Drugstore Gem: Cococare Vitamin E Skin Oil



Multipurpose beauty product

The Walgreens in my neighborhood now carries the full line of Cococare products. The Vitamin E Skin Oil in 10,000 I.U. is a great addition to your product arsenal. I use it as:

• Eye makeup remover
• P.M. moisturizer on my face 
• Cuticle care 
• Elbow grease, lol
• Under eye treatment

I love multitasking products, especially one where a little goes a long way. This is a certified drugstore gem!

La Prairie’s Eye for Perfection

INDULGE YOUR EYES IN PERFECTION:
La Prairie’s Eye for Perfection Event at Select Counters Nationwide

For a limited time in August, La Prairie, the luxury Swiss beauty company known for high-performance skincare, is booking appointments at your local La Prairie counter to show you how to get fabulous eyes in just 15 minutes.  Nothing short of perfection, you literally won’t believe your eyes after the specialized Eye Lift Treatment:
• First, RELAX with Skin Caviar Revitalizing Eye Pads
• BRIGHTEN eyes with White Caviar Illuminating Eye Serum
• Achieve SMOOTH eyelids with Essence of Skin Caviar Eye Complex
• Next, EXPERIENCE one of La Prairie’s legendary, luxury eye creams best-suited for you
• Feel REFRESHED with Anti-Aging Anti-Wrinkle Eye Line Filler
• And finally, ENERGIZE with an application of NEW Midnight Blues Cellular Treatment Eye Colour Ensemble 

Following the Eye Lift Treatment, purchase a La Prairie luxury eye cream and receive an “Eye Wonders” gift, which has everything you need to keep your eyes looking fabulous.  This travel-friendly reusable La Prairie Zip Lock bag – an $80 retail value – includes chic luxury-to-go samples of White Caviar Illuminating Eye Serum, Anti-Aging Anti-Wrinkle Eye Liner Filler and Cellular Makeup Remover.
Your readers can experience the ultimate in eye perfection by calling a local La Prairie counter to book their appointment.  Select participating retailers include select Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Here Comes The Sun {Apply Sunscreen}

Nina Simone’s 1971 album cover ‘Here Comes The Sun’

Here comes the sun little darlin, here comes the sun I say, its all right, its all right! Little Darlin its been a long cold & lonely winter, little darlin it feels like years since you've been here!

Those are the lyrics to one of my favorite Nina Simone songs, Here Comes The Sun. I often find myself humming it when the sun and warm weather actually arrives in Chicago. The past few days the sun has been beaming and the temperatures have been in the middle to upper 80’s. Yes!!!!

I spent two days in the sun and can you believe I forgot to put on sunscreen? Yes, brown people need sunscreen too. Realizing I was all out of sunscreen, off to CVS I went to spend my $6 in Extra Care dollars towards the purchase of somebody’s sun shielding agent.

Neutrogena’s Ultra Sheer Body Mist Sunblock was the first one I checked, but the $14.99 price tag made me pause. Luckily CVS has an identical version for $7.99 ($2+ for me once my Extra Care bucks were applied):

I won’t be going outside again on a hot, hot, hot day without misting myself with sunscreen. There are higher SPF levels if you need it but, SPF 45 will suffice for me.

Enjoy the sun but don’t forget your sunscreen!

My New (Simple) Skin Care Regimen

Nothing annoys me more than the fact that I am well past my teen years and still suffer from the occasional breakout. I have tried to maintain my stress as best as I can but it hasn't been easy. Unfortunately, whatever I am going through acts out on my face. The past few months the breakouts have been crazy. Nothing I have tried has worked so I had to schedule an appointment with my dermatologist. I took all the products I had been using on my face and subjected myself to her gentle scolding.

My derm informed me that I was using way too much on my face and was probably making the situation worse. She suggested that I stop using all the cleansers and of course told me Cetaphil was the only cleanser I needed. Honestly, Cetaphil just doesn't cut it for my skin anymore. She prescribed Tretinoin Cream and a 60 day oral antibiotic, Doxycycline.

I tweaked the regimen a little, I know, I know, I should follow doctor's orders but I know that Cetaphil does nothing for my skin. It doesn't clean particularly well. While looking for a gentle cleanser with zero bells, whistles, and empty promises, I decided on Purpose Gentle Cleansing Wash. I've been on this regimen for almost two weeks. I'll let you guys know how its working for me in a few weeks.

What's your current skin care routine? I'd love to know so please leave a comment!

A Life of Style: Lumene

I'm a big fan of Lumene products. Check out Total beauty reviews of the best and worst of the line.

