Best of: Argan Oil

Ok Diva's, I have FINALLY completed a month-long trial of all sorts of Moroccan (Argan) Oil hair, cosmetic and face products, and here is my "Best of" list!!

You learned 2 weeks ago about how Argan Oil is extracted, and the amazing benefits of this naturally-derived moisturizer.  So here it is:

BEST SHAMPOO:

Organix Moroccan Oil Shampoo (hated the conditioner) $7.99 at Ulta

BEST CONDITIONER:

One n Only Argan Oil Conditioner $11.99 at Beauty Supply Stores (Sally's, Ulta)


BEST HAIR SERUM:

Not a day goes by that I don't use this serum.  Either on wet hair when I get out of the shower, on my elbows when I notice they are dry, or on the ends of my hair before I wrap it up to go to bed.  Its incredible!

Agadir Argan Oil $22 Amazon.com (comes with travel extras!)


BEST STYLING CREAM:

Moroccan Oil Brand Styling Cream ($24 at Retailers/Salons)

BEST MOISTURIZER:

Amir Hand and Body Moisturizer ($19.99 HSN.com)


BEST BRONZER:

Josie Maran has an ENTIRE line of Argan Oil infused cosmetics and skin care, and every item I bought I liked!  Her Bronzing Oil for Face (you can use on body too) is $52 and limited quantities are available at Sephora and QVC.com only:


BEST BLUSH:

Tarte's Amazonian Clay Blush (has a small quantity of Argan Oil)

It has stain-like qualities that somehow combine all natural ingredients and great color to flush cheeks for up to 12 hours straight (not waterproof).  I am especially in love with "Flush"


BEST LIP PRODUCT:

I've loved the tingling sensation of Du Wop's Lip Venom for years, little did I know it was Argan Oil infused!  Warning:  Your lips will tingle and plum up immediately!  Try "Blush"


BEST FACE PRODUCT:

Josie Maran's Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 30 ($38 and comes in 5 shades)

This was a great product because it moisturized without feeling heavy or greasy.  The shade also blended into my skin so nicely!

So now you are in the know with Argan Oil, and the best products out there!  Enjoy!

Quit those bad habits!

You know who you are, the one out there making excuses about why you aren't taking the best care of your skin NOW!  Well knock it off, I'm here as your beauty guru to remind you about your bad habits, and that you need to break them TODAY and be on your way to healthier and younger looking skin!

After all, what's the fun of trying all my great makeup looks if your skin is just so-so?!

Habits to break NOW

1.  You aren't wearing sunscreen.  First of all, why the heck not?!  Second, its like smoking cigarettes, there is literally nobody left on Earth that doesn't know how bad it is for you - and if you've been awake at all the past decade you know that sunscreen is essential EVERY DAY! 
Avoid melanoma

AND avoid aged skin!

The best way to keep your skin (not just your face) from getting wrinkled, saggy, and speckled is sunscreen, SPF 30 at the minimum. Use broad-spectrum formulas (these shield against both UVA and UVB rays) with Mexoryl or Helioplex offer the longest-lasting protection. If it doesn't say "broad spectrum" then its NOT.  One I like right now is Neutrogena's Ulta Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF 45.

Apply a whole tablespoon to your face, and the equivalent of a shot glass on your body. If that seams like it might be a bit more effort than you want to remember, use a combined SPF/body lotion when you get out of the shower.  You will still tan- I swear.  But give your skin a chance to heal and prevent aging, rather then zapping it with sun damage every day!  My favorite SPF body lotion is Lubriderm Daily Moisture Lotion with SPF (15 or 30) because it unscented, so it doesn't distract from my perfume.

When I go out for lunch and I know I am going to walk around, or the sun is very strong (remember-you get almost as much UV rays when its cloudy) I keep this AMAZING portable SPF product that fights shine too!  Its Peter Thomas Roth's Instant Mineral SPF Powder (in 15, 30 and 45)

Right now Sephora has a sample size of the SPF 30 for $12!  (in the sample section by the register and online).  This mineral powder dusts on effortlessly and provides sun protection while zapping shine!  What it does best, is protect your hair line!  its a sensitive spot for sun damage and burns, but this powder will eliminate the annoyance of greasy or oily lotions!  Genius!

If you need further proof that sun smart care is essential, take a look at these two famous women who have sworn for decades that the only essential beauty item in their life is sunscreen, and they are over 40!

Claudia Schiffer (2011)

Elle Macpherson (2011)

2.  You are using the wrong skincare.  Our skin care needs change over time and throughout the year (when the seasons change) so if you've been using the same skin care products for a few years/months - then you are most likely using the wrong items!

If you skin is oily and prone to breakouts then you need to be using cleansers and skincare with salicylic acid, and an oil-free mattyfying lotion with SPF for day.  Try Biore Blemish Fighting Ice Cleanser and Murad's Oil Control Mattifier Lotion with SPF 15 (its the best oil control moisturizer out there!)

Then, make sure you use a silicone based primer under your makeup (or alone) which will create a barrier so your oily skin doesn't breakdown your makeup and clog pores.  I like Victorias Secret VS PRO Face primer with SPF 15.

