Bath and Body Luxuries

I could open a bath and body store, or museum, in my bathroom. Not only do I have my bathroom cabinets stocked, I have an additional free-standing, large corner cabinet I had put in. Granted, some of that space is for hair products, curling irons, and other personal products. I do use most of my bath and body products at some time, every once in a while I will go through and take out what I haven't used and give it away.

Out of the products I keep and use, it's a given that I have my favorites, the ones I use more often. I'm going to leave a few of them out of this post, because they're going to show up soon in a post on after-sun care. So we'll go with some of my year-long favorite bath and body luxuries.

Stress Relievers

Bath & Body Works- Stress Relief Eucalyptus Spearmint- Body Wash & Foam Bath, Body Lotion, Sugar Scrub, and Pillow Mist. A favorite of mine for a very long time, also great when I'm feeling sick. I'm very into aromatherapy, which I'll get into in future posts.

Johnson's Melt Away Stress Body Wash and Body Lotion- I didn't link to this one, because Johnson's does not have it on their site, and doing a search leads me to believe that perhaps this may not be in some stores anymore? Someone correct me if I'm wrong, I'll have to check next time I'm shopping. These products come in fairly large bottles, so it's been a while since I've had to buy one. I  know I purchased another Johnson's Body Wash that I *loved*, it was in a brown bottle and had wonderful oils in it, I haven't been able to find it in stores, but did see it while I was searching for the Melt Away Stress. Anyhoo. I initially bought the Melt Away Stress when I was taking care of my dying grandmother, yes, a very stressful situation, other family issues going on as well. These products did exactly what they said, my stress melted away, at least for a little while.


I Feel Pretty (and Sexy!)

Bath & Body Works- Sensual Black Currant Vanilla- Body Wash & Foam Bath, Body Lotion and Home Fragrance Oil. I don't think they sell the Oil anymore, I use it sparingly, as I burn a lot of other essential oils (lots of aromatherapy posts ahead). I love this fragrance, guys seem to like it too. I used to love topping the layers off with Fresh's Red Currant Basil perfume, but it's been discontinued. I have a bit left, hopefully I can find a bottle on ebay or somewhere that isn't stale.

La Bouquetiere Pamplemousse Vanille (Grapefruit Vanilla) Lotion- This lotion is the bomb! I tried it out at one of the boutiques in the historical city near where I live. It was a bit pricey for me at the time. However, after walking around all day, sweating, sleeping, passing out before we could shower (eww, I know), then waking up still smelling great and with baby-soft arms (where I'd applied the lotion) I immediately went back and bought a bottle. It's fabulous.

Benefit's Touch Me Then Try to Leave Body Cream- Okay, I'm really getting irked right now. Thank goodness I am stocked up on my favorites, because this cream is discontinued! Are you kidding me? This cream rocks, a nice, subtle scent, leaves your skin silky soft and so irresistable!

More?

So while I'm fuming about discontinued products I loved, one of my top 5 that's gone is Philosophy's Message in a Bottle. No link, except to a picture of the plastic bottle they last made. Initially, it was a lovely, ocean-inspired bubble bath, packaged in a real bottle with a cork, with cool script writing on the bottle. Not only was it a great product (the bubble bath left my skin so soft, and the scent was very relaxing), but the bottle was so cute and unique, there was no way one could hide it in the bathroom cabinet, it had to be on display.

Thankfully, I am gaining some new favorites, thanks to my best friend introducing me to Lush. We don't have one where I live, which baffles me, but I do most of my shopping online. However, with a place like Lush, I'd really like to be able to smell everything, there are so many choices! BFF is great, though, everytime she visits she brings me a little something to try out, so far I have loved it all. I still have one bathbomb to try, I have to borrow the boyfriend's bathtub for that, since his is 3x larger than mine. It'll give him uninterrupted time to work on his motorcycle.

Bliss Vanilla Bergamot Soapy Suds and Body Butter. I keep stocked up more on the Soapy Suds than the Body Butter. It really moisturizes, a little goes a long way, and it doesn't clash with most of my perfumes. I liked the old formulation better, but beggars can't be choosers, I suppose.

