It’s officially summer and taking care of your skin is essential. Given the summer, heat and humidity– not to mention going in and out of air-conditioning, you need to pay attention to your skin. That said, I am not going to start with the basic product first because typically you know about those but I have some new things to show you in lots of categories,
Everyone wants to look tan– from golden to bronze, it makes no difference! However doing it out in the sun isn’t so great for your skin. One of the key things you need to do is make sure you use sunscreen. Courtesy of FDA regulations, the max number for sunscreens is SPF 50 and it doesn’t mean that it’s any better than SPF 20 or 30 but it just means you can stay out in the sun a bit longer. However the difference between natural physical blocks and also the chemical blocks has gotten much press and more awareness because the physical blocks actually have full spectrum UVA-UVB protection. While there are many products out there to look at, formulation is key and I tend to shoot for the broad spectrum and know that re-application is required during the day.
So before you get started with sunblock, to get that golden to bronze “tan” — think of the spray-on tans you can use at home. There are three parts to this process:
One is getting the right self-tanner– this is the second or third step but it’s important to buy this first.
Depends on whether you go for the spray, the cream/lotion or what you use to do this, READ LABELS!! See what it smells like.
There is the fabulous Fake Bake:
This is the Spray-on Flawless Fake Back
Available at Amazon.com, FakeBake.com, Beauty Collection and a ton of various stores
Also you can check out this brand I just ran across: Famous Dave Self-Tanner in a range of hues and forms of application.
I am showing you spray-on air-brush self-tanner and it’s equal in tanning to the Fake Bake and both last a WHILE!!
You can buy it at http://www.famousdavestanner.com/
Number 2 is using a good body exfoliator product to provide a smooth base for the application of the self-tannner:
Exfoliation can be using a sugar scrub with a loofah but I find that to be losing the sugar effect. I like Pure Fiji Sugar Scrub and love the way it smells but I do find that I tend to “overuse” because I love the fragrance and prepping for self-tanning is important. There are a huge range of products to try. How huge? Check out Sephora.com and just skip over anything that’s not for the body. What you want is something that isn’t harsh on the skin and also provides some moisturizing. I chose Pure FIJI which comes in about 4 scents (maybe more) but I love each scent. What I use depends on my mood and it doesn’t rough my skin up! BeautyCollection.com
While I like scrubs I also like things that scrub me — like Spongeables scrubber sponges but if you are looking for something that isn’t infused with soap and fragrance – which for self-tanning is probably a wise idea, try one of these two product: Daily Concepts has a Dual Texture Scrubber with a really great almost loofah effect but it’s better-textured and the Daily Concepts Gloves. Each scrubby item comes in it’s own case with a stic
One side is natural cotton base layer with nylon exfoliating loops for the ideal texture for exfoliating and the other side is much softer for your face. I found that perhaps using the scrubby part on my face once a week worked, but if you have very sensitive skin or active acne, don’t use it that way. This is a great product for the entire body. (I have used it and it’s really effective). Daily Concepts has gloves that do the deeper exfoliation that would give you smooth flawless skin for any self-tanning that you might want to do or just to make your skin glow for some special event. The gloves stretch to fit any size hands and thus guys can use it too.
Want to know what’s really cool about these products? They come in this cool water resistant packaging with a suction cup so that you can stick it to the wall of your shower or bath, pull out the gloves or the buffer and use them and then wring them out and put them back in the packaging. The label indicator will let you know when the body scrubber or gloves need to be replaced!! Cool huh!
I found both the Dual Texture Scrubber and the Exfoliator Gloves at BeautyCollection.com as well as DailyConcepts.com
Product 3 is the Bronze Buffer to remove any extra self-tanner that accumulates on knees or hands as well as any streaks. It will smooth everything out and make sure you have a flawlesws tan! This product makes self-tanning virtually bullet-proof. This soft sponge is ingredient and chemical-free. It uses a bit of water and gentle abrasion from your buffing to remove excess bronzer and also even out streaks. It helps you smooth out the tanner product even after the color has developed (talk about amazing!) thus you get this perfect golden glow or bronze hue that you were seeking. The days of waiting for a bad self-tan to fade are over!!
This product is highly versatile too:
From streaks to application mishaps to color buildup, Bronze Buffer will leave you with a flawless finish. Use it on specific trouble spots like elbows and knees or all over to tone down a too-dark tan, and the “points” are ideal for small areas like between the fingers and toes.
