As much as I hate to admit it, I often choose to pick up dinner on my way home from work for the family. I know this is not the most economically or nutritionally sound choice, however, I have found a couple of local take out joints that offer yummy vegetarian dishes that don’t cost too much. (and if you have any great, easy veggie recipes to share – please send them along)!

Just like great take out, I often crave the trip to the spa for a super relaxing facial or skin care treatment, but cringe at the thought of the price tag associated with this luxury. I just discovered the best at-home microdermabrasion device, and after trying it out, was really wow-ed! I used the blue disks which are the finest gradient, and lightly went over my face and the back of my hands. The results? Super smooth, polished skin.

A very easy-does-it approach and watching the instructional DVD is highly recommended. The Personal Microderm is a serious skin care tool, and if you are a fan of microdermabrasion, this device can give you comparable results without the repeat spa visit pricetag – a must try!

Mythbuster Beauty is giving away one Personal Microderm System (retail value of $179). Be sure to enter and get some fantastic “take out” skin care for yourself!

One of the distinct benefits of working at the airport is that it’s like free market research. I get to see what people carry in their cosmetics cases and what products everybody loves. When a woman has to pick and choose what she’s going to shove in that little one quart bag and what she’s going to toss in the trash, you can tell which items she loves the most because they’re the first ones to get saved. One of the things I started seeing more and more of was the Dermalogica AGE Smart Multivitamin Thermafoliant (say that 3 times fast!), and everyone I asked about it just loved it, so of course it moved to the top of my “must try” list.

I shall not bore you once again by waxing poetic on my love for exfoliants, but let me say that I was so excited to try this that even the $49 price tag didn’t dissuade me. (more…)

Even if you don’t follow skin care, at some point or another you have probably heard of an AHA.  AHAs or Alpha Hydroxy Acids are often used in skin care to aid in the exfoliation of the skin.  Many moons ago (about 15 years ago I think), the Alpha Hydrox line was released and constant ads were touting its amazing skin rejuvenating powers.  I kept saying to myself, it sounds promising, but put acid on my skin – is that really safe?  This is also about the time that chemical peels were becoming popular and the tabloids would report about “deep peel horror stories” and women being scarred for life.

The pH level of the skin ideally should be slightly acidic (at about 5.5).  The skin is designed to create an Acid Mantle which protects the skin from the elements and other nasty intruders (like bacteria and fungus).  To learn more about the Acid Mantle, there is a very informative article on the SkinCareRx.com site about maintaining the proper pH balance of the skin, “Maintaining the Ideal pH:  Create beautiful skin that will last a lifetime.” (more…)

Okay, before you go dowsing yourself  with kamikazes and cosmopolitans hear me out and read the rest of the post… Then you can plan a night out with your girls if you want. I’ll have a Roy Rogers please!

So we all love Lush, that’s a given. But until recently I’d only loved it online since I don’t live anywhere near a brick and mortar location. Mr. Mo and went over to Seattle to catch a Pearl Jam concert (yes, it WAS flippin amazing, thanks for asking) and in order to burn some time we stopped by the Bellevue Square mall. Just so happens that Bellevue Square has a Lush location inside. Entering  Lush is like nothing you’ve ever experienced. It’s a lovely, soothing experience that even had Mr. Mo tweeting “What is this place? I feel so relaxed all of a sudden”. It was during my divine hand treatment that I discovered Ocean Salt Face and Body Scrub.

This scrub has fine and coarse sea salt that makes me love it as a facial exfoliator. It has a tangy earthy smell that comes from things like grapefruit and lime with vodka. Hold onto that thought, the vodka will show up again later. Some of the other awesome ingredients in this scrub: avocado butter, coconut fat, seaweed, violet leaf and lanolin.  These all help to smooth and soften skin, but they don’t leave a slick oily feeling like a lot of salt scrubs. There’s nothing worse than losing your footing on the bare floor because you’re all slippery from the scrub you used, or is that just me?

So why the vodka? As explained by the Lushociate (Lush associate), the vodka helps to brighten skin, and I’m sure the citrus juices help with that as well. Sure enough, my fair skin was practically glowing when she got through with me. The color was much more even and the alabaster tone made me feel like a roman sculpture. I fell in love instantly and scooped up a tub to add to my quickly growing pile of goodies. I would caution you not to use this if you have large blemishes or broken skin since cuts+salt=ouch, but otherwise it’s a refreshing experience. A big tub(8.8 oz for $32.95) is spendy if you plan to use it as an all over body scrub, so I try to limit it to mostly face and upper body. I like to follow it with my new glob of shower jelly, so fun. If you want a special luxe item to really pamper yourself and love a nice tough scrub then this is it!

First off, my apologies all around for being MIA last week. My husband came home after a little bit of time in the desert and I took some time with my family for a vacation. And while it may have left you feeling unloved my dears, it was certainly worth it when I heard my 2 year old wake in the middle of the night and call for her daddy to comfort her.

