Photo: SkinRocks |
Wednesday, March 26, 2025
Faces Love Ultra Violette Sunscreen
Monday, January 27, 2025
Neutrogena Collagen Bank Face Moisturizer with SPF 30 Sunscreen
Sunscreen should be worn on exposed skin every day of the year without exception. While many drugstore brands of sunscreen are ample and cheap, I can understand paying a little more for what goes on your face. If the consistency of sunscreen is too thick, white, or greasy we're less likely to reach for it. To boot, it might cause some faces to break out!
Neutrogena, a drugstore brand, is a top-notch skincare line, bar none. Neutrogena's Collagen Bank SPF 30 Moisturizer and Sunscreen does double duty as a fantastic sunscreen and anti-aging face moisturizer. It contains peptides that reportedly penetrate "10 layers of skin" to stimulate the production of collagen. Peptides (short chains of amino acids linked by peptide bonds) are anti-aging ingredients that help treat fine lines and sagging by plumping up the skin.
This non-greasy formula melts into the skin, absorbs quickly, and does not leave a white cast, the reason to pay a bit more! It's also fragrance-free, paraben-free, phthalate-free, dye-free, dermatologist-tested and non-comedogenic. Because it's a light agreeable formula, we're more likely to use it.
Wednesday, January 1, 2025
Happy New Year 2025
Here we are again starting a brand new year. Truthfully, I'll live the new year much like I did the old one. No monumental changes that I can predict.
For several years now, I've been on a reduce-and-organize kick. I don't deprive myself of things that make my life better, easier, or happier, yet for sure, I've become a more mindful shopper. Call me an under buyer as opposed to an emotional buyer. Beautiful, impractical things stay on a retailer's shelf even if I fall in love while standing in front of them! I do that plenty of times! Still, if I don't have a place, budget, or need for ''it'' (whatever it is) I move on. [↑Photo of fireworks above left: Istock]
I also take stock of what I already own such as articles of clothing like t-shirts, leggings, or shoes; scented soaps; skincare products (retinols and moisturizers are a weakness); or makeup from eye shadows to lipsticks and have formed the habit of using up what I have at home before adding new products. Over time I've learned our lives get simpler if we're not always out and about looking for more commodities to haul home. When we do replace possessions that either run out or wear out, we can fully enjoy new purchases. It turns out that buying more than enough doesn't tend to save us money or increase our happiness. So my motto is: Always buy enough, not more than enough!
There is an area of life where spawning more than enough rocks ... and increases happiness. It's showing kindness to our fellow humans. We can't shower others with more than enough kindness. If you can help someone do it. Little appropriate kindnesses can make a huge difference in the lives of other people. Judge people less. Assess your time and energy to know what you can give. Be generous with your time, acceptance, and hospitality. There are no small gestures only overthinkers who are afraid of extending themselves. In instances when your goodwill isn't received well (as there are all kinds of imperfect people in the world) remember you're only responsible for your good intentions, not someone else's reaction. Move on to the next human, chances are s/he will be on the same page as you! Surround yourself with positive, generous, kind people. So in 2025, let's rekindle our best efforts from 2024, 2023, 2022, etc. ... and continue growing wiser and better at connecting with one another. Happy New Year🎉, Readers! Now and then drink the champagne. Know that I love and appreciate you! Many thanks for your support!! |
Wednesday, December 4, 2024
Talk Show Product Deals Weariness
Photo: The Talk |
Product placements provide a steady income stream by driving product sales. Retailers benefit by reaching a wider audience, and television networks rely heavily on advertising revenue to pay for the production of their shows, which is why we are subjected to TV commercials.
Photo: GMA |
Nowadays television hosts including news readers, meteorologists, and medical doctors regularly join product promotors in the demonstrations of 5 or 6 products claimed to be offered at a discount during the show.
If viewers buy the featured products the talk shows get commissions (a cut of each sale) or affiliate sales revenue for driving viewers to buy the products.
Yet, I'll confess, I'm getting tired of them. It's beginning to feel like the home shopping network is taking over talk shows and we're watching infomercials disguised as program segments. The featured products are fairly random from skincare to cooking or exercise equipment and clothing. Usually, we're given 24 hours to go to a specially set up website for the network (which tracks the sales) to grab a deal.
Photo: The Today Show |
Are television audiences bombarded by sales pitches coming into their living rooms spending more than they should?
And lastly, is the line between journalists and promotors on GMA, CBS Mornings, and The Today Show getting blurred? Is replacing genuine content with selling commodities ruining talk and morning news shows? Certainly, a show's attempts to make money must be balanced by offering viewers substance of value.
Thursday, September 26, 2024
10 Face Moisturizers For Fall
1) 7E Wellness Restore |
As fall descends upon us one of the first signs we may notice is the tightening of our skin especially on our faces. Summer humidity gets replaced by a dryer climate resulting in a dryer face.
Ceramide |
Hyaluronan |
So let's learn (by clicking the brand names) about 10 new beneficial face moisturizers that help fight the dryness of autumn without breaking the bank.
CeraVe (#4) and Cetaphil (#5) above👆 are what I use on all my skin including my face. Neither cream is heavy or clogs my pores, and I find each brand as pure, mild, and effective as moisturizing creams formulated expressly for the face.
None of today's examples cost more than $20 and the majority are less, with a few offering you extra ingredients like vitamins C, B5, E, etc. Still, without more research to compare concentrations in the right forms of a product, I'd turn to them mainly to moisturize. A moist face is also a younger-looking face!
10) Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer with Ceramides and Hyaluronic Acid |
Vanicream (#10) is a brand dermatologists praise and recommend as pure and suitable for all skin types especially sensitive skin.
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Are H2O+ Resort Products Any Good?
