I spot cleaned my carpet today and the fumes from the product actually made my throat and chest hurt. I decided next time to purchase natural cleaning products. It made me think about how important that is. When I realized what chemicals can do to my lungs I got to thinking about my largest organ…my skin.

Today I thought I’d share with you some of my readers and colleagues’ favorite natural skin and beauty care products. They are all five star rated and have incredible ingredients.

From Caudalie Paris comes Caudalie Premier Cru. It contains the most effective natural active ingredients for brilliant multi-tasking anti-aging results. Pricy but you get what you pay for!

Next comes Ole Henricksen Truth Serum Collagen Booster. It’s about a third of the cost of Premier Cru and still works incredibly well in terms of smoothing out lines and wrinkles and preventing further damage.

Lastly bareMinerals RareMinerals Blemish Therapy is a brilliant “natural” product. It heals blemishes and prevents future breakouts. It also reduces inflamed skin and absorbs oil, and refines pores leaving your skin with gorgeous luminosity.

Have you guys heard of the beauty brand called Fresh? The aptly named brand is one of my new favorites! The company refers to themselves as a “luxury beauty lifestyle brand.” And I totally concur, especially now that I’ve tried it and I want to try more! I want to use this amazing brand daily! I hadn’t even heard of it but my girlfriend gave me a sweet little gift along with a really cute card just to tell me I’m special and wanted me to know things will get better, because I’ve had some recent stressors in my life. How nice is that?? It truly was just what the doctor ordered!

On top of feeling better I discovered one of the best brands on the market. My gift was a tube of Fresh Sugar Plum Lip Treatment SPF15. It is the best moisturizing, beautifying and protecting lip treatment I’ve tried in a very long while. I searched for it online to read more about it and I found it on www.beauty.com. It turned out that they have a whole webpage devoted to Fresh called Fresh Store. I quickly purchased Fresh Rose Face Mask because I was in dire need of superb hydration and a luxurious facial treatment, and boy did it ever deliver!

You can’t go wrong if you always keep it Fresh!

I told you I’d give you all a list of my favorite skin soothing and beautifying treatment products with the powerful benefits of tea formulated into them. And here they are….

Green Tea

My favorite green tea product is by Leaf and Rusher. It’s called Leaf and Rusher Green Tea Wash. It’s an extremely gentle and effective cleanser for all types of skin. It’s a great makeup remover and revitalizes lifeless skin without stripping the skin’s precious barrier.

I’m also crazy about Diana B. Green Tea Desert Grapefruit Scrub. It fights free radicals, heals surface impurities and helps with circulation and is an amazing exfoliator.

Black Tea

When it comes to black tea I head for Juara brand. My fav is Juara Sweet Black Tea and Rice Facial Moisturizer. In fact, I still feel guilty because I gave one to my daughter a month ago when I was visiting her and then took it back last week. Apparently black tea can turn one into an Indian giver! LOL I can describe the effects of this product in one word…radiance!

African Red Tea

Ole Henricksen Africa Red Tea Starter Kit is my pick for a complete tea regimen. The brand uses the magic of African Red Tea in this brilliant anti-aging starter kit. I always use this kit for travel. It’s wonderful for revitalizing and transforming the skin of the face. It’s a complete kit with cleanser, toning mist, wrinkle cream, face scrub, face mask, and eye cream. Two words for this kit…Buy it!

I knew I loved black tea in terms of skincare because I have quite a few Juara products with it formulated into them that work brilliantly in terms of moisturizing and improving skin imperfections. In addition, black tea’s unique properties for soothing the skin are great (to say the least), but after I saw its medicinal use in the hospital last week while visiting my daughter (and my new granddaughter!) I became extremely impressed with it.

On day two of my daughter trying to breast feed her baby, she simply couldn’t take the pain. Even her post labor pain medication she was taking was not working for the breast pain. She was crying and called the nurse to come in and help her. Not so much because she was in so much pain but because she so wanted her baby to be able to get the beautiful benefits of nursing. The nurse said she had just the thing to soothe her swollen sore breasts. She walked back in a few minutes later with a bunch of black-tea tea bags and dipped them in water and placed the wet tea bags on my daughter’s breasts. She started feeling better almost immediately and began nursing her baby again that very night. She said it has never hurt since and her baby is thriving and very, very happy!

