According to the back of my Bikini Zone® Crème box:

“Bikini Zone absorbs instantly as you apply it. You’ll start to feel relief from irritation, pain and itching immediately. After 24 hours, you’ll see a noticeable difference, as Bikini Zone begins to smooth away the appearance of bumps and redness. Plus, Bikini Zone will not stain lingerie, swimsuits or clothing.”

More »

As we learn more and more about the importance of keeping our skin healthy, many of the Beauty Chat ladies have started trying various facial products. There have been quite a few skin care reviews before this one, and there will certainly more to come.

This blog features Tyra Skin Care, a brand that’s all about moisturizing. The company’s Web site claims: “4 simple steps, twice a day is ALL it takes to have the beautiful healthy skin that you were meant to have.” The four steps that they speak of include a cleanser, normalizer, surface moisturizer, and deep moisturizer. And there is actually an additional phase, a hydrating skin mist. So really, think of it as a five part process.

More »

Good skincare definitely ranks amid the top tier of my beauty “musts” list. No, I am not one of those faux-modest gals who will scream a-c-n-e when a single pimple stands surrounded by skin seemingly untainted by the puberty plague. For me, the plague undoubtedly caught up with my complexion.

The designated zones of attack are my lower cheeks, chin and, less often, forehead. Diet and lifestyle choices are rumored to be contributors to “bad” skin; however, I have been told first-hand from people who specialize in all things skin (i.e. Dermatologists) that these assertions are simply rumors. Your skin is a little more complicated than owing its unappealing front to an obsession with sweets. Luckily, Chella skincare knows the science behind a more Bella you.

More »

When I was given samples of skInHarmony Pure Skin Care face wash, toner, and peel, my first reaction was, “It’s so small! How can I truly evaluate the product if I can only use it once?” Well, to my surprise, the petite bottles of cleanser seem to be enough for 3 uses.

I have never really had the need to wash my face each day (I know I am supposed to); however, as I have reached my 30s I seem to breakout more often and now see the need for daily skin care. Therefore, since there isn’t that much effort involved, I thought skInHarmony would be the perfect way for me to break my habit of not dedicating the time to my skin that I should.

The ingredients of these products are all natural, so it felt good to use the face wash each night (which is the recommended time). More »

As I enter my early 30s (yikes, it hurts to say that), I realize that I am in desperate need for a good skincare regimen. I have never really used a formal skincare program. I wash my face in the shower and use cleansing towelettes at night, but eye cream and toners were never part of my facial to-do list, until now.

I have been using the Somme Institute 5-step skincare program for the past 4 weeks and I would just like to say, I am hooked! I can’t believe how nice my skin looks. I have noticed a bit more oiliness than before, but I attribute that to better hydration.

The 5-step system for the Somme Institute skincare line consists of: More »

We’ve all heard that “cleanliness is next to godliness.” Well, in my beauty-conscious mind, so is good skincare. I have admittedly battled that frustrating thing called acne, which actually isn’t just “frustrating” – it can feel more like utter torture.

For me, I had the clear, porcelain-like skin in high school, wearing anything so much as face powder. Those were so the days. But then came college. While discovering eyebrow threading and chic fashion styles, pimples were actively finding me! Fun times? Guess again…

Much like my neurotic hunt for curly hair products, my search for good skincare remedies have not gone unwarranted, especially if Dr. Susan Evans has anything to do with it.

Located in Beverly Hills of Southern California, Dr. Evans is known as a premier dermatologist who is simply “good at what [she] does” (you might recognize her from Dr. 90210 on E!) More »

If you thought you’d seen all there is to see in the organic skin care arena, hold on – this one is as about as natural as it gets. Grateful Body, a Bay Area skin care company that I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know recently, takes the cake for its socially-conscious guidelines and raw, food-grade ingredients.

What does food-grade mean? You guessed it: If you can’t eat it, it won’t go into their product. In fact, there are numerous “no’s” on the list of ingredients Grateful Body refuses to use; good “no’s,” like:

• No chemicals, synthetic colors, or stabilizers (their shelf life is maintained with organic plant preservatives only, which keep them stable for up to two years)
• No wheat, gluten, corn, or dairy (perfect for those with allergies)
• No animal testing, and no animal products with the exception of humanely-handled honeybees (so most of them are suitable for vegans)

More »

I am not a plastic surgeon, a beauty expert, or a skincare specialist — but I do know when something does not appear healthy. And right now, I’m thinkin’ of Priscilla Presley - a current contestant on “Dancing with the Stars” (on tonight!).

