The Power of Beeswax and Cheap Lip Gloss

Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to prepare for winter and the effects it has on our skin. Chapped lips are my pet peeve. Ever get anxious when you have to kiss your sweetheart--but your lips are dry and flaky? No more!

My favorite lip treatment, is one that I put on at night: A coat of beeswax chapstick, and some inexpensive lip gloss.

I use LypSyl, because it does not sting when I apply it. If you have raw/cracked chapped lips, stay away from the beeswax chapsticks that contain menthol (for example, Burt's Bees) Those will burn your raw mouth. Menthol is the same ingredient found in some cough drops and mint toothpaste (gives that cool, "aaaah" feeling)

Original Formula-no SPF

Adorable bee slider! :D

 LypSyl Intense Protection LypMoisturizer, in Honey Berry, is made with pure Swedish beeswax. It does not contain menthol, but an SPF 15 so I can use it during the day too. And the tube has an adorable bee-shaped slider that makes it fun to use.

All LypSyl chapsticks are mega-sized, so they're great for men's "bear paws" too (but not many of them have an adorable bee slider, just saying...)

And we love our teddy bear men

NYC Kiss Gloss

NYC Kiss Gloss is a very thick, sticky lipgloss. It's exactly what you wouldn't want to kiss someone with. But it works well as a moisturizer and lasts for hours while I sleep.

For an overnight Apply a layer of Kiss Gloss on top of the LypSyl chapstick. In the morning, wipe the inner rims of your lips with a tissue to get rid of any extra. I use the strawberry banana flavor.

Even Sally Hansen's lip treatments ($13!!) didn't compare to my lip treatment concoction. Happy smoochin.

I also recommend Moisture Therapy Intensive Treatment Lip Ointment SPF 15 ($2), and in the pricier range: Satin Lips Lip Balm ($9)

Wrinkly, Scratchy, Dry Feet

The number one complaint I hear from women about their feet, is their heels. I've heard them use words, to describe their feet, everywhere from "scaly" and "super dry" to "mosaic" and "grated". Ew, right?

Well, it's a fact of life. And most women who I've talked to, say that they don't have time to scrub their feet for hours, or to go to a nail salon where they can pay someone to scrub their feet for them.

But in reality, it only takes a little scrubbing each day in the shower, to get rid of nasty, dry feet. And how long do you need to scrub every day?

Avon Foot Works 4-in-1 File

Answer: 15 seconds. That's right. 15 SECONDS with a pumice stone on a stick (the stick protects your hand from getting roughed up by the stone when you scrub)

  It's my tried and true method of getting even skin on the bottoms of my feet. Scrubbing my feet for 15 seconds in the shower in the morning (or at night) helps slough off the old skin cells, and gets rid of any dirt too, and my feet feel better for it.

Avon Moisture Socks

I use a 4-in-1 File just like the one Avon offers now, except blue. The handle looks a little bit like a cheese grater on one side, and a nail file on the other. My advice-don't use the grater if you have sensitive skin, or any open cuts/cracks on your feet. It's really more of a tool for flaky skin.

Vaseline (heavy)

If you have severely dry and cracked feet, your goal should be to heal your feet first. At night, apply a thick cream to your feet (like Vaseline), and/or antibacterial healing ointment (Neosporin first, Vaseline last), and cover with a thick moisture-trapping or slipper sock.

If you use a pumice stone on cracked feet, you are less likely to get the results you want, and more likely to end up with sore feet and worse dryness (cracks).

Moisture Therapy Intensive...

For the rest of us who want smooth feet, before bedtime apply lotion and a sock while your feet are still damp. For callused and rough heels, a light or medium cream will work.

Heat Factory Slipper Socks

I like slipper socks because of their tread on the bottom. Often, lotion will soak through the bottom of a sock, but the tread keeps you on your feet if you have to get up in the middle of the night.

The amount of lotion you use, if any, all depends on your skin type. If you have oily skin or your feet sweat a lot (like when you exercise) and usually feel damp, you may not even need to use lotion on your feet; just a sock.

Great foot creams:

Vaseline (heavy)

Moisture Therapy Intensive Extra Strength Cream (medium)

Footworks Lavender Overnight Treatment Cream (light/medium)

St. Ives Collagen Elastin (light)

The Science of Foaming Shave Gel and Sensitive Skin

If you're like me, you shave your legs, and often too. I've tried everything, from shower gel, to body wash, to try and get the same baby soft feel that foaming shaving gel leaves on my skin.

 But I've noticed that using foaming shave gel (like Aveeno, or Skintimate) dries out my hands. Sometimes the skin on my wrists feels irritated after I use it.

Have you noticed this too when using certain foaming shaving products? If you've experienced something similar, please read on, so you can join me in avoiding the shaving gels/creams not suited for sensitive skin.

I used a generic foaming shave gel, for the Aveeno brand shave gel, called "up&up" today, hoping it wouldn't dry out my hands. I've changed brands at least five times this year, looking for a shaving gel that was different, and more moisturizing, which wouldn't dry out my hands or cause any irritation. Unfortunately, up&up isn't any different from the other five products.

So, I went through the ingredients list on the back of the up&up can (water, palmitic acid, triethanolamine, stearic acid, isobutane, cocamide DEA, benzyl alcohol) and did some research on these ingredients, hoping to find the ingredient/s responsible for leaving my skin dry and irritated. Here's what I found:

Triethanolamine, the third ingredient on the back of the up&up shave gel, is what's called a surfactant. A surfactant reduces the surface tension of liquids so that the liquid spreads out instead of forming into droplets. Surfactants, like Triethanolamine, can be used as foaming agents, among other things (detergents, dispersants, etc.).

