Category Archives: skin

beauty, care, cosmetics, dry, hydrating, mask, oily, review, skin

Marissa’s Pick of the Week – Moisture Mask for Acne Prone Skin

“Moisture” is a scary word for people with acne prone skin. The fact is, that even the oiliest skin needs it. Finding the right balance can be difficult, though. Too much moisture causes breakouts. Lack of moisture causes excess shine. Well, for those of you who always have at least one breakout somewhere on your face, but feel dehydrated at the same time, Laura Mercier has the perfect moisture mask for you.
Laura Mercier’s Intensive Moisture Mask ($32) is an oil free water-based hydrating formula that will leave your skin feeling baby soft. It’s a green gel that feels super light weight, so you can pile it on as thick as you want and won’t breakout. After cleansing your face, wear the mask for 5-10 minutes then rinse or towel off with warm water. After using this mask, not only did my skin feel soft and extremely comfortable, I was also more radiant. I’ve broken down some of the ingredients so you all can see that this mask is truly for all skin types and addresses all concerns.

moisture:
sunflower oil
sweet almond oil
shea butter

clarity/radiance:
grapefuit extract
rice protein
saxifragra extract

soothing/calming:
cucumber extract
barley extract
wheat germ extract
rose water

antioxidants:
tomato extract
vitamin e

firming:
coneflower extract

acid, beauty, care, cosmetics, glycolic, origins, pads, peel, review, skin, skincare

Marissa’s Pick of the Week – Brighter By Nature

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Radiance and clarity are my main concerns for my skin, so naturally I had to try Origin’s new Brighter By Nature High-potency brightening peel with fruit acids ($37.50). These mini-peel pads are loaded with skin brightening, anit-oxidant packed fruity acids from blueberries, Goji berries and grapes. Chamomile, aloe and lavender soothe redness and sensitivity. Test results showed that this treatment can be comparable to a 30% glycolic peel.

While this product claimed to be a “glycolic peel without the redness,” I did see a little red. The box also indicated that a “tingling” sensation is normal, but what I felt was more of a sting. It wasn’t unbearable, just a little uncomfortable. Both of those side effects are well worth the face I woke up to the next morning. My skin was noticeably brighter and acne scars were faded.

I recommend only using the peel pads two nights a week. Don’t use them in the same 24 hours as your regular scrub and mask. You should use a broad-spectrum SPF everyday, but it’s especially important after this treatment. Your face just shed several layers of dead skin, so your skin would be more vulnerable to UV rays.

Remember: Not every cosmetics counter girl knows what they’re doing. The employee turnover rate in cosmetics is high, and most don’t get formally trained until they’ve been there for a few months. It’s not rude to ask how long they’ve been there and if they’ve gone to class yet. This is YOUR skin. Don’t put its care in the hands of an untrained sales person who hasn’t got the proper product knowledge.

beauty, care, cosmetics, light, makeup, packing, skin, skincare, travel, vacation

Beauty Junkies CAN Travel Light!

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9 Free Samples with any $25 purchase! Online Only.

Leave those train cases at home! With a few of tips, we Beauty Junkies won’t have to sacrifice any part of our makeup regimen when we travel. I remember the days when airlines allowed each person 3 pieces of luggage and 2 carry-ons. Now, we’re restricted to 1 suitcase under 50 lbs. Anything over 50 lbs. costs extra. With all our skin care and makeup that won’t even fit on our vanities, how do we choose what to bring? I hope this short video will help. Happy Travels!


20% Off your entire purchase at ULTA Beauty

ant-aging, beauty, care, clinique, cosmetics, moisturizer, review, skin, skincare

Marissa’s Pick of the Week- Moisturize Your Stress Away

YES! YES! AND YES!!! Clinique’s Superdefense Triple Action Moisturizer had everything i wanted in a day cream. Then they went and changed it on me…for the better! The original formula launched back in 2005 when I was a proud lab coat wearing skin care geek. Since then, I haven’t tried a moisturizer (almost a dozen) that I liked better. I loved it it because I was a fresh faced 20-year-old concerned with preventing skin damage and signs of aging such as fine lines, age spots and loss of radiance. The original formula was a skin care technology break through, offering broad spectrum protection and pollution filters in 3 formulas for different skin types.
Jammed packed with potent antioxidants, Superdefense shielded you from UVA (aging) and UVB (burning) rays with an SPF of 25 (the highest SPF I had seen in a basic daily moisturizer at the time), and had IPF (Immune Protection Factor) technology.
At the time, most moisturizers with SPF only protected you from UVB rays, leaving your skin vulnerable to the harsh effects of UVA damage. Remember that UVA are the sun rays that age your skin. It attacks the layers of your epidermis that can attribute to age spots, wrinkles, and The Big “C.” Yes cancer. The Langerhans cell, which identifies skin cancer cells, is a big fat target without UVA protection. Can’t get much better than that! But wait…
The new formula IS better than that! This amazing face armor, now called Superdefense SPF 25 Age Defense Moisturizer ($42.50) does all of the above PLUS battles emotional stress damage and repairs signs of aging. How? I don’t know. That’s the stuff only Clinique people know, but it’s pretty awesome!

acne, beauty, control, cosmetics, natural, oily, products, serum, skin, skincare, vegan

Marissa’s Pick of the Week – Solid Serum for Oily Skin

My new love is Lush skincare. Everything is handmade with natural, perishable ingredients. The most interesting of my purchases is the Saving Face solid serum ($13.95). I have to admit that the bizarre idea of a solid serum is what initially attracted me to this product. After reading the ingredients and viewing a demo, I took one home with me and fell in love after the first use. I have now been using it for 3 weeks and still get as excited to use it as I was the first time. This vegan wonder tablet is loaded with so many skin delicious ingredients, I can’t believe it all fits into something I can hide in the palm of my hand.

Super Awesome Face Saving Yummies:
On top of powerful antioxidants found in all the cirtrus oils, shea butters give just the right amount of moisture oily skin types need while kaolin clay and talc absorb excess oils.

Thyme – This key ingredient helps with acne because it is a natural astringent, helps keep skin clear due to its anti-fungal and anti-viral properties, and protects skin because it’s a free radical crime fighter (powerful antioxidant).
Jojoba Oil – lasting moisture and antioxidant
Chlorophyllin – Naturally derived from plants, it is a great antioxidant and repels pollutants such as cigarette smoke, smog, and diesel emissions.

Don’t let the the “oils” in this recipe scare you. What a lot of oily skin types don’t know is that natural essential oils are good for us. It’s mineral oil that is our enemy. My skin started clearing up when I added Saving Face to my regimen. Try it out at your local Lush store. They are VERY generous with samples.