Suncare Basics: Sunscreens Explained!

Suncare Basics by elbonner featuring l'oréal paris

The sun has finally made its entrance and it's hot as balls outside right now! It's reminding me how important it is to keep my face protected during the sunniest parts of the day when I can't escape to some shade. Now, there are different products for different times of the day, and I think a reason why people shy away from wearing a designated sunscreen during the day is because they're using the wrong kind. If you don't like wearing sunscreens during the day because of the texture or feel, this little post might help you out to see if maybe you're over doing it or if you just need to try something new!

Everyday Basics: what one would wear to work, to run errands, to sit outside and have lunch; anything that doesn't involve strenuous activity that could sweat off your sunscreen.

1: Milky& Light
 Skinceuticals Physical Fusion UV Defense Sunscreen SPF 50- This is what I use daily in the summer time on work days and days where I won't be sweating or swimming. This sunscreen is light, non-greasy, mattifying, and broad spectrum. It is not water resistant, so not something you bring to the pool, but great for every day use.

 La Roche Posay Anthelios 50 Mineral sunscreen- Very similar to the Skinceuticals, but a bit cheaper and available at CVS! This sunscreen says that it is water resistant, but I tend to not use super light formulas when swimming because I feel like it comes off easier and I have to reapply more often. On the other hand, it is perfect for everyday use where you're not getting gross and sweaty!

2: Protective Moisture 
Origins "A Perfect World" Spf 25- A light, but powerful moisturizer, full of antioxidants that help keep your skin looking young for many years to come! They new make this moisturizer with an spf, so an extra sunscreen is not needed for non-water related activities. Good for people with dry skin.

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturizer spf 30- Like the moisturizer above, this one has no scent and is gentle for sensitive skin. Because it has no scent, it's great for men and women and doesn't have an overly girly bottle. $20 and a high spf, you can't go wrong! This moisturizer in not formulated for use in the water.

Active Days: For days at the beach, long-haul outdoor runs, canoe trips, backpacking, hot beach volleyball matches, swimming, and all those fun activities you do during your time off that help you get your sweat on.

3: Moisturizing Outdoor
Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Cream spf 50- This is what I wear to the beach when my face is being especially dry, so it's good for mature and dry skin, but not so much oily or acne prone. It's mineral based so it doesn't irritate your face and stays on without running into eyes after water activities or sweating.

Sun Bum Pro Spf 50- My all-time favorite active, facial sunscreen. This is a little less moisturizing than the Shiseido (and cheaper) , but not totally drying. Also mineral-based, so it doesn't irritate your skin. Made for people who work and play outside, so great for the beach or cutting the grass on a hot day!

4: Mattifying Outdoor

Coola Face Matte Organic Cucumber Spf 30- Smells like juicy cucumbers and keeps the shine away so you're not blinding fellow beach-goers with your shiny-ass forehead! This formula was made especially for oily skinned people who want the protection of a rich sunscreen without the glare. A lot of mineral sunscreens are oily and this was one of the first to develop an effective matte formula. Plus the tube is super cute!

L'Oreal Sublime Sun Sunscreen for Face spf 50- A great drugstore buy that is similar to La Roche Posay in formula, but better at staying on during water activities. This stuff is like nine bucks and is great for oily or acne prone faces.


I hope this post helped to clear up any confusion about what to wear and when. There are so many different formulas out now and not all sunscreens are made to be water resistant, so be vigilant in your label-reading! If you have any questions, feel free to comment and I'll do my best to answer them!

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Winter Skin Rescue

Winter Skin Rescue by elbonner featuring an origins skincare

When winter comes my skin turns into a dry, flaky mess that requires a lot of attention. To keep from getting red, itchy, wind-burnt, and broken out I use lots of great products to keep everything calm and sexy.

1. Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate: smells like an herb garden with lavender and other apothecary favorites and melts into your skin to make you look moisturized and refreshed in the morning. I use this every other night (using a glycolic acid exfoliator on my off nights) and this keeps my skin from being red or itchy. This has never made my skin break out which is wonderful because this is a facial oil. Don't be afraid of facial oils,especially in the winter!

2. Kiehl's Rosa Arctica Cream: another great from Kiehl's, this cream is thick and luxurious and holds all of the moisture in! This is my night cream, but if your skin is super dry this can definitely be worn as a day cream. The arctic thistle in this cream has some magical skin properties that rejuvenate and hydrate the driest of skin.

3. Extra Virgin Coconut Oil: put in on your body, shave with it, deep condition your hair with it, remove your makeup with it. Coconut oil is my secret weapon in the winter for anything that needs moisture. You can get it at the grocery store, it lasts forever and smells like macaroons. WIN WIN.

4. The Body Shop Body Butters: thick, creamy, a multitude of great smells; what isn't there to say about this stuff? When you put this on in the morning it will remain on your skin until the next morning (if you're gross and don't shower like me).

