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Sun Protection is Vital, Kiehl’s All-Sport Year Round sun block is available in different strengths and applications. 

Choose from lotions or sprays and don’t forget those lips.

Protection for active adults, this stuff will stay on through your daily activity.  

A lightweight, moisturizing formula, contains Vitamin E and Aloe while providing UVA AND UVB protection.  Oh yeah, and did I forget to mention it stays on while in water?!  protecting you and your loved ones in water up to 80 minutes.

It’s great, it takes a little while to work in but once it’s there it gives your skin a little sheen.

My personal favorite Redpoint item, Airbrush Effects Blushwhip is a light and airy blush.  The color is a perfect dewy glow.

The packaging is bulkier than I personally prefer, a tub inside a larger container,  but it’s perfect for your home vanity.  The color can’t be beat, a nice corally tone with flecks.  I use just one layer but if you prefer more color just layer on more!  Wear with your foundation or not, concerned about looking dry?  Blushwhip is perfect because it’s reflective and moisturizing.  Great for summer when you want to look fresh and dewey and perfect for winter to avoid windburn.

Redpoint Airbrush Effects Blushwhip retails for $28

Available in two colors: Glow and Vida Rosy-Pink

It’s easy to take care of your skin if you do it in layers.  My first step out of the shower has been to slather Aveeno Active Naturals Daily Moisturizing Lotion with Sunscreen.  My next layer has been Aveeno Sunblock Spray SPF 45 because we’ve been outdoors so much.

Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion protects your skin from uva and uvb.  It feels great and totally non-greasy with natural colloidal oatmeal and ACTIVE PHOTOBARRIER COMPLEX™.  No added fragrance.

The FDA has posted a warning about Mommy’s Bliss Nipple Cream, marketed by MOM Enterprises, Inc.  The product was marketed to help nursing mothers heal cracking nipples from nursing but it has been revealed that some of the ingredients are harmful, specifically chlorphenesin and phenoxyethanol.

Chlorphenesin relaxes skeletal muscle and can depress the central nervous system and cause slow or shallow breathing in infants. Phenoxyenthanol, a preservative that is primarily used in cosmetics and medications, can also depress the central nervous system and may cause vomiting and diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration in infants. Mothers and caregivers should seek immediate medical attention if their child shows signs and symptoms of a decrease in appetite, difficulty in awakening, limpness of extremities or a decrease in an infant’s strength of grip and a change in skin color.

I’m incredibly shocked by all this, how could something designed specifically for the nursing community cause such harm?  My experience in breastfeeding comes from nursing my three children. I breastfed exlusively until they were about 10 months old and then paired with mushed table foods until 18 months/2 years.  I can’t think of a more rewarding experience.  I continuously thought, why take a chance with plastic bottles and nipples, not to mention formula, when nature has given me all I need.  It takes an extraordinary amount of effort to breastfeed and I truly believe motherhood is a calling because of it. 

At the same time there is little real information out there, I was always skeptical so I steered clear from all of the creams I was sent and given at the hospital.  I mean seriously, my ancestors were not that pampered, I come from tough folk so I was determined to do things the hard way with no intervention and I want to testify that it is possible to overcome.

All three breastfeeding experiences were different, with boy2001 I was bursting with milk, I had to have a collage of towels under me as I slept because if I rolled on my belly I would wake up in a puddle of milk.  Many people use plastic liners which stops the seeping into your mattress but creates a puddle so I prefer about ten thick towels collage style.  Ridiculous but effective, I could just remove the soiled towel(s) the next morning.  I had much less milk with each babe but still more than enough to feed one at a time.

I was blessed to have all three babes at a local hospital that was very small and personal.  The nurse asked me while in labor if I was going to breast or bottle feed and she made a BIG notation that I wanted to breast feed. I had no idea what to expect when they kept coming in shaking me to make me feed. 

