With the holiday season quickly approaching, some of us may end up scrambling for gifts.  Let me make a suggestion – give some quality lotion!  In this cold weather, there’s really only one thing you can count on: dry skin.  Simplicity Bath and Body is absolutely amazing and local to South Jersey.  They hardly advertise; I only found out about these all-natural products by looking in the windows of fancy spas around town.  So I figured I would get the word out, so far I have purchased Gingerbread Whipped Body Butter which is incredibly rich and actually makes my skin feel supple for the entire day (not to mention it makes me smell like grandma’s cookies).  And a Hot Cocoa Mint Candle, which fools every guest we have over into thinking we’re baking brownies.

I am generally skeptical of “all-natural” products in yielding the best results. I feel like either it works (and has some sort of carcinogenic consequence) or its good in every aspect… except what it’s supposed to do! But who could argue with ingredients like: Kokum Butter, Aloe Vera, Shea Butter, Vitamins A, E, and F, Organic Cocoa Butter, Sweet Almond Oil and Avocado Oil?  Honestly, these products are top of the line, hand-made, all natural, cruelty free, local… what more could you ask for? Right now they are having a free-shipping offer, and I am buying all of my girlfriends some delicious sugar scrub and body lotion!

The Magic Ointment?

I once read in a magazine that Neosporin acted as a perfect cuticle repair during the winter.  Being a victim of brutal hangnails, I decided to slather my fingertips before bed for a couple nights.  My roommate laughed at my dedicated primping, but the results were worth the extra minute before bed!  The ointment was a little greasy (it has an White Petrolatum base) and spotted my sheets; but for me, the pros outweighed the cons.  Hangnail free, I began to wonder what else Neosporin was capable of…

What I dug up:

• Acne Treatment – Neosporin kills bacteria and promotes healing, so why shouldn’t it work as a spot treatment?  Many people seem to swear by it, but I can’t help but consider the company’s warning, “Do not apply the ointment over large skin areas.”  Don’t mask your face in this ointment, apparently Neomycin is a highly toxic antibiotic, used sometimes as an intestinal antiseptic in surgery. 
• Soothes raw skin and ingrown hairs!  Ladies, if you wax or shave this ointment can save you from embarrassing bumps.  I personally use this for a couple days after I wax my bikini line, it relieves the irritation and keeps my skin clean.
• Eye Colds and Ear Aches – Surprisingly, a lot of people swear by warming the paste into a liquid and putting it… pretty basically anywhere.  However, Neosporin warns that the ointment is for “external uses only” and also shouldn’t be applied to eyes.  Hmm…

Ingredients:  Polymyxin B Sulfate, Neomycin and Pramoxine Hydrochloride.  Inactive – Mythlparaben, Mineral Oil, Polozamer 188, Propylene Glycol, Water Purified, White Petrolatum.

What Neosporin doesn’t tell you:

• White Petrolatum is an inactive ingredient found in many moisturizers, lip balms, sunscreens, anti-itch creams, and even eye drops.  However, it is regulated as a moderately toxic mixture and possible carcinogen.
• Polymyxin B is an antibiotic that has been used to treat Strep Throat and Swine Flu.  Perhaps this is why some people condone gargling watered-down Neosporin?

In conclusion, I can only recommend Neosporin as cuticle cream and bikini-line soother.  Although it is fairly unnatural, it does an amazing job at combating painful skin irritations!

Prescriptives' Retail Counters are Closing Globally!

Its true, Prescriptives has released a statement declaring the news of its permanent closure on January 31, 2010.  As a division of Estee Lauder, Prescriptives’ suffering sales have driven the company to “restructure.”  However, the rest of stock is being sold online while supplies last.  Unfortunately for me, the only foundation I have used for last 8 years is disappearing!  I instinctually purchased one last bottle over the weekend, just to delay my state of panic.  I will keep you posted on my quest for a solution.  

