Pump Up Your Moisturizer

Once the temps start falling, you should choose moisturizers that are thicker than your daily body lotion or face cream. Swap your lotion for a body butter and swap your moisturizer for a creamier one. Look for added ingredients like alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) and urea – both are humectants that pull moisture from the air into your skin.

Don’t stop your summertime habits

Water intake and sunscreen use decreases during the winter for most. Drinking plenty of water helps your skin stay hydrated and wearing sunscreen year round helps protect you from the sun. The UV rays that bounce off of snow are just as damaging as summer rays.

Go easy on the hand sanitizer

Using hand sanitizers too often can strip the moisture from your hands. Instead of using the communal hand sanitizer at the office, you should bring your own.  Look for one that doesn’t contain alcohol and always apply hand cream afterwards.

Get a humidifier

Home heating systems can really dry out your skin. Humidifiers are great because they add moisture to the air. They’re fairly inexpensive and since humidifiers help decongest your sinuses; it can also help reduce under eye puffiness.

Always carry a lip balm

The cold wind is one of lip’s biggest enemies. It dries out lips and habits like licking your lips only makes matters worse. Use a lip balm made with beeswax to create a barrier to protect your lips from the harsh weather. You can also apply some on dry cuticles and chapped noses.

(Photo courtesy of Niderlander | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos)

Too Faced Tinted Beauty Balm is by far the best BB cream I’ve tried. I love it because it gives me great coverage. The other BB creams I’ve tried are more like a cream or primer. For example, I have to also apply foundation when I use Dr. Jart BB Cream because it doesn’t give me that much coverage.

Too Faced BB Cream is more like a super creamy foundation. It’s thick, but does not feel heavy on your skin. It blends away easily, leaving my complexion evened out and fresh. It has light-diffusing pigments that help camouflage trouble spots. It’s formulated with vitamins A & E as well as Chamomile, for oil-free soothing hydration. It offers broad spectrum SPF 20 sun protection.

The best part is the shine control! It gives my face a nice healthy glow without the oil slick effect. At 5 o’clock I’m happy to say that I have very little shine, almost none at all. Beach glow matches perfectly with my skin tone and a little goes a long way. You apply it just like you would a foundation. I also like to set it with bareMinerals Ready touch up veil. This has been my go-to product of the summer, I love it!

Too Faced Tinted Beauty Balm 1.50 oz. $32

Dr. Jart Most Moist Water Fuse BB Cream is designed to protect your skin from the sun while masking your blemishes and maintaining your skin’s moisture level. This BB cream offers SPF 27 PA++ sun protection that fends off against both harmful UVA and UVB rays. Ocean water and glacier water help improve your skins hydration, making this bb cream 50% water. Hyalorunic acid and aloe vera also gives your skin the extra kick of moisture.  Dr. Jart’s beauty balm is also formulated with porous powder which helps control oil and sweat. This extra ingredient helps your makeup stay in place.

This product sounds very promising for someone who suffers from dry skin. As for me on the other hand, I have combination skin so this product isn’t for me. It is fragrance free and feels nice on your skin, even though it’s kind of thick. It did little to cover the few sun spots I have on my cheeks, the base color was also a bit light for my tan complexion. After a few hours, I did have a small amount of shine on my forehead.

Dr. Jart Most Moist Water Fuse BB Cream 1.7 oz./50 ml $42

Also available at Sephora 1.7 oz./50 ml $34

I love it when makeup and skin care merge together because this helps speeds up my morning routine! BB cream is the newest innovation to hit the beauty market, it’s originally from Korea and it’s finally made its way to the U.S.

I know you have seen the Garnier BB cream commercial by now, the one where the models keep saying “BB!” This commercial may have left you wondering, what exactly are they trying to sell me?

So, what is BB Cream?
“BB” stands for beauty balm or blemish balm. BB creams are the ultimate beauty multi-taskers. It was originally prescribed by dermatologists to help heal skin after laser treatments or surgeries. It works as a moisturizer/foundation/primer/concealer/sunscreen – it’s an all-in-one miracle worker. You can use these alone or underneath your favorite foundation.

A few companies have already launched their own versions:

Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream SPF 35

Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream

Too Faced Tinted Beauty Balm

The Too Faced Beauty Balm caught my eye, I plan to try it out this summer.

April 17, 2012   //   Beauty News, Cosmetics   //   No Comments   //   Tags: BB Cream, Clinique, garnier, makeup, skin, smashbox, stila, sunscreen, too faced

Summer’s almost here so that means we need to super charge our sun protection regimen. MDSolarSciences SPF 50+ Ultra Mineral Screen Gel is great for those who have oily skin, acne, or for those who don’t like heavy sunscreens. It is also recommended for adults and children by the Skin Cancer Foundation, a major plus! Their formula is suitable for everyday use and it offers high SPF 50+ broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection.

I love the feel of this product, it absorbs easily into my skin and it does not leave my face feeling greasy. This is very surprising since it has such a high level of sun protection! My only complaint is that this sunscreen does leave a slight white cast on my face. This shouldn’t be an issue for those who have a lighter skin color. I wouldn’t recommend it for use under foundation, simply because it does leave a white sheen. Like I said it’s very minimal, so I still plan to use it at the beach or on non-makeup days. I should have ordered the tinted version instead. I will definitely consider it once this bottle finishes.

All in all, MDSolar Sciences is a great brand and offers a great product that’s water-resistant and non-comedogenic (doesn’t clog pores).

1.76 oz Bottle $24.95

ACTIVE INGREDIENTS: Titanium Dioxide 10.3%, Zinc Oxide 5.5%