Organic Body Products

Health-conscious beauty advocates would tell you to think twice about splurging on a product which may not be good for you in the long run. Potentially toxic preservatives could be a threat, especially for those who have delicate health issues. As a cancer survivor myself, I've been told the same thing by my alternative medicine doctor. Since she knew that beauty is one of the things that motivates me to keep living, I was advised to examine the body products I use for primping up.

Organic products are the healthier alternatives because  they do not contain the red flag ingredients that can possibly reprogram one's body circuits. Although mainstream merchandises are the cheaper and more accessible options, organic goods are understandably priced  a little higher because of the extra time and effort needed to come up with a safe and quality product.  In addition, the ingredients of the organic variety are doubly difficult to cultivate without the use of pesticides and other harmful chemicals, hence requiring additional investments.

Instead of the ordinary lotion sold in supermarkets, you can always slather on a botanical body butter which is the safer way to moisturize your skin. An example is the HotHouse Botanicals Bergamot/Ylang-Ylang Body butter which is on sale at 20% off until November 20. Its special organic ingredients of Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Coconut Oil, and Rose Hip Oil aid in reviving severely dry or cracked skin. The less than 1% preservative used contains no formaldehyde or parabens, a notorious ingredient that has been associated with breast cancer.

If bathing in the relaxing scent of Vanilla is your thing, you might as well enjoy the benefits of Dead Sea bath salts which are rich in minerals to relieve muscle pains and dry skin, combined with soothing aroma to make bath time a blissful experience. Just dissolve a handful into warm bathwater and soak yourself in it for 20 to 30 minutes.

Whatever organic product you decide to splurge on, be sure to check the ingredients and see if they came from licensed suppliers. With the rising popularity of healthy alternatives, it would be wise to protect yourself from manufacturers that cash in on products that are falsely claimed to be organic.

Breaking The Dry Spell

Identifying the causes was our first step in beating the perennial problem of dry lips. Please check on this previous post, in case you haven’t read it. If you have isolated the possible culprits, avoid them and observe for any signs of improvement.

If you are suffering from allergic reactions or medical conditions that give rise to the smoocher issue, be sure to consult your doctor about it. Otherwise, these tips should work for uncomplicated cases of dry lips:



1. Brush it off. When brushing your teeth, include your lips in the routine at least once a week to facilitate exfoliation.

2. Lip exfoliators. Philosophy, Benefit and Smashbox are among the brands that offer these products which are to be used on a weekly basis. These usually contain scrubbing beads and emollients.

3. Drink up. The lips will talk if you are not getting enough hydration, as though it were a live chat software. Water is a cheap yet effective means to a healthier and well-hydrated body.

4. Use Protection. When going out on a sunny day, apply a lip balm with sunblock of at least SPF 15. During the cold season, seal the lips with a protective lip wax or conditioner containing lanolin.

5.Watch Your Mouth. If you sleep with an open mouth, dab a lip emollient before hitting the sack. Besides preparing your lips for a possible smooching episode on dreamland, this will prevent drying up your puckers during the whole snorefest.

6. Soak it up. Add one teaspoon of salt to a pint of water. Get a washcloth and soak it in the solution before leaving it on your lips for 30 minutes. Pat the lips dry and apply your favourite moisturizer or vitamin E oil. This should be done daily for a week as a symptomatic solution to flaky lips.

7. Choose Your Tools. Save the long-wearing lipsticks for special occasions. Lip pencils and matte lipsticks may last longer but they suck the moisture off your lips. For daily use, stick to the moisture-rich variety or lip gloss even if needs to be re-applied more often. When the dryness is severe, it would be wise to go on a lipstick vacation until your puckers recover.

8. Makeup technique. If you must apply lipstick, minimize the appearance of the lip lines by going in one direction. Strokes that go everywhere will only emphasize the dryness.

Curves In All The Wrong Places

Don’t you ever wish those flabs in your tummy or thighs would migrate to a more appropriate body part like somewhere up in the chest? In this day and age, no idea remains improbable for a long time. Reuters Health recently reported that fat collected from liposuction could now be used to augment a woman’s breasts.

The research was presented at the 2009 Plastic Surgery Conference in Seattle. Although earlier procedures have been done to use suctioned fats for the reconstruction of breasts following mastectomy, this has been largely controversial due to safety issues. Doctors are concerned about the estrogen present in fat cells which may potentially trigger the recurrence of breast cancer.

The new surgical approach claims not to find any increased risk. They used a bra-like device called the Brava, which includes a small battery-operated pump, creating suction on the breast. The device is to be worn for 4 weeks prior to the operation and a few weeks more post-surgery, to increase blood flow to the area by generating new blood vessels. Women enrolled in the study were monitored after 3 to 12 months through radiographs to check for dead tissues and cancer following the operation. However, the report did not mention whether these women were healthy or post-mastectomy. The study observed a moderate increase in breast size of the subjects, at an average of 210 ml.

