A friend of mine asked me to look into this skin care line for her.  I must say, I’m skeptical.  I don’t see any ingredients here that you can’t get from the product lines that the higher priced Oil of Olay lines have, RoC or some Neutrogena products.  Plus, the former are less expensive.

But, I am not endorsing these products in any way. I think all of these lines have way too many chemicals that have proved hazardous through further study.  The individual products of concern are too many to list, so you can do further research at http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/.

I have been growing my hair out from an above the chin length bob for a few months now.  I’m at shoulder length and haven’t quite decided where I’m going to stop or even if I’ll chop it all off again!

I’ve added a new conditioner to my arsenal to keep my ends healthy.  Giovanni Nutrafix Hair Reconstructor.  I use a little more than a pea-sized amount and add it to my regular conditioner.  I only condition from three inches away from my scalp, focusing on my ends.

This makes it really easy to comb through my hair after a shower and keeps the ends from snagging.  I also try to remember to rinse with cool water since it’s leaves my hair more manageable.  So far, this has a been a great product, though when it’s really humid, it can weigh down my hair.

W3LL People is having an event this Thursday, 10/22 from 2 – 4.  Breast Cancer Resource Center Austin representative and Certified Patient Navigator, Marjorie Gallece, will be there to discuss breast cancer advocacy, education and prevention techniques.  She will also speak about the Safe Cosmetics Campaign which I think we all could learn a little more about.  Cosmetics are not regulated, so it pays to be informed.

In addition to the event, sales of Nudist LipShine #4 go directly to Breast Cancer Action.  Get out there, look cute and support a good cause!

I have now been using the Arcona Youth Serum (mentioned in a previous post) for three months now.  I am impressed.  My 34 year old skin wasn’t bad, but had issues like break outs off and on with sketchy clarity overall.  I didn’t even think about texture!

Though I still have a couple of break outs on and off, the texture of my skin is awesome!  Literally, awesome!  It’s smooth, soft and a bit plumper.  Clarity is definitely improved as well.  It’s a more even tone and the red blotchiness I experience from allergies has gone down as well.

It’s official, I recommend this product.

Where I got it: W3LL PEOPLE.  What it cost: $87, and worth every penny.  I still have a little less than half left!

My mother-in-law and I were talking yesterday about how to make lip color last longer.  She had just purchased the 12-hour Revlon kind or something like that.  She didn’t like the way it dries out her lips and makes them look wrinkly.  Here is a tip I learned many years ago.

Gently exfoliate your lips if you have any dry patches.  Do this using a soft washcloth and very gentle pressure.  Line the outside of your lips in the color you want using a lip pencil.  Put on your favorite lip moisturizer that isn’t too heavy staying away from the outer line.  I prefer Burt’s Bees regular or the Pomegranate kind.  Fill in the rest of your lips with the pencil.  This should last you 4 – 6 hours depending on how much you eat or drink and your lips will not feel dried out or cakey.

I took a tour of W3LL People’s store on South Lamar this week.  I had been in before and was directed to the Arcona products I’m currently using by Mimi.  This week, I talked to Shirley who gave me the run down on the rest of what they have in shop.

W3LL is the exclusive provider of the lines they carry in Austin.  That means you won’t be finding Arcona, Ren, Keys or any of the other products anywhere else in town.  The lines they sell also have to meet strict standards of purity, environmental consciousness and non-animal testing.  I have to admit, it was a bit overwhelming learning about all of their products at once.  I’ll have to go back to take a refresher course in the skin care lines.

What I learned yesterday that I was so excited about, were the W3LL cosmetics.  I didn’t realize these are made in store!  Mimi, Shirley, James, et all make these products by hand ensuring quality and consistency.  Talk about locavore! Now your make up can come from your home town.  How cool is that?

I’ve started out my experimenting Nudist #4 and Narcissist #2.  The Nudist line is for lips, the Narcissist for concealing.  I’ll be posting updates.  Nudist: $23, Narcissist: free sample.

I’ve tried all kinds of products with Tea Tree Oil.  Frankly, I didn’t find any I liked and had decided tea tree was not for me.  But, along came blemish central on my forehead.  I love Dr. Bronner’s Castille oil soaps, so I decided to try a cleanser with some sort of natural oil.

I have to admit there was nothing at all scientific about my search.  I found the Desert Essence Thoroughly Clean Face Wash near the soaps and decided to give it a go.  It takes off my powder foundation and mascara easily without leaving my skin really dry like many tea tree products I’ve tried.  I’ve been using this one a few months just to make sure I really like it.  It’s official, I really like it!

Where I got it: Whole Foods, 6th & Lamar.  Cost: approx. $7, plus you can buy gallon refills.

A friend of mine volunteers her time to the Texas Humane Legislation Network (THLN) and let me know that they are having a conference this month, 10/16 – 10/17, to talk about a variety of topics.  One of the main topics on their list right now are puppy mills and getting all dog breeders registered to cut down on the number of them.  Puppy mills often keep their dogs in filthy, inhumane conditions.  The ending of this practice is something we can all get behind.

There are lots of other resources on their site; profiles of people working to help animals, news resources and links for more info.  To check it out visit  http://www.thln.com/