Archive for the ‘Tanning and Sun Protection’ Category

What’s in your travel bag? Essential Travel Products

With all of the vacationing going on right now I wanted to showcase some of our best products for your travel bag!

Skincare: Let’s face it, when we travel we usually don’t spend the same amount of time on our skincare as we do when we are at home in a routine.  If we bring all of our full-sized products we probably won’t use them and they will just take up extra valuable suitcase space.  I like to keep it simple with the appropriate products – most importantly hydration and sun protection.  I also like to bring an after sun repair product like a hydrating gel mask or some type of healing, hydrating cream for when you’ve been over-exposed.

Excellent Travel Skincare Options:

 

                    

The GM Collin Travel Kits (assorted skin types) come with 3 travel-sized products

The Jurlique Natural Beauty Care Introductory Sets (assorted skin types) come with 4 travel-sized products

   

Jurlique Arnica Cream heals and restores skin that’s been damaged by the elements. It hydrates, cools, and calms the skin.

The Eminence Organics VitaSkin Calm Skin Arnica Masque heals, calms, and soothes the skin.  Keep it in the refrigerator for the ultimate cooling, soothing treatment.

   

GM Collin Sun High Protection Cream SPF30 is a great broad spectrum mineral sunscreen for the body.

Jurlique Sun Lotion SPF30+ is a beautiful, light, broad spectrum sunscreen with antioxidant protection.

Eminence Organics Sun Defense Minerals SPF30 provide you with a pure mineral dry sunscreen that doesn’t get absorbed into the skin. It’s great for travel because it comes with a built-in brush!

 

Onesta Nourishing Bath Gel is natural and deeply hydrating with green tea, shea butter, and ginseng.  It comes in a perfect for travel 2oz bottle!

Onesta Lavender Hand & Body Lotion will calm, sooth, and hydrate skin with natural extracts of avocado, carrot, linden tree, and lavender essential oil.

Hair Care: Hair care can definitely be heavy so it’s all about travel-sizes! Your hair is most likely going to be a bit more dry and damaged from sun, ocean, and pool exposure so choose hydrating, repairing hair products.

Our favorite travel hair care products:

    

Macadamia (sulphate-free) Shampoo, Conditioner, and healing oil treatment in travel sizes.  Infused with macadamia nut and argan oil, these products are terrific for hydrating and protecting your hair.

Lakme Teknia Sun Care Daily Protection Spray protects and treats your hair from UV exposure, sea salt, and chlorine.

Nail Care: You’ve probably had your manicure and pedicure in preparation for your travel so the only thing you really need to worry about is maintaining and protecting.  I recommend bringing along a top coat and re-applying it every couple of days to really keep your color sealed in.  I’m not going to recommend that you bring your foot cream because I already know it’s one of those things that just won’t get used!

Great top coat:

The Seche Vite Top Coat also comes in a mini size.

I guess the only thing left is a case to put everything into!

Mica Beauty Cases

Bon Voyage!

 

We would love to hear your thoughts on the topic of this blog! Feel free to leave your comments or questions below.  As always, just for being a follower of our blog, enter coupon code BLOG10 for 10% off your next purchase! Also, remember to follow us @spaboutique on Twitter, like our Facebook  page, and check out our boards on Pinterest! You could be the lucky winner of one of our many contests!

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t neglect the largest organ of all! Tips for anti-aging and healthy skin for the body

 

Yes, the skin is the largest organ of the body.  It protects us from outside aggressors and is subject to repeated attack and exposure to the elements.  Most of us are pretty good about caring for the skin on our face (even if it’s just applying a protective moisturizer or sunscreen), but truthfully most of us just don’t pay the same amount of attention to the skin on the rest of our body.  Why? Here are a few possibilities:

•The skin on the face shows signs of fatigue, stress, hormonal imbalance, improper diet, illness, age, etc., but the skin on the body doesn’t show these signs as readily or at least until much later on

•It can be hard to find time

•We just don’t think about it

•It’s cheaper and easier just to forget about it

So what happens is suddenly one day we start to notice that the skin on our body isn’t quite as firm as it used to be, it begins to sag, perhaps we notice lines and wrinkles, we begin to see those dreaded age spots, and we realize that the scar we got that one time when we fell down on a tree branch when hiking – it’s pretty ugly!  We think ‘Oh no! Why didn’t I take care of my body?’.

It doesn’t matter what age you are, if you’re not caring for the skin on your body, it’s time to start! Here’s how:

1. SUN PROTECTION

This is number one and in all caps for a reason.  UV exposure is the number one cause of skin damage, disease, and aging, period.  Use of an SPF every single day of the year on exposed skin is absolutely essential.  UV exposure (daylight exposure) activates an enzyme in our skin that breaks down our collagen and elastin fibers as well as promotes melanin synthesis leading to color irregularities.  What does almost every single one of my clients say about sun protection? Here is the most common conversation we have about it:

Me: Do you use SPF daily?