Tomorrow I’ll list some great black tea and other types of tea skin care products that I love in terms of the beauty and health of skin.

Recently a friend gave me a few samples of products from Bioelements she thought would be suitable for my oily, blemish prone skin. I’ve had very little experience with Bioelements but I know that is a well respected brand among dermatology professionals.

While I am a product junkie, I am also fussy about my products like everyone else. My skin is still very oily even though my teen years have long passed. I’m seeing initial signs of aging and would like to ward that off while keeping my skin clear.

The first product I tried was Biolements Decongestant Cleanser. I cannot say enough good things. Cleansers for oily skin have to create a balance between deeply cleansing pores to remove excess oil while also avoiding over-stripping that may trigger even more oil production. This one is fragrance free but still has a pleasant smell, lathers lightly without over using detergents and leaves the skin squeaky clean but also balanced. It’s a gel cleanser that is free of colorant and fragrance. The only thing left behind is clean skin!

The second product is Bioelements Beyond Hydration which can be found in the Bioelements Great Skin In a Box – Oily Skin. Moisturizers are also a tricky thing for oily skin. Many oily skin types avoid them because they don’t want a heavy feel on their skin. This one is a super light gel that absorbs quickly and does not feel the slightest bit sticky. Once absorbed, I’m not aware of it at all and my makeup goes on nicely.

Lastly I tried the Bioelements Quick Refiner which is perfect for skin like mine that is very oily but still in need of some anti-aging benefits. I find that skin like mine benefits from a combination of age-defying alpha hydroxy acids and pore-clearing beta hydroxy acids. The Quick Refiner is a fast-absorbing gel that smoothes my skin while also fighting blemishes. I love it!

Biolements products are all manufactured in the United States. The company uses recycled packaging and does not test on animals. Do I need yet another reason to love this brand?

Cool as a cucumber! And pure bliss! Those are two of my favorite sayings and completely apropos to today’s article.

For beautiful eyes in the heat, there are three key properties that must be formulated in or activated upon in your summertime eye products. You need oxygenation, non-greasy moisturization and a kick butt anti-puff ingredient such as cucumber!

Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energyzing Eye Mask is an instant brightening and refreshing treatment for your eyes. The skin around your peepers will appear as though you had a great night’s sleep, glow with the infusion of the oxygen boost and the unsightly bags and puffiness will be gone.

Then to potentiate your sparkling eyes even further, follow up with Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare’s Continuous Eye Hydration. This is my favorite eye moisturizer due to the fact that it’s extremely light yet very hydrating. Hot summer days can cause pore clogging milia and this Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare product has technology built in to prevent pesky milia residue and build-up. It contains phospholipids which provide both instant and long term moisturization and caffeine and cucumber to combat and prevent puffiness. In addition it contains the best age fighting anti-oxidants available (vitamins C and E and Ubiquinone).

Beautiful revitalized eyes = Pure bliss and feeling as cool as a cucumber!

Let’s face it…when we’re single, sometimes we want to go out and look our ultimate best. Of course attached ladies do too…but I’m talking about those times when we’re going out with the girls and with our best fishing tackle in tow! LOL

When I’m in the mood to get noticed…I break out the best bait I have in terms of beauty products. Take a look at what’s in my tackle box!

Clarisonic Plus Skin Care System with Spot Treatment
For smoothing out the skin on my face as well as my hands, neck, décolleté, elbows and heels. My skin glows from head to heels!

LORAC Perfectly Lit
Summer Fling Set
This is a great makeup kit available on www.beauty.com for only 25 bucks and its a hundred dollar value!

Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray
This amazing mist ensures your makeup stays on brilliantly for 16 hours!

Blinc Mascara, black
I love this mascara! Mega volume and length!

Reflexology and lymphatic drainage are key for attaining healthful beauty. When pressure is placed on particular reflex points of the face, the results are not only relaxing but improve circulation, thus stimulating revitalization.
 
