July 5, 2009

Sunburn photo by Genosfear on Flickr

This is a big outdoors weekend for most folks, and I'm betting that more than a few of you have a nasty sunburn today! I'm sorry about that! We know that using a good sunblock is your best protection against a burn, but if you're already burned, what you need now is sunburn relief…not a lecture! These are my favorite tips for easing the pain, itching and burning, although you should be carrying a first aid kit with you if you're venturing outside in the sun for a while. So you can also get the lowdown here on first aid kits and preventing it all together!

• Apply aloe vera gel, ideally cool gel that has been kept in the refrigerator. If you have an aloe vera plant, pluck off some leaves, squeeze out the gel and use it.

• Wet some clean towels, and place in the freezer until almost frozen, then apply gently to burned areas. Repeat as often as you wish.

• Brew a bunch of tea bags, and add the bags and the cooled tea to a tub full of tepid water. Soak.

• Add some oatmeal (uncooked!) to a tepid bath and soak for as long as you can.

• Mix a handful of baking soda into a tepid bath and soak.

• Take aspirin for the inflammation and pain (if you don't have any problems with taking aspirin).

• After using one or more of these treatments, I'd also recommend that you sleep au naturale (nekkid) under a ceiling fan turned on high! But make sure you have it covered from somewhere like First American Home Warranty, afterall you'll need it this summer!

Ceiling fans are the perfect alternative to HVAC systems, as they can provide you with cool air throughout the summer, as well as all year round too. Some people even suggest that they are better than air conditioning systems, but only if you have enlisted the help of a professional electrician (navigate to this website to find out more) in order to install it and make sure it functions to the highest quality. Because it would be pointless having a ceiling fan if it isn't working as it should, and if you have a sunburn, you definitely need it to be working.

It's my understanding that you do not want to use any creams or oils or butter on a bad blistered burn, because they can cause infection. I've heard about lots of other home remedies for relief from sunburn, but have not tried them and can't personally recommend them. If you have any experience with these remedies, let me know.

• With a spray bottle, spritz apple cider vinegar on the affected areas and allow to air dry. I've heard this can be very cooling, but I imagine it would also be drying and irritating.

• Apply shaving cream. Again, seems cooling but potentially irritating.

• Apply Preparation H or other hemorrhoid treatments to the burn. It is said to reduce swelling and burning, similar to the claims of reducing under-eye wrinkles and puffiness.

To all of the miserable sunburn victims out there, I wish for you some relief and a good night's sleep!

~BigSis

June 27, 2009

Hey, LilSis, thanks for bringing up the most important subject of sunscreen!  That was great information.  My philosophy concerning the sun is to always use a sunscreen, and wear a hat or visor and sunglasses, but still enjoy the fresh air and get a little Vitamin D from the sun.

I try to use a sunscreen on my face every day under my foundation, even if I don't think I'll get any sun exposure beyond what comes through my car windows.  I rotate between these two, and really like them both.  They aren't sticky or greasy, and don't clog my pores.

Face:

• SkinCeuticals Ultimate UV Defense SPF 30 with transparent zinc oxide ($37).  This one was recommended by my dermatologist, and contains 7% transparent zinc oxide.

• Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF 55 with helioplex ($16.99 for a 2-pack)

I really enjoy walking outdoors – when it isn't 105 degrees – and occasionally sitting by the pool for a little while.  When I do, I always use a sunscreen.  I use SPF 15 on my arms and legs, and SPF 55 on my chest and any other delicate areas, reapplying often.  Like LilSis, I LOVE the Hawaiian tropic scent, so that's why I choose this brand.  It's a great bonus that they now have a high SPF in a spray.

Hawaiian Tropic SPF 55 Spray

Body:

• Hawaiian Tropic 15 SPF Plus All Day Waterproof Sunblock with UVB/UVA Protection (also in 45 SPF for chest)

• Hawaiian Tropic SPF 55 Ultimate Ozone Sunscreen Spray with UVB/UVA Protection

Whatever your preference, make sure to use a sunscreen – use it often – and choose one with UVA and UVB protection.  UVA rays are the ones that cause aging, and UVB rays cause burning.  You need protection from both!  So cover yourself in sunscreen, and then go out and enjoy your summer!

