I’m sure you’ve noticed it too, the sudden shift in skin care quality in drugstores. It used to be just cold cream and basic moisturizers you’d find, but now you can purchase skin care that rivals any department store line just steps away from the toilet cleaner and pet food.

Although drugstore skin care isn’t what it used to be here in America, Europe and Canada have enjoyed high-end products in pharmacies and drugstores for years. Vichy is the #1 drugstore line in Europe, enjoyed by the selective women there who have a wide variety of skin care from which to choose.

Vichy is a results line with quite a few items, but they’re best known for their Retinol. Liftactiv Retinol HA is a treatment you can wear during the day because it has SPF 18 built right in. It’s not as drying to the skin as traditional retinols can be because of their patented formulation mixed with Hyaluronic Acid to hydrate, reduce wrinkles (did you know there were 3 different types?), and protect your skin from new damage. (more…)

I’ve been wanting to play with some new copper head pins I made that have beautiful deep pink ball ends, and when I received my latest goodies from artbeads to review, I knew the red poppy jasper beads would be perfect. (You can find the jasper beads and other shades of red and pink in the Valentines Day gemstone bead section of their website.)

I paired a jasper on copper charm with a deep purple freshwater pearl one, and added them to a slim silver bangle

Looking at the finished piece, I like it, but I think it would be a more successful design if the bangle was made from copper – so I’m hoping to experiment with some copper bangles if my son takes a good nap this afternoon.

The warm tones in the copper charms would blend a lot better with a warm copper bangle base – and maybe matching earrings? And while I’m being critical of myself, if I’d chosen a black pearl with more green/gold undertones, I think that also might have worked a bit better. But hey – aren’t my pink copper head pins gorgeous with the jasper?
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Fashion reflects on everything. It may change the way we dress, our lifestyle  and our priorities. Conquer the fashion world with the advice of the beauty blog.

Today being stylish requires quite a lot of skills as we have to be aware of all the rules of fashion. One of the rules stipulates that a haircut must by no means go with your style and express who you are. Haircut styles differ but apart from the style preferences we have to pay attention to the face shape.

An oval face has the most desired features and almost all hairstyles and cuts are good for them. A face with balanced proportions may be complimented by a long, short or medium hair style. If you have an oval face shape then you have a beautifully outlined bone structure, so experiment freely by emphasizing your perfect features.

Medium and short-length hair is appropriate for those who have a square face shape. You can reduce the strictness of your jawline with curls.  Wispy bangs will also do. Straight hair will not soften your features.

A round face shape needs to be minimized to some extend. Layers will help to reduce the roundness. (more…)

Acrylic nails are very popular today among all women. They both look nice and are very convenient. However, they may cause some health problems.

It’s quite uncommon for acrylic nails to cause serious health injuries. That depends on the technicians that carefully and properly sterilize the instruments. But there is still cause for concern. Some dermatologists reveal four dangers of acrylic nails.

Mistreating your artificial nails may have serious consequences. Never use your artificial nails as tools. Some of the nail sculptures are so rigid that many people use them in order to clean something or as screwdrivers. The problem is that the bond between the artificial nail and real nail is stronger than the bond between the real nail and the nail bed. When you use your artificial nail as a tool the nail bed is ripped from the nail, which creates a space where inflection can occur.

Chemical allergens that are used in an acrylic nail and nail polishes can cause allergies and other problems. Formaldehyde (used to crosslink polymers) and methyl methacrylate (the resin that make up the bulk of the nail) are notorious for this particularly. The tiny metal balls in the bottom of the nail polish bottle can also cause allergies. These balls can contain traces of nickel, which is a well-known allergen.

Gel nails can cause problems to people who are on photosensitizing medications. If the person takes something like tetracycline, there can be a phototoxic reaction in the nail bed. If the gel-sculptured nails are cured under a bright light the problem may easily occur.

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For all of us our skin beauty is one of the most important signs of health. This is the reason why we must be very careful in choosing beauty skin care products.

According to studies the average women uses 12 skin care products, and young girls use 17. This is worrisome as not all cosmetics are good for the skin.

There are elements that are widely used in skin care products and are proven to have harmful effects on the skin, such as hormonal disruption and cancer. In 2005 Skin Deep Report researchers found that 33 percent of skin care products may cause cancer, while 45 percent of them are harmful to the reproductive system. And 60 percent may disrupt hormones.

According to the blog Networking4you, the four most harmful chemical families used in skin care products are phalates, triclosan, parabens and musks. The problem is that there are no regulations or laws prohibiting the application of those elements, and any company is free to decide what kind of beauty product to manufacture.

Thus, it’s our task to make right decisions when choosing skin care natural products. Xango was famous for its mango juices, which are healthy not only for the organism, but also for the skin when applied. Now, the company has decided to create a skin care product line.

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