What exactly do you do, Bronzediva?

I've been asked this question again and again.  Many people don't know that I was a Middle School teacher for a brief period of time, director of a youth enrichment program for a little while, and a stay-at-home mom for most of my adult life.  Sorry to say, but I quickly realized that teaching Social Studies to other's people's misbehaved kids was just not for me.  I love my own kids, but I am not one to put up with a lot of nonsense from overly emotional and often bratty pre-teens and teens.  I thank God for those who do so, but I am convinced that it is not my passion in life.

I have always been fascinated with color.  And mixing colors together to create other colors.  I used to be obsessed with drawing, especially girls and women's faces.  I am artistic, though not as much so as my daughter Lena.  But I have always seen the face as a canvas upon which to build a unique and special piece of art.

Years of trial and error have taught me how to apply makeup, first to myself , and then to others.  And I've always been curious about the function of the skin, and how keep it healthy.   So in 2007, I decided that I would go to school to become an esthetician.

An esthetician is a person who is a "face"expert.  We know the anatomy of human skin, the body's largest organ, and have been trained to perform facials, chemical peels, deep exfoliation, body treatments, and hair removal.  We are the ones who work in spas as "facialists" who massage and pamper the face, perform body wraps and exfoliation, waxing, and if we have a clincial background we may perform microdermabrasion treatments (using a diamond tipped wand to "sandblast" the top layers of the epidermis), deep chemical peels, and more.

A facial is not merely a pampering session, although it feels like bliss when you receive it.  We deep cleanse, exfoliate, steam, massage, and apply treatments customized to enhance your own skin and abate issues.  May clients have fallen asleep during my face, neck, hand, and arm treatments as they enjoy they enjoy soft music in the background.  I also am able to extract comedones (pimples) with a special tool, which is much safer than you "popping" your own pimples.  I have been trained in microdermabrasions and chemical peels, but I won't do a deep peel unless I'm working with a doctor in a medical clinic.  May people who have monthly, or even seasonal facials have benefited tremendously by obtaining clearer, balanced ,evenly toned and more youthful skin.

In addition, I am a professional makeup artist.  I have provided makeup artisty services for weddings, proms, and clients perparing for professional portraits.  I enjoy makeup artistry the most; transforming faces is so much fun.

Currently I am a freelance artist, I do not work for a particular salon or company.  I do not sell products from direct marketing cosmetic lines, I like to pick and choose, and pass on my knowledge with all of you! 

So now you know what I am trained and licensed to do. I still consider myself a teacher; what I enjoy most is to educate others in how to beautify themselves, and gain appreciation for the way they look and feel!!!!

Love and blessings,
Bronzediva

Quicky Post--Cleansers I'm Feeling Good About!

I should have been a journalist.  I used to create my own beauty magazines with notebook paper and markers and "sell" subscriptions to my classsmates for 5 cents apiece.  Alas, I studied History and Education in college, and supressed my desire to be a real version of "Whilemena Slater", a fashion Editor-In -Chief.  I know you guys don't always want a long article.........so let me give you some facial cleansing favorites to try.  This goes along with my last entry, so toners not required, but cleanse away!!

GOOD, but CHEAP-- At the drugstore, an all purpose favorite I've been recommending for years is Purpose Cleansing Wash by Johnson and Johnson.  It is a clear, sudsing liquid that is mild and gets the job done.  It is perfect to use for sensitive, oily, combination, or even drier skins( in moderation). 
***Hint- If you can find Clean and Clear's Sensitive Cleanser, it's the same forumation, but a little cheaper.  The color has got to be the same (a very pale yellowish hue).  Clean and Clear's other products I find are a bit too harsh for any skin. Not sure if the C and C Sensitive is still around,  but Purpose is also a good deal at $6.50 for about 6 oz.


MODERATE, AND EFFECTIVE--Also at your drugstore, is Cera Ve Moisturizing Cleanser.  This is a lotion based cleanser for dry skin types.  It can applied and "tissued off" or rinsed off.  Very dry skin can do without the foaming detergents.  As long as the cleanser is sweeping away, dirt, makeup, and grime of the day, no water is needed. Cera Ve protects the delicate acid mantle and allows the oils not to be stripped. $12 for 12 full oz.

