Hot Weather Survival Tips

Here in Texas we are careening towards summer at a breakneck pace. We normally have a two to four week period between seasons where it is in the 80's and gorgeous. We skipped right over that and have been in the 90's now for weeks.

That means that my skincare normal skincare routine flew straight out the window. Luckily I have some emergency products in my arsenal that have kept my skin from freaking out too badly in response.

Here are a few tips and my current faves.

Modifying My Regimen:

During the cooler months I love the full-on Hauschka ritual complete with twice-daily warm compresses. This time of year I cringe at the thought of having anything warm come near me (aside from my morning tea. )

Luckily, the Dr. Hauschka lemon bath is there to step in where my Spruce and Lavender baths left off. A cool lemon compress after a day outdoors is absolutely dreamy. Simply dip a Dr. Hauschka biodynamic cotton compress or a cotton wash cloth or diaper in a basin filled with cool water, squeeze out the excess and press onto clean skin. The point of the warm compress is to soften dead skin cells and relax pores, but if you are in warm and/or humid weather that will do the trick instead.

It feels even better if you refrigerate your Cleansing Milk and Facial Toner and cleanse as usual beforehand. The antiseptic properties of lemon also help keep breakout-causing bacteria in check.

Any mask you may use, especially a gel or cream-based mask feels great when refrigerated, especially if you have a sunburn (just spot-test first to make sure there are no acidic ingredients that may irritate sun-sensitized skin)

Toner is the usual refrigerated skincare product, and you can also make your own skin refresher using distilled water and essential oils in a non-plastic bottle. Aluminum chills nicely, so I have a few on hand to make my own aromatherapy face and body splash. (lavender -peppermint is a favorite combination of mine)

Accepting Nature:

2. I have oily skin (I am just now admitting that to myself! Hi! I'm Jennifer and I have OILY SKIN!!) and love the beautiful semi-mostly-matte finish that my Glominerals pressed powder foundation usually provides. However, during this time of year I embrace the sweaty dewy look instead. It is much less of a hassle and looks much more beautiful and natural in the bright sunlight. Powder touch-ups + sweaty skin = cakey mess.

The best way to do this is to use a tinted moisturizer. If you need more coverage than this provides, you can additionally use a thick, creamy concealer on any blemishes, hyperpigmentation or redness you may want to tone down. (apply after you apply your tinted moisturizer) I also love this sheer foundation which is one step up from tinted moisturizer and doesn't feel heavy at all.

It's important that it is thick and slightly sticky to provide staying power in the hot sun and I like to apply with a brush. The fingers will melt the concealer slightly due to body heat and therefore it will be a bit thinner and not stand up well to sun exposure.

Start at the center of the area needing to be covered and concentrate the product there, blending outward in short, feathery strokes. Blend the edges until they disappear into the surrounding skin and leave the middle well-covered. You can finish with a tiny bit of translucent powder applied with a small brush. The idea is to not apply powder all over the face, so you would just use it to set the concealer. I only do this on major breakouts that I want to minimize and leave the redness around my nose, etc. to fend for itself.

If you are using a tinted moisturizer with SPF you will need to do one of two things. Either apply a thin layer of a non-SPF moisturizer underneath or apply two thin layers of tinted moisturizer with SPF. The reason for this is that a moisturizer needs to be able to penetrate the skin while the SPF needs to sit on top of the skin to protect from the sun. If your skin is dry it will absorb the moisturizer leaving your skin less protected from UV rays. I love using the Juice Beauty oil-free moisturizer underneath either the Juice Beauty Light Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30 or the Dr. Hauschka SPF 30 for Children and Sensitive Skin mixed with a) Translucent Bronze Concentrate on good skin days or b) Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer on not-so-good skin days.

Controlling Excess Oil

I have the unfortunate problem of a combination of active sebaceous glands along with a dry, dehydrated epidermis that refuses to slough itself off properly. This has led me in the past to believe that I had dry skin. I actually have oil-rich, water-dry skin.

If you're still following me, this means that I should drink LOTS of water, especially in hot weather, take an EFA supplement daily and exfoliate regularly. A manual exfoliant doesn't really provide a uniform finish on my skin so I need to use a mild chemical exfoliant instead.

I am IN LOVE with the Nude Skincare Miracle Mask. I have tried EVERYTHING to help combat the milia that form inside my skin when I do not exfoliate often enough. The very first time I used this mask I got such incredible results. If I use it weekly my skin is much brighter and smoother. It was due to this mask that I could actually experience the oil level of my skin. It turns out I was quite oily underneath that layer of sandpaper skin!

