Stress and the Skin

Stress is a part of modern life. Many of us have way more stress than we can ever manage effectively with our busy and hectic schedules especially when you throw in inconsistent exercise and poor eating habits.

Ironically, most women I encounter (myself included) choose high-stress times to try new skincare products with mixed results. When you are feeling overwhelmed and it is showing up on your complexion it is tempting to race to the nearest store and find that magic potion that will make it all go away. Shopping can be soothing and the excitement and hope a new product can bring can really distract you from your problems.

The problem with trying new products during times of high stress (both emotionally and physically) is that your body and skin can react to them in ways that they normally would not-- causing you to discontinue using a brand or product that may work quite well for you.

What can you do? Strive to live in balance--view topical skincare as only one small part in an overall self-care package. Navigate stressful times by exercising more, relaxing more, making sure to participate in activities that make you feel calm and happy, drink more water and simplify your skincare routine.

Use a gentle cleanser and step up your exfoliation with a product containing mild enzymes. If you do try new products add one at a time to your regimen and buy a starter kit with trial sizes (about a month's supply is ideal) whenever possible. It's hard to tell if something is right from you after only using it once or twice.

Once when I was pregnant I tried a new deodorant and it gave me the worst rash. Itchy, bumpy and really ugly. I put the product aside and forgot about it. After I gave birth and my body had begun to get back to normal I found the deodorant in my cabinet and decided to give it another shot. I did and it was fine. I have never had another problem with it in the three years since.

Another time I was going through some high-stress times and not taking very good care of myself. I decided to try a pillow pack sample of a moisturizer I had received at Whole Foods. Soon after I applied it I felt that familiar itchy tingle along my jawline and all over my lower face--even on my hands. I decided that this brand was not for me. Luckily I changed my mind a few months later and gave it another shot: it is now one of my favorite brands and I have not had another problem with it. In fact, this same line has cleared up a lot of my skin care issues.

The point is: good skin comes from many factors only one of which is your topical skin care. Managing stress and diet are also key factors in maintaining a bright and healthy complexion.

And if you are out of whack and craving satisfaction...rush to your favorite personal care store and buy a lipstick!

Duchess Marden Damascena Creme Cleanser

I briefly touched on the Duchess Marden Damascena Creme Cleanser in an earlier post but I wanted to dedicate an entire post to this delicious product.

I've been using it for several weeks and really, really enjoy it. I use it to remove my makeup in the evening ( after first massaging with jojoba oil to break down all the grime from my day) and in the morning on days when I don't exfoliate.

The creme cleanser has the texture of melted vanilla ice cream: soft and creamy and not too thick or heavy and no matter how tired I am I always find myself deeply inhaling at the first whiff of the elegant rose aroma.

I also love all the many emotional benefits that are to be found by using products containing high-quality damascena rose oil, especially for women:

(from www.organicfacts.net)
Rose Oil boosts self esteem, confidence, hope and mental strength and efficiently fights depression. This can be very helpful to drive away depression from those who are suffering from depression due to any reason. This also relieves anxiety. Being an anti depressant, patients of acute depression or who are undergoing rehabilitation can be given routine and regular doses of this essential oil to bring hope in their lives. This oil is widely used in aromatherapy and invokes positive thoughts, spiritualism and feelings of joy, happiness and hope.

Food for Thought

*From the AOMA newsletter:

Foods for Skin Health:
What you put on your plate can be more important than what you put on your skin:

Carrots and Sweet Potatoes - Healthy skin is directly dependent on the amount of vitamin A in our diet. Vitamin A acts as an antioxidant to neutralize harmful elements in our skin, helping to prevent wrinkles, resist infection and maintain the skin's elasticity. One of the best places to get Vitamin A is vegetables that are deep orange in color.

Blackberries, Blueberries, Strawberries, and Plums - In a study recently published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, these four fruits weighed in with the highest "total antioxidant capacity" of any food. The antioxidants and other phytochemicals in these fruits can protect the cell from damage and disintegration, thus guarding against premature aging.

Salmon, Walnuts, Canola Oil, and Flax Seed - Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are responsible for skin repair, moisture content, and overall flexibility, but because the body cannot produce its own EFAs, they must be obtained through the diet. Fish, walnuts, and flax seed oil are among the best sources for omega 3 fatty acid.

Olive Oil - Olive oil contains more than essential fatty acids. Eating good-quality olive oil helps keep skin lubricated and keeps it looking and feeling healthier overall.

Whole Wheat Bread, Brown Rice, Turkey, Tuna and Brazil Nuts - Selenium is an antioxidant mineral responsible for tissue elasticity and healthy skin. It may play an important role in preventing skin cancer, as some recent studies are showing that skin damaged by the sun may suffer fewer consequences if selenium levels are high.