Fresh Sugar Rose' Tinted Lip Treatment SPF 15. I use this on minimal make-up days, it barely has a tint, but makes my lips so smooth. I also use it while I'm applying makeup to soften my lips for lip pencils, stains, etc, and sometimes at night.

Candles

You can't have a luxurious experience without candles. I pick them up pretty much everywhere, but mostly have a huge stock of Yankee Candles, Bath & Body Works and Tyler candles. It's summer, so I'm burning light, beachy, summery scents, but here's a list of some of my all-time favorites:

Yankee:
Autumn Wreath
Beach Walk
Holiday Sage
Island Spa
Lavender Vanilla
Midnight Oasis
Mistletoe
Ocean Water
Sage & Citrus
Soft Blanket
Sparkling Angel
Sun & Sand
Tahitian Tiare Flower
Vanilla Lime
Wedding Day
White Christmas

B&BW:
Eucalyptus Spearmint
Japanese Cherry Blossom
White Sand

Tyler:
Fleur De Lis
English Ivy
Dolce Vita
High Maintenance
Beach Blonde


That's it for luxury (for now). We'll be diving into summer (bad pun, I know) and talking about all the different ways to protect your skin during those beach and pool days, as well as after-sun care. I'll also start sharing some aromatherapy tips. A preview:

For itchy bug bites, apply a neat drop of essential lavender oil to the bite. Make sure it is essential oil from a health-food store or similar place, not a perfumed oil. Do not rub it all over the skin, just a neat drop to the bite.

Little Luxuries: Margot Elena (Lollia, TokyoMilk, Love & Toast)

I had my first Margot Elena experience when I was browsing beauty.com a few years back. I happened upon the most lovely candles by Lollia and purchased the "Wish" Petite Perfumed Luminary. The fragrance description-"Warm Vanilla Bean and Rice Flower delicately frosted with sugared pastille. Jasmine Leaves sweetened with Sugar Cane. Comforting Ylang Ylang and the sheerest of Amber Woods complete the scene, creating the most luxurious of fragrant escapes" definitely grabbed me, as some of my favorite notes were in there. Yet I can't honestly say that was what got my attention initially. It was this:

Wish Petite Perfumed Luminary

Look how amazingly beautiful it is! Yes, that is a crystal or glass ornament attached to the wick of the candle. It took me forever to actually use it! The quality of the candle is really great, the scent is fabulous. There are more fragrances, too, as Lollia has a range of full bath and body collections. They also sell loungewear, duvets and throws.

Breathe Collection

I would describe Lollia as Margot Elena's romantic, classic, elegant collection. I plan to try more, once I get over my fixation with:

TokyoMilk- One day I was visiting my niece at college, she's very close, in a quaint town with cute shoppes and boutiques. One boutique had a display set up with some lovely hand creams, unusual perfumes, and quirky lip balms. I ended up buying a couple of perfumes and a lip balm through the TokyoMilk website. They sent me samples of hand cream (fabulous!) and bubble bath (decadent!).

TokyoMilk offers quality products in unusual ways, through their fragrance combinations and packaging. They have very cute and interesting cards for every occasion:

They also have fragrance sets ranging from their classics to the Femme Fatale and Fate and Fortune collections.

Honey & the Moon Collection

Destiny Collection



TokyoMilk is quirky, curious and different. Perhaps a bit vintage.


Love & Toast- I hate to say I haven't tried anything from this line yet. I only recently made the connection with TokyoMilk-Margot Elena-Lollia, which in turn led me to Love & Toast. From perusing the website, it seems to be a fun, flirty, breezy collection.

Pomme Poivre Collection

It looks like Margot Elena has a new product line in the works. Nectar + Pollen has a placeholder page, we'll keep you updated when it gets going!

My Margot Elena Favorites (so far!):

Lollia Wish Petite Perfumed Luminary
TokyoMilk BonBon Bubble Bath No.15 Eiffel Tower
TokyoMilk Parfum French Kiss No.15
TokyoMilk Opera Mint BonBon Lip Balm

Next up: More Little Luxuries

Coming up soon: Fun in the Sun (safely!) I'm attending an event this Friday regarding the new SPF guidelines, so I'll be sharing all the good stuff about that on here.