Lymphatic drainage is important for eliminating toxins which are notorious for making your skin dull and lifeless looking. Once the toxins are removed, drained and filtered through the lymphatic system your skin will appear much more radiant. It makes so much sense and yet it’s something that’s rarely addressed in skin care…with the exception of professional skincare practitioners’ who oftentimes incorporate lymphatic drainage technique into their facials.

Facial reflexology points can be easily searched and found on the web. As far as lymphatic drainage goes I have a product I love that I purchased on www.beauty.com. It’s called Red Flower Therapeutic Skincare Lymphatic Phytopower Sea Wrap Cleanser and Masque. It can be used as a cleanser or masque for the face, neck, chest and body. It will regenerate the skin by dramatic cellular renewal and promoting lymphatic flow. It contains amazing ingredients including marine sea algae, aloe, white peat, organic mushrooms, essential oils and “sun-filled berries.” You will notice improved hydration and texture along with a diminished appearance of fine lines. And best of all you’ll exude a radiant healthy glow!

One of Hollywood’s best beauty secrets can now be one of yours! Frownies have been around for over a hundred years and have been safely used by generations of women who know how to look beautiful.

Frownies facial pads help diminish fine lines and wrinkles without preparations such as Botox and they do it while you’re sleeping to boot. They work by training the muscles in your face to regain the strength and tone they once had.

Simply cleanse your face and apply moistened Frownies Facial Pads to your forehead and between your eyes and leave them on for at least three hours. They are inexpensive, safe, and natural and can be found easily on the web. I buy mine from my favorite “natural products” website www.thenaturalstore.com.

When it comes to pondering if products and brands work well…never underestimate the test of time!

Frownies since 1889 and made in the good ole USA!

I think one of the best things I’ve ever done for my looks, ease of life and comfort was to switch to “one-day” use contacts. I no longer take my contacts in and out, rub my eyes, mess up my mascara, and go through contact solution like it’s water. My eyes now look clear and fresh and the comfort of a fresh new daily lens is amazing! I also love how easy they are to pack in my purse (and always have on hand…without the added burden of a bottle of solution) and the worry of losing one is no longer a concern.

My one-day contact lens of choice is 1-Day Acuvue Moist by Johnson and Johnson. My eye doctor agreed it was a great choice for me because she knows I need the extra moisture…and knows that ease and comfort are my ultimate concerns.

I ordered my Acuvue Contact Lens from www.drugstore.com and was extremely satisfied with the service and even more thrilled with the price.

If you wear contact lens and aren’t entirely pleased or content with the type you’re wearing, you really ought to ask your eye care professional about Acuvue 1-Day lenses. Additionally, Acuvue has many different choices (other than their fantastic one day lenses) for issues such as astigmatism and even eye color change and enhancement.

These lenses have really changed the way I feel about wearing contacts and have left me no longer yearning for Lasik type surgeries. I’m thrilled to say the least!

Check out all the benefits of 1-Day Acuvue Moist!

After moderating an argument between my daughter and grandson about what to watch on TV…my daughter won the coin toss with Rachel Ray. My grandson will have to watch a Phineas and Ferb episode on the TV upstairs. Between the two I decided to stay downstairs and watch The Rachel Ray Show with my daughter.

As I was working away on my computer I heard them chatting on the show about fashion do’s and don’ts. Of course the do not’s consisted of the typical ones you always hear about such as “no white pumps,” and for men “no cut off jeans.” But then they mentioned one that I hadn’t heard before. It was to absolutely never wear panty hose. I can see that from a fashion sense if the legs are shapely and firm but not at all from a career point of view. To me, no matter how perfect your legs are, there are times when hosiery is not only convenient but appropriate.

But then they presented a substitute and having had experience with the product I have to say they were actually quite on point. Philosophy products offer two of the most leg beautifying products on the market today and they can indeed make your legs look as if they are as firm and radiant as they are while wearing a nice pair of panty hose.

