Have I finally found the perfect self-tanner?

With the summer months now upon us, most of us are longing for that radiant, summer tan. With an abundance of self-tanner products on the market, all claiming to work magically, which one is the true best?

As with many people, I have a limited income to spend on skin products such as these. This led to to try and found which self-tanner was the best.

I began my search with the Jergens Natural Glow Express in Medium. I always exfoliated properly and still ended up with orange, although there were no streaks.

Since the Jergens was out of the picture, I then tried the Rodial Brazilian Tan Light. The colour was alright, but on the second application, it looked orangey once again.

Then after reading many good reviews about the Hawaiian Tropic Island Radiance Self-Tanner, I decided to try it. I practicially scoured the entire surrounding area for this product and couldn't find it.....anywhere!

I went to many grocery markets, pharmacies, and beauty supply stores...no one had it!

So I searched the internet for it and I found it at drugstore.com. It was only $.8.99, which is pretty affordable for a self-tanner. I recieved it a few days later and tried it out. As always, I exfoliated before. It made my legs a beautfiul shade of tan. Not a hint of orange! But the one bad thing, there was a fairly good amount of streaks. But I mixed half & half self-tanner with some regular lotion and applied it to my arms and got a great, streak-free result. But it wasn't as dark as it would be if I used just the self-tanner.

Overall, I would give it a 7 out of 10. If mixed with a little bit of regular lotion, I got a much better result, so then a 8.5 out of 10!!!

The Under and Around Eye Lifesaver

The skin around the eyes and lips is the thinnest on the human body. This causes the eye area and lips to become dry often. This is what contributes to the eye area to become the part of the body that has wrinkles first. It becomes drier, much faster than the skin on the other parts of the body.

I purchase mostly natural or organic skin care products because there are a lot of bad chemicals in the normal stuff that is in most cosmetic products. The only downside is that they tend to be more expensive. This led me to purchase the REN Active 7 Radiant Eye Maintenance Gel. It is a 0.5 fl. oz. bottle and retails for $45.

The product is a gel and glides and smoothes out the eye area very well. Over time, the company says that it will brighten the eye area. It contains hyaluronic acid and many other mositurizing ingredients. When I first put it on, it moisturized the eye area very well and made the skin there sooo soft! This is better than most of the eye products that I have used! Would definetly purchase again.

I am glad to give this product a 9.5 out of 10!!!

My trusty three musketeers

Watching the television in the afternoon, I noticed the Proactiv skincare system commercial come on again. What is it with this Proactiv set that so many people like? I then went to the internet to search for reviews about his product, and what I found was promising.

I found that Allure magazine rated the Proactiv set #1. Most of the current products that I was using weren't helping my acne, so I decided to purchase this little set.

I ordered it off of the Proactiv telephone number. By the way, you can't buy Proactiv in stores, you have to call their phone number or there are some kiosks in some American shopping malls.

About a week later, I recieved the kit and tried it out for the first time. The first two days, it made my skin dry and actually peeled a tiny bit. But on the third day, my skin was normal and the Proactiv did'nt make it burn or peel anymore. T continue to use the kit and continue to get great results.

I have noticed that it can be a bit harsh, so I only use it once a day instead of the reccommended twice a day. But I like to use my Dr. Ci: Labo Aqua-Collagen Gel at least once a week to make sure my skin is nice and moist.

Overall, I would give the Proactiv set a 9 out of 10.

Derma-E Orange Blossom Age-Defying Hand & Body Lotion

A few months ago. I came across a wonderful new company called "Derma-E". They are based out of Simi Valley, CA. They make some of the best natural body care products on the market! About 2 months ago, after trying one of their intensive night creams with hyaluronic acid, I was very interested in this company and was eager to try some of their other products.

I ordered the Orange blossom age-defying body lotion. This products is really nice and not too heavy. It has a nice subtle scent of citrus and is not overpowering. Derma-E also says that all of their products are paraben-free! What else could be better? Well there's more...

When I read the ingredients list, I was amazed by it. It only cost $9.50 USD too! The main reason for why I purchased it was because it had two of the worlds most powerful super-antioxidants, Pycnogenol and Astaxanthin.