Green Tea - Green tea's ability to slow down the development of some signs of aging is attributed to its high levels of polyphenols, which have been well-documented for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Green tea also may help prevent or reduce the risk of skin cancer according to a study published recently in the Archives of Dermatology, which shows that whether taken orally or applied to the skin, green tea can reduce the risk of damage from ultraviolet light and thus reduce the risk of skin cancer.

Water - Hydration plays a key role in keeping skin cells healthy. It is essential to maintaining your skin's elasticity and suppleness. Keeping cells hydrated helps cells move nutrients in and toxins out, which helps keep skin clean and clear.

Source: www.acufinder.com

Fall Lip Pick!

As the weather cools off, inevitably the lip colors deepen. My very favorite for this season is the brand-new Dr. Hauschka #3 Decoratives lip color. It comes in a beautiful and modern square compact and provides a gorgeous sheer blackberry stain on the lips.

From the Dr. Hauschka website:

Lip Colors 01-04

Four new lip colors in shimmering, semi-transparent tones that can be applied by brush or finger. Mineral pigments are fused with healing waxes and oils to soothe and protect lips.

• Creamy consistency for easy application
• Extracts of anthyllis, carrot and rose hip keep lips moist and nourished
• Rose and Jojoba waxes soften and protect
• Colors from nature highlight your natural tones
• Natural mineral pigment tin oxide provides a silvery shimmer

Ingredients:

Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Rosa Canina (Rose Hip) Fruit Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Lanolin, Beeswax/Cera Flava, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Root Extract, Argania Spinosa (Argan) Kernel Oil, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Mica, Silica, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Rosa Damascena (Rose) Extract, Anthyllis Vulneraria Extract, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Hydrogenated Jojoba Oil (Jojoba Wax), Rosa Damascena (Rose) Flower Wax, Fragrance/Parfum (Essential Oil), Linalool, Benzyl Benzoate, Farnesol, Limonene, Geraniol, Benzyl Salicylate, Eugenol, Lecithin, Maltodextrin, Tin Oxide, Carmine/CI 75470, Iron Oxides, Titanium Dioxide/CI 77891

Martha!

Martha Stewart is having a contest at her blog: simply leave a comment with a link to your blog and then link back to her blog on yours and she will choose several winners to feature. There are a lot of applicants, but you should enter too!

Fall is in the Air!

I usually re-evaluate my skincare regimen at the beginning of each season. I am so excited for Fall to finally be arriving but even more excited about a new product I've been using: Duchess Marden Damascena Enzyme Exfoliant. It is a pumpkin-based exfoliant that also contains jojoba wax beads. So it exfoliates both chemically and manually.

I didn't set out to change my entire skincare routine, but that's what happened. I began using the exfoliant a few weeks ago and now use it three times a week. I wasn't expecting it to be anything other than a decent way to slough off a few dead skin cells. Well, what happened to my skin was much more dramatic.

Since I was a teenager I've struggled with congested skin: my cheeks get bumpy and clogged and hard to extract. My skin doesn't do a good job of sloughing it's own dead cells and add to that poor beauty habits (picking at and/or touching my face too much, neglecting to wash it twice a day, not rotating pillow cases often enough, not cleaning my phones enough, etc.) and you have a complexion nightmare.

Anyway, I continued with my lazy skin habits (sometimes I am religious about my skincare and stick to it like glue, but during the dog days of summer I tend to let all things except sunscreen slide) but simply added this exfoliant to the mix. The other day I went to absentmindedly pick at a dry patch of skin and realized...there weren't any to pick. I grabbed a mirror (magnifying no less) and examined my pores: no congestion to be found.

Yesterday I decided to put on makeup (before kids I never went a day without it, now it's maybe once a week or if I have somewhere special to go) and just stood there holding my concealer: I couldn't find anywhere to put it aside from under my eyes.

Today I put on eyeshadow, blush and lipstick and finished with a bit of translucent powder: no foundation. Usually I can't do this, but I took a picture of myself after makeup and realized my skin looked great. Not my makeup, but my SKIN. Clear and even-toned. And--I'm on my period.

I am now alternating between the enzyme exfoliant and the creme' facial cleanser (a really lovely creamy cleanser that is just the right consistency: not too thick) plus using the rose water several times a day. (to freshen up and hydrate, after cleansing, to set my makeup) At night I skip moisturizer but pat a few drops of the anti-wrinkle serum onto my skin before bed. It absorbs immediately and leaves my skin feeling soft and dewy.

But like I said, before I was trying the other products just the exfoliant alone completely transformed my skin. Love, love love it.

