Skincare tips to help your skin look its best - even when the paparazzi sees you at your worst

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Contest: CARE by Stella McCartney - Calming and Soothing Elixir

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Whoo hooo, it's paparazziskin contest time!

This contest is to celebrate the one month anniversary of paparazzi skin. I hope to learn more about skincare and share info and tips with all of you (with the occasional makeup fun here and there).

Contest: CARE by Stella McCartney - Calming and Soothing Elixir

The prize will be a 30ml bottle of CARE by Stella McCartney - Calming and Soothing Elixir.

CARE is an organic line that contains essential nutrients like vitamins, antioxidants, trace elements, and essential organic elements such as amino acids and fatty acids to help boost and maintain the skin's vital functions. Each product is certified eco-friendly.

The Calming and Soothing Elixir contains Camomile, Arnica and Liquorice, rich in polyphenols and compound lipids to gently soothe and cushion the skin.

SO WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO IN ORDER TO WIN THIS?

Simply email:
1. Your Name
2. Your Email
3. The answer to: Which celebrity has the best paparazzi skin (aka amazing skin)?

to paparazziskin@gmail.com

and I'll write out each participant's name and draw it out of a hat - the good ol' fashion way. Winner will also be contacted via email.

CONTEST ENDS WEDNESDAY AUGUST 5, 2009 AT 12AM EASTERN TIME

I don't think Sephora carries the CARE line anymore, but you can read more about the collection on one of its pages: http://www.sephora.com/browse/brand_hierarchy.jhtml?brandId=5856

GOOD LUCK!

P.S. I have tried the Nourishing Elixir but would love to hear what the winner thinks about the Calming and Soothing Elixir.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

No Sleep = Pimples

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I'm pretty much a night crawler.

I would stay up all night doing absolutely nothing and sleep during the day if I could, but I can't. I'm currently taking summer courses and because of my procrastination, I lose a lot of sleep. Everything comes at a cost and my punishment for being a-last-minute-rush-rush-person are pimples.

Inflammation causes acne... and lack of sleep can worsen this condition.

When you lose sleep, your body produces more pro-inflammatory cytokines (messenger cells) in the blood. Thus, increasing regular inflammation levels.

Of course this isn't the case for everyone. Some people are born with gorgeous skin and while I'm green with envy, I need to find out what's best for my skin and how I can prevent future breakouts.

And my number one issue: lack of sleep!

Picture by Lindy Meow on FlickR

Contest Update: It's coming! I'm just waiting for some cards to come in before I post contest details. It'll be my first give-away so I'm looking forward to it.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Exercising Is Good For Your Skin.

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My boyfriend and I love the commercials for Concerned Children's Advertisers, especially the ones trying to get kids to become active.

They're not the greatest quality but you can still see the humour behind it:




Not only is exercise good for your health but for your skin, too.

Exercising speeds up your metabolism and keeps your blood pumping to your skin and other body organs. As we age, muscle mass shrinks and depletes the muscle tissue that helps to anchor and support skin. By staying active, your skin will maintain its firmness and as a bonus, stop you from gaining that extra weight.

So keep those muscles working and stay active!

Sunday, July 19, 2009

The Sunday Tip: Wipe Down Your Cellphones

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I always talk on the phone with my left ear and occasionally a few pimples would pop up here and there on my left cheek. If you break out more on one side of your face than the other, it may be because of your phone usage.

Cell phones accumulate bacteria (where we put them, hands touching them, etc) so it's best to wipe your cell phone with an antibacterial cleanser on a regular basis.

Did you know that your cell phone has more germs than your toilet?

You wouldn't splash toilet water on your face would you? Wipe those cell phones down!

Friday, July 17, 2009

Review: B. Kamins Chemist Sunbar Sunscreen SPF 30

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Review: B.  Kamins Chemist Sunbar Sunscreen SPF 30

I think 80% of my blog thus far has been based around the importance of sunscreen. I went to Sephora in hopes of grabbing an oil-free sunscreen. One of the beauticians at Sephora recommended B. Kamins Chemist: Bio-Maple Sunbar Sunscreen SPF 30. It's "fragrance-and-oil-free" for the face and body. He told me it dries up like a powder so I wouldn't have to worry about having an oily complexion.

And well, was he correct?

Kind-of.

It makes my face appear shiny but it doesn't actually feel oily (it feels matte). However, after my daily dose of powder and foundation, the shiny look disappears.

There are days when parts of my face feel a slight burning sensation. It is probably because I recently exfoliated but there is an ingredient(s) that irritates my skin, and I have yet to pinpoint the exact culprit.

Luckily, this product did not give me pimples. Don't we just love products that don't make us break out? + Bonus point.

It claims it can be reapplied over makeup and I guess technically all sunscreens and moisturizers can be reapplied over makeup, but that doesn't mean it won't ruin your makeup. I tested this claim out and the sunscreen pushed my makeup around and pretty much ruined my lovely powdered face.

It's $41 CDN for a 120ml tube from Sephora (also available on the official B. Kamins site) and can be used on the face and body but for that price, I'll just stick to the face.

The Good News
- contains protection for UVA & UVB rays with a SPF of 30
- leaves a matte finish

The Bad News
- the price isn't exactly student-friendly ($41 CDN)
- I hate the packaging; more than enough sunscreen pours out of the tube

Overview of the Ingredients Listed on the Package

Avobenzone (also known as Parsol 1789) - 2.5%
An effective ingredient to neutralize the effects of the sun's UV rays.

