The Story of Cosmetics

Throughout my personal search for the best beauty products for myself, I've taken the time to educate myself on ingredients that are included in a lot of beauty products. I am able to read ingredient labels well enough to know if the products that I am interested in purchasing and trying on myself, and potentially recommending to friends and family, are not only effective with beneficial ingredients, but safe as well. A lot of ingredients that are used in cosmetics and other beauty products contain toxins that can be harmful to the body. They can increase the risk of cancer, cause reproduction problems in men and women, and even increase learning disablilities. Crazy, huh?? Whats even more crazy is that the FDA has no regulation of the ingredients that go into our products, and does not even assess how safe these ingredients are! Thats just insane!!

I found this video that really brings to light the dangers of using "just any" products on yourself and your loved ones. I consider myself to really be aware of what I'm using on my body, but this video really drove something home to me: the importance of using pure, safe, and beneficial products and informing the people that I love (and even who I dont know) about making better decisions about what they use as well. Its so important.

PLEASE watch this video. Maybe it will make you think the way it made me think about things. Maybe you will learn something you didnt know before. Maybe it will drive you to take action like I am. Message me with your thoughts, and if you are interested in learning how you can make a difference in your life and the life of others through choosing better products, please feel free to contact me.

Here's the link to the video: The Story of Cosmetics

Enjoy.

Sunday Giveaway! : Arbonne Virtual Illusion Lash Enhancer

WIN THIS TODAY!!

Arbonne Virtual Illusion Lash Enhancer 0.25 fl. oz

($34.00 value)

Do you ever wish your eye lashes were longer, fuller, and stronger?

Magnify your eyelashes with this science-based, nourishing formula that helps transform the appearance of volume, texture, density and radiant shine in lashes. Strengthening and conditioning ingredients revitalize lashes, helping to prevent breakage, and promote longer, thicker looking eyelashes.

Recommended for:

All skin types

Usage:

Using the applicator brush, apply along lash line as with an eyeliner. Use twice a day, once in the morning and once at night, after removing eye makeup. In the morning, allow five minutes for the product to dry before applying eye makeup.

*No purchase necessary. Win this product by entering your name, address, and telephone number to melissawilson@myarbonne.com . The 10th entry will be chosen as the winner. One entry per person.

Icon: Aaliyah

There are some people who have truly inspired fashion, beauty, and pop culture as a whole. When the word "icon" is spoken, people like Audrey Hepburn, Jennifer Lopez, Farrah Fawcet, or even Rihanna may come to mind. But for me (and many other people), Aaliyah is an icon who should never be forgotten.

Aaliyah was only 22 at the time of her passing, but she had been on the scene since the age of 15. She began her career as a shy, beautiful tomboy wearing sunglasses, bandannas, hats, sneakers, Timberland boots, and baggy clothes.

As Aaliyah got older her style (both fashion and musical) matured with her. The sunglasses came off and the clothing became more "womanly", yet she still had her "tomboy" edge to her. As a Tommy Hilfiger model, Aaliyah beared her belly, wearing tiny tube tops and bandeaus, but also wore her pants baggy and low, showing the rim of her Tommy boxers.

In the last years before her incredibly untimely death, Aaliyah's style truly came into its own. She embrased the woman that she was becoming showed it by wearing dresses, heels, and form-fitting clothes.

No matter what, Aaliyah was always tasteful, and alway classic. Truly a natural beauty, Aaliyah never wore tons of makeup caked on her face, or clothing that was inappropriate. She was always conscious that she had young women who looked up to her, and presented herself in a way that was fashionably respectable. As a person, Aaliyah was very down to earth and her entire style reflected that. I feel that although Aaliyah has her fans that will be forever loyal to her (myself included) and will always remember the influence that she had no only in the music world, but also in style, there are still people who seem to forget the impact that Aaliyah Dana Haughton actually had. She was classic. Aaliyah was on the edge when it came to fashion. She was, in her own words, "sassy yet classy. Never trashy." Truth.

As we approach the 9th year since Aaliyah's tragic death on August 25th, I felt that her spirit should stay relevant. If she were alive today, I can only imagine how music and fashion would be. They say the good die young, but to me, Aaliyah was great. That being said, I believe that Aaliyah was, is, and always will be a true ICON.

Carol's Daughter Hair Smoothie

This has been such a hot summer so far, and my hair is really feeling the effects of all this heat. I've also been swimming a lot (I'm a pisces...I LOVE the water!) and being in a chlorinated pool a few times a week is also taking its toll on my hair. I've been doing a pretty good job of keeping my already dry curlies hydrated by shampooing immediately with a shampoo that is specifically designed to remove all cholrine from the hair, then I'll ALWAYS use a good conditioner and leave it in for a few minutes longer than normal. My hair is always easy to detangle and never feels too dry.

With all the heat and chlorine that my hair is being exposed to however, I felt that it is necessary to get a little more intense with hydrating my hair. For my birthday back in March, my sister bought me a gift card to one of the only places that gives me serenity on this earth...you got it! SEPHORA! I've been holding onto this gift card for months now debating on what to buy. So yesterday, I rushed out of work and knew exactly what I wanted to use my gift card on. I purchased the Carol's Daughter Tui Hair Smoothie for $20. I've used other products from Carol's Daughter before, and honestly, I wasn't super impressed with them all. I felt like some of them were either too heavy for my hair, or just not heavy enough. I figured that if this treatment is heavy, that will be a good thing though. Plus it smells like a little slice of heaven in a 8oz jar.