Which leads me to my next "miracle" product, the Dr. Hauschka Normalizing Day Oil. If I use a few drops of this after toning my oil level is regulated within a day or two. Once it is balanced I can switch back to a light moisturizer underneath my sunscreen.

Finishing Touches:

I love makeup so much, but this time of year it is easy to overdo it when applying the same amount you would use during the winter. The sun is bright and will unattractively highlight a heavy-handed makeup application.

Once your (very few!) flaws are concealed and your skin is protected from the sun all you need is a touch of color. That is where you Sun Goddesses would sweep on a bit of bronzer. I am fair-skinned and turn as pink as a little piglet in the sun so bronzer just makes me look dirty and unnatural.

Instead I use a bit of bright pink cream blush on the apples only, well-blended and a touch of highlighter along the cheekbones and slightly up the temple and on the inner corners of the eyes.
Shimmery nude or matte taupe eyeshadow, a smudge of brown liner and a coat of mascara finishes the breezy, summery look I'm after.

The Dr. Hauschka Blue Mascara is one of my favorites. It really makes my brown eyes stand out. This is not Diorshow, however so if applied heavily it WILL smudge and run. Applied with a light touch, though it stays on great all day.

If I want more dramatic lashes during steamy weather, I need one of the "Japanese tubing technology" mascaras. These surround each lash with a plastic-polymer formula and stay on until you apply both water and pressure. This means it will stay on if you go swimming UNLESS you also rub your eyes afterwards.

This one has always been my favorite brand, I've used it for about five years. The Kevyn Aucoin mascara is almost identical. It's important to point out that this is not a natural product. However, I do use it for it's superb performance during the allergy season and throughout hot, humid weather.

I hope this helps you beat the heat beautifully!

Remember: stay protected and stay hydrated!

Cream Blush

I love cream blush. Some find it to not be very long-lasting and it may not work well with very oily skin, but my skin is usually combination and it looks great and lasts all day. I normally wear powder foundation so I try to avoid piling on too many layers of powder. It catches and accentuates dry patches and tends to look too artificial. Every time I wear cream blush, especially when I add a highlighter (I'll write a post about my favorites next) I ALWAYS get compliments on my skin, even if I'm having a few skin issues at the time. Cream blush makes the cheekbones pop and the complexion come alive and for those of you who are hesitant to use blush, the fact that it blends so easily makes it almost fool-proof. It can be set with a finishing powder for an all-day matte finish or left alone for a dewier look.

SukiColor Pure Cream Stain in Nectar:

A natural, innocent pink that's great for most skin tones. Gives a soft, natural, healthy flush. Double as a lip stain. Downside: A bit sticky. $36.50 (Not suitable for vegans due to carmine and beeswax)

Ingredients:

organic sunflower seed oil, castor seed oil, non-gmo corn starch, candelilla wax, shea butter, beeswax, kaolin, organic rose hip seed oil, cetearyl alcohol, organic jojoba seed oil, carnauba wax, pure rose wax, organic mixed tocopherols, chamomile extract, tea tree leaf oil, fragrance (made only from pure, steam-distilled essential oils) [may contain: mica, titanium dioxide, iron oxides, carmine]

Mychelle Blush Stick in Berry:

Rich, matte finish packed with antioxidants. Berry is a deep, romantic pink great for most skin tones.
$20.86

Ingredients of interest:

Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil: quckly penetrates the skin; powerful antioxidant; rich in flavonoids; inhibits allergic reactions; protects the skin's own collagen, elastin, & hyaluronic acid.
Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil: antioxidant and skin brightener; a deeply penetrating light oil which gives skin a beautiful texture and glow; helps reduce appearance of wrinkles, spots, freckles, and acne.
Silica: helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and controls sebum for a smooth matte finish.
Silk Powder: high in skin nourishing proteins and amino acids, silk powder also gives a beautiful surface finish to the skin.

Ingredients:

Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Cera Alba (Beeswax), Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil, Silica, Silk (Powder), Prunus Persica (Peach) Extract, Psidium Guajava (Guava) Extract, Passiflora Edulis (Passionfruit) Extract, Tocopherol (Natural Vitamin E), Lauroyl Lysine, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil and Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Seed Extract, [+/-: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, 77492, 77499), Mica (CI 77019), Manganese Violet (CI 77742)]

*Eco-cert organic

GloMinerals gloCream Blush in Plumeria:

This color looks ridiculously bright in the compact, but it's actually a perfect punch of color that's fantastic during the Spring and Summer months.

