Safe Cosmetics ~ Healthy Faces by Eve Organics

Healthy Skin from the Inside

Guest Blogger:   Pam Koskinen

I came across this article while searching the web (healthywomen.org) and thought it was worth passing on.  With so many things against us when it comes to our skin it's great to know that Eve Organics skin care and make-up are full of the best ingredients to keep your skin healthy and beautiful. 

Get Beautiful Glowing Skin

Ever noticed how whatever is going on in our life seems to show on our face? If we're stressed, we can expect acne and dark circles under our eyes. If we're dehydrated, our skin looks dry and flaky. If we're sick, our face appears pale. Eat or drink too much and we wake up with puffy skin. But get a stretch of feeling great, exercising, eating right, and we positively glow with health.

Well, there's a reason for that. Our skin is our body's largest organ-an average of 21 square feet, to be exact. Whatever goes on in the inside shows up on the outside.

Take smoking, for instance. Studies find that smoking prematurely ages skin by disrupting your body's natural process of breaking down old skin and replacing it with fresh skin. Smoking also triples your risk of squamous cell skin cancer (not to mention numerous other cancers).

Stress can also negatively affect your face (and the rest of the body). But the opposite is also true. What you eat and how you live your life can lead to smoother, healthier skin. Overall, your best bet for your skin is also what's best for overall health: a low-fat, high-fiber diet filled with fruits, vegetables and whole grains, plenty of water, regular exercise and enough sleep every night (not just on weekends). More specifically, here's what the science shows:

• Fats. Several studies find that the amount of poly- and monounsaturated fats, particularly omega-3 fatty acids, you get in your diet may affect the amount of sun and aging damage your skin experiences. The best source of omega-3s? Cold-water fish, such as salmon, mackerel and tuna. For healthy mono fats, we recommend olive oil and nuts.
• Tea. To understand the effect of green tea on skin health, you first need to understand what causes aging. We now know that skin aging is mainly the result of free radical damage to cell walls and other cell structures. Sun exposure and cigarette smoking contribute to the production of these free radicals. Antioxidants, on the other hand, are molecules that neutralize these free radicals. One good source is any type of tea. One Arizona study, for instance, found that the more black tea people drank (particularly tea with lemon) the less likely they were to develop squamous cell skin cancer.
• Fruits, vegetables and fish. You know these foods are good for you for any number of reasons. But did you know they may prevent wrinkling? When researchers from Monash University in Australia studied the diets of 453 people aged 70 and older from Australia, Greece and Sweden to see if there was any correlation between what they ate and the amount of wrinkles on their skin, they found those who ate the most fruits, vegetables and fish had the least amount of wrinkles. Conversely, the researchers found, foods high in saturated fat, including meat, butter and full-fat dairy, as well as soft drinks, cakes and pastries, and potatoes, increased the likelihood of skin wrinkling.
• Exercise. Regular exercise maintains healthy circulation and blood flow throughout your body, including your skin.
• Vitamins. Although it's always best to get what you need from food, several studies attest to the skin-protecting effects of supplements containing the antioxidant vitamins E and C.
• Other nutrients. Other studies suggest that consumption of borage oil (high in omega-3 fatty acids), garlic and ginkgo biloba may also protect skin from the detrimental effects of sunlight and free radicals.

10 Foods to Eat for Your Face

1. Salmon
2. Green Tea
3. Olive oil and olives
4. Sardines
5. Brazil nuts
6. Blueberries
7. Flaxseeds
8. Non-fat dairy products
9. Canola oil
10. Avocados

Who Came First the Chicken or the Egg?

Guest Blogger:  Pam Koskinen

It's Chick Days!  For those that live (or want to take a drive) to the country you will see that at this time of year many farm and garden stores are having their annual 'Chick Days'.  So, I thought it would be fun to post a little something about our own experience getting chicks and some fun facts about eggs!

Last year our family decided it was finally time to get chickens.  Up until then I was perfectly happy getting our fresh eggs from the neighbor down the road.  But, my kids thought it would be fun to have our own chickens and get our own eggs and experience the joy of raising baby chicks.  You see, they've been bugging me for about 2 years and I kept putting them off, then I  finally gave in...on one condition - the chickens that we get had to be 'pretty' chickens.  I didn't want the common red or white ones that I saw so many people have.  I wanted fun, different colored, beautiful chickens (was there such a thing?). 

So with that came the research.  Poultry magazines, internet, chicken books, ( I even went to a 'chicken class' that our local 4-H extension office was having).  I looked through many pages trying to decide what type, or breed, we should get.  This chicken business was all new to me and I wanted to do it right! 

Thinner with Chocolate?

Guest Blogger:  Pam Koskinen

 

 

Ok - So I'm always looking for articles on WHY Ishould continue to eat chocolate and this just happened to be in my in-box this morning from Dr. Weil!  I thought it was worth passing on. 

