I’m sure you have all heard that getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night is optimal for your health. Sleep is our bodies’ way of renewing itself and recuperating from the stress and the daily wear and tear of life. I honestly try to get my full 7 to 8 hours, heck, and I’d love 9 if I could manage it, but realistically women have many responsibilities that don’t always stop when the lights go off.  Between pets, kids and toys that spontaneously start *bleeping* in the wee hours, we often don’t get what our bodies need.

I recently received a letter from a busy mother of four even busier children. Becky writes,

Dear Jen,

I have a question for my friend the beauty blogger….what can I do about these puffy, dark eyes that I have? (Thanks in large part, I am sure to my beautiful new daughter! ) Do you have any ideas? I am currently using a Bobbi Brown eye moisturizing cream, but it does not seem to be doing the trick. I’d love any ideas.

I completely understand Becky, the one place that really shows the lack of sleep (and our age) are our eyes. (more…)

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…)

A well-deserved repeat post, and after using this morning was again feeling the love for this itty-bitty towel!

Towels. They are a functional, everyday, commonplace household necessity.  How many of you remember the type of towel you dried yourself off with after leaving your shower or bathtub recently?

After Mo wrote a wonderful nano-silver based soap, “What doesn’t this soap do?”, the same company sent us a set of their towels to try out.  They are quite small  (37 X  65 cm), unbelievably soft, promise to be anti-bacterial, odor resistant, and 7 times more absorbent that regular towels.  As Mo and I both discovered, Cyclic towels turned out to be most absorbent, addictive, coveted items in our households! (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…)

Hi friends!  Since it is Friday I wanted to take a break from the daily review post and share some of the most popular posts statistically at Mythbuster Beauty. I also wanted to call attention to Mythbuster’s Link Love page! Recently we have added some newly found favorite beauty sites (Aging Fabulous , The Makeup Divas and We Heart This) and hope you will take some time to discover them for yourself.  Great beauty advice knows no boundaries.

• Deep Conditioning: How to Feed your Hair
• Bare Escentuals VS. Drug Store brand Mineral Makeup
• Drug Store Mineral Makeup: Maybe Not So Good
• Wonderful Facial mask recipes: Kitchen Cupboard Beauty
• Unwanted Facial Hair: What’s a gal to do?
• Mythbuster Beauty Reviews Baby Quasar and Baby Blue
• Week 3 of Naturally Curly Hair: No Blow Frying
• Does your makeup make you look older?
• All About Retinoids: Considering Retin-A
• My personal favorite post:  Season Finale: The 3 Week Naturally Curly Challenge

And totally not relevant to beauty blogs, if you love Craig Ferguson, head on over to Nenette’s post at LifeCandy, I luuuuuuuuv Craig Ferguson — and so do you… and laugh yourself silly!

Have a wonderful weekend and big hugs all around.  Jen

Jen—I’m totally building a shrine in your’s and Erno’s honor. I just got my set and IT ROCKS! I’m kinda scared of lip plumpers because I have extremely sensitive skin and I usually have an allergic reaction to them (think lip hives…ewwww), but I had no problem with this one, it just filled my lips in a bit and smoothed them nicely so I just looked fresh, not duck-like. The powder is my new favorite item. I put it on bare skin and it really brightened my complexion without feeling like I was wearing anything. This is going to be perfect for the summer months when I hate wearing foundation, but I need that little extra something. Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!!!   Krista

Hooray Krista!  Very glad to hear how much you are loving your Erno Laszlo Value Set.  Thank you for your feedback and enjoy (no shrine necessary, lol)! 

Mythbuster Beauty is announcing a new giveaway on Wednesday, April 15th!   We had to do something positive to offset the impeding tax deadline date…  This giveaway will be well worth your effort to enter.  So remember tax day = new, amazing giveaway at Mythbuster Beauty!

I’ve been using the Barielle Deluxe Hand & Body Lotion after I take off my
nail polish, and after my nail polish is completely dried to help keep
my hands soft and supple. This has a soft, fruity scent that’s
definitely pleasing. It does an excellent job at keeping my hands
moisturized instead of dry after I remove my nail polish. My hands
feel very silky after using it. I think it absorbs quickly into my
skin, and it doesn’t leave my hands feeling greasy after use. Some
lotions will make my hands feel so greasy that I end up having to wash
them, which sort of defeats the purpose of using them.

I’ve been using the Yes to Carrots C is for Clean Gentle Exfoliating
Cleanser (more…)

One of the biggest perks of reviewing beauty products is that you receive many products from wonderful companies (I know… any beauty obsessed girl’s dream!).  Although, I often find myself saying, “Too many skincare products and not enough face to try them all.”  This is especially true when we review skincare because I like to test a line for at least a month before writing up my review.   Luckily I have acquired some trusted, smart beauty review partners!   I am very pleased to introduce you to this particular new beauty reviewer.  She is one of my closest personal friends, my sister Monique.

The Somme Institute promotes “the biggest industry breakthrough” since the introduction of Alpha Hydroxy Acids in the advancement of skin rejuvenation. Somme Institute developed a new technology in skin care called MDT5 (Molecular Dispersion Technology). This formula boasts free radical fighting anti-oxidants, allowing 5 highly engineered essential vitamins (A, B3/B5, C and E) to penetrate the inner skin layers with high concentrations of polypeptides that target specific skin cell receptors.  (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.

(more…)

The other day, Rachelle the fabulous author of Fashionably Foodie and contributor to the Posh Mama site asked a question about starting on Retin-A at the post, “All About Retinoids:  Considering Retin-A.”

jen,
so i turned the big 3-0 this summer and i am ready to do something. (guess i need to adopt marilyn’s “Start aging, and shut up!” mantra still.)  i live in mexico and can buy retin a and renova over the counter. soooo- how do i use them?  like moisturizer, after cleansing?  instead of moisturizer or over it?  how much do i use?  and do you know if i use it while i’m nursing? (guess i could google it.) TIA!

hope your beans are delish~
rachelle

First and foremost, the beans I made using the recipe that Rachelle posted on the Posh Mama site were delish, and my family totally stuffed themselves last night.  I served them with rice and homemade Pico De Gallo, very yum!

Lucky you to get Retin-A OTC! And I am not a Doctor, so I can give you some advice, but would strongly recommend you work with a licensed Dermatologist.  I have heard that the lowest concentration is where you should start (.025%) or possibly .05%, and you should research the topic of using retinoids while nursing.  I surmise that some will say okay, and some will say nay.  I tend to side with how young is your baby and how often do you nurse?  Retin-A is simply a concentrated form of Vitamin A and a minimal amount is absorbed into your bloodstream. (more…)