According to the Carol's Daughter website, the Tui Hair Smoothie "is an intense, deep conditioner rich in essential oils and Shea and Cocoa butters that provide moisture and protection to dryness and brittleness. The creamy, nutrient-rich ingredients immediately detangle unruly hair and boost shine." Sounds just like what I have, and exactly what I need. This hair smoothie is also free of parabens, mineral oils, petrolatum, and artaficial fragrance.

I haven't tried it yet. I'll probably deep treat my hair after my swim today. Most likely, I'll use it with a plastic cap and my hooded dryer so that I get a really intense treatment. I'm excited to try and I'll post results when I'm done!

Has anyone ever used any Carol's Daughter products? Has anyone ever used one of their Hair Smoothies? What are your thoughts?

Attitude of Gratitude

Today, I had a minor aggrivation meltdown on my FaceBook page. I was just aggrivated that I had spend about an hour typing something and then when I went to complete it, everything got ERASED!! Ohh man, was I ever aggrivated!! But, I was quickly calmed when a few of the people on my friends list began to comment on my status with kind, thouhtful words.

One person told me that she has been following my progress in my professional life. That comment truly opened my eyes to a few things. First, it made me realize that I actually AM making progress in my career. Everyday, no matter how small or large, I am taking steps out of my comfort zone and building the person who I am becoming, both personally AND professionally. This also made me realize that all of my hard work isn't for nothing. People may not be saying anything or leaving comments or subscribing to my blog, but they sure ARE taking notice to the work that I am putting out there. If this one person is following my progress, that can only mean that there are more people doing the same!! So, with that said, I just wanted to send my gratitude out to those of you who do take the time to read my blog or view my website. I appreciate those of you who may be telling friends and family members what it is that I'm doing in order to ultimately reach the road of "sweet success". I'm so appreciative of that. Also, I'm not super religious, but I do believe in God, so I also have to thank Him for giving me the ideas, creativity, and talent to share with you all and for you to enjoy. Because at the end of the day, I'm doing exactly what I love, and I'm just glad that I can share it with others who choose to enjoy and learn from it as well. So I just wanted to make sure that everyone out there knows that I'm thankful for your support and for following me, and for staying current with my progress.

Its always been said that if you have an attitude of gratitude, good things will come your way...

So thank you guys! You make me want to do MORE!!

Summer Skin

These past few weeks in Rhode Island have been crazy as far as weather goes. One day it is blazing hot, and the next day, it's pretty chilly. Recently though, we've been feeling more summer weather than anything. Even though I'm loving the warm, sunny days, my skin is hating all the humidity and heat! Normally, I'm a very oily skin type. Okay, I'm actually an oil slick! My skin gets very greasy and shiny throughout the day, and I'm also very prone to breakouts. Having oily skin has its up's and down's. On the up-side, us oily girls will age slower than normal or dry skin types. However, we still battle with shine, oil, pimples, and blackheads. I guess the long term benefits of oily skin do outweigh the short, but while I'm still young, I need to control all this oil on my face!!



Since my skin has been extra oily in this heat, I've decided that its time to change up my skin care routine a little bit. First, I'm making sure that I'm exfoliating my skin at least once each week (no more than twice because I don't want to cause irritation!). Second, I've been alternating my cleansers. I have one that is oil free and specifically made for oily/combination skin types, and I also have one that contains salicylic acid in it that will help to fight any break outs before they occur. I'm also using a daily moisturizer that contains salicylic acid as well. Since my daily moisturizer does not contain an SPF, I always make sure to use one after I hydrate my skin. Even though I have some pigment to my skin (I'm still pretty pale!!), I can't afford to be outside in the sun with no protection since I know what the consequences can be. I take that very seriously. And of course, I use a good eye cream which varies from day to night. My eye cream for daytime has an SPF in it, but my night eye cream gives me the serious anti-aging benefits (since our skin renews itself at night and takes in products better during that time, I do most of my anti-aging treatments at night time). Here's what I've been using:



1.) Arbonne Fresh Cell Scrub

2.) Arbonne FC5 Purifying Cleanser

3.) Arbonne Clear Advantage Cleanser

4.) Arbonne Clear Advantage Daily Moisturizer

5.) LaRoche Posay Anthelios SPF60 Fluid (no, its not Arbonne, but it IS GOOOOOD STUFF)

6.) LaRoche Posay Hydraphase Eyes UV SPF29 (once again, not Arbonne, but still good and it has an SPF)



...at night time, I use the same cleansers and moisturizer, but I also use the following in place of #5 and #6:



5.) Arbonne RE9 Advanced Night Repair Creme

6.) Arbonne RE9 Advanced Corrective Eye Creme



My routine hasn't seriously changed from what I do in the winter, but I've noticed that I have been aggressively fighting oil like its nobody's business!!!



What about you guys? Do you change your skin care routine based on the seasons of the year? How do you take care of your skin during extreme weather conditions?!

Product of the Week: Arbonne Lip Polish

Every girl wants the perfect lip gloss right? You know, one that gives the perfect amount of color, while still being neutral...and best of all, NOT sticky!

Well, I think I just may have found that lip gloss! Arbonne's Lip Polish is just that...just the right amount of color without being too bright or not bright enough. Lip Polish is perfectly pigmented, yet natural looking. Unlike other lip products that may have a "perfumey" or fruity taste, Arbonne Lip Polish has no taste at all. But the best part about them is that they are absoluely, positively, NOT sticky! That's right! This lip gloss with not get your hair stuck to your lips, or make you feel like you have a heavy coat of paint on your lips! They're great, they're amazing and they come in seven different colors for only $22. Not bad...not bad at all!!

Have you guys ever tried or heard of Arbonne? What are some of your favorite lipsticks and glosses?