Dedicated Posts

 

One of my go-to brands for serious skincare during the winter is Vaseline (their classic Petroleum Jelly to spot treat chapped lips/hands/elbows/heels, anyone?) I love that it’s no-nonsense and highly effective, but when it comes to keeping me nourished from head to toe, obviously I can’t be applying that everywhere. Instead, these days I’m opting for their Vaseline Intensive Rescue line of lotions which utilize a moisturizing technology to penetrate the layers of skin to repair and keep it feeling comfortable and hydrated. Because this technology is designed actually to heal from within, instead of just create a barrier on top of it, you can actually start seeing natural changes to your skin after only a few uses. In fact, the lotion is proven to relieve dry skin after just one use and help heal dry skin in just three days. (more…)

With any skin care regimen, continual use is the key to seeing results. The greatest thing about Cindy Crawford’s Meaningful Beauty Regime is that you will see results. The second greatest thing is that the products are so easy to use that you’ll actually apply them for long enough to get there.

The System contains 5 main products—a cleanser, moisturizer, serum, neck treatment, and advanced super- antioxidant capsules. All the products are designed to work together to protect your skin from environmental factors and restore it to health. Now kits can be a bit intimidating when you feel like you have a ten-step regimen to remember. But, as it turns out, it takes about four minutes in the morning and three at night. I’ll break it down:

MORNING

The Cleanser is extremely mild with a creamy texture that leaves my skin feel very soothed and comfortable first thing in the morning. Like a good beauty blogger, I use it with my Clarisonic, which is designed to work for 2 minutes. Total time = 2 minutes. (more…)

We’ve written about how the cold weather can cause dry skin but did you know that your skin can also be prone to oiliness during this season? Simple Skincare’s Consulting Dermatologist, Dr. Jennifer Segal, explains why this is and how you can help keep the oil at bay during the season — very important to help you stay cool and looking chic day to night, holiday party after holiday party! Oh, and one extra tip from us? If you’re prone to oily skin, keep a packet of Simple’s Cleansing Wipes in your purse for mid-day refreshing! We find that it works wonders wiping away oil and sebum and leaves our skin feeling comfortable, never tight or dry.

 

First of all, Happy Thanksgiving to all our readers! We can’t believe it’s already that time of the year (how did 2012 go by soooo quickly?!?!) but we’d be lying if we didn’t acknowledge that we’re really excited about having some time off and spending it with our family.  However, Thanksgiving also seems to mark the beginning of gluttony season (starts with turkey dinner, ends with NYE bar crawl/party hop) so Simple Skincare tasked us to come up with a few tips for staying healthy during the holidays.

1.    Get Started on Your New Year’s Resolutions Early: Being hungover on New Year’s Day is no way to kick start your fitness and health resolutions, plus planning to get healthy “sometime in the future” makes you feel like you have leeway to overindulge now. Why not ease into the resolutions instead, starting today? Planning on going to the gym 4 times a week in 2013? Start off with 1 or 2 days a week now. Want to adopt a clean diet next year? Start slowly incorporating healthier alternatives in your diet today.

2.    Keep your holiday dinner plate balanced: Remember the food pyramid from second grade? Keep that ratio in mind when plating at holiday dinners: lots of veggies, some proteins, and go light on the fats and desserts. However holidays are about enjoying – so don’t deprive yourself of what you love. Just keep it balanced in the appropriate portions. (more…)

A few weeks ago, Tone Skincare sent over their entire portfolio of body washes (thanks guys!). Being someone who loves bath products, I immediately lined up all the colorful bottles in a row in the shower, much to the dismay of my boyfriend who found his stuff (all 2 things) moved out of the shower to make room. Granted it’s not like I use all six body washes on any given day but a girl needs options within easy reach, especially since I found myself using a different one every day depending on my mood of the moment. If you’re anything like me and like a little variety in your bathing routine, read on to find out what products worked best for me:

If it’s a Sunday (or any day of the week after I indulged a little too much the pervious evening)…then I reach for the Daily Detox Purifying Body Wash with White Clay & Pink Jasmine. I reset my healthy living goals every Sunday (usually after a pretty indulgent Friday and Saturday) and love starting off the week with a little detox. This entails grabbing a green juice instead of a coffee, going on a morning jog, and opting for a detox shampoo and body wash to wash away impurities and rebalance my hair and skin. I love starting off the week on the right foot and the soft jasmine fragrance of the body wash help create a Zen shower experience.