DHC has good amazing products.   It is a mail order skin care line that originated in Japan and now is distributed world wide.  Their Deep Cleansing Oil is very gentle and effective for dry, mature, and sensitive skin.  It can used the same ways as the Cera Ve Cleanser can.  If you are really on a budget or are out of cleanser, you can use cooking olive oil.  It has a stronger odor and is heavier, but it will remove makeup well and coat and sooth dry skin.  There is a sale now on the large size DHC Deep Cleansing Oil --$22 ($4 off) for the large 6.7 oz bottle.  Smaller bottles available too at dhccare.com

If you are a purist, or prefer organic products, go for John Master's Cleansers.  I am currently loving their Jojoba and Ginseng Cleanser.  It has micro-beads of jojoba, and though I am NOT A FAN OF SCRUBS, these  round beads do not cause damage. This one is best for combination or oily skin, but there are other JM cleansers that work for drier skin.  It has a citrusy smell too, a plus in my book. $28 for 4 oz.

Love you all!  Bronzediva

Is Toner Really a Necessity?

Every beauty counter sales person will tell you that there are at least three solid steps in daily skin care: Cleansing, Toning, and Moisturizing.  Okay, cleansing is a given, especially for those of us who wear makeup daily. DO NOT SLEEP IN MAKEUP!!! And even if we are naturalists and use little to no makeup, it is good to remove the oil, dust, pollen, andother environmental deposits that collect on the skin each day.  And moisturization makes a lot of sense, it is essential for those with very dry skin as well as those with combination and even oily skin. Moisturizer helps the skin to replenish the oils that are stripped during the cleansing process.  And there are moisturizers with ingredients that help firm, tighten, smooth, plump, provide sun protection, and even mattify oily spots.  But do we really need toner?  What does it do?  And is it pertinent that we include this step twice a day?

I have pondered over this for years.  As a girl, I would go to the Estee Lauder counter at Hecht's with my mother and watch them talk her into $100 worth of products, including the tall bottle of colored liquid that looked like pink Kool-Aid.  It intrigued me, what could this pastel colored water actually do for the skin. "It is essential for closing the pores and preparing the skin for moisturizer", said the overly made-up sales lady.  I would read the label (yes, I read the ingredient lists well before I was taught how important it was in Esthetics School) and see that water was the first ingredient on the list.  That was a no-brainer!  Also high on the list was alcohol.  Okay, so if alcohol is so good for the face, why don't we just get a 50 cent bottle of rubbing alcohol instead?  And doesn't alcohol burn and sting? 

As I came into my teenage years and actually began using more than a warm moist washcloth to clean my face (which by the way is perfectly fine for non makeup wearers with non problematic skin), I was introduced to Sea Breeze Astringent.  The ads were all over Seventeen magazine, so it had to be what the models used.  You needed cotton balls to apply the strong scented concoction to the face, and, oh man, the tingling.  It felt refreshing! Like many teens, I equated that stinging with clean pores and clear, acne free skin. This is the other reason so many of my teenage peers also smeared their faces with Noxema cream, which I now know can clog pores and is very greasy---but that minty fresh tingle was addictive.  And oh man, that Sea Breeze was strong!  It could clear the sinuses.  And it always left my skin feeling tight.  But I still got hormonal acne every month.  Still, I just knew that with a name like "Sea Breeze" that I was doing something good for my skin. 

As a young adult, I came to a crossroads.  I now had a job and I was no longer able to put things in the cart for my parents to pay for.  I needed to economize.  But I still wanted fresh, clean pores, and I wanted to prevent comedones (blackheads and whiteheads). And I loved my makeup!!!  So I still bought cleanser (dumped the Noxema thank God) and Ialso bought a light moisturizer. Though in my 20's I rarely used moisturizer, I knew that in time the plump young skin would evade me and that I would need to replace moisture lost and add lipids to prevents dry lines. Clinique's Dramatically Different moisturizer in the iconic yellow bottle was and still is a staple for girls in their 20's.  And still the sales lady kept pushing the 3-Step Process--it was the hard press sales technique, sure to up her commision.  Cleanse, TONE, and moisturize.  After a while, the tingly feeling that the strong astringent brought was not as impressive as it once was.  The novelty wore off. And I hated to keep buying cotton balls.  I occasionally used witch hazel (which was essentially what Clinique's toners were) trying to wipe the "grease" off my oily skin.  But it still stayed shiny anyway.

Not all toners are made like Sea Breeze though.  Toners are called Astringents when they have a moderately high alcohol content to them.  Non-stingy toners, often contain glycerine, rosewater, comfrey, aloe, or some soothing ingredients.  That's not bad.  In fact all of those ingredients are good for your skin.  No harm there.  But does a toner really close pores like the sales people claim?

