Skin Care 101: What is Argan Oil?

www.arganoiltree.com

Every time I turn around, there seems to be a new, fad ingredient that promises to deliver the moon and stars through skin care. Who doesn't want to look younger, have smoother skin and kiss scars and stretch marks goodbye? In the beauty world, we all know that when we ask for products that deliver real results, that generally means products that have a hefty price tag with a fair amount of chemicals and hard to pronounce ingredients in it. What if there were skin care products that could contain a natural and organic ingredient that's just as good for the skin as it is for the environment? Something that is able to deliver visible results without all of the chemicals while supporting the community whom produces it?

I have two words for you: Argan Oil.

Argan Oil is truly a gift from Mother Nature that is prized for its nutrition value, anti-aging effects on the skin and the numerous medicinal properties its capable of. Argan Oil is produced from the nuts of the Argan tree which is found exclusively in the southwest region of Morocco.

www.arganoiltree.com

What makes Argan Oil so special to skin care is that it's rich in Vitamin E-twice as much Vitamin E as Olive Oil and is loaded with essential fatty acids. Argan Oil is known to treat severe skin conditions such as dry skin, acne, psoriasis and eczema. It's also used to soften cuticles, minimize fine lines and wrinkles, prevent and fight off stretch marks, balance sebum production in skin, heal acne scars and blemishes, reduce skin redness, repair sun damage, repair split ends and leave an overall healthy and dewy glow on the skin.

Beauty stuff aside, Argan Oil does a lot of amazing things for the community that manufactures it. All of the Argan Oil sold today is produced by a fair trade working women cooperative in Morocco. This cooperative is designed to provide fair wages, steady income, good working conditions, health care, literacy and education programs and a true sense of empowerment to these women who live in a traditionally male-dominated society.

In addition to sustaining the community, the cooperative also works closely with the Moroccan Water and Forest Authorities. This relationship helps to protect the Argan trees from becoming extinct by planting nurseries. The nurseries not only enable optimal tree growth, but help to nurture the land on which they grow on.

Argan Oil is a ingredient that both your skin and your social conscience will feel good about using.

Holy Gratis Clinique!

I HEART gratis!

Besides getting to talk about skincare and makeup all day long, some of the huge benefits of my job include having weekends off, not having to deal with drunk people, product/brand training and GRATIS!! If my budget allowed me, I would be spending a bigger portion of my paycheck on makeup, skincare and beauty accessories on a regular basis. The reality is, I live in San Francisco and rent in this beautiful city is not cheap. Gratis is a beautiful thing for a product junkie like me because I still get to try a bunch of amazing products without having to give my wallet a nervous breakdown.

Today, Clinique stopped by the office to give us all a run down on the brand's new products and a full breakdown on their custom-fit skincare system which includes the three basic steps to any beauty routine for any skintype: Cleanse, Exfoliate & Moisturize.

I have to admit, I haven't used Clinique since I was in high school. I was happy to see many, if not most of their products have been reformulated to include less alcohol and now contain more amazing ingredients like hyaluronic acid. Clinique products are dermatologist-developed, allergy tested and 100% fragrance free.

Clinique was generous enough to leave us each with a large handful of full-sized goodies that included:

 

Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm in Graped Up

Pore Refining Solutions Correcting Serum

 Quickliner for Eyes in Really Black

  

Redness Solutions Instant Relief Mineral Pressed Powder

  

Brush-On Cream Liner in True Black

I can't wait to use my Pore Refining Solutions Correcting Serum tomorrow morning. It not only helps to noticeably reduce the size of pores, but acts as a makeup primer. Thumbs up for 2-in-1 products that help to save me time in the morning.

Thank you Clinique!

Summer 2012: FDA's Crack Down on Sunscreen

FDA Sheds Light on Sunscreens: www.fda.gov

We all know how important it is to wear sunscreen. Sunscreen protects your skin from sun damage like sunburns, premature aging and skin cancer. Have you ever found yourself in the sunscreen aisle, dazed and confused? With so many brands, sunscreen types, SPF choices and coverage claims, how do you know for sure which of them is the right sunscreen for you? What's really effective and what's really bogus?

Starting next summer, the U, S. Food and Drug Administration is cracking down on sunscreen, setting limitations and standards on what manufacturers are allowed to print on their label, making it a bit easier for consumers to pick an effective sunscreen that meets their sun exposure needs.