If I‘m getting pumped up for a night out …then I reach for the Fruit Peel Body Wash with Alpha Hydroxy Fruit Acids. I found this body wash to be the most stimulating in the entire portfolio partly because of the citrus blend in the formula. In addition to the energizing fragrance, the product contains alpha hydroxy fruit acids to help revive the skin and leave it soft and refreshed. Radiant skin, as you know, goes with any cute outfit.

If I’m feeling dry or itchy… then I go for the Soothing Body Wash with Oatmeal and Shea Butter. I’ve been using this one a lot during the transition months into winter. Both shea butter and oatmeal have incredible moisturizing and anti-inflammatory properties and reduce itching and discomfit associated with dryness or irritants. In extreme cases, make a bath with a generous pour of the product for instant relief.

If I need a vacation… then I grab either the 7 Botancials Body Wash with Tahitian Vanilla & Orchid or the Cocoa Butter Body Wash with Mango Splash. Either one works. Both smell great and inspire daydreaming about my next tropical destination.

If I’m getting ready for a date or a romantic night in: then I’m prepping with the Vino Moisture Body Wash with Crushed Grape and Shea Butter. The sensual fragrance, gentle texture and luscious lather help set the mood for romance while crushed grapes, Vitamin E and shea butter make the skin kissably soft. Bonus tip: use as bubble bath and enjoy with a glass of actual vino.

The best part is that Tone body-washes retail for around $4 give or take $1 depending on where you buy. For that price, anyone can afford to have the whole wardrobe at their disposal for when any mood strikes! Be sure to follow us on @tdailyobsession as we give away some of our favorites!

(Honestly, why can’t my skin look like THIS)

It’s obvious (as New York is still recovering from the hurricane) that we’re about to see some harsh weather ahead. Gone are the mild days of early fall and you might be feeling tighter or drier skin as it starts to acclimate to the colder weather. Well, have no fear because we’ve got a few simple cold weather skincare tips that will help keep your skin feeling nourished and you looking gorgeous, even if its frightful outside.

1. Stay hydrated. Good skin comes from the inside out so remember to stay hydrated throughout the season. While you might be tempted to load up on the seasonal lattes, hot chocolate and various hot boozy beverages, too much caffeine, sugar and alcohol can cause dehydration. Instead, make sure to keep sipping that water or try an herbal tea and drink the festive stuff in moderation.

2. Exfoliate. Winter usually means dry clean and dull complexion so it’s extra important to exfoliate to clear pores of dead cells and promote cell turnover. However, be sure to look for a gentle exfoliator that won’t strip your skin of its natural moisture or irritate it with harsh ingredients. We love Simple’s Smoothing Facial Scrub because it’s packed with Vitamins B5 and E that help moisturize even while the rice granules gently exfoliate and brighten.

3. Use a Night Cream. While most of the time we can get away with just moisturizing in the mornings, during the winter we feel the need to give our skin an extra boost and protection during the night as well, especially since artificial heat can be very drying. Simple’s Vita Vitamin Night Cream is great because it contains three moisture boosting ingredients: glycerin for hydration, borage oil to help soften skin, and bisabolol to sooth and calm the skin. And because it’s so gentle, you can use it nightly even if you have temperamental skin.

4. Don’t forget the SPF. Just because the sun isn’t out for as long doesn’t mean that UV rays are any less harmful. Make sure that you keep applying a broad spectrum SPF (with both UVA and UVB protection) with your moisturizer to keep yourself protected from premature aging, lines, wrinkles, and discoloration.

What do you do to say glowing in the winter?

This post was created in connection with my appointment as an ambassador in the Simple® Skincare Program. Visit www.facebook.com/SimpleSkincare to share your story on sensitive skin.

