Don't Be a Flake

I don't know about you, but I've been having a major case of the flakes - I'm talking resembling a snake molting situation. When you're truly in a battle with the flakes, moisturizing is simply not enough, you have to use a really effective exfoliant. The drawback? With the dropping temps skin is more sensitive, so even a mild scrub can leave your face feeling red and raw. Luckily I've scoured and scrubbed and have come up with some super gentle exfoliators that really get the job done.

First up: Pevonia Botanica Speciale Enzymo-Spherids Peeling Cream. You're probably thinking two things here - a) how do you pronounce this product and b) Pevonia who? Pevonia Botanica was once a spa-exclusive brand, but is now available on Skinstore.com for your shopping convenience, and this product is a miracle. This rich cream is comprised of mostly natural ingredients (who knew Papaya and Pineapple enzymes were so damn effective at decongesting skin and clearing flakes?) and leaves skin soooo soft and smooth without a hint of irritation. Just apply, add some water, work it into your skin with your fingertips and rinse after two minutes. Clogged pores are clear, flakes are gone, and skin looks glowy and fabulous. It's so gentle you can use it more than once a week. It is absolutely a star product in my closet.

Once upon a time I fell in love with a product called Clean & Clear STEAM In-Shower Facial...and then it all of the sudden disappeared from store shelves. I am happy to say it has now been reincarnated into Morning Burst In-Shower Facial and all is right in the world again. The deal is this product works with the steam in your shower to draw out dirt, impurities, smooth away flakes and leave skin moisturized with ingredients like purifying clay, ginseng and micro-beads. It's used in place of your regular cleanser up to three times a week and bonus: the natural citrus extracts help you jump start your morning. This really does deliver and for $7.99, you can't beat it.

Once you're all flake free don't forget to moisturize! You can never go wrong with Kinerase Cream; it's a cult-favorite for a reason and a staple in my bathroom. An amazing and budget-friendly option is Olay Total Effects Daily Moisturizer. This was my first foray into a real adult skincare regimen back in the day and it remains one of my all-time favorite products.

Cold Weather + Indoor Heat = Dry, Frizzy Hair

My hair has been dry something fierce lately and I'm blaming it on the cold weather outside and the heat inside. I also really need a trim but let's just stick with the weather as the main cause. It's prime time hair mask season and I have a few favorites that I currently have on rotation.

Pureology Essential Repair Restorative Hair Masque does it all. This ultra-rich hair masque (it's so concentrated you barely need to use any at all) contains protein-rich soymilk and pure biotin repairs the most severe damage and completely restores softness in one use. And of course it contains Pureology's AntiFade Complex so color is preserved. Probably what I love most is that this does the job in 2-5 minutes, depending on the severity of damage, unlike most masks that tell you to leave them in for 15. I just find the whole routine of shampooing, applying hair masque, getting out of shower and waiting 15 minutes, getting back in shower to rinse really annoying. Plus the scent is yummy, almost like a dessert and I love the rich and creamy texture. At around $40 it certainly isn't cheap, but it works and a jar really will last forever.

Profound Beauty 01/99 Anti-Oxidant Mask is one of those leave it in and get out of the shower situations, but I still love it nonetheless because of the super hydrating formula and the more reasonable $32 price tag. What's great about this mask is that it contains Vitamin E to inhibit free radical damage (yes, your hair needs protection from the environment just like your face does), while preserving color and amping up shine.

And sometimes, you just want an inexpensive, quick fix drugstore hair masque and this is where Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition 3-Minute Undo Dryness Reversal Treatment comes in. The beauty of this is that by the time you're finished saying the name, you're ready to rinse. I'm a big fan of the Triple Nutrition line, check out my previous post here. Like the shampoo and conditioner, this deep treatment contains olive, avocado and shea oils to quench dry hair and restore its health, while apricot seeds massage and stimulate hair at the root. Pretty fancy for a deep treatment that's under $7.

A Case of Broken Capillaries

So I recently had a facial for the first time in a long time, and when it came time for the esthetician to shine the big scary light over my face while looking through the magnifying mirror to "see what's going on with my skin," I immediately went into panic mode. All I could think was omg she's going to tell me I have huge pore, lines around my eyes, why haven't I been exfoliating more, my skin's a total diaster etc. etc. After a heart racing minute she says well your skin is in good shape, but what have you been doing about the broke capillaries around your nose?

Um....I'm sorry what? is how I responded. I had no clue I even had broken capillaries. Turns out that broken capillaries are most common around the nose and mouth and are caused by aging, trauma, sun exposure and smoking. Since I'm not even 30, don't smoke and haven't experienced any facial trauma, like ever, I'm going to go with sun exposure as the culprit. As if we needed another reason to wear sunscreen! I have to be honest, I've been slacking on the 'screen lately which is so unlike me. But ever since said facial incident, I've been piling it on even when it's thunderstorming outside.

There are a few remedies for broken capillaries. You can go the expensive pulsed dye laser route (treatments are about $400 a pop and you'll need two-three) or you can try topicals containing horse chestnut, which according to research will eradicate veins. I went the topical route and I've been LaTherapie Creme Fortifiante on the recommendation of my esthetician. The cream is used morning and night only on the affected areas and contains horse chestnut and red vine extracts to soften redness and support and protect skin. I'll let you all know how this works. 

