Summer Sun

Yay! It's finally summery here in Santa Monica... the June gloom seems to be burning away mid-morning, and it actually feels like it's supposed to in sunny Southern California!
Which brings us to today's topic: sunscreen.


There seems to always be some confusion when it comes to sunscreen. And it seems there's always some new warning or controversy surrounding sunscreen ingredients. So what to do?
Well, one great online resource is Environmental Working Group's Annual Sunscreen Guide. They rate most sunscreen brands for safety, and you can even type in your brand, and if it's in the database, you can find out what it's safety score is. You can also type in specific ingredients for more information.
I tend to steer people toward physical sunblock as opposed to chemical. Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide are minerals that sit atop the skin and physically block it's exposure to sun. I'm not too keen on chemical sunscreens (like Oxybenzone and Octyl Methoxycinnamate), which penetrate the skin, interact with the cells, and can cause things like hormonal disruptions and allergies. Scientists also recommend against using Oxybenzone products on children, and yet it is the most common active ingredient in most commercial sunscreens.
The latest data now indicates that sun protection products containing a form of Vitamin A, Retinyl Palmitate, may actually speed the development of skin tumors and lesions. A lot of sunscreens contain Vitamin A because it is an anti-oxidant that slows skin aging. Great for night creams, but not for skin exposed to sunlight.
While it's very important to be protected from sunburn, some minimal exposure to the sun is healthy. The skin actually manufactures Vitamin D in the presence of sunlight. So enjoy Summer, but do it wisely. Choose a safe, healthy sunblock, wear protective clothing, and avoid peak sunlight hours when UV rays are strongest.

Plenty of Pink!

This isn't skin care related, but it is super pretty! I came home the other day to beautiful, billowing puffs of pink on the patio.


My neighbor and friend, Terri Mussatti, of Come to Mama Vintage Couture, was in the process of creating her amazing vintage hand-dyed lingerie pieces. I caught them in the pink stage (most of them have since been transformed into gorgeous masterpieces of wearable art)! I just had to take some pix. It felt so lovely and feminine to be surrounded by lacy, pink things in the late afternoon sunshine.


Her fabulous shop is in Atwater Village, at the Smooth'n Purdy Art & Beauty Gallery Collective, just in case you need a beautiful, alluring summer sundress, a unique evening gown, or some super sexy underthings! They also have great art openings and fun events in the courtyard. Go see!

RMS Beauty

RMS Beauty, created by NYC makeup artist Rose-Marie Swift, is formulated with raw, food grade, organic ingredients. It appears to be the perfect line for someone like me who doesn't want any chemicals at all in her cosmetics. In addition to being great for your skin, the colors are absolutely beautiful!


I can't wait to try the "Un" Cover-Up, The Living Luminizer, and the Lip2Cheek in hmmmm... either Illusive or Rapture.
I passionately recommend checking out Rose-Marie's personal website, Beauty Truth, which is dedicated to educating women about toxins and some of the misconceptions in today's beauty business. She explains why she created RMS Beauty. Very inspiring!
Please let me know if you use it, and what your favorite products and colors are.

Dry Brushing the Skin

The skin is the body's largest organ and is so important in the elimination of toxins that it is often referred to as the 3rd kidney (the lungs are #2). One of the best things we can do to keep the skin healthy is dry skin brushing.

More than 30 years ago, a Finnish doctor by the name of Paavo Airola prescribed this technique for his patients to detoxify, exfoliate and stimulate the skin. It is still widely used in spas and cancer treatment centers around the world.

There are many benefits of dry skin brushing, including:

* assists the lymphatic system by moving lymph
* improves circulation and strengthens immune system
* increases oxygenation
* increases cell renewal
* removes dead skin layers
* tightens the skin and improves texture (=softer skin)
* helps improve the appearance of cellulite
* aids in prevention of varicose veins
* detoxifies the entire body
* aids digestion
* invigorating and improves nervous system functions


You can get a good natural bristled dry skin brush at your local health food store or here.
I personally find the short handled brush to be the easiest to maneuver.
There are numerous detailed instructions available online. But basically, you want to start with the feet and legs, then arms and torso - always moving toward the heart, as this is the direction the lymph naturally flows. Use gentle pressure and avoid very sensitive areas and areas with broken skin. I like to do long, sweeping strokes, but some people prefer small circular motions. Either one is fine. But always go toward the heart. And skip the face. Too harsh. The whole process takes about five minutes (but you can do it twice as long if you're really into it), and is meant to be done prior to bathing. You want to wash all those loose dead skin cells off.
Dry brushing is best done in the morning, as it accelerates blood flow and has quite an invigorating effect. And it can be done as frequently as once per day. Also, remember to wash and air dry your brush regularly.
It feels great and is great for you. So brush that bod!

An Oldie, but Goodie

Many of you may have seen this already. In fact, I just read that this video was one of the most-linked-to videos amongst bloggers when it first came out. So very un-original of me. But it's always fun to watch again. It's such a powerful piece. And it may be the first time for some of you. In any case, I think it's brilliant. So I'm posting it.



It was part of Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty. In addition to showing normal looking women's bodies in their ads, they have some pretty cool self-esteem building tools for girls on their site. So important in our beauty obsessed culture to teach young people to feel good about who they are, don't you think?

Stop and Smell the Jasminas

I recently spent five days in NYC and loved every minute of it. I am now fantasizing about becoming bi-coastal. My friend Sarah took me to ABC Carpet and Home where, among many other things, I lusted for this:


Oh, my heavenly heavens.......

The scent is from Intelligent Nutrients, and is made with certified organic essential oils. It doesn't contain any petrochemically derived ingredients, only the plants themselves. So it smells like perfume, but is non-toxic and won't give you a headache.

Here's an interesting article from Environmental Working Group (the same folks who bring you the Cosmetic Safety Database, where you can type in a product and see how it ranks in terms of its safety/toxicity), about hidden chemicals in perfume and cologne.

In addition to Jasminas, I also fell in love with two of their other scents, Attune and Focus. I stepped away and decided I didn't need to buy three bottles of perfume. Now I miss them terribly, and wish I had gotten at least one! I don't wear synthetic fragrance (I'm one of those that gets toxed-out when I'm around regular perfume or artificially scented candles...), so I really don't own any perfume. But I know now that I should. The actual bottles on the product website are not nearly as beautiful as the ones in the apothecary section at ABC, for some reason. Wish I could show you. But I'm sure they smell just as gorgeous...

Cure Acne with Your iPhone? Really??

Did you know there is an iPhone app that supposedly helps clear up acne as you talk on the phone? Yep. It's called AcneApp and was developed by Houston based dermatologist, Greg Pearson, MD. He says this app would have go through a lot more clinical study before he could "quantify its efficacy,” but that he was “fascinated by the concept..." Another derm said it takes at least 88 treatments to see results. But people seem to be giving it good reviews. Placebo effect, perhaps?
The principle is the same as that behind the red and blue LED light therapy you'd receive from a Licenced Esthetician to kill bacteria and promote collagen growth. In my experience, those machines actually do produce results. However, the effectiveness of AcneApp has not been proven. And apparently, there is also no way of knowing the specific wavelength coming from your iPhone or what kind of harmful ultraviolet rays could be emitted. That's a little scary.


In my opinion, the best thing to do with your phone to help control acne is keep it as clean as possible. Phones get dirty and greasy. And try not to mash it up against your pretty face too much. Yucky!