The most common mishap with makeup is choosing the wrong foundation.  SpaDelic's May newsletter, Foundation 101 is an in depth look at foundation, it's history and how to chose the right formula for your skin and performance expectations.  Read below for a segment extracted from the newsletter entitled, Which formula is right for me?  To access the entire newsletter, click here: SpaDelic Newsletter

Which formula is right for me?

To determine the type of foundation that is best for your skin and product expectations answer the following questions?

What result am I trying to achieve by using foundation?

• even out skin tone 
• cover blemishes 
• create a flawless finish

What is my skin type (at the time of purchase of foundation)

• normal 
• oily 
• combination
• dry

Skin type can vary based on factors such as time of the year and travel frequency, specifically related to airline travel and hotel stays which rob moisture from the skin due to lack of moisture and air circulation. 

To review Foundation 101 - Segment 1 click here:
To review Foundation 101 - Segment 2 click here:

To learn more about SpaDelic, our consultation offerings and shop our site go to http://www.spadelic.com/

What type of moisturizer works best

The market is saturated with different types of body lotions and moisturizers each touting their ingredients produce better results than competitive brands. Browsing the body care aisle can be overwhelming so here are a few tips to narrow down options while making sure that you are purchasing products with high quality ingredients.

 

What are the most effective moisturizing ingredients?

• Glycerin: Glycerin is a humectant which means, it attracts moisture to the skin. It is also hygroscopic which means that it absorbs water from the air. Glycerin based products are going to be more effective in humid climates.
• Hyaluronic Acid is a type of carbohydrate, specifically a mucopolysaccharide which naturally occurs in the body. Hyaluronic acid nourishes and hydrates collagen, the substance that gives the skin its firmness. Hyaluronic acid binds to water to maintain hydrated and wrinkle-free skin.
• Ceramides are natural lipids (types of fat) and are a major component of the skins structure. Ceramides allow skin to retain its moisture.

Ingredients to avoid in moisturizers

  

Petroleum and mineral oil are petrochemicals (byproducts of the distillation of gasoline from crude oil) and are more expensive to dispose of than to purchase. Due to the low cost of mineral oil, it is commonly used in moisturizers and cosmetics. Mineral oil and petroleum are difficult to absorb into the skin, block pores which can lead to acne and also prevent the skin from eliminating toxins. Once mineral oil passes through the skin it is broken down by the liver and steals vital nutrients and vitamins from the body as it passes through the small intestines which can eventually lead to nutritional deficiencies or other illnesses. Look for products that contain natural, lipid rich carrier oils such as almond oil, jojoba oil, olive oil, grapefruit seed oil, sunflower oil or any other natural carrier oil which moisturizes the skin while providing valuable nutrients to the body.

 

Additional ingredients to avoid

 

There is much controversy about certain ingredients being used in skin care and cosmetics. The best way to be sure you are choosing products that are safe for your skin is to become an educated consumer and research products prior to purchase. EWG, the Environmental Working Group, has created Skin Deep ®, a cosmetic database including product and ingredient safety ratings designed to educate consumers about products in the marketplace.

 

List of controversial chemicals in cosmetics can be found here

 

Check UV levels before heading in to the sun

Is it me or is it getting more difficult to protect your skin from the sun? 

I have always tanned easily and as most women my age, rarely thought about sunscreen until I hit my 40's, the time when most of us begin to experience a change in tone and texture in our skin and see signs of hyperpigmentation. 

Example of hyperpigmentation



Over the last 5 years I have been very diligent about wearing a facial sunscreen with at least 30 SPF daily as well as a waterproof/sweat proof SPF 30 anytime I am going to be outside.  Given that I have a major addiction to tennis, I am on the courts at least 3 times a week and am finding it impossible to avoid sun exposure and the dreaded tennis tan.   

Today I had a singles tennis match that lasted just shy of 3 hours.  Prior to the match I applied sunscreen, reapplied twice between sets however I still managed to acquire tennis tan, including a lovely set of raccoon eyes, as a result of wearing my sunglasses.  (sunscreens used today: Erno Laszlo Blue Firmarine SPF 30 to my face and Neutrogena Wet Skin SPF 30) 

I decided to do a little investigating to determine how I had gotten so much sun in such a short period of time even though I was very diligent about sunscreen.  I contacted the Sun Safety Alliance for advice and realized that although it was mostly cloudy with only momentary bouts of sunshine, the UV index here was a 10 (on a scale of 1 -10) which means that a sunburn can occur in 10 minutes or less and a minimum of SPF 45 is recommended.  The SSA recommends checking the local UV level prior to heading outside via the EPA's UV look up website located here: EPA UV Look up Site

I hope this information is helpful and everyone that reads my blog whether they are 15 or 50 will take a moment to protect their skin and prevent the damaging (and aging) rays of the sun to ensure a long, healthy life with beautiful skin!

Manicure Madness

Are you concerned about skin cancer risk from UV exposure during gel manicures?  I recently removed my gel nails and although it's a bit more maintainance, I have been enjoying having natural nails for the first time in over 10 years. 

Initially, my nails were very weak and split which made it impossible to keep nail polish on for more than 5 seconds however, after two weeks of using Nail Tek II Intensive Therapy my nails are stronger and can hold polish for about 4 days with zero chipping.  I have also discovered that my nails hold polish longer now that I am following Tom Bachik, Chanel's manicurist's advice to only do dry manicures.

He has great tips on getting the perfect manicure at home which you can see here:

Do you have any great manicure tips?

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Welcome-to-SpaDelic-s-1st-Beauty-Newsletter.html?soid=1109726032735&aid=pAlPFhVH5ys

Yippie!  SpaDelic's first beauty newsletter is out!  If you did not sign up to receive our monthly beauty newsletter and would like to do so, please visit our website, http://www.spadelic.com/ and click on "JOIN HERE $ SAVING SPECIALS" and enter your information to be added to our email list.  To view our current newsletter, click here or visit our Spadelic Facebook Page