A Skin Care Line You'll Want to Try

I am pretty dysfunctional when it comes to all things makeup application related. When I was younger my mom never had the, "This is how you put on makeup" talk with me. Not ever. Which is why when I was a freshman in high school I used eye liner on my eyelashes and not on, well, my eyelids. Now that I think about it, my mom never had any talks with me, so it's kind of a miracle I'm alive and well today, but I digress.

Even to this day, after I have attended at least 31 Mary Kay demonstrations, I am still pretty clueless about most makeup things. I have no idea how to apply bronzer or what it's really all about. Foundation pretty much terrifies me entirely because I don't like the idea of hugging someone and leaving half of my face behind on them. And lipstick? I always end up eating more of it than wearing it, so for me, it's all about the mascara and chapstick and that's it. Because, with me, what you see is what you get. No layers of makeup, no nothing. Just me. Which is why it's so important that I have good skin care products that ensure my skin looks good all the time.

Therefore, it's important that you know about this wonderful skin care line that does just that. Da da da da, da da! I give you...

Eminence Organic Skin Care.

This is a product line from Hungary that's organic, all natural, and amazing. On top of that, almost everything smells fan-freaking-tastic. I'm not going to lie, I kind of want to makeout with myself. That's how good it smells. Even people around me have been asking what fabulous new perfume I'm wearing, when really it's just these products.

Among the products I've bought, the spa I found it at was kind enough to give me all sorts of samples so that I could try them out. The good news is that they seem to last a long time. I started using everything in the fall and I still have a ton of product left. That is mostly due to the requirement on the label which instructs you to emulsify everything, which is fancy talk for adding water to it. The bad news is that the products are expensive. However, I truly feel like I can get at least 9 months out of everything I've got, if not more. In that sense, it's not bad on the price at all.

Here's what I've tried and discovered, thus far:

Firm Skin Acai Cleanser: Gets my skin really clean, but it takes a little extra work to remove eye makeup. I always feel really fresh after I use it, though, and I'm pretty sure my skin is whispering, "Thank you" at me every night.

Lemon Cleanser: This is very refreshing, but I didn't feel like it was as cleansing as the Acai one. However, the front desk girl swears by it.

Stone Crop Hydrating Mist: I adore the smell of this. It reminds me of London, and long walks, and happiness. Seriously, it does. I feel super, duper hydrated after I apply it and it's great to use throughout the day.

Eight Greens Whip Moisturizer: I felt very clean after I applied this, but not necessarily super moisturized. It doesn't really smell one way or another and for me, now that I know how great everything else smells, I want it to smell amazing. I have not tried the Apricot Whip Moisturizer, but the girl at the spa swears by it. Based on her desperation for me to buy that one, I am definitely trying it next.

Rosehip Whip Moisturizer: I'm hooked on this one. It's a very gentle moisturizer. I find that it really brightens my face while hydrating it. I also tend to think of it working much like rose water misted on the skin. It balances everything out and makes your skin feel and look great.

Persimmon & Cantaloupe Day Cream SPF 32: I have a love/hate relationship with this one. I love it because it's got SPF in it and it moisturizes all at once. I hate it because it's a trick-and-a-half to put on, sometimes. You have to emulsify it just right or it gets flaky and rubs off in chunks. That part drives me insane. When I do get it just right, it is pretty amazing. Also, you either love the way it smells or you don't. It's one of those. I probably won't use it again after I run out. I do, however, like the Tropical Vanilla Sun Cream SPF 32. It smells like a heavenly vacation bottled up, but it's not a full-on moisturizer. It's mostly sunscreen, so you'd have to layer it with something else.

Jasmine Tangerine Age-Defying Night Cream: Love it. It actually smells like jasmine flowers are blossoming on your face. It works amazingly. I had been using the Say Yes To Carrots line in the interim while searching for a new product line to try, and I hadn't even realized how dry my face had become from it. This jasmine product seemed to work overnight. So, while the Say Yes To line is still a good line overall, and is very cost effective, this knocked it out of the park.

Naseberry Treatment Cream: This, ladies, is great for combating hormones. It helps to balance out your skin and fight acne, as well as wrinkles. It's good for layering, so doing this and then the Jasmine cream at night is a safe bet. However, it's uber-powerful, so only do it every other night or so.

Eight Greens Phyto Masque: This is a powerful little hot face treatment in a jar. It works to prevent breakouts and normalize production of oil. I used it when my skin was recently breaking out and it worked great. While it isn't actually hot, it does leave your skin a little red afterwards, so do it at night when you're not planning on heading out and about.