Broad Spectrum Labeling

In order for a product to be legally labeled "broad spectrum",  the sunscreen has to pass a special, standardized test set by the FDA for Over-The-Counter sunscreens that establish just how much the sunscreen protects the skin from sun damaging factors such as sunburns, premature aging and skin cancer. Only the products that pass the test and contain an SPF of 15 or higher will be deemed "broad spectrum" and allowed to be labeled as such.

SPF 14 or Below

If a sunscreen is labeled SPF 14 or less, it will have to contain a warning label that reads: "Skin Cancer/Skin Aging Alert:  Spending time in the sun increases your risk of skin cancer and early skin aging. This product has been shown only to help prevent sunburn, not skin cancer or early skin aging."

Anything Claiming to be Above and SPF 50 will Cease to Exist

That's right. The new regulations will forbid manufacturers from claiming anything higher than an SPF 50. The FDA has not been able to prove that sunscreens with an SPF higher than 50 is any more effective, making them very misleading to consumers.

No More Sunblock, Waterproof or Sweatproof

When it comes to sunscreens, there is no such thing as waterproof or sweatproof. There also isn't a sunscreen that exists which is able to completely block all UV rays. The FDA is banning terms like sunblock, waterproof and sweatproof because there's no such thing. The only term consumers will see is "water resistant." In order for a product to be labeled water resistant, the label has to specify how mnay minutes the product is effective before reapplying.

For a complete list of all of the new FDA regulations planned to go into effect next summer for sunscreen labeling, be sure to visit the FDA's Consumer Updates: FDA Sheds Light on Sunscreen for a full report.

Happy Birthday from Benefit!

The older I get, the less I look forward to my birthday. Thanks to companies like Sephora and Benefit, birthdays can be something to look forward to again. Sephora offers a free birthday gift to Beauty Insider members within 14 days before or after your birthday. Benefit now offers "Birthday Brows", a free brow service during the week of your birthday.

I recently headed in to a local Benefit Brow Bar to have my brows waxed in time for my birthday and noticed the sign for "Birthday Brows" at the check-in area. Thinking it was too good to be true, I asked about the service. Benefit Birthday Beauties receive a free brow wax service during the week of their birthday, Sunday through Saturday. You don't necessarily have to have the service on your birthday. As long as you have the service within that same week of your birthday, you still qualify for the free service.

A free brow wax service for your birthday is such a generous gift. I opt to have my brows waxed at a Benefit Brow Bar often. The service is always top notch. The waxing service prices are comparable to most salons. All of the Benefit products are all on display and available in a tester form for quick touch-ups. I always leave with beautiful brows. Plus, the free makeup refresh service by a Benefit makeup artist is always a nice touch. Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, Benefit now treats you to a free brow service on your birthday. I heart!

As if I needed another reason to love Benefit. Thank you Benefit for helping me to not feel so bad for having yet another birthday. You just made my day a whole lot more special!

Click here to find a Benefit Brow Bar near you.

Fake it until you make it with Beautisol

I used to measure the success of my summer by how dark my tan was. My tanned skin would remind me of how much time I had spent in the sun, how much fun I had soaking up all those rays and how I hadn't been stuck in either a classroom or an office. Now that I am a little bit more older, I realize that all of that tanned skin came with a price. Even though the tans of summers past have long since faded, I've noticed an increase in fine lines, subtle wrinkles and hyperpigmentation pop up on my skin. Unlike the dark tans, these reminders never seem to fade.

We know that we should wear sunscreen on a daily basis. Sunscreen helps to prevent premature aging on the skin. It also helps preventing us from getting skin cancer. There isn't anything healthy about tanned skin. Tanned skin is skin that has been damaged on a cellular level by the UV rays from the sun. But what if you are like me and really love the way your skin looks when it's tanned? Beautisol provides safe alternatives that aid the skin in achieving a "sun-kissed" glow without the risk of sun damage and skin cancer.

Beautisol is famous for developing the first ever skin-type specific self-tanning lotion, Need I Glow More. Need I Glow More is available in two formulas: for Normal-Oily-Problematic Skin Types (Oily) and for Normal-Dry-Sensitive Skin Types (Dry). Since I tend to be on the combination side, I opted to try the Need I Glow More designed for oily skin.

