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Nature’s Face Adds Revolutionary Skin Care & Ultra-Pure Makeup

Authentically natural with visible results is the philosophy for products and services at Nature’s Face, Barbara Carr’s holistic skin care studio in North Raleigh. Following that philosophy, she has now integrated Osmosis Pür Medical Skin Care into her customized spa facials. The Osmosis line developed by Ben Johnson, MD, has no artificial colors, preservatives or fragrances and contains the most clinically proven ingredients available. Products have a neutral pH to minimize over-exfoliation and calm the skin while repairing and remodeling damaged areas.

“I have specific protocols for photodamage, aging, rosacea, sensitive skin, hyperpigmentation and acne-prone skin, “ says Carr, who also offers the moderately-priced products for sale. “Osmosis serums feature a natural liposome delivery system for a ten-fold increase in penetration, keeping the skin soft and the protective lipid barrier intact. The nutritional ingredients are purified through chiral correction. High levels of antioxidants, including a safe, natural form of vitamin A, provide sun protection and a healthy glow. Best of all, these serums gently stimulate collagen and elastin–unlike abrasive methods traumatic to the skin—to restore a toned and youthful look.”

And for natural makeup fans, some innovative mineral cosmetics are now in stock at Nature’s Face, including pure vegan lipsticks, all-natural cream concealers with coverage for all skin tones, and minimal-ingredient mineral foundation for sensitive skin.

Contact Barbara Carr, Licensed Esthetician, at (919) 845-4385 or email: barbara@naturesface.com – www.NaturesFace.com .

The Real Secrets of Holiday Sparkle

The Real Secrets of Holiday Sparkle

December’s parties and family gatherings can make us wish we had a personal stylist—all those close-up conversations and candid photos!  These quick face-fixers can amp up your confidence.

Smooth by gently exfoliating skin’s surface with a soft facial scrub or enzyme masque, ideally the day before your event.  But don’t overdo–once a week is max for mature skin.

Plump and visually smooth skin with natural hyaluronic acid serum, available in natural food stores.  Apply it before moisturizer to tone and tighten—an instant natural lift!

Oxygenate your skin by avoiding heavy, chemical-laden moisture creams and mineral oil, which clog pores.  Substitute jojoba oil that lets skin breathe. Extra dry? Apply jojoba under a light natural moisture lotion.

Hydrate your face in indoor heat with a spritz of rosewater or other botanical hydrosol.   Spray to set your makeup before going out, and fill a purse atomizer for refreshing later.

Reflect light away from imperfections with pure mineral foundation.  Ask an expert for your best match and an application lesson. Lips, too, look smoother, younger with
the reflective shine of lip gloss—keep one at hand.

Focus attention on one area of your face:  With dramatic eyes, do light blush and pale lips; with vivid red lips, do soft subtle eyes, try bronzer instead of blush.

Highlight for festive evenings with sheer mineral shimmer–warm and dark skin tones are flattered by gold or copper, cool and light tones enhanced by pink or rose.

Source: Barbara Carr, Holistic Licensed Esthetician.www.NaturesFace.com

Sun Smart Skin Care Guide

Warmer days ahead will be shining light on our worries about how to enjoy outdoor activities without causing wrinkles and unwanted skin damage. The good news is that expanding knowledge of nutrition and natural skin care strategies has brought us a virtual inside-and-out tool kit for meeting the challenge of staying attractive and healthy through the summer season—and through the years ahead.

▪ Eat colorful antioxidant-rich foods daily
Current research has proven the common sense of our garden-planting grandparents: summer’s most plentiful fruits and veggies, such as tomatoes, peppers, dark greens, lettuces, broccoli, berries, cantaloupe and watermelon, are filled with protective carotenoids which stop inflammation and help protect skin cells (and eyes) from UV damage.