Replacing my Prescriptives Brand Foundation is going to be quite a feat!

**Prescriptives has established a toll free number (1-877-819-2968) for customers with any questions or concerns.  They will even assist you in finding new (equal in quality) brands.

Pros:

• This product stays on your face (you don’t have to worry about smudging your look on clothes).
• Versatile – You can “build-up” in darkness of tan with repeated application.
• Safe for sensitive skin.

Cons:

• Expensive: Approximately $30.00 and a container lasts about 6 months.

On the rare occasion that I might sleep out, one fact can be sure: I will return home looking outrageous.  The first to suffer is always my eyeliner, which has a nasty habit of smearing and transforming me into some savage-looking raccoon by dawn.  A potentially romantic morning can easily turn into a classic “walk of shame” by such a messy face; revealing the nasty secret of just how much makeup I wore last night.  With the help of Make Up For Ever: Aqua eyes, these days I don’t come home looking good… but at least I can avoid an eye-disaster.

Save Yourself, Ladies!

Pros:

• Extensive selection of colors, ranging from neon yellow to a sparkly version of black.
• “Generic” to Sephora, so it is affordable ($17.00) and will last you from summer to winter.
• Advertised as a two-in-one eyeshadow and liner pencil, this means it glides on smoothly.
• Doesn’t irritate sensitive eyes (safe for contact wearers).
• Waterproof 
• Sephora has an amazing return policy: within 60 days of purchase, they offer a full refund for all used and unsatisfying products.

Cons:

• Must use eye-makeup remover to take it off – I suggest Clinique: Take The Day Off.

Does the brand of contact solution really matter?  Everyone in my home uses something different; we have my roommate (the bargain-hunter) who always insists on ReNu (and leaves the bottle open) and then myself, who strictly abides with Alcon’s Opti-free.  I have “contact issues” which reflect in my previous posts, so I find a sort of comfort in “high-quality” solution.  But every time I hound the Optometrist for inside-news, they look at me with a puzzled expression, “It’s how you take care of them, not what you use.”  I suppose this refers to the type of solution: multipurpose and no-rub.  Except you’re supposed to actually rub the “no-rub” for at least 10 seconds (read the small print, kids).  These uninformative answers suggest that the perfect contact solution must be found through trial and error, so I did a little research on the brands we keep around.

ReNu is a multi-purpose, no rub solution that cleans contact lenses daily.  It isn’t fancy, contains basic chemicals that are in generic brands, and my roommate loves it.  It is manufactured in the USA, while Alcon doesn’t disclose its location other than the label being printed in Texas.

Pros:

• Contains Hydranate®, an ingredient that removes protein deposits, suggesting that you mustn’t rub your contacts.
• Provides safe lens-storage for up to a month.
• Contains Hydroxyalkyl-Phosphonate as a main cleaning agent, which is said to be “safer” than many other chemicals in solutions.
• Cheaper than Alcon, it comes in a pack of two for $16.99

Cons:

• Directions claim that you have to rub your contact “for 20 seconds.”
• The packaging is subpar to Alcon.

For more information, check out eHow’s guide to selecting contact solution.

Sounds fancy, right?  This multi-purpose formula is supposed to “remove daily protein debris,” without rubbing, except that you actually do have to rub.  Every time I drop $18.29 on two bottles, I tell myself, “Look at all these titles, this has got to be quality!”  Except that every review tends to suggest complacency, rather than a supreme lens-care system.

Pros:

• Alcon’s guarantee – a full refund is given if the consumer is unhappy for any reason.
• A bottle lasts me 2 months, and bottles are sold in packages of 2.
• Easier to use than a hydrogen peroxide system.
• Provides lasting comfort by containing Polyquad® a preservative that offers disinfecting benefits.