Octinoxate (also known as octyl methoxycinnamate) - 7.5%
Sunscreen agent used to protect skin primarily from the sun’s UVB rays.

Oxybenzone - 6.0%
Sunscreen agent that protects primarily from the sun’s UVB rays, and some, but not all, UVA rays.

Titanium Dioxide - 2.04%
An inert earth mineral used as a thickening, whitening, lubricating, and sunscreen ingredient in cosmetics. It protects skin from UVA and UVB radiation and is considered to have no risk of skin irritation.


Overall

I'm sure there are other sunscreens out there that are just as good as this sunscreen for a fraction of the price. It does have a matte quality to it but my face appeared to be somewhat shiny after an application. I don't want to have a shiny face on my makeup-free days! It does, however, contain all the necessary protection (parsol is key) to block the sun away from your face and body. But in all seriousness, I would not purchase this again because of it's price ($41 CDN) and the fact that an ingredient in this product irritates my skin (leave the burning sensations for the sun burns!).

6.5/10

Monday, July 13, 2009

OT: How To Make Your Own Makeup Brush Cleanser

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A bit off-topic but since I was browsing around for a tutorial on how to make your own makeup brush cleanser, I decided to share my results! I used EnKore's tutorial (below) and he did a fabulous job explaining what each product does for your brushes. Overall, this did a great job of cleaning my brushes and it can all be made with house hold products!




Make Your Own Makeup Brush Cleanser

Ingredients
1. 1/2 table spoon of dish washing soap
2. 1/4 cup of rubbing alcohol
3. 1/2 table spoon of hair shampoo
4. 1 table spoon of spray leave-on condition (water-like)
5. 1 cup of filtered water

Miscellaneous
1. Plastic container
2. Something to mix your cleanser (I used a chop stick)
3. Bottle to hold your finished cleanser

Cleanser for Makeup Brushes - The Results!

My shampoo and spray leave-in condition are peachy-orange so this was the result. I didn't follow the measurements exactly; I just estimated and it still worked great nonetheless. However, the rubbing alcohol smell does prevail so don't sniff it.

Cleanser for Makeup Brushes - The Results!

Cleanser for Makeup Brushes - The Results!

Sunday, July 12, 2009

The Sunday Tip: Plain Yogurt Facial

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Every Sunday I will share an interesting beauty tip that I came across.

While quickly flipping through the book, Fast Beauty: 1000 Quick Fixes, I found a piece about a plain low-fat or nonfat yogurt facial. I have a tub of plain low-fat yogurt in the fridge so I thought why not? ...Until I remembered I had a clay mask on a few hours ago.

The Down Low
Yogurt is packed with calcium and is thus good for your hair and skin. If you have tight and/or dry skin, it will soothe it, soften it, and make it feel silkier. If you have oily skin, it will absorb excess oil.

Instructions
Massage plain low-fat or nonfat yogurt onto your skin and leave it on for 15 minutes before you rinse it off.

Since I didn't use this regime on myself, I went to good ol' youtube and found someone who did:



Has anyone tried this before? Did it work for you? I think I'll try it next Sunday.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

What Does The Sun Do To Our Skin? & What Are Its Long Term Effects?

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The other week I watched The Doctors show and there was a woman on there that loved to tan. She was literally orange and still didn't want to give up tanning. And get this, she puts butter on herself while she sunbathes.

Sure, dark tans can be sexy now... but what about later?
Skin damage accumulates over time and it will ultimately affect how we age and look.

Bad Tan - Image from GettyImages
Photo from Getty Images

Let's explore and see what happens to your skin when you tan:

1. When you're outside and you notice that your skin is red (even a little), it means your skin is working to protect you from UV damage.

2. Melanin (skin colour pigment) protects our skin from UV rays by absorbing them before they reach the deeper layers of the epidermis [outside layer of skin] and dermis [inside layer of skin].

3. UV rays injure and then kill skin cells in the epidermis and damage the tiny blood vessels underneath that nourish the skin.

4. The bronzed tan we admire so much is actually a sign of skin damage from too much UV.


Ok, so time and time again, I've mentioned that sun exposure has an effect on how our skin ages and here are some examples of visible sun damage:

1. Of course, wrinkles. Many scientists believe wrinkles have more to do with sun exposure than chronological aging.

2. I always spot older people who obviously love to tan and their skin definitely reflects that - leathery skin. And it's not rude, leathery rough texture is what the book used!

3. Age Spots. The colours of age spots depend on your skin tone and can range from beige to black. They also grow darker with time and sun exposure.

4. This one surprised me - dull complexion. The skin of African-Americans appear ashy while Caucasion and Asian skin have a "yellowish sallow tinge."

5. As mentioned above, UV rays injure and then kill skin cells in the epidermis and damage the tiny blood vessels underneath that nourish the skin. This leads to the tendency to bruise easily. As the sun injures these blood vessels, they become fragile and break more easily than before.


Stop premature aging by taking care of your skin - wear sunscreen!

Advice: Look for sunscreens that contain Parsol 1789 aka Avobenzone. It effectively neutralizes the damaging effects of both UVA and UVB rays in the skin which cause wrinkles and hyper pigmentation.

About Paparazzi Skin

A blog that explores skincare and the truth behind product claims.

I am not a dermatologist nor do I claim to be. I extract information from books and the internet that I believe will help educate readers and myself about skincare.


From time to time I will do makeup-related posts.

Email
paparazziskin [@] gmail . com

Toronto, Ont., Canada

Skincare Books

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Beautiful Skin
by Marsha Gorden and Alice E. Fugate



Future: Product Reviews