4 oz. bottle, would I see an improvement over other less expensive hand lotions?

Comparatively, the lotion has a light and non-greasy quality—just a few squirts are all one needs for an application. The Shielding Lotion feels good on your skin and leaves it temporarily moisturized, but as with other lotions, the moisturized feeling didn’t last very long. I did try the product once on my face, but immediately broke out the following day. I have extremely oily and sensitive skin, so I do not consider that a reflection on the product itself as much as its blending with my own unique skin type. I continue to use the lotion, but would probably not shell out the requisite dough for another bottle.

Written by: Gita Tewari, March 25th 2010

Euoko’s Y-00 Instant Precision Cellular Masque / Leaf & Rusher’s Active Serum

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:01:00 +0000

By Euoko

Air pollution is one of the biggest environmental hazards in India. Caused largely by vehicles with aged diesel engines and industrial emissions, the same technology that is moving the country forward in the global economy is moving people backward in terms of individuals’ health. Half of the children in Bangalore are now afflicted with asthma, and Kolkata has the highest number of cases of lung cancer in the world. High levels of pollution also have adverse effects on our skin, and while pollution may be causing the Taj Mahal to lose some of its outer gleam, there are ways to prevent it from hindering your own personal glimmer.

In addition to washing your face daily with soap after rising in the morning and then before you rest at night, adding a weekly routine of using Euoko’s Y-00 Instant Precision Cellular Masque will help enrich your skin through a deep multi-vitamin cleansing. Made from Amazonian clay, antioxidants, and free-radical annihilating acai, a warm tingling begins the minute you slather a coat of the thick, muddy cream onto your face. which made me a little nervous at first: is this supposed to give off so much heat? I looked at the package: “Human tested. This product has not been tested on animals. Euoko does not perform or endorse animal testing and does not engage others to do so.”

Okay, so I was just being silly. It has been a while since I’ve used a face mask, much less one made from such a sophisticated combination of ingredients. Euoko is a truly multi-national company that produces its luxury skin care line using 102 ingredients from Switzerland, Spain, France, Canada, the United States, the Amazonian Rainforest, the Kalahari Desert, and Denmark. They scientifically test their concoctions in clinical studies held in France, Mexico, Canada, and Denmark; manufacture them in Canada; and have a base of operations in Toronto, San Diego, Geneve, Milano, and London. All that effort of input pays off, as the output of using the Y-00 Instant Precision Cellular Masque is well worth the lavish price tag for the 1.7oz opaque container.

Couple this cleansing mask with Leaf & Rusher’s Active Serum for Sensitive Skin, and you’ve got the makings of a beautiful skin care friendship. Intended for daily use, the Active Serum is used to “improve the skin’s texture, tone, and firmness.” Having watched my dimples deepen and my laugh lines become more pronounced in recent years, I find that my feminist desire to age gracefully is in conflict with that other part of my self that wants to remain physiologically youthful. I doubt I’m the only one dealing with the presence of this contradiction. So while I’m working it out internally, I’ll be working it out externally with the Active Serum.

Leaf & Rusher are two guys—one a medical doctor and the other a registered nurse—who are serious about skin care, and the Active Serum is their most popular product. Made of ingredients I can’t pronounce, the serum is a dollop of smooth oil that glides over the skin and dries almost instantly. It has a smell so faint that you might just miss it, as it disappears on contact. I’ve been using the Active Serum for three weeks now and, to my surprise, have noticed a new glow and increased firmness in my skin. It’s not simply marketing folks; this is the magic of modern science.

While using Euoko’s Y-00 Instant Precision Cellular Masque and Leaf & Rusher’s Active Serum won’t decontaminate the air or reverse global warming, they will help to purify your skin and combat noticeable aging. If you want to do something to stop pollution, well, you’ll have to take your pretty face to your local politician and tell them that taking steps that benefit the majority of human lives is more important than monetary gain for a deplorable few.

Written by: Mandy Van Deven, November 11th 2009

Rhubarb N Blueberry Spice Soap

admin — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:58:00 +0000

By Vegan Soap Kitchen

I am a soap snob, but not without good reason. I don't want to imbibe chemicals into my skin, and just about everything with scent tends to make my skin dry out or cause an allergic reaction. For these reasons, I usually order olive oil soap from my favorite woman-owned business online, but using Rhubarb N Blueberry Spice Soap from Vegan Soap Kitchen definitely made me want to try more of their goodies.

