Hawaii is First in the World to Ban Certain Sunscreens

Planning on visiting Hawaii and spending time on the beach?  Make sure you have the right sunscreen packed in your beach bag.  Scientists have discovered that certain sunscreens are harming the coral reefs because of these two specific ingredients: octinoxate (octyl methoxycinnamate) and oxybenzone which are found in 70 percent of the sunscreens on the market.  Octinoxate has been shown to contribute to the bleaching of the coral reefs and oxybenzone exposure leads to the death of baby coral.

The coral reef is one of Hawaii’s largest attractions and Governor David Ige decided it was time to prevent more damage to the coral reefs by signing a ban on sunscreens containing octinoxate and oxybenzone.  The ban is the first in the world on selling sunscreens containing those two ingredients.  Although the ban does not go into effect until 2021, stores in Hawaii are pulling those sunscreens off the shelf and replacing them with sunscreens that contain zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.

Manufacturers of sunscreen containing octinoxate and oxybenzone that are on Hawaii’s ban list are not happy about the ban.  They are fighting back, claiming that without sunscreen, people will be susceptible to skin cancer which can develop with high amounts of unprotected sun exposure.  Hawaii wants its residents and tourists to wear sunscreen, just the right kind of sunscreen that won’t cause harm to their coral reefs.

2018, Year of Love

We are our own harshest critic.  Critiquing ourselves with how we look seems to becoming more and more prevalent with social media sites increasing in numbers.  We tend to compare ourselves with other’s posts.  Filters have deceived our eyes with the reality that truly exists within each post.  I know I am guilty of looking at another female’s picture wishing I could look so flawless like them.  Comparing ourselves to others will always exist.  We will always want a better physique, better skin, better hair, better makeup.

Human nature is competitive.  That innate desire to be better revolves around Darwin’s natural selection theory, that we choose to select things for ourselves based off of our own survival.  Appearance is one of the basic components to natural selection.  It only makes sense that we want to appear a certain way to others and filters, angles, lighting tend to aid us in our “flawless” appearance.

I chose the year of 2018 to be the year of love.  When you love yourself, you are able to accept more of who you are.  When you love yourself, you are able to love who you are without makeup, without the perfect body, without the perfect hair.  When you love yourself, you allow yourself to live more freely, creating more smiles within your day.  When you love yourself, you are able to share your love with others creating healthy and happy relationships.

This new year, year 2018, be that spiritual being full of love and see the anew joy it brings you.  Happy you, happy skin, happy life.  Love.

James Bond 007 Fragrances

jamesbondspectreI just got home from watching the new James Bond movie, SPECTRE, and couldn’t help but think if there was a James Bond product line out there.  Sure enough, I googled “007 aftershave” and came across this website James Bond 007 Fragrance and browsed through the products.  The packaging is ultra sleek, looks like a luxurious product that Mr. Bond would indulge his skin and body in.  They even have 007 products for women, calling them, “Dangerously Seductive”.  How could you not want to try one of these James Bond 007 products?  I know secretly, I’m attracted to the dangerous side of things, this would just be a little dose of a secret agents…toiletries.

Liquid Latex Skin for Halloween

deniserichardsIf you’re the daring type and venture into alternative forms of Halloween costumes, then try a liquid latex for a more outspoken costume.  The liquid latex is painted over either a garment, such as nylons or a thin cloth, or directly on top a thin layering of petroleum jelly.  (The petroleum jelly is applied to the skin for protection and also prevents any body hair from being unpleasantly removed when the latex is removed.)

Once when all the liquid latex has been applied to the skin, use a hair dryer on a low setting to speed up the drying process.  If you find the liquid latex to be too sticky after it is dried,  then gently pat talc powder over the latex.  The talc powder will help to set the liquid latex and keep your skin from sticking to places.

Be mindful of creasing the liquid latex in your elbows, shoulders, knees, etc., the latex will roll and come undone.

When ready to remove the latex, slowly peel it off of your skin.  The more petroleum jelly you applied on your skin prior to the latex application will allow for an easier removal of the liquid latex.

Cleanse, Then Cleanse Again

o-WOMAN-WASHING-FACE-facebookDouble cleansing is trending!  This is great for the skin, especially for the products full of nutrition that you apply to super clean skin.  Double cleansing is where you cleanse the skin once with your facial cleanser and then cleanse it one more time.

doublecleansingWhen I double cleanse my skin, I first start off with a creamy cleanser, a more moisturizing cleanser like a cold cream, milk cleanser, hydrating cleanser.  The moisturizing cleanser helps to gently remove makeup around my eyes and any makeup that I might have worn that day.  After the first cleanse, I then use a gel cleanser or a more purifying cleanser with the additional exfoliation use of my Clarisonic.  The Clarisonic helps to clean deeper into the pores removing any of the impurities I left on my skin from the first cleanse.

After both of my cleanses are done, I then proceed with the normal regimen of tone, serum and moisturize.  My skin has been fully prepped and ready to feed off of the nourishing products I placed on my skin.  Be careful to not overdue it on the double cleansing and strip your skin of its natural oils, double cleanse only when you wear makeup or prepping your skin for an important event.