Raspberry Pore Refining Masque: When you use this, I guarantee that you will feel like you're putting raspberry jelly on your face. You just will. It resembles jelly so incredibly much that I am often tempted to eat it and regularly have to remind myself that it is not actually an edible item. The smell of it is out of this world amazing. And it works great. You have to rub it in and leave it on for a bit, then scrub off. I highly recommend it. You only need to use it once a week.

Strawberry Rhubarb Masque: I use this twice a week. The jar says that it works to "replenish the skin for a youthful look" and I agree completely.

Wild Plum Eye Cream: Every single lady in the spa swore up and down, left and right, that this eye cream is magical. I'm still deciding if it's as magical as they say. I do think it hydrates very well and moisturizes. I'm just not sure how great it is with preventing signs of fatigue, as they say. Then again, I just need to sleep more, so I can't hold that against it. Overall, though, I like it. If a dozen women in one spa surrounded me and "forced" me to purchase it, and all of them looked very nice and rested, then it has to be good.

If you try this line out, let me know what you think! 
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In my last skin care post, Skin Health: What You Need to Know NOW, I went over all of the important reasons why you should use natural products on your body, why, and what can happen if you don't. I've been experimenting with some other products that I wanted to share with you.

Something to consider,when buying anything - food, skin care, dog food -  is the less ingredients, the better. This can be tricky since a lot of the all nature items are expensive. I understand how tough it can be to buy the all natural, all organic items when you're on a budget or even just living in this crazy economy. Instead of saying you can't do it at all and getting the worst of the worst stuff, I say there's a better way. There is a middle ground of good for you and affordable and I'm on the hunt for more things that fall into this area. For example, I just finished up my Hylunia products and am back to the Yes To Carrots line, which is incredibly affordable and conveniently located at Walgreens and Wal-Mart.


I found an amazing coconut lotion, by Mountain Ocean, at Bashas grocery store. Skin Trip is their coconut moisturizer and I am in love with it. Granted, I am addicted to all things coconut, but still - this stuff is great. You can also find it at Whole Foods and a few select retailers in various states.

I also found the Organix line at Wal-Mart. The jury is still out on this one. I have to give them credit for making everything smell ridiculously good. The TeaTree Mint smells just like the Thin Mint candies...but only when you're lathering up. It doesn't seem to last past that and I'm not sure I like how it makes my hair feel after. This could be my fault, though. I'm trying the TeaTree shampoo out with the Pomegranate conditioner since they both smelled good and I couldn't decide. I thought a compromise was in order! Possibly a bad idea, but we shall see. However, I tried the Cherry Blossom Ginseng Shine Spray which was true to it's word. Shiny and my hair smelled awesome all day long. So right now they get a 50/50 vote. I'll keep trying them out and crossing my fingers that I can walk around smelling like candy all day.

Lastly, I want to throw something in that's not exactly inexpensive, at all, but worth every cent. KAMA Ayurveda has an amazingly amazing product called Miraculous Beauty Fluid. It's an oil blend that you use on your face nightly. I actually got my little miracle bottle when I was in India but have been trying it out on and off ever since, testing out it's miraculous-ness, which has more than passed the test every single time.

First and foremost, don't be afraid to put oil on your skin. The right blend used the right way is as close to the fountain of youth as you can get. The oils themselves are light and slightly orangish in tint, but don't worry - when you rub it in you're all good and it doesn't mess up your pillow case. I love this one because I put it on at night and wake up with a glowing, sun-kissed complexion. And Ladies, the one thing you want it delivers - smooth skin. It's awesome. I mean AWESOME. Buy it through the retail division here.

I'm trying some other items out, so I'll keep you posted. As always, enjoy your evening, value yourself and the skin you're in, and have a good night.


Any all natural products you love? 
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Update---> My friend, Jess, tried out the Organix line of hair care products and came to the same conclusion I did: It makes your hair smell amazing, but unless you use a ton of it your hair wont look good. Even then it might not because it's just kind of weird. My advice it to just skip it.

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Skin Health: What you need to know NOW

Ever since I was a little girl I thought it was odd how people thought the sun caused cancer. The sun that helps flowers blossom, vegetables and fruit grow, gives us the tans we all so dearly strive for. The sun that we all look forward to, to come out and melt the snow and heat up our pools and lakes so we can go swimming. I never understood this fear of the sun. Especially since I love it. I love its warmth, the way it makes me feel tingly and heats my skin up when I'm outside. There is nothing I don't like about the sun.