Best and Worst Products from Lumene Cosmetics

Check out this buying guide to one of the most popular drugstore brands

Ever walked past a Lumene display at a CVS and wondered "Hmmm, what's the deal with that brand?" If so, you'll love this guide. Check it out, but be warned: you may feel the need to rush to your nearest CVS soon after. See products

The Worst: No. 2: Lumene Cleansing Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover, $6.49

TotalBeauty.com average member rating: 6.7*

What you said: "The product merely smears mascara around the eye area and..."

No. 1: Lumene Cleansing Sensitive Eye Make up Remover, $6.49

TotalBeauty.com average member rating: 5.8*

What you said: "It burns the skin around my eyes, especially under..."

The Best: No. 10: Lumene Vitamin C+ Energy Cocktail Pampering Drops, $22.99

TotalBeauty.com average member rating: 8*

What you said: "My skin is dry in the winter and I found this cocktail to give it the pampering boost..."

Want to see what's #1? Click here!

A Life of Style: Midday Oil Crisis

Having oily skin gets on my nerves. Usually by 11 a.m. I whip out my purse mirror and sure enough my forehead is gleaming and my nose is glowing. The midday oil crisis has reigned its shiny terror all over an otherwise cute face.

Blotting tissues in my purse are a must have at all times.

I alternate between the Tea Tree Oil Facial Blotting Tissues and Boscia Blotting Linens. Both products deliver their promised results of absorbing oil and leaving my makeup in tact. I only wish the Tea Tree Oil tissues were larger to cover more of my face. I have to use two or three at a time as opposed to one Boscia Linen. The sheets are $10 and you get 65 Tea Tree Oil sheets and 100 Boscia Linens.

If you're an oily gal, how do you combat your midday oil crisis?

www.thebodyshop-usa.com

www.bosciaskincare.com

A Life of Style Product Review: Spa Aquatique Marine Energizing Mist

Last night to kick off my newly revived at home pampering routine, I washed my face with Cetaphil Facial Cleanser for Normal to Oily skin and applied Queen Helene Mint Julep mask.

While the mask was drying I watched Access Hollywood and caught up on the latest tinseltown happenings. I left the mask on twenty minutes then rinsed with warm water. After the mask was all rinsed away, I spritzed my face with Spa Aquatique Marine Reenergizing Mist.

Spa Aquatique Marine Energizing Mist was an impulse purchase while I was waiting in an extremely long line at Walgreens last year. I adore this mist because I can really feel it tightening my pores, it has a fresh, clean scent, and there's no sticky residue left behind.

The mist is very light so you can still apply your moisturizer and makeup without feeling as though you have tons of product on your face. I'm going to keep this in my bag and use it as needed throughout the day.

If your skin is oily, this is a great product to use. It costs $20 but before making that investment ask the beauty consultant for a few sample packets.

A Life of Style Hearts Sabon Loofah Soap

Yesterday after lunch I stopped in Sabon in North Bridge Mall. I needed another bar of Loofah Soap. Sabon's Loofah Soap is AWESOME!!!! It's the best of both worlds in one round bar because you get bits of loofah and a high quality skin softening soap.

I use the loofah soap mainly in the winter but decided to start using it year round earlier this year. It does wonders on my back and legs. My favorite scents are Amber and Lychee. I hope they add a Cocoa Butter version soon.

After using the loofah soap, I find that my skins absorbs body creams and lotions very well and my skin stays moisturized throughout the day.

If you're looking for some great new bath products check out Sabon. The Mineral Powder is the ultimate in bath luxury.

pictured Sabon Loofah Soap in Amber

Skin Misbehavin'

My life as a product junkie is getting the best of me and my skin is paying the price. I have so many products in my bathroom that my once carefully planned out skincare routine has all but disappeared. Lately, I've been using so many different cleansers, toners, and treatments that my face is acting up. Not good. So I'm streamlining my skincare regime by tossing out some cleansers that were not doing anything for my face. I went to the health food store in my neighborhood and picked up an oatmeal soap. Reviva Oatmeal Soap came highly recommended and I tend to trust the sales associate who helped me. She turned me on to Rachel Perry a few years ago.

• In the morning, I cleanse with the oatmeal soap, followed by Neutrogena Oil-Free Oil-Free Acne Stress Control, 3-in-1 Hydrating Acne Treatment that I mix with an oil that I'm testing from the health food store (more on that once I see some results).


• In the evenings, I wash with PanOxyl Bar 10 and use the cream from Nature's Cure also mixed with the oil I mentioned before.

I'm starting to see results already. My skin has calmed down a lot. The pills in the Nature's Cure kit seem to be doing the trick. I was very apprehensive about taking them but I scoured the web for reviews and most of what I read was positive. I'll try and keep this regimen going for a while and eventually reincorporate my Olay Regenerist cleanser and serum back into the mix.

What's your skincare regimen? When you switch products, how does your skin react? Leave your answers in the comments section