Spring has finally sprung in Chicago. Since moving here five months ago—where it has since hovered around 28° degrees—I've been awaiting spring like a prisoner awaits his release day. So, in light of the sunshine and warmer weather, blooming daffodils and budding trees, I thought it timely to feature two beautiful products by Talulah Skincare, an ultra clean, nearly 100% organic line that I recently learned of.
Pretty factor: Talulah's Verbena Calming Hydrosol is a perfect spritz to use after cleansing or throughout the day to purify and uplift. It has one of the loveliest ingredients lists I've come across: organic chamomile, immortelle flower, rose, cucumber, an infusion of several herbs, fermented grape sugars, rose petal extract, and vitamin C. I'd like to bathe in it.
At night, follow the hydrosol with Talulah's Vervain Flower Healing Complex, a cellular rejuvenator thanks to a density of bio-active botanicals like echinacea, immortelle flower, calendula and pumpkin seed oil. It's ideal for wrinkled, weakened, tired-looking and scarred skin—in other words, everyone!
Eco factor: Talulah is one of the purest of the pure lines. Their handcrafted products contain only 100% fresh, organic flower and plant extracts and come in elegant glass, not plastic, bottles.
To buy: $28 for the Verbana Calming Hydrosol and $32 for the Vervain Flower Healing Complex at talulahskincare.com
April 20, 2009
Flower-Power Products by Talulah Skincare
March 16, 2009
NEW Aveda Enbrightenment™ Line
Aveda just launched a potently natural skincare line called Enbrightenment™ aimed at evening skin tone and reducing hyperpigmentation without hydroquinone.
I've been using the Enbrightenment cleanser, toner, serum and lotion. (The thick mask and cream contain too many potentially pore-clogging emollients and thickeners for my comfort.) In just two weeks, I've noticed an impressive evening of tone and a boost in luminosity.
The line is suited for every age and skin type: older women with sun spots, pregnant women with melasma, younger gals with post-acne hyperpigmentation.
Pretty factor: Enbrightenment's star ingredients are not one, but two, forms of stable vitamin C and mulberry extract, a natural melanin-inhibitor. Every Enbrightenment™ product also contains antioxidant grape seed and rosemary extracts plus redness-reducing aloe.
My favorite product is the pearlescent, moussy Brightening Cleanser. Being a rinse-off product, it won't lighten your skin much. But it does silkily remove all makeup and dead skin cells thanks to gentle surfactants, organic aloe, and salicylic acid.
Eco factor: Aveda has been dedicated to environmental responsibility long before "green" entered the public vernacular and celebrities drove Priuses. Aveda's manufacturing facility in Minnesota is powered entirely by wind energy. Its products contain organic, sustainably sourced and fair trade ingredients. Products come in 80 to 100% post-consumer recycled cartons. No parabens, phathlates, petro ingredients, or animal testing.
To buy: $35 to $52 at aveda.com and Aveda concept salons and spas nationwide
February 9, 2009
Naturopathica Rosehip Seed Regenerating Facial Oil
A couple week ago, guest writer Jen featured Juice Beauty's USDA Organic Facial Moisture Concentrate, which she's been loving lately. The elixir that I'm enamoured with? The Rosehip Seed Regenerating Facial Oil by Hamptons-based Naturopathica.
First, a little info on facial oils. As we age, our skin's sebum production decreases, causing dryness and dullness. Plant oils—e.g. rosehip, olive, evening primrose, coconut—nourish and hydrate to restore youthful plumpness. Packed with vitamins and essential fatty acids, they also help reduce
redness, fine lines and scarring.
Should you shy away from face oils if you have oily skin? No! Contrary to popular belief, most plant oils are non-comedogenic. In fact, many people think that their anti-inflammatory nature actually calms oil production.
Splurge: Naturopathica Rosehip Seed Regenerating Facial Oil. Sunflower and rosehip seed oils (rich in vitamins A and essential fatty acids) soften skin and boost collagen production to reduce fine lines and surface scars. Pomegranate extract neutralizes free radicals and geranium and everlasting (immortelle) essential oils lend a divine aroma that quickly lulls you to sleep. $40 at naturopathica.com and skinbotanica.com
Save: Burt's Bees Naturally Ageless Intensive Repairing Serum. I commend Burt's Bees for progressing from their hippie-in-the-woods image and making some quality skin care products the past couple years, including this new serum. It contains a base of repairative rosehip seed oil plus several other moisturizing and antioxidant-rich oils, such as pomegranate. $26 at drugstore.com
Tip: Worried that facial oils will make your face an oil slick? Massage just a few drops on slightly damp skin; they'll sink right in.
January 29, 2009
NEW Juice Beauty USDA Organic Facial Moisture Concentrate Review
There’s nothing better on a freshly exfoliated face than a really effective moisturizer, especially in January. I have normal to oily skin, so I’m hesitant to try oil-based products (even though they can actually reduce sebum production). But also, I’m afraid they'll take forever to absorb, making it a nightmare to apply my mineral foundation in the morning.