~BigSis

June 26, 2009

Those who know me, know that I don't ever shut up about sunscreen. And, I talk a lot about skin cancer. But, I do have a good reason. We found out four years ago that SirHoney had melanoma.

He went in to have an area on his temple looked at so I asked him to have the Dr. look at a new spot on his neck. They did biopsy it but the doctor didn't seem to be too concerned.

We received the phone call from the dermatologists' office on the Friday after Thanksgiving, which also happened to be the day of Meems' wedding. SirHoney didn't answer the phone. I think he knew that it was bad news if the office was calling on a holiday. He went in for surgery immediately after we got back in town.

It was the scariest thing that has happened to us in 18 years of marriage.  After chest x-rays, a PET scan, and a visit to the oncologist, we were told that it had not spread to any other part of his body. Now, he just sees his dermatologist once every six months for a full body check up.

He's also had six or seven surgeries to remove basal cell skin cancer. Basal cell can be VERY invasive and can leave some pretty intense scars, but it doesn't metastasize to other organs.

Melanoma does metastasize and if not caught early, it is extremely hard to treat and can be fatal.

Studies show that most common signs of melanoma are in the ABCDE rule. And the ABCDE rule is as follows:

• Asymmetrical – this refers to the shape; if one half of the mole does not match the other half in size, shape, color, or thickness;
• Borders – it may be ragged or otherwise irregular; the edges are scalloped, blurred, or poorly defined;
• Color – it may be uneven, with shades of black and brown; the color of the mole is not the same throughout or it has shades of tan, brown, black, red, white, or blue;
• Diameter – it may change in size; melanomas are usually greater than 6mm in diameter, but they can be smaller; if the diameter of a mole is larger than the eraser of a pencil
• Elevation – a portion of the mole appears elevated, or raised from the skin.

These few rules can be very helpful in determining the difference between just a regular freckle or mole and a possible melanoma.

A few weeks ago when we went to the desert for a Father/Son golf tournament, my friend and I hung out by the pool while the guys golfed. I noticed a mole on my friend's back that I thought looked a little suspicious so I asked her if she had ever had it looked at. She said no. She didn't seem very concerned and I didn't want to be overly pushy but I did tell her that it looked very similar to the one SirHoney had on his neck and asked her to please get it checked. She went the dermatologist the following week and they did biopsy it. She since found out that it was melanoma. Luckily, it was in a very early stage and she will be fine.

SirHoney has a family history of melanoma but we didn't know it. If your mother, father, siblings, or children (first-degree relatives) have had a melanoma, you are part of a melanoma-prone family. Each person with a first-degree relative diagnosed with melanoma has a 50 percent greater chance of developing the disease than members of the general public who do not have a family history of the disease.

My friend didn't have anyone in her family that has had the disease.  I know it's very controversial, but her doctor did tell her that she probably got the skin cancer from years of using the tanning beds. She was told to stop going to the tanning salon and to start using a good sunscreen.

I'm bringing this up because now that it's Summer, more people will be out in the sun that aren't normally exposed.  We're in the sun just about every day for some period of time. When we lived in Texas, I would use sunscreen if out by the pool for the day but now that we live in California, we use sunscreen every single day! Every. Single. Day.

SirHoney still hates the fact that he has to cover himself in sunscreen, especially when golfing. We have done a lot of experimenting with different sunscreens to find one that doesn't run and get into his eyes when he sweats. We've found the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch with 70 SPF to be the very best.

It goes on easily and doesn't leave any unwanted residue. Even though this one doesn't state that it is specifically ‘sweatproof', it doesn't run and sting his eyes. I've started using this one myself.

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch 70 SPF

Now that we know SirHoney's family is melanoma-prone, I'm very adamant about making sure that HayHay uses sunscreen every day. And I'm always on the lookout for a good long lasting sunscreen for him to use when he surfs.  Right now, on his face, he's using the  Neutrogena Sport Face. It also doesn't leave a residue and seems to stay on longer than some of the others.