The Routine- Makeup

I'll admit, I lean towards being more of a minimalist when it comes to my daily makeup routine. You wouldn't know it by looking in my makeup chest (yes, chest, not bag). I find that, for the most part, if I take care of my skin, I don't need much makeup, as far as base/foundation is concerned. I do not have perfect skin by any means, there are defnitely flaws that need to be addressed.

BB creams, tinted moisturizers and primers are staples in my routine. Right now, I'm playing around with different samples I've received through Birchbox, Sample Society and TestTube, as well as a beauty trends show I recently attended.

I really like to go minimal during the day:

BB cream, tinted moisturizer or primer
Powder
Blush
Mascara
Lip Gloss

In the evening, for nights out, I do love to play around with my treasure trove of colors! I have several makeup palettes with eyeshadows, blushes and lip colors, along with other separate shadows, pencils, lipsticks, highlighting powders, you name it. And, of course, an awesome set of brushes and tools for application.

I do go heavier on foundation, though not chisel-worthy. I used to use mineral makeup a lot, and still use some Bare Minerals or Jane Iredale sometimes, but decided to go out on a limb at one point and try something new. If I'm going full-blown coverage, I now use the Revlon PhotoReady line. Hi-definition makeup looks fab, Make Up For Ever makes the best, but on a budget, I'm happy with Revlon's.

My Must-Haves:

BB Cream- Dr. Brandt Flexitone or Miracle Skin Transformer
Primer- Smashbox Photofinish or Sephora Collection Primer
Stila Tinted Moisturizer
Revlon PhotoReady Foundation and Powder
L'Oreal Translucide Powder (for light coverage)
L'Oreal Infallible Powder (for more coverage- I keep this in my purse in case I need a day-to-night look on the fly)
L'Oreal De-Crease Eye Shadow Base
Benefit Benetint Cheek Stain
Smashbox O-Glow Intuitive Cheek Color
Maybelline Volum' Express the Falsies Mascara
L'Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes (I do not need either of these mascaras, but I like to take my lashes to the extreme!)
DuWop Lip Venom Lip Plumper
Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Polish
And, of course, my makeup palettes, which have a gazillion colors to play with! Some are professional palettes, some I've gotten through places like Sephora.

An afterthought: This is a time of year where I actually scale down on makeup a lot. Summer in Florida can be merciless. I'm blessed in that I do manage to develop a nice tan, even with stringent use of sunscreen (I'm part Cherokee). Many days (and nights), tinted moisturizer, a touch of powder, some blush or bronzer, dramatic lashes and glossy lips do the trick.

Next up: Forty and Fabulous! Sharing some of my favorite things with you as I celebrate my birthday!

The Routine- Skin

The Skin Care Routine. Just when you have it down pat, a problem surfaces or a new product comes out. The cleanser that you've used and loved for years now dries your skin out, and you're completely lost amongst the sea of skin care lines. Believe me, becoming an esthetician didn't make things much easier. As a student, I was given so many different products to try out from several different companies. To this day I am still overwhelmed by all of the different offerings I see at trade shows, in stores, spas, and in magazines.
What to do? If you have a chronic skin condition, see a dermatologist. Estheticians cannot and should not diagnose problems. Many dermatologists work with estheticians and can recommend products and services that will work with whatever issues you are having. If you're just in the market for a new product, especially if you're planning to spend some money, get samples first. Department stores, medispas, any of these places should have no problem providing samples. Obviously they want you to buy their product, but should be willing to help you with your decision if they want to keep you as a loyal client.
Budget-wise, the economy is rough these days. You can find products in the drugstore that are just as good as ones in the department store, consider that L'Oreal owns companies like Lancome and SkinCeuticals. However, there are reasons some products are more expensive; research, ingredients, and development, to name a few. It may be a daunting task, but check active ingredients in a department store product, and see if you can find a similar counterpart at the drugstore. Tip: Skimp on cleanser, but make sure you get one that is right for your skin and does the job. Aveeno makes some great cleansers. Spend your money on a good antioxidant and proper moisturizer.
Another tip: Make your products last! Don't pour or pump a glob of cleanser into the palm of your hand and go at it. Start out with a little bit on your fingertips, apply dabs to your forehead, cheeks, nose, chin, and neck. Add water, start washing, and then if you need more cleanser, you can add it. Same with your moisturizer and other products. It's really surprising how little product you need to do the job.
That said, here is the routine I finally settled on. It is chock-full of SkinCeuticals, their products just work really well for me and are well worth the money, even though I do get a discount. :) I would still pay full-price.