Still, I was excited to try the new USDA Organic Facial Moisture Concentrate from Juice Beauty. It didn't disappoint. It absorbed easily into my skin and I was astounded by how smooth and velvety it left my face—not at all greasy, even at midday.
Pretty Factor: This serum hydrates and plumps with fatty acids from organic plant oils, including evening primrose and borage seed. It regenerates skin tissue with cranberry, grape seed and carrot seed extracts plus helichrysum essential oil. As it warms in your hands you get a strong whiff of olive oil (one of the main ingredients), but as you apply the product to your face, you're left with the soothing aroma of geranium essential oil....
Tip: Use on slightly damp skin and warm in your palms before applying.
Eco factor: Juice Beauty's new USDA-certified organic collection contains over 95% organically produced ingredients and meets the National Organic Program's strict guidelines. No parabens, synthetic fragrances, petroleum derivatives, artificial dyes, harsh sulfates, or phthalates. Juice Beauty's facilities are solar-powered, their containers are made from recycled content, and they get many of their organic ingredients from small farmers.
To Buy: $36 at Sephora, Whole Foods and juicebeauty.com
—Jen from Skin Rhythm
August 15, 2008
Evan Healy Sea Algae Serum Review
Each Friday this summer, nearly everyone in my Manhattan office has wisked off to the Hamptons. For those of you who, like me, have been doing more day-dreaming than jet-setting since Memorial Day, bring home the beach—and get a gorgeous glow—with Evan Healy's Sea Algae Serum.
I was lured to purchase my first Evan Healy product by its minimalist packaging that whispered "purity, cleanliness." Evan Healy is a San Diego-based esthetician who trained at Dr. Hauschka and holistic doctors in Europe and California. Her philosophy is "the skin breathes" and her line is nutrient-packed and ultra-pure.
Pretty factor: This lightweight serum—which quickly absorbs into the skin—contains marine botanicals, which feed the skin numerous vitamins and minerals. Seabuckthorn oil revitalizes with naturally occurring beta carotene and vitamin E, while antioxidant CoQ10 renews skin cells from free radical damage.
Eco factor: Evan Healy product contain organic ingredients and pure essential oils. No parabens, petrochemicals, propylene glycol, filler/thickener ingredients, sulfates, or synthetic colors and fragrances.
Ideal for: all skin types. Really.
May 22, 2008
Aveda Green Science Firming Skincare Review
Aveda has launched a new anti-aging, firming skincare line called Green Science that could easily go head-to-head with any "high-tech" department store brand. The line is composed of a firming face and eye cream, a lifting serum, and intensive line-minimizers packaged in cool, tiny tubes. According to the press release, clinical results show a 41% more lifted appearance and a 37% reduction in the appearance of lines and wrinkles.
Pretty factor: After water, the main ingredients in all four products are rosemary leaf extract and spike moss. Rosemary is a potent antioxidant that's also thought to stimulate blood circulation. Spike moss helps rebuild the skin's barrier while glucosamine, organic argan oil, and peptides renew and plump the skin.
I've been using the Lifting Serum for 2 weeks and love how it tingles on application and gives my face a healthy, rosy flush.
Ideal for: normal, dry and mature skin
Eco factor: Aveda has been dedicated to environmental responsibility long before "green" entered the public vernacular and every other celebrity drove a Prius. Its manufacturing facility in Minnesota is powered entirely by wind energy, and its cosmetics contain organic, sustainably sourced, fair trade ingredients. Products come in 80 to 100% post-consumer recycled cartons. . No parabens, phathlates, petro ingredients, or animal testing.
To buy: $45 to $85 at Aveda concept salons and spas nationwide
January 25, 2008
John Masters Organics Pomegranate Facial Nourishing Oil
Gals with oily or acneic skin like me face a frustrating wintertime challenge: hydrating and protecting our faces against the elements without clogging the holy heck out of them. Many heavy-duty moisturizers—both natural and traditional—contain potentially comedogenic ingredients in the form of emollients and thickeners. After a lengthy search, I have a surprising recommendation: John Masters Pomegranate Nourishing Facial Oil. (Don't be scared by the word "oil," we'll get to that in a minute.)
Pretty factor: The main plant oils in this serum—organic sunflower seed, evening primrose and pomegranate seed oils—are lightweight and un-problematic for pores. In fact, the natural moisture they provide can actually calms your sebaceous glands. Sunflower seed is packed with skin-plumping essential fatty acids and repairing vitamin E. Evening primrose has long been used to regenerate the skin, and pomegranate seed oil is a potent source of antioxidants and a proven cell regenerator.
If you're still leery, know this: The serum also contains lavender and ylang-ylang essential oils, which kill surface bacteria and balance oil production, warding off pimples.
To buy: $30 at Whole Foods and skinbotanica.com
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