Suki: Pure Organic Skin Care

I recently discovered Suki Pure Organic Skin Care when they generously sent me some goodies to try.  Owner and founder Suki Kramer started her line of organic products for skin, hair, and body after having tried countless different companies,  hoping they would help with her own skin problems. She became so frustrated by the lack of results promised by so many skincare lines that she began experimenting with her own herbal oils and tinctures. The results were amazing and the Suki line was born.  Suki is 100% synthetic-free and gentle on the skin and uses only organic & cruelty-free ingredients, as well as eco-friendly packaging. The line includes pure care for skin, hair, body and even makeup. I  am a strong advocate of organic skincare and I have to say that Suki Kramer's delicious line of pure natural products are some of the best I've tried and my skin is very happy :-) I love all of Suki's products but below are a few of my favorites that I am now officially addicted to.



Concentrated Nourishing Toner

This is so refreshing and soothing! A super potent antioxidant-rich, fortifying tincture rich with green tea, olive leaf, and organic botanicals. It helps fight free radicals, signs of premature aging, and preps the skin. I love the way it smells and like to sweep it over my face after removing my makeup to remove all traces of the day.



Bio-C 10% formula face serum

A highly concentrated, oil-free serum specifically designed as a super antioxidant to support collagen production & help prevent future signs of aging. It accelerates collagen & elastin production in 3 days (love that) and helps to fight early signs of aging with ingredients like copperpolypeptide protein complex to diminish fine lines & wrinkles and resveratrol white grapeseed for environmental damage. This serum is a winner in helping reverse the signs of aging on the skin.  I smooth it on before applying my makeup to smooth and plump the skin.

Pure Facial Moisture-Nourishing

 

My skin is super dry so this soothing facial oil really helped me.  It's packed with beta carotene / pro-vitamin A from organic carrots, omega oils & fatty acids like organic evening primrose and organic rosehip and it restores, hydrates, promotes elasticity, fights free radicals and signs of aging and stress. I apply it generously at night and my skin feels totally rejuvenated when I wake up.

 

 

 

 

Tinted Active Moisturizer

 

I love this gorgeous Tinted Moisturizer! I don't like to wear alot of foundation and this gives me just a beautiful flawless finish where I need it, plus I feel great about putting it on my skin. It's soothing ingrediants of  White Willow, Organic Comfrey, Jojoba Oil, and Organic Rose extract work to fight free radicals and relieve redness and irritation and boost Collagen. 

All of Suki's products smell divine and feel wonderful and are gentle enough to use on the most fragile and sensitive skin (even babies). I love that every product is made fresh by hand to eliminate carbon output and packaged in environmentally friendly glass instead of plastic so no toxins leak into the ingrediants. I'm so glad to have discovered Suki!

For more on Suki please visit www.sukipure.com

Milani Cosmetics and Hayla "3D" video

Recently I had the pleasure to meet with Milani Cosmetics Group to discuss a mutual collaboration. They were extremely generous and gave me some fabulous new products to use!

I was so excited to try them all out, and I had the opportunity to use them this past weekend to create the look below for super talented international recording artist Hayla's breakout U.S. music video "3D".

Hayla style is unique and distinctive and she loves using makeup to create stunning visuals; so Milani's gorgeous collection was perfect for her.

For this look I wanted to give Hayla a magical fairy like quality, so I started by using Milani Runway Eyes in 04 Backstage Basics for depth and definition. I then layered Milani Eyeshadow in Lily White all over her lid and around the entire eye area for added luminosity.

To add extra sparkle and glow to her eyes I wet my brush and swept Milani Beach Sand (which has an amazing glittery sparkle) over the entire eye area to give Hayla's eyes a soft shimmery glow.

I finished by brushing Milani Power Volumizing Mascara in Black on her lashes, and lining her entire eye (upper and lower lid) with Milani Eye Tech Liquid Eye Liner in 01 Black to add depth and make her eyes pop.

For Hayla's cheeks I brushed Milani Baked Blush in 08 Coralina ( a beautiful peachy gold) all over her cheek bones and along her temples.