▪ Drink cell-protecting beverages and stay hydrated
Green tea, black, oolong and white teas are packed with antioxidant pigments called anthocyanins. Surprisingly, white tea contains the most anthocyanins and the least caffeine. Just don’t overdo tea, coffee or sodas…too much caffeine can cause dehydration (and loss of skin-and-hair-nourishing B vitamins). Aim for a daily water intake of half your body weight in ounces to create moist, radiant skin.

▪ Avoid potentially harmful sunscreen ingredients
Studies have shown several chemical ingredients in sunscreens to be suspected carcinogens or hormone disruptors. Some to avoid are: Oxybenzone, Benzophenone-3, OD-PABA, Homosalate and Octyl-methoyl-cinnamates (OMC). Find an on-line database rating product safety at: www.ewg.org/sunscreen.

▪ Use mineral-based physical sunblocks
New non-chemical sunblocks contain zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, giving broad spectrum protection that begins immediately when applied to skin. Recommended for the whole family is zinc-based Badger SPF 30 Sunblock for face and body–#1 on Environmental Working Group’s Top 10 Sunscreen list. Great for adult faces is Desert Essence Organics SPF 30 Age Reversal Mineral Sunscreen. Tip: apply sunscreen to hands and arms before driving–and store the tube out of the heat.

▪ Give extra care to your face, neck and lips
Never use an exfoliating scrub immediately before sun exposure. Use a solar protective moisturizer under your sunscreen or makeup, plus a natural lip gloss with SPF 15 over lip color. Add more face, neck & decoletté protection with mineral foundation or bronzers (for ladies) and colorless brush-on minerals (for men or women). Choose tested quality products such as Mineralogie’s SPF 26 mineral foundation. ( www.mineralogie.biz ).

▪ Plan your ‘sunshine strategy’ well
The body needs 10-15 minutes daily sun exposure to maintain healthy levels of vitamin D—the trick is to get your sunshine vitamin at ideal times. Avoid the burning rays between 10 am and 4 pm. If you must be in the sun for extended periods, consider sun-protective clothing with UPF (ultraviolet protection factor) of 15 to 50+. Check medications and supplements for any sun precautions. The herb St. John’s Wort, for example, increases photosensitivity. And remember to carry botanical after-sun soothers like aloe gel and calendula lotion to cool and repair your skin!

Barbara Carr is a holistic Licensed Esthetician in Raleigh, NC. E-mail: barbara@naturesface.com or call: 919-845-4385.  Natures Face website: www.NaturesFace.com

From Nature’s Face Blog: naturesface.wordpress.com

1-2-3 Holiday Glow!

Family gatherings and holiday parties on your agenda? Here are three ways to create the healthy radiance you want for upcoming special events.

1. Be a Smoothie: Exfoliate
Your face signals when dead cells need to be removed–dry patches appear and fine lines seem accentuated. Regular exfoliation is needed to restore luster and improve the skin’s ability to eliminate toxins and absorb moisture. Young skin (20’s -30’s) needs exfoliating every 2-3 days; mature skin has slower cell turnover, so once-a-week is recommended. Daily exfoliation is too much for any skin since new cells need time to generate.

For delicate or problem skin, enzyme masques containing papaya or pumpkin will exfoliate skin without any scrubbing. For normal skin, exfoliant scrubs work best. Since abrasive particles like apricot seed and aluminum oxide can scrape and inflame the skin, use exfoliants with soft grains like grapeseed, jojoba or bamboo. Or make your own scrub from a tablespoon of fine cornmeal moistened with warm water. With ultra-light pressure, move your fingers in small upward circles, avoiding the eye area. Rinse well and follow with a treatment masque if needed. Moisturize with jojoba oil. Nix moisturizers with high glycerin content; glycerin pulls moisture from the skin when humidity is low.

