As an expression of love, flowers are given in abundance. Did you know that in addition to essential oils that are extracted from flower petals, flower essences can be acquiesced from fresh floral blossoms and used in a variety of beneficial ways for the skin as well as the spirit?

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A great question came my way recently:

Hi Jen, I’m searching for a natural/organic SPF face day lotion. Is the Alison Raffaele primer moisturizing enough for a daytime use?  I don’t have dry skin; I’m oily T zone, acne prone on cheeks, and can have sun spots pop up if I’m not extra-over-zealous with my SPF in summer.

Also, I’m trying a new natural/organic skin care regimen by Sophyto and they recommended a more natural SPF lotion to go with. So here I am.

Recommend something for me MBB!
Jami aka Bionic Beauty

Gotcha Jami.  You need an SPF day lotion that blocks the suns rays without causing your skin to shine and makeup to slide off.  You would also prefer an organic sunscreen lotion. (more…)

In 2002, Suki Kramer started her own skincare company, Suki, Inc., and has recently branched out in making a cosmetics line as well, Sukicolor. I first heard of Suki’s skincare line through my friends at Megsmakeup.com. If you haven’t had the chance, you can read my enthusiastic reviews of two of her products: Suki’s Lemongrass Cleanser, and her Sukicolor Tinted Active Moisturizer. Most recently I have fallen in love with a new sukispa product which I will be reviewing in detail soon, sukispa’s renewal bio-resurfacing facial peel!

The only thing that is better than finding an amazing skincare line, is getting to interview the phenomenal people that are behind these companies.

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How about a little show and tell story? This is a story about my hair, and it is a bit of a sob story. Here is my picture at the age of 2 in 1971 with my older sister, Monique, and younger brother, Eddie. Can you guess which one I am?

My sister has always had stunningly gorgeous, very dark brunette hair. She could wear it short, or easily grow it very long. She had just the perfect balance of waves and thickness.

In the early 80’s when the style was preppy, she could wear perfect wispy bangs and draw the rest back with a stylish pink and green ribbon headband. On lazy mornings, she could sweep it all up in a ponytail, simple and elegant.

When hair styles went bigger and wavier in the mid 80’s, she got a body wave perm. Monique could then style it any way she pleased: full and wavy, or blow dryer straight with curled ends. Yes, I thought my sister had the perfect hair, and I was always green with envy. (more…)

“50 Health and Beauty Products You Can Make at Home“

Follow this link written by Jessica Merritt for a fabulous list of homemade hair, cleansers, facial treatments, and makeup recipes!

Natural Homemade Beauty Care Tips

Take control over your skin care (and improve your cooking skills) with easy DIY recipes you can make at home at the TotalBeauty.com site.

Looking for some creative (and cheap) ideas for holiday gifts? These beauty recipes make great personalized gifts for all your girlfriends, and they’re a cinch to do.

See tips

How I love the smell and feel of handmade soaps, but from what I am learning, not all handmade soaps are created the same.  Soaps that add synthetic colors and fragrances might appeal to your senses, but can dry and irritate your skin.

 

 

But you don’t need to worry about those harsh additives with the products from Heirloom Soapworks.  Becky makes sure of it! 

Our all natural handmade soap is fragranced with only pure essential oils and herbs, and never colored. Their earthy, natural shades come from the same oils, unrefined butters and nutrients that soften and moisturize your skin.

I was fortunate enough to sample three of Heirloom soaps:  Lavender-Oatmeal, and two seasonal soaps Goat Milk - Fruitcake and Christmas Tree Soap.   I love the naturally scents of these soaps!  They lather and feel absolutely luscious on your skin.  Becky’s use of olive and saponified oils, shea butter and goat milk leave your skin feeling wonderfully clean and soft. 

All of these soaps are priced at $5.00 a bar.  Becky’s current promotion is “Buy 3 -get a terry-cloth Soap Saver FREE”  (that’s what she has been offering at craft fairs).  Customers can put their tiny “slivers” of soap into the pouch and use them up completely! 

And for some jinxy-bizarre reason, both Bionic Beauty and I both wrote up our reviews about Heirloom Soapworks on the same day!!!

Take control over your skin care (and improve your cooking skills) with easy DIY recipes you can make at home.

We present our favorite beauty recipes so you can cleanse, moisturize and exfoliate your skin the easy way. (And for those of you who just aren’t DIY-types at heart, we feel your pain; check out the natural store bought alternatives after each recipe.)

See recipes

During the month of October 10% of the sales of Suki’s Velvet Moisturizer Cream and Sukicolor’s Pure Cream Lip and Cheek Stain in Opal will be contributed to the BCA (Breast Cancer Action). 

Suki’s Velvet Cream is a greaseless, sensuous, all over body cream made with organic botanical nutrients hydrates while smoothing away bumps & imperfections for healthier, smoother skin. ideal for everyone ($26.95; sukipure.com).  

