Body
February 8, 2010
Posted by copley
Dear Reader,
If your upcoming Valentine’s weekend doesn’t include the man (or woman) of your dreams and a candlelit dinner, how does this alternate scenario sound? You prepare a warm bubble bath, let your worries melt away, and do something special for yourself – like start a new beauty regime. We’d like to make that fantasy come true with a couple of products made to pamper you. Leave a comment under this post and the following two treats could be yours:
Aroma-Sothys Energizing Bath Essences Tablets
Transform a boring bath into a revitalizing at-home spa with Sothys Energizing Bath Essences Tablets ($26). Made of 100% natural essential oils, these effervescent pebbles play tricks with your senses. As their tonic powers infuse the bath water, your skin, smell, and overall well-being will soak in the benefits. Afterward, emerge from your bath energized and invigorated. If bath time is a refuge reserved for relaxation and you want a downer instead of an upper, see our Valentine’s gift guide for a more calming option. Read more...
January 4, 2010
Posted by marta
Emu oil is actually very close to human sebum and, hence, our skins will easily absorb and process its goodness. It contains essential fatty acids: linolenic, linoleic, oleic, and palmitic. Linolenic (omega-3 EFA) and linoleic (omega-6 EFA). Oleic is a known to have anti-inflammatory properties. However, some of you might be a bit squeamish about rubbing bird fat into your skin and vegans will take flight at the mere thought. Enter Skin Actives Emulator Oil.
Skin Actives says it tried to ensure that Emulator has a similar appearance, viscosity and fatty acid composition to that of emu oil, but added oils that contain special fatty acids and those known to be particularly good to the skin. They claim it is even better than emu oil, especially for very dry skin. Read more...
October 21, 2009
Posted by marta
The other day, I met Alison Carton. As a young adult and after much trial and error, she cured her own acne. Now her company, Clarisea, makes scrubs and body and face soaks for anyone suffering from face and body breakouts. Another salicylic acid solution? No way. Alison’s solution is to take a dip.
Why is it that a swim in the sea miraculously clears up your skin? The answer lies in the minerals in sea water that are the same as those in your own skin and they work with your pH balance to purify and cleanse. Clarisea’s products are based on salt because sodium chloride is a natural exfoliant that flushes out impurities and kills surface bacteria. Read more...
October 10, 2009
Posted by marta
How’s this for a coincidence. Last Monday my doctor called me with the results of a blood test and told me that I was deficient in vitamin B12 and should stock up on some supplements. The next day, I was given some samples by Sprayology, a company that makes vitamin cocktails that are to be sprayed under the tongue. One of the samples is vitamin B12 and folic acid (a form of vit B). How fortuitous.
I am intrigued by Sprayology because I’m not a big believer in vitamin supplements. Vitamins are most efficiently absorbed by the blood stream and vitamin pills are designed to be absorbed by the digestive system, which is a complex process. This impacts the kind of gel used and whether the vitamins have been chelated to be more bioavailable, how soluble they are etc. In fact, researchers are increasingly questioning vitamin pills and some say we are just wasting our time and money. Read more...
September 8, 2009
Posted by marta
Ellen Sirot’s fatty acid packed Hand Perfection Nail & Cuticle Treatment ($22) has become a must carry in my purse. The hand supermodel’s range of helpful handmaidens extends to moisturizers, cleansers and the (to my mind) eccentric glovettes (leopard print fingerless gloves for protecting mitts from the sun). Thanks to the generosity of Ms Sirot’s team, I have a Hand Perfection Night Solution moisturizer ($75) and Hand Perfection Moisturizing Cleanser for Hands ($30) for a reader to review.
The cleanser has none of those nasty drying sulfates or harsh surfactants. In fact, disodium cocamphodiacetate is the surfactant of choice and even those picky people at the EWG can’t find fault with it. Derived from the fatty acids of coconut, it is mild enough to be used in baby products. Similarly, cocamidepropyl betaine is also safe and increasingly being used to replace the potentially carcinogenic cocamide DEA. Read more...