H2O+ shampoos, conditioners, and moisturizing lotions are familiar beauty products for anyone at a Disney resort. In 2022 after years of partnering with Pola Orbis Holdings LLC to distribute the products to its customers who stay at Disney hotels, Disney villas, and Disney Cruise ships, Disney bought the rights to the formula for the H2O+ products outright.
Freebies are nice, but it begs the question are the products any good?
Before I answer the question, I'll share that the brand was founded in 1989 and once upon a time had a retail store on Lexington Avenue in midtown Manhattan. Back then, I discovered the brand on a lunch break when everything in Manhattan was new and exciting to a younger me. I sampled the sea-ingredient skincare on repeated jaunts during my lunch hours. The brand provides facial and body skincare and hair care with good clean ingredients.
After 33 years I understand why the company sold itself to Disney. Nowadays in addition to containing cleansers and moisturizers, retail skincare lines tend to be specialized to treat specific skin issues such as acne, rosacea, or aging. Beauty brands must invest continuously to keep up with the science of skincare. Since H2O+'s launch in 1989, the skincare industry has proliferated 1000-fold! You can now buy highly effective skincare in the aisles of your local drugstore for less.
H2O+ is primarily formulated to clean or moisturize, a perfect spa line for Disney to dole out at its resorts. You don't expect spa skincare products to contain industry-forward ingredients such as retinol, alpha-hydroxy acids, or bakuchiol as they wouldn't suit every chronological age or skin type. For a week you can make do with clean, gentle cleansers and moisturizers.
I have 2 fluid-ounce tubes of 1) H2O+ Body Lotion; 2) H2O+ Sea Salt Hydrating Body Lotion; 3) H2O+ Marine Revitalizing Shampoo; and 4) H2O+ Salt Marine Collagen Conditioner. They all have the same clean, pleasant oceanside scent. No perfume.
The lotions offer gentle hydration without stickiness. The shampoo and condition feel clean leaving my hair soft and bouncy with no residue. If I can put my fingers or a shower comb through my hair in the shower sans tangles after applying a condition, I judge it to be good. This conditioner passes the test.
If you stay at a Disney resort be sure to take your H2O+ skincare and haircare complimentary goodies home. They're too clean and good to leave behind! If someone else gives you their products, accept and use them. Basic yet quality ingredients!
Monday, September 9, 2024
Huge Savings With Equate Dupe Moisterizers
As autumn approaches in the Western hemisphere we'll soon exchange the humidity for dry skin. It's time to stock up on moisturizers. Walmart will save you a ton of money with their in-house brand for less under the name of Equate. The label has dupes for many dermatologist-recommended moisturizers. Here's what to buy:For your face:
2) Equate Retinol Night Cream - Compare to Olay Retinol Night Cream. Use before bed. New packaging for the same cream and price as the top image. Cost: $17.44
3) Equate Oil-Free Facial Moisturizer For Sensitive Skin - A dupe for Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin. Use on nights you wish to either skip retinol or simply apply additional moisture to your face. $6.67
For your hands ...
8) Advanced Healing Ointment Skin Protectant - The knockoff for Aquaphor Healing Ointment. Cost: $10.52, or just buy a tub of Vaseline for half the price.
Thursday, August 22, 2024
Makeup Organizers
Since I don't have counters in my Manhattan bathroom I have to keep my makeup and skincare products inside my medicine cabinet so I bought smaller organizers to fit inside it. They are clear with divided compartments, and a step-level style. I can't spin them around, but can still see and reach for everything without moving anything.
Organizers are relatively inexpensive and over the years save you a ton of time! I also think I buy less since I can see the makeup I already have and nothing gets forgotten or lost! I'm also trying to use up what I have and eventually shrink or consolidate what I purchase. My long-term goal is to be an even more mindful shopper. One step at a time!
Start decluttering and putting things in place today. You'll wonder why it took you so long to get organized!
Monday, August 19, 2024
Savon De Marseille Beau Terra Soap
One of my favorite T.J. Maxx finds is Savon De Marseille Beau Terra Soap, also the best liquid soap I've ever used. Why do I love it so? Let me count the ways:
1) It has a lovely and potent smell of roses, the fragrance I selected.
2) When I fancy a product whether it is soap, shampoo, condition, moisturizer, or even household cleaners I love big quantities of it so I can use it without soon running out. Savon De Marseille Beau Terra Soap is sold in a 1L (33.8 oz) size. With daily use, it lasts and lasts!3) Not only does it clean, but it feels gentle and nourishing so never dries my hands. Marseille soup is made from vegetable fats without coloring, perfume, or synthetic additives. True Savon de Marseille soaps are 72% olive oil (whereas Castile soaps are 100% olive oil).
4) It doesn't have the organic seal, though it's enriched with olive oil, botanicals, and super beneficial ingredients.
5) Usually products made in France are expensive, yet this soap is cheap, and the 1L size makes it excellent value for the money.
I hope I find it again at T.J. Maxx because if you wish to buy it for roughly the price I paid, you need a $100 order to get free shipping, and no matter how much I love it, that's a lot of soap!🌹
Friday, August 9, 2024
NOW Solutions For Natural Beauty
The company's prices are surprisingly inexpensive, plus it often has coupon codes such as 25% off a $40 order and gives customers $5 for signing up for emails to sweeten a purchase. It's good value for the money.
For consumers familiar with health food stores, NOW Solutions has every type of personal care inventory you could think of, for example: fascial scrubs, purifying toners, moisturizers, and treatments, skin detox masks and clays, skin butters and oils, vitamin creams, progesterone cream, joint and muscle creams, natural deodorants, shaving cream, shampoos and conditioners, toothpaste and mouthwash for oral care, and anti-aging elixirs to give you some idea!