Sukicolor’s Pure Cream Stain in Opal is a gorgeous shimmery neutral with just a touch of peachy pink ($40.15; sukicolor.com).

Both beautiful for your skin and ways to support BCA.

When some of my local friends got wind that I was a beauty blogger, they were full of suggestions for their favorite beauty products.  One of them even sent me an amazing assortment of locally owned skincare products from a company called, “In Your Bonnet.“  Thanks Ruth!

“In Your Bonnet” carries handmade and finely crafted skin balms, creams, and bath products.   Their skincare products are made with beeswax, plant oils and botanicals to create a simple and yet very effective line. 

“In Your Bonnet is a family business located in a high desert valley of Utah, the beehive state. Our weather is one of extremes, from near zero cold winters with lots of the “greatest snow on earth” to hot, dry summers with temperatures over 100 degrees and humidity less than 20%.

In Your Bonnet started as a means to an end… we wanted high quality, natural products for our dry, sensitive skin. Honey has long been used for its medicinal properties and as hobby beekeepers, we knew the addition of honey and beeswax would benefit any products we produced. When demand exceeds our own supply we use honey and beeswax from local Utah hives rather than imported honey in our soap, lotions, and balms.”

My favorite product has to be In Your Bonnet’s “Heel Thyself.”   This heel balm has a mild honey and lemon scent and is in a deoderant stick container (very smart).  You simply twist the container and apply this wonderfully soothing balm onto your heels, elbows, or any rough spots around your body.  This balm goes on a bit greasy, but absorbs quickly and leaves my skin feeling soothed and protected.  My cracked and dry heels have been loving this!

They also carry a lovely nail and cuticle cream, lip balm, and their own facial skincare line and handmade soaps. 

Support our locally owned and small businesses by checking out the inyourbonnet website store.   I promise you won’t bee disappointed!

This summer I attended the Cosmoprof North American Trade Show and met with several beauty and skincare companies.  At this show literally dozens of skincare lines are being featured and each line seems to have a gimmick.  Ingredients that guarantee to lighten, tighten, brighten and stimulate your skin, and promise to make you look 21 again.  With skincare, I really don’t want a gimmick, I just want a well orchestrated skincare line that works well with my skin type.  And that is exactly why I am excited to introduce you to the Gingi Skincare line.

I tried several samples of their line, and was instantly impressed.  All felt, smelled and reacted well with my 39 year old skin that is sensitive to break outs.  In my first letter to Gingi, I jotted down some of my first impressions: 

• I like the simple and informative product names, like “Deep Comforting Cleanser” and “Instant Eye Lift Masks.”  Dang, I could use some of those eye masks this morning!
• I enjoy the natural fragrances (or lack of) of the products I have sampled.
• I really like the gel formulations of the moisturizers and treatments, they absorb well and do not leave a residue or sticky feeling on my skin.  In the winter months, I might want a cream based lotion though.
• So far, I have been able to tolerate products without any sensitivity issues or breakouts. 
• The Sun Care Cream was really nice, absorbed well, with a light, pleasant orange scent.

Gingi Skincare responded to my feelings by saying,

“We pretty much try to keep the whole line simple – part of our philosophy.  A simple line of high quality products and high quality ingredients (90% of the raw materials come from Germany and 10% from Japan – we manufacture and bottle here in southern California).  We package our products for gift sets as well – something you don’t see too much of in the skincare trade.
 
As for the fragrance (or lack of), the products are designed to be unisex so we try to keep the scent as neutral as possible.  I use the Refreshing Toning Water as an aftershave and the Citrus Sun Care on top of my head (no hair!) – though I always tell everyone that the best sunblock is to stay out of the sun!  By the way, the Citrus Sun Care is featured in a sun care article in the August issue of Day Spa magazine.”

I was also lucky enough to get some full size products to use for a longer period of time and was equally impressed.  These items included Gingi’s Deep Comforting Cleanser, Green Tea Face and Body Mist, and Vitamin C & E Lipsome Moisturizer.  All wonderful products, but my favorite product by far was Gingi’s “Citrus Sun Care” which provides sun protection in a non-greasy formula and also treats the skin with antioxidants and antiseptic qualities.  My skin adores this stuff!

I recently compiled a list of the seven beauty items I would bring if stranded on a desert island and Gingi’s Citrus Sun Care topped my list.

Gingi’s skincare is notably more pricey than your drugstore skincare brands, but what you would expect to pay for a specialty brand (the $30-$50 price range).  Considering the high quality of the ingredients and performance of the line, I would consider purchasing some Gingi skincare as money well spent.   Feel free to contact their customer service for any questions with your specific skin concerns.

Gingi is offering Mythbuster Beauty readers an additional incentive by including 1 box of Facial Absorbent Paper ($25) on orders of $100 or more (& free shipping included).  The code to use at checkout is GINGIMBB.