Tanning: Part II A: Self-Tanners

As promised, the list of Self-Tanners. Before I go into the actual list, a few thoughts to ponder over:

1. Make sure to read the list of ingredients!! If the ingredient dihydroxyacetone isn't the third or fourth ingredient, it may react with your skin. Water should always be the FIRST ingredient listed, as it should be the greatest in quantity. Products that list dihydroxyacetone as the first or second ingredient have left some people to break out into hives, rashes and other more severe allergic reactions. Dihydroxyacetone (DHA) is the active ingredient, and with that being said, do you really want that being in great quantity all over your skin?

2. Every self-tanner streaks if you don't know what you're doing, even when you do know what you're doing, some products just suck. Remember to rub in all self-tanners as if they were a body lotion to ensure coverage and to eliminate streaking.

3. Self-Tanners are not an all-in-one product, meaning that they won't play a double duty role. You need to stick to your normal skin regimen if they are to work. And be sure to make sure that the self-tanner you use is also safe for your face. If it isn't, do not put it on your face because it will just get irritated and damage the skin which will take longer to heal and often times become severely sensitive.

4. Exfoliate!! If you do not exfoliate your skin, face and body, your self-tanner will NEVER look good on your skin. It will streak and it will look patchy. An easy way to exfoliate the skin is by using a luffa puff sponge in the shower, and to make it even more prepared, use a shower gel that has exfoliating beads. Also, remember to exfoliate your face. If you have dry skin, you can get away with exfoliating twice a week but if you have oily skin try to do it every two days or perhaps buy a cleanser with exfoliating beads (a scrub).

5. Avoiding streaky looking hands is really hard to do but there is a way. You can buy the glove that sometimes comes with a self-tanner or you can take a cosmetic cotton pad (after you have washed your hands from using the self-tanner on your body) and use that to go over the tops of your hands. This way, you can avoid making your palms orange, sometimes even a muddy looking brown.



Here is the list of the self tanners that I would recommend, from pretty cheap to products more on the pricey side. From there, regardless of price, I will give my honest opinion on the best to the least judging on my experiences and my clients experiences.



1. Jergens Natural Glow
 $8-9 CDN (Sold at Drug Stores)

This cheaper alternative to the sun isn't greasy, no shimmer (which is good for most people), is far more improved than the original Natural Glow that came out a few years back and evens out your skin tone gradually which gives you total control. Also coming in Fair to Medium, and Medium to Tan gives you a more accurate colour that won't leave you looking like an orange. It also has the face self-tanner to go along with it which I would recommend because body lotion is too thick and usually too perfumed to go onto our faces. Jergens products contain ingredients that help nourish and moisturize your skin as well, but don't make the mistake of thinking that it can take place of your moisturizer, because it isn't. 10-15 minutes to dry.

The only con with this product is the smell. Truth be told, it is probably due to the individual scent of our skin and the mix of body wash and lotion we use. However it does leave a scent on the skin and it gets exponentially worse if you do anything in the sun or anything that requires you to sweat. That being said, I have met a few people who use this who  have not run into this problem. You decide.

2. Victoria's Secret Beach Sexy Instant Bronze Body Spray (HOLY WORDAGE)
$16 + CDN (Sold at Victoria's Secret)

This self-tanner promises to give you a sun-kissed glow and junk. Actually, it does, the colour is very pretty and the fade is quite natural. Smells really really good and also will not make you look orange. From what I have also witnessed it also does not irritate the skin, even the more sensitive types. Most people I know use this on the body and face and they have yet to complain. Can't remember if it's greasy, but I am a stickler for non greasy products so I am pretty sure it isn't. And again, no shimmer. 10-15 minutes to dry.

The only con, it isn't going to do anything healthy for your face and body so make sure to put on moisturizers and body lotions like you normally would. Even then, that's not really a con, but the reality.

3. St. Tropez Self Tan Bronzing Mousse
$38+ CDN (Sold at Sephora or sttropeztan.com)

This self-tanner is my second favourite next to Clarins', but that will come later. St. Tropez is my favourite for price though. It is my go to for brides, photo shoots, theater, and even more local events like prom or graduation. Super easy to spread, limited streaking (none in my experience), colour is extremely natural looking and it fades very slowly. The smell is pretty average as well and again no shimmer. Can be layered for a darker complexion. Not greasy. 10 minutes to dry.

The only con I have for this product is that even though it gives you time to work with it before it dries, if you forget to wash your hands, you will be scrubbing for a while to get this product off.

4. Dior Bronze Self-Tanner Natural Glow (there is also the shimmer version as well)
$38+ CDN

I was not going to add this product at all but I know a few people who just love it.

