Use Natural Enzymes to Replace Plastic Scrubbing Beads

I just came across this article on The Smart Mama's blog. (She has a great blog by the way!). Wow! I never knew that those little micro (usually jojoba) scrubbing beads in alot of commercial scrubs could be killing our sea life! Anyone concerned about our planet (and that should be all of us, right??) needs to know about this. Smart Mama has already written such a good article about this issue that I don't feel the need to add more. Read the article and then try to stick to natural exfoliants.

The only thing I would suggest is be careful which natural exfoliants you use on your face... some natural exfoliants, such as crushed apricot seeds or almonds have rough edges that scratch the skin's surface. While you might not be able to see them, the scratches are still there and they are damaging to the skin's surface...and of course, the skin on your face is more delicate than the skin on the rest of your body.

I personally try to only use facial exfoliants that are based on AHAs (Alpha Hydroxy Acids) & BHA's (Beta Hydroxy Acids) from fruits (such as pineapple or grapefruit enzymes, etc). Doll Face's all-natural Hoopla Enzyme Cleansing Wash uses apple and lemon enzymes to exfoliate and is so amazing that I can actually feel it retexturizing my skin even before I rinse. I am totally addicted to the fresh Green Apple scent of this product as well.

Another of my favorite exfoliators is Kanebo's Silk Peeling Powder. This powdered exfoliant is based on silk enzymes and always leaves my skin silky (no pun intended) smooth. The packaging is designed so that when you turn it upside down it dispenses a pre-measured amount just right for one use.. and each bottle contains about 100 uses if I remember correctly (my bottle lasted forever and was well worth the money). It is also great for travel...no need to worry about leaks or spills (I dispense some into a re-usable plastic jar or a ziplock bag).. and these days it's one less thing to have to fit into your 1 quart ziplock bag of liquids for flying (not to mention it takes up less space). The big surprise of this product for me was how much it foams. You'll get lots of foam, and I use the premeasured amount that is dispensed on my face, front & back of neck, decollate, and my hands (yes, ladies, always exfoliate your hands at the same time you do your face... especially when using an enzyme exfoliant... it helps use up that leftover product that is on your hands and gives the enzymes on your face a little more time to do their work as well).

Whatever you do, please try to boycott those plastic micro scrubbing beads. Our planet will be a better place for it.

Drinking Your Skincare

Last night I was given a bottle of Borba Skin Balance Water.

Honestly, I had tried these a few years ago and thought they were "ok, but pretty expensive" ($3.00/bottle).

Today I am drinking Borba's Replenishing water with Lychee Fruit. As a lychee lover, my first reaction is, "YUM!" My second reaction is, "Wait! How many calories are in this sucker??!!" and the answer is: NONE! Borba seems to have improved their products....I mean I would grab one of these babies to quench my thirst even if it didn't do any of the below wonderful things for me:

This drink is:

*Calorie free
*Aspartame free
*Preservative free
*Sodium free
*Carb free

and made with natural flavorings (yes, these are made with fruit solids...although you can see or feel any solids).

As I look at this list of what it DOES contain, I'm impressed with many of the ingredients:

*Magnesium Gluconate
*Vitamin E Acetate
*Green Tea Extract
*Flaxseed Powder
*Vitamin A Palmitate
*Grape Seed Extract
*Zinc Picolinate

Borba's labeling tells me that this Replenishing drink provides nutrients intended to diminish dryness, sensitivity, and roughness.

Borba makes 3 other drinks for different skin needs:

*Age Defying (with Acai for aging skin, fine lines, & wrinkles. Does anybody over 20 out there 'not' need this?)
*Clarifying (with Pomegranate for oily skin, clogged pores, and impurities)
*Firming (with Guanabana fruit for elasticity, smoothness & resilience...I probably need to be drinking this by the caseload considering elasticity & sagging are my biggest, generically inherited concerns)

And if $36.00 (+ shipping) for a case of 12 bottles of Borba seems expensive, they have the crystalline packettes (you know, just like those Crystal Light ones) for $100 for a box of 60. That's 'almost' half price (and much less shipping).

I can't afford to drink these on a regular basis to see if they really can/will make a difference in my skin in the long run, but I bet they would. I would (and will) also choose these as a cold refreshing, no calorie, no preservative option to a sugary soda or flavored water on a hot sunny day anytime!

When checking out Borba's website today, I also see they've come out with topical applications of their products... now where do I get some samples of those?

C&M Couples for Valentine's Day

As we approach Valentine's Day, have you started thinking about what to give your significant other?

Are you in a hot, steamy relationship that needs a little more excitement? Or are you one of the many who have lost that original fire that once existed between the two of you? Either way, we could all benefit from C&M Couples by Life Elements.

