Product Review: Tinted Moisturizer spf 50

Physician's Formula Healthy Wear Tinted Moisturizer


Price: $14.99
Source: CVS
Shade: Ivory to Light (palest of 4 shades)
Rating: 1 out of 5






Manufacturer claims:

1. Claim: Delivers maximum SPF 50 broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection while providing sheer and natural-looking color.  (Reality: Neither sheer nor natural looking)
2. Claim: Protects- SPF Boosters and Mineral-based ingredients provide SPF 50 protection without residue or greasiness. (Reality: Thick and sticky feeling, despite being oil free, but this thickness would give good sun protection.)
3. Claim: Prevents - Potent antioxidant blend helps prevent future UV damage and premature signs of aging. (Reality: I can't dispute or verify this claim)
4. Claim: Restores- Licorice Extract & Tomato Derivatives help brighten skin and diminish the appearance of sun spots. (Reality: I can't dispute or verify this claim)

Ingredients:
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS: OCTINOXATE 7.5%, OCTOCRYLENE 5.0%, TITANIUM DIOXIDE 8.5%, ZINC OXIDE 2.94%
INACTIVE INGREDIENTS: CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, WATER, STYRENE/ACRYLATES COPOLYMER, CAPYRLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, SD ALCOHOL 40, C12-15 ALKYL BENZOATE, CETYL PEG/PPG-10/1 DIMETHICONE, HEPTYL UNDECYLENATE, LECITHIN, PEG/PPG -20/15 DIMETHICONE, ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE, ASCORBYL PALMITATE, C12-16 ALCOHOLS, DIACETYL BOLDINE, DIMETHICONE/METHICONE COPOLYMER, DISODIUM EDTA, DISTEARDIMONIUM HECTORITE, GELATIN, GENISTEIN, GLYCYRRHETINIC ACID, ALPHA LIPOIC ACID, MAGNESIUM ALUMINUM SILICATE, PALMITIC ACID, PEG-12 GLYCERYL DIMYRISTATE, POLYGLYCERYL-3 PALMITATE, POTASSIUM CETYL PHOSPHATE, PROPYLENE CARBONATE, RETINYL PALMITATE, SILICA DIMETHYL SILYLATE, SOLANUM LYCOPERSICUM (TOMATO) FRUIT EXTRACT, SQUALANE, SUCROSE, TOCOPHEROL, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, TRIETHANOLAMINE, TRIETHOXYCAPRYLYLSILANE, UBIQUINONE, XANTHAN GUM, ZEA MAYS (CORN) STARCH, ETHYLENE BRASSYLATE, PHENOXYETHANOL MAY CONTAIN: IRON OXIDES, TITANIUM DIOXIDE

Ivory to Light? It matches my copper freckles!

Pros:  Fragrance free, paraben free. non-irritating, non-comedogenic. oil-free, very high SPF.

Cons: Heavier coverage than any foundation I've ever tried, feels sticky, makes your face shiny, color shade and depth is drastically off, ingredients list literally makes aerosol artificial cheese spray look natural by comparison.

Is it safe?

How do you know if your beauty product is safe?  The FDA doesn't regulate them well if at all, and even the EU can't be expected to do immensely better.  The old adage "Buyer Beware" seems fitting.

The folks at Skin Deep have been researching and chemically testing products and ingredients for a while now.  They have whole products and individual ingredients listed, detailed, and rated for hazard level based on evidence of safety or toxicity (and what kind).

Before you buy, check it out on Skin Deep's Cosmetic Safety Review
THEN decide whether it's worth it.

Product Review: Covergirl Outlast Lipstain

Covergirl Outlast Lipstain
Price: $7.99
Store: Target
Overall Rating: 1 out of 5


Marketed to be a long-wearing stain for the lips that wont rub off and doesn't cover up your lip's natural texture. Apply to clean dry lips.

Sulfate-Free FAQ

Most people wash their hair... and their feet.... and everything in-between. Have you ever wondered what is in soap that makes it so foamy and good at removing oil and dirt? At least 90% of store-bought detergent products contain sulfates to do just this. What are they? And mainly, why should you care?

Angry Skin

Sensitivity vs. Allergy

When your skin becomes itchy, stinging, bumpy, or peely it can seem like splitting hairs to define whether you have an allergy or sensitivity. Both are caused by a hypersensitive immune system reacting to normally harmless substances.  However, when it comes to treating and preventing reactions, the distinction makes a big difference.

Hypo-BS

"Hypo" , meaning low or much reduced and "BS", meaning un-truth.

As of  September, 2010 in the United States, there is no current Federal standard governing the use of the terms "hypo-allergenic", "for sensitive skin", or "dermatologist tested".  In 1974 the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) attempted to create regulations for the term "Hypoallergenic" to restrict its use to products which proved significantly fewer allergic reactions in human trials. Ultimately, manufacturers claiming potential hardship prevented this minimal definition from becoming law; Clinique and Almay being the biggest objectors. Further attempts have been made more recently, all ending in failure on behalf of the FDA. In essence, a company can fill a product with toxins and allergens and still legally label it as hypoallergenic. The same applies for the label "For Sensitive Skin".

Product Review: Healthy Wear Foundation

Physician's Formula Healthy Wear 
SPF 50 mineral powder foundation

Price: $14.50
Rating: 4 out of 5
Source: CVS Pharmacy
Shade: Translucent Light

SPF 50 UVA/UVB coverage
Not Animal Tested

Sensitivity Training

No no, I don't mean emotional sensitivity.  I mean physical sensitivity -- by way of skin, eyes, diet, and hair.

Many people who have fair skin find themselves extra sensitive to chemicals and perfumes found in nearly every beauty product on the market. Often these allergies develop suddenly after years of trouble-free use.  Maybe their skin breaks out easily or they become ill from perfumes or dry cleaning chemicals.  Either way, its not a fun situation to find yourself.  For those of us with non-traditional coloring our choice is often lodged between something that flatters or that which doesn't cause irritation; we feel lucky when products are both.

Rock the Foundations

You walk up to a makeup counter and ask to see their lightest foundation.  The clerk behind the counter hands you a tube of "ivory" makeup and you dab some on the back of your hand.  The smear on your hand is clearly darker and different than your skin and the clerk says "Oh, you have to put it on your face because your hands are usually lighter."  You're unconvinced, but you put a dab on your face.  Its still Oompah-Loompah orange.  You clean it off and try another, and another.  They all fall into one of two categories:  utterly the wrong color, or so sheer they provide zero coverage. If you are very lucky, 24 hours later, you won't have a rash or new pimples where the makeup touched your skin.

Fairly Happy

Photo by http://suzi9mm.blogspot.com/

Pick up a magazine.  How many un-tanned women do you see?  I'd venture to guess the answer is somewhere between zero and none.   If you live in North America, Europe, or Australia, our modern pictoral media gives the impression that only tanned women are worth photographing and pale women are something less.  With the exception of a few TV stars who are slavishly pale (Christina Hendricks and Nicole Kidman, for example) we rarely get to see glamorous depictions of the fairest of the fairer sex.

However, most people would agree that a woman can be strikingly beautiful with pale skin, especially so when she is healthy and puts even the smallest amount of effort into her appearance. I'm talking brushed hair and tidy clothing -- not full makeup and a ballgown.   We get noticed for being different, and that's because we are.   I call these women Fairly Happy, meaning they are happy to be fair.