Cons:

• Misleading directions – “No Rub” actually means (according to every eye care professional…) RUB!!
• Polyquad® has the potential to “dye your cornea,” although I have never experienced problems, and I have light-colored eyes.
• Expensive

The team at Cosmetic Alchemy produced LiLash before they came out with LiBrow.  I am sure the components of the liquid are similar, if not exactly the same – although they don’t give that information.  These “purified stimulators” seem to be popping up everywhere, we see Latisse commercials on television every hour: this site is dedicated to discerning the phenomena.  I must admit, I have incredibly thin eyebrows and was curious to try LiBrow.  It was freaking expensive: a whopping $139.97 to receive the 90-day money back guarantee.  But it does work, for as long as you’re using it.  This stimulator promotes new hair growth, and stains the existing hair to be more noticeable.  Be careful with LiLash though, even in the Latisse commercial there’s a warning about a side-effect of permanent eye-color change.  I don’t know about you, but if I accidentally dyed my green eyes to be brown forever, I would be totally weirded out.  

Pros: 

• It does indeed work.

Cons:

• I wouldn’t buy this product again, although it did work.  I just don’t have it in me to apply the delicate little brush to my eyebrows every day.  And that defeats the whole purpose, because the product requires repeated use.
• I would never purchase LiLash or Latisse, unless I had brown eyes already.
• Incredibly expensive, this figures out to be approximately $4.00 a day for as long as it works.  A tube lasts about 5 months, although mine has lasted me longer.
• Cosmetic Alchemy is quiet about their ingredients, the website appears to be all advertising.  Apparently the solution contains chemicals used to treat glaucoma, as a indirect result it promotes hair growth… weird.  Check out New York Times article regarding this!

     Armpit stains are an unpleasant issue to deal with.  The horrors of pit dampness can be embarrassing and uncomfortable – whether you feel like a clam bucket or you’re actually just really hot and sweating profusely: sweat sucks.  I know that I don’t sweat more than the average person, but I still use Secret Clinical Strength.  My mom keeps freaking out the dangers of  Aluminum Zirconium Trichlorohydrex GLY.  “You’ll get breast cancer – all those toxins are building up in the tissue under your arms!”  But what am I going to do, live a sweaty existence?  I did a little research, and sorry Mom – breast cancer isn’t as likely as neurotoxicity!  Like what?  I can’t believe these are my options.  Especially because us girls tend to shave our armpits, opening up delicious raw skin to bask in this chemical.

Ingredients:  Aluminum Zirconium Tetrachlorohydrex Gly (20%), Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Tribehenin, Peterolatum, Cyclodextrin, C18 36 Acid Triglyceride, Fragrance, PPG 14 Butyl Ether.

Pros:

• Works, kind of.  This definitely offers more dryness than regular deodorant, but I wouldn’t say I am pit-stain free.
• Pleasant scent (I suggest Light and Fresh, because Marathon Fresh actually smells like cheap cologne).

Cons:

• Contains a fairly high dosage of chemicals to be using in a sensitive place everyday.
• You must get used to a new routine with this product, the directions suggest that you use it at night before you go to sleep – don’t mess around if it isn’t totally dried you can risk discoloring your shirt.

      My ex-boyfriend used to be the worst backscratcher ever, leaving me to find another alternative (and eventually, another relationship).  This bath brush gets the job done and cleans me at the same time; I just squeeze a little Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap on the nicely sized brush and I get a rich lather on contact.  The handle is long enough to let me reach areas in the middle of my back, it also has a hemp string on the end that allows you to hang the product in the shower.  This brush allows me to confidently show the clean, smooth skin on my back.

Pros:

• EcoTools donates to environmental organizations.
• The bristles on this brush aren’t too rough on my sensitive skin, they lightly scrub.  The construction of the brush is solid, allowing me to scrub as hard as i like.
• The bamboo handle is eco-friendly.
• The brush is affordable: approximately $5.99

Cons:

• There isn’t any way to clean this product, soap scum will eventually build up on the brush and I will have to replace it.