Spots? What Spots?

As I'm staring out my office window at the gloomy, overcast sky it occurred to me (a snow and cold weather disliker) there is an upside to it being dusky all day long...I can use my Paula's Choice Remarkable Skin Lightening Lotion during the day as well as at night!  In the summer I only use it at night because it's ingredients make your skin more sensitive to the sun.  Even with sunscreen I'm not taking the risk.

See, when I was a teen I wanted freckles so, since people with freckles seemed to get more of them from sun exposure I figured I could get my very own by simply sunburning my face.  Please don't remove my blog from your "Favorites" list...I promise I am SO very much wiser now!  Anywho, those of you who know me know I DO NOT have freckles.  I have what I refer to as linebacker stripes and large swaths, as opposed to spots, of discoloration.

Forever, there wasn't much I could do about hiding my attempt at acquiring freckles.  Sure, heavy makeup was still pretty popular in the 90s but I always felt gross and overdone.  Slathering SPF 50 in the summer was my only defense (still is, Dad, I promise) against these patches of discoloration becoming darker until Sephora entered my life.  I was then introduced to dozens of skin lighteners that cost a mere arm and a leg or more.  Oh yeah, on the few occasions I did hand over that arm and leg the product didn't even work!

Thank goodness my mother-in-law (and guest blogger of The Product Muse) told me about Paula's Choice!  This Paula lady is all about debunking product and cosmetic claims.  My thing about her is that she has her own line.  I'm not saying it isn't great, I don't know anything about any of it except the Remarkable Skin Lightening Lotion, which IS great, I'm just saying I think people need to try things for themselves or also consider the advice of others who are not turning a profit as a result of their advise.  But I digress.

The point is, for $18 (currently $15.96) you too can fade your spots!  Yes, I said FADE.  If you want them gone you'll have to talk to someone else about that because I'm not planning on having my face lasered or whatever.  Faded to the point where a little tinted moisturizer is all I need to conceal my botched freckles is good enough for me :o)!

Best Hand Lotion EVER!

Lotion is notorious for being slimy but it's the price we must pay for soft, itch free, crack free hands.  Or is it?  For years I've been using, and turning people on to, Jack Black's Industrial Strength Hand Healer.  "But it's Jack Black," some girls will say, "isn't it for guys?"  Does it really matter?  Nope.  This non-greasy, vegan, eucalyptus and vitamin packed lotion is the best for chapped and cracked hands and problem spots.

Also great for you and your guy (Kris may not say he loves it but always lets me know when we're out), Jack Black's Face Buff Energizing Scrub.  The menthol cools and invigorates and the scrub removes dirt and dead skin.  Your guy will love how easy and close his shave is after a once over with this wash.

Red Carpet Ready Mask

First, you should know that I rotate several masks.  A deep cleaning clay mask, an antioxidant filled pore clearing peel mask, and this one, Nude Skincare's Miracle Mask http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P212426&categoryId=C18820.  How did I find out about this mask?  Samples from Sephora http://www.sephora.com/, of course!  Did I commit to the $62 (free shipping) sticker price immediately after one use?  No, but I would have if I didn't have so many samples of it and the other products in the Nude Skincare line.  I have to say, I love all the products but I don't really feel like shelling out all that cash so I decided I would get the item that REALLY makes an immediate difference.  In short, this mask is supposed to make your face radiant.  I used it Sunday night since I'd been feeling kind of blah (mind, body, face and all) and as always, it did wonders immediately but I went to bed and kind of forgot I had used it.  Well, last night when I washed my face I thought, "gee, my face looks really pretty"and kind of left it at that.  Then this morning I thought the same thing about my skin, then remembered I had used my Nude Skincare Miracle Mask.  You can check it out and read what it does and how it does it but what's important to me is that when I use it I feel like my skin looks like it just received some Hollywood facial.  I usually reserve the use of this mask for special occasions and travel.  Use it the morning after a flight for that much needed skin refreshing or in the morning before a family get together or a night out on the town.  I actually bought the bottle so I could save my samples for travel.

Just give it a try.  If you have a Sephora store near you all you have to do is ask for a sample.  If you live near me I'm happy to let you try mine.  You can also just go ahead and order it online from Sephora http://www.sephora.com/.  They have free returns if something doesn't work out so what do you have to lose!?

Truly "Fabulous Foaming Face Wash"

I'm a freebie junkie, thus, I'm the perfect customer.  It's like I'm screaming, "send me more, more, more so I can fall in love and BUY more, more, more!"

Not too long ago I found out my tried and true face scrub had been discontinued.  Now, this would have been tragic had I not just received a sample size bottle of Bliss' Fabulous Foaming Face Wash http://www.blissworld.com/bliss-fabulous-foaming-face-wash/.  Now, "Foaming" is not something that's going to sell me on a product, exfoliation is.  A lot of products say they exfoliate and I'm sure some actually do, but I have to FEEL the actually scrubbing while it's exfoliating.  So there I was, out of my favorite facial cleanser, forced to use a product I'd always thought wasn't something I'd love.  Boy was I wrong.  I had no idea there were tiny little scrubby particles in the Fabulous Foaming Face Wash.  The bottle says it exfoliates but you can't see anything in it and the blurbs about it in Bliss' catalog never mention tiny scrubby particles.  I couldn't believe it, it felt great and my skin felt great.  It wasn't as scrubby as my previous wash but it accomplished the same feel.  I loved it!  It feels fresh and light, smells great (not slightly medicinal like my previous wash), and, of course, it does what it claims to do.  Needless to say, I'm now on the second of my purchased full size bottles.

I highly recommend trying Bliss' Fabulous Foaming Face Wash for yourself.  You can walk into any Sephora and ask for a sample or you may even have one on hand from your last Bliss http://www.blissworld.com/ or Sephora http://www.sephora.com/ purchase.