After dinner one night, I tied back my hair and got down to business. To prepare my face, I cleansed, exfoliated and towel-dried my skin. With clean hands, I applied Need I Glow More on my face like it was war paint: across my forehead, on my cheeks, down my nose and around my chin. I then massaged the product all over my face until it was completely blended into my skin. I quickly washed my hands and set my timer for thirty minutes. Beautisol recommends that you leave the product alone for at least a half hour after applying. This gives your skin time to absorb the product properly.

As soon as my timer went off, I went into the bathroom to check out my progress. I was quite surprised. No orange hue. No streaks. It didn't even look like it was artificially tanned. My face really did just have the start of a natural-looking, sun-kissed glow. I couldn't wait to see what my face would look like in the morning. The product continues to develop color on the skin for up six to eight hours after the application.

When I woke up in the morning and looked in the mirror, the color on my face had gotten a wee bit darker, but it still looked fairly natural. I could have totally gotten away without wearing any foundation that day. Instead, I did a very light application, using only half of the amount of foundation I would have normally used. It was more than adequate coverage for the day.

Coming from someone who has never used a self-tanning lotion before, I found the How-To Guide that came with the product to be very helpful and detailed. The guide shows you where to apply the product on your face and how to ensure a flawless application with each use in two, easy steps. There are also numerous tips that guide you through proper preparation before the application and even instructions on how to maintain your faux glow, long after the application.

Just as easy and subtle the faux tan appeared on my face, it came off my skin in a similar fashion. My "glow" gently faded from my skin over the next couple of days, but not without surviving a few running sessions on the treadmill at the gym, a couple steamy showers and a gentle exfoliation by day three.

Need I Glow More is an easy to use, lightweight formula that also helps to absorb excess oils  and purify the skin. In addition to creating a natural glow on the skin, ingredients like Montmorillonite Clay, Lilac Stem Cell and Niacinamide work together to reduce inflammation and fight acne. This product also features a Pure Scent odor-eliminating technology that cuts down the processing odor that most sunless tanners are notoriously associated with. Need I Glow More is paraben-free, sulfate-free and cruelty-free.

For more information about the entire Beautisol product line:

Visit the Beautisol website
Follow @Beautisol on Twitter
Become a Beautisol Fan on Facebook

KINeSYS UV Safe Timer iPhone app

We all know how important it is to wear sunscreen and to reapply throughout the day. What if there was an iPhone app that could remind us to reapply sunscreen throughout the day based on real-life weather conditions and our own sun exposure and activity level?

Guess what? There's an app for that.

KINeSYS has developed a UV Safe Timer app for iPhone users.

The UV Safe Timer provides users with the ability to track down real time weather conditions and the UV Index by manually selecting their destination. The app then reminds users on when to reapply their sunscreen through the use of the app's timer. After manually selecting the destination, users can activate the UV Safe Timer by entering the level of SPF that they applied, their skin type and their activity level. The timer is then set to remind users when they need to reapply their sunscreen.

 The app also provides various sun protection tips as well as a list a nearby retailers that carry KINeSYS sunscreens. It's FREE to download and use. Just download the app to your iPhone from the App Store.

Visit the App Store on your iPhone for more details.

The higher the SPF, the better the coverage?

The good thing about sunscreen is that there are so many different sunscreens and SPF levels to choose from. The bad thing about sunscreen is that there are so many different sunscreens and SPF levels to choose from. Seriously, with all of the choices and price ranges out there, how does one decide which sunscreen is best suited for them? Everyone has a different skin type, condition, concern and level of sun exposure. The wide variety of sunscreens available on the market make it likely that you will find the perfect sunscreen that suits your needs.

One thing you might notice on every bottle of sunscreen is that there is an SPF assigned to it. Every bottle of sunscreen has a specific SPF. SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor. SPF refers to the amount of protection your skin gets from UVB rays. It's the amount of time your skin can be in the sun before it starts to burn. SPF is also a good indication of how often you should reapply the sunscreen. The higher the SPF in a sunscreen, the higher concentration of ingredients the sunscreen will have.

For example, if you're wearing a sunscreen with an SPF 15, your skin is protected from 93% of the UVB rays that reach your skin. Here is where things get a little tricky. A popular myth people believe is that an SPF 30 is twice as powerful as an SPF 15. Not true! If you wear a sunscreen labeled SPF 30, only 96% of the UVB rays will be blocked from reaching your skin. When you wear a sunscreen with an SPF 50, the coverage gets slightly better with 98% of the UVB rays are blocked. If the sunscreen is labeled "broad-spectrum" then your skin will have protection from both UVA and UVB rays. Unfortunately, there isn't a sunscreen on the market that is able to block 100% of all the UV rays out there. So the higher the SPF, the better the coverage, right? Sort of.