Neutrogena Sport Face 70 SPF

I don't have the same skin type as the guys so I don't always use a 70 SPF. I'll use the 70 SPF on my face, but my absolute favorite is the Neutrogena Cooling Mist SPF 45 . This spray is not only refreshing, but it stays on for several hours, even at the beach. I always have a can of this with me.

Neutrogena Fresh Cooling Body Mist 45 SPF

Can you tell we like Neutrogena?  I don't care for the smell of Coppertone for some reason, but HayHay does like this Coppertone Sport Continuous Spray. So, since he likes it, I still buy this one for him. He sprays this one all over his body before surfing and it does seem to work well.

Coppertone Sport Continuous Spray 50 SPF

There's one more spray that I really like because I LOVE the smell of Hawaiian Tropic. It reminds me of being out by the pool with friends as a teenager. Of course, we used the original brown label oil, but I was so happy when I found this Hawaiian Tropic Dry Tanning Oil Spray.

Since this is only a 12 SPF, I only use it on my legs and do reapply more often than I would if it were a higher SPF. I just can't resist the scent. I can close my eyes and pretend that I'm in Hawaii!

Hawaiian Tropic Tanning Dry Oil 12 SPF

We've tested a lot of sunscreens over the past several years and have found these to work the best.

Lastly, please find out if you have a family history of melanoma. Use sunscreen and visit your dermatologist every year. It could save your life.

~LilSis

June 25, 2009

I have the curliest hair in my family.  My 3 sibs all have some wave or curl to their hair, but I got the most by far from our dad, and let me tell you that my school photos revealed what a challenge that was for me! It was brutal!  It literally makes me cringe to remember how I struggled with my hair.  I could show you photos that would scare the daylights out of you, but I'm too vain to do that.  It's bad enough that my family has seen them.  😀

FrizzyHair by Joseph Robertson on Flickr

When the Chi flat iron came out several years ago, it literally changed my life.  I am SO not exaggerating!  Before that, blow drying my curly thick hair could take close to an hour, and then it was still too poofy!  The Chi gave me smooth, shiny, soft hair, and I've never gone back to the curly look.  Curls look good if you have pretty spirally curls without my frizz-o-rama.  My coworker SA has that kind of pretty curl.  Me?  Not so much.

Now I've found another product that makes dealing with curly hair a little bit easier.  It's called No Frizz and comes from a company called Living Proof.  I first saw it on a TV shopping channel…I know, random.  I don't watch those but landed on this demo while channel-surfing one time, and had to watch the whole thing to see how it came out.  They had a woman with curly hair, and applied No Frizz to half her head, and blow dried each side smooth.  Then, here's where it gets interesting.  They took a clothes steamer and held it close to her head for several minutes!  The side without product, of course, got frizzy and big and fuzzy.  The side with the No Frizz stayed smooth!  Really?  I had to see for myself.

I ordered the No Frizz from their web site since I wouldn't have saved any money going through the shopping channel and I got free shipping at the time (shipping is free now on orders of $48 or more).  You towel dry your hair a little, apply a quarter-size dollop and work it through well.  Then style as usual.  I follow the No Frizz with a tiny bit of the Biosilk Smoothing Balm that I usually use before drying.

Living Proof's No Frizz

I found that my hair seemed to resist frizzing even on a really humid day, but the big test was our recent trip to California for LilSis' birthday.  We went out on the boat, and drove around in the damp wind.  Guess what?  No frizz!  After close to an hour, I got a tiny bit of poof at my front hairline, but it was very minimal.  Ordinarily, in windy sea air, I'd have a giant puffball on top of my head.  If you have curly hair, you know what I mean!

No Frizz is also available at Sephora, I've since discovered, which would save the shipping costs but you'd have to pay tax.  There are several different formulas, but the Living Proof web site's diagnostic tool will help you choose the one that is right for you.  I will tell you that this product is fairly pricey; at least to me.  The 4 ounce bottle I bought was $24, but it has lasted me about 3 months already and I still have some product left.  I shampoo at least every other day.