Only 18% of the transferred fats in each patient failed to progress. Prior studies without Brava yielded as high as 30% to 70% of fats that did not convert to bigger breast size. Results from similar studies are still being awaited before the American Society of Plastic Surgeons reconsiders their position on the procedure.

While your hopes are still in a limbo, you might consider diet, exercise and natural ways to diss the unsightly bulges. Research on the best fat burners before taking the surgical route to a slimmer figure. If all else fails, then go to your nearest Belo or Calayan Clinic. If the Brava-utilizing procedure gets the nod of medical pundits, it will be easier to place those curves in the right places. Just be prepared for the risks that come with any surgery.

Smacking Dry Lips Goodbye

 

Flawless skin- check. Well blended eye makeup- check. Contouring of cheeks- check. Lips- Eeek!

When the dryness of your lips prevents you from perfecting your beauty routine, it’s time that you address your pucker issues. Why be bullied into suffering the consequences when you can do something about it? Let us get to know the causes, find remedies, and minimize its appearance through some makeup tricks.

The Culprits:

1. Dehydration- are you getting at least 8 glasses of water a day? Would you rather ingest 8 bottles of soda or 8 cups of  coffee instead of the good old water? While they are undoubtedly the more yummy alternatives, they do not replenish your needs for adequate hydration. Caffeine is a diuretic that can further increase fluid loss. Your lip condition could be a reflection of your hydration status.

2. Environmental factors-Extreme weather conditions can cause the lips to lose its capacity to retain moisture. While exposure to the cold weather can leave the lips prone to dryness, the hot season can be dehydrating, pointing us back to number 1.

3. Expired lip products- lipsticks and lip glosses are the earliest to go from your beauty kits. Monitor the dates they were bought and examine the consistency, odor and taste of the lip product. If it has turned rancid, toss it to the trash bin. No matter how pricey that lipstick was, risking untoward reactions on your lips won’t be worth it.

4. Allergies- When you're prone to hypersensitivity and certain ingredients come in contact with your lips, expect reactions to come in various forms, and flaking happens to be one of them. Common lip allergens are dyes, phenyl salicylate, and  propyl gallate in lipsticks, sodium lauryl sulfate in toothpastes and metallic items that you unconsciously place near the mouth.

5. Medications- The drugs that you take could have  dryness of the lips as a side effect. Among these are Vit. B12 supplement, which contains cobalt, which in turn, may trigger allergic reactions to the lips.  Too much intake of Vitamin A could also lead to crusting while some Beta blockers and Chemotheraputic agents yield the same effects as well.

6. Lip Smacking- While saliva is a fluid, it doesn't help alleviate the condition when you habitually lick your lips. Unlike water, saliva contains enzymes that are meant for digestion, thus leading to the appearance of those partially-digested lips.

7. Sleeping Habits- If you'r the type who slumbers with an open mouth, chances are, you dry up your mouth easily and wake up with dehydrated lips.

8. Citrus fruits- the acidic content can be irritating to the lips, inducing a phototoxic reaction giving rise to dryness and fissures.

9. Smoking- Need I say more?

10.  Concomitant diseases- The presence of medical conditions like Hypothyroidism, Autoimmune diseases such as Psoriasis, Lupus and Sjogren’s syndrome, Pre-cancerous lesions and Fungal infections could leave your lips dry, scaly or fissured.

Which among these culprits above do you suspect to have caused your dry lips? Once you have pinned them down, the first step would be avoiding or treating these lip criminals. If prevention doesn't do the trick, hang on for our tips how to relieve chapped lips on the next post.

photo credits

Tis The Season For Chapped Lips

After the witching hour this halloween, the cool breeze of the season signals that our favorite time of the year is coming. Shopping malls put on grand decors and artificial Christmas trees to let the shoppers feel the vibe and to make them more generous for gift-giving, I presume. Along with the season comes chapped lips. The causes for dry lips are plenty but it can be accentuated during  cold weathers. How do you prevent this from ruining the perfect pout you've practiced all year? Tips and makeup tricks on minimizing the effects of dry lips will be spilled on the next post.

The Philippine Blog Awards '09 Mindanao

The 2009 Philippine Blog Awards Mindanao leg was held shortly after the 3rd Mindanao Bloggers Summit on the same venue- at the Pearlmont Hotel, Cagayan de Oro.