The answer is no.  Your pores are pathways for our body's natural oils  and perspiration to get onto the surface of the skin.  They need to stay as is..they can be softened up during a steaming to allow debris to come out easily, but they shouldn't and don't close.  But they can look small or large--due to genetics and the amount of debris build up inside them.  And once they are stretched out, they stay that way, even after the debris has long gone. ( That is why someone who had horrible acne in their teens, can still have huge pores in their 50's, many years after the acne occured). There are ways to help them appear tighter and/or smaller, but a toner is not the real solution to closing pores.

So the answer to the question--is a TONER needed?  I say it depends on what you use it for.  I don't use toner.  I use a good cleanser (not soap), and a Clarisonic brush to deep clean, lightly exfoliate, and remove makeup.  Sometimes a second scrub is in order if you have a face full of makeup.  Do a circular motion hand cleanse once, rinse, and then again with fingers or with the Carisonic.  Dab skin a bit with a towel, but before your skin is bone dry, moisturize. It is good to moisturize while the skin is still hydrated. This will lock in the moisture/water.  We will talk another time about my pics for these products:)

I have oily skin, and I have learned that strong astringents actually work against oily skin.  Oil is your skin's natural defense.  If you strip it away too much too fast, your oil glands will get scared and mad and produce even more to keep you safe.  So that is why my skin still looked "greasy" even after all that Sea Breeze.

If you want to use an alcohol-free toner, to sweep residual makeup from the skin and to soothe or cool down skin, this is perfectly fine.  Some people are just used to it, and can't skip this step.  I say go for it, just make sure that no matter your skin type, the toner is either alcohol-free or has a low concentration of alcohol and that is does not sting. 

But if you want to simplify and only have two steps in your twice daily facial care routine, skip the toning, and go straight from cleansing to moisturizer.  And tell the Clinique lady the Bronzediva told you it's okay to do so.    
Talk to you again soon, 
The Diva

EYEBROWS PART TWO: It's in the Details

Okay, so now that we've talked about types of brows and having that initial professional shaping, lets talk enhancements.  Well first of all, what is the color of an ideal brow?  That depends on the color of your hair at the time.  Dark haired beauties can pull off dark eyebrows.  Ideally, the color of the brow should be a shade or two lighter than the hair if you have ebony, or super dark brown hair.  Sometimes black brows with fair skin and raven colored hair looks shockingly beautiful, expecially in the winter.  But it is a VERY hard look to pull off, the eyebrow shape and thickness must be perfect(not bushy and in no way too thin or drawn on, and the makeup must be light and neutral or cool toned.  And the hair should be impecably styled and the overall look (meaning clothing) hip and fashion-forward. My young friend Ali pulls this look off perfectly, but then again, she is ,like, nineteen. 

If you have those very full or thick brows I wish I had, you may not need to use enhancements at all after that good professional shaping.  As I mentioned in Part one, most thick, full brows only need to be shaped to make them look super!  For sparse brows or brows that are a bit short, gentle strokes with a angeled eye liner brush dipped in a colored brow powder or cream make everything look even and lovely.  I prefer an angeled brush to a pencil for novices (and if you feel comfortable with pencils, keep the point SHARP.  Unless you are an artist, please practice drawing realistic eyebrow hairs with a pencil on paper until you reach a natural look.  The color should fill in and extend and look like it is a part of the actual brow.  Again USE MULTIPLE STROKES--not one solid line.  I've seen the one line look and it is horrid!  It can look like a brown rainbow was painted over someone's eyes:(

For most of us dark haired folks, applying a chestnut brown brow powder or pencil will still make our eyes "pop" without drawing all the attention to themselves. We want our eyes to be saying "hello", but we don't want our brows to be stealing the show.  The rule of thumb, one to two shades lighter than our actual hair color. For very dark brown hair or black hair, a chestnut color is best. No need to lighten the natural color of the brows themselves, just enchance and brighten with the makeup.  If you want jet black brows, you should have black hair. Also, being darker skinned helps keep the contrast and "fakeness" to a minimum. (Unless you are super fair-skinned, younger, and going for the cutting-edge model look like Ali). Have them tinted jet black, and use an off-black brow color very, very  l i g h t l y!

