Olie Biologique – Certified organic body oils with a variety of healing benefits. Argan oil for anti-aging and revitalizing; rose hip oil for scars, spots, and vitamins; etc.
Pros: Love that it is organic.
Cons: Pricey for what it is.
Price Points: $22-$39
On the Web: OlieBiologique.com

Mini Organics – A certified-organic line of skin care for moms-to-be and babies. We tried the enriched moisturizer, which is supposed to nourish and improves skin elasticity.
Pros: I am not pregnant, but this is an amazing, rich moisturizer. It healed my cracked cuticles where regular lotions have failed.
Cons: I feel a little weird buying pregnancy skin care.
Price Point: $55.95
On the Web: MiniOrganics.com

Dermacyte – Oxygen-enriched serum used as a spot treater for blemishes, age spots, scars, and other skin imperfections.

Pros: It works fast, reducing redness on an ingrown hair almost immediately.
Cons: It’s a bit of an investment.
Price Point: $84.00
On the Web: BuyDermacyte.com

Lift Lab – Using Cell Protection Proteins, Lift Lab promise to reverse signs of aging.
Pros: The moisturizers are comfortable and absorb well.
Cons: I like to believe that I don’t have many signs of aging to correct.
Price Points: $85-$125
On the Web: TheLiftLab.com

]]> http://sporkbeauty.com/2011/06/skincare-roundup/feed/ 0 http://sporkbeauty.com/2011/04/burts-bees-tinted-lip-balm/ http://sporkbeauty.com/2011/04/burts-bees-tinted-lip-balm/#comments Thu, 14 Apr 2011 17:45:56 +0000 Alyse http://sporkbeauty.com/?p=685

I love tinted lip balms, but it is hard to find the perfect tinted balm.  Most of the time, they have that weird lipstick taste and ultimately end up drying out your lips as much as a regular lipstick.  MAC, Fresh, Tarte, and Smashbox come to mind as disappointments.

Burt’s Bees new tinted lip balm is the dream balm.  A light, sheer touch of color in a protective, moisturizing lip balm.  Loaded with goodies like shea butter, coconut oil, soybean oil, olive oil, and rosemary extract, this actually feels like lip balm.  Available in six colors, Red Dahlia is my favorite.  The darkest shade in the collection, it is the perfect dark red for daytime.  But at only $7 each, you may just want to buy every shade.

Green Tea Toxin Cleanser – A best-seller for the company, one use and I can see why. This gentle creme cleanser destroys dirt, even getting deep into those pesky nose pores. Yet it is never drying or irritating. Aloe vera, green tea, lavender, witch hazel, honey, willowbark, rosemary, grape seed oil, and vitamins A, B, C, and E all make up the very pronounceable ingredients list.

pH Equilibrant Moisturizer – This is a surprisingly rich moisturizer, yet it is light and absorbs quickly and completely. Free of mineral or vegetable oils, this moisturizer is loaded with aloe vera, shea butter, jojoba oil, almond oil, palm oil, and green tea.

Holistic Honey Body Lotion – I have tried a number of honey-based lotions, and they all feel sticky to one degree or another. Not this one. It is light, absorbs quickly, and moisturizes all day – even through multiple hand washing. Impressive. Truly organic honey is used in this lotion. Not only are the bees free of any kind of chemicals for removing honey, the bees are not killed to extract their honey, and they only pollinate certified organic or uncultivated crops.

For more info on Made From Earth’s process, and of course to order, visit MadeFromEarth.com

Fresh Minerals – This line of mineral makeup is 100% natural – fragrance-free, talc-free, oil-free.  Yeah, I know, mineral makeup is like a dime a dozen nowadays.  What sets Fresh Minerals apart is their packaging.  Those loose minerals can be a nightmare to deal with.  If it is not kept perfectly level, you are asking for disaster, even with the lid on tight.  Rather than just a shaker top, Fresh Minerals has a second lid inside that snaps over the shaker part, meaning that even travel won’t mess these powders.

Christopher Drummond Beauty - Created by a bi-racial male model-turned-makeup artist, Christopher Drummond’s full line of cosmetics is all-natural, eco-friendly,and vegan, and is designed to work with any skin color. Many items contain essential oils like rose, lavender, geranium, acai, orange, vanilla, apricot kernel, lime, and clove bud. Sounds good enough to eat. Stand out product that we tried was the radiance booster, a soft powder highlighter that adds subtle glow without shimmer or glitter.

Source Toothbrush - That’s right, a toothbrush. The ergonomic handle is made of recycled currency, flax, or wood, and the large brush head is replaceable. So don’t buy a new toothbrush every few months, just replace the head. You will save money and less plastic is used.

For The Lips: Lypsyl LypMoisturizer is made with Swedish beeswax and SPF 15 for soft and safe lips. It goes on clear with no shine or stickiness, making it a great unisex balm. The scent is called honeyberry – it is a light, sweet blend of both scents, with no real taste. The oval shaped tube slips into your pocket more easily than traditional round balms, and rather that a twist-up stick, the balm pushes up with a tiny switch shaped like a bumblebee. Adorable.

For The Body: One Skin Conditioner Bar is good for your skin and the earth. The solid moisturizer softens the moment it touches your skin to impart a soothing blend of shea butter, cocoa butter, beeswax, linseed oil, lanolin, and coconut oil. The lavender scent is soothing and meant to be used before bed. One Skin Conditioner is all natural and cruelty-free. The bar itself is wrapped in paper and packaged in a recyclable, biodegradable box – kind of like a flat egg carton – with not a hint of plastic anywhere.