Check out the new column on Your New Body Blog, featuring two Beverly Hills plastic surgeons: Dr. Stuart Linder (“BodyDocBlogger”) and Dr. Robert Kotler (“FaceDocBlogger”). It’s called Tuck N’ Stitch. And I don’t know about you, but getting insider information is always helpful when celebrity plastic surgery results are questionable!

…BUT I still think she’s pretty fabulous. Here’s a recent YouTube video featuring Elvis Presley’s love on “Dancing With The Stars” during Week 1:

 [video]http://youtube.com/watch?v=MJueOXNb_lE[/video]

Just another great find from Foot Petals – the Sexy Socklette!! I saw these and immediately had to have them. Being the foot snob that I am, and having to have my pedicures come rain or shine, these were right up my alley!

I absolutely dread having to wear sandals in the winter after receiving my pedicure. Not enough to keep me from receiving them, but enough to make me cringe (burrrrrr). So I was super excited to come across these Sexy Socklettes! I am a huge fan of Foot Petals, and am always looking for their next great product. So ladies, this is a must-have item to keep in your cars for those much-needed pedicures!

Check them out; they come in black, pink, and white. The Sexy Socklettes are equipped with open toes (to not mess up that new paint job) and grippers on the bottom to keep you from slipping!

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Foot Petals

It isn’t hard to find skin care products containing natural ingredients, or even those claiming to be 100% natural. However, natural ingredients are hard to pin down, as there is no FDA regulation for such a term when it comes to skin care. Generally, we recognize natural ingredients as those that are extracted directly from their source in nature, as opposed to synthetic creations thereof. I thought it would be helpful to point out a few natural ingredients often recommended by professionals, and fill you in on my experiences with them.

First up: Vitamin C. Sorry, but your mom was right; Vitamin C is necessary to your vitality, including the preservation of healthy skin. And guess what? There’s even a way to demonstrate its effectiveness. Using my Sircuit Skin Sircuit Weapon Vitamin C Serum and an apple cut in half (one side treated with the serum and the other left “naked” to be exposed to oxidization), these are the results after sitting for about one hour:

As you can see, the side treated with Vitamin C product stays preserved, while the side left to fend for itself immediately begins to show signs of aging. Now, let’s imagine that the apple is your skin. Need I say more?

I’m also loving my new Plantogen facial spa therapy products right now. Their Skin Brightening Moisturizer contains a healthy dose of “kakadu plum.” What is that, you ask? While it grows exclusively in Australian wetlands, the kakadu plum has been found to have the highest concentration of Vitamin C in any known fruit. Seriously! So, I’m alternating my use of this and Sircuit Weapon, just to be sure that my skin gets the Vitamin C it needs.
�
Next, please: Herbal extracts. Bilberry oil, black currant oil, tea tree oil…aside from their exotic names, they each have their own unique selling points, such as antioxidant or anti-inflammatory properties; some even offer a combination of benefits. The only way to know how the herbal extracts in your skin care products work is to go ahead and look them up!  Since the entire Plantogen Skin Brightening Line contains licorice root, I did my research and discovered that licorice root is known for its soothing properties. In fact, it’s often used for this purpose in holistic medicine.

Anything else? While Vitamin C and herbals are not the only natural ingredients worth trying out, they are time-tested for their effectiveness; in other words, they aren’t “ingredient of the month” fads.  Other Vitamins, such as Vitamin A and Vitamin E, are also known for their potency in skin care; Vitamin E is used to block ultra-violet rays and pollution, while Vitamin A is an ideal complement to your acne-fighting regimen.

And even in the winter months, when skin tends to be drier, these ingredients can be essential. For example, I recently turned to Natural Healing Oil by Nature’s Pharma to take care of my little one’s stubborn skin chapping above the lip. (The petroleum stick wasn’t cutting it, if you know what I mean.) 

The cool thing about this product is that it contains all of the aforementioned components: Vitamins A, C, and E, in addition to numerous herbal extract oils. I figured, how could you go wrong with that? And I was right (as usual!) – after a few days of application, her beet-red skin was back to its soft, peachy hue. Check out her before and afters above (she was so excited to do this!).

Not bad, right? I’m loving this natural thing so much now, I may have to bring my Birkenstocks out of hiding. OK, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I will, however, devote myself to trying out additional natural ingredients as I discover them.

If you’ve had a good – or not so good – experience with any, I’d love to hear about it! 

~ Brook