The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends that you use an SPF 30, at the very least. You can still wear an SPF under 30, but that means that you will have to reapply the sunscreen more often. Remember, half the battle of wearing sunscreen correctly is wearing the right amount of it and reapplying throughout the day.

Then there are sunscreens labeled higher than an SPF 50. Some even go as high as an SPF 100. Is an SPF 100 any more effective than an SPF 50? Not necessarily so says The Skin Cancer Foundation. Anything above an SPF 50 is really unnecessary. The only thing your skin will get is exposure to more chemicals. And for you sensitive skin types, the chances that an SPF higher than 50 will irritate your skin with the overdose of extra chemicals.

The U S Food and Drug Administration has proved that the SPF testing system is unable to accurately measure anything above an SPF 50. In fact, in 2007, the FDA proposed legislation that would limit the maximum labeled SPF value on a bottle of sunscreen to 50.

Save your money and use a sunscreen that has at least an SPF 30, but that isn't any higher than an SPF 50.

Prep, Cover & Set With Cover FX

I have been eyeballing the Cover FX Total Coverage Cream Foundation for the past several months. I some how managed to resist the temptation to purchase Cover FX because I had bought all sorts of other foundations like Laura Mercier, Make Up For Ever and MAC within the same time frame. I was trying to be a good girl by using up all of the massive amounts of foundation I had already bought before investing in another one.

I attended the Beautylish and Cover FX San Francisco Tweet Up back in April. It was here where I met Melissa from Cover FX. We chatted about the Toronto-based brand over cocktails. I already knew how awesome Cover FX was in terms of being a full-coverage cream foundation that is non-comedogenic, fragrance-free and oil-free. What I didn't know was that Cover FX began its humble roots over 20 years ago, in a hospital, providing corrective makeup to patients. I told Melissa that I was a little nervous about making the switch from liquid foundation to a cream foundation mainly because I had never used a cream foundation before. Was it going to make my skin look greasy? Would it have a heavy feel? Would it melt off of my face by lunchtime? Melissa assured me that the cream foundation would provide me with the full-coverage I was looking for and would be easy to use, even with the tools I already had. All I had to do was prep (apply primer), cover (apply the foundation using a brush or sponge) and set (apply the setting powder) to complete the look.

After our conversation, I was intrigued and sold. I literally ran down to Sephora and purchased the following items:

Cover FX Total Coverage Cream Foundation SPF 30 in M40 Honey
Cover FX Setting FX Translucent Setting Powder in Translucent
Cover FX Powder FX Mineral Powder Foundation in M40 Honey

I was lucky enough to have received the Cover FX Skinprep FX Nourishing Foundation Primer & Anti-Aging Serum as a gift for attending the Beautylish and Cover FX Tweet Up. With all of my new products in hand, I was excited to try out my new foundation regimen. I couldn't remember the last time I actually looked forward to getting up and getting ready for work.

1-PREP

After cleansing, exfoliating and moisturizing my skin, I skipped my normal daily serum and went straight for the Skinprep FX Nourishing Foundation Primer & Anti-Aging Serum. What's great about this product is that its a foundation primer and an anti-aging serum in one. Active ingredients like Vitamins A, C, E and F along with Hyaluronic Acid and Squalene work together to fight wrinkles and hydrate the skin. Shaving off a few minutes from my morning routine is always a plus with me. This primer is a one-stop shop for hydrating, anti-aging, fighting off inflammation and priming the skin for foundation. The serum is extremely lightweight. It's oil-free, fragrance-free and wont clog pores.

2-COVER

I have to be honest. I was nervous about trying a cream foundation. I have always been a liquid foundation-type of girl. When I applied the Cover FX Total Cream Foundation to my face, it was love at first usage. Even though the cream foundation provides full coverage, it doesn't have a heavy, cakey feeling like a lot of full-coverage liquid foundations tend to have. I used a beautyblender to apply the foundation and blend into my skin. I loved how easy it was to use.  This foundation has a built-in SPF 30 so when you leave the house, you're protected for two hours before having to reapply sun protection. This formula is also non-comedogenic, fragrance-free and oil-free. With Cover FX, I've finally found a full-coverage foundation that is good for my skin and wont cause it to breakout.

