May 18, 2012

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Take a Spa Time Out

November 7, 2008 By

Mom’s know best that taking a time out for yourself is often the last thing on your huge daily to-do list. You need to get up early enough to get the kids fed and ready for school, see them off to school, go to work, get home to prepare and cook supper and clean up again after you are all done. A mom’s work is never done!

A mom really needs to take time for herself. If you can only do it once in a while, DO it. Don’t think you should or could, just do it! I bet a facial or massage at a Pickering spa would be just the thing to help you unwind. Treat yourself for once. Maybe a pedicure and manicure combo? A mom should be pampered once in a while, don’t you think?

Filed Under: Spa Treatments, Stress and Relaxation


Benefits of Natural Skin Care

October 26, 2008 By

It’s amazing the things we put on our skin, which is actually our bodies’ largest organ. Besides baring the responsibility for maintaining your body’s core temperature, your skin also must keep tabs on the body’s balance of fluids and protect the vulnerable internal organs from external toxins.

Why Use Natural Skin Care Products?

There are many advantages to using natural skin care products, such as organic makeup. These products are better for your skin, kinder to the world, and healthier in general. Here’s why using natural skin care products makes so much sense:

Many skin care products contain harmful toxins that have been linked to cancer, hormone imbalances, joint pain, headaches, allergies, and a host of other ailments. These chemicals can even cause depression, and ironically, skin problems.

Natural skin care products, especially those that are organic, are much kinder to the planet than traditional beauty products. Synthetic skin care products are often produced in ways that harm the earth. Organic makeup and other natural skincare products are earth-friendly.

Another important advantage of natural skin care products is that they are safer for children. While it’s not a good idea to ingest any product that is meant for external use only, natural skincare products generally contain fewer toxic chemicals.

Harmful Chemicals in Synthetic Skincare Products

There are several toxic chemicals present in many synthetic skincare and haircare products. As they become more concerned about the environment, consumers are also beginning to wonder about the products they use on their bodies. Here are a few of the harmful ingredients in many synthetic skincare products:

Synthetic Fragrance: When you read a label for a synthetic skincare product, one of the few non-technical words on the ingredients list is usually “fragrance.” That’s because the fragrance used is rarely specified and can be any of up to 4,000 different toxic ingredients. Many natural skincare products use essential oils instead of harmful synthetic fragrances.

Artificial Colors: Frequently listed as “FD&C” colors, these artificial pigments are on the ingredients list for almost every synthetic skincare product. They can irritate skin, cause cancer, and affect the body in other harmful ways. Natural skincare products and organic makeup do not use this type of pigment.

MEA, DEA, and TEA: Also known as Monoethanolamine, Diethanolamine, and Triethanolamine, these ingredients can disrupt hormone balance and cause cancer. They are in almost everything produced by the synthetic skincare companies, including shampoo, bubble bath, and facial cleansers.

Sodium Laureth Sulfate and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate: You’re probably familiar with these ingredients as well. Used as foaming agents and detergents, you may have seen them listed on your shampoo, conditioner, and toothpaste. These ingredients can cause skin irritation, depression, and even cancer.

Performance of Organic Makeup and Other Natural Skincare Products

Organic makeup is not only better for the environment, your skin, and your body; it also meets high standards for performance. It’s important that even though you wear organic makeup, you can expect it to perform as well as traditional synthetic products.

Natural skincare products perform as well or better than synthetic skincare products. They are far less likely to irritate skin, and they do no come with harmful side effects and dangerous long-term physical risks.

The Bigger Picture

Your choice of beauty products is about more than what you see in the mirror; it’s also about your respect for our natural environment. In recent years, the focus on earth-friendly beauty has prompted many consumers to switch to natural skincare products and organic makeup.

Many synthetic skincare products are made up of harmful chemicals and preservatives that pollute our environment. These chemicals affect our natural world and also impact our physical health. Making the switch to natural skincare products is the right choice, both for our bodies and our planet.

Filed Under: Beauty Tagged With: , ,


Options for Aging Skin

October 24, 2008 By

Adult acne and scarring from acne is really lousy on your self esteem. Especially in women, changes in skin elasticity and dryness can be worsened with the cessation of child bearing years – menopause. These hormonal changes can result in acne even for those ladies who never suffered with it as teenagers.