So now onto the stuff you really care about, this weeks product review!
Chella Professional Skin Care is one of those companies that has somehow managed to fly under my radar for way too long. Focusing solely on their dedication to charities it’s a company I can support, but there are plenty of other reasons to try these products as well. Lots of research and plenty of proven botanical ingredients certainly don’t hurt.

With oily, blemish prone skin I have occasion to use clay masks on a regular basis. They’re great for drawing out impurities and helping to clear my skin during the most troublesome of breakouts. However, they also have a tendency to be very drying and can be too harsh for sensitive or delicate skin types, and sometimes even oily skin. Chella’s Balancing Clay Mask (more…)

During this back-to-school frenzy, who acknowledges the poor parents that have to get up EVEN EARLIER, to help their children make this transition?

These next weeks are going to be brutal on all of us.  So to help ease into this early morning routine, how about a great way to rejuvenate and repair your skin in the evening time?  I think it is high time for a giveaway!

Mythbuster Beauty is going to give away one Jan Marini AGE Intervention Regeneration Facial Mask (which retails for $90 online).

The AGE Intervention Regeneration Facial Mask is an entirely new concept in topical anti-aging and skin regeneration that benefits any skin type.  It incorporates resurfacing technology with a host of powerful anti-aging anti-inflammatories including the new red wine longevity extract, Resveratrol, all combined with a remarkable skin rebuilding peptide blend.

• Gives skin a beautifully resurfaced and luminous appearance
• Delivers and infuses superb skin rebuilding, anti-inflammatory and repair properties
• Leaves skin noticeably softer and rejuvenated for days
• Provides amazing progressive benefits for any skin type and condition

The deadline for this contest is Monday, September 14, 2009. All rules are found in the Contest Machine box.

I’ve actually heard the MaMa Lotion named bounced around occasionally in conversations about acne, but I’d never gotten around to trying it. Recently I got to remedy that, with the opportunity to try MaMa Lotion as well as a couple products from the newest MaMa line, M2.

The formulation for these may seem like a typical AHA product, but there are a few subtle differences. For one thing, they contain Mandelic and Malic acids. Malic acid is the acid found in tart apples and as an additive in candies like SweetTarts. Malic acid brightens and helps to hydrate the skin. Mandelic acid is derived from bitter almonds and is a great antioxidant which also has antibiotic properties, in addition to the regular exfoliating properties of AHAs. One of the key things about the choice to use Mandelic acid is that the molecules are larger than glycolic acid and are generally more tolerated by the skin. Together, these two ingredients play off one another and boost the efficacy beyond what would be available from only one of them. And, because they’re more easily tolerated than some other acid products they can be ideal for sensitive aging skin, particularly aging skin that is still battling mild to moderate acne. (more…)

A while back, Mo reviewed a super neat-o all natural skin care line, Garden Girl Skin Care.  Garden Girl was born out of a passion of providing natural skincare and promoting a healthy lifestyle.  Adore their name! I would like to consider myself a bit of a garden girl.  My garden this summer has had a slow start, due to an unusually cool start to our summer here in Utah. Got a bunch of heirloom tomatoes growing, peppers, cucumbers and squash and a few varieties of herbs.  I guess you could call it a salsa garden.

Time to get off my garden tangent and get back to this skin care review!  I recently got hold of Garden Girl’s Break Free fruit acid gel for oily/problem skin, $50.00 (4 oz.).  The gel contains a combination of glycolic, lactic and pyruvic acids.  This fruit acid peel was created to benefit those who suffer from break-outs and have sun damaged skin.  These AHA’s gently remove the outer layers of damaged or thickened skin.  Garden Girl claims that by using Break Free regularly it can improve dry skin, treats age spots, can improve oily and acne prone skin, and will decrease fine lines and wrinkles.

My response?  (more…)

It’s been a while since I’ve mentioned one my favorite all-natural skin care companies on the planet, suki.  After being introduced to suki’s lemongrass cleanser a few summer’s ago, I included it in one of Mythbuster Beauty’s very first posts.  I also was able to interview the founder and name behind the brand, suki kramer.  Since then, suki’s uncompromising integrity and skin science smarts has led to the development of the sukispa line.

The first product I tried from the sukispa line was their renewal bio-resurfacing facial peel. My face, neck and decollete feels so smooth and soft after using this.  All with no irritation, intense redness or burning like other enzyme masques I have tried. (more…)

Many of us would like to use Alpha Hydroxy Acids but cannot tolerate using Gylcolic Acid (the most commonly used and considered one of the harsher forms of AHA’s). So what do you do if you want the exfoliating and anti-aging benefits of using an AHA, but have sensitive skin?  I recently discovered a wonderful Gylcolic Acid alternative skincare line called NuCelle.   Not only does it incorporate the use of the a gentler Mandelic acid AHA, NuCelle has created a skincare line that responds beautifully with sensitive, dry, oily or acne prone skin.

The secret ingredient that will reveal your naturally beautiful skin is NuCelle’s almond-based Mandelic Acid. Physicians have long recognized the powers of this anti-bacterial alpha-hydroxy to treat common skin problems such as photo-aging, irregular pigmentation, and acne. (more…)