DAILY:

Cleanse with Philosophy Purity Made Simple and Clarisonic Classic Sonic Skin Cleansing System
Apply SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF (A.M. Only)(Antioxidant Plus)
Apply SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Gel (Anti-Redness, Calming)
Apply SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel (Moisturizing)
Apply Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion (Moisturizing)
Apply Clinique All About Eyes (Target Moisturizing)
Apply Lip Balm (especially in the P.M., I am an addict) Hempz Herbal Lip Balm, Aveeno Essential Moisture Lip Conditioner with SPF 15 , Maybelline Baby Lips (Quenched), Pangea Organics Lip Balm (Egyptian Fennel, Grapefruit and Sweet Orange)

*My Clarisonic exfoliates to an extent, and I don't like to be too aggressive with my skin, so a few times a week I'll use Pevonia Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser in place of my regular cleanser. A couple of times a month I'll use something stronger like Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion.
*I use Jane Iredale's Sugar Butter Lip Exfoliator/Plumper, the sugar lip exfoliator is wonderful to use at night, you just rub it on and you can just eat it when you're finished! I also use it and the plumper before date nights.
*Once or twice a week I mask with SkinCeuticals Clarifying Clay Masque or SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Masque, or both (Clarifying on the T-Zone and congested areas, Hydrating on the drier areas).
*In the AM, if I don't apply makeup with SPF, I apply SkinCeuticals Physical UV Defense SPF 30.
*A few times a week in the PM during summer, I skip the Phyto and B5 Gels and use Clarins Delectable Self Tanning Mousse as my moisturizer, it is fabulous, Clarins has the BEST self-tanners!
*I rarely break out, or get a pimple, but when I do, I use Environ B-Active Sebuspot. Their whole B-Active line is fabulous for acne.

It seems like a lot, I know, and there is a point where you can do too much to your skin. I learned this going through esthetics school, getting peels and microderm and using products that were way too harsh for my skin. I have a good routine now, though, and it is important, especially as I age. I'm in the sun a lot, and even though genetics are on my side, I need to take care to have healthy skin. It's a whole-body thing, too- taking my vitamins, eating properly (most of the time!), drinking plenty of water, and exercising. And being nice to people. You can have perfect skin and be a butt-ugly person if your insides suck. Thus the name of this blog, which comes from a Dorothy Parker quote that my grandmother often used: "Beauty is skin deep, but ugly goes straight to the bone." Or something like that.

Next up: The Routine: Makeup

Sample Subscription Services

Try saying that ten times fast! SSS are basically programs that you sign up for, pay a fee (monthly or otherwise, depending on the program), and you receive really great, well-branded samples as well as some full-size products to try out and review (if you choose to do so). You also can gain points, gift cards and other special deals for purchasing items on the programs' websites.

These programs are still fairly new to me, my friend Lori turned me onto Birchbox back in January. When I went online to sign up, there was a wait list, so I did a search for similar sample programs, and discovered more out there. They aren't absolutely free (we'll get to that), so between other people's reviews and my own experience, I found the three Sample Subscription Services I like the best.

Birchbox- This is probably the most popular SSS in the beautysphere right now. The sample selection in your "box" is based on how you fill out your profile on the website. Usually there are 20-something different boxes each month, my friends and I never get the same box. As of this post, there is a waiting list for new members. My wait was not long, only a couple of weeks tops, and worth it. Price: $10.00 a month, free shipping.