I would definitely recommend that you curly or frizzy haired girls give this a try!  I use it every shampoo and will repurchase it for sure!

~BigSis

June 22, 2009

BigSis has talked about how much she loves the Urban Decay Primer Potion. Okay, she actually raves about how well this product helps her eyeshadow stay on all day. I've been pretty happy with my MAC Prep + Prime and have just never gotten around to buying the Primer Potion.

I LOVE shimmery, frosty shadows on my lids, so when I read these great reviews on Sephora about the new Urban Decay Primer Potion-Sin, I knew that I had to try it.

The shimmering champagne hue in this product really compliments the frosty MAC shadows that I love to wear on my lids. I love it under Grand Entrance, Wintersky, and French Cuff, but don't rush out to buy any of those colors because they're all discontinued. Dang it! I don't know what I'm going to do when I run out of those colors. I guess I'll have to visit the MAC counter and find some new favorites.

Back to the Primer Potion. Not only does it make the shadows stay on the entire day, but it adds just a little extra shimmer. This is even pretty worn alone for just a little tint or under your brow for a little highlighter.

You know we both LOVE our MAC shadows and they are definitely great on their own and do stay on for most of the day. But, if you need just a little extra assurance that your shadow will last from morning to night, give this Urban Decay Primer Potion a try, either the original if you want a clear primer, or in Sin for some shimmer.

I think you'll agree that this product really does make a difference.

~LilSis

June 8, 2009

From time to time, MAC will weed out it's inventory and a bunch of products will disappear forever.  I got an email from MAC the other day, and the weeding out is happening right now!

I noticed some of my eyeshadows on the list: French Cuff, Bold and Brazen, and Flip. Flip is a color (bronze gold frost) that would look really good on you, LilSis, so if you don't have it, make sure you grab yourself one before it's too late.  Besides lots of eyeshadows, MAC is also retiring lipsticks, lipglasses, lipliners, blush, eyelashes, eye liners, you name it!  These way cool tri-color lipglasses are going too.  I have one in Just Dessert and I love it.

MAC Just Dessert Lipglass

If you're a MAC girl like LilSis and me, be sure to check the list at MAC's Going, Going, Gone page for your favorites before they're history!

~BigSis

April 26, 2009

Before we move on to another topic, we'll leave you with one more post on eyes.  If you could find effective treatment products for puffiness, dark circles and crows feet, what would be the next step?  I would say it's finding the right makeup application method and colors for your eyes, your face and your style.  It can be tricky, and can take some trial and error.  If you're in doubt and need another opinion, take advantage of the expertise of makeup artists at your favorite makeup counter.  You know by now that LilSis and I head for the MAC counter, where they have some fabulous MUAs who can help you.  You can even get a free makeup application from the MAC gurus if you make an appointment ahead of time.  I've been at the counter on a Saturday afternoon when a bride has come in – complete with veil and fancy updo – for her wedding MU application.

One person who has definitely found a look that suits her and looks gorgeous is Gala Darling of Icing fame.  I'm not sure that I could get away with aqua eyeliner (definitely not during the workday), but Gala not only makes it work but makes it her unique beautiful style.

Photo by Gala

Isn't this a stunning photo?  Even if these colors aren't your thing, take a lesson from Gala and just try something new.  It's really easy to get in a rut with your daily face, and you never know if something else works til you try it!

BTW, LilSis, your spies were right.  I'm absolutely preparing a “Hairball Show and Tell”.  I do have my reasons, so stay tuned!

~BigSis

April 25, 2009

Did I notice results from the University Medical Face Lift WrinkleFree Eyes? I can honestly answer yes to that question! And, I gotta tell ya, I am really surprised. I wasn't expecting to see a noticeable difference after just one usage.

I'm more impatient than you, BigSis! I used all three products right away.

• First, I used the micro-charged eye patches. Instead of 20 minutes, I might have kept them on for an extra five minutes accidentally. I didn't experience any tingling or itching at all. When I took them off, I was pretty impressed with the immediate results.  I don't know if they should go so far as to call it a 20 minute botox because the patches don't make the lines completely disappear as botox does. (And yes, I admit to occasionally getting my pesky little crows feet injected with botox.)