C&M Couples is a line of high-quality, all-natural, aromatherapy based bath and body products for couples to help them create a romantic atmosphere.

These are not your average, low quality couples products in cheap, tacky packaging, but instead high-quality, natural products in sophisticated fragrances and packaging. They are carried in 4 & 5 star hotels & spas around the country... and coming soon to a location near you. (I also hear they are going to be featured in American Spa's February 2008 issue... cool!)

C&M Couples' travel set, in a sleek little silver lunch box, is the bomb... take it anywhere: throw it in your suitcase, trunk, picnic basket, keep one at the summer house, and so on and so on.

The line consists of products in 2 fragrances:

Inspire Romance: Essential oils of fruit, herbs, and spice, plus calming accents of lavender, frankincense, bergamot and more. This one is my favorite

Create Passion: Rich, warm and sensuous with hints of spices, fragrant flowers, and fruit, along with exotic notes of ylang ylang, black pepper, ginger and more.

Both are so complex...like nothing you have ever smelled before...prepare your nose for a scent scintillation.

Every product has a different scent and they layer together to create the whole experience.

Imagine...

First you light the candle in your bedroom (say perhaps after a romantic dinner &/or a bottle of champagne) and spray your linens with the Linen Mist.

Then go take a long hot bath or steamy shower with your beloved (using C&M Bath & Shower Gel, of course).

Afterwards, return to the bedroom where your heavenly scented sheets are waiting and give each other a massage using C&M's Massage Creme. Make it a Valentine's to remember...or make any day a special day with C&M Couples.

Need a little chocolate in this story? Ok, pick a box of Emily's Chocolates Milk Chocolate Covered Love Fortune Cookies with messages of love and romance inside... the perfect compliment to C&M Couples!

For those of you interested in taking the moment a step further than just massage and cuddling, C&M's Create Passion line also provides tastefully presented Lubricant and the biggest, thickest moist towlettes, appropriately called Tela D'Amor, you have ever seen. Because let's face it...once someone gets up to get a washcloth, the moment is over, the connection is lost. Use Tela D'Amor to keep that wonderful feeling and connection for as long as absolutely possible.

Oh, but wait...did I mention these are paraben free & SLS free? The packaging is 100% recyclable, and the company is 100% sustainable. They are a Co-op America member, and also offer carbon free shipping. Yes, not only are they providing great products for couples, but they are doing their best to help save the planet.

The company not only works to bring couples & families together, but also makes a positive impact in peoples lives. They partner with Achievement House Inc., a non-profit agency dedicated to providing vocational and community living services for developmentally disabled adults, to assemble and package their travel sets.

So, your purchase can not only get you some great products, it can save your marriage, save the planet, and help provide employment for adults with disabilities. What other product can do all that and provide romance and passion? This stuff is priceless!

Wishing you a romantic and passionate Valentines!!!! And remember... green is the new red for Valentines!! And while you are whoopin' it up on February 14, please lift up a prayer for those in need who might not have anyone to celebrate with.

-N-

Is it just the British?

Ok, I'm back after a long hiatus. My business has taken off and demands more and more, but I do miss Skin Wench, and it's time to get back to it!

After reading the following article, http://www.skininc.com/news/12985582.html, from today's Skin Inc. newsletter, I was extremely disappointed in the attitude of skin care in the UK, and I wonder if it is a global attitude as well.

It seems that 50% of women in the UK who wear makeup do not remove it before going to bed. 64% of those are too tired to clean their face, and more than 25% just don't care. I have to ponder whether this is reflective of women allover the world? Or is it, for some strange reason, just the British? Any thoughts?

I will admit that I have been guilty many times of being one of those who is too tired to take my makeup off, but it was never because I didn't care. Hint for those who are too tired: mineral makeup is much less harmful to your skin.

The article also offers skin care tips at www.respectyourskin.co.uk. What a spectacular name for a website Respect Your Skin! What more does one need to say? Alas perhaps it is not what we need to say, but what we need to do.....wash our faces!

Pat says Now!

In continuation of great products from the NY Internationals Gift Fair (and my diversion from skin care for awhile):


Pat Says Now!

"Who's Pat? And what does he want me to do now??" Those were my first thoughts when I saw this company name. And at first, I thought these products were cell phone covers (which would have been fun), but instead they are even more fun (& innovative) mice... and not the cute little grey furry type...although their velvet Heart might qualify as furry, and it's certainly cute! Perhaps Pat should have said "Click here now!"






