The Beauty365 team with Hope Solo

The UK’s top facial skincare line has crossed the pond and launched their brand in the US and Canada. Last week, they were kind enough to invite the Beauty 365 team to a press event to learn more about their products.

Simple Skin Care was established over 50 years ago in the UK with the aim the provide quality skincare products for sensitive skin. Simple has no dyes, artificial perfumes or harsh irritants that can upset skin. . . By offering a skincare range suitable for all skin types, especially sensitive skin, Simple has helped generations of women look and feel beautiful.

Simple’s new North American line is gentle yet effective enough to treat the needs of the 58% of women that have sensitive skin.[1] Their products include facial cleansers, moisturizers, cleansing wipes, and eye care. All of their products are fragrance-free, hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic, and pH balanced.

During the event, we spoke with Dr. Jennifer Segal, a board certified dermatologist and consulting dermatologist for Simple, who gave us sound advice about skin care. We also met Simple’s spokesperson, US National Soccer Team Goalkeeper, Hope Solo. Hope uses Simple products for her sensitive skin on and off the playing field. Her motto is “Look good, feel good, play good.” Gotta love it!  Check out Simple’s Facebook page for a chance to win a trip to Los Angeles to meet Hope.

Photos from the Event

Do you have sensitive skin? If so, how do you deal with it?

by Dr. Uzoma for Beauty 365

I am usually very loyal when it comes to exfoliators.

When I was a teenager, I was an avid user of St. Ives Apricot Scrub. I was in my price point (e.g. CHEAP) but very rough and harsh on my skin. . .Later, Beauty 365 introduced recommended Self-Adjusting Exfoliator by Cosmedicine ($35), which I loved. I was truly disheartened when I went to my local Sephora and found out that it was discontinued. I have been in search of a replacement ever since. Beauty 365 gave me a chance to review Caudalie’s Gentle Buffing Cream, so I jumped at it.

According to Caudalie, the scrub ‘eliminates imperfections, dead cells, and excess sebum, all while stimulating cellular renewal. The complexion’s radiance is gently awakened, and the skin is left soft and clean.’ Sounds good to me!

I am happy to say that I enjoy using this exfoliator. It has a lovely smooth texture and a great clean smell. The buffing spheres are soft and do an effective job of smoothing my skin. My skin felt quite soft after the first use and it is still effective after continued use.

Even though it is a bit pricey, I would definitely recommend it.

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by Stephanee for Beauty 365

I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine about age brackets and how they have evolved over the years.

It seems that 40’s are the new 30’s and 30’s are the new 20’s. Who even knows anymore?! I told my friend that all I needed in my life was my eye cream and I’m good to go.

I’ve been using eye cream since my mid-twenties. . . Taking preventative measures to fight wrinkles early is always in your best interest. Thank goodness I came across Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Eye Cream ($18).

After a month or so of using this eye cream I noticed my eye area was brighter and smoother. That must have something to do with the Accelerated Retinol which is a key ingredient in this product.

I also like the fact that you can apply this eye cream to your entire eye, other products limit you to apply under eye only.

I’m excited about trying other Rapid Wrinkle Repair products to keep my smile lines at bay. Now instead of worrying about aging and those pesky expectations forced upon us in our 30’s, I can focus on enjoying life to the fullest!

Have you tried this line before?

xo,
Stephanee

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by Dr. Uzoma for Beauty 365

One of my favorite beauty products I discovered while living in Nigeria is black soap.

My personal favorite brand is Dudu Osun by Tropical Naturals. The ingredients for this soap are honey, shea butter, camwood, palm kernel oil, cocoa pod ash, palm bunch ash, aloe vera, lime juice, water and fragrance. . .

This soap is great for skin and can be used all over the body, including your hair. It’s very foamy and even though it’s dark in color, it washes off your skin cleanly.

Some of the benefits of black soap include:

• Helps acne scars fade faster due to its mild exfoliating properties.
• Helps to reduce some of the uncomfortable symptoms of skin diseases like psoriasis and eczema.
• Effective makeup remover.
• Regular use of black soap helps to remove extra oils from the skin which prevents pimples.

Since I’ve been using this soap, my acne (especially on my body) has remarkably reduced.

Black soap can also be used as a sulfate-free shampoo. I recently modified a recipe for black soap shampoo that I found here. I used more oils and additional water than the recipe. These modifications made the shampoo thinner than normal shampoo but it was still very foamy.

When I used it to wash my hair, my hair felt really stripped (similar to when I use a clarifying shampoo). I didn’t really like it since my hair felt overly dried. I don’t recommend it as a shampoo unless you have a lot of product build-up. However, I have been using this “shampoo” as a body wash and I really like the results.

Dudu Osun Black Soap can be found at your local African shop or Beauty Supply Store.

For those readers in New York City, you can find it easily in the beauty supply shops and street vendors of Harlem for about $3.00. You can also find the soap on Amazon.com Marketplace.

Quick Tip: Keep the black soap in a plastic soap case or dry location after use. Otherwise, it will wash away in your shower.