For blond haired chicks, a good rule of thumb is no more than three shades darker than your hair color, but at least a shade darker than your hair.  True blondies who have platinum gold hair and truly pale brows, those brows often dissapear into your skin color and don't get a chance to truly present those bright eyes.  So a bit darker works.  Have pale brows tinted to a cool light brown.
Never pair dark brows with blonde hair, if you dye your hair, have the brows brought up a shade or two.  Try to fill in and enhance with a light brown color.

Redheads and auburns are pretty lucky!  They can match their brows to their hair or go up to two shades deeper for strawberry blondes or even dark brown for deep reds, but as long as they keep the color in the warm family(golden, reddish browns, not cool browns), they are good to go!

About maintenence, once the initial shaping is done, if you want you can keep the new growth away with a good pair of needlenosed or slanted tweezers--I only recommend Tweezerman's(see below).  But I would leave the waxing and threading to the pros. Especially because wax products marketed to the public are subpar and may have you looking a hot mess.

THE TOOLS OF THE TRADE:
For dark brown or black brows--Anatasia Brow Duo in Ebony($22)at Ulta OR Ardell Brow Defining Powder in Mink ($10--throw away the free brush) Get this at a drugstore or Amazon.com  OR M.A.C Power point eyeliner in Stubborn Brownat M.A.C. stores or counters ($15-it's smearproof-use to line eyes and define brows)

For Blonde or very light brown--try M.A.C.'s own Brow Set gel in BoyGirl or Beguile ($15) or Maybelline Expert Eyes in Blonde ($3 for a pack of two pencils) at the drugstore.

Red brows--Anastasia Brow Duo in Strawburn ($22) or NYX Brow cake powder ($6) Both available at Ulta.

Tweezerman's Tweezers--($15-22 and worth every penny--they even sharpen for free)
M.A.C.'s Brush #208 Angle Brow Brush is best!($19.50)
Any makeup sharpener will do.

NOW, rock those brows with PRIDE, and I promise you, this little change will make a BIG difference in the way you look and feel!         

                                                                   Love,
                                                                         Bronzediva

P.S.-I will try to get a pic of Ali so you can see what i mean about the dark brown, light skin look!

EYEBROWS PART ONE--The Shape Of Things

Hey again.  I’ve had some people ask me questions lately about eyebrows.  Is it that important to groom them?  Which method of maintenance is best?  Well, brows are such a small part of you, but when they are trimmed and shaped well, they can make a BIG difference in the way you look.  Just frown and furrow your brow.  The shape and position of it will change.  Not something you can or should help, but some folks have brows that naturally grow into a shape that makes them look sullen and melancholy.  And some have big fuzzy caterpillars that need to be trimmed a bit…or a LOT!  Further still, some people have skimpy, wimpy, or short brows, which may be naturally that way or a result of years of over tweezing. Okay, so let’s determine what type of brows you have.

FULL BROWS--As a general rule, if your hair is thick and plentiful on your head and body, then you will have full brows.  Those from the Mediterranean, the Middle East, Native American and many Latin American countries are blessed ( or as some have told me cursed) with lots of hair.  Full brows are great because they can be shaped into a great arch and there is enough there that cosmetic enhancements need not be done.

THIN/SPARSE BROWS—these usually start off fairly sparse and then really “peter out” toward the ends. There are many reasons why brows are thin.  Genetics and/or certain conditions or medications can cause them.  Over tweezing, over waxing, or over shaving can damage the hair at the root so that it refuses to grow anymore.  If you have thin, wispy or cottony hair that doesn’t grow either long or thick (or neither) on your head, usually you will have thin or sparse brows.

“INTERESTINGLY”SHAPED BROWS—are genetically determined.   Some have very straight ones without a natural arch (usually they have flat foreheads and deep set eyes), or short ones or brows with minds of their own.  Remember actress Raven-Symone when she was a child actress on the Cosby show.  Her brows were actually bi-level or S shaped.  (She has since had them shaped up). People of African or Caribbean descent may have curly brow hairs and lashes.

The best way to get started on the journey the better brows is to have a professional shaping.  Go somewhere where they take time to shape them correctly and teach you how to maintain them.  Have an actual esthetician wax them, or get them threaded (ancient eastern technique of catching hairs between cotton threads) by a reputable salon tech. Or you can have them professionally tweezed.  Anastasia Soare, queen of celebrity brows, has brow bars nationwide with a line of care products and trained professionals to tweeze those brows into perfection (try Nordstrom, and Ulta stores).  Professional shaping should run between $8 and $15 not including tip.

