Aug 25, 2013

Thank You Notes…

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For hundreds of years, people have been writing thank you notes for all kinds of reasons: gifts received, dinners cooked, donations made, etc.  Etiquette rules state that it is simply the right thing to do. I agree, so today I’m taking the time to thank some of my very favorite products for making my daily life just a wee bit better. (This being a blog, the online thank you is the only option I have. Having said that, the emailed thank you note simply does not cut it, a hand written card sent via snail mail is always your best bet…but that is another blog altogether).

Let us begin…

#1.  Thank you Origins, for making Vita-Zing an SPF 15 sunscreen that not only protects your face from the suns damaging rays, but also smoothes out your skin so you look like you’ve slept well the night before. This is my go to city sunscreen whether I’m biking on a hot summer day or traveling throughout Europe. A pea sized dot is all you need to cover your face and go. No other makeup is required, you’re protected and your skin looks great.  For $35 it’s ama-zing!

Vita zing#2.  Thank you, Trish McEvoy for your Flawless Lip Primer.  This product goes on before your lipstick or gloss and it conditions, fills in and smoothes out the texture of your lips so that your lip color lasts and lasts.  This item is colorless so it doesn’t alter the actual color of your lipstick, nor is it concealer-like in texture like some other lip primer products.  Your lips just feel and look great.

flawless lip primer

 

#3.  Thank you Fresh twice, for giving us Umbrian clay.  Umbrian Clay Mattifying Mask ($48) and Umbrian Clay Purifying Treatment Bar ($38) are two of my very favorite things to help detoxify my skin. The first of these two products is actually a 3 in 1, not only is it a mask, it can be used as a cleanser and a spot treatment for zits. It’s best for normal to oily skin and has all natural ingredients like chamomile and lavender (to soothe the skin), sandalwood oil (which has astringent properties) and Umbrian clay from Italy which is what detoxifies your skin. If that doesn’t impress the nature lovers out there, the Treatment Bar should knock your socks off (or your zits off,  we are talking complexions here). The bar can also be used as a mask as well as a cleanser, but it’s ingredients are simple: Umbrian Clay! That’s it! That’s all! How’s that for simplicity?

umbrian clay mask

 

umbrian clay bar

#4.  Most importantly, thank you readers of TRUTHisBEAUT-E for sticking with me during my first year of blogging! I love doing it and I love hearing all of your feedback. Here’s to another year of clean skin,  clear complexions and more blogs of course…

xo Elisa

 

 

 

 

 

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Mar 16, 2013

The Picture of Dorian Gray…

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Oscar Wilde was on to something.  In theory, this is a brilliant concept, a portrait aging in a closet while the subject’s youth remains intact.  In practice however it’s not really something that’s going to happen anytime soon.  Of course if you think that it is something remotely plausible, anti-aging is the least of your worries…

Cut to today’s hot topic, you got it…anti aging!  Origin’s Plantscription line of skin care. Yes, I am talking about the entire line from Cleanser to Serum to Moisturizer and that includes eyes and face.  I have yet to endorse a full line from any company but I have to tell you I use it all and I love the results I’m seeing.

To start with, the cleanser is incredibly gentle and doesn’t dry out your skin.  It also doesn’t leave behind a sticky film like some cleansers do.  That super dry feeling we often associate with clean skin is in fact what is speeding up the aging process.  Your skin shouldn’t be stripped of moisture, it should be hydrated so that your skin looks supple and well, more youthful.  Think of your face like a sponge, when it is devoid of water it’s hard and rough but saturated in water and suddenly the same sponge is softer and plumper, like good skin should be.

Now for the big guns, the Serum and Moisturizer with SPF 25 protection (which comes in an oil free version by the way).  Serum works in tandem with your moisturizer, essentially serum preps the skin to allow the moisturizer to really do it’s thing.  This one happens to protect your skin from further environmental damage (harmful UV rays) and improve your skins firmness.