Start with Philosophy The Big Skinny Skin-Smoothing Exfoliating Scrub to slough away dead skin cells, promote circulation and lymphatic drainage and prime the skin for the amazing key product to follow. I don’t believe the show mentioned this first product/step but I know from experience its best to use it with the The Big Skinny Self-Tanning Firming Cream for the ultimate result.

Philosophy The Big Skinny Self-Tanning Firming Cream is the ticket to the “panty hose no more” theory and it works! The cream smooth’s, tones and firms your skin and infuses a healthy natural appearing glow. This has been a longtime favorite of mine but I had forgotten about it and I had only used it in the past when I wanted to look exceptionally good for a night out but never thought about it for a great daily look sans panty hose!

Thank you Rachel Ray and (of course) Philosophy for making my life easier and much more beautiful!

Has anyone tried Scientific Skin? Because I just purchased two products from Spalook.com after reading some excellent reviews along with some intriguing information about the brand and these two specific products.

Scientific Skin was developed by a world renowned dermatologist (Dr. Beer) and is very target specific in terms of indications and skin layers treated.

I ordered Scientific Skin White Bamboo Exfoliator which is a clay type scrub. It warms up with contact and resurfaces the outer layers setting up the skin for excellent absorption of further treatments depending on specific needs.

I also ordered Scientific Skin Brightening Serum which sounds like the ideal treatment to follow the primed skin from the use of the White Bamboo Exfoliator. The serum was formulated with special botanicals from the Swiss Alps and minimizes hyper-pigmentation and brightens the skin. One reviewer said she had tried “tons” of brightening serums, creams and gels in the past to help brighten her brown spots and prior acne marks and that Dr. Beer’s Brightening Serum is “truly amazing!”

I can’t wait to share my results after I start using it! I have a feeling it will be all I expected and more!

I just love multi-tasking products period...but I'm down right crazy about lip and eye products combined into one jar. I've almost always used my eye creams around my lips even if it is only an eye cream without even mentioning erasing those menacing lines above the upper lip. For me, I feel that those little lines scream "my face is aging" more than any other wrinkles or lines I have.

Decleor Excellence De L'Age Regenerating Lip and Eye Cream is one of the best products I've used for these two areas. My lines are diminished, my contours around both my eyes and mouth appear much more defined and lifted and both areas glow with radiance. And if that's not enough...It also works brilliantly on dark circles and puffiness as well. I've gotten so many compliments since I started using it...and even my own best friend accused me of getting recent botox treatments!

Even though we all know how important it is to protect our skin from the sun, it’s still hard convincing people to wear sun protection and re-apply regularly. In fact, I just recently got back from a girls’ camping trip and noticed that my friends really don’t take sun protection that seriously. The number one reason I get is that the products out there are just not pleasant to use.

You all know that I try everything I get my hands on and recently I was lucky enough to procure some sunscreen products from Ti-Silc by Neova. I cannot say enough about these products. They are highly effective and also cosmetically elegant, putting an end to all of those excuses for avoiding SPF.

Have you ever tried a mineral sunscreen that left you white and pasty? Some people tell me that they deliberately avoid physical sunscreens because of this problem. I have found that the secret to avoiding the pasty look is a light tint. Neova Ti-Silc Sheer Sunblock SPF 45 is a broad spectrum sunscreen with both chemical and physical ingredients that is slightly tinted to take the edge off of any pastiness. It smoothes on nicely and feels great once it dries. I have even noticed that it doesn’t pill on my skin in places like my elbows. The texture remains consistent while on the skin. Once dry, the color won’t transfer to clothing. Just make sure you wash your hands thoroughly before grabbing that towel!

Since I am extremely oily, sometimes I do find the Neova Ti-Silc Sheer Sunblock SPF 45 to be a tad heavy on my face when the weather is especially hot or there’s a little humidity in the air. When that’s the case, I grab Z-Silc SPF 30 by Neova. Even though there’s no tint, the formula sinks into my skin and I don’t even realize it’s there. It is truly non-greasy and doesn’t leave any kind of a heavy feel. It even works well under my makeup.

I don’t have much experience with Neova but so far I am very impressed. Maybe I’m done with my sunscreen craze, I will move on to other products from this brand.