If it isn’t acne that is your issue, it’s increasingly dry skin and progression of fine lines and wrinkles. As we age, it’s inevitable. One usually tries various products from the drug store that promise younger, healthier skin. For some, simple drug store brand products just aren’t enough and a visit to a specialist is in order.

Whether you are trying to decrease the amount of acne break outs you experience or deal with those fine lines around eyes and mouth, you may find yourself considering cosmetic surgery. If it’s an option, emotionally or financially, that’s great. But for the rest of us, you might consider Obagi skin care for facial procedures.

Obagi has several options for ladies who want to look younger, get rid of acne or freckle prone skin. Obagi Nu-Derm is a system of products you use to accelerate the turn over of new skin cells. This creates a younger, fresher look with the production of these newer skin cells.

For more information on Obagi, and reviews of the products available, visit Obaging.com

Filed Under: Beauty, Skin Care Tagged With:


Tips For Natural Looking Makeup

October 15, 2008 By

We’ve all seen women who just plaster their makeup on, looking more like a mannequin than an actual person. If you would rather have a natural beauty, you don`t need to go completely bare, it`s all in how you choose and apply your makeup. Here you`ll learn a few tips to keep your face glowing and lovely without resorting to heavy handed techniques. The trick is to keep it light and to highlight just one area of your face, your eyes or your mouth.

Coverage

When it comes to concealer and foundation, many women tend to cake it on in an attempt to hide blemishes. That tends to result in the cracked face issues that occur a little later in the day. By using the following tips, you can make your face look natural while still covering up those spots and blemishes.

- Opt for tinted moisturizer, it blends and evens out the skin while moisturizing and is so thin that it`s literally unnoticeable.
- For heavier coverage, use concealer chosen to blend with your skin to dot over spots and then finish the face with a tinted moisturizer for a lighter look.
- Concealers with yellow undertones tend to hide blemishes best.

Eyes

Natural MakeupYour eyes are one of the first things people notice, so the last thing you want is for them to focus on how much makeup you`re using!
- For long lashes, consider using clear mascara to give them volume without adding too much.
- Use foundation lightly applied to your lids for a natural boost. This also brightens the eyes and lays an even foundation for any shadow you wish to apply.
- Choose eye shadows that enhance your eye color, blue or green eyes look smoking with pink or brown shadows and brown eyes work well with darker plum shades.
- When using eyeliner, stay away from black and unnatural shades. Opt for brown or charcoal grey instead and blend slightly to create a natural line.

Lips

Lips don`t have to be bright to be noticeable. If you want your mouth to stand out, but still aim to use natural looking makeup, leave your eyes simple and focus the color on your mouth.

- Avoid glittery or super glossy lipstick, which looks very made up.
- To choose the appropriate color, bite your lips gently to see what color comes up. Match the lipstick color to this.
- Make your color last longer with a clear lip gloss to set it.
- For days when you want your eyes to be the focus, stick to just a transparent gloss for your lips and let your natural color shine.

Cheeks

Blush should give the impression that you`ve just jogged half a mile, with a natural glow spreading over the cheekbones. Be sure you choose the right colors and don`t overdo it, the attention should be drawn to your eyes or lips, not your cheekbones.

- Check your cheek color after a bit of exercise to choose the right blush. Alternatively, you can just pinch them to bring up the color, but this won`t tell you where the blush should be applied.
- Apply blush in the same areas that you naturally color when exercising for a truly natural looking makeup.
- Keep it light. You just want a dusting of color, nothing too obvious.

Natural make up lets you look your best without making it appear that you’ve had help. People will be impressed at how fresh your face looks. Even with a very little amount of makeup, you`ll feel beautiful and ready to face the world.

Organic skin care provider offering 100% pure, natural make up, organic cosmetics, aromatherapy & beauty products.

Creative Commons License credit: Anna Perkins

Filed Under: Beauty Tagged With: ,


Many Benefits of Laser Hair Removal

August 24, 2008 By

Sick of having to pluck unwanted hair or resort to harsh chemical to remove them only to grow them back in 3 days? Tired of the pain and time consuming process of waxing and hate to have in-grown hair afterward? Well you are not alone. Find out why over 6 million people has chosen to undergo laser hair removal worldwide:

In the real world, prices will only soar and are unlikely to do down, but the opposite is true for laser hair removal. Fifteen years ago, you will be paying double of what you pay today to have unwanted removed using laser. Fierce competition has been driving the price down and this has greatly benefited some 6 million consumers ever since.