My whole life I have doubted the sun and cancer theory. One day, at my fabulous school (of course), I got the answers to this problem that plagued me. It's not the sun after all. Nope. Not the sun. In fact, it's actually us and the decisions we make without even realizing it.

Let me explain.

Your skin is the largest organ of your body. That means when you put anything on your skin, anything at all, it hits everything internally and all parts of you. Ever heard of the patch? When you really think about it you're putting a band-aid like object on a tiny section of your whole body and that small object somehow magically knows where to work on what part of your body to help you quit smoking or not get pregnant. One tiny square is all it takes for your whole body to respond. Interesting, right?

Now think about this: Every day you put on cologne/perfume, lotion/after shave, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, makeup/moisturizer, deodorant, sunscreen, etc. How many ingredients can you pronounce on all the labels? How many are even listed sometimes? And what exactly do they all do? Well let me tell you my friends, they cause cancer and other diseases. I know that's tough to swallow.

Here's how it works:

You put on multiple products each day that all affect the largest organ of your body, thus affecting the rest of you. These products are full of chemicals. Full of them. Then you go out into the sun. The sun, doing it's job and heating things up, heats up these chemicals on your body and these chemicals start to "react".

Heat plus chemicals is a bad thing and is only good when used in a science lab for experiments, not on your body. This is where the bad news comes in.

Day after day, month after month, year after year of doing this will hurt you in one way or another. There's actually a website my teacher gave us that lists all the chemical names and what they do to you. That's right ladies and gentleman, once again there is something out there that would be helpful for all of us to know but no one ever told us because they wouldn't make any money if we knew. Sad but true.

You might think you only use a little bit of each product, so no big deal. Not exactly. You see, it's like the patch example. Even a little affects all of you.

Think of it like this: Let's say you wake up and shower with body wash, wash your hair with shampoo and conditioner, and then put lotion on. Let's say you only use a quarter size amount, which we will call 10% for each item that you use. So right off the bat you're at a 40% rate of chemical use on your skin, the largest organ of your body. Then, you put on perfume/cologne, moisturizer, chapstick, and deodorant. Now you're at an 80% chemical use rate. Then you put on some sunscreen (I'll get to this in a second), maybe you need gel/hairspray, and maybe you're like me and you have an addiction to body spray from Victoria's Secret. I know, it's amazing stuff. I had to give that up too. Anyway, now you're over a 100% rate of chemical use, not to mention the reapplying you do throughout the day. So in any given day you are putting excessive amounts of toxins on and in your body. Scary thought.

I personally freaked out and threw everything out. Everything. I went to Sprouts, Whole Foods, and my school book store and bought everything I needed to replace with organic, chemical free items. That was three years ago and I've never looked back. The switch over is pretty easy. It's a one day task of trashing the bad and buying the good.

As for the sunscreen issue, you probably also don't know that most sunscreens are bogus. Ever been in the sun with sunscreen on and still gotten burned? That's because there was nothing effective actually in your sunscreen. It's easier and cheaper to make bogus products, so they do.

Bogus products that are full of what? Chemicals. That do what? Heat up in the sun.

The thing that's supposed to protect us ends up hurting us. When I switched over to a new, teacher approved sunscreen I never had a problem again. I like the Alba brand, but only certain ones. I don't necessarily burn easily, but I like the sun so I spend a lot of time in it...I do live in the desert after all. Not once have I gotten a sunburn of any kind since the switch. Keep in mind that getting a sunburn is still definitely bad. There is nothing good about burning your skin ever, but a lot of the danger lies in the chemicals in and on your body.

A couple of my favorite skin care lines are Hylunia and Miessence. The ingredients are listed right on the site by the product. They are expensive but they're worth it. Some less expensive products that are better than a lot out there are the Say Yes line (Say Yes to Carrots, Say Yes to Cucumbers, etc.) and the Jason line. They're not perfect, but they're affordable and still a much better option that most things out there.

Food also plays a part in the way your body interacts with the sun. I'll save that for another blog, but just keep that in mind.

I know this can be tough to hear and to make the changes. If it helps at all, I'm not perfect at this myself. Let it be known that even with this knowledge I still must have my Viktor and Rolf perfume. I've made the conscious decision that I cannot live without it. Additionally, I'm not trying to freak anyone out. Your body and life are yours to do with as you please. I just feel that everyone has the right to be informed so that they can make the best decision for themselves.

Below is the link to the site that lists all the chemicals, the good products, and the bad. Grab your products and start researching!

Skin Deep

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