For The Face: After a long day by the pool, slather your face with Lavera Balancing Cream. No SPF makes this a nighttime moisturizer. Using an all-natural blend that includes organic calendula, witch hazel, mango seed butter, and avocado oil, Lavera Balancing Cream goes on lightly, yet moisturizes perfectly. Not too greasy, not too dry. It is soothing to stressed-out skin and I noticed a reduction in minor redness. Definitely a top-notch moisturizer.

For the feet: Sand is the best foot exfoliator, but it is often drying. Soften up after a tough day on the beach with Curel Target Therapy Foot Cream. Thick, rich moisturizing cream gives deep moisture without greasiness or stickiness. It works best when applied overnight so it can absorb and not send you sliding down uncarpeted hallways. Bonus: I woke up with buttery-soft hands after massaging Curel Target Therapy into my feet.

Suki’s products are pretty impressive, too. We gave the 21 Day Detox Kit a spin. This travel-sized collection includes exfoliate foaming cleanser, concentrated balancing toner, balancing day lotion, bio-resurfacing facial peel, and bio-active purifying face serum. The Detox Kit aims to return balance to your skin in the same sense that a cleanse detoxes your system. I loved how the Detox Kit left me feeling clean and soft, with skin that felt smooth – like it had been resurfaced (but not nearly as scary as that sounds). I will say that I wasn’t crazy about how many products you are supposed to put on – toner, then serum, then moisturizer. It just felt like too much. Not heavy or suffocating, but a touch sticky. I usually just use moisturizer.

While Suki’s goal is to produce products that are suitable for even the most fragile, delicate skin, everyone’s skin is different, and I found the entire system to be too much on my skin. I was pretty impressed with the results of using the system, but by day two or three of the full regiment (except for the facial peel, which I did not try), my skin was red and blotchy. Not itchy or uncomfortable – just a little red. I cut it down to once every 2-3 days, and did much better on that schedule.

My favorite product was the foaming exfoliator. It starts as a sugar scrub, then melts into a fab cleanser. Plus it smells like sugar and lemons (kind of like Fresh’s skincare line).

Created in 1957 by Japanese pharmacist Yoshikiyo Nowatari, it is one of the top-selling skincare lines in Japan. The combination of glycerin and vitamins E and B2 creates a velvety veil over the skin that is not greasy. The medicinal smell comes from the camphor – don’t worry, the scent absorbs quickly. The camphor soothes the skin for everything from eczema to sunburn. I love it to soothe my arms when the summer heat dries out my skin and leaves it itchy and tight. The moisture lasts all day, even through hand washing.

Explorer Sumiyo Tsuzuki trusts Yu-Be so much she took it on her Mt. Everest climb and exploration of both poles. If it is good enough to protect her against sub-zero elements, isn’t it good enough for you?

Cleansing Gel: Love. This foaming cleanser rinses clean and leaves my skin clean with the rosy glow of a child’s skin – yet still manages to not irritate or dry out skin.

Antioxidant Serum: So-so. Meant to be worn under moisturizer, it is a little sticky and feels heavy for a serum. I don’t like how it feels, so I don’t use it frequently enough to see what kind of effect it has on my skin.

Antioxidant Moisturizer: Love. Light enough to absorb quickly, yet actually hydrates the skin instead of evaporating like so many other light moisturizers.

SPF 15 Moisturizer: Like. A good moisturizer with good sun protection, but as is frequently the case with SPF moisturizers, it feels like sunscreen. It is heavier than the regular moisturizer, so I tend to use this only when I know I will be spending more than 20 minutes outside.

Green Apple Peel: I did not try this hydroxy acid peel due to sensitive skin.

The Age Defying Solutions set retails for $45 (a $75 value). You can purchase it from Beauty.com

1C Foundation: The lightest cool-tone loose foundation (other than the gothic pallor shade), I really love this product. I almost never wear foundation because even the lightest mineral powder feels heavy and unnatural on my skin. This one did not. I did not feel like I was wearing any makeup at all. It didn’t look like I was wearing makeup either. It did a very good job fighting shine, too. I am very, very impressed by this product.

Sheer Perfection Concealer: On the other side of the spectrum, I hated this product. It is basically a translucent powder. I found it to be dry on my skin, a bit chalky, and it offered no coverage at all. Definitely a miss for me.

Youth Dew Luminizer: This pale pink shimmery highlighter is a fun product – lightweight, virtually colorless, lots of shimmer. It is somewhere between a soft glow and stripper glitter.

Larenim is available for purchase at Larenim.com and Amazon.com

Organic, high-quality, eco-aware products that cost less than typical drugstore products – yup, it’s a reality, and it is called EOS. Evolution of Smooth.

Currently the EOS line consists of only two products, but they have obviously put a lot of attention into each. The Ultra-Rich Shave Cream is loaded with aloe, shea butter, and vitamins to offer a moisturizing shave. The product applies more like a lotion than a typical shave cream, so don’t expect a thick coat of suds. But you get a close, easy shave. The company also promises that the shave cream can be used on dry skin as well as wet. Best of all, the shave cream comes in a recyclable, soft-touch plastic bottle with a one-touch pump top. It is easy to use and won’t rust out in the shower – the most important feature for me.

The 95% organic, 100% natural lip balm is loaded with vitamin E and shea butter, and gives long-lasting moisture and feels light on the lips. Don’t let the boy in your life use it: it’s non-colored, non-glossy coverage means you may never get it back. EOS comes in a half-dozen flavors, and two shapes: a traditional stick, and a bulbous sphere. I love the sphere because it is so different and applies easily. I also love that EOS balms don’t come in pots, so you don’t have to stick your grubby little fingers in. Both balm styles come in the same soft-touch packaging.

Shave cream retails for $4.99. Lip balms retail for $3.99. To purchase, visit the EOS store at Drugstore.com or Amazon.com