2. Eat Away The Wrinkles.

Dr. Nicholas Perricone, author of The Wrinkle Cure and other ground-breaking skin care books, says: “Perhaps the quickest way to accelerate theaging process is to eat foods or drink beverages that convert rapidly to sugar upon ingestion.” It’s easy to turn down holiday cookies and candies when you imagine a new wrinkle forming with every bite! Substitute raw unsalted nuts, cheese, fresh fruit, raw veggies, plain yogurt, and drink plenty of pure water. One brand of bottled water that’s skin-friendly is Fiji, containing natural silica which also strengthens bones, hair and nails.

Before a big event, follow Dr. Perricone’s 48-hour “face fix” diet. Eat high anti-oxidant foods, especially cantaloupe, blueberries, broccoli, peppers, plus salmon for it’s rich EFA content. It works! And the bonus is that skin-nourishing foods are non-fattening.

3. Create instant ‘candlelight’

Titanium dioxide, a primary ingredient in mineral makeup, is second to diamonds in light reflection, creating soft line-diffusion. When the perfectly-matched shade of mineral foundation is applied, a remarkable lifting effect is visible. Higher quality makeups that contain no carnauba wax, dimethicone, talc or parabens will give you maximum skin benefits.

Though you may be tempted to match your lipstick or eyeshadow to that beautiful holiday sweater or dress, make sure your cosmetics are really your best colors or you will detract from your best features. A professional secret is matching your natural lip color with a slightly darker lipstick. Eyelid color can be harmonized with a powdered shimmer shadow—it’s right when your eyes look brighter.

The final touch? Set your mineral makeup and refresh it for evening with a spritz of fragrant edible rosewater—for extra dew-kissed glow!

 Barbara Carr is a Licensed Esthetician and Mineral Makeup Artist enthusiastically devoted to holistic skin care. Her website is www.naturesface.com.

From Nature’s Face Blog: naturesface.wordpress.com

 

Pro Tips For Healthy Mineral Makeup Mastery

Mineral cosmetics are captivating the marketplace, but some are not as natural as you might expect them to be. To help you choose a product that’s good for your skin, here are four important factors for perfecting your mineral glow

1. Look for an SPF of 20 or above. Pure mineral foundation in powder form doubles as a sunscreen. Just like the no-chemical, mineral-based sunscreen lotions, crushed mineral foundations contain zinc oxide which blocks UVA & UVB rays, and titanium dioxide which reflects sun like a mirror (with the beautifying side-effect of minimizing lines and wrinkles!) Concentrations of zinc and titanium vary, so check your label for the SPF rating.

2. Avoid irritating and possibly toxic ingredients. Select mineral foundation that derives its color & shimmer from iron oxides and mica. Synthetic dyes and FD&C colors are not included in good mineral formulas, and worrisome preservatives methylparaben and propylparaben need not enter the mix—inert minerals cannot support bacteria. Other undesirables are pore-clogging talc and dimethicone, both suspected carcinogens.

3. Match your skin tone exactly for best effect, preferably where you can try mineral makeup on in person. Look for a range of real-people colors, preferably divided into warm and cool colorations. To determine whether your skin tone is warm or cool, look at the veins visible on the inside of your wrist. If they’re blue, you’re cool; if they look turquoise or green, you’re warm.

4. Use quality natural brushes for best application. The smaller the brush, the heavier the coverage. Kabuki brushes are often recommended, though medium-to-large soft blusher or foundation brushes also work well. When brushing on loose foundation, two light layers are ideal. Dry or mature skin should be moisturized first— jojoba oil is excellent. Or create tinted moisturizer by mixing your moisture lotion with a dash of mineral foundation. To cover up imperfections before applying foundation, dab on dry mineral color with a tiny brush—minerals are anti-inflammatory and safe camouflage for breakouts and broken capillaries. The end result? Almost-invisible coverage and a radiant natural look!

Barbara Carr is a holistic Licensed Esthetician in Raleigh, NC. E-mail: barbara@naturesface.com or call: 919-845-4385.  Natures Face website: www.NaturesFace.com

From: Nature’s Face Blog: naturesface.wordpress.com