Hey honey, fall is in the air and it’s the perfect time to rethink skin care routines. While we were playing in the sunshine (wearing sunblock of course) the scientists at Guerlain were buzzing about their labs and creating the new Abeille Royale Serum. Its key ingredient is honey, actually many varieties of the best ones from New Zealand along with Royal Jelly from France. Honey, well known for its healing properties is even used for healing wounds in traditional medicine practices. The Abeille Royal Serum is composed of a pure royal concentrate which stimulates the healing process and repairs the micro-damage done to our skin that forms wrinkles. After using the serum for a month my skin looks smoother and plumper, and it’s become a daytime and nighttime addiction for me!
Available:www. Nordstrom.com and Nordstrom stores
It’s black as onyx and makes my skin clear and bright. The new Boscia Luminizing Black Mask is a combination of pine bark extract, an antioxidant, Vitamin C – and we all know how good that is – along with Montmorillonite Clay which exfoliates, soaks up excess oil and dirt, and finally, extracts of rosemary and eucalyptus which are anti-inflammatory and antibacterial. Spread the black gel all over your face, avoiding eye area and hairline and wait about 20 minutes. Then, my favorite part…..peel off! It peels off easily, removing dead skin cells and revealing skin that is clearer looking and more radiant.
Available: Sephora stores and http://www.Sephora.com
It’s finally summer! Something about this season makes me feel like a kid again. But with summer comes the hot sun and its harmful effects we’ve all heard about over and over (cue the eye roll). It’s alright, we’ve got the facts and products you need to stay safe while enjoying everything that goes along with this great season.
Full disclosure: I haven’t always been as particular about my sunscreen usage as I am about my highlights or wardrobe. I know there are plenty of you in my shoes who feel a little guilty about soaking up some rays to darken your skin tone. But it’s time to stop ignoring that nagging voice in the back of your mind and start protecting yourself. Consider this a self-defense class for your skin.
Let’s start with the ABCs of ultraviolet radiation—with a little help from the Skin Cancer Foundation – so we know what we’re fighting and why. UVA rays cause long-term damage like premature aging and wrinkles. UVB rays are the ones that give us sunburns and cause immediate visible damage. And, finally, UVC rays can’t break through the Earth’s atmosphere, so we don’t have to worry about those (but something had to be the “C” in ABCs).
Both UVA and UVB rays cause skin cancer—the most common cancer in the United States. Every year there are more new people diagnosed with skin cancer than breast, prostate, lung, and colon cancers combined. Yikes! That’s a powerful statistic. The Skin Cancer Foundation also reports that the previously held belief that most of our UV ray exposure happens before the age of 18 is untrue. So, don’t think you can feel better about tanning just because you’re an adult.
Okay, scary stuff is out of the way, now’s it’s time to learn some defense techniques against these UV rays. The no-brainer: sunscreen and sunblock. I enlisted the help of certified pharmacist and proprietor of C.O. Bigelow Apothecary, Ian Ginsberg, to help explain the difference. Sunscreens are the chemical blockers, which have organic materials that absorb UV rays before they can damage the skin. Sunblocks, on the other hand, physically block the UV rays with inorganic ingredients such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. These metals sit on the skin and deflect and scatter UV rays.
Another little tidbit to keep in mind: SPF only refers to the product’s ability to block UVB rays. We currently have no system to measure the ability of a product to block UVA rays, but watch for something soon. That being said, it’s important to look for products that offer “broad spectrum” protection, which means they protect against both UVA and UVB rays. Apply a shot-glass full of product every two hours and you should be set!
Exhausted from a day of running around from appointment to appointment, we were in desperate need of a little TLC, so we headed to Bellacures in Brentwood – the newly-opened second location of the posh Beverly Hills mani/pedi salon. Plush chairs and stacks of magazines greeted us on arrival, along with a wide variety of OPI and Essie nail polishes to choose from.
Bellacures is located on a charming street in the center of Brentwood, and offers an amazing assortment of treatments, including an Exfoliating Walnut Mani, a Sea Salt Scrub Pedi, a Microderm Mania Pedi and more to take care of hands and feet.
To treat our worn-out tootsies, we decided on the Softer Soles Pedi: A combination of the sea salt scrub, clay foot mask and moisturizing hot towel wrap. Our feet were gently exfoliated, and all the stress of the day melted away as soon as the hot towel wrap touched our toes. We chose a pale shade of pink that looked perfect peeking out of our open-toe strappy springtime sandals!
Toward the end of the year, the scents tend to become sweeter, spicier and just more comforting…even in so-called Seasonless Los Angeles. Pumpkin pancakes and spice cupcakes replace the summer fruit flavors wafting from the 3rd Street cafes and spas change up services to include delicious autumnal treatments.
The Ginger Rub Bliss Los Angeles
The 135-minute Ginger Rub at Bliss in the W hotel Westwood rings in the season with a warming wrap and detoxification. Freshly grated ginger root and warm essential oils are scrubbed on briskly from head to toe, followed by a warming foil wrap, 20-minute soak and 100 heavenly minutes of body-melting massage.
Bliss Los Angeles
930 Hilgard Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90024
877-862-5477
Another form of hair removal in Los Angeles? Sure why not — We’re trailblazers. Pun somewhat intended.
Advanced Body Sugaring at Studio Alexandria∙LA is the latest craze to hit the west coast. It’s actually an ancient Egyptian practice that “Sugar Queen” Lina Kennedy has perfected and brought to new enthusiasts, who are now driving in from all over California.
What is Body Sugaring?
Body Sugaring is a safe, gentle and effective solution to hair removal. Sugar paste is rolled onto the skin and then flicked off in the same direction as the growth, removing the hair from the root – so re-growth is slower, finer and lighter in color.
Unlike waxing, sugaring is most effective earlier in the hair growth phase. The most important advantage of the Alexandria technique and sugar paste is that it eliminates breakage, unnecessary discomfort, irritation and ingrown hairs while exfoliating dry skin cells away.