Until recently, I had my skincare and exercise mantras badly reversed. With skincare, it was "no pain, no gain", which lead me to high AHA exfoliators and especially gritty scrubs. With exercise: "Slow down as soon as it hurts."
I'm still a workout wimp who claims "walking" as a favorite sport, but I have altered my skincare approach. I've discovered that mild, daily exfoliation is far more effective and healthier for your skin in the long run. We all want, for example, that red mark from a zit to disappear ASAP. But intense, harsh exfoliation isn't the solution because it can upset your skin's acid mantle, allowing in more acne-causing bacteria, and it can wear down your skin's ability to self-heal.
My recommendation? Use a gentle exfoliator nightly. Kiss My Face So Refined Jojoba and Mint Facial Scrub is amazing. It's a cheaper but still-as-stellar alternative to Ren's Jojoba Micro-Bead Purifying Facial Scrub.
Pretty factor: Perfectly round jojoba beads remove dead skin cells without scratching, tearing or irritating the skin. Jojoba oil cleans out pores and balances sebum production. Circulation-boosting peppermint oil and peppermint leaf extract leave your face tingling and fresh-feeling for an entire half-hour after use. Tea tree and lavender kill bacteria, lemon balm helps purify, and chamomile soothes.
Eco factor: Made with 81% organic ingredients. No parabens, phthalates, sulfate detergents, artificial colors, fragrances, animal ingredients, or animal testing.
To buy: $14 at Whole Foods, some drugstores, and kissmyfacewebstore.com
March 5, 2009
Kiss My Face So Refined Jojoba and Mint Facial Scrub
September 11, 2008
Kiss My Face Lemon Verbana Organic Shower Gel & Body Scrub
Most beauty editors have products that they'll easily plunk down big bucks for (usually shampoo and skincare) and those that they'll—shock—slip into the drugstore to get. Shower gels and body scrubs fall into this latter category for me. I won't spend two meals' worth of money on them when no one has ever said, "Wow, you have such smooth, beautiful kneecaps!"
Besides, I excitedly snatched up NUDE Skincare's Moisturising Body Polish ($52!) at a beauty sale at work last month only to discover that it had the cohesiveness of a dry muffin. When I tried to smooth it on my arms, chunks literally came flying off. I'm not a morning person to begin with and certainly don't care to bump into my shower walls, picking up chunks of "damn $52 body scrub" (that's now sitting in a corner of my shower, like a kid in timeout).
Last week, a co-worker who runs a blog called Beauty Maverick gave me Kiss My Face's Lemon Verbana Organic Shower Gel & Body Scrub. And it's perfect. Here's why:
Pretty factor: This two-in-one cleanser/scrub contains very mild surfactants to clean your skin without drying, jojoba beads to exfoliate without harshness, and aloe and chamomile to soothe. Lemon extract plus orange flower and lemongrass waters give a light, energizing aroma that's perfect for morning.
Eco factor: It contains organic botanicals and no parabens, synthetic colors or dyes. No animal testing either.
October 28, 2007
Kiss My Face Liquid Rock Deodorant
A TMI confession: I've tried two deodorants from natural hygiene giant Tom's of Maine and both left my underarms like those of an adolescent boy about to ask out his crush. Because I like to play it safe and can't get past those rumors that the sweat-blocking ingredient in antiperspirants, aluminum, may cause breast cancer, I'm resolved to stay natural.
Thankfully, on Makeupalley.com, I found Kiss My Face's Liquid Rock as one of the highest-rated deodorants. And I'm happy to report that it does a decent job of keeping sweat at bay and an amazing performance at keeping underarms freshly scented.
Pretty factor: Lavender oil lends anti-bacterial and anti-smelly properties. Willow bark (the derivative of salicylic acid, the major ingredient in acne products) exfoliates and cleans out pores, while lichen extract eats up odor.
Eco factor: No aluminum, parabens, artificial colors or fragrances and the bottle's 100% biodegradable.
To buy: $4.49 at Whole Foods and drugstore.com
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