I also loved how close of a match the foundation was to my skin. I have medium skin with yellow/olive undertones. The M40 melted right into my skin. You couldn't tell that I was wearing a full-coverage foundation at all.

3-SET

After applying the foundation, I set my makeup with the Setting FX Translucent Setting Powder in Translucent. When I first used this powder, I used a big, fluffy foundation brush to apply all over. The powder is a luminous powder that leaves a radiant finish on the skin. The natural minerals in the powder help to absorb excess oil that leaves a matte finish without drying out your skin. This is great news for us oily skin types. Setting FX is talc-free, fragrance-free, oil-free and paraben-free.

I saved the Powder FX Mineral Powder Foundation for when I needed to do a quick touch-up in the afternoon. The Powder FX also acts as a sunscreen that is perfect for reapplying over makeup. The sheer to medium coverage is just enough coverage to get rid of the afternoon shine and add sun protection without adding a whole of color to your makeup application. After a quick touch-up, my face was back to being matte and fully protected with an SPF 10, just enough sun protection to get me from the office, onto the bus and home from work. Just like most of the Cover FX products, the Powder FX Mineral Powder is oil-free, fragrance-free and paraben-free.

I was very impressed with my makeup application and coverage throughout the day using Cover FX. The real test came when I tested its staying power after the sun went down. I went from leaving the house first thing in the morning with a face full of Cover FX heading into work, onto dinner and a night out on the town. With only a quick touch up in the afternoon and another one after dinner, I put on my dancing shoes and headed out. It wasn't until I saw the pictures a friend of mine took from the evening that I was really convinced. In all of the photos we took, my makeup looked flawless. You couldn't tell that I had originally applied my makeup well over 15 hours before. How's that for staying power?

Cover FX gets a double thumbs up from me. A huge thank you to Melissa from Cover FX for taking the time to answer all of my questions and concerns and for assuring me that I would fall in love with the Cover FX line, including the cream foundation. She was 100% right!

What's the Real Deal With Sunscreen?

Image Courtesy of www.funny.desivalley.com

Now that June is here, the first official day of summer is right around the corner. Summer means days out on the water, lounging by the pool and hopefully a vacation that involves a beach with a lot of one-on-one time with the sun.

You might have also noticed that stores have moved sunscreen displays out of the cosmetics department and up, front and center of the store, stuffing their shelves with the stuff. We all know that we should wear sunscreen because it helps keep those nasty and painful sunburns at bay. Unfortunately, most of us miss the point of how important wearing sunscreen on a daily basis really is, even when you aren't on vacation.


Here are some facts according to The Skin Cancer Foundation:

• Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. More than 3.5 million skin cancers in over two million people are diagnosed annually.

• Each year there are more new cases of skin cancer than the combined incidence of cancers of the breast, prostate, lung and colon.

• One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime.

• Over the past 31 years, more people have had skin cancer than all other cancers combined.

• About 90 percent of nonmelanoma skin cancers are associated with exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun.

In case if you haven't noticed, skin cancer is a real epidemic. You can save yourself a lot of money trying to reverse sun damage and lower your chances of getting skin cancer just by wearing sunscreen.

With all of the choices available on the sunscreen market these days, it's easy to get overwhelmed and not even know where to start. When trying to figure out which sunscreen is correct for you, its helpful to be familiar with some of the sunscreen terminology.

UVA Rays
UVA stands for Ultraviolet (Aging) Rays. These sun rays are short, absorbed by the epidermis and are responsible for tanning your skin. Think scoring a summer tan makes you look young and youthful? Think again. Tanned skin equals sun damaged skin. Tanned skin leads to premature aging of the skin.

UVB Rays
UVB stands for Ultraviolet (Burning) Rays. These sun rays are longer than UVA rays. They penetrate deeper into the skin than UVA rays because they cut though the epidermis and get all the way down into the dermis. UVB rays are responsible for causing sunburns. Sunburns can lead to cancer. According to The Skin Cancer Foundation, it only takes one blistering sunburn to double your risk of melanoma.

UVC Rays
UVC stands for Ultraviolet (Cancer) Rays. Luckily, our planet has the Ozone Layer which acts as a built-in sunscreen that helps protects us from these deadly, cancer-causing rays.