Ingredients:

Water, helianthus annus (sunflower) seed oil, lactobacillus/curbubita pepo (pumpkin) fruit ferment, jojoba beads, cetearyl alcohol and cetearyl glucoside, sodium lauryl glucose carboxylate and lauryl glucoside, cetearyl olivate and sorbitan olivate, aloe vera gel, candeia, rosa damascena (rose) oil, pelagrgonium graveolens (geranium) oil, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) extract, xanthan, dehydroacetic acid and benzyl alcohol

Weird Product Alert: Play-Doh Is Not For Lovers!

When I was at Whole Foods last night with S I spied this perfume on the shelf with all their other Demeter Fragrances. I couldn't believe it.

"Play-Doh?? Yuck!" I said as I sprayed it all over myself. The Demeter version seemed slightly more almond-y than Play-Doh but all the familiar Play-Doh scent components were there.

I went to find S who was browsing in another part of the store and thrust my wrist out for him to smell. He wrinkled his nose and pushed my arm away.

But...I can't stop thinking about it. It was soothing and I found it amusing. With small kids around the smell of Play-Doh is always in the air...or it would be if I allowed it into the house. The boys eat too many of their art supplies for me to think Play-Doh is a good idea.

But we were recently at a friend's house and the boys grabbed an kneaded the "doh" immediately. It is a classic childhood favorite. And I will at some point let them play with it.

I am such a scent-oriented person. Smells instantly transport me back to another time and place regardless of how long it's been since I was physically there.

I didn't buy the chocolate discs (there just wasn't enough of them in the package to justify the price, I felt like I would have to buy two packages to make one batch of cookies and I just couldn't do it) so I still have my gift card. I will be there in about a week and a half so if I'm still thinking about it, I may just treat myself.

I know I said I had already found my summer fragrance but unfortunately as much as I love everything about that one, it doesn't seem to wear well on me. I find myself catching little whiffs and wondering what it is, but not in a good way.

Ok, I just went and grabbed the shirt I was wearing last night to see if there was any of the perfume lingering on it...there is and it smells even better today. Am I losing my mind??? Does this mean I spend entirely too much time with three year olds? Yes, my sweet boys will be three in less than SIX DAYS!!!!!

Happy Birthday, Play-Doh!

(From the Demeter website:)

Demeter has bottled that fresh, just-out-of-the-can, “eau de PLAY-DOH” aroma as part of a year-long celebration of the beloved modeling compound’s 50th birthday. The 1-ounce, spray bottle fragrance is meant for ‘highly-creative people, who seek a whimsical scent reminiscent of their childhood.’

“One of PLAY-DOH compound’s most notable characteristics is its scent,” said Leigh Anne Cappello, vice president of marketing for the PLAY-DOH brand. “When you open a can of PLAY-DOH compound, you are instantly transported back to childhood. What better way to celebrate the 50th birthday than by bottling the scent for adults everywhere to enjoy as a reminder of their youth.”

PLAY-DOH® brand modeling compound was invented in 1956 at Rainbow Crafts, a Cincinnati-based cleaning company. Scientists there were trying to develop wallpaper cleaner when they discovered the now iconic children’s toy. Realizing the compound’s play potential, the company introduced it at the American International Toy Fair in New York City in 1956. PLAY-DOH compound was first available only in one color and size, an off-white, 1.5 pound can. Now, a half a century later, kids can explore their imaginations and express their creativity with up to 50 colors. The formula for PLAY-DOH compound still remains a closely-guarded secret to this day.

Are Demeter Products “Natural”?

We subscribe to a philosophy that says our products should be as natural and as sustainable as possible. That means:

• No secondary packaging that you rip apart and then throw out
• No artificial colors
• No binders
• No emulsifiers

Regarding essential oils, the percentage varies by scent between natural and artificial ingredients, with a bias towards using the highest degree of natural ingredients possible. For certain things, however, like Vinyl, for example, no natural ingredients are even available. Our experience is that the binders, emulsifiers, and colorants seem to lead to far more negative reactions than the oils themselves. We believe this is for two reasons (but please, this is our unsubstantiated opinion, not proven scientific fact):

• The “palette” of materials we use to make a fragrance is very much tried and tested. Most of those that are prone to create allergic or negative reactions have already been screened out, or exist in such small amounts, they are not highly reactive
• With over 200 different scent formulations, we very rarely hear of negative reactions. The common factor among all our different scents is in what they lack – the colorants, emulsifiers, and binders. Consequently, we draw the conclusion that those are the culprits.

None, of which, unfortunately, guarantees you, as an individual, will not have a reaction to a particular scent.