5. Kiehl's Cream Eye Treatment with Avocado: Another thick and creamy eye cream with avocado oil that keep dry eye-skin at bay. Best winter eye cream I've tried.

6. Lush Angels On Bare Skin Cleanser: This is a freshly made,non foaming cleanser consisting of almond paste, lavender buds and lots of lovely skin ingredients that cleanse without drying. I like to stay away from foamy things in winter because they dry out my skin so badly and this is one of my favorite foamless cleansers. The smell is great for before bedtime when you want to relax.

7. Bobbi Brown Tinted Moisturizing Balm: Some tinted moisturizers don't have what it takes to keep your skin soft and foundation can dry it out all together. This tinted moisturized is THICK and won't leave you looking flaky. It has a decent coverage and saves you from fine lines showing up which can happen with some drying foundations.

8. Bliss Clog-Dissolving Cleansing Milk:another non-foamy cleanser that caters to acne prone skin types. Winter may dry out your skin, but it can irritate it and irritation makes me break out more than oiliness. This has a great smell and enzymes to exfoliate dead skin off your face leaving it soft and glowy.

9. Origins Modern Friction: This is a heavy-duty exfoliator wit bits of blue corn and rice that scrub away all the flakiness. Use only three times a week or you could damage your skin. It makes my skin smoother than anything else!

10. Aveeno Skin Strengthening Moisturizer: This lotion contains ingredients that help beef up thin skin (which I have) and helps it hold in moisture. Because my skin is so thin I have a hard time with my arms and legs getting dry half-way through the day and no one wants to see my hairy winter-coated legs at work. Aveeno products use colloidal oatmeal to keep in the moisture and it works like a charm.

Hope this helps and sorry if there's not a lot of quick wit and humor in this post. I'm tired and I need my bath, but I wanted to post something tonight! Keep it soft and sexy people!

Allow Me To Exfoliate...

Allow Me To Exfoliate... by elbonner featuring Clarisonic beauty products

Kate Somerville face care / Dr Dennis Gross Skincare bath body product / Ole Henriksen body cleanser, $135 / The Body Shop body cleanser / Body cleanser, $7.92 / Mario Badescu Skin Care body treatment / Elemis bath body product / Clarisonic beauty product, $285 / ALPHA beauty product / Origins beauty product

Exfoliation is the key to happiness. I know I already posted about my homemade scrub, but that's not the only exfoliator that I use to keep me silky smooth and baby-faced. It takes an arsenal of face and body care products to keep my annoying dry, flaky skin at bay and this is how I do it!

For may face, I've used a couple of exfoliators that I really enjoy. I've used grainy scrubs and acid-based products that eat my dull skin away for me. I like both for different reasons and use them at different times, but I will go over which and when once I get to the descriptions. So without further a-do I'll start my list:

Face Care

1. Origins Modern Friction. This face scrub is used on dry skin and it utilizes corn and rice granules to get you face funky fresh and soft. I use this primarily in the winter when my skin isn't sunburned or wind-chapped because this stuff is the real deal. Using it on dry skin is what makes it so effective and to make it a bit more gentle use it with water. Only use this scrub like 3 times a week because any more than that and you might not have any skin left on your face, Crypt Keeper. IT'S THAT INTENSE. Not really, but close!  

2. My next favorite is an acid-based exfoliator which is actually in a different container, but I couldn't find a decent picture for it. It's Alpha H's Liquid Gold with glycolic acid. This is worn at night after cleansing and it eats all of your dead skin away! Great in the summer time when you want to exfoliate,but are apprehensive because your skin might be a little sensitive because of sun damage. The only drawback is that if you want it to work you can't use a moisturizer with it, it's just like putting water on your face. So if you hate that not-moisturized feeling this might not be your best bet,but it makes your skin look awesome and really helps me with acne and blackheads.

3. This Glycolic Gel by Mario Badescu is a lot like the one from AlphaH, but in gel form. It's easier to get a hold of than Alpha H and is a big cheaper. It's worn every other night like Liquid Gold and has a bit lighter exfoliation.

4. ExfoliKate by Kate Sommerville is the whole shebang; grainy exfoliators, plus enzymes and acids to eat away all the nasties. This comes in the original formula as well as one suited for acne and a lightweight version for sensitive skin. I friggin' love this stuff, but the price tag is a bit steep. When you will stop at nothing to get smooth skin, go with this one.

Body Care

1. I love The Body Shop. They have singular scents that smell like the real deal and this coconut scrub is great fora light to moderate exfoliation. It smells like suntan lotion and doesn't leave you or your bathtub a greasy death trap. So if you want smooth skin and don't want your family to find your naked lifeless body positioned unattractively in the bathtub after you've fallen, get this scrub!

2. One of my pet peeves with sunless tanning is all the scrubbing I have to do to get all my rough spots soft again. This product exfoliates AND tans you AT THE SAME TIME. Dr. Dennis Gross's Alpha Beta Glow pads are available in body and facial sized cloths that get you tan and smooth at once and don't look orangey or fake.