In my life I’ve laughed, I’ve cried and I’ve earned every line on my face.  Every tear and giggle has made me who I am today, and I am grateful for all of it (well the laughter at least) but that doesn’t mean I can’t strive to have the healthiest skin possible.

So say goodbye to dry sponges and hello to anti-aging amazement!

Enjoy…xo Elisa

plantscription

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Feb 10, 2013

VD

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It’s everywhere you look these days.  It’s overtaken the malls, your favorite stores even the pharmacies aren’t safe anymore.  It has me seeing red.  Valentines Day, whether you have a significant other or not it seems everyone feels the stresses and pressures of this holiday.  It’s like Christmas in February.

Today’s blog has a simple message, be your own Valentine.  We all know that before you can be truly good to someone else, you have to be good to yourself (hey Journey sang about it so it MUST be true).  So this Valentines day I am suggesting that you do something nice for you. Here is my list of VD inspired things you can give to yourself to perk up your mood (all for under $50)…

1. This time of year everyone’s skin can get dry and cracked, yet we all seem to ignore our hands, which is why my first suggestion is Aerin Rose Hand and Body Cream.  I love this stuff, I keep one near my bed and one in my purse.  Not only is it beautifully packaged, it smells amazing and keeps my hands soft and moisturized all year round.  Available online at esteelauder.com for $40 ($45 in Canada) and at most Estee Lauder counters.

Aerin Rose Hand Cream

2.  Everybody needs a good gloss and at $16 Origins Liquid Lip Shimmer in Hula Girl is the gloss for me!  It is the quintessential pink lip gloss. It goes on smooth, no sticky texture and its scented with a hint of cool mint so applying it is both pretty and refreshing.  As an added bonus, when you shop at Origins (in store or online) they are currently offering a free Liquid Lip Duo with the purchase of 2 products, which is how I was originally introduced to Hula Girl many months ago.

hula girl

3.  Much like a good car show can rock a man’s world, women and lipstick share a similar relationship.  I don’t understand the science behind the brain’s chemistry and lip color, but I do know that when I am feeling less than my best a new lip stick can turn my frown upside down…literally.  A few months ago I found my new favorite shade from an old favorite of mine.  Trish Mcevoy Lip Color Collection in Rosewood is that new favorite.  Her lipsticks are rich and hydrating and scented with a vanilla/mint like scent that makes applying it a pleasure.  Priced at $28 they are long-lasting and available at all Trish Mcevoy counters at Neiman Marcus, Saks, Bloomingdales. I can’t believe I haven’t blogged about her products yet…

trish mcevoy

4.  Bath time!  My most favorite time of the day.  Work is done and it’s time to pamper me.  Ginger Float Cream Bubble Bath from Origins is my go to soak of choice.  My muscles thank me for this rich, ginger, lime and bergamot scented relief.  For $28 you get 17.6 oz of bath time bubble fun.  I generally use two scoops to fill my tub and it lasts me a long time. Technically this could be your second Origins product to get you your free Liquid Lip Duo…My generosity knows no bounds….;)

ginger float

5.  Last but not least, I am deviating slightly from my recommendation variety.  As promised all my recommendations are products I use and adore.  Up until now products have been of the cosmetic kind, today I am making an exception and introducing you to something that I love so much I am actually blogging in them now.  At $49.50, my Victoria Secret PillowTalk Pajama Set  comes in under my as promised budget of $50 or less and makes sleeping and lounging around the house a lot more glamorous.  I love these pajamas, they’re soft, sparkly and super comfy.

pillowtalk

So my job here is done.  I wish you all a wonderful Valentine’s Day and hope you all remember to “Be good to yourself!”

xo Elisa

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Oct 9, 2012

Tony! Toni! Tone!….Toner!!!