SPF
SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor. SPF refers to the amount of protection your skin gets from UVB rays. It's the amount of time your skin can be in the sun before it starts to burn. SPF is also a good indication of how often you should reapply the sunscreen. The higher the SPF in a sunscreen, the higher concentration of ingredients the sunscreen will have. For example: if you're wearing a sunscreen with an SPF 8, only 90% of the UVB rays will be blocked. You wont get any protection from the UVA rays. If you're wearing an SPF 15, your protection from UVB rays are a little better because 93% of these rays will be blocked. Plus, you get a little bit of protection from the UVA rays. Wearing a sunscreen with SPF 30 means that 96% of the UVB rays will be blocked and you still only get a little bit of protection from UVA rays.

Broad-Spectrum
Broad-spectrum means that the sunscreen provides both UVA and UVB protection. Even though there isn't a sunscreen out there that will completely protect you from all of the UV rays, it's important to choose a sunscreen that will provide you with the most protection for your specific sun exposure.

Chemical Sunscreen
Chemical sunscreens absorb the sunscreen's ingredients and therefore neutralize the UV rays.

Physical Sunscreen
Physical sunscreens act as a physical block on top of the skin. These sunscreens reflect the UV rays instead of absorbing them and neutralizing them like chemical sunscreens do. Physical sunscreens don't irritate the skin because they don't absorb the chemicals from the sunscreen. This is why sensitive skin types should opt to wear a physical sunscreen over a chemical one.

It's important to wear sunscreen. It's also equally important to know how to wear sunscreen correctly.

How much sunscreen should I wear?
The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends using the appropriate amount of sunscreen for each application:

Face Application (includes neck, chest & hands) = one teaspoon (about the size of a quarter)

 

Full Body Application = one ounce (the size of a shot glass)

Don't forget to apply sunscreen to some of the most commonly missed areas like along the hairline, the ears, nose, feet, neck, decollete, knees and hands.

When should I apply sunscreen?
You should apply sunscreen at least 30 minutes before any type of sun exposure. If you have dry skin, try mixing your sunscreen with a moisturizer and add to slightly damp skin for extra hydration.

How often should I wear sunscreen?
You should wear sunscreen every day. It isn't enough to apply sunscreen once in the morning and be completely covered for the day. In order for sunscreen to be effective, you have to reapply. Sunscreen loses its effectiveness after two hours. This is why its important to reapply sunscreen throughout the day. You don't have to reapply with the same sunscreen you first applied in the morning either. If you're wearing sunscreen under your makeup, the easiest way to reapply sunscreen on top of makeup is by using a mineral powder with an SPF. Just dust on all over the face and go.

Wearing sunscreen doesn't have to break the bank. Check out my Cheap Beauty Tip of the Week: Wear Sunscreen on Broke-Ass Stuart's website for cost-effective sunscreens available at a drugstore near you.

Beauty Babe on a Budget

If you live in San Francisco or New York, you might have heard of a friend of mine, Broke-Ass Stuart. As many of you who have lived or are currently residing in either one of these cities know, the cost of living in these metropolitan areas is not cheap. Stuart started out making zines about cheap living. Then he started writing books. Shortly after came his website. Now, he is in the midst of filming his own TV show. The guy is amazing and he seems to know EVERYBODY!!

Broke-Ass Stuart's message has always been, "What makes life interesting is not the things you own, but the shit you do." Who doesn't agree with that philosophy? Being an avid writer since I was 11 and now a licensed esthetician, I was beyond excited when Stuart asked me to come on board and be the Beauty Babe on a Budget on his website.

Now, in addition to working full-time as a Beauty Advisor, working two nights in a restaurant and writing the My Life As An Esthetician blog, I have a weekly column on Broke-Ass Stuart's website where I will be providing cost-effective beauty tips for the budgeting challenged (myself included.)

We all know that true beauty comes from the inside. The beauty on the outside shouldn't have to cost you a fortune. Finding beauty bargains that are easy on the wallet makes people want to smile a little bigger and that, my friend, is truly beautiful.

Be sure to check out my articles so far:
Get a Full Service Spa Facial for Half the Spa Price
Cheap Beauty Tip of the Week: Wear Sunscreen

What are some of your favorite cheap beauty tips? Leave me a comment and let me know. I am always on the hunt for a great beauty bargain.