Sample Society with Allure- My newest Subscription. The real bonus with this one is the Allure magazine subscription that comes with it. The sample sizes are deluxe, not super-tiny, for multiple uses. Price: $15.00 a month, free shipping.

TestTube by New Beauty- I'm like a kid on Christmas Day with this one. Price: $29.95 plus S&H, quarterly. You get a new TestTube every three months. Everyone gets the same TestTube. The price more than pays for itself- you get the New Beauty magazine, which is about 10 bucks at the bookstore, and chock full of great information. You'll also get at least two-three full-size products whose individual prices alone cost more than the subscription. Pictured above, the tube of lotion and the Moroccan Oil Hair product would add up to a minimum of $60, that's off the top of my head. You also receive gift cards for the spalook.com website, but they have stipulations, $10 off $60, $25 off $125, $50 off $200.

All of these programs have wonderful products to try out from all different brands- Dr. Brandt, Skinceuticals, Pangea Organics, Boscia, Philosophy, Stila- just to name a few. I'll be posting as I get my new boxes in, and will have my friend Lori's v-log on here with her review of the latest from the SSS!

Prom Emergency Kit

Last year, my niece had her senior prom, and after the initial elation over
seeing her prom dress and reminiscing about my own proms, I had two duties.
One, make sure she had the best eyebrow wax ever. Two, surprise her with a
little Prom Purse Kit. Sure, you can buy premade kits, which are very
well put together. However, I wanted to personalize my niece's a bit more.

Here's a list of the basic items I included, taking into consideration her
purse/clutch size. If you're buying the clutch/purse for your
daughter/granddaughter/niece/friend yourself, the kit inside will be an extra
special surprise!

Prom Purse Kit Basics:
*Safety Pins
*Double-Sided Tape
*Shout Wipes or Shout Pen
*Hand Sanitizer
*Breath Mints, Wisps, Brush-Ups
*Nail File
*Hair Elastics
*Tampons (preferably compact ones)
*Band-Aids (especially the ones made for heel blisters, for those awesome-but-
not-so-practical shoes!)
*Clear Nail Polish (the polishes in a pen are great for this!)

The little mesh bags you can put everything together in can be found in craft
stores. They come in a few different sizes and colors. You can also use a small
make-up bag, again, it depends on what your teen is carrying. She may not use
the bag at all, and just pull out a few of the items she really thinks she will
need.

You can really personalize these for your favorite teen by finding a cute
keychain-sized nail file, buying a hand sanitizer from Bath and Body Works that
matches her dress or the scent she'll be wearing. Last year B&BW had their
Royal Wedding theme going around prom time, so I bought one of their little
anti-bacs for the Prom Kit. Same with the hair elastics, I picked out the ones
that would match my niece's dress, and included a few black and clear ones as
well for her friends.

At this point, you could add Lip Gloss or a little bottle of her favorite
Perfume, that's up to you! My niece knew exactly what makeup and fragrance she
was wearing. However, a definite must is a personal note, just to say "Have fun
and enjoy every minute!" 

I had so much fun putting the Prom Kit together for my niece, I gave it to her
a few days before her prom and told her not to open the note until the day of
prom. Then I told her I'd better get a picture of her by 8pm prom night or my
friends and I were going to crash the prom. I got the picture at 7pm.

The Prom Kit can be altered for Wedding Days, as well as other special nights
out. Look for posts on these kits in the near future.

For those attending your prom, have a wonderful time, be safe, take lots of
pictures, and enjoy every second! You don't have to have a date, go with your
friends, sometimes it is much more fun that way!

Welcome!

Welcome to Skin Deep Beauty! The blog is still a work in progress. I'm working on a few graphics and color schemes and layouts, but I have several posts going that I need to go ahead and get up on here! I know the content is much more important than the look of the blog, but it's only natural to want it to look nice and readable without blinding anyone with crazy color combinations. My color scheme was inspired by this Dolce and Gabbana Spring 2012 advertisement I happened upon. Methinks we will change to a summer theme in the near future.

Again, welcome, I hope to provide some valuable knowledge about skin care and beauty, from the inside out, gain some information and feedback myself, and have fun along the way!