They were quite rough and demanding but explained to me that I had to get the milk going.  I was so worried because I didn’t have much milk at first but they assured me if I kept at it there would be no problem.  So, I kept on feeding him and worrying and it hurt and I couldn’t believe the pain and saw no results but he was providing evidence that he was being nourished so I kept on.  The cracks, the soreness and pressure, it was all too much.  The first two weeks was pure agony but I perservered and got through.

I took showers every few hours and rinsed off.  I wasn’t using deodorant much as I nursed on my side on the sofa and in bed and I didn’t want all that chemical smell up their noses… have you noticed how close your armpits are to your breasts??  you can imagine I needed frequent showers.  I also didn’t use anything on my breasts, no soap or cream.   I would bring the baby in with me usually after their belly buttons dried up, as none of my children tolerated being put down and I indulged them and myself and after a few weeks my nipples realized their reality and toughened up and it didn’t hurt anymore. 

The purpose of this post is to make myself available if you have any questions, feel free to comment or email me if you prefer.  I know this is a beauty blog, but I also like to cover health issues, and I feel strongly that this is a very important one for society.  The best thing I found while nursing is less is more.  If your nipples get sore, wash off, pat dry and expose to air and a little sunlight.  (this is also great to combat diaper rash)  Are you going to do this while running around, no, you need some time for yourself until your body can recuperate naturally and then you can re-immerse yourself in the social circuit that also means not answering your door if people drop by unannounced (my pet peeve #1). 

If you’re reading this and are with child or have a new baby congratulations and best wishes!! 

 To the men, this is your time to shine, it’s hard to keep a perfect house, cook dinners, run to the grocery store, snuggle with babes and smile while keeping all the fingernails cut and tracking outfits somewhere between the hamper, machines, diaper bag, dresser drawers or bitty body.  Setting a joyful tone in the home is a great gift my husband sometimes provides and it goes such a long way.  Help when you can, and appreciate the enormity of the undertaking, especially at first but even in the years to come it’s usually not as easy as it may seem.

Miss Oops’ philosophy is to create products that help women solve the little problems in their lives so they can spend more time on the really big ones! I can totally relate to the concept and maybe it’s because the line was created by Jennifer Higgins, a mother of two. 

Today’s find is the Pedicure in a Bottle. Every summer there’s lots of foot display rituals most of us go through, sometimes it’s too much to keep up with.  Feet have to be presentable and soft but getting a pro-pedi can be time consuming and/or expensive.  That’s where Miss Oops comes in… Oodles of cute elegance in the packaging and a delightful product that is aromatic AND hydrating.   

Pedi in a bottle has some special ingredients to help you achieve a pedi with minimal effort, Salicylic Acid, gently exfoliates rough skin and calluses.  Shea Butter, hydrates skin and locks in moisture while Peppermint and Menthol soothes and cools your soles.  Lavender and Tea Tree Oils combat bacteria and odor. 

One cream helps all your troubles, it takes a couple of uses to see the softening effects.  My husband gives me foot massages a few times a week and he had some huge calluses that are slowly getting softer thanks to Miss Oops so there are benefits for all involved!

If you’d like to avoid buying online, click here to search Miss Oops retailers near you.

Soon I will post pictures of my Rose Garden, I’ve been tending it gingerly waiting for my rose crop to reward me with the slightest reciprocity for my hours of attention.  It takes a lot to grow roses, they are prone to lots of leaf diseases and infestations, not to mention little ones that want to make mommy a bouquet and cut down to the root with a sweet smile.

Weather it’s bugs or kids there are lots of things that can go wrong with a rose garden.  That’s why I was astounded to find out that the creams I’ve been slathering on use only Damask rose oil — it takes 60,000 roses to make a single ounce of Damask rose oil!! 

Berwick Balancing Day Cream is luxurious but it’s also necessary luxe because it has more than 300 organic compounds and is tolerated by all skin types.  Berwick provides Natural Beauty with  a scent (rose-y of course) and texture that could command a much higher price tag. 