Season after season (and red carpet after red carpet), my favorite look is always the fresh face, natural makeup look with just a hint of smoky eye drama. In other words, I would like to look like Angelina Jolie, please.

Luckily for me, Simple Skincare just sent over a video that they collaborated on with celebrity makeup artist Jo Strettell, depicting just how to get that exact look. In addition to an easy to follow step-by-step, Jo also dispenses great skincare advice using Simple products to make sure your skin gets that natural healthy look. I just need to watch the video a few more times and then will be ready to tackle all the red carpets holiday parties, I’ll be hanging out at this season.

Every season, my resolution is to simplify my life and live in a healthier way. Having now been in New York for more than six years, trying to find balance has actually become a goal that I strive for on a continuous basis. Below are some of my tips for simple living that help me decompress and stay healthy while living a hectic lifestyle. What are some of yours?

1. Don’t eat processed foods. I put this one up top because I can’t tell you how much this tip has helped me become healthier and happier. When I first moved to the city, I ate all kinds of things without regard to the quality of the food or if it was packed with artificial ingredients. As a result, I often felt lethargic, bloated and gained a bunch of unnecessary weight, which just made me feel uncomfortable in my clothes. Since becoming more conscientious of what I’m eating, my body has naturally changed in all kinds of ways. I have more energy, lost extra pounds and generally feel a lot happier and healthier- all without having to cut out major food groups or do any kind of crazy dieting. All I’m doing is making sure that my food comes fresh instead of frozen or canned, avoid anything that is obviously processed, and try not to intake any artificial ingredients at all costs. When I’m craving sugar, I’ll have a bit of sugar instead of piling on the Splenda. And instead of soda, I try to drink fresh juice (or better yet, just eat the fruit). (more…)

The nice thing about living in a place like New York is that there are 4 true seasons- you won’t get bored, there’s endless fashion opportunities and you’ll never have to suffer too long in any one type of weather.

On the flip side, however, is that changes in temperature, humidity and other elements can trigger your already sensitive skin to freak out a little bit more, so it’s best to start thinking about how to prevent that before the seasons really change (weather wise, that is). After having trialed-and- errored for a few seasons now, I’ve finally whittled down my five important tips to follow on how to take care of skin during transitioning seasons.

1. Don’t Forget the SPF: Even though you may no longer be lounging poolside, I can’t stress this one enough. In fact, the sun might even be hiding most days, but harmful UVA and UVB rays are not. So make sure you keep lathering on the SPF throughout the season (and all year). As one of my favorite beauty editors once said: if you’re not putting SPF on the corners of your eyes where the lines form, you’re cray. (more…)

Did you have the chance to join us for the Simple Skincare summer Twitter party? If so, thanks for coming! The party was such a success that the hashtag #SimpleSummer trended on U.S. Twitter. If you weren’t able to make it- no worries because I’m going to be recapping my favorite party moments.

As one of the hosts of the party, I came prepared with talking points, but as I quickly found out just minutes after the party started, Simple fans were so enthusiastic and had so much to say that there was no need for me to dig out my notes page. The conversation flowed naturally! All partygoers were introduced to Simple’s guest dermatologist, Dr. Segal, who dispensed amazing advice and fielded questions like a pro (seriously, I can’t even think as fast as she can type responses to questions in 140 characters!).

Some of Dr. Segal’s advice was friendly reminders of things that we should all already do, but probably forget. For example, drink 6-8 glasses of water daily to keep your skin hydrated and fresh. (Bonus tip: flavored sparkling water- but not the kind with sugar added- is a much more interesting alternative to flat water.) Other tips from Dr. Segal were things that we probably didn’t know
we should do but should start implementing into our routines immediately, like reapplying sunblock every 2 hours. We also got some great reader tips- my favorite being to keep lotion (like Simple’s Replenishing Rich Moisturizer) in the fridge to make it extra refreshing to apply.

Overall, not only was the party fun to host, but it was super informative for everyone involve- the best of both worlds. Did you end up making it to the event? If so, what was your favorite tip?