Face

Tantejoan here, filling in for our Drugstore Deals Diva, Gigi.  Yes, I know you were expecting to be entertained and enchanted by Gigi’s amazing ability to divine the very best that her pathetic local CVS calls a cosmetics aisle – teeth marks on the lipstick wrapper indeed!  I was, too.  But Gigi is otherwise occupied, and I’ll tell you why.  She is so funny, so witty, so darned appealing that Conan O’Brien, recently transplated to the Left Coast for The Tonight Show, begged her to help him write his monologue for Thursday night.  So I’m left to pinch-hit for our own Star.

Now thinking about Conan (and hoping he has not shanghaied Gigi for good), I naturally thought of sunscreen, and not just any sunscreen, but sunscreen for the active, athletic consumer.  Why?  Well, Conan, being the whitest white man in America, is newly resident in Los Angeles, where sun, fitness and looking good are practically the cornerstones of civic pride.  In fact, I believe in Beverly Hills there is a weigh-in station where the police deny entrance to anyone with a BMI above 24.  Or is that a DUI?  But surely Conan, as anyone who has watched those promos of him running the entire breadth of our country as he powered on toward his new home can attest, is in great shape.  Yes, he’s still in his New York City skinny suit, but until his new tennis togs arrive, this man is L.A. based and in serious need of protection.

I am, too, even though I’m not planning to run across country anytime soon.  Although I’m just going as far as the Jersey Shore to spend a week with my sister, my fish-belly white skin (under my fake tan, of course) will crave the best protection money can buy.  The only trouble is, I am what my British pals would call skint.  Broke. Light in the pocketbook.  I’m not necessarily in the market for the Rolls Royce of sunscreen, but I want a good, serviceable, non-paraben, fragrance-free, alcohol-free, easy to apply product that will work on my body and my face.  For less than $10.  In short, I want it all.  And really, my friends, I want it all for you, too.

My CVS not being as stripped-down as Gigi’s I repaired there to examine my options.  I checked out all the usual suspects, los Banana Boat, el Coppertone, house brands and some weird names like Blue Lizard and Ocean Potion, but then my eye lighted on a range of bottles, tubes and sprays totally unfamiliar and yet somehow enticing.  I was on a mission to find a good, economical sunscreen, and here was… Mission Skincare.   I ran back home to do some research and this is what their web site said:

Goddess Granny here or what's left of me in this sweltering South Texas heat! I feel a bit like the Wicked Witch lying in a sodden heap muttering "I'm MELTING" to any poor munchkin who will listen! It's been 100+ for well over a week now and no matter how you color it,that's flippin' hot!
 
I'm grateful for the small comforts: ice cubes in everything, frozen fruit, James Perse cotton tanks ,(the best skimpy but bra-friendly cut ever!) unlimitedAC with a thermostat I can jockey up and down (husband Mike's pet peeve!) and cool cucumber melon scented baths!This hothouse flower doesn't go anywhere she doesn't absolutely have to these days

This kind of soggy boggy weather wrecks havoc with my sensitive skin: I do still go to the gym often but when you're living in a constant state of stickiness and sweat, even the most perfect complexion can suffer.
I am a huge fan of scrubs,suds,and lathers of all kinds and cannot stand "low-lathering" anything...I need to FEEL and SEE that stuff I'm using is working although I do realize that today's tech can work miracles without visable proof. Sometimes though less really IS more...
 
Simple white plastic jar...very basic label with cute little aloe graphic...brief "how to and ingredients" label...not much to look at but you cannot judge this humble jar on it's looks alone! In this market of hype and over the top packaging,one would have to think that either it contains something "average" or that maybe, just maybe the product has been SO perfectly edited and perfected that it dares to enter the public eye without announcing it's arrival in a red-carpet sort of way?
Think of it as that devestatingly beautiful woman who "downplays" her assets in order to be taken more seriously...she KNOWS she's got it so why be arrogant about it ! She's that confident in her abilities and allure.
 
Magic of Aloe Honey Almond Scrub is one of the products created by the Magic of Aloe company,founded in 1971. Yep...in this day of "don't blink or it's gone" products and companies, they've been producing one of the finest lines of all natural and organic skincare product lines on the market for that long.Aloe is one of the main ingredients and who among us hasn't at least heard of this juicy green plant and it's noted healing properties?:
 
"Aloe is the ultimate skin care treatment. It soothes, it softens and it moisturizes. These aloe vera products have the ability to penetrate the water-retaining layer of skin allowing the enzymes with in the gel to slough off dead cells, which aids in restoring the complexion. This enzyme activity has been observed to reduce and eliminate scars, liver spots, age lines and other marks and blemishes. A person with troubled skin needs the high quality therapeutic cleansing and moisturizing of Magic of Aloe product line, which includes aloe vera based moisturizer, aloe vera lotion, aloe vera gel, collagen cream, aloe vera based cosmetics, and aloe vera hair care. A person with good skin must not take that blessing for granted. Skin that is not routinely cleansed and moisturized with quality treatment products such as Magic of Aloe will show the wear and tear of father time."
 
The site is very straightforward and basic and they offer sampling programs as well as specials and discounts, gift certificates,and even distributorship programs.You can even purchase their finely-crafted products wholesale in plain packaging to add your own "private label" touches to,an amazing plus for anyone who's interesting in carrying some amazing natural products in their salon, spa or other sales venue.
 
When I first opened my jar of Honey Almond Scrub I wondered if I could taste it: it smelled THAT good,very creamy.moist,and fresh and the "signature" ingredients are simply: aloe vera gel,corn starch, kaolin, (natural clay) corn meal,almond meal, and honey...what's not to gobble? Well...not so big on clay-snacking but the rest certainly would taste nice enough The texture is soft and souffle-life but it has a richness to it that rivals MUCH pricer products.