I'm not sure how ergonomic these mice are, but they will certainly add alot of fun to your day! Imagine the Duck brightening your day after the meeting from hell or around 3 pm when you are hitting the afternoon slump.



Speaking of afternoon slump (or morning hangovers), if you need a Brain (or additional brain power), Pat's got one for you.


Gentleman, does your woman want diamonds & flowers? Kill 2 birds with 1 stone & give her the Diamond Flower . (Hurry though, it's a limited edition)





I might be a little prudish, but the Body seems almost x-rated.... it's a curvy woman's body & the left & right breasts are the click buttons . Men, just make sure that when you are with an actual woman you aren't fantasizing about your mouse. Perhaps Save the Tatas should partner with Pat for a Save the tatas body mouse! As a moderate feminist who hates discrimination, I think that if there's a female body, there should be an upside down male body where the left & right click buttons are testicles..it could be called "For the Ex-Girlfriend/Wife".


And for my friend, Alpi, and all of his readers who read my blog, they've even got an Austria version.

Every funeral home employ needs the Ghost.





I personally wish they had made one covered 100% in clear or pink crystals. They could call it "I wish these were really Diamonds!" or "My day is so dull I need to brighten it up".



I'm also surprised they haven't made any in beer mugs, wine or alcohol bottles. They're also missing a monkey...wouldn't a monkey mouse brighten your day??

Pat, take heed of my suggestions: hire me for product development, I've got tons of ideas for you...





(all photos property & courtesy of www.pat-says-now.com)

Save the Tatas

This being my 2nd post about the NYIGF show, I am writing about the 2nd most memorable product I found there (after this, posts will be in no particular order):




Save the Tatas

T-shirts...for everyone!


This company, founded to help benefit breast cancer research helps raise breast cancer awareness with brassy comedy & gets a great reaction from everyone. I even saw conservative looking older women buying them for their store, as they had lost a friend to breast cancer.



The company gives 5% of all sales to breast cancer research.



The awesome phrases on the t-shirts, tanks & other goodies include such sayings as:



For All

*Save the tatas



For Her

*My tatas could beat up your tatas

*I love my little tatas

*Caught you looking at my tatas

*If you can read this step away from my tatas (written in very small print)



For Him

*I support the tatas

*My wife has great tatas

*So many tatas so little time

*If loving tatas is wrong, I don't want to be right




For Baby

*Gimme your tatas and no one gets hurt



These are great way to provide lots of smiles, laughs & a cure!

Oh, and for you Mario Lopez fans (I can't resist those dimples!), there's a pic of Mario (and pics of many others) with a 'Save the tatas' t-shirt in the 'Show us your tatas!' section.

Folks, seriously, let's save the tatas!

2, 4, 6, 8. Who do we appreciate? Tatas! Tatas! Goooooooo tatas!!

Pee & Poo

I've spent the last 6 days at the New York International Gift Fair. This is possibly the largest trade show in the country. It takes up all of the Jacob Javitz Center, Piers 88 & 94, & 3 floors in the Metropolitan Pavilion. Needless to say, I'm on Gift Fair overload.

So, over the next couple of weeks I will be blogging about some of the wonderful products & people I was introduced to at the show... I will be diverting into some 'non-personal care' products as well; however, I think you'll appreciate my diversions.

Today I'm decompressing after the show, so I'm going with my boldest memory of the show...

Ladies & Gentlemen, introducing Pee & Poo . I'm hoping you've already met them years ago, but now they've been immortalized as stuffed toys (I just can't bring myself to say 'animals'), keychains, underwear (adults & children's), t-shirts & tatoos! Yes, you read correctly, tatoos! Pee & Poo tatoos! (I'm wondering where, exactly, are you supposed to put them?).

Pee & Poo get my award for 'Cheekiest Product' at the entire fair (for those of you who don't speak British English that means "Ballsiest Product"...and I have to say, everyone was talking about it.

Just hope that Pee or Poo doesn't become the stuffed toy your child can't live or sleep without. Imagine: "Mommy! Mommy! I can't sleep until we find Pee!" Or when you have to explain to complete strangers when Poo has been misplaced & your child is screaming wildly: "I'm sorry, but little Joey just can't live without his Poo!"

You can also send your friends Pee & Poo e-cards. Make someone happy & send them some Pee & Poo. You can even download Pee & Poo wallpaper for your computer. There's even a memory game.

What do you give the man or woman who has everything? Some Pee & Poo..'cause as much pee & poo as they've had in their lives, they've never had 'em in this form before, that's for sure!

Who else but the Scandanavians could get away with this? You just have to love the Scandavians!

Maybe I should apply for the rights to the book... The Adventures of Pee & Pooh....I mean Poo.