 

"My weakness is chocolate; not pop, or coffee or tea. Actress Katherine Hepburn credited her famously slim build to "a lifetime of chocolate," and now a new investigation from California suggests that eating chocolate is "calorie neutral" and doesn't cause weight gain. Researchers from the University of California, San Diego set out to test the hypothesis that eating small amounts of chocolate on a regular basis wouldn't contribute to weight gain. They analyzed information from 1,000 overweight, but not obese men and women and found that those who ate chocolate most often tended to consume more calories overall, including saturated fat, but weighed five to seven pounds less than people who didn't eat any chocolate. This held true regardless of age, gender or amount of exercise reported by the chocolate-eaters. The difference seemed to hinge on how often the participants ate chocolate, not how much they ate. The study was published online on March 26, 2012 by the Archives of Internal Medicine.

My take? Chocolate has many health benefits - it is a source of polyphenols (the same type of antioxidants found in red wine), and the fat it contains, stearic acid, doesn't affect cholesterol levels. In addition, research has indicated that the flavonoids in dark chocolate may help reduce the stickiness of platelets, cells that play an important role in blood clotting. As a result, blood takes longer to clot, reducing the risks of coronary artery blockages. Chocolate's polyphenols also appear to boost levels of HDL (the "good" cholesterol) and lower LDL (the "bad" cholesterol) at least in the lab. I have long recommended good-quality dark chocolate as a healthy snack, as long as you don't go overboard. An ounce or two a few times a week is good for you, but it's not a strategy to lose weight. I'll be interested to learn what it is about chocolate that explains the findings that people who eat chocolate regularly are thinner than those who don't.

Isn't that awesome news worth SHARING?

How to Apply Natural Mineral Makeup Foundation

Ok, my first attempt at You Tube.  Check out this video on how to apply natural mineral makeup foundation.

 

Let us know what you think!  

Why don't you comment with ideas you'd like to see in upcoming videos?

How to Switch to Organic Produce, Without Going Broke

I know I mentioned before that I subscribe to Dr. Weil's email newsletter.  He is highly regarded in the field of alternative medicine and natural health; I believe his insight on a wide range of topics, from breathing correctly to natural pet care, is endless.  I love to absorb everything I can from his posts.

This video about organic produce was part of a recent newsletter. I think it's totally worthwhile to watch.   

Do you want to eat organic, but feel it's too hard to find organic products readily available or that it's too expensive to completely switch over?  Dr. Weil has a concise little video with tips on doing just that.  It explains the "Dirty Dozen" produce and the "Clean 15" so that you can integrate organic and conventional produce, while still feeling comfortable that you're purchasing the healthiest fruits and veggies out there . . .  and, just a hint, they don't all have to be organic!

 

What do you think?  Any comments on Dr. Weil's suggestions?

What to Do With Witch Hazel?

I subscribe to Dr. Weil's Newsletter.  I just love the little tidbits I read in my email box every few days or so.

This quick post on Witch Hazel is something to keep on the shelf for future use.  Check it out here:

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/TIP04151/How-To-Use-Witch-Hazel.html

De-Mystifying Lip Balm and Lotion Ingredients

I received an article written by Melissa Cooper Sargent of LocalMotionGreen.org.  It gets down to the nitty gritty on ingredients.  I am totally reproducing it here.  It's a good read:

Lip Balms and Lotions

To beat the dry days of winter choose lotions, lip balms and other moisturizing products made from plant oils (such as sweet almond, apricot kernel, jojoba, sunflower and olive) or plant butters (such as shea or cocoa), rather than petroleum based products containing mineral oil, petrolatum or paraffin.

Debra Lynn Dadd, author of Home Safe Home, writes "Mineral oil, in fact, dries the skin, so youhave to keep applying the cream...skin absorbs the natural oil more easily, an dit is more healing than mineral oil."  The "protective" layer petroleum products form on the skin and lips actually prevents moisture absorption.  Mineral oil has also been linked to arthritis in animal studies.

5 Ways to Use Lemon Essential Oil

Lemon* (citrus limon) essential oil has antiseptic properties and contains compounds that have been studied for their effects on immune function.  is inexpensive and can be used for a wide variety of applications!  WARNING:  Be careful with direct contact to the skin as it can be photosensitizing.  Don't expose skin to the sun if it has had lemon applied to it in the past 72 hours.

Make sure you are using therapeutic grade essential oils!  Any oil stating only for external use are not therapeutic grade and should not be used on the body.  The following tips that have to do with body application are only for people using therapeutic grade oils.  The household tips are ok to follow using other grades of lemon.

Following are 5 ways to use Lemon* essential oil:

1.  To sanitize counters, add 2-3 drops of lemon oil* to water in a spray bottle.  Shake well and spray over countertop and wipe (it smells great too!).

2.  A few drops mixed into a Tablespoon of olive oil and rubbed on cellulite improves circulation and helps to eliminate wates from cells.

3.  2 drops lemon oil*, 2 Tablespoons honey and 2 cups pure water mixed well makes a wonderful glass of lemonade.  (Adjust honey to taste)

4.  Add a drop of lemon oil* to the dishwasher wash cycle for extra squeaky clean dishes.

5.  1 drop lemon oil* on a q-tip is great for blemishes.