It was a long day. I had only 2 hours of sleep the night prior because of some deadlines I had to work on. I could easily opt to curl up in bed right after the summit but I just couldn't afford to miss the PBA Night. It was a rare opportunity to accept the trophy for the Best Beauty Blog Award which was announced in Manila 2 weeks before the Mindanao leg. All along, I was thinking that claiming my precious trophy would take place off the stage. When CDO Bloggers President Chiq Montes came up to me, she said that winners of the nationwide categories had to prepare an acceptance speech. Like an ice cold water that was suddenly poured over my head, it snapped me out of lethargy. I could only blurt out to myself "Crap... But I don't do speeches?!?"

The spotlight-loving theater artist in me stopped adoring the stage after high school. Speaking in public has been a tummy-somersaulting activity for me afterwards. It probably had to do with endorsements, grand rounds and (tor)mentors scaring the hell out of us during med school. I stutter when nervous and puke before a presentation I haven't studied for.

What was more panic-inducing was my look for the occasion. I was dressed casually for the summit without considering my outfit for the awards night.

After all, I was expecting to be in the audience all throughout. I couldn't climb up the stage looking like the beauty blogger who doesn't practice what she preaches. Good thing I had extra clothes and shoes in the car. Putting out the NARS makeup palette from the bag, I worked some magic in an effort to restore some freshness into my exhausted, dried tuna look. With no makeup brushes, I used my hands in applying makeup. No breathtaking eye designs, no mascara, no "donyatic" hairstyle. Just the basics to help me pull through the night.

The dinner that was sponsored by the PBA have been sumptuous but my taste buds weren't working due to my perceived impending doom. The announcements of winners from Mindanao were even a blur until after I delivered the speech. It was a brief one, just a quick thank you speech to let them know I could talk. For the record, I didn't pass out on stage, slipped on stainless steel tiles nor puke before everyone. My blog title would have immediately changed to "The Doctor is Gross" had I lost my composure. My husband was my steady support throughout the day.

Thanks to the Philippine Blog Awards website, I could now share with you the list of the winners even if my memory was hazy that night:

WINNERS OF THE 2009 PHILIPPINE BLOG AWARDS – Mindanao

I. MAIN AWARDS (Nationwide Categories)
Best Business Blog – Negosyo Ideas
Mike Abonitalla

Best Beauty Blog – The Doctor Is vain
The Sissy Blogger With A Bad Case of Stage Fright

II. SPECIAL AWARDS

Mindanao Bloggers’ Choice
DavaoBase

Mindanao Advocacy Blog
Peace Initiatives in SOCSARGEN

Mindanao Destination Blog -
GenSan News Online Mag

Uniquely Mindanao Blog –
Hola Zamboanga

Globe Digital Tribe – Mindanao
angdabawenyo.com
mindanao.com
alleba.com/blog
riajose.com
migsmobile.net
gensantos.com
katherinevlara.com
lylesantos.com
ptlavina.wordpress.com
chiqmontes.com

Chikka Readers’ Choice

Gensan News Online Mag

Congratulations to all the winners and the people behind the Philippine Blog Awards, especially to the President, Mr. Juned Sonido for a job well done. May your efforts inspire more bloggers to raise the standards of blogging in this country. To Chiq Montes of the CDO Bloggers and Bloggie Robillo  of Mindanao Bloggers, congratulations for bringing the PBA '09 here in Cagayan de Oro. To all bloggers who attended the event, it was nice meeting all of you and I look forward to seeing you win the awards next year!

Here are some of the highlights captured through video by Zamboanga's Ryann Elumba:

$49 Smashbox Makeup Brush Set

When speaking of Smashbox Brushes, the quality is assured but the cost can be limiting. I'd rather look for a nameless brush that has the same quality yet is sold at a much cheaper price. But if you want to try for once how it would feel to own a Smashbox brush set without skipping your meals for a week to afford it, this is your chance!

[caption id="attachment_1411" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Image from Smashbox.com"][/caption]

The $134 value Smashbox 5-piece brush kit is now only $49! It contains 5 exclusive travel-size brushes, protected in a shiny raspberry case. The Perfect Tools Set is just one of the WISH Holiday 2009 collections. With every purchase of the WISH kit, Smashbox donates $1 to the Children's Miracle Network for sick and injured kids.

The set includes:
TRAVEL ANGLED BLUSH BRUSH
TRAVEL BLENDING BRUSH
TRAVEL CREASE BRUSH
TRAVEL SHADOW LINER BRUSH
TRAVEL ANGLED PRECISION LINER BRUSH

Among the 5, what grabs my attention is the blending brush. I've always wanted to have one because the ELF blending brush I got is a little too abrasive for the sensitive eye area. I hope this one's different. The Smashbox website doesn't say what the handles are made of, which is an important factor when deciding to purchase makeup brushes.

The size may not be for professional use but it serves the same purpose and it makes a handy yet elegant companion for your purse. My ultimate WISH for Smashbox, however,  is that they start shipping to the Philippines so I wouldn't have to wait for a relative or friend to come home before I could purchase their products.