Triethanolamine also causes skin dryness. In other words, Triethanolamine is a drying substance in shave gel (it's also in Skintimate--I checked) that is added to produce the foaming affect of the gel.

I think it's safe to say that Triethanolamine is what causes my skin to dry out after using a foaming shave gel like up&up or Skintimate. My best advice is to stick to a regular body wash or soap which does not include this ingredient, or the words "foaming" or "foaming action" on the label.

I believe that the skin redness I experienced from using the up&up shaving gel, was caused in part by benzyl alcohol. The word "alcohol" by itself sounds drying, but that's not why I blame it for being a skin irritant. It's the fact that it is a skin irritant, in people who have an allergy to benzyl alcohol.

 Even though it's rare, it's possible to have an allergy to benzyl alcohol (an "allergic contact dermatitis" meaning an "allergic skin reaction") and even a severe allergy where benzyl alcohol causes an anaphylactic reaction. An allergy to benzyl alcohol is also related to allergies to latex. (And what do you know? I have an allergy to latex too, which causes a similar allergic reaction. Who would've guessed?)

The other ingredients, like oleth-20, were mostly foaming agents, and also what's called a propellant. A propellant just squeezes the product out of the can when you press down on the lid. Isobutane is also a propellant.

Isopentane (not to be confused with Isobutane) is also a propellant, and also a solvent, and a substance that controls viscosity (thickness of a substance)

Cocamide DEA is a chemically modified form of coconut oil. My guess is that Cocamide DEA was modified to make it less perishable/more preservable? Just an educated guess.

Stearic acid comes from animal and vegetable fats and oils. It's a waxy solid.

Palmitic acid is found in natural fats and oils. It's a waxy acid used in the manufacture of soap, candles, and food additives.

My favorite find is sorbitol because apparently it's used for everything from use as a sweetener in candies and cough syrups, to use as a laxative. Ahem. Really?

The Truth About Foundation (aka "Cover-Up")

What is foundation? If we're speaking about makeup, foundation is the base for the rest of your makeup, a layer of color to even out skin tone and texture.

 Foundation comes in bottles, pumps, squeeze tubes, compacts, and in so many different forms and shades. Foundations also come in different coverages: sheer/light, medium, and full. Here's what I've learned from my own experiences:

There are four shades here. The bottom two match the best.

To find the right shade, I put a tiny bit of a foundation color on my wrist to see if it "disappears" or "blends" to match my skin tone. You can try this at a drugstore, makeup counter, etc. before you buy the product.


BUT--and this is a big "but"--the bottles/squeeze tubes/compacts/etc. of foundation usually do not list the coverage of what's inside!

my definition of coverage: how much the foundation will "cover-up" flaws or "enhance" with one or two layers of application

Ever see those women who walk around with orange faces? Or with a face much lighter than their neck? This is most likely the result of a coverage mistake, and/or a mismatch of color.

 

Foundation too light

From my experience, sheer/light coverage, and medium coverage foundations are to blame for orange faces and snow white complexions. 

Foundation too tan or built up

Fair skin usually looks more orange when sheer foundation is built up. If the shade of foundation is too light, they may end up looking like snow white. Darker skin can also look slightly orange, or too tan compared to their actual skin tone.

With one or two layers, blended on the face and into the jaw line, sheer/light and medium coverage foundations look fine. But if you add layer after layer, hoping to cover up that one pimple, you will end up looking a little discolored.

Foundation too light!

HINT: Contrary to belief, foundation is not like watercolor. One or two layers of foundation is enough to do the work. If not, change your coverage, or opt for a better brand.

 sheer/light coverage foundation: for those with flawless, young skin, and little to worry about. Freckles will still show through.

medium coverage foundation: for those with just a little bit of redness, and not hoping to cover some lines and wrinkles

Foundation Just Right

Foundation Just Right

full coverage: for the acne-prone/redness prone, and those with aging skin. Also great for stage actors. Note: if you are prone to pimples, make sure your makeup is noncomedogenic (meaning, it won't clog pores and cause a breakout) These are kinda hard to find, but keep looking and I will too!


Here are my favorites:

medium coverage: CoverGirl TruBlend liquid foundation it has chemical properties that help it blend to your skin. Comes in an easy-to-use pump. Shake it really well for a couple of minutes-the minerals like to sink to the bottom!

Covergirl Trublend

Avon Cream to Powder

light/medium coverage: Avon Cream-to-Powder Foundation feels great on the skin and smells like maple sugar. Comes in a compact, with a compartment for the applicator sponge. Change the sponge every few days, because it will hold and build up any oil from your skin.

medium/full: Avon Smooth Minerals Liquid Foundation. I used this one after gym class and applied it with my fingers. Comes in a squeeze tube (see picture up top). Feels really good like the CG Trublend.

Her makeup is slipping!
Did she forget to powder?
(Yes, she did)

Both need to be set with a powder so that they don't slip off your face or transfer onto clothing.

Choose a powder foundation shade similar to your color of liquid/cream/etc. foundation. When in doubt, go lighter, because powder is very subtle when applied with a light hand.

I recommend:
Avon Smooth Minerals powder foundation (loose or pressed powder)

CoverGirl smoothers powder foundation (pressed powder in a blue compact)