Finally, I polished off her look with Milani Glitzy Glamour Gloss in Lady Like on her lips and topped it all off with Milani 3D Glitzy Glamour Gloss (very appropriate as Hayla's video is called 3D!) in Designer Label.  So much fun!!

Thank you Hayla for being such a great canvas, and thank you Milani for all the great goodies! :-)

Guest Post: Beauty Don'ts, What Not To Wear On Your Face

Freelance writer and Professional Model, Alexis Posharo has generously contributed a guest post to The Makeup Artist Blog entitled "Beauty Dont's, What Not To Wear On Your Face".  Read on for some very enlightening information!

What makes you beautiful can’t possibly be bad for you, right? That’s what a lot of cosmetic companies want you to believe.  With new information on common but hazardous ingredients on the rise, they’re working day and night these days to “greenwash” their products by adding words like, “natural,” “biodegradable,” and “eco-friendly.” 

Don’t fall for their scams.  Decide for yourself what you’re willing to put on your face by reading ingredients.  While you should reduce waste and save money by finishing what you currently use, do your skin and the ecosystem a favor by avoiding products with the following ingredients the next time you shop.

Propylene glycol & polyethylene glycol (PEGs and PGs)

Found in: lotions, deodorants, mascara, baby powder

On Skin Deep, the Environmental Working Group’s cosmetics database, PEGs and PGs rate anywhere from a 4 to a 7 on the toxicity scale (0 being not hazardous and 10 being most hazardous).  This makes them tricky to demonize as many green organizations have done, but this much is sure: they often irritate your skin, eyes, and lungs, and are easily classified as an environmental toxin.  Scientists have recorded a few cases of tumor formation in some animal studies, too.

Formaldehyde and paraben preservatives

Like: butylparaben, ethylparaben, methylparaben, anything ending with –paraben

Found in: sunscreens, shampoos, shaving gels, body lotions, toothpastes

By now, you’ve probably been touched by the paraben scare—for good reason.  Parabens are used as preservatives but they’re also known as “gender benders,” meaning they can wreak havoc on the endocrine system in infants, young children, and pregnant mothers.  Some speculation has been made about breast cancer, but studies are ongoing.  Skin toxications and endocrine disruption has been known to occur amongst animals after the stuff goes down your shower drain and into the ecosystem.

Petrochemicals

Like: petroleum jelly, isopropyl alcohol, butyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, ethanol

Found in: skin astringents, perfumes, lotions

Although petrochemicals aren’t exactly hazardous, beware of them if you have sensitive or acne-prone skin.  Slathering mineral oil on your skin can suffocate your pores, leading to blemishes or dermatitis.

Sodium laureth/lauryl sulfates

Found in: shampoos, shower gels, bubble baths

SLS is a cleansing agent that has been found in many cases to cause irritation to eyes, skin, and lungs.  Some laboratory cases have shown brain, nervous system, and behavioral effects as well as mutations at moderate doses.  Environment Canada Domestic Substance List classifies SLS as an environmental toxin, too.  That means fish (and tomorrow night’s sushi) has to deal with the stuff after you do.

Synthetic dyes

Like: anything with an F (for “food”) and DC (“drugs and cosmetics”), usually followed by a number or color

Skin Deep says dyes aren’t too worrisome for most people.  Still, if you have an allergy  of which you don’t know the source, try cutting out soaps, detergents, fabric softeners, makeup, and the like that contain synthetic dyes.  Your allergies might go away as they have for many people.

Artificial fragrances

Cosmetic companies aren’t legally obligated to disclose the ingredients of their artificial fragrances, usually just listed as “parfum,” “fragrance,” or the like.  This protects their signature scent, but it also means they could be putting anything into their supposedly green and safe product.  Since they’re already concocting with “gender benders” and stuff to block your pores, I wouldn’t put a whole lot of faith in them.

Alexis Posharo is currently a writer at Go college, where recently she’s been researching scholarships for nurses and blogging about student life. In her spare time, she enjoys creative writing and hogging her boyfriend’s PlayStation 3. To keep her sanity she enjoys practicing martial arts and bringing home abandoned animals.