Owner Deborah Dana has all kinds of cruelty-free skin care products (did I mention my partner and I buy only vegan personal care products?) on her Etsy site, some of which sound good enough to munch. Pink Grapefruit and Pineapple Cilantro soaps and Chai Tea lip balm are just some of her offerings. Unlike some specialty shops, they're reasonably priced.

My soap arrived in environmentally-friendly packaging (the smallest amount of stiff paper wrapping) and a cute, lime green gingham ribbon. She had me at gingham, and the package also listed all of the non-toxic ingredients. I could pronounce all of them!

The soap itself left behind a nice and not overpowering scent when I bathed with it. Think more musky than fruity, with the rhubarb adding a bittersweet scent. My partner is very finicky about our care products—he won't use them if they smell too “girly”—and he didn't complain.

The blueberry seeds offer a mild exfoliant that's not too harsh, although they did tend to get all over the place when the bar neared its end. Still, this was a delicious product, and I'm definitely going to shop for more goodies at Vegan Soap Kitchen.

Written by: M.L. Madison, November 4th 2009

Replenishing Hand Cream (Rose Flower)

admin — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 10:01:00 +0000

By Circaroma

My paternal grandmother was the offspring of a French immigrant family that emigrated to the United States. She came of age during a time of great extravagance (Roaring Twenties) followed by a sharp decline (Great Depression) and then raised five children—three boys and two girls—by herself in St. Louis, Missouri while my grandfather reported for duty during World War II. In my grandparents' house there were two bathrooms, one pink and the other blue, a color-coded system marked by a form of gender segregation that had a utilitarian function in the large and evenly split household. By the time my sister and I came along, the only two girls in a slew of grandsons (though there would later be two more to join the ranks), we considered this division a privilege.

When I opened the fifty-gram circular container of Circaroma Replenishing Hand Cream, the smell reminded me of my grandmother's powder room. Immaculately kept with fuzzy toilet seat covers, matching towels the color of cotton candy, and decorative wallpaper with tiny bunches of flowers and stripes of gold, this room was a feminine haven. A mirrored tray holding numerous bottles of eau du toilette, Avon makeup, and sample-sized glass containers of various creams and lotions. The combined contents of the tray created a floral olfactory experience similar to this Rose Flower Hand Cream.

Gliding on smoothly, the Replenishing Hand Cream leaves a moist feeling without the lingering slickness of other similar products. Despite the potency of its smell during application, the Rose Flower scent quickly becomes subdued, a quality I find appealing as it doesn't hinder repeated use for fear of excessive potency.

Based in London, Circaroma's award-winning products use natural and organic components as a result of the company's commitment to providing skin care products of a superior quality. The Rose Flower Replenishing Hand Cream is no exception, and includes such ingredients as coconut, sunflower, jojoba, and almond oils; cocoa butter; rose water; geranium; and vitamin E.

I relish the ability of Circaroma's Replenishing Hand Cream to conjure the memory of my grandmother, a woman who struggled through challenging times and still managed to come out smelling rosy.

Written by: Mandy Van Deven, October 25th 2009

Sicilian Orange & Mandarin Body Hydrate Oil / Rejuvenating Face Cream / Active Face Hydrating Gel

admin — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 08:52:00 +0000

By Organic Apoteke

My skin is dry. How dry is it? It's so dry that it makes the Kalahari look like the Everglades. It's so dry, that it makes the Gobi look like the Ganges. It's so dry, that I'm going to be flayed for Sham-wows. The lizard-leather shins and cracked elbows do not appeal. What to do?

Thank goodness I discovered Organic Apoteke products. The Rejuvenating Face Cream and Active Face Hydrating Gel samples did not allow evaluation of the results of extended use, but were not unpleasant after a single application. The Body Hydrate Oil—Sicilian Orange & Mandarin—definitely addressed my dermal crevasses to sealing and healing effect. The Sicilian orange oil contains vitamins A, B, C, and E, and is a reputed anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory. Vitamins A and E increase repair and regrowth of the skin. This potion also contains carrot and coconut oil. The carrot oil increases the manufacture of natural body oils, and coconut oil is rich in antioxidants.

Organic Apoteke products are made in England and conform with ECOSERT standards: 95.4% of the ingredients are organically farmed, and 98% of all ingredients are of natural origins. Few things smell as good as a freshly-peeled orange. Given its range of applications, hopefully a whiff of me with orange oil will be more reminiscent of a crate of clementines than industrial cleanser. Regardless, it's a relief to have my skin transformed to a texture closer to the orange tree's blossom than its bark.

