Found Not Lost

I have three daughters so the sample bottles I received for Sassy Shampoo, Conditioner and Body Wash did not last long. Here is the verdict from my girls… They like it!

Why? Because it doesn’t smell strong, not ‘perfumey’, they said. My oldest daughter also added that her hair didn’t feel ‘heavy’ after shampooing. It didn’t leave residue, just a clean, sleek feel and and a fresh smell. The biggest plus of all, they said the conditioner worked well at keeping their hair tangle free. They have very thick and curly hair and they said that they had no problems combing them out after washing.

Sassy products are targeted for ‘tween’ girls. The Sassy product line is natural and organic which is great but the image they project for girls is also commendable. Their tag line, ‘Be the Boss of Your Own Beauty’ is something that I have been trying to instill in my girls and any product that resonates with the message that beauty is individual, is ok by me.  Not only are Sassy products promoting good self image for girls, are made of organic and natural ingredients, they also use eco-friendly packaging.

Check out their website and the gift packages. With the holidays coming up, these would make great presents or business gifts.

Complimentary samples were provided for this review.

Skin Free Skincare products are 100% natural and 100% non-toxic (as per Environmental Working Group evaluation). The Skin Free Extra Moisturizing Soap and Shampoo Bar has recently been awarded the National Eczema Association’s Seal of Acceptance.

Skin Free products were developed by Julie Hilton who is a compounding pharmacist and natural products manufacturer. The Skin Free products line were developed to be free from toxins, irritants, fragrances, colorants, petroleum derivatives and animal products; they are also affordable and effective.

Prior to hearing about Skin Free, I have been testing various over the counter moisturizers. I can’t afford the name brand products so I have been testing drug store lines that were under $30 to find a moisturizer that would agree with my skin and eliminate some of the problems I have. I have combination skin with a very oil T-zone. Add to that black heads, white heads and steadily enlarging pores and you’ve got me, a walking facial disaster at 45. Mind you, I have never been obsessive with my skin care. I was blessed with fairly good skin in my younger years. I didn’t ever have acne or the other problems that plague teens. Then middle age hits and BAM! everything starts falling apart. I noticed my skin started losing its elasticity (that’s a nice way of saying ’sagging’) and started losing its luster. Bottom line, my skin just started looking old.

Maybe if I took better care of my skin when I was younger I wouldn’t be having this problem now. But it’s too late for regrets now, isn’t it? All there is left to do is take care of what’s here and now. And in the ‘now’ my experiments with moisturizers were just not very successful. The last one I tried left a sticky, icky film on my face that felt like my face was a dust magnet. I couldn’t wait to get home at the end of the day and wash my face.

So when I got a chance to try out Skin Free, I chose to try out the Lite Moisture Cream Daily Use and the Nutritional and Anti-Oxidant Synergy for Face.

The Skin Free Daytime Light Moisture Cream is formulated to be beneficial for skin of all ages. It is a very light cream blended from organic extra virgin olive oil and macadamia nut oil to replenish facial moisture balance. I have been using it everyday and it’s perfect especially now that it’s hot. Even when I’m sweaty my face doesn’t get overly greasy. It feels light and I don’t feel like I have a mask on. This is exactly what I have been looking for!

Luckily, all Skin Free products can be purchased from CVS drugstores and Walgreens.

I also have the Nutritional and Anti-Oxidant Synergy for Face. Powerful essences are combined in this formulation to increase circulation, soothe sun damage and aging, and help reduce the appearance of wrinkles. It contains organic essences derived from oat seeds, sea buckthorn and red raspberry seeds which are all known for their soothing, healing and anti-aging abilities; suspended in organic macadamia nut oil and virgin olive oil.

I have been using the anti-oxidant once a week, on weekends when I do a thorough cleansing. It’s supposed to give your skin a more radiant and more youthful glow. I’ve only been using this product for a month, about three or four applications worth. I’m not looking like twenty something, but I can tell a difference when I do my weekend facial spa. I have syringoma on my face, right under my eyes. They are non-cancerous bumps like little benigncell towers that have sprouted up as I got older. There is no treatment for this other than to have them physically removed. Since I started using the Skin Free moisturizers, I’ve noticed that the bumps appear to be smaller soon after application. They eventually plump up as the day wears on, but this is still a better result than what I have been getting with other products. One product that I had to stop using immediately turned them red and raging! So overall, I am really happy with how Skin Free has affected my skin. I can’t wait to try out their other product.

Next time you’re at the drug store, check out the Skin Free line of products. They also carry soaps, scrubs, body lotion and other facial products. You can also check their blog at www.skinfreeskincare.blogspot.com for additional information.

I’ve never considered myself to be a vain person, one who is overly obsessed with looking good. I’m actually of the other end of the spectrum, being almost lackadaisical about my looks especially skin care. I’ve never really put high importance on the brands of lotions or creams I used on my skin and luckily, I have been blessed with skin that is neither overly sensitive nor temperamental. I didn’t really have any major problems that couldn’t be solved with regular face washing and a good moisturizer.

So it is particularly exasperating that now that I am at middle age is when I find myself having to be concerned with implementing a skin regiment and considering acne treatment. Yeah, you heard me right, acne. I have never heard of anyone having acne problems in their 40’s! My teenagers are expected to have that problem, not me! But, as luck would have it, I do.

I’ve been talking to other women who look terrific for their age about their skin regimens and I am starting to get scared. They all profess to having been meticulous about their skin care, some of them spending as much as an hourly nightly for their skin regimen. I’ve got some catching up to do.

Tell me, do you have a skin regimen you follow religiously? Mind sharing your secrets with me?

When I hear Victory Hair I always think big. Think 80’s hairstyle big with all the layers and bangs. Well, that’s probably because I’m a child of the 80’s and when I think of flirting and pick up lines I am always reminded of Saturday Night Fever. LOL!

The Ultimate Flirting Championship, sponsored by Extreme Style by VO5, tests how good or how bad your pick up lines are. I wouldn’t be very good at this, I think, ’cause I married the guy who delivered the cheesiest pick up line to me ever; Something along the lines of being mesmerized by my glow. hehe! I know, I’m a sucker for bad lines.

Maybe you can do better. You should try out your skilz and see if you’ve got the true blue Victory hair.

I have been haphazard in my skin care treatment and I think I am finally paying for it. I am not liking how my skin is aging. So I’m trying to instill a good skin care regimen for my teen daughters. My sixteen year old is already showing signs of teen skin, with her t-zone (her forehead down to her nose) exhibiting oiliness and pimples. So we’re all on a nightly beauty regimen which includes:
(1) a thorough cleansing with a mild cleanser rinsed with a good scrubbing with a clean washcloth
(2) application of a mild, non-alcoholic astringent or toner to get any remaining dirt
(3) moisturize

It’s a really simple routine, and I think we all should be able to maintain it and hopefully stave off any need for acne treatments in the future.

I have never had any really gross skin problems while I was a teen. So it’s really aggravating me now that I’m older, I’m getting acne! It started out innocuously enough being just one or two pimples on my chin. Then it started moving up to my nose. Then back down to the chin, but now they’ve had a baby. There’s three of them now. Before you know it they started popping out of my cheeks too! Dammit!

So at 40 something, I am combating my skin with acne cream. Well that, and I’m finally making a more regimented effort to keep up with my skin care ritual. So now every night and every morning I make sure to cleanse my face thoroughly, tone and moisturize. Where I used to be haphazard about the brand of cosmetics I use, I try to be more selective now, opting for those with less harmful chemicals. Is this another sign of getting old or have I just been too lax in my hygiene and now need to catch up?