Oily skin also loves to get a thorough cleaning with a glycol peel once per week.  Try Philosphy's Microdelivery Peel pads (can use in conjunction with their cleanser)

If your skin is sensitive or irritated (very common in the dead of winter) use a milky and moisturizing cleanser, such as Ole Henrickson's Apricot Cleansing Lotion (you can find it at Sephora for $22, its amazing and my fav cleanser for non-summer months!)  Combine it with a soothing and moisturizing product.  In the hot months, try Olay Complete All Day Moisture with SPF 15 for Sensitive Skin and for a cream, try Estee Lauder's Time Zone (available in day or night formulas) Line and Wrinkle Reducing SPF 15

for combination skin (very frustrating) use a cleanser that foams up that is strong enough to remove dirt and oil from skin, use a very lightweight and oil free moisturizer, then only use a cream moisturizer on dry spots (cheeks, temples, etc)  I like Clinique's Rinse Off Foaming Cleanser, followed by Garnier Moisture Rescue Gel Cream and then add Ole Henricksen's Nurture Me Cream (smells positively amazing)

3.  You neglect your neck and chest.  Think of how much sun damage the thin skin on your neck and chest get in a single year!  Not only that, but are you even moisturizing that area?!  Taking care of that skin today could mean a major difference at 45:

Not only should you be applying (oil free and lightweight) broad spectrum sunscreen, but you should also be moisturizing and applying anti-aging products there as well!  At the very least you should take your appropriate skin care products (above) and extend the application down the neck and chest daily!

4.  You don't clean your makeup brushes.  I'll give you a free pass for forgetting now and then, but your skin won't - because the dead skin, oil, dirt, grime, air-exposed makeup particles and broken bristles will just LOVE to clog your pores.  In fact, I suggested to someone once with continuous breakouts that they start cleaning their brushes once a week with an anti-bacterial foaming hand soap and they had significantly less breakouts that following month.  I clean my brushes every Sunday night, that includes eye makeup brushes as well.  You can just use a foaming hand soap like I mentioned above (lotion or creamy soaps don't work) and use with warm water - or you can splurge on a brush cleaner.  I also like Japonesque Professional Brush Cleaner, $10 at Ulta stores.  You can also make quick work of it with Japonesque's Parian Spirit Brush Cleaning Wipes $24.

6.  You are neglecting your eyes!  Why oh why?  Don't people always say that you can tell some one's age by their eyes?!?!  Well, that's because that ultra-thin skin shows signs of aging first (crows-feet anyone)?!

First of all, stop rubbing products there, weather it be concealer or wrinkle cream, tugging on the eye area (always use a delicate patting motion) creates wrinkles and damages the skin!

Keep the area moisturized, and use an anti-aging product at night to combat the early signs of aging: fine lines.

My fav eye products are Philosophy's When Hope is Not Enough Firming and Lifting Face Serum (can be used anywhere on the face) for night time.  You can also try their eye and lip area formula, "Hope in a Tube" 

For daytime I like a lot of moisture for the eye area, because concealer looks better.  This one is pricey, but it works wonderfully and if used once a day mine lasts for nearly 5 months!  Bliss' The Youth As We Know It anti-aging eye cream

7.  You are still climbing in a tanning bed (or even laying outside unprotected).  I am a former tanning bed worshiper, I was in there 4 times a week for 20 minutes a pop, and as a result I have incurred skin damage - including some very painful removal of melanoma (luckily not cancerous, yet!).

Tanning beds emit UVA rays in intense concentration, which literally breaks down skin and ages you as you lay there!  Dermatologists insist that the cancer causing effect of a tanning bed are the same as arsenic and mustard gas exposure.  Oh my God!  Worse yet, you don't even realize all the delicate skin (scalp, under arms, breasts, feet, pelvic area) that are getting way too over exposed!

Its just not worth it!  But I will tell you what is, splurging on an amazing Sunless Spray Tan.  I'm talking the one where a trained beautician hand sprays you to tan perfection!  The results are AMAZING and you are safe from skin cancer! 

The best place so far has been Tanning Oasis on rt 57 in Liverpool, where you are expertly sprayed by hand and within 10-14 hours you have a perfect glow!  Give them a call at 652-9705

You can also go into spray tanning booths, but the cost of being sprayed is usually only $10 more and its much easier!

A great at home sunless tanner is the St Tropez line, the products are unique in that they actually smell good!  They also work wonders!  I recently tried the foam, after an interview with the perpetually California-tanned Audrina Patridge spilled that she NEVER tans in beds or the sun, but rather is dedicated to the St Tropez line.

The $45 mousse goes on so easily and tans so perfectly.  And you will get a lot of mileage out of a bottle.  I highly recommend it!

Now you know those bad habits you need to ditch- NOW!  Get going girls!

Prevent a Meltdown: 3 Products!

How do we beat this HEAT and still look amazing while frolicking in the pool or at the beach?


Easy- use these three products and you will be all set!

After you've applied your sunscreen all over (sun safety people!) then start by lining eyes with Buxom's Waterproof Smudge Stick (at only $18 its the essential item of the summer!)

It comes in 8 shades, my favorite is Silver Sword, and it goes on heavy, but blends out (quickly, before it sets) with a smudging brush (your your pinky finger)

I am also a fan of the built in sharpening tool, to get the width of your line just right!


Maybe we can't all be Kim Kardashian, but we can have gorgeous eye makeup at the pool like her!


Next, flush cheeks and stain lips with Stila's Lip and Cheek Stain ($22 at Ulta)


You can apply directly to lips and then dab on the apples of cheeks to add color.  I recommend the bolder shades to add color over a tan!

Then complete the look with a great waterproof mascara, such as Tarte's "Lights, Camera, Splashes" Mascara ($19 at Sephora)


Now get out there and heat up your look - who cares?  It won't budge!