The FDA has approved this treatment to be safe enough to be used on any part of the body including the face and private parts as long as not near the eyes.There are no known side effects with laser hair removal. Most patients will experience redness and some tingling sensation that will gradually dissipate. To avoid post treatment irritation, you will be provided with topical cream to use as and when necessary.

Before laser hair removal was largely used, electrolysis is used as a permanent solution to rid unwanted hair using low level of electricity. In this process, small probes have to be inserted to each hair follicles to kill them. Since this is a labor-intensive procedure, only a small area can be targeted at one time. On the other hand, in laser hair removal larger areas such as the back can be treated at the same time.

With electrolysis, your skin is hair free but you’ll also experience bumps and skin inflammation afterward. So far, no other hair removal service can match the result produced using laser. Patients can expect up to 100% reduction in hair and the dead follicles will not likely to produce new hair growth in the future, making laser hair removal the permanent solution to rid unwanted hair.

It only take less than 10 minutes to treat both armpits or about 60 minutes to treat both legs with laser hair removal. This is why it’s been dubbed the ‘lunch time’ treatment.

No one can tell if you’ve had laser hair removal. That’s because you can resume working right away, experience no pain, require no bandage and there’s no recovery time frame. This quick treatment can be done in the physician office or spa under the supervision of a qualified therapist.

The people who went through electrolysis will tell you that it is painful. Laser hair removal on the other hand, are mostly absorbed by the hair melanin which then convert the light to heat and self destruct. That is to say, the amount of heat endured by the surrounding skin care is minimal. You will feel some heat and pinching sensation but it will be reduced by the cool tip of the laser.

Filed Under: Beauty, Spa Treatments Tagged With: ,


Discover Facial Skin Care Ingredients That Work

August 12, 2008 By

If you have spent any amount of time looking for facial skin care products, you know there are literally thousands of products to choose from. You can find them advertised on the internet, in your favorite magazine and every home shopping channel on cable.

So the problem isn’t finding a facial skin product, its choosing one that’s useful for your skin and a good value for your money.

The most effective facial products will contain natural ingredients that hydrate and heal your skin. On the product label, these ingredients should be at the beginning of the list. If not, then there isn’t enough of the ingredient to be of use.

Be careful of some commonly used oils that are not good for your skin. The one most frequently used is mineral oil. This oil clogs your pores and prevents your skin from breathing. It can also cause acne flare ups because of the toxins that get trapped in your skin. If used long enough, your skin will become dependent on mineral oil.

An unusual but valuable ingredient to look for is phytessence wakame. It comes from a specific type of Japanese sea kelp. Phytessence wakame stops an enzyme which causes hyaluronic acid to break down.

Hyaluronic acid is a component of your skin, which helps with tissue repair and lubrication. As the levels of the acid increase, your skin begins to look firm and healthy.

Another quality ingredient to look for in a facial care product is coenzymeQ10, or CoQ10. This is an antioxidant which is becoming more prevalent in skin care products.

CoQ10 helps your skin to produce collagen. The most valuable form of CoQ10 is the naturally derived nano-lipid form. This form penetrates deep into your skin to destroy free radicals.

Free radicals are destructive molecules that break down your skins ability to maintain its structure and firmness.

Manuka honey is an antioxidant from New Zealand. It has strong healing and rejuvenating properties. In addition, manuka honey is able to get deep into the layers of your skin and help your skin in the creation of stronger collagen.

Collagen is part of the support pattern that gives your skin that firm, young look.

A new ingredient that is found in some of the best skin products is Cynergy TK™. This ingredient stimulates the growth of collagen and elastin in your skin. As elastin increases in your skin, your wrinkles begin to fade. Cynergy TK™ also helps your body to produce new skin cells

There are several other ingredients to look for if you are searching for facial care products, some of which I discuss at my website. However, it is just as important that you learn about the ingredients to avoid that can be found in those products.

Filed Under: Beauty, Skin Care Tagged With: , ,


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