Here is the ingredient list:

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Allantoin, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate and Peg-100 Stearate, Stearic Acid, Organic Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil*, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Dimethicone, Organic Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil*, Panthenol, Organic Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract*, Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A), Pinus Pinaster (Pycnogenol®) Bark Extract, Astaxanthin (BioAstin®), Organic Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract*, Organic Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract*, Sodium Hydroxide, Polysorbate 20, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Fragrance (with Essential Oils).

The only complaint I have about this product is that you have to make sure you don't over-rub it into your skin, or else it will become a little more greasy. It is great for people with normal/dry skin but is not moisturizing enough for very dry skin.

Overall, I give this a 9 out of 10!

Dr. Ci: Labo Aqua-Collagen Gel- The miracle product!

The Aqua-Collagen Gel by Dr. Ci: Labo is definetly one of the best products that I have ever used! Here is some information about how the company was started from the cilabousa.com website:

“Dr.Ci:Labo” had it’s roots in Japan in 1998 with the observations of Yoshinori Shirono, a medical doctor specializing in cosmetology.Patients came to him everyday seeking advice for their skin troubles - discoloration, wrinkles, acne, rough skin, dry skin, and eczema. Dr. Shirono asked himself…

“Why is there no end to these skin problems?”

“Are there no treatments available to help these people?”

“Are there any skincare lines, that are simple, natural, safe,but effective?”

The doctor became frustrated with the lack of the skincare products that he could recommend with confidence. Such products did not exist. Dr. Shirono and his colleagues filled this void and created skincare products to best meet their patient’s needs, focusing on the removal of all ingredients harmful to the skin and keeping only those beneficial to it. The Dr. Ci:Labo skincare line was born with this philosophy of developing only safe and highly effective skincare products.

It goes on to say how Dr. Shirono is a dermatoligical laser specialist in Japan. He is also the director of the Shirono clinic with over a decade of experience in dermatology and dermatological laser surgery.

The Aqua-Collagen Gel is really a gel and not a creme. They made two different versions of the gel, the regular Aqua-Collagen Gel and the Aqua-Collagen Gel Super Moisture. The Super Moisture version is better for older people or people with drier skin. But if you have oily skin that has many blemishes, this wouldn't be the product for you.

After the first day, my skin was moisturized, but after a week of use, it became radiant and glowing! It was amazing how well this product works! It is fragrance-free and the texture of the gel is about medium thickness. I like to use it with another cleanser made by Dr. Ci: Labo.

This product is excellent, I will give it a 9.5 out of 10!!

Shiseido Tsubaki shampoo and conditioner

Okay, so many of the cosmetics that are sold in the US and the world and mainly made in Japan and France second. In fact, the Japanese are the #1 producers of cosmetics in the world! They are also the country that spends the most amount of money on cosmetics out of any country in the world! If you open any Japanese magazine, this evidence is clear because many of the ads in magazines are put there by cosmetic companies.

Thus began my adventure into the world of Japanese products. My first Japanese products that I have ever used were the Shiseido Tsubaki shampoo and conditoner. They come in 220 ml and 550 ml sizes. Both are a brilliant shade of red and are supposed to represent the Japanese camellia flower. Although it is not sold in the US, there are many websites that carry it. The shampoo and conditioner are also the #1 selling hair care products in Japan!With all of this acclaim and awards surrounding this hair care set, i decided to try it out for myself.

I ordered the Tsubaki shampoo and conditoner off of a website and it took about 2 weeks to arrive. I absolutly love TSUBAKI!! I tried it out the first night i got and and it was wonderful. The shampoo is not very moisturizing, so if you have really dry hair, I don't reccomend it. Both products contain Camellia flower oil. Which is said to be a Japanese secret to great hair. The smell is very strong, it smells sort of like a fruity/zesty combination. After the first use, my hair felt VERY soft. The next day, after I washed and conditioned it again, it felt even softer and this time shined like the sun! This completely tamed my hair and made it free of any frizzies or fly-aways. Another good point is that the shampoo does not contain Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate (SLS).

On a scale of 1-10, I would give it an 8.