Written by: Erika Mikkalo, October 6th 2009

Shea Butter Hand Cream & Foot Cream / Ultra Rich Body Cream Rosebud

admin — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 07:37:00 +0000

By L'Occitane

Founded in 1976 in the small Provençal town of Manosque by Olivier Baussan, L'Occitane grew from his individual distillation of rosemary to its essential oil into an international organization offering an array of skin care and beauty products. The company partners with three women's cooperatives in Burkina Faso to obtain fairly-traded shea nut butter. Traditionally used to protect skin from dry winds and sand, women also apply it to their newborns to shelter delicate infant skin from the climate.

The best-selling Shea Butter Hand Cream combines twenty percent shea butter, honey, and sweet almond extract, scented with jasmine and ylang-ylang. This smooth balm soothes with apparent medicinal and cosmetic effects: hands that were once talons become hands again. Skin also benefits from vitamin E—excellent for gardeners, those in dry areas, or women who are exposed to toxic urban air. The Shea Butter Foot Cream relieves tired and sore feet through combining shea butter with antiseptic lavender essential oil to cleanse. Arnica, an anti-inflammatory, diminishes redness and irritation while mint cools. The Hand Cream is twenty percent shea butter; the Foot Cream, fifteen.

has released Ultra Rich Body Cream Rosebud—covering everything between the hands and feet—as a limited edition scent in celebration of the twentieth anniversary of its shea butter cooperative—now over 11,000 women participate. The Moroccan rose they use is light and reminiscent of rosehips, not heavy or too floral. For those who cannot plant a rose garden, it is a pleasure to hold one hundred milliliters of petals in your hand.

Written by: Erika Mikkalo, October 2nd 2009

Pomegranate Facial Nourishing Oil

admin — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 06:03:00 +0000

By John Masters Organics

The pomegranate has a long history as a helping, healthy fruit. No less an authority than the (seventeenth century) Dr. Fothergill described as it among the plant species “most salutiferous to mankind.” Queen Hatshepsut's butler, Djehuty, attempted to pack one along in his journey to the afterlife. Its red, leathery hide, floral ends, and core of pulp-encased juicy purple kernels fascinated me as a child, although it struck me as a bit labor-intensive for a snack. I had no objection to grenadine in Shirley Temples at the same age. Recent research confirms the pomegranate's nutritional value—the juice provides sixteen percent of the suggested daily allowance of vitamin C. A symbol of fertility and vitality, you no longer need to be an Egyptian queen to access the fruit's powers: John Masters Organics offers a pomegranate seed oil to heal dry skin.

This organic cosmetic and cleanser provider now produces an oil that is more direct and fast-acting than a moisturizer. There are a total of fourteen oils, including rosewood, sage, sweet almond, and carrot—but the main ingredient is pomegranate seed oil. The user can either apply it directly or add it to moisturizer. It absorbed immediately and had a subtle non-intrusive scent. I acquired mine ahead of time for the Chicago winter, and now am confidently equipped, indeed.

Written by: Erika Mikkalo, September 15th 2009

D:tox System

admin — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 09:01:00 +0000

By Giovanni Organic Body Care

Half a million women in the world die every year from breast cancer. One in eight American women will be diagnosed with some form of breast cancer in her lifetime. Judging from these startling statistics, it’s not difficult to see why corporations that cater to women have begun creating lines of products that support the fight against this disease. Altruism gives you a leg up on the competition.

While Giovanni Organic Body Care’s D:tox System of purifying body care products won’t prevent you from getting breast cancer directly, a portion of the sales of the products involved in this three-step system is donated by the company to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, an organization that funds cancer prevention research.

The D:tox System has three ingredients: Body Wash/Body Bar, Body Scrub, and Body Lotion. If the trio is used properly, the promised results are to provide “a complete purification regimen for mind, body, and soul—and completely touch-worthy skin every day.” With such lofty ambitions, I’m sure you’re wondering what exactly goes into the D:tox System.

The Body Wash/Body Bar uses charcoal and volcanic ash to clean oils and dirt from pores while replenishing your skin’s nutrition with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants from purifying acai and goji berry extracts. The Body Scrub is made of similar ingredients, and does what most scrubs do: it exfoliates to polish away surface grime and bacteria. The Body Lotion is the final part of this equation. Once the skin is fully clean, it needs a little moisture to maintain a smooth softness and healthy glow.