Downside: The ingredients could be much cleaner than they are.
$25.00

Ingredients:

Isopropyl Palmitate, Phenyl Trimethicone, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Nylon-12, Silica, Kaolin, Microcrystalline Wax, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Retinyl Palmitate, Phytonadione, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extracts, Dimethicone, BHT, Vegetable Oil, Propylparaben

Be on the lookout!

Mychelle is well-known for their cutting edge dermaceutical line of skincare but now they are branching out with a line of cream-based mineral makeup. They will have a cream foundation, concealer, blush, eyeshadow and peptide-based lip colors and will be out in stores sometime next month.
They were debuted at a recent trade show in Anaheim, to enthusiastic response.
"This will revolutionize mineral makeup" said one show attendee.
I can't wait to try them, as a mineral makeup junkie I have tried every product I could get my hands on. I especially love cream products for cheeks and the careful formulations are safe even for oilier skin conditions.
The Mychelle website store is temporarily closed while they launch new packaging and updated formulations which include more organic ingredients.
I can't wait to see the new and improved Mychelle, complete with cosmetics!

MyChelle 20% Off Sale!

MyChelle Dermaceuticals is having an "Old Packaging Blowout" sale: 20% off while supplies last.
I have always loved MyChelle products, but let's be honest-- the packaging isn't the most exciting.
I do like that they spend their money on amazing ingredients instead of slick advertising and luxe packaging, but I have always felt that the packaging should stand out more on the shelves to attract more interest.
I am excited to see what Myra has come up with!

Physicians Formula Organic Wear Concealer Review

I have finally tried the Physicians Formula Organic wear line.
After some consideration I finally decided on the pressed powder and the concealer.
I wanted to get the light color, but all they had in stock was soft yellow and soft green. Yellow-toned anything looks terrible on my pink skin so I went with green. I have always avoided colored concealers, writing them off as too gimmicky.
But the soft green looks just like a soothing cream I used to use when I was doing salon work. It contained kaolin clay which has a green tint and covered redness amazingly well. I don't know if that was necessarily what it was intended for, but it was a pleasant side effect. People tend to get really concerned when they see (even normal) post-waxing redness and it takes away from the effect of the finished brow, so I really loved that product. (whose name I can not for the life of me remember.)
When I took the concealer out of the package I noticed that the bullet extended above the top of the case. It didn't retract any further into the tube. That was slightly annoying to me and became even more so when, the first time I tried it, the top 1/2" broke off. I wrote it off as a bad batch, put the nub in a sample cup and applied it with a brush and blended with a sponge. It removed all traces of redness from my skin, which is amazing since I have so much pinkness to my skin tone. I was very impressed. The texture was incredible, smooth and easy to blend. The problem was, it turned my skin from ruddy to a gray corpse-like tone. So it has to be followed by a product with color. I used the Organic Wear Pressed Powder (that I will write a separate entry for) and in my bathroom it looked beautiful. I did not notice any offensive odor, like some reviews have mentioned.
I took my mirror outside and it was a mess. Very cakey and artificial-looking and it settled into every place I would have rather it not.
I'm not giving up hope on this concealer, though. I am going to exchange the one I bought today and hope I just got a bad one. I may skip the green and get the light if they have it back in stock or I will experiment with using my little broken nub with a tinted moisturizer or liquid foundation. I think the light concealer would be amazing when paired with a translucent powder, I'll keep you posted!

*Photos: Top, the products I used in this experiment, photo 1 me before, photo 2 and 3 me with just concealer, photo 4 and 5 me after.

Demolicious

Mychelle demo at Whole Foods Market Lamar

Right now my job consists of doing demos and events for the reps of Mychelle Dermaceuticals and Dr. Hauschka skincare. It's fun and flexible and has been a good way for me to get my feet wet and make contacts at the local natural foods stores.
Demos are great for me because I love merchandising. A big part of the fun for me is setting up and creating a display to work from. The challenge is getting people interested in what I am doing there.
I did one demo and one event for Dr. Hauschka this month. Once people hear that I am a DH certified esthetician they are excited to talk to me, which is great. At the event I just did, a Day of Beauty at the Whole Foods flagship store I was fully booked and did two Decoratives makeovers and ten skincare consultations. What shocks me is that even longtime users of the line are usually using it slightly incorrectly. Maybe using the wrong moisturizer or not knowing about compressing. I love being able to educate them about the nuances of the line so they can get even better results.


Dr. Hauschka Day of Beauty, Whole Foods
Market Lamar