THE DIVA’S TIPS FOR HAVING YOUR BROWS DONE—

1. Tell your tech not to go too thin, and to be conservative the first time.  Some estheticians are wax happy. Look at their brows, if they look jacked up, RUNJ  DON'T opt for waxing if you have used major exfoliator creams like Retin-A or Renova.  DON'T attempt yourself if you haven't been trained or you may end up with 1/4 of an eyebrow. Bring a mini mirror and watch as they work.  (Except when threading- you will have to help by pulling skin taut.) Expect that one brow may be slightly shorter…that is how we are made.  A brow pencil or powder can fix that.

2.  GET that SPACE between those brows, por favor!  Unibrows make us look angry.  If your man has one, I suggest dragging him along too.  As a rule of thumb, if you drew an imaginary line from the inside corner of your eye straight up, that is where your brow should start.  A tad further out makes close set eyes look farther apart, but brows that sit TOO FAR APART look “cartoonesque”.

3.  NO TADPOLES! The shape should gradually thin to an arch.  Don’t over thin the ends or your brows will look like they belong in a pond.  If you have straight brows, do not have them attempt a big arch!!

4 To trim or not to trim?  Some pros do not like to use scissors to trim because they can make coarse (especially Asian) brows stick up.  But if done subtly on long or unruly hairs, it can make them look uniform.  If you are over 35, you may get some super long coarse, or curly whisker-like white hairs.  Have those removed please! Going grey is a matter of choice, but just because you are a silver shining star doesn’t mean you need white brows.

You should be pleasantly surprised that such a small change can make a big difference in your appearance.  Neat brows frame the face and don’t draw attention away from those shining eyes or the attractive smile.  If you want suggestions as to where to go or not to go, or you want to maintain them yourself after that initial professional shaping, contact me first so I can give you tips.  IN PART TWO WE WILL TALK COLOR AND HOME MAINTAINENCE.

 Love, Bronzediva

Need A Little LEMON-AID in your life?

I absolutely LOVE the scent of citrus.  It is a fresh, crisp scent that reminds me of my mom's mother's clean house, and of the sunny lemon and orange trees that lined the back yard of my dad's mother's California home.  Ever since I took my first sniff of "Love's Lemon Fresh" body spray years ago, I was hooked on citrus.  I think I love the smell of a ripe juicy orange more than I do the taste of one.

As we quickly approach spring, I'm reminded of how refreshing the smell of citrus can really be.  Honey tangerines, tart grapefruit, zesty limes--it all stimilates the scenses and provides a "wake up call" to the spirit and mind.  This is why many of the aromatherapy products aimed at invigoration smell of citrus. 

Now that I'm a grown up diva, I have gotten a little pickier about getting my citrus fix.  "Love's Lemon Fresh" is a little to artificial for me, as are some of the other lemon-scented skin care products.  I can really leave them, they are not real enough to titilate my scenses and get me going.  So I am going to share with you my latest favorite citrusy finds that include real fruit extracts and that are mostly natural:

Lush Cosmetics Happy Hippy and The Olive Branch Shower Gels: 
I love Lush's (local locations in Towson and Columbia Malls) products as they're made with mostly natural ingredients and they do a good amount of fair trade with other countries. And the stuff smells yummy.  Happy Hippy is a zesty grapefruit scented gel that will get you going during that a.m shower and one of the main ingredients is, guess it, grapefruit juice. 
The Olive Branch is a much more mellow scented wash, it is much thinner and has a moisturizing component (olive oil).  You need to shake the bottle to mix the good stuff together, but you know it's natural when you have use some elbow grease of your own.  It has a gentle mandarine orange aroma, mixed with olive oil and vine leaves that makes you think you're showing in Tuscany! Both start at $5.99.

Soothing Touch Herbal Therapy Tangerine Herbal Salt Scrub:
I found this gem on sale at Whole Foods grocery. I needed to sloff off some dry skin that had been accumulating all winter long and the sale price-$8.99- made it right.  It is filled with great natural goodness, including healing Dead Sea salt, sweet almond oil, ginko, and avocado oil, but it is the natural tangerine and sweet orange essential oils that make this a heavenly scrub. (Just be careful on broken skin as salt+cuts=ouch!)