Client: Yes.

Me: What kind?

Client: I have SPF in my moisturizer/foundation/sunscreen lotion.

Me: Do you re-apply every 2 hours since it gets absorbed/worn off? Is your makeup a pure mineral powder with Zinc & Titanium Dioxide?

Client: No.

Me: Then you are really only protected for the first couple of hours of each day.

Client: I didn’t think about that!

Tip: Apply broad spectrum sunscreen every day of the year to exposed skin on face and body (think neck, decolletage, arms, hands) and re-apply every 2 hours.  Apply pure mineral sunscreen powder to exposed skin daily (re-apply as necessary after washing, swimming, sweating etc.).  Stay in the shade as much as possible and if you must tan, do it sunless (self tan products).

My favorite sun protection products for the body are:

                                      

 

Jane Iredale Powder Me SPF Dry Sunscreen   Eminence Organics Tropical Vanilla Body SPF32

2. Antioxidant Protection & Hydration

Free radical damage is another factor that leads to skin aging and disease.  We are all exposed to free radicals everyday (some people more than others, depending on environment and lifestyle).  Antioxidants neutralize free radicals before they can cause cellular damage.  As we all know, certain foods we eat contain antioxidants (fruits, vegetables, etc.) which build up our immunity and protect our bodies from disease.  Since the skin is the last organ to receive it’s share of antioxidants from food, it’s extremely beneficial to apply antioxidants to the skin topically as well.

Dryness and dehydration of the skin aren’t pretty and they also lead to quicker skin aging. Also, skin is more susceptible to outside attack when it is lacking the moisture (lipid) barrier.  Keeping the skin moisturized is key in maintaining skin health and protection.

Tip: Choose a moisturizer that contains ingredients with high antioxidant properties.  Use a soap/detergent/sulphate-free body wash to avoid stripping the skin of it’s natural hydration.

My favorite antioxidant moisturizer and body cleanser is:

                        

Spa Binge Organics Natural Vanilla       Zona Moroccan Rose Bagnogel

Cocoa Body Shea Rich Cream                     Gentle Body Wash

3. Exfoliation

Exfoliation removes dead, dull cells from the surface of our skin which immediately softens and brightens the skin.  It also speeds up our skin’s natural cell turnover rate which slows down greatly as we age.  A slow cell turnover rate makes your skin look dull and tired with uneven texture and tone.  You may find that wounds don’t heal as fast and scars don’t fade as quickly as before (if ever).  Keeping your skin exfoliated will also allow your products to penetrate easier and therefore work better at treating and protecting your skin.

My favorite body exfoliation products are:

                 

 

Caudalie Crushed Cabernet Scrub     Aromatherapy Associates Dry Body Brush

Remember that whatever we apply to our skin gets absorbed into our body so try to avoid products with artificial fragrance, color, and chemicals.

We would love to hear your thoughts on the topic of this blog! Feel free to leave your comments or questions below.  As always, just for being a follower of our blog, enter coupon code BLOG10 for 10% off your next purchase! Also, remember to follow us @spaboutique on Twitter, like our Facebook  page, and check out our boards on Pinterest! You could be the lucky winner of one of our many contests!

 

 

After sun skin care in 3 steps

I’ve just returned from spring break in Cancun, Mexico and even though I used sun protection, my skin needs some serious TLC!  I feel for those people who were laying out covered in oil every day (yes, there were many).  I can just imagine the long-term damage they have now done to their skin.  I want to share with you 3 steps in caring for your skin after it’s been over-exposed to the sun.

Your skin is probably flaky, dry, tight, and maybe even peeling.  Your first thought may be that you want to exfoliate to remove that dead skin, but it’s not a good idea in the beginning as your skin has probably burned and will need to recover before you can give it a good scrub.

Step 1: Hydrate and Soothe

Your first priority is healing the burn and re-hydrating the skin.  When your skin is dehydrated or dry it is lacking the lipid shield which prevents outside aggressors from entering your skin and causing damage – even infection.  Use healing, calming, and hydrating products in the beginning until your skin recovers from the redness and sensitivity.

Step 2: Exfoliate

Once your skin has healed from burn damage, you can begin to exfoliate to remove the built up layer of dead skin cells.  Your skin may feel thicker, look dull and tired, and show signs of pigmentation (freckles).  I like to use 2 different types of exfoliators interchangeably for my face: physical and enzymatic.  A physical exfoliator is your typical ‘scrub’ type exfoliator that uses abrasion to polish the surface of the skin.  An enzyme exfoliator can be a plant enzyme-based or hydroxy acid-based ‘peel’ type exfoliator.  For the body you can choose a scrub, an exfoliating glove, or a loofa.  Be sure to apply a moisturizer afterward as it will now be able to penetrate the skin more readily.

