Now you know I love me some Costco, especially their health and beauty section that rivals most department stores for their high-end products and much lower prices. Next time you’re there pick up some Sebamed, a totally unassuming cult fav for pH balanced skin basics. I prefer their Moisturizing Cream over Cetaphil’s to calm sensitized skin and not just deliver moisture. If Sebamed’s modest packaging makes you a little unsure of its efficacy, browse their glowing reviews at drugstore.com or the ones at amazon.com, which is what I typically do before dive into a line I don’t know much about. But if you really want proof of their popularity, just look at their signature Liquid Face & Body Wash or Everyday Shampoo, both offered in huge 1 Liter sizes. If you have a big family or just really want a good deal, this is one of those perfect all-in-one things that you stick in the shower for all to use (and enjoy.)
Trilogy Organic Rosehip Oil
You remember my love for for Rosehip Oil and its many benefits for the skin via my review of Australia’s line Kosmea, the problem was that every time I wrote about Kosmea I got emails aking where to find it locally to get those Omega and Vitamin C benefits without the shipping costs. Now that I’ve tried it and can vouch for it, I’ve been recommending Trilogy’s Rose Hip Oil made by the popular New Zealand line and stocked in the U.S by Beautorium.com. It’s a powerful certified organic serum that drenches the skin in hydration and vitamins giving it a glow and overall better appearance. It’s gentle enough to be used by all skin types and sells for just $44.
Body Hydrators for Every Need
It’s a post-shower tradition most women never neglect, slathering on your favorite body hydrator to keep skin and especially those freshly shaved legs soft. Beyond the Jergens you’ve used for 20 years, there are some great choices out there made especially for your specific needs.
For Babies, Kids, and Sensitive Skin:
THe Healthy Baby Lotion from Lavanila looks, feels, and smells like a run-of-the-mill body lotion, but it’s not. It’s formulated without Parabens, sufates, mineral oil, and synthetics so you can use it on newborn or your own sensitive, post-shaved skin to get some great moisture without the red bumpy reaction.
For the Year-Round Sunscreen Diva:
Even in the winter here in Denver, I’m catching rays. My desk is positioned in front of a big window so when I sit and write everyday I can feel the sun, this sun accumulation adds up to eventually cause damage. Don’t put away the sunscreen just because it’s chilly outside, I use an SPF 30 year round. Erno Laszlo’s Total Face & Body Protection SPF 30 uses shea butter and green tea to produce a cream that’s so light and elegant, you forget it’s also a sunscreen.
For Bronzy Hydration:
Because I’m so depressingly pale, I like a little glow even in the wintertime. Alba Botanica Very Emollient Sunless Tanning cream treats your dry skin to a healthy dose of moisture, streak-free color, and a light yummy scent that reminds me of the beach.
For a Sure Thing:
Everyone loves the line Yu•Be, it’s been the best selling formula in Japan for years and it’s now catching on over here thanks to Sephora (finally) carrying the line. Their Moisturizing Body Lotion is a cult favorite for a reason. It packs a powerful hydrating punch in a light weight lotion. No heavy fragrance, no greasy feel, no fancy packaging. Just a long-lasting, super hydrator that is said to help with eczema, psoriasis, and those little bumps on the backs of arms.
Zap Breakouts on Sensitive Skin; Eau Thermale Avéne Cicalfate
Eau Thermale Avéne call themselves the experts in sensitive skin since 1743. Their Hydrotherapy Center in France has been home to over 300 studies based on the efficacy of their thermal spring water that flows around the property, known for its soothing and healing benefits which is the basis for the line. My aesthetician, Tjaden (of The Skin Studio in Wash Park) introduced me to Cicalfate a while back because of how it gently heals compromised skin while maintaining its overall health.
When I start to feel a breakout coming on, my first inclination is to reach for something that will blast the inflammation and bring it down quickly, which often leads to a longer healing time because of the flaking and redness that soon follow. Cicalfate Restorative Skin Cream is meant to heal breakouts, burns, scrapes, diaper rash, and even irritation caused by laser skin treatments by speeding up the skin’s ability to heal itself and also reducing subsequent scaring. Its anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties make it perfect for gently diminishing breakouts while leaving the skin in a pristine state.
You may not have heard of this popular line, but it’s everywhere. You’ll find it in spas and dermatologist’s offices, but also in select retail stores and of course online at one of my very favorite sites to buy beauty on the web, Drugstore.com.
Cicalfate Restorative Skin Cream
Weleda Almond Facial Oil
Weleda has managed to turn the most potent ingredients cultivated by nature into a best-selling hit for natural grocers like Whole Foods. By now I already know that anything I try from Weleda I’ll really like, which is made easier by their often single-digit ingredient lineup. You know exactly what you’re getting right off the bat.
Almond Face Oil has exactly 3 ingredients; Sweet Almond Oil, Plum Seed Oil, and Blackthorn Flower Extract that make an oil that’s lighter than most and absorbs lightning fast. I understand that when they named it a ‘Facial Oil’ they were just trying to convey that it’s multi-purpose, but in doing so I think its actual value might be minimized.
Although I mostly use it for an eye makeup remover, or as an all-over facial pre-cleanse to break down makeup, it’s also a dry skin savior this time of year. Just a few drops under your moisturizer day and/or night will give your moisture barrier a boost to get rid of that annoying tight feeling our faces dread in the winter.
For sensitive skin, it’s incredibly soothing when your face becomes red and irritated from the cold. You’ll see an immediate calming of the redness with zero irritation since it’s fragrance free and high in natural antioxidants.
Or, skip your face altogether and add a shot of it to your lotion to really tame dry hands and cuticles- I can use it while I’m typing without making a greasy mess out of my keyboard.
Liz Earle Superskin Range
Liz Earle’s Superskin collection is a well executed offering of products that add moisture and to nourishment to dry, sensitive, mature, and stressed skin.
Just know that when you use a Liz Earle product, you’ll get 100% quality and satisfaction with each and every product. It’s a line that I absolutely trust because it’s responsibly made with top-notch ingredients. She still makes one of the best cleansers I’ve ever tried which I still use it daily, so I wasn’t at all surprized when her new Superskin Eye & Lip Treatment $50 became my go-to eye cream for night and day. Fine lines vanish immediately but without a tightening effect, plus it’s great for those lines around the mouth to prevent lipstick from bleeding.
25% plant oils are used in her new richer than rich Body Cream ($50)that creates a glowy radiance and the appearance of healthy skin. It’s honestly the most moisture I’ve experienced in a cream, but it isn’t the least bit greasy.
Also new to the lineup is her Bust Treatment ($50) to lift visibly plump and firm skin that’s lost its elasticity using kigelia extract.
Her Superskin Concentrate ($70) contains pretty much everything you’d want in a moisture booster; oils of argan and organic rosehip, neroli, lavender and chamomile and vitamin E. It’s 100% plant oils for all skin types to help calm, soothe, and add some needed moisture.
Worth checking out is her new Try-Me kit containing smaller sizes of all 5 Superskin products along with her signature Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser (the one I use), and an Instant Boost Skin Tonic Spritzer.