Pacifica Blood Orange Perfume:
Now that my tastes have matured, and "Love's Lemon Fresh" just doesn't cut it any longer, I longed for a true natural smelling citrusy perfume to replace it that would linger for a while. I think my sister gave me the body lotion version as a gift one Christmas, and I was hooked.  Not only is it a crisp clean scent that others will compliment, but it is Vegan/all natural.  So no artificial chemicals to have you smelling like Pledge.  The roll-on version is $12, the smaller size on-the-go body wash and body butter is $5.  The full size spray perfume is only $22.  Available at Sephora and Wegman's. Try it!

As a disclaimer, I do not represent or recieve any compensation from the products I recommend, either from this entry or any entry.  I only want to share with you the wonderful stuff I discover, as well as warn you when something isn't what it should be.  Enjoy citrus season!!!!

Love,
Bronzediva

Spring Forward to Healthier Skin

3/8/12--Hello, it's me! Let's Spring Forward to Healthier Skin

The Weather is Warmer, so now is NOT the time for leather(y faces).

No one really likes to hear me say it.  I have often angered people with my pleas regarding the matter.  I wonder why this is—is it because young people don’t realize that beauty fades and can be helped along?  Is it because of a society which for years has equated summer beauty with a deep golden glow?  Could it be, among my peeps of color, that our internal protection is all we need to get by?

I am referring to protecting ourselves folks, not from some communicable disease or from some attacker entering our homes, but from THE SUN.  Yes, I said it.  We need to put some extra distance between our skin cells and the UV rays of the sun.  Now, before you suntan lovers get yourself in a huff and leave the page in anger, I implore you to look at some very BASIC facts (no I won’t get super scientific on you… that’s just not me)

1.       Exposure to the sun is the #1 cause of skin aging.  (It’s not even smoking- although I don’t advocate it if you want to stay alive and keep those horrid pucker lines away from your lips)

2.       UV rays can pass through tinted glass, most clothing, and even so called SPF foundation. (*More on that later)

3.       Melanoma is one of the fastest growing cancers in the USA. ( according to the CDC)

4.       A tan is an S.O.S. from your skin cells that damage has occurred! Sound healthy to you?

5.       People of color (Afro, Latino, Indian etc.) can get skin cancer too, even with our added melanin.

You see Ultra Violet rays that come from the sun are really damaging.  The shorter rays, UVB, cause you to burn and turn into a lobster fresh from the pot.  But those sneaky UVA rays reach further and cause photo aging (i.e. wrinkles, poor texture and dark spots).  So a sunscreen that doesn’t offer UVB and UVA protection is leaving you…well exposed.  Broad spectrum is best….chemical sunscreens are more effective IMO because they absorb those mean rays instead of just shielding you and don’t leave a pasty cast on darker skin, but if you are allergic to most screens, a physical screen is way better than naked skin.

Put you best face forward. Let’s talk proper sun care for the face today--This includes men too.  Here’s some products I like:

For Combination skin to Oil Refineries like me (LOL): CHEAPIE- Neutrogena  Ultra Sheer Liquid in SPF 70 $12.50.  It is a super thin liquid that glides on and protects without feeling like it’s coating your skin. LUXURY- Peter Thomas Roth’s UberDry SPF30.  Dries to a matte finish and can be used all over. $26

For Normal to Dry skin: CHEAPIE-Neutrogena Age Shield Face $11.  Nice texture, not too thick.  LUXURY-The Roche-Posay  Antethelios X15 Moisturizing Cream$32 .  Great combination moisturizer and screen for drier or more mature faces.

Sensitive/Allergenic (and Babies)- Remember, these physical screens make darker skins look a bit “ashy”. CHEAPIE-Burt’s Bees Chemical Free SPF 15 $12.  Burt’s Bees is the “go to” natural choice.  LUXURY- SunscreenCosMedix Reflect SPF 30 Natural Sunscreen $44 Titanium Dioxide blocks rays.  

*A skin care diva’s warning, as much as I LOVE a great foundation, I urge you to NOT rely solely on it for UV protection.  This is the #1 excuse I’ve heard over the years from clients.  Only trouble is, in order to get the amount of protection that it lists on the label, you’d need WAY more than we normally apply.  Even mineral foundations, which are physical blockers, can’t provide enough in a normal application.  Think of SPF in foundation as added security, not first line of defense.

Okay, so I’ve been on the soapbox long enough.  And hey, if I see you coming out of Sunless Hawaiian Tanning Salon one day, don’t fear I won’t bite.  But if in ten years my twenty something friends look older and more dried up than I do, I may say “I told you so”.     Love, Bronzediva