*As mentioned on the website and elsewhere in the blog, if you use essential oils, always use therapeutic grade essential oils.  Other oils can be contaminated with solvents used to express the plant oils.  These chemicals taint the essential oils and are absorbed into your body when the oil is applied.  To get the desired results without putting the body at risk with undesired toxins, use therapeutic grade essential oils (these oils are pure enough to ingest).  There should be not be a warning on the bottle saying "for external use only", except for the few oils that should never be ingested.

ASK THE MAKEUP MAVEN . . . FOUNDATION

Hello!  I am Cheryl Salinas-Tucker.  I own ROUGE MakeUp and Nail Studio in Ferndale, Michigan. At our little boutique, I work with women every day, using Eve Organics makeup and skincare to create makeup looks from natural to costume. 

Today, I want to talk about the trials, tribulations and triumphs of finding the perfect foundation. 

Foundation: noun “A cream or powder used to perfect the complexion before other makeup products are applied.” 

Obviously, the guys at Webster’s didn’t know much about makeup.  There are so many choices, products, and terms used to describe the products that we use to perfect our complexion.  Here are just a few: Crème, liquid, pancake, mineral, concealer, mousse foundation, pressed powder, loose powder, bronzer, blush, rouge, cover-up.  And they come in many textures, such as: bare, matte, shine, sparkle, opaque, sheer, barely there. 

It’s confusing, isn’t it?

I have tried all of the above mentioned foundation items, and then some.  I’ll bet that you have probably tried at least three or four of them yourself.

When I was searching for a brand of makeup to sell in my little makeup boutique, I was overwhelmed with choices.  Imagine!  It’s not just your face that you have to worry about, but hundreds, maybe thousands of potential customers.

I researched many brands and found that Eve Organics fit my vision entirely.  First of all, the skincare is up to 98% Organic.  I am extremely passionate about ensuring that the products that we use in our boutique are good for you, and the environment. After all, our motto is, “Glam, Green & Gorgeous”!

Secondly, I was excited to find a product that is produced locally in Michigan.  The entire nation knows that Michigan is going through a “bit of a rough patch”.  Supporting local brands and artists is what ROUGE is all about.  Thirdly, it had to actually perform.  If the makeup does not perform, I have to work that much harder to ensure that our clients look great.  Be it for bridal or everyday, every woman wants to be confident that her makeup looks natural, and stays put!

So, what makes so Eve Organics different?  I believe it’s the lack of fillers.  Other companies may use fillers in their mineral makeup such as bismuth or talc.  The result can be chalky and frankly, aging.  Eve Organics does not use fillers, and the end result is plainly beautiful.  It’s a surprisingly dewy finish that looks entirely natural.

BEFORE

Here’s how I create the perfect complexion with Eve Organics Foundation:

1. Prep the skin with the correct Eve Organics skincare cleanser, toner & moisturizer
2. Apply Eve Organics Eye Crème to the under eye area.  Use your ring finger and don’t get too close to the eye itself. 
3. Shake a little bit of the foundation either into the lid of the jar of foundation, or on a marble tile (perfect to use as a palette).
4. Using the “handi-flat top brush” apply just a little bit of foundation to the entire face.  Remember!  Start out with a very small amount.  You can always add more foundation if you need it. 
5. Using the “ultimate concealer” brush, apply a little bit more foundation under the eyes and to the top of the lid.  This covers dark circles beautifully (it really works), and also creates a fabulous base for eye shadows.
6. Using the “ultimate concealer” brush, apply a little bit of foundation around the nostrils and on any other blemishes, age spots, broken capillaries, or pimples that need a little extra coverage.
7. Using the “Kabuki” brush, lightly buff off any excess that may be on the face.
8. You can also apply a little bit of Eve Organics Setting Powder over the entire face, concentrating on the t-zone to absorb excess oil, if you feel it’s necessary.
9. For extra staying power, spritz your skin (very lightly) with a little bit of your Eve Organics toner.
   

AFTER

That’s it!  No need for 5 or 6 different products to perfect your complexion.  All you need is Eve Organics Foundation, and a little setting powder. 

I believe that foundation is the quickest and most effective way to look polished, finished, and maybe a little younger.  For me, it’s the most important makeup product that I use. 

If you haven’t tried Eve Organics Foundation yet, you really should.  My clients are very happy, and so am I. 

Well, that’s it!  I hope that you found my first edition for Eve Organics entertaining and informative.  If you have questions or comments, please feel free to express yourself.  You may contact me directly if you wish. 

Until next time,

Your humble “makeup maven”,

- Cheryl

 

Cheryl is the Owner of and MakeUp Artist at ROUGE MakeUp and Nail Studio

23341 Woodward Ave. Ferndale, MI 48220

cheryl@rougemakeupandnails.com

 

The Story of Stuff - Cosmetics

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics teamed up with "The Story of Stuff" people and released a new 8 minute short on The Story of Cosmetics.  Check it out.  It definitely defines the world of cosmetics and cosmetic ingredients in a nutshell. What do you think? Leave us a comment and tell us what you think!