Pumpkin cure for dry skin

Kayla Fioravanti shares a great recipe for dry skin just in time for Halloween.

Ingredients
5 tablespoons canned organic pumpkin
1 teaspoon agave sweetener
1 tablespoon softened organic butter

To Make
Combine everything together and mix well to make a smooth paste. Make sure your face is clean. Spread Honey Pumpkin Spread over your face in an even layer. Rest for 15 minutes. Rinse and enjoy the softened skin.

That's what I call trick or treat!

Mario Badescu

The stupefying loveliness that is Mario Badescu skin care, doesn't really need a huge introduction. But for those of you still living with the Fraggles, here's the 411:

Mario is a Romanian-born genius (in my opinion) that has combined his knowledge of skin care and old world techniques and founded his own salon back in the late 60's. The products essence are natural ingredients and advanced technology at its best. Anyone I know with problem skin, swears by Mario Badescu. It was about time I found out for myself.

Trying so many goodies was overwhelming, the dizzying effect led me to narrow down my twenty five favorites. Here we go:

Eye Make-Up Remover Gel (non oily)- A gem for anyone who wears contacts. The gel texture was great at getting off all my eye shadow and liner without dripping any oil into my eyes. It's kind of hard to find eye makeup remover that doesn't have oil and works. This is now a staple in my cosmetic case.

Glycolic Foaming Cleanser - Another great lathering facial cleanser. It removes dirt and the glycolic acid gently exfoliates dull skin. I of course love that there was no irritation and as my skin felt clean, it didn't leave any residue behind.

Flower & Tonic Mask - Ok, so this mask is awesome. It is a combination of purifying and calming for slightly oil skin. It dries quickly (that's what I liked the best) and drags out impurities. Balsam Peru calms any minor redness that may occur. I used it only on my T-zone and was pleased.

Seaweed Night Cream - This slightly rich non-oily cream was so pleasant that I would have loved it in Body Cream form. It's got Seaweed, Collagen and Hyaluronic Acid to nourish skin with out clogging pores. The scent was delightful, the texture was wondrous and when I woke up in the morning my skin looked relaxed as it should.

Glycolic Eye Cream - Eye cream. Ahhh, my love affair continues. Mario has several different eye creams for everything under the sun. The glycolic cream is great because it's high in vitamin E and has other oils to aid in ridding the signs of wrinkles and sun damage.

I'm definitely digging the Mario Badescu line and am on a hunt to try their BoDy LOtiOns. The line is available at Ulta, Nordstrom, Blue Mercury, and the Beauty Cafe in Burlington MA. For more info on Mario Badescu visit www.mariobadescu.com 

EVE LOM

EVE LOM - with a moniker reminiscent  of a religious retreat, and  angelic packaging, I had high hopes for this product. 

I actually purchased this product on my own at Space NK! It was that alluring. The cleanser is a blend of Egyptian chamomile, hops, clove and eucalyptus oil, and cocoa butter. It also comes equipped with a muslin cloth to aid the exfoliation.

 

What I like about the EVE LOM cleanser is the powerful scent and the gentle manner that it exfoliates. It's a gem for getting rid of any extra make up in the evening and appropriate for all skin types.

My actual purchase was the starter kit. Housed in a heavenly white tin with gold lettering, it included a clay ReSCuE mask as well. The mask drew out impurities like the best of them. I plan on purchasing the full size cleanser now, I think it will be great around the holidays when all those extra photos are taken - and piles of cosmetics will be begging for removal! EVE LOM is available at Space NK and for more info visit EVE LOM's site

Being True

When your on the search for the best products out there, what is one of the characteristics you look for? One of my questions is: " What do the professionals use?". The spa industry loves BeingTRUE® and now I do as well. So listen up ladies because BeingTRUE® has made the flava fav list. BeingTRUE® has a variety of skincare products ranging from cleansers and masks to make up!
There is something for every skin type and any age, and the boyfriends/husbands may not mind using these products either. My sweet mommy and I tried quite a few treats. Everything reacted wonderfully with no irritations. The following are our favorites.

Anti-fatigue eye contour gel - This is for the party girls like moi or just anyone who didn't get any sleep last night. The Anti-fatigue gel is packed with caffeine and helps ward off puffiness and dark circles from the first use. Not sure if I was supposed to, but I've been keeping mine the fridge for an added cooling effect. I think it's making the cucumbers jealous.
Youth revealing complex - This was my mommy's favorite. She saw results within three weeks. It's not-so-secret ingredient is idebenone, which is a bio engineered form of Co-Enzyme Q10....the bodies natural free radical fighter. Fine lines around her mouth, eyes, and forehead have become just a memory. I used it on my forehead and have to say that it has reduced my fine lines as well. Why do we call them fine, when they are the complete opposite? Anyhoo, we loved it.

Radiance revealing complex - Sun worshipers alike will die for this treat. It brings uneven blotchy skin tone to a better light. I began using it as soon as I knew that my beach were approaching the zero mark. My complexion has improved and it kind of looks like there is a slight glow coming from my cheek bones.

Purifying therapeutic mask - We tried this together. Um.... there is a delightful tingly sensation that comes along with this mask. It is only supposed to be used once a week but I wish I could use it everyday. Our skin felt clean BUT NOT DRIED OUT!!! So this is wonderful if you are the type with problem skin, since many treatments end up drying out the skin too much. The brush used to apply the mask is quite intriguing too! It was fun & relaxing painting the mask on our faces.

Energy Work Aroma shower gel - The scent of spearmint is just what my shower needed! A great morning eye opener and there is no soap in this gel so it won't dry out your skin!

Body Spray oil - After my awakening shower, I slathered on moisture + repair sheer oil spray. Multiple oils are included in the ingredients such as tamanu seed oil to add moisture and promote healing.

Eye Shadow - This was all mommy. These shadows are for everyone but cater to mature skin. Interference color-rich shadow includes Dermaxyl®, a powerful ceramide complex that helps to smooth creepy eyelids by restoring the moisture level to depleted skin, reducing fine lines and wrinkles, and protecting the delicate eyelid tissue from oxidative stress. In simple terms....this paraben free eye shadow collection includes what you need to ward off aging while complimenting your eyes...AND...will not settle in the crease that you may have, that sometime make mature eyes look a bit older then they are. It's one of the reasons my mom stopped wearing eye shadow, but she really enjoyed BeingTRUE® 's collection.

For a complete profile on BeingTRUE® click here or visit www.beingtrue.com for more info and purchasing.

Time After Time

A mask that beats the the hands on the clock. The spot light is on Erno Laszlo's Timeless Concentration Mask. It contains anise extract that acts as a natural muscle relaxer and the rest of the A-list ingredients like Green Tea, Vitamins E and C as well.

It only needs to be used once a week to help lift and firm tired skin.

Most peel off masks don't feel like they go deep enough into my pores as the mud varieties do. Erno Laszlo's Timeless Concentration is another story. It has a thicker texture and really digs deep into the dermis to drag out impurities. It reminded me of those old biore strips - where you can see dirt on the strip from your face.....remember those? Anyhoo, I loved the thickness since it felt like it was doing something. And when the dirt was visibly on the mask when I peeled it off, I was super excited. Clean and firm with an afterglow. Love it!

Erno Laszlo products can be found at Nordstrom, Bergdorfs, and Saks or online at www.ernolaszlo.com