While Arcona is a new line to SkinStore.com, the company has been offering high quality and effective products for quite a few years, since 1989 to be exact. The Arcona philosophy is that everyone’s skin can and should look beautiful at any age. This is regardless of history or damage that we may have done to our skin. This line offers second chances for those of us that have mistreated our skin, an opportunity to undo the damage caused by the sun, lifestyle and stress. Arcona offers renewed hope, at an affordable price with unbelievable results. “It will change your life-you’ll glow” is the Arcona’s coined saying and we can see why.

Let’s start with the basics, the basic 5 that is.  AM routine- Step 1: Exfoliate/Cleanse. Step 2: Hydrate.  Step 3: Protect. PM Step 4: Cleanse/Tone. Step 5: Regenerate.

The products within the basic 5 will vary depending on your skin type and concerns. The combination of the five products will speed up and strengthen the skin’s renewal process. Arcona recommends using their line exclusively for two-six weeks to achieve maximum results. Arcona also has great eye products, masks, exfoliators, and firming treatments you can add in to your basic 5 regimen.

To make it easy Arcona has 6 different kits to customize every skin type and concern.

I am currently using the basic five kit for normal skin. I was a little skeptical about using a bar soap on my baby skin, but let me tell you the Toner Tea Bar is amazing. It removes all the impurities in the skin with no uncomfortable drying effect. Not to mention the smell is amazing, it’s my favorite scent of any of their products. After a deep cleanse I use the Golden Grain Gommage about once a week, alternating with the amazing Gentle Solution as my exfoliator about twice weekly. I then apply the Magic White Ice as my daily hydrator and Desert Mist in the AM. Again I was a little suspicious about using just a serum as a hydrator and not an actual moisturizer, excluding my daily sunscreen. To my surprise I have not needed to use another moisturizer. Arcona believes that conventional moisturizers can clog the pores because they sit on the surface of skin and can not penetrate deep within the skin where the real moisture is needed. Their products are constantly stimulating and renewing your skin. It’s kind of like cross training your skin to constantly keep it from slacking and looking dull and unhealthy.

Arcona uses cosmeceutical-grade ingredients that are cold pressed at very low temperatures. This means that products are made in smaller batches using this process so that they stay active and effective. Arcona does not contain any binders, fillers, perfumes, parabens or any toxic ingredients.

This all natural line delivers real results putting it at the top of my beauty product list. Just be careful… once you try it, there’s no turning back!

These days more and more consumers are becoming increasingly cautious about the ingredients used in their skincare and cosmetic products and they are trying to stay away from chemicals such as parabens, petrochemicals, or synthetic fragrances, just to name a few.

Companies are certainly aware of this and many of them are jumping on the “green” bandwagon. You are probably seeing a lot more products on the market labeled with the terms “organic” and “natural” and you may be wondering, what is the difference between these two? Is there a difference? The short answer is yes, there is a difference between “organic” and “natural”.

To start with, there may be some confusion for the consumer as to how these terms are regulated.  In the United States, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the government agency that regulates the labeling and safety requirements for the cosmetic industry. Yet, they do not have a sanctioned definition of either of these terms. While the term natural is not regulated by any agency, the term organic is. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) oversees the National Organic Program (NOP) which regulates what can be considered organic. That being said, the USDA does not have a separate category for cosmetics, they use the same standards used for the food industry.

There are also International organizations that certify organic products. ECOCERT is a worldwide organization working in over 80 countries and COSMEBIO is a French organization created specifically for cosmetics and skincare.

So, what does is actually take for a product to really be “organic”? To earn a certified organic label 95% of the ingredients used must be organic. For a product labeled “made with organic ingredients” the required percentage goes down to 70%.

Natural is a broader term usually used to indicate that a minimal amount of chemicals were used in either the process of making the product or the actual formula of the product. Typically, “natural” products are free of synthetic additives such as chemical preservatives, synthetic coloring or fragrance. However, seeing natural on the label is not a guarantee that any of these ingredients will not be in the product. If you are still uncertain, always check the ingredient listing.

With so many choices out there it can be overwhelming. How does the consumer know what they are getting? What’s the bottom line for all of you ingredient-savvy consumers? Read those labels!

This is for all you vegans and veggies out there that want to use products to fit your lifestyle. Here’s some info on some vegan and vegetarian products that SkinStore.com offers. For those of you that may be newer to the world of vegetarianism I have made it pretty simple to spot out products to suit your preferences.

Strictly vegan lines do not contain such ingredients as milk, honey, lanolin (substance derived from sheep’s wool) or any animal derived ingredients. Vegetarian skin care lines may include lactic acid or honey, however any other animal based ingredients such as squalene, fish oil, gelatin, carmine (pigment from a beetle), collagen, vitamin A, and glycerin will not be included as these are all animal by products.

A lot of makeup companies that are vegan use synthetic materials for their brushes instead of animal hair. This works well for vegans and people allergic to animals that may not be able to tolerate natural fibers.

Some alternatives to animal based ingredients include vegetable glycerin, soy and plant proteins, or almond and olive oil. Vitamin A alternatives include vegetables such as carrots, wheat germ oil or a synthetic form of Vitamin A.

The brands listed below are vegan or vegetarian:

Vegan Products:

Nuxe: Contains no animal ingredients, synthetic coloring agents, no mineral oils, and is lab tested and under dermatological supervision.
Duwop: Is vegan, no animal testing, and uses many different antioxidants to improve the look of your skin to enhance makeup application
Sparitual: 100% vegan. We love this line for their fun colors, earth friendly packaging, and great smelling products.
Boscia: They are vegan, preservative and fragrance free.