Sweetassgal here!  I had a rather brutal reminder this weekend of how fast things do change as we get older.  I'm only 34 but when you haven't seen someone in 15 years the changes are a bit shocking.  But this was sort of a shock in reverse.  I ran into my ex.  No...I guess I should say THE ex.  The first one ever to break my heart, rip it still beating from my chest and serve it to his hounds from hell on toast points.  And he looked hot ladies...damn hot.  GGGRRRRR.  Shouldn't he be 400 pounds and covered in boils like we planned God? ...is that too much to ask!?  Alas...he didn't look any different, but I sure the heck do!
 
The girl he knew was about 110 pounds with long straight blonde hair and smooth white skin.  I'm currently embroiled in the battle of the bulge, my hair has gone crazy curly, I went brunette and am suffering from embarrassing Rosacea. What the...hey God...he's the one that cheated not me!  So what's a girl to do in this situation?  Hunker down, pull your visor down tight and PRAY for a freak earthquake to swallow you up right where you stand!
 
While the topical Rosacea serums I am trying out take effect, I'm left with good ol' fashion cosmetics to divert the eye from my constantly red skin.  I swear if ONE more person says "Got some sun this weekend didn't ya!?" I'm going to rip their colon out through their nose.  I'm NOT SUN BURNT...I HAVE ROSACEA!!!!  So how do you tone down red skin without slathering on cakey foundation?  Light.  Light is the key.
 
Kumaara Luminescent Primer has been a saving grace in recent weeks.  This light primer smoothes skin, fills small wrinkles and gives your skin the kind of soft glow that mutes harsh red tones.  It doesn't cover it up...it softens the red and brightens the tone.  And it's not heavy or thick.  It's silken formula glides right over your skin and worn alone or under makeup really has the ability to flick on your inner skin light.  I've been pairing this with the Epione SPF 30 used only as a face and neck moisturizer and they work together beautifully because a little goes a long way.  Initially I was worried that the little crystals of light in the primer would show up on my face like glitter or make me look shiny.  I don't wear mineral powders because they make me look shiny...I prefer matte.  This somehow manages to give me a glow without making me look like an oil slick.  I do start to get oily my mid-afternoon and out come my blotting papers but that is pretty standard for me.
 
I've been trying to REDUCE product (find and all in one) but until this redness is under control I simply have no choice.  I was intrigued by this primer and the other Kumaara products I've received from Meg as well.  But this was my first to try since I had an immediate need to address.  Kumaara is the Sanskrit word for "youth" and really isn't that what we're all searching for here?  The secrets that will turn back the hands of time and give us the skin we had at 19 so we don't have to do the dive-tuck-and-roll behind the nearest garbage can?  Heck...I'd have scaled the walls and skimmed the trees like Spiderman and Crouching Tiger's love child to get the heck out of that awkward situation.

Gigi here! Would someone please tell me that there are no product application police?  I was kidding last week when I referred to the St. Ives patrol, but shopping for skin care can become pure hype.  Yes, I was born at night, but not last night!
 
It was hard to control my annoyance with a saleswoman at an Estee Lauder counter recently.  Where do they find these Stepford types?  I am hooked on their CP+ serum and wanted to purchase it.  The saleswoman asked, “Well, you know you absolutely must use this particular cleanser beforehand, don’t you?”  I pasted on an obedient smile and said, “Certa inly.”  Then she said, “Well, then you must follow with this” and tried to sell something else.  I lied smoothly and said, “Oh, I have that” (and I also have eighty dollars along with the $55.00 for the serum which gives me more guilt that the nuns in my elementary school).  She would not relent and “The last step to be used right before bed is our newest item.”  I almost fainted at the price.  I wanted to ask, “And what must I use at 3:00 a.m.?  Do you have a bank in mind which I should rob?”  Her facial features disappeared and all I saw was the word “COMMISSION.”
 
A friend of mine with flawless skin told me she enjoys Olay’s “Night Fortifying Cream” (a generous tub retails for around $14.00).  Swamped again by the number of moisturizers on drugstore shelves, I wanted to destroy the display of this item simply because of the name, telling me when to use it.  What—did I need ten other creams for this to work as well, one to layer every so many hours?  I saw an opened container of it and read the label—no other products were mentioned. That was a surprise.  And then I sniffed.  And sniffed.  And kept sniffing like a dog trained to detect drugs—Heaven!  It has a delicate, slightly floral scent.  I bought it.

I was so excited to try these ACE products, cool packaging and great looking designs.  Unfortunately that is the best thing about them.  The dual action tweezers have a little too much tension to be comfortable to use.  In the shooting hobby we talk about "trigger pull" and that is it the measurement of how many pounds of force it takes to squeeze off a shot. I have to say that the Ace tweezers just take too many pounds of force to be comfortable to use but they look good and feel good in the hand.  I think it is possible to get use to them if change your grip. If you are use to the girlie kind it is an adjustment. If you most your fingers closer to the ends it's more comfortable and the best thing is that they are large and hard to lose. Now for the safety scissors,  I have kinda a hairy face and the best way I found to get rid of nose hair and in my ear is when the barber in Amman Jordan burned it with a lighter, DON'T TRY THIS ON YOURSELF!!!.  This was done by a professional Arab with year of hair burning experience. However, these ACE scissors, I just didn't like them.  I like professional scissors to trim the inside of my nose or one of the electric trimmers. These felt light, lacked precision and a little awkward in my hand. Also because of the round tips I couldn't easily get to the hard places inside my nose I also have a beard and these scissors just don't CUT IT.