It comes in a natural finish and a shimmer finish, which is always nice when you have a choice. Smell is not very apparent and seems to really dull down after you take a shower. Not greasy (noticing a pattern here?) Can be layered for a darker complexion. 10 minutes to dry.

I do know people who have had irritated skin from using this product so just remember to read the ingredients before you drop some money on this pricier product.



5. Clarins Self Tanning Instant Gel
$38+ CDN

This is by far the best self-tanner out there. Clarins in general use all natural ingredients that are wonderful for your skin and this self-tanner is no different. Smells wonderful, produces amazing results colour wise, not greasy and fades really well. Can be layered for a darker complexion.

The only down side is that is takes FOREVER to dry (20 minutes or so) and even though I listed that it costs $38, that is for the smallest size, so if you plan on using this for a while, prepare to spend up to $48 for the bigger size.

6. Guerlain Terracotta Spray SPF 10
$60 CDN

If you are a makeup artist you know that Guerlain is the authority in bronzers, powder, creams, sprays...etc. The colour is outstanding, not greasy, super natural, streaking is  pretty limited (but then again it all depends on your method) and the smell is pretty good. The can, although not huge, tends to last for a while (also depending on how much you use) and gives a dewy glow. Can be layered for a darker complexion, but the colour itself is really pretty so don't mess with it too much.

The cons? Price, dries quickly (some people think that is a con), and some people tend to go through this quickly, but that's because people think to look dark you need to slather a product on which just isn't true. If someone writes in that this product doesn't work, you're just lying to us and yourself and that isn't very nice.


So my top picks? (I am taking pricing and reviews into this decision):

Hope this helped!! Thanks for reading.

The next blog will be about bronzers...stay tuned!!

Tanning: The meanest thing you could do to your body.

I know this post will either insult some people or please others. As a professional, I feel it is my duty to deliver the truth about our bodies and to communicate the best ways to take care of them.

I don't understand why people tan when the chances of you getting cancer are so high. The UVA/UVB rays are so dangerous now due to our ever depleting ozone, and the negatives far outweigh the positives.

Now, everyone wants to look like this. But, she is wearing makeup!! A LOT of makeup. The most natural, dewy glowing faces are usually that of pregnant women (which my skin missed the memo when I was with child), or someone who has layers of makeup on.

The one thing I hear all the time is women telling me that they wash their face, moisturize, drink water and that they will really crack down on taking care of their skin in the future, but for now it's YOLO...

So I ignore these people and then let them know what is really happening. If your skin is oily you will get the deepest, longest wrinkles, especially laugh lines at a very young age. I know some women who started getting these when they were 18, 19. And if you have dry skin, say hello to crows feet and a bunch of other fine lines. It is also very tough for makeup artists to make sun damaged skin look healthy. Just because you cover the sun spots doesn't mean that the face no longer resembles leather. Tanning is a no-no to the beauty world and we find other ways to get that exotic colouring.

There are many alternatives to tanning that it is almost sad that this has to be written. Here is what you can do instead of frying your skin (which does smell by the way, after you've gone tanning).

1. Self-tanners:
So many amazing self-tanners are out right now, cheap and pricey that you don't need to play Russian Roulette with your body.

2. Bronzers:
Every cosmetic and dermatological company is making one now that it is easy to find one in your price range and you can control how much you want.

3. Spray Tanning:
Now, some chemicals are harmful to you and the environment so I suggest going with an all natural spray and the fumes will be minimal and it will be very healthy for your skin. This you can also control when they ask how dark you want to be.

4. Don't tan:
Just don't do it. And wear sun protection wherever you go. Even in the winter, the sun can still harm your skin.

  Melanoma is easily avoided and completely unnecessary, we need to take precautions so we can make sure that we don't hurt ourselves. Also, keep this in mind, if cancer is rampant in your family as is, and you tan, you are playing a very dangerous game.

And really, do you want to resemble this ------->

My next post will be specific tanning products where I name off the best of each of the three alternatives I posted. Also, I could make a video of the different bronzers and self-tanners so you can get an idea of price and tone.

Day Cream vs. Night Cream... A very epic tale.

So, as the title states, I am going to go into the differences between night creams and day creams. Get ready for the showdown!!

The short answer is SPF. There, you can stop reading this now. But if you care to read more of this lovely post (I don't mean to stroke my ego, but it'll be pretty awesome) then please do so. There are clearly more than one difference but the massive one is SPF, which is aggravating when you think about how much money you've spent because you think it'll make SUCH A DIFFERENCE. And for some people, it does, especially those who have problematic skin or mature skin.

