Skin Care | Beauty and Fashion Tech

May 28, 2013

Makeup Wars: Our Favorite Sunscreens

May 28, 2013 By Carleenp 13 Comments

Summer is just around the corner, making sunscreen more important than ever! I have different favorites based on different uses. Here they are.

(1) For Daily Use: For daily use, I like to layer Estee Lauder Day Wear moisturizer, SPF 50, under a foundation that also has SPF. Since I often wear powder foundation, this gives me several layers of protection that often use different sunscreen ingredients. Plus Daywear is a nice light and fresh smelling daily moisturizer that works for most skin types.

(2) For Touch Ups Over Makeup: Many sunscreens break down quickly in sunlight, so they need to be reapplied fairly often. Doing that over makeup can be tricky, and that is where powder sunscreen comes in handy. Colorscience Sunforgettable comes in a tube with a built in brush for easy application over makeup. This is also a physical blocking sunscreen, so it won’t break down in sunlight the way chemical sunscreens do. I almost always have a tube of this in my purse in the summer. I originally got this as a press sample and have repurchased it multiple times.

(3) For Running: I am a distance runner and so I need a powerful sweatproof sunscreen when I am running. My favorite for this is Mission Sunscreen, which is designed with athletes in mind. It stays put and doesn't seem to cause breakouts for me, which some of the other waterproof/sweatproof sunscreens do. This is another item I first got as a press sample and then repurchased.

(4) For My Lips: Don’t forget your lips! They need sunscreen too! Just as I do for running, I also often lean to Mission for this. Mission Lip Balm is a great sport lip balm that wears long and has SPF 15 protection.

Click through the photos below to see more favorite sunscreens from the Makeup Wars beauty bloggers!

Disclosures: Beauty and Fashion Tech at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page

Filed Under: Makeup Wars, Skin Care, Sunscreens Tagged With: ColorScience, Estee Lauder, Makeup Wars, Mission Skin Care, Skin Care, Sunscreen

Apr 29, 2013

Makeup Wars, The Best Facial Masks

April 29, 2013 By Carleenp 14 Comments

This week the Makeup Wars group looks at the best facial masks. It is also an opportunity to see us in a different state (wearing masks instead of makeup)!

Yep, here I am just out of the shower, with wet hair and facial mask! I don’t plan to pin this photo, LOL!

I have three favorite masks, one of which is ultra affordable. Here they are:

(1) DDF Sulfur Therapeutic Mask , can substitute with Vibrant Skin Sulfur Clay Mask.

This is my go to mask for adult acne treatment. It is a quality clay mask for cleaning out pores and it contains 10% sulfur to kill acne causing bacteria. As long as I use this once per week, I tend to be able to keep a lot of my adult acne issues at bay. It also is great as a spot treatment. Put it on a blemish overnight and it will help dry it up and kill the bacteria from it. It is the mask that I am wearing in the photo.

Here is the sad thing though. When writing this, I discovered that DDF discontinued this item, despite it getting glowing reviews on most websites! However, Vibrant Skin Sulfur Clay Mask looks like a nearly identical product and I will be ordering it to try when my current tub of DDF runs out.

(2) Astara Green Papaya Mask

I hardly ever see anyone review Astara, which is too bad since it is a quality line of skin care products. Astara also makes particularly good masks, including my favorite mask for anti-aging and exfoliation, the Green Papaya Mask. This clay mask uses papaya enzymes to really work your skin and exfoliate. When you put this mask on you can feel it going to work. The results are also fabulous. It is kind of like getting a mini peel. I do one of these masks every couple of weeks or so.

(3) Queen Helene Mint Julep Mask

This is a super affordable quality clay mask for time when you just want a nice standard mask to help clean out the pores, absorb oil, and smooth your skin. You can find a good sized tube of it at any drugstore, usually for under $5. It has long been my fall back mask for when I don’t need the sulfur in the acne mask and don’t want the enzyme action from the Astara mask. If you like just plain old clay masks, there is no need to bother with high end brands, you can get the same results with Mint Julep for cheap!

Want to know the rest of the favorites? Click on through below to see what the other bloggers list as their favorite facial masks!

Filed Under: Makeup Wars, Skin Care Tagged With: Astara, DDF, Makeup Wars, Queen Helene, Skin Care

Apr 26, 2013

Spa Sonic Skin Care Review

April 26, 2013 By Carleenp Leave a Comment

Press Sample Affiliate Links

The Spa Sonic Skin Care System is an affordable rival to more expensive systems such as the Clarisonic. The system includes multiple attachments and operates on battery power. It is fairly compact and easy to use. I was sent one to test.

Among the brushes included are:
• Facial Brush Head (2)
• Body Brush
• Pumice Stone Attachment
• Microdermabrasion Sponge Attachment

The unit worked well for me. I especially like using the pumice stone on my runner’s feet, which need some serious help. The large brush is effective for body use, and the facial brush cleansed well, although the Spa Sonic it does not have separate rotating internal bristles like the Clarisonic does. Of course you also save quite a bit of money with this system over the Clarisonic.

Side view.

Here is a view of the smaller brush. This provides good cleansing and also some gentle exfoliation. If you have acne, this is a particularly good type of cleansing system and brush to use.

The pumice head is a nice bonus. It is small, which I prefer for getting into the contours of the feet.

The exfoliating facial pad is another nice bonus. I used to have a cleanser meant for these way back and really liked it. Pair this up with a light exfoliating cream and you can get some excellent exfoliation from it.