Vegetarian Products:

Juara: 100% vegetarian, no animal testing, contains no artificial colorants, paraben-free, no sulfates or pthalates.
Arcona-vegan (except for honey used in only a few products). This is one of my new favorite product lines. The smell, texture, and efficacy of the products are untouchable!
Juice Beauty: Is vegetarian and uses a lot of organic ingredients.
Melvita: Is vegetarian and organic
Colorscience: vegetarian and offers a wide range of natural sunscreens.
bareMinerals: vegetarian
Jack Black: vegan except for beeswax and silk amino acids that are in some of their products. They are cruelty, color and fragrance free.
Anthony Logistics: They are vegan except for their lip balms which contain beeswax.

Some companies are either reformulating their products or coming out with products that are exclusively vegetarian to meet the needs of consumers. Vegetarian based products have proven not to be just a fad, but offer real results and are here to stay!

1. SpaRitual Open Minded Organic Sugar Scrub – This is a great body scrub for dry dull skin types. Great to use before a self tanning product is applied for better application and longer lasting results.

 

2. Caudalie Pulpe Vitaminee Regenerating Concentrate – This product is packed with 100% plant-derived ingredients to brighten and nourish your skin.

 

3. Juice Beauty Green Apple Peel – You can use this peel as a weekly skin boost. The peel contains alpha hydroxy acids to gently, yet effectively exfoliate and brighten your skin.  This product also comes in a sensitive skin formulation. Allure magazine gives this peel their seal of approval.

 

4. Fusion Beauty PureFusion Super Charged Time Reverse Radiance Renewal Serum – This is a great skin treatment for anyone who is dehydrated. It also addresses fine lines and wrinkles boosting protein production in the skin.

 

5. Melvita Essentials Firming Mask – This mask works great for dry, aging skin in need of moisture. You can also leave it on overnight for added hydration.

There are many different products out there that are natural, gentle, and effective.

Click here for more natural and organic products.

One product line new to Skinstore.com is Melvita. Melvita has been around since the early 1980’s developing organic skin and body care. This line is the number one certified organic brand in France and now SkinStore.com is happy to be carrying it. Melvita has made an organic commitment to ensure their products are safe, effective, and made with organic ingredients. That means they do not contain parabens, synthetic fragrances or colors. They also do not contain polyethylene or polypropylene glycol. By the Ecocert France standards organic products need to carry a certain percentage of organic material. 95% has to be natural, 10% needs to be organic, and 95% of the total plant based ingredienents have to be organic. In addition the packaging of organic products that are used are required to be recyclable. The facility where the products are manufactured, are required to use natural ingredients to clean their equipment with.

Melvita exceeds current environmental standards, setting new goals for future organic companies to live up too. Melvita carries a full line of face, hair, body, and even supplement oils. Some of their best selling products include Essentials Frequent Use Shampoo, Naturalift Anti-Wrinkle Cream, and Essentials Hydrastim Moisturizing Gel.

This is definitely a line worth looking into, if you are searching for an organic skin care line that is committed to maintaining high quality products with beneficial results.

For more information about Melvita, click here!

A facial can easily be made, simply with the contents of your refrigerator. Its quick, its cheap and its fun! There are so many different ways to make a mask, so get creative and don’t be afraid to experiment.

First step in making a mask you will need to whip together a “base”, this will be the foundation of your mask and will store indefinitely and a “binder” which will be needed to hold all of the ingredients together. You will only want to add your binder and fresh ingredients  until the time you’re ready to apply your mask.

Base Ingredients:

• 1 cup kaolin (fine clay) powder

• ¼ cup corn flour

• 1 tablespoon finely ground rolled oats or other binder

• 1 tablespoon dried skim milk powder

Binder Ingredients:

• Eggs

• Yogurt

• Honey

• Flour

Once you have gotten that down, now its time to get creative! Here’s a list of ingredients and their benefits to help you customize for your skin type.

Apple: slightly acidic; soothes and ready to apply the mask the base ingredient can be pre-mixed and sealed in a tight jar until your ready for use. It gently exfoliates.

Asparagus: stimulating; heals acne

Carrot: antiseptic properties

Apricots: moisturizes, soothes and cleanses

Celery: brightens tired, dull skin

Turnip: deeply cleanses

Yogurt: moisturizes and balances skins pH

Cucumber: cools, soothes and heals, helps even skin tone

Raw potato: helps clear blemishes and eczema

Orange juice: hydrating and anti-aging

Lemon juice (diluted in one part water/one part lemon juice): removes oil and gently lightens freckles

Brewer’s yeast: helps to absorb oil

Lettuce juice (blend lettuce leaves to a pulp, adding a little water): soothes sore, rough skin; helps heal

blemishes

Watermelon: gently exfoliates, softens and deep-cleanses

Avocado: deep cleanse and nourishing

Bananas: hydrating

Strawberries: slightly acidic to exfoliate, antioxidant; cleanses

Tomatoes: excellent for oily skin, contains vitamin A and C and the lycopene is a great source of antioxidants

Pear: soothes and cools sunburn

Pineapple: an astringent wash for oily skin

Before mixing together your mask, grinding any larger, denser ingredient into a blender will make for an easier application. Consider adding essential oils for additional benefits and aromatherapy properties. Have fun and happy masking!

Don’t want to make your own mask? We have a large selection of great masks at SkinStore!