Category Archives: skincare

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.

acne, activated, beauty, charcoal, clarify, cosmetics, mask, organic, origins, skin, skincare

Marissa’s Pick of the Week – Charcoal Mask

Using a deep cleansing mask at least once a week is important for acne prone skin like mine. Luckily, Origins has their Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask ($21). Activated charcoal is a great skincare ingredient used to detoxify and clarify. It works as a filter, trapping impurities in the skin (kind of like how a water filter works) therefore leaving your face squeaky clean. The added benefits of White China (Kaolin) clay stimulates circulation, heals acne and removes dead skin cells for a clear and bright complexion.

artist, asian, beautician, beauty, book, camera, care, cosmetics, hollywood, makeup, raleigh, secrets, skin, skincare, techniques, tips

Marissa’s Pick of the Week- Asian Beauty

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Yes. My pick this week is a book, but not just any book. What I have chosen for you is the best beauty book I have read so far. This includes books by Bobbi Brown, and The African American Women’s Guide to Successful Makeup by Alfred Fornay. Not only is this a great reference for makeup application techniques, but it also has suggested skin care regimens, beauty tool knowledge and lifestyle recommendations for better looking skin.
Margaret Kimura (pictured right) has finally put a guide out into the world that focuses on the unique texture, skin tone and features of the Asian Woman in her book, Asian Beauty ($30). Her book models range from Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, and Korean to Indian, Filipino, Malaysian, and mixed races. Other ethnicities can benefit from this book, as her techniques have been used on hundreds of people in Hollywood and skin care tips are universal. Known as the “Blending Queen” in the makeup artist industry, her book is 210 pages of how to achieve a smooth, natural looking complexion to build the perfect canvas for color.
Check it out at the library first. Chances are, you’ll want to buy it. It also makes a beautiful coffee table book at the very least.

ant-aging, artist, beauty, best, clinique, cosmetics, exfoliate, exfoliation, exfoliator, makeup, nc, raleigh, review, skincare

Marissa’s Pick of the Week – Turnaround Concentrate

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I can’t stress enough how important exfoliation is for your skin. It clarifies, cleanses, and brightens skin better than just washing. What most people don’t know, is that for optimal results, they need 2 kinds of exfoliation: manual and chemical. Manual being an abrasive scrub or facial brush/towel/loofa, and chemical being a topical beauty product.
Clinique‘s Turnaround Concentrate Visible Skin Renewer (39.50) has been a staple in my skincare regimen since it debuted in 2005. An improved formula from the original Total Turnaround cream, this serum penetrates deeper into the epidermis to speed up cell renewal. The result: clarity and radiance. Because Total Turnaround Concentrate continuously exfoliates from the inside out, your skin will look younger, fresher, and brighter. It even helps acne scars fade faster.
Apply twice a day under your moisturizer avoiding the eye area. Continue to use your manual exfoliator 3-5 days a week. I also like to apply this serum to my decolletage, for a more youthful looking neckline. You will definitely notice a difference within a week.

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Marissa’s Pick of the Week! – Tea Tree & Honey Scrub

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My New favorite facial scrub is Ayelet’s Tea Tree and Honey Gentle Clarifying Exfoliating Facial Scrub ($10). It’s an all natural, handmade (!) scrub formulated for people with problematic skin. Using this scrub is such a pampering experience. I felt my skin being stimulated, cleansed, and soothed.

Having normal to oily skin, I don’t ever show shine, but I do always have at least one breakout. This scrub is perfect for me because the tea tree oil naturally kills any bacteria, while honey heals and adds essential moisture to my skin. To top it off I was left with a great cooling sensation and the antioxidant protection of grape seed oil.
At first the oily consistency of this scrub scared me, but I knew the ingredients would help me, not clog my pores and make it worse. The Multani Mitti clay absorbs excess oils (and stimulates blood circulation) while pure cane sugar scrubs all the dirt and oil out of my pores . If your skin is sensitive to scrubs, the aloe vera will calm any redness and irritation.
This scrub is so gentle I could use it everyday. However, I would recommend starting at 3 times a week, adding a day every other week.
This product is paraben and formaldehyde free.