Evens out streaks
Eliminates stained palms
Removes buildup on knees and ankles
Lightens too-dark color
Gets between fingers and toes
Removes deodorant from clothing when used dry
Buy it here at BronzeBuffer.com
Now that you have that lovely golden glow you need to keep your skin safe from the sun! Erbaviva Sunscreen. is a completely natural SPF 30 sunscreen with no synthetics provides at least 50 minutes protection with a great water-resistant formula. UVA and UVB protection make this full spectrum sunscreen suitable and safe for all ages. Erbaviva is lightly scented with organic Lavender and Chamomile essential oils; will not leave you with that ghostly white pallor that’s seen in other physical sunblocks and it contains zinc oxide.
I remember covering this product back in the early 2001 or 2002.. and it was a great line then– which shows you how long people have been going green and being concerned about using organics rather than chemicals in everything.
One of the most important aspects of keeping your skin looking fabulous all year round is moisturizing it. I have found a couple of great products that are very affordable and I have been using them quite a bit.
Dial’s 7 Day Skin Therapy Moisturizing Lotion is amazing. It smells great and it’s non-greasy and sinks into your skin really well. It contains Himalayan pink minerals that hydrate and nourish skin with a non-greasy, mineral-enriched formula. Infused with vitamins and nutrients, it helps keep your skin looking and feeling healthier and more beautiful. Use it every day for 2 weeks, and you will be able to then use it sporadically as it lasts up to 7 days after that initial 14 day application. The more you apply the softer and more moisturized is your skin. It won’t clog pores and it’s fast to sink into the skin. It has 7 bionutrients and 84 minerals and elements! Highly affordable, you can find it at most drugstores and mass market stores for under $6!! (What a steal!!) http://www.dialsoap.com/category/lotion
Another couple of great body products I sleuthed out are way cool and smell divine! The GUD line is a collection of products spun off by Burts Bees.
Natural and good for the skin, these are fresh and soft to the skin. Gud Body Wash and Gud Body Lotion come in a couple of scents. I was able to snag the Ruby Red Groovy scent and I LOVE IT!!
Available in about 4 scents, at a price of $7 per product, this is still a deal and the scents aren’t overwhelming. With the natural ingredients that we expect from Burts Bees, there are no parabens, phthalates or petrochemicals in this line.
Available at all the usual places like drugstores, markets and mass markets, you can buy it online as well. http://www.gudhappens.com/
If you are worried about cellulite– head back to that cellulite treatment piece I did a week ago and read that again, because that’s going to help you out there.
There’s another area that you need to work on: your feet. Making sure your toes look good is easy: pedicures and polish or buffing will make your toes look great. However your feet and heels need attention too! ATOPALM skincare has the most amazing Moisturizing Food and Heel Balm.
This is non-greasy product that is paraben free with a patented technology to get your feet and heels softer and fast! The inclusion of plant derived ingredients that mimic or are very similar to skin lipids in the stratum corneum layer of the skin make it easily absorbed and help slow down the moisture loss too. I personally have tried this and was delightfully surprised it wasn’t oily or greasy. It absorbed quickly and I didn’t have to wear socks with it — but if you do, it does work faster! I rubbed some into my feet before I got dressed in the morning and slipped into some shoes and my feet felt good!! www.atopalm.com
(Thank you ATPOPALM for a selection of products. The skincare line is based on this same technology and plant ingredients)
Another unique product that works fast and does a great job on making feet look and feel better is Miss Oops Pedicure in a Bottle (except it comes in a tube!). This non-greasy cream smells great (very refreshing!) and featuresa a combination of glycolic and salicylic acid, shea butter, peppermint, menthol, and lavender leave your feet feeling smooth and smelling pretty. It works fast. If you are generous with it at night and slide into some socks, your feel will be noticeably softer the next day. Keep doing this for about 4-5 days and voila.. you don’t have to pay extra when you get your pedicure to get the calluses removed! (Yes, it’s that good!) It does last a while – -and a little does go a long way. I still have my original tube – over a year old!
So that’s pretty much everything you need for keeping your body looking glam and feeling silky soft all summer long. Do it year-round and you will be swatting those men away like flies!!
Stevie Wilson,
LA-Story.com
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Enjoy your Summer Ready Collection for $18 with purchase of $45 ($37.50 value)! Use code SPLASH. Valid 5.13-6.4
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