I did a dietary detox once a few years ago. A woman at my local health food co-op explained the process to me: replace food with a mixture of juices for five days. Instead of feeling physically renewed, I ended up with a terrible migraine brought on by caffeine withdrawal, but I stuck it out before reverting back to my old eating habits. I’m not sure the D:tox System resulted in the purification of my mind or soul, but it did the trick for my body. It also allowed me to continue my copious coffee consumption—and, really, that's the most important part.

Written by: Mandy Van Deven, September 14th 2009

Shea Butter Lotion Fruit Slices / Goats Milk Glycerin Soap Orange Sherbet

admin — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 09:00:00 +0000

By Norma’s Bath and Body Products

When you unwrap a package made, wrapped, and tied by another person’s hands, it’s immediately evident. It might be a splatter of color where there wasn’t one intended, or a crooked label, a smudge. But whatever the indication, it has always given me a moment’s pause and endeared me in a special way to whatever it is I’m holding. So it was with Norma’s Bath and Body Products—a sense of the person who’d put something of herself into making the thing I was about to enjoy. You just don’t get that fuzzy feeling in the health and beauty section of your local chain drug store!

The Orange Sherbet Goats Milk Glycerin Soap was instantly appealing with its peachy orange color and smooth texture. I resisted my generations-old instinct when confronted with nice bath products, to set it unmarked and perfect in a bowl with some potpourri or decorative stones. I reminded myself I had a job to do and not to worry—I could order more! Unwrapped and sitting out on my desk, waiting to get lathered up for the first time, this little bar got my attention with a subtly persistent fruity scent, fresh and light and not at all overpowering or irritating to my allergen-sensitive nose.

The package promised a “creamy and high lathering goats milk glycerin soap” that would both soften and moisturize. I, no stranger to the wares of a farmer’s market or craft fair soap stand, was skeptical. The glycerin soaps I’ve tried have been low to nonexistent on suds and thin in texture, leaving my skin neither moisturized nor particularly clean. The Orange Sherbet soap knocked all contenders out of the ring. Bubbly and rich, it smoothed out my skin but washed off without any filmy residue. The scent was light and pretty, not lingering for long, just long enough to make you come back for more.

The Fruit Slices Shea Butter Lotion punched up the color and scent factors of its demure companion Orange Sherbet. Bright notes of citrus came bursting out of the lemon yellow lotion, one of those good smells that give you a little mind-freshening kick when you need it, a fresh-squeezed smell. The lotion itself had the look and texture of a thick acrylic paint, and rubbed onto my skin in a thin yellow layer. It turned colorless after a few swipes with my fingers and left behind the faintest bit of shimmer. My skin felt soft but not greasy, and the lotion absorbed quickly enough to resume daily activities without leaving fruity smudges on everything I touched.

Norma’s Bath and Body Products scored high with me, with bonus points for being homemade, and extra super bonus points for working just as well, if not better, than a major manufacturer’s product. A sweep of Norma’s online store inventory was delightful, chock full of soap creations: cupcakes, fudgesicles, Pop Tarts, as well as plenty of options for those with a less demanding sweet tooth. These handcrafted soaps and lotions are as whimsical and cute as they are functional, and gave me plenty of fun and frugal gift ideas.

Written by: Kelly Moritz, August 15th 2009

Travel Pack

admin — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 17:36:00 +0000

By Dr. Alkaitis Holistic Organic

“The essential foundation of beauty is health.” - Dr. Alkaitis

Sociobiology makes me cringe. The realities of economics and aesthetics are frequently politically uncomfortable. There appear to be some basic principles that all humans operate by—for example, that everyone likes money and beauty. Money is intrinsically meaningless and worthless: a bale of Benjamins won't do you much good in the middle of Antarctica except as tinder. Pot shards, metal disks, cocoa beans—all have done service as manifestations of worth, tokens of sweat and time. The presence or absence of cash does not necessarily indicate that the holder is good, talented, wise, or kind—the infamous caprice of fortune, depicted as female—but try getting a thing done without it. As a tool, a means of exchange, it is a necessity that defines our lives. Most people on the planet are preoccupied by raw survival and ethics can be a luxury. Beauty is equally vexing a concept. Notoriously subjective, yes, but globally consistent in some respects: symmetry and youth are admired across cultures. The extent to which the value placed on youth is based on some sort of Darwinian reproductive imperative, I'd rather not dwell upon. Instead, I'll opt for Dr. Alkaitis' succinct suggestion that a healthy exterior reflects a healthy interior, at least on the animal level.