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Generally the second step of any skin care regimen, toning is often overlooked as an essential part of complexion maintenance.  Like the strength training you do at the gym (I say “you” because, well frankly I don’t do gyms), to make your muscles stronger, toning does the same thing to your skin.  A good toner doesn’t rid your face of excess dirt or oils, your cleanser should do that, nor does it strip your face of the essential oils it needs to stay hydrated.  Toners help to strengthen and balance your skin so it looks as good as it should and readies it for your next step, be it serum or moisturizer.

Before I “reveal” today’s recommended product I will stress that an alcohol free toner is always the way to go.  Alcohol doesn’t penetrate below the skin’s service and does nothing more than dry your skin from the outside, leaving your skin deceivingly matte, when in fact the oils below are still very much there and planning a revolution on your face.  Toners should balance your skin’s ph levels leaving yours skin healthy and well…toned.  So today I offer another two-fer, simply because I use 2 different toners.  (You do not have to, I am merely a crazy person.)  The first is my morning wake up call, Origin’s A Perfect World Age Defense Treatment Lotion, if the scent doesn’t win you over, its gentle, non sticky texture absolutely will.  Not too oily, not too drying (it’s alcohol free), its pure bliss on your skin and at $22 it’s very affordable.   My number 2 choice is my evening toner, Amore Pacific Treatment Toner, another aromatically pleasing scent.  This too is just toning perfection, it balances my skin and leaves it moisturized without feeling oily or sticky (again, alcohol free).  It costs a bit more at $40/bottle, but I assure you it is money well spent.  My face is smooth and dewy fresh when I wake up the next morning.  Both toners are available at sephora.com.

So with winter coming, take good care of your skin…and don’t forget step 2 in your skin care regimen, whichever one you chose.

Happy Shopping…xo Elisa

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Aug 26, 2012

Carry on or Checking Through…

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BAGGAGE…we all have it.  Whether it’s the emotional kind (which is a whole other blog) or the kind that sags beneath your eyes, it’s never fun and never “purdy!”  Today we’re talking the under eye type.  Some folks have it all the time, some folks have it on occasion but when it’s happening to you it’s never welcome.  There is NO instant cure that will rid you of bags, dark circles or puffiness forever, BUT there are a lot of options out there to help treat and minimize their appearance.  Obviously I am going to recommend sleep, but because of the other type of baggage mentioned earlier on for many, that is easier said than done.  This is where I come in.  I do have a great many creams to suggest for the under eye area, but today I’m going to suggest  2 of them.  You can use them together or alone, but I know you’ll see results, I certainly did.

The first on our list is by Origins and it’s called GinZing (available for $30 at origins.com or for $37.50 at sephora.ca)…it’s an eye cream I use every morning and I kid you not, it’s the equivalent of your morning cup ‘a joe for your eyes.  It’s flesh colored in the tub it comes in, yet blends perfectly with your natural skin tone and allows for smooth concealer/foundation application afterward.  Or even when you’re going makeup free, this stuff feels amazing and has reduced my early morning puffiness and occasional dark circles considerably (I am however one of those people who really does get a great night’s sleep-it is really important).

Number two on our list is by Estee Lauder and is slightly higher in price but well worth it for long term results.  It’s called Idealist Cooling Eye Illuminator (available for $58 at neimanmarcus.com, saks.com or $69 at esteelauder.ca or thebay.com).  My favorite part of this treatment is the porcelain applicator that is attached to the tube.  When you put this stuff on, your eyes instantly feel this cooling sensation that just cannot be beat.  You don’t need to use a whole lot of this product (I use 3 pin point size drops under my eyes and then blend them in using my finger).  I’ve had the same tube for over 6 months now and I’m no where near the end.  FYI, when I wear this product I don’t use my regular concealer, it’s not necessary.  It also comes in two shades so just about every skin color is covered.

So I hope you like today’s suggestions, I hope they help and I’ll keep ’em coming if you keep reading!

xo Elisa

ps try and get a good night’s sleep!!!

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