Enjoy!

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Hi Beauty Pies!

Hope the weekend went well!

How ’bout them Giants?! Yes, I am a former jock and current undercover sports fan.

I also have a crush on Victor Cruz and his salsa TDs. Yum…

Anyhoo, during the game, I took the time to pamper my skin with a Mini-Facial. So, I thought it prudent to re-post this step-by-step tutorial so you can get to pampering, too!

Enjoy…

Happy Monday!

Anyhoo, yesterday I took a moment to give my skin a little TLC by giving myself a mini-facial. I first learned about mini-facials from Kitiya of Mischo Beauty, who is a licensed esthetician, cosmetologist and makeup artist. They are essentially weekly maintenance for your skin in between monthly professional facials that I’ve been slacking on LOL. You can read her post here.

Today, I’m going to walk you guys through my take on the mini-facial. It’s a little bootleg (LOL) because I ran out of my serum and toner (doh!) but the basic steps are here. Also, don’t mind my unkempt brows (going to Thread this week!)

So, without further ado…

STEP 1: Cleanse

What I Used: Shu Uemura Oil Cleanser + Clarisonic Classic (both are must-haves!) and get my skin very clean without drying it out.

STEP 2: Steam

Bless you if you own a steam machine! I don’t so, I steamed the old-fashioned way. Steaming helps get those pores open.

What I Used: Dr. Haushcka Facial Steam Bath, which helps stimulate circulation, loosen blackheads and encourage skin detoxification.

I added some boiled water to hot tap water in my sink…

And threw a towel over my head for 5 minutes (man, it was hot in there!)

STEP 3: Exfoliate

I used an enzyme mask for this step. Light fruit acids are a wonder for the skin.

What I Used: E.L.F. Concealer Brush + June Jacobs Papaya Enzyme Masque deluxe sample (came with this month’s BirchBox)

 This brush is so darn handy for applying facial masks…

Always remember your neck area when applying facial products!

STEP 4: Rinse + Dab Face Dry

My skin felt as smooth as a baby’s butt! I dab in order to remove excess moisture, while leaving a light dewy layer of moisture.

STEP 5: Eye Crème

Applied to under eye area, eyelid and brow bone.

What I Used: Murad Hydro-Dynamic Ultimate Moisture. Peptides, hyaluronic acid and other goodies provide a nice bit of long-lasting moisture

STEP 5: Serum

As stated above, mine just finished (boo!) but this is the step where I would apply it. Be sure to get one for your specific skin concerns! In her Serums 101 post, Mischo Beauty says:

“A serum is simply a highly concentrated treatment of active ingredients used to penetrate and treat various skin conditions such as dehydration, stress, environmental damage, fine lines, wrinkles, pigmentation issues or loss of elasticity.”

STEP 6: Moisturize/Night Crème

Use a nourishing cream or facial oil to optimize overnight treatment of the skin.

What I Used: Egyptian Magic All-Purpose Healing Skin Cream.  My skin loves oils! This one has a simple list of pronounceable ingredients, like olive oil and royal jelly, and can be used all over.

I take a gob and emulsify it in my hands before applying to my face…

STEP 7: Finished product!

 Yay!

There you have it. A peek into my Sunday Mini-Facial Routine/Home Spa Initiative (minus toner and serum). As always, let me know what you think.

Do you get monthly professional facials?  Leave a comment and let me know!

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by Stephanee for Beauty 365

Ugochi, Uzoma and I were invited to Burt’s Bees holiday launch event a few weeks ago.

During our intimate tour with one of their representatives, I got to thinking about all of their products and how they are completely natural, so much so that they don’t even need masks and cover ups in their testing labs.

If natural products exist and work just as well as (if not better than) other products with chemicals, why aren’t more companies jumping on the au natural bandwagon?

Recently I’ve been a bit more conscious of what I put in and on my body. This is surely thanks to close friends and family including my brother who is very mindful of what he eats and uses on his skin and Ugochi who is a health nut that is slowly but surely rubbing off on me.

I can’t say that I’m completely knowledgeable of all the products I’m using, but being aware and making an effort to learn is definitely the first step to changing my lifestyle. Burt’s Bees is helping me get one step closer to a healthier beauty routine with their 100% natural products. We were able to pick out some goodies from their line and these are the products that became my favorites very quickly.

Cranberry & Pomegranate Body Butter ($13) and Sugar Scrub ($13) are part of Burt’s Bee’s holiday collection. The sugar scrub does the job and it smells so good that I have to hold myself back from eating it. It’s great to follow it up with the body butter but I found that the scrub is quite moisturizing and there’s no need to apply lotion after.

Coconut Foot Crème with Vitamin E ($9) is a winner for me because my feet need extra TLC since I’m on them all day. The cream is thick, the color of honey and smells like coconut and mint. It’s like a treat for my feet, just apply, add socks, wake up and voila soft feet.

Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Crème ($8) I’ve been using every night before bed since I got it. It is thick but melts into your skin and leaves your hands feeling soft and supple. Loves it!