Dr. Alkaitis offers a variety of products of indisputably healthy content: facial cleansers, herbal toners, creams, treatment oils; masks for exfoliating, cellular repair, or mixed from the crushed petals of flowers. Ingredients are largely non-chemical: organic oat bran, berries, grapes, barley grass, and turmeric. This echoes Michael Pollan's direction to only consume foods you can read. The doctor proffers credentials indicating that the additional enzymes are informed additions, and says that he concocted his potions with “dry, mature problem skin and those with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities in mind.” The quantities in a travel pack make effective testing difficult, but the masks struck me as the best (not included). It's recommended that the user mix the masks with organic honey or agave. I used water, preferring to save the honey for tea. Still effective. However, my philosophizing is so lucrative, next time I'll probably exfoliate with plain oatmeal, daub on a free-range chicken egg for a mask, and refresh my eyes with cucumber slices, if they don't go to breakfasts, or salads. That's healthy.

Written by: Erika Mikkalo, June 10th 2009

Advanced Anti-Aging Eye Treatment

admin — Fri, 29 May 2009 23:45:00 +0000

By Garden Botanika

Garden Botanika is a twenty-year old company with a mission of “creating products that are: botanically based, a careful blend of nature and science, cruelty-free, gentle to the environment and 100% guaranteed.” But age is just a number...we shouldn't make light of their efforts despite their relatively recent origin. I have made fun of the plastic-surgery disasters that litter Michigan Avenue, people with mis-sliced faces that result in taut masks of perpetual surprise, overly faux-tanned and then shellacked with cosmetics: base coat, prime coat, trim, veneer, powder, sand between layers. I appreciate some dialogue from the movie Lantana: “I like this age. I like my lines.” Current cultural trends celebrate the "Cougar"—the TV show, a "Golden Girls" art show—and I saw an advertisement for a hotel on the side of a bus, an attractive high-maintenance female of a certain age reaching from behind a pretty young male to adjust his tie in a way that I suspect was not maternal.

The traditional feminist suggestion that we celebrate the "Crone" as wise is, typically, supplanted by the perpetual evaluation of women primarily as sex objects. But vanity appears to be the most basic human insecurity, so of course I'm going to use Garden Botanika's Advanced Anti-Aging Eye Treatment. Its pleasant pink color is caused by red wine polyphenols, and other ingredients include green tea extract, shea butter, and jojoba seed oil. It's unscented and does not contain chemical dyes. Perhaps I'd have a different perspective if I had subsidized botox access, but the use of assorted unguents and ointments in order to maintain a fresh and glowing hide strikes me as much more reasonable than any sort of invasive procedure. “Hope in a jar” may be justifiably derided, but if it makes the wearer feel better and produces discernible results, such substances at least meet the standard “first, do no harm.”

Written by: Erika Mikkalo, May 29th 2009

Dr. Hauschka Cosmetics

admin — Mon, 18 May 2009 10:20:00 +0000

By Dr. Hauschka Cosmetics

Everyone's gone "green," but some have been doing it earlier than others. Dr. Hauschka Skin Care has provided holistic skin products for over four decades, and the original Dr. Hauschka was a Viennese chemist who sought to manufacture naturally healthy potions as early as the establishment of his laboratory in 1935. He used rose petals, and WALA Heilmittel (WALA is an acronym of warmth, air, light and ash, and "heilmittel" means "remedy") utilizes organic plant substances to this day. Apparently the plant of the month is the birch. While the birch is attractive in all seasons, I would personally prefer that my skin not peel off like the tree's canoe-ready bark, and it is a relief to know that there are both lotions and decorative cosmetics that will help me achieve this end.