Step 3: Even Out Skin Tone

If you notice dark spots or irregular freckles on your skin you’ve probably experienced some pigmentation damage called hyperpigmentation (light spots are called hypopigmentation).  This is a result of UV exposure and unfortunately can be very stubborn to treat.  For mild pigmentation you may begin a skincare regime that involves a gentle (probably plant-based) skin brightener.  Vitamin C in some forms is also said to be a great skin brightener (among other things).  For more noticeable and hard to treat pigmentation you may want to use a skincare regime using stronger skin brightening ingredients such as arbutin or hydroquinone.  For best results you will also incorporate an appropriate exfoliation routine.  When using any skin brightening products it is very much recommended to avoid sun exposure and use broad spectrum SPF religeously.  Always check with your dermatologist or esthetician before beginning any intensive skincare regime.

As always, just for being a follower of our blog, enter coupon code BLOG10 for 10% off your next purchase! Also, remember to follow us @spaboutique on Twitter, like our Facebook  page, and check out our boards on Pinterest! You could be the lucky winner of one of our many contests!

 

Bronzing with St. Tropez Self Tan Bronzing Mousse

Spring is here and we’ve had a few sunny days already! You know what that means… almost time to bring out the shorts, tanks, and flip-flops again. Hooray! But before I rearrange my wardrobe, I need to get a bit of colour on my skin. I definitely steer clear of the tanning salons as I don’t want to cause any damage or unnecessary aging to my skin. Did you know that tanning bed rays are just as harmful to your skin as the sun?

I’ve tried all different self-tanners and the one that I’ve fallen in love with is the St. Tropez Self Tan Bronzing Mousse. Its streak-free formula and easy application gives me natural-looking colour with no odor. With most self-tanners, you apply the product then wait for about 6-8 hours for the color to develop. One thing I like about St. Tropez bronzing mousse is that it gives you an instant bronze because of the dark color so you don’t have to wait the 6-8 hours to see your tan! This is great if you are looking pasty and you need to put on a swimming suit or shorts. You apply the product and that’s it; you’re ready to go! If you’re going out at night and want some instant color on your legs it gives you instant color, but also develops more long-lasting color over the next few hours.

Here are some tips on application:

1. Exfoliate your skin first to smooth and remove dead skin cells for even colour distribution.
I recommend Eminence Pear & Green Apple Sugar Scrub…It smells fantastic!

2. If your skin is dry or has dry areas you may apply an oil-free moisturizer

3. Using the St. Tropez Application Mitt, quickly apply mousse all over body using a buffing movement. Go sparingly over elbows, knees, and feet.

4. Product may also be applied to face using a small amount and applying right into hair line. Don’t forget the ears and neck.

5. Let product penetrate for a few minutes before you put on loose-fitting, dark-coloured clothes.

6. After a few hours your color will have developed and you can just shower off the tracer colour

7. If you would like a deeper tan – just re-apply!

To maintain your tan be sure to keep your skin hydrated and don’t exfoliate until you are ready to re-apply. An instant bronze without the wait…I love it!

 

We would love to hear your thoughts on the topic of this blog! Feel free to leave your comments or questions below.  As always, just for being a follower of our blog, enter coupon code BLOG10 for 10% off your next purchase! Also, remember to follow us @spaboutique on Twitter, like our Facebook  page, and check out our boards on Pinterest! You could be the lucky winner of one of our many contests!

GlowFusion-The Next Step in Self Tanners

I’m a sun avoider. I have been ever since I finished esthetics school. It was then reinforced by doing facials on tons of women who over-sunned their whole lives and now regret it.

SO…that means when I want to get my glow on, I’m all about self tanners. I have to put up with the inevitable scent that comes along with the combo of me and DHA (see previous post) but it is nice to have color sometimes.

FusionBeauty, makers of my most favorite lip gloss, have created quite the sophisticated little self-tanners.

The Natural Protein Tan uses the same ingredient as others, but the formulation is exquisite. It sprays on easily, just blend it in a little. You can get the two different colors, Light or Medium and it’s super hydrating.

One client told me she uses this as her “fancy” tanner. She knows it won’t rub off onto clothing, so she uses it for special occasions.

All the rage right now are the moisturizers that add a subtle glow. The GlowFusion Tanning Emulsion is the perfect support for the tanning spray. It subtly builds up the color and keeps you even more hydrated. This will also help to even out any streaking that can happen during application.

For those self-tanner lovers out there, this is a definite must try.

Always remember to exfoliate before you apply tanner, it’ll go on so much easier. Also, don’t do it in a steamy bathroom!

*Note – we are no longer carrying the GlowFusion line

We would love to hear your thoughts on the topic of this blog!  Feel free to post your comments or questions below.  As always, just for being a follower of our blog, enter coupon code BLOG10 for 10% off your next purchase! Also, remember to follow us @spaboutique on Twitter, like our Facebook  page, and check out our boards on Pinterest! You could be the lucky winner of one of our many contests!