Sunday, April 28, 2019

Mother’s Day Treats to Surprise, Delight and Spoil


Mother’s Day is nearly here but there is still time to find her the perfect gift - and she deserves it!  Flowers and a card with a message from the heart are always nice, but this year give her something she really wants, to show her that she is amazing and wonderful and special.  Some moms are young and first time mothers, while others are well seasoned, and there really are great gift ideas that will show her your love and appreciation for all she does for you.  Yes, she loves the homemade presents you made as a child, but now that you are adulting it is time to step it up and give her something that will be a real treat.

You really can’t go wrong with a piece of jewelry or somewhere nice to stow it, so why not choose a ring or earrings that are aligned with causes so that by gifting her you are in fact giving back to those in need?  And while you are at it, who wouldn’t love a chic storage box to keep all her jewelry in order?  


Moms are tech-savvy and having somewhere to keep her phone and tablet organized and charged is practical but stylish at the same time.  Or hook her up with a great play list, podcast list, or audio books with a bluetooth speaker system that fits just about anywhere. 


Moms are beautiful! And whether they say so or not, they love to feel beautiful too.  But being a mom often means putting her own needs last and skincare/hair/makeup/nails often takes a back seat - sometimes way back.  Give her a subscription to a monthly beauty box service that is personalized to her want and needs, that arrives right to the door with a chic makeup case included. 


Moms of all ages need a break, even if that means ten minutes of peace and quiet in the pick up line at school or during team practice.  Give her the gift of peace and quiet with the Calm app to help her find her inner zen.  Never underestimate the power of a calm mind.  Wellness matters, and this customizable app will give her tools to sleep better, focus, relax, and meditate during stressful mothering moments.  Breathe….. ohm……


Sometimes the best escape is a visual one: armchair travel is much easier when you have kids.  Help her dream of future adventures to destinations all over the world with this two book set, guaranteed to inspire her. 


Does you mom have a tea addiction? Pamper her with a fresh take on tea with a new variety of unique blends in test tube sized containers.  This particular set has a wonderful mixture of teas that are delightful and new, really upping the tea experience. A chic teapot with built in filter and wooden stand rounds out the gift so she can properly spoil herself. And think of you every time she uses it.


Busy moms know that meal planning and shopping is time consuming, and it can be hard to dream up dishes that are tasty and nutritious without going on a seven day repeat cycle of good old standbys. Treat her to a weekly meal subscription service that is customizable to her tastes, complete with easy to follow recipes, seasonal produce, and her choice of meat, fish, or vegetarian meals.  Take the guesswork and shopping out of the equation time to time, to spice up the kitchen routine.  


Moms work harder than anyone and give more of themselves to raise their families and we should celebrate them every single day.  So give her something to delight her and show her you put some thought into what she would really like.  Happy Mother’s Day to all my mom readers! You are amazing! 
                                                                 XOXO Shelley



#mothersday2019 #bestgiftsformoms #mothersdaygiftideas #mothersdayshopping #happymothersday #bestmothersdaygifts #stylishmoms #modelmoms #treatsformom #facethis.blogspot.com #ShelleyGoodstein



Saturday, April 20, 2019

Best Self-Tanners and Tips For a Sun-kissed Glow


We all know that the best tan is a safe tan, and that means a sunless tan.  Streaks, stinky products, and stains on everything from clothes to sheets can be avoided if you choose the right self-tanners and use them properly.  The new formulas come in mousse, oils, sprays, gels, and creams, and give a believable glow that suggests you spent spring break under the sun somewhere warm.  So no matter your comfort level there is a product for you.  Many of the new products don’t have the distinctive smell of older self-tanners, which for many was a major turnoff.  DHA (dihydroxyacetone) derived from glycerin increases the melanoidins in skin turning them a brown tone, hence a tanned look, and is responsible for the unpleasant smell associated with these products. The new formulations have ingredients to actually block the nose from detecting the odor, while others mask it with pleasant smelling scents.  If you have been hesitant to really embrace a faux-glow I’ve got the tips to achieving a gorgeous tan for face and body that will have everyone wondering where you spent your holiday weekend:

Face:

Start with a clean, bare face, using a formula specifically designed for the face.  Begin by applying the product to the parts of the face that the sun hits: the forehead, along the top of the nose, the tip of the chin, and the apples of your cheeks.  Use sparingly over the top lip to avoid creating a shadowed area that will look like a mustache.  Blend with your fingertips or blender sponge upwards and outwards towards the edge of the face.  Extra tip: if you have blonde or grey hair, apply a bit of moisturizer with the self-tanner along the hairline to avoid staining the hair.  Moisturize and use sunscreen twenty minutes after application and before makeup. Use a glow product along the highlights of your face to enhance the tan: along the bridge of the nose, top of the cheekbones, chin, and brow bones right above the brows.  







Body:

Exfoliate the day before self tanning to prep the skin.  Don’t wax within 24 hours to allow the follicles to relax.  Moisturize ankles, knees and elbows well for a few days prior to applying self tanner if they are rough as smooth skin absorbs product more evenly.  Use a mitt for even product distribution and to prevent streaks and hand stains. Sprays are a great way to reach areas like the back and behind the knees.  Extra tip:  start at the ankles and feet and work upwards to avoid creasing your skin during the application process, and leave your arms until last. 






*** All products available at Sephora.com

Self-tanning basics:

Exfoliate gently the day before self-tanning so the skin is not rough or raw, allowing for a smoother application.

Allow the self-tanner to completely dry before getting dressed or jumping into bed.

Moisturize well to maintain skin condition to extend the length of the tan.

Wash your hands thoroughly after applying self tanning products so it doesn’t settle into your cuticles or palms.  