I've always favored eye pencils over eyeliner, but the Dr. Hauschka liquid goes on smoothly and with control, so I may be converted. Also, less pressure is necessary, and it might be wiser to poke about the edge of one's eyes with a small brush instead of a stick. The "Stone" Colour series offers subtle shades reminiscent of agates and sand. However, subtlety may not to be a virtue to some: in 1936, the company Volupte introduced two lipsticks. One favored a refined, light, approach, and was advocated by Mademoiselle magazine as an accent for those who wore pastels and pearls, while the other was more dark and was suggested for women who wore more dramatic clothing. "Hussy" outsold "Lady" at a rate of five to one. The black mascara is a classic for hussies and ladies, and does appear to be more non-clumping and quicker-drying than my previous brand: two positives. Repeated applications have lasted well with indoor and outdoor exposure, including some vigorous Internet surfing and movie watching. I'll let you know how these pretty paints adhere in the garden.

Written by: Erika Mikkalo, May 18th 2009

3 Citrus Whipped Shea Butter

admin — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 20:07:00 +0000

By Prairieland Herbs

Dry knuckles? Ashy hands and elbows? Tried every lotion on the shelf? You need Prairieland Herbs' 3 Citrus Whipped Shea Butter. When I opened the little tin tub (which can be reused for multiple purposes), I was taken aback; it actually look like whipped butter! I had to resist sticking my finger in and giving it a lick. Compared to more solid shea butter, this is very gentle and airy—easy to spread and rub in.

As soon as I could, I put it to the test. My knuckles stayed moisturized throughout my daily routine much longer than conventional lotions. I didn’t notice dryness on my hands until five to six hours after I applied it. My knees and the rest of my body were smooth and moisturized until the next day. And it smells incredible. The “3 Citrus” in the name comes from lemon, tangerine and orange essential oils. As great as they smell, these and jojoba oil give it a slightly greasy feel until you rub it in, but it works so well that this doesn’t deter me in the slightest.

Prairieland Herbs has a wide assortment of shea butter products in addition to the 3 Citrus. Not only is their shea butter fair trade, but they are also committed to producing the most natural products possible. For someone who doesn’t like rubbing scary chemicals on her body, this was a major plus for me. This is perfect for dry winter days, or right out of the shower for smooth and deliciously moisturized skin!

Written by: Lillian B., July 8th 2007

White Willow Facial Toner & Lip Repair Butter

admin — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 01:26:00 +0000

By Suki Pure Skin Care

Who would have thought that facial toner would be the next new application for aroma therapy? The fresh scent of this toner will have both you and your skin feeling divinely invigorated. Suki says white willow is the holistic anti-inflammatory for every type of skin. Simply mist the toner onto your face after cleansing. It’s also been proven to treat poison ivy. Imagine that. Rose petal, chamomile, calendula and tea tree infusion, extracts of white willow, comfrey and rose... Oh, it’s vegan and organic all the time also.

Holistic, naturalistic, organic, wonderful-ific, the Lip Repair Butter prevented dry, chapped lips during the most brutal of Chicago winters. Going on smooth without feeling greasy, clumpy or waxy, Lip Repair Butter stays on for hours. Each new application replenishes lips with nutrients from such ingredients as jojoba, sunflower oils, grapeseed, vitamin E and other organic goodies.

All the ingredients are especially keen on skin, however, grapeseed has been getting some seriously good words lately. A magical oil produced from pressed organic grapes, it’s jammed with Omega 6 and some of the most powerful antioxidants around. It prevents damage those nasty free radicals cause, and repels sun damage and pollution. So, glide on Lip Repair Butter in the morning under a coat of your favorite lip color or wear naked. It’s good to go all day. Perfect for sensitive skin.

Written by: Jill Dudones, March 30th 2007

Butter Cream Salve

admin — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 19:08:00 +0000

By Suki Pure Skin Care

The butter cream salve by Suki promises to relieve dry skin with natural ingredients and prevent further damage. They tout it working on everything from dry elbows to eczema and stretch marks. As I have no dry elbows, my eczema is currently under control and I lack stretch marks, I’m basing my review of this product on how well it healed my dry hands after working in a coffee shop all night.

The salve works like ointment, and has a medicinal, greasy feel to it – much like Neosporin. However, after it’s on there’s a slight cool, tingling feeling that’s refreshing. The salve even smells like mint. After a few minutes of soaking in, it feels less like grease or medicine and more like lotion and much more tolerable.

The trick to using this salve is to use small doses. A tiny sample pack has more than enough to treat several dry spots of skin. While my hands definitely felt softer and smoother after using the salve, I did not think the product worked any better than other lotions I’ve used before. However, the smell alone sold me. It was soothing enough that I’d want to use it over and over again yet not so over powering that I got sick of it.

Written by: Katie Peoples, March 11th 2007