The true test will be to see how long this lasts.  If the results are still noticeable after a week until time to use the patches again, I'd be sold. I wouldn't even mind keeping these on hand to use before a special event.

• I liked the 24 Hour Face Lift product also. It really did seem to fill in some fine lines. The only thing I noticed is that it left a little bit of a film around my eyes after it dried. I just put some of my normal eye cream on top of it and was able to put concealer on as normal.

• I only used the nighttime Retinol Cream once and didn't really notice anything different with that. I didn't have any adverse reaction but I'll probably be more careful using this product around my eyes at night. I read one of the reviews about the nighttime cream that stated a few of the women experienced red, blotchy skin. When they reported their results to University Medical, they suggested only using the nighttime Retinol Cream every other night if experiencing any adverse reaction.  But on the flip side, one woman reported the nighttime Retinol totally making her dark circles disappear.

BigSis, even though you are the “older” sister, 🙂 I think I have more problems with crows feet and fine lines than you do because of my skin being dryer.  I guess, in hindsight, maybe it would have been fun for both of us to show “before” and “after” photos.  Ha!

So, I say we continue using the other two products for a full week and then report back with our final review. Now, can we talk about something else? Maybe something a little more fun than puffy eyes and crows feet?

Please tell me that you're not seriously considering showing us photos of your kitties' hairballs.

~LilSis

April 24, 2009

When I was in Californie last week, LilSis and I were wandering around SuperTarget in search of the Garnier Nutrioniste Anti-Puff Eye Roller.  We found that, plus this other intriguing product that neither of us had heard of.  It's made by University Medical and is called Face Lift WrinkleFree Eyes.  The package screams that it's a “20 Minute Botox” treatment!  Of course, we bought into the marketing strategy…hook, line and wrinkle.  Yep, we forked over our $30 and bought it.

Adios to Wrinkles??

Here's what you get in the 2-week starter kit, according to the manufacturer's web site:

~BigSis

April 23, 2009

While we're talking about tired, puffy eyes, I've got a little tip that I'd like to share with anyone who has ever felt this way.  Have you ever sat in front of your makeup mirror after finishing your makeup and realized that you still look really, really tired?  If you're lucky enough to answer no to that question, then read no further.

I hate to admit it, but it happens to me a lot more lately than it used to. (A little visit to a plastic surgeon would probably help in that area, but I'm a scaredy cat when it comes to talking about surgery so that's not an option at this point in time.)

If you were reading last week, you know that BigSis and I were on full-blown vacation rules. We had a great time, but it sure showed when I looked in the mirror the next morning.  One day we were all getting ready to go out and I had finished putting on my makeup but still felt like I looked extremely tired. So, I started rummaging through my makeup drawer and I found my bottle of Origins Halo Effect ($17).

I've had this product for some time now and have tried using it in several different ways but I was never happy with the results.  I've tried a dab above my eyebrows, which was supposed to make your brows look a little lifted, but I didn't like the shimmer in that area. I also tried it on the outside of my eyes, but unfortunately it just magnified the crows feet. (For those of you that don't have those yet, enjoy!)

For some reason, I started thinking about the MAC tutorial videos that BigSis discussed in this post. If you watch the video on the smokey eye, at the end, the makeup artist takes a small brush and applies a little light eyeshadow with a goldish reflective to the outside of the inner corner of the eye to create some light in that area. I decided that instead of shadow, I would try using the Halo Effect in the same way. I applied just a little with a pointed Q-tip and was very pleasantly surprised with the result.  I kept just one eye done and compared the two several times and even asked for SisMama and BigSis to give me their opinion. They both said they could tell a difference in the two eyes and I knew it was noticeable when BigSis said “Do mine!”

As I was looking at the Origins site just to make sure that they still carried the Halo effect, I noticed this Eye Brightening Color Stick.  They say that it “Makes your eyes wake up and come alive”.  So, now I'm wondering if I need to give that a try also. If anyone has ever tried this Color Stick, I would love to hear from you!

~LilSis