Juice Beauty, Organic Skincare

I recently discovered Juice Beauty while browsing the all natural skincare lines on skinstore.com. I was impressed by more than a few of their products and decided to give a couple of them a try. Read more

Sharnell’s Skincare and Beauty Store

I am always on the hunt for a great bargain. Like most, I often find myself on the computer searching Ebay listings for some of my favorite things. Skin care and beauty products are no exception! There are certain products that I just refuse to buy anywhere but online at Ebay.com. I have found some of the best deals around on quality skincare and beauty products. Read more

Dermalogica or SkinCeuticals? Part One.

Since the start of my career, I have remained dedicated to the Dermalogica skin care line. While having many opportunities to use other product lines, I always find myself going back Dermalogica. Dermalogica continues to produce quality and effective skincare products that never cease to amaze me both professionally and personally. However, with the new year, I thought I might venture out a bit and try something new. Since my stock of skincare is in dire need of replenishment, my quest for some new product couldn’t have come at a better time.Where else to begin my search but with skinstore.com? This website offers a variety of “top notch” skincare products at a great price with everyday free shipping! During my search, I came across a skincare line called SkinCeuticals. While reading up on their line of cleansers, I noticed that their ingredients were very similar to the Dermalogica brand. One of the reasons I am so devoted to Dermalogica is because they use very natural and pure ingredients. SkinCeuticals is formulated with the same type of natural ingredients. Also like Dermalogica, SkinCeutical conveniently lists ingredients on their product with both the cosmeceutical term as well as the more familiar or “consumer-friendly” term.

For example, the cosmeceutical term Santalum Album Wood is also listed as Sandlewood Extract, a term we are all more familiar with. In addition to the two product lines sharing similar ingredients, their sizes and prices are comparable. The Dermalogica Essential Cleansing Solution, which is my all-time favorite cream cleanser, is sold for $29.50 in an 8.4oz bottle, while the SkinCeuticals Cleansing Cream costs $26.00 for an 8oz bottle. The only difference I did find between the two lines is that Dermalogica offers most of their products in two sizes, either eight or sixteen ounce bottles, while SkinCeuticals is only offered in the eight ounce size. I can deal with that!

So after discovering the many similarities between Dermalogica and SkinCeuticals, I thought why not give SkinCeuticals a shot. I ended up ordering just “a few items”, the SkinCeuticals Cleansing Cream, SkinCeuticals Revitalizing Toner and SkinCeuticals Daily Moisture. I am eager to receive my new skincare products and can’t wait to tell you all about them! As with all new skincare, I will use them consistently for at least two weeks before forming my final opinion. Has my beloved Dermalogica found it’s match?

Stay tuned to find out!!

Why Not Bar Soap?

It is interesting to me how many people in today’s world of beauty and wealth, still use bar soap for cleansing the skin on their face. Even after eight years of working in the skin care industry and sharing my knowledge with everyone I know and love, I still have a number of friends and family members who cannot seem to part ways with their beloved bar soap.

So I’ve decided to uncover the ugly truth about bar soap and it’s negative effects on the skin, once and for all! Bar soap may pose to be the most comforting and convenient way to cleanse your skin, but it is definitely the least favorable. Although you may have been using bar soap for years and have no skin issues to report of, it doesn’t mean that your skin is actually in good health. Let me give you some of the reasons why bar soap is the enemy:

1. Bar soap is extremely high in alkaline. Alkalinity = Dry and Dehydrated Skin.
2. Dryness and dehydration of the skin leads to sensitivity, fine lines and flakiness.
3. Excessive dryness and dehydration causes the skin to overcompensate for loss of moisture by producing too much sebum, which in turn, provokes the onset oiliness and breakout.
4. Moisturizing lotion or cream in conjunction with bar soap becomes useless. There is no way for your skin to achieve moisture balance when you continue to strip it with bar soap. It is a vicious cycle.
5. Fragrances and other harsh ingredients in bar soap will cause irritation to skin conditions such as eczema, acne and rosacea.
6. Due to it’s high content of comodegenic (pore-clogging) ingredients, bar soap will result in very congested skin.

There are some great alternatives to bar soap to consider. For instance, if what you desire is to experience that “squeaky clean” feeling after cleansing your face, then a gel or foam-based cleanser is perfect for you. These cleansers benefit all skin types, are pH-balanced and help your skin to retain moisture. Best of all, you will be able continue enjoying that good old “sudsy” cleanse that you are so used to having with your bar soap. When you are ready to jump on the beauty band wagon and finally make the switch to a facial cleanser, first determine what your skin type is, and then you can find the cleanser that is right for you. I am sure that after just a few times of using your new facial cleanser, you’ll drop that old bar soap like a hot potato and wonder why you didn’t do it sooner!