So here is a "Coles Notes" list of the differences (other than the damned SPF) between day cream and it's darker cousin, night cream:

1.  Vitamins
Night Creams have more vitamins based on the sole fact that at night you want something that will repair and nourish your skin from the days stress, free radicals, and really just the effects of living in the twenty first century.

2. Viscosity
For those of you who don't know what that means, it's a fancy, eloquent word for thickness (it did say "thick" until my fiance pointed out that it was grammatically incorrect but in all seriousness he is just nitpicking because I edit his stories and I think he is making this personal. Love you too, dear). Day creams are lightweight. Night creams are heavier to repair the skin throughout the night. Onto number three...

3. Greasiness
I hope that the word is self-explanatory. Day creams are non greasy whereas night creams are super greasy as to, again, aid in the repairing of dry, damaged skin.

4. SPF (Yeah, I added it in)
Day creams have them because you use day creams during the day, you know, when the sun is out. Night creams do not contain SPF because, from what I've been recently informed of, there is no sun at night.

Fin

Can you believe that there are only 4 differences between semi-moderately priced day cream and a super pricey night cream? I can. Most people don't waste their time buying two different ones because they simply use one for both regimens. Sure it's weird to use an SPF at night, but I do, and my skin doesn't require all that extra stuff. Not yet at least. As long as I moisturize my skin it's half the battle. Actually, as long as you wash your face, use a toner (or softener) and then moisturize than you shouldn't be too worried, because you're restoring the Ph balance to your skin and that is what matters the most.

So in conclusion, the choice to purchase a night cream is ultimately yours, but I thought I would be that nice person who actually told you the truth instead of being one of those people who work at a counter and scare you into buying it because you think you're face is going to fall off.

You'll thank me later.

Nose piercing and other stuff...

So three days ago I had my nose pierced. I quite like it despite reservations I had about it at first.

I had my son 5 months ago (technically 5 months on April 9th), and I found that I wasn't feeling myself. My hair has changed texture and moisture, my skin goes from extremely oily to being randomly dry, and I exhaust easily (not to mention the tension headaches and the migraines I have on a regular basis). All this being said, I wanted something that screamed different, unique, but above all else Marli. It suits me rather well I think. And for those of you who are wondering where is lies on the pain scale, I can honestly say that it was more of pressure then a pinch rather than excruciating and unbearable pain. Then again, I did just have a baby so if I can do that, then a piercing seems like 'childs play' in comparison.

I also plan to go back to my fire engine red hair that I had for about a year because I miss it and I feel like it was the colour that best suited my personality. Theoretically I want to come back to work, from maternity leave, as a new and improved version of myself. Every year I seem to go through some kind of metamorphosis and I feel that this one will be the best yet.

Avocado, Honey and Oat Mask.

I just posted a mask that would work for oily skin so I decided to also post a mask that will not only moisturize your skin, but also calms red, irritated sensitive skin.




How to prepare:

1. 1 Ripe Avocado
2. 2 Tablespoons of Honey (organic if possible)
3. 1/4 cup of uncooked Oatmeal "flakes" (therefore the instant, natural oats are fine to use)
4. Blend everything together

How to use:

1. Apply a generous layer to your face and let it sit about 10 - 15 minutes.
2. To exfoliate the skin, gently massage the skin in a circular motion while leaving it on your skin for the same 10 - 15 minutes.
3. Use warm water and a damp cloth to wash off your face
4. Pat dry with a clean towel (remember the tip from the last post about patting your skin dry because it is important).

Your skin should feel soft, moisturized and extremely clean!!

Honey Almond Skin Mask

Honey Almond Skin Mask!!

If anyone has oily skin like I do, you know that it is hard to keep it matte and especially hard to find the right cosmetics especially when not four hours later, you have to squeegee your face. 

Honey Almond masks can be purchased from the store, but let's face it, anything pre-made is super expensive and you can save a lot of money if you do it yourself.



How to prepare:

1. Add 2 tablespoons of finely ground Almonds to a small bowl
2. Add 1 tablespoon of 100% (organic if possible) Honey to the Almonds and mix.

How to use:

1. With your fingertips, gently massage the mixture onto your face using a circular motion to get every section of your face (especially the sides of your nose).
2. Leave the mixture on your for 10 - 15 minute.
3. Rinse your face using warm water and a damp wash cloth.
4. Pat your face dry with a clean towel. Patting it dry is pivotal as dragging a towel over any area of your face will gradually loosen the skins elasticity as well as immediately irritate your skin.
5. Repeat this process once a week to remove the excess oil and dead skin cells from your face. 

Doing these little things makes a huge difference for your face. Treat your skin like Fine China, because if we don't take care of our skin, no amount of makeup will make it look good and you will get wrinkles prematurely!!

Happy washing :)