3. Ole Henrikson's Rub'n'Buff is one of the best smelling and most effective body scrubs I've ever used. It smells clean and fresh and uses salt to scrub away grossness. It recommends you use it on dry skin and skin that hasn't recently been shaved or you'll be a'hurtin.

Tools!

1. GET A CLARISONIC. I can't stress it enough; it's a sonicare toothbrush for your face and every dentist on earth worth their potatoes uses a sonicare toothbrush. It doesn't spin, it sonically shakes the dirt off of your face. You can use this every night, it has brushes for every skin type and feels like a massage every time you use it. It only needs to be charged once every 6 weeks and the brush heads get changed every 3 months. Easy peasy!

2. Using a body brush before you shower or bathe has been said to up your circulation and reduce cellulite. It can't hurt to try. I can't say it has  made my cottage cheese disappear (I'm not afraid to admit it!), but it makes my skin and my keratosis pilaris (chicken skin) much much better. These can be found in just about any bath and body store, so if you want an exfoliation that really gets you to wake up try a dry brush.

3. Lastly, these gloves are all over the place and really do a good job when you're traveling. It's not a liquid so it's safe for the plane, you can use them on wet or dry skin, and then dry quickly so I like to have them when I go out of town instead of lugging another bottle of body scrub with me.

Well, that's my list. I hope it was helpful and gave you some news products to try out. Now get get out of here and scrub off!

Cleansers

Cleansers by elbonner featuring Bliss face cleansers

As great as summer is, it can really wreak havoc on your face. The heat and use of some sunscreens can make your skin oily and more blemish prone or the prolonged sun exposure can dry everything and make it flaky. It's imperative that you have a good cleanser to take all that oily grossness of at the end of the day so that you don't end up looking like Pizza Face. I've compiled a few of my favorite facial cleansers I've tried over the years since my skin type has changed from oily to combination dry. My misfortune becomes your benefit since I can recommend more products! 

1. Probably my all-time favorite cleanser since I can use it all year-round in Korres Milk Proteins Foaming Cream Cleanser. I friggin' love Korres products and have NEVER used one that I didn't think was the bees knees. This cleanser is $21 so not super cheap, but you only need a bit and the bottle lasts forever. My skin get way dry in the winter and it never feels tight after I use it and when my skin is oily in the summer it gets rid of all the nasties. 

2. Another nice cleanser that is pretty similar to the previous one is Origins Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash. This stuff smells awesome, kind of minty and herby and always helped wake me up a bit when used in the morning. This cleanser foams up a lot too and is great for combination to oily/sensitive skin. I like pretty much all of the Origins products I've tried too. This one is $19.50, so a bit cheaper than the Korres cleanser, but both are the same size. If you want an herbal pick-me-up go for this one!

3. Bliss makes some good stuff. Not as natural or earthy as Korres or Origins, but they have a great range. Their triple oxygen line of products is wonderful if you like that super fresh, tingly feeling and their Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Cleansing Foam is great if you like mousse/foam cleansers. This takes off makeup pretty well and makes you feel so fresh and so clean. The oxygenating action also made my face look a little bit brighter too. At $28 it's one of the more expensive cleansers, but you're getting what you pay for. 

4. Another favorite from Bliss is the Clog-Dissolving Cleansing Milk. This formula does NOT foam and goes on like a milky cream that smell clean and fresh. I like to use this in the winter time when my skin is feeling a bit dry or when I feel like I've overdone it with foamy cleansers. I like this because though my skin is on the dry side, I still have issues with blackheads and the enzymes in this cleanser help to eat away at the yucky stuff while still being moisturizing. No clogging, no film, just an all-around good cleanser for dryer more sensitive skin. 

5. This is another non-foaming formula that is focused on more acne prone skin. The ClearCalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser (aliteration much?) from REN utilizes the power of clay to gently dry up zits and all the gross stuff inside them. After bombarding my acneic skin with the harshest cleansers I could find, my skin got incredibly dry and sensitive and I wish this had been around when I was more pimply. It has a clean scent and doesn't have anything harsh that could further irritate your skin. This cleanser is part of a 3-step system just for acne sufferers!.

6. Our last cleanser is not really a cleanser in the traditional sense. The Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant a gentle exfoliant that doubles as a super gentle cleanser great for more mature skin types. I also find this nice to use when I have a sunburn and want something that isn't going to take moisture away. This comes as a powder that you add a few drops to and make into a paste. You choose how grainy the texture gets so the exfoliation factor can be significant to almost nonexistent and the texture ranges from a thick paste to a milky watered-down-oatmeal like consistency. It's a blend of rice powders and exfoliating acids that keep your skin sexy smooth without pissing it off.

Hope you enjoyed this cleanser overview. I have used all of these products for years and wouldn't throw them on here without being truly impressed with them so happy cleansing everyone!