Baby Bee Nourishing Baby Oil ($8) I fell in love with as soon as I saw it. I have a thing for oils and this baby oil can be used on baby or adult skin. I find it best to use on moist skin and a little goes a long way. Smells scrumptious, too!

Do you have any Burt’s Bees products that you love to bits and pieces? If so, do let us know!

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Disclaimer: Products were provided for editorial consideration. Opinions, are all mine! For more information, please see our disclosure.

by Stephanee for Beauty 365

Washing my face at night always seems like such a daunting task, but to preserve my pretty it’s something that cannot be skipped.

My boyfriend used to make fun of my “getting ready for bed” routine which usually takes ten minutes — if I’m lucky. By the time I’m done with my beauty before bed, he’s fast asleep in LaLa Land…

Thank goodness I’ve discovered Pond’s Wet Cleansing Towelettes ($4.69), they shave minutes off my routine and helps me get in bed that much faster.

These towelettes come in a resealable pack of 30 and are designed in a quilted pattern. They have just the right amount of cleanser to attack every crevasse on your face and neck while removing all traces of makeup, even waterproof mascara.

My favorite part of Pond’s towelettes is the smell, I prefer Evening Soothe – with every swipe I feel more relaxed and lulled to sleep. Not only are these towelettes great before bed time but they would be perfect for those who are on-the-go or gym-goers, because they fit right in your bag or purse.

You can find these towelettes at any drug store in your area.

Enjoy!

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Image credit: Pond’s

Many of us put so much emphasis on beauty via makeup and hair but sometimes overlook the condition of our skin.

Skin not only looks badly when it’s dry but it feels awful too. Who wants to cuddle up with someone whose skin looks like concrete dust?! Not me!

Without moisture, skin looks dull and wrinkly. Colder weather equals drier skin so it’s imperative to counteract the elements with a great moisturizer. For me, using lotion after showering is something I do all year round so I’ve tried every moisturizer under the sun…

It wasn’t until I tried Dove Cream Oil, with Shea Butter, ($5.99) that I’ve noticed a huge difference in my skin. This moisturizer is very light and evaporates very quickly. Other lotions I’ve tried that have such a light consistency didn’t moisturize at all and I ended up with uncomfortably dry skin by midday. Have you ever seen ashy feet? Not cute at all.

Last, but certainly not least, the fragrance is amazing! It’s so soothing and not over powering at all. So, Beauties, pamper your skin and try Dove’s Cream Oil, trust me your skin will love it.

POST ENDING

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Disclaimer: Bought this myself! For more information, please see our disclosure.

I don’t know about you, but the last time I heard the name “Amway” it was in the late 80′s and one of our more eccentric neighbors would try to convince us to buy random household products bearing the Amway name.

Well, well, well…Amway’s beauty brand, Artistry, is not only one of the top 5 largest  selling beauty brands worldwide but a pretty extensive and high quality line.

If you keep an eye on my tweets, you’ll know that Artistry hosted a FAB blogger event for NY Fashion week.

Stephanee and I popped by in between shows and had a blast! Check out the pics below…

Steph enjoys her back and shoulder massage. It was so good, I think she drooled a little

Here I am getting my makeup done by an Artistry Artist. I asked for a super bold look…

That I didn’t end up liking when all was said and done – doh! Don’t mind my slightly lumpy afro, it got smushed in the massage chair

All in all it was a fun event. Check out Artistry online and be sure to contact your local Amway rep so you can check the products out. They’ve got just about everything you could ever want!

And, don’t forget to tell ‘em we sent ya!

xx,

Ugochi & Stephanee

Skeptical I was when I first scoped Egyptian Magic ($30, www.EgyptianMagic.com) in Ricky’s.  All the talk about secret ancient formulas and all…

But, I sure was intrigued. Plenty of celebs swear by this stuff, including Madonna, Eva Mendes and Rachel Zoe. This, of course, added to the intrigue.

So, I finally got a chance to try it out and I’m very happy with it. This has become my nightly face moisturizer and I use it in my weekly mini-facials.

Egyptian Magic has a simple list of 6 pronounceable ingredients, no added fragrance and a tub lasts forever! Most of the ingredients are derived from honeybees, so be sure to test out the product on a small patch of skin to see if you are allergic.

Ingredients: Olive Oil, Beeswax, Honey, Bee Pollen, Royal Jelly and Propolis Extract

Texture: This is more like a balm than a cream and is pale yellow in color.

Pros: Lasts forever, very moisturizing, naturally-derived ingredients, can be used all over the body, great for cuts, burns and chapped lips.

Cons: Might not good for acne-prone skin, can be oily (which I like!), no fragrance

Final Verdict: While I don’t think you’ll get magical results with Egyptian Magic, I think it is a great product. You definitely will get your money’s worth. My face is very supple when I wake up and I’ve barely made a dent in my tub after over a month of use.

xo,

Ugochi

Have you tried this product? If so, what did you think?

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Disclaimer: This product was provided for editorial consideration. Opinions, are all mine! For more information, please see our disclosure.