I did not take it along on my trip making my homecoming that much better.  Everything’s coming up roses at Berwick with pore minimizing and even skin tone with a light-weight, hydrating formula.  It’s a great first step in the morning to prep your face for makeup or alone for a dressed down day.  Want one more especially noteworthy fact?  the first ingredient in all Berwick products is rose water.  You’ve GOT to give this line a try.

 Retinol this and retinol that, you hear it all the time but are all retinol products the same?  Here are the things to look for…

Retinol products that contain Vitamin A

Opaque/ air-tight packaging

Look for a formula with SPF 30 for daytime use

For deep winkles, look for Retinol with Essential Mineral Complex 

Be sure to build up your Retinol use, gradually and train your skin.  This gradual build up will lessen the chance of irritation that can result in red or flaky skin.  Lucky for us there’s a new product on the market that has all this:  ”The RETINOL CORREXION® DEEP WRINKLE DAILY MOISTURIZER with SPF 30 from RoC® is clinically shown to visibly reduce the appearance of expression lines and deep wrinkles after 8 weeks of use!” 

I loved the ROC hand correxion I used a while ago, so I’m sure I’ll love this too!

Have you met SUNDÃRI?  If not, allow me to correct that… SUNDÃRI is a spa skincare line from India that promotes harmony and balance.  They use organic ingredients like Sandalwood Oil, a nurturing oil that is used in Indian culture to purify the skin.  The line includes exfoliators, serums, masks, creams and more.

SUNDÃRI supports reforestation of the precious Sandalwood trees. There are measures in place in India to try and prevent the extinction of the Sandalwood Tree but poachers are resourceful and ready to cut them down at any time.

We (global society) has come to a point where we have to put our money where our mouth is.  If we don’t support companies that are aware of the problems out there and are actively working to preserve forests then we are supporting the alternative: extinction of countless natural resources. 

Source: Sandalwood Trees

 Aveeno Positively Ageless Rejuvenating Serum - Experience

I’ve been using this for a few days and really like it.  I can for sure use some rejuvenating this time of year, it’s been such a long winter.  I’ve been wearing the serum under my night cream and day lotions with SPF.  Positively Ageless makes my skin feel soft and moisturized.  Use it alone on rain and snow days if you will be indoors because it has no SPF.

The scent is fresh and clean, I feel so spring-y! Once I read it would visibly reduce lines and wrinkles, I made sure to put lots on my brow to reduce those “angry mommy face” lines.  So far I don’t have any other wrinkles to speak of.  Positively Ageless is part of Aveeno’s Active Naturals and uses a rejuvenating shiitake complex in a pump bottle.  

Thanks to Total Beauty and CEW for the chance to try out this product!  Anti-Aging or Pro-Youth as I like to think of it, look better than ever!

AVEENO is celebrating leap year 2008 by releasing the results of a  study about what women would do with an extra day…

Here are some of the findings the study revealed:

• AVEENO® found that 65% percent of American women confess to skimping on beauty, spending 30 minutes or less on their beauty rituals each day.      
•  However, more than 3 in 5 women admitted they wished they had an extra day in the year to spend on themselves, and 1/3 declared they would spend more than 30 minutes on beauty or grooming rituals with this extra day.  
•  But not surprisingly, moms were the group most likely to wish for an extra day in the year to spend on themselves, with a whopping 73% saying they would love an extra day.  
• AVEENO® also found that if given an extra day in the year, nearly ½ of all women admitted they would indulge in extra sleep or pampering rituals in the comfort of their own home.  This is good news because as you sleep, your skin cells actually renew themselves so skin is most receptive to renewal, so if you are using a night cream, such as the new Positively Ageless Lifting & Firming Night Cream, you are actually doing double duty!

I am on board with all of these findings.  I can use some more sleep for sure and some more “me” time.  Leap Year seems like as good a time as any.