Self tanners do NOT offer any sun protection so always apply an SPF over it.

Self-tanning is much less intimidating than it used to be, and the new products mean we don’t need to be a beauty pro to achieve an amazing bonzed goddess look, so glow on! 


                                                               XOXO Shelley



#newselftanners #bestselftanners #howtouseselftanners #selftanningtips #selftannersforface #selftannersforbody #nostreakselftanners  #facethis.blogspot.com #ShelleyGoodstein

Saturday, April 13, 2019

K-Beauty’s NEW Routine is Skincare Simplified:


While some people love the self-pampering time it takes to complete a typical seven step K-beauty skincare routine twice a day, the rest of us either don’t have the time or finances it requires to purchase and then apply all those products.  But we still want the same level of skincare benefits.  The new K-beauty trend is “skip-care” which basically means all the benefits of a seven step routine, using fewer products.  Basically, it is a sort of “skincare detox”, eliminating extra steps using only essential ingredients to cleanse, hydrate, treat, plump, refine, tone, protect, and glow. 


Summer is the best time to minimize your skincare regime so you spend less time in front of the mirror and more time in the fresh air.  Look for products that do double or even triple duty but give all the same benefits.  Use a toner that doesn’t strip skin’s natural protective barrier and gives the skin a burst of moisture at the same time.  Try a moisturizer that refines skin tone, tightens pores, controls excess oil and imparts a glow.   Mineral sunscreen with ingredients to trap and hold moisture, while protecting the skin with antioxidants at the same time is a win-win.  Choose an eye cream that hydrates and smooths while reducing under-eye puffiness and dark circles.  Night-time face creams that secure the moisture barrier of skin, promote cell renewal, protect with antioxidants, and treat fine lines and uneven skin tone cover a lot of skincare concerns in one go.  Apply it over a powerhouse serum with gentle AHA and BHA acids that gently exfoliate, reduces pore size, treats hyper-pigmentation, promotes cell renewal, and provides hydration. 

It’s not only a good time to reduce the number of skincare steps to achieve amazing skin, but a great opportunity to choose products that are less harmful to both you and the environment.  I am choosing my products with Sephora’s stamp “Sephora Clean” which are free of these ingredients: sulfates SLS and SLES, parabens, formaldehydes, formaldehyde-releasing agents, phthalates, mineral oil, retinyl palmitate, oxybenzone, coal tar, hydroquinone, triclosan, and triclocarban.  All skincare, makeup and hair brands with the Clean seal have less than one percent synthetic fragrances.  Here are some of my top choices of innovative products that will guarantee that I will not spend the entire season indoors performing a time consuming seven step routine to achieve amazing healthy skin that glows: 








xoxo Shelley





#skipcare #kbeautytrends #bestnewkbeauty #sevenstepskincare #summerskincare #cleanbeauty #greenbeauty #skincaredetox #simpleskinecare #facethis.blogspot.com #ShelleyGoodstein 

Saturday, April 6, 2019

“Cica”: The Hero Ingredient in Skincare Breakthroughs


“Cica”, the nickname for Centella Asiatica, is a leaf from wetlands in Asia used for centuries in ancient Chinese medicine to soothe, heal, and repair wounds, burns, and skin conditions.  It’s also known as “tiger grass” as tigers rub themselves in the grass to heal battle wounds. The leaf’s water content contains anti-microbial properties that treat infection and speed the skins’ recovery.  But that’s just the beginning of it’s amazing benefits.  Clinical studies have confirmed the efficacy of cica in medical skin healing, so it makes sense that such a beneficial, natural, and gentle ingredient is beginning to appear in mainstream skincare products.  

K-Beauty has championed cica for several years now, and finally the rest of the world is catching up, as brands create formulations that are hypoallergenic and completely safe for all skin types, backed up with clinical research.  It makes sense as we learn that many of our skin issues are a result of over-exfoliation, pollution, too many unnatural chemicals routinely aggressing our skin, stripping away the micro-biome, our skin’s own natural protective barrier, and excessive use of acids to force our skin into recovery mode in hopes of revealing younger, healthier layers.  Basically, all the things that brands have told us would give us a glowing, youthful complexion.  In a major back step, brands are now promoting natural, more gentle products formulated to protect and heal the skin, often using age-old wisdom and ingredients.  Cica has proven in clinical studies to be completely safe for use on babies, the most sensitive skin types of all, meaning that no matter how touchy your own skin is, cica can help and definitely won’t hurt. 

Cica products are now available to treat acne and breakouts, inflammation, dryness, and fine lines.  It hydrates, brightens the complexion, evens tone, protects against the effects of pollution, and stimulates collagen production and cell growth.  How it works:  Cica contains vitamins, amino acids, phytochemicals, and betacarotene which are antioxidants that help heal the skin, returning it to a healthy state, while providing intense hydration that plumps skin, nourishing the micro-biome without damaging it.  If skin is fed what it needs to behave like young skin, it will glow, be more firm, have a more even tone, be thicker, resist the formation of wrinkles and lines, won’t show signs of stress from pollutants, and heal redness and irritation.  Instead of brutalizing our skin into doing what we want it to do, why wouldn’t we give our skin exactly what it needs to recover and rejuvenate?  Cica might just be the “wonder ingredient” in skincare breakthroughs.  If nature can make a tiger rub on Centella asiatica leaves to heal it’s wounds then why wouldn’t we want to try to benefit from its healing properties ourselves?  








                                               XOXO Shelley



#cicabalm #cicainskincare #skincarebreakthroughs #K-beauty # centellaasiatica #newskincaretreatments #naturalskincare #tigergrass #skincareforsensitiveskin #facethis.blogspot.com #ShelleyGoodstein