Stretch marks are probably the number one beauty concern all expectant mother's have in common. Even if you don't suffer from pregnancy acne or itchiness there's no escaping the fact that your skin will be doing some stretching. And with that expansion comes those little veiny marks we call stretch marks. What to do?
Well there is no shortage of products aiming to reduce, prevent, or heal stretch marks. One iconic drugstore brand of cocoa butter in particular comes to mind - but how safe are they? Many score fairly poorly in the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database. But one brand especially for pregnant and new mothers has a hazard score of 0, the safest a product can be. That's Mother's Special Blend.
The company's Skin Toning Oil is made without chemicals, perfumes, emulsifiers, dyes, or preservatives and contains Almond Oil, Coconut Oil, Cocoa Butter and Vitamin E, that's it. So you know it's safe for you and baby.
Body moisturizer was one of my biggest concerns when I embarked on this naturalization of my beauty regimen. Firstly, it is almost impossible to find a moisturizer of the consistency that we're all used to without chemical emulsifiers with questionable safety. It's of particular concern since moisturizer is applied to such a wide area of skin, more of the ingredients are absorbed into your skin and blood stream than, say, a facial moisturizer.
When Rainbow Mars suggested coconut oil in her "ZenMama with Rainbeau Mars: Prenatal Yoga Workout" video, I decided to check it out. I had been using a fancy beauty brand coconut oil for a while, but replacing that would be about $25 for 8 oz. Not really in my budget. So I went to my local natural foods store and found Spectrum Coconut Oil Bodycare, at $13 for 15 oz. It was completely natural and organic, 100% unrefined coconut oil. So what did I think? Read on.
I'm a big fan of Farmhouse Fresh, especially their Honey Heel Glaze, so I was excited to receive a sample of their Whoopie! Whipped White Velvet Shea Butter Body Creme. Like many of their products, a lot of it is about the delicious scent.
"A jarful of joy," CEO Shannon McLinden calls it. "It's reminiscent of the home baked Whoopie Pies made famous by farmers of yesterday who would shout with joy when they found the heavenly desserts in their lunch pails. We wanted every woman to be this excited about their go-to body cream."
I'm not sure if I'm THAT excited to slather it on, but it is a nice treat whenever I open the jar, which I think is the point.
I'm not a big fan of 'firming' products as a general rule, and prefer gentler solutions to my advancing years. I'm going to make an exception, however, for Elemis' pro collagen serum, which has a mild firming effect that's instantly visible on the body.
The serum is powered by 'micro lattice technology', which has an invisible 'body stocking' effect, restoring firmness and working wonders on lax, slackened skin (it's a godsend for those with bingo-wings). It also provides an instant uplift to buttocks and the tummy area: a great confidence (and body) boost to use before going out!
If you're also an Elemis fan, you may be interested to hear that the much-loved skincare brand is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, it's teaming up with Mothers 4 Children: a wonderful charity and sisterhood of women, whose combined mission is to better the lives of all children. Watch the video below to get an idea what they're all about:
Shhh I have a secret! I have found a true miracle combination to prepare the skin for spring and that soon to come summer sun. I started off with the Sea Salt Glow Cinnamon & Lime Scrub which is totally heavenly and has a number of purifying properties from natural Australian sea salt with various natural oils. My skin just felt absolutely bloody amazing I have to say I would recommend this scrub to everyone it left my skin glowing with a silky soft touch.
I moved on to the Body Hydrator with Emu Oil and was left totally surprised when my skin was left softer than I could have imagined. I have used this regularly now and the Body Hydrator with Emu Oil has natural soothing, firming and moisturising qualities. It has some amazing properties and is able to actually penetrate the epidermis which could possibly reverse aging. It transforms rough dry skin into soft, smooth, repaired and totally renewed so is ideal to use during the Spring/Summer months. I have let you in on 2 essential products for your Spring/Summer months....come on Sun!
Not so long ago I mentioned that I'd discovered that Cindy Crawford had released a skincare line called Meaningful Beauty. I've been trialing products for a few weeks now and am ready to give you my verdict on the line. The products I tried were from the Meaningful Beauty 30 day introductory kit which comprises of miniature versions of the most popular products in the range. Here's my verdict on the ones that I tried.
Meaningful Beauty Skin Softening Cleanser
This cleanser had a really nice creamy consistency and felt very gentle on the skin. It was very pleasant to use, and left my face feeling really soft afterwards. However, it's perhaps best used in the morning as I needed two washes at night to remove all my makeup.
I'm a big fan of Figleaves, since my 34E chest finds solace in their amazing array of styles and designs. They stock stuff that's pretty near impossible to find on the high street, but sometimes I'm guilty of focussing so much on their frilly bits that I forget they actually have a pretty decent beauty shop as well.
They stock an array of unusual brands, with more to come in the New Year, which are full of lovely ingredients and beautifully decorated as well. See after the jump for my favourite pieces.
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