I'm also using one of my favorite sunscreens, DDF Enhancing Sun Protection, a moisturizer with SPF 30 that also contains self-blending color spheres that help even skin tone and minimize the look of redness. The texture is amazing and you barely need foundation or concealer when you use this because it really does even out your skin. If you're a Gilt Groupe member you can scoop up this sunscreen for $16 instead of the usual $32 until November 9th (or supplies run out).

Beauty Crush: Jane Iredale Dot the i

For some reason no matter how hard I scrub, I can never fully take off all of my eye makeup. I don't even wear that much, just your usual liner and mascara job, but you'd think it was tattooed on. I even use an actual eye makeup remover first, then wash my face, using my cleanser over my eyes to try and get everything off, but to no avail. So you can imagine my excitement when I discovered this genius product from Jane Iredale; they're like Q-tips on steroids.

Dot the i is a package of cotton swabs that contain makeup remover. You simply bend the tip until the opposite end fills with makeup remover and then go about your business. These are perfect for correcting mistakes (I know you've accidentally poked yourself in the eye with your mascara wand and then gotten mascara all underneath, or maybe that's just me), getting rid of that 4pm flaking or getting rid of those last traces of eye makeup at the end of the night. They also travel well so you don't have to worry about lugging Q-tips plus a separate makeup remover. The formula also soothes and nourishes the eye area, while fighting the signs of aging. Genius I say!

If you're not familiar with Jane Iredale, it's a great line of natural and mineral makeup with an extensive range of kits, brushes, and then everything for eyes, lips and cheeks. My favorite products are Active Light (the Touche Eclat of the natural world), 24 Karat Gold Dust Powder, and the eyeshadow palettes.

Scoop up Dot the i or any of the Jane Iredale products at the Jane Iredale website.

Hair Crush: Victoria Beckham

A bunch of photos recently surfaced of Victoria Beckham at an LA Lakers game sporting a shaggy new haircut, which I am totally obsessed with. I think it's modern, fun and a little rocker chic, all while still being cool and sophisticated. I'm totally contemplating giving it a go, but I always go back and forth with cutting my hair short. Everytime I have a short cut I end up completely hating it. I can't put my finger on why, maybe it's that I like the security of having hair past my shoulders, the fact that I like throwing it up in a ponytail or chignon when I feel like it, or maybe it's that I always felt like shorter hair made me look 12. As I enter the twilight of my 20s however, maybe looking younger isn't such a bad thing.

The theory with a shorter cut like this is that since it's a true style, you won't need to fall back on throwing it up into a ponytail, the look will always be finished no matter what you do. It looks pretty versatile, VB even has a little wave going on here. What do think?

Klorane - Now in a Travel Size!

Someone up there has answered my prayers. Friends, Klorane Dry Shampoo is available in a travel size! I can't believe I haven't posted my love of Klorane before; it is truly a life changing product. First introduced to me by a fabulous co-worker who kept a bottle at her desk, this is the only dry shampoo I've ever tried that has actually made my hair feel clean and full of volume.

Now, I was a wash everyday kind of girl; I even washed twice a day if I had washed in the am and was going out at night. It really was an exhausting routine, not to mention one that made my fragile, fine, color treated hair dry as a bone and frizzy to no end. But my roots would get so oily I had no choice. That all changed when I began using Klorane. I was freed from the daily grind of wash, blow dry, repeat - I can now wash every other day people!

With my dependency on Klorane came a problem - what to do when you're traveling. I remember distinctly being in airport security last year, devastated when they threw out my brand new, never used, much too big to keep in your bag if you're carrying on luggage, bottle of Klorane. I nearly broke out in hives. Now with the new 1.7 oz travel size, this terrifying airport scenario won't happen to you.

Scoop up the new travel size at beauty.com and skinstore.com.

Beat the Winter Blahs

It's about that time where the weather starts to take a real turn for the worst - cold, gloomy, rainy/maybe even snowy and factor in daylight savings, and now we're waking up in the dark and coming home from work in the dark. I don't know about you but all that cold and dark just makes me feel blah. My favorite pick me up is a little (and I do mean little) dose of self tanner and bronzer - i.e. the goal here is to look warm and glowy, not like you just came back from Aruba.

My favorite new self tanner for the body is L'Oreal Sublime Glow Luminous Bronzer, an instant bronzing lotion with a hint of shimmer and self tanner in one. The Sublime line as a whole is pretty good, but I love this so much because it's super versatile. I usually like to apply self tanner before bed, leaving enough time to dry of course because I hate the tacky feeling and the stink, but this has neither. It's perfect for an instant boost, like when you forgot to tan your legs and you're wearing a mini dress that night, and the shimmer is soft and natural. Plus it reminds me of the very pricey Shiseido self tanner that I can no longer rationalize buying at the moment.

Moving along to the face. Bare Escentuals Warmth is the perfect non-bronzer bronzer. It's technically a tawny colored mineral powder meant to warm up the face and it does just that, without looking too brown, orange or harsh. It provides a sheer, warm glowiness that is perfect for the winter when you don't want to have a super dark tan but the pink blush just isn't doing it. Lightly buff it around the hairline, jawline, bridge of nose and cheekbones, then top with a little blush on the apples. I also like to dust it over my eyelids, it just perks up your whole face.

It sounds weird but when I'm feeling especially blah I even forego dark nail polish in favor of either a nice neutral pink like Essie Mademoiselle, a bright orange red like Sephora by OPI High Maintenance, or one of the new magenta shades. Check out my post from September for some recos.