Spring Beauty: Skin Savers

--By Kim Moshtaghi

Pangea Organics Matcha Tea Mask
$37.65
Available at: drugstore.com

I just got back from the golf course on one of the hottest days of Spring, and I fried my skin badly. It’s pathetic and embarrassing because usually I’m such an advocate of sunscreen. So, this inspired me to write about how to prevent skin damage, and heal and maintain healthy skin! Enjoy.

It is important to remember that what we put in our mouth also affects our skin. I have seen first hand the benefits of drinking Aloe Vera juice. The convenient thing is all you need to drink is 2-3 ounces of it every day to see an enormous difference. It helps with energy levels, digestion and skin improvements. Although there are Aloe Vera products that specifically help aid the skin, it is nice to help your body as a whole.

I found a great informative site that helps guide, and explain different products that will help with specific individuals needs. The site sells the different products and goes in depth about each-- making it a great two-in-one website. My father almost died of lung cancer several years ago and one of the things that helped with his energy levels, mood and nausea was Aloe Vera. I noticed a significant difference in his appetite and his skin! That was the first time I looked at Aloe Vera differently. I suggest going on the site and using Aloe Vera for more than a skin healer after a burn-- a preventative lotion or drink that can change your lifestyle to a much healthier one!

Ocean Potion Sunblock Lotion SPF 50
$7.49
Available at: drugstore.com

Facial masks are very important year round, but I always seem to enjoy a mask more in the warm weather. With its cooling and refreshing feeling, it seems like less of a chore, and more of a luxurious necessity in the spring and summertime. Pangea Organics Japanese Matcha Tea facial mask is a deep cleansing detoxifying, preventative wrinkle cream that will do wonders for skin when used once a week. This mask regenerates skin cells, giving skin a fresh healthy glow, by stimulating collagen. Wow! That’s enticing! For the second wow of this article, I would like to give you a fun fact about this product: the box is a fiber molded box that was created with zero waste and created from 100% post consumer newsprint without any glues or dies. The box can be planted once soaked in water for a minute. When planted an inch deep in soil, medicinal herbs that are found in the mask product should grow. Wow!

At the golf course a professional golfer noticed I was roasting in the sun and recommended I try Ocean Potion sunscreen. He said being out on the golf course 5 days a week, the only product that has prevented him from aging an additional twenty years is this sunscreen. He uses the face line and the body lotion. This guy was 80-something years old and he looked good. To look as good as he does for $8… I’m game!
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Kim Moshtaghi is a contributing writer for Adventures in the Stiletto Jungle. Born in Germany, Kim is currently based in sunny Del Mar, California, where she also serves as Stiletto Jungle's Director of Sales and Promotions. Kim has a communications degree, a third degree black belt, and a totally covetable Gucci handbag collection.

Sunscreen for Cloudy Days: Winter Must-Have

--By Jules Newmark

RoC Daily Moisturizer SPF 30
$22.99
Available at: walgreens.com

It’s winter... sunny times are far gone, beach umbrellas, boogie boards and bikinis have been put away – well except for that quintessential trip to Cabo or St. Tropez coming up over the holidays. But beyond the summer being months away, we should all be a little bit more concerned, the sun is still ever present!

As I just learned, from my all-knowing dermatologist, sunblock that is put on in the morning at 9:00 a.m. needs to be updated and re-applied by noon!! Where did I go wrong? I’ve been applying once a day just to go to the office or the mall for years, what did I know?! Well get in gear for the rest of the winter with some non-tropical application of the following SPF winter wonders.

Aveeno Lip Conditioner SPF 15
$3.95
Available at: amazon.com

Hop over to Walgreens.com for RoC’s Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Daily Moisturizer with SPF 30 for those days on the slope to ward off wrinkles and even help get rid of their experience with at least 8 weeks of use. The sunblocking technology is created to protect against UVA and UVB rays and costs $22.99 at Walgreens.

Next for the hands... we know there isn’t much exposed during the colder months, but your hands definitely crack and get dry. Try Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Age Shield Hand Cream with SPF 30 for only $5.99. This thick and luxurious cream protects down to six layers of skin! Don’t think that a few botox shots will hide your age in the future – the hands are a true giveaway!

Lastly, your luscious lips need all the shading they can get – chapped lips are not pretty. Aveeno Essential Moisture Lip Conditioner with SPF 15 seems to last ultra-long, why? Well they have a blend of skin conditioners, shea butter and jojoba oil. The Chap Stick can be used year round too! So get on it – getting tan during the summer isn’t just the only harm during the year, bundle up safely!
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Jules Newmark is a contributing writer for Adventures in the Stiletto Jungle. Jules is currently based in sun drenched San Diego, California, where she works, and works the scene, as a modeling agent. Jules's beauty must-haves include mascara by Dior, perfume by Calvin Klein, and a really good sunblock.

SALE: Avon Skin So Soft Bug Guard 50% Off

Avon Skin So Soft Bug Guard
2/$12.00 (was $12 ea.-- save 50%!)
Available at: avon.com

You're going to have to take my word for this, it's not often that I find the need to rave about something as mundane as mosquito repellent. But, that's just what I'm about to do. If you have any need to purchase bug repellent, check out this deal. Now through June 5, Avon is offering their best-selling Skin So Soft Bug Guard plus IR3535 SPF 30 Sunscreen Lotion-- regularly priced $12.00 per tube-- for 2 for $12.00. That's $6.00 per tube, 50% off regular price.

Here's my history with this fabulous 2-in-1 product. I was heading off to spend a summer semester in Florence, Italy, studying art law. The school suggested that we bring mosquito repellent and, having grown up in mosquito-infested northern California, I knew that nothing can ruin a good time faster than a swarm of blood-sucking bugs. My mom armed me with three tubes of Avon's PABA and DEET-free Skin So Soft Bug Guard and off I went. Not only did I remain bite-free and sun protected all summer long, I also became so fond of the scent of this lotion that a mere whiff of its "gentle breeze" scent can still instantly transport me back to that fabulous summer. No joke. You will never find a bug repellent that smells as good as this product. It's not just tolerable, it's downright pleasant. I think Skin So Soft Bug Guard is more than worth $12.00 a tube, but at $6.00 a tube it's a summer must-have. Stock up now, ladies, it's a long summer!

Click on the photo to link directly to where you can purchase Avon Skin So Soft Bug Guard plus IR3535 SPF 30 Sunscreen Lotion online and on sale for 2 for $12.00. Hurry, this deal is only good through June 5, 2008.

The Best SPF Sunblocks for All Occasions

--By Jules Newmark

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer SPF 85
$10.99
Available at: drugstore.com

I work in an industry where a good tan gets you a job. In the entertainment industry, models, celebrities and even their managers look for every way to have the perfectly portioned tan. Luckily, technology has been kind and the skincare industry is booming with new ideas on lotions and bronzers that can fool anyone. I myself indulge of course, but why would anyone take the risk of potentially glowing with an orangey tinge with the beautiful weather approaching and tanning salons galore? Well beyond saving skin from wrinkles, the risk of skin cancer is well researched and very high. Believe it or not, there are over 1 million skin cancer cases per year!

Follow these tips if you are like me and need the constant smile-inducing glow year round and you’ll avoid many years of damage. Try a lotion with a high SPF number, like Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF 85 with Helioplex [top left], which can be found at drugstores for $9.99. That high SPF number is great for daily use, especially at the beach, since sun for a week at the beach is equivalent to a whole year of sun exposure. Also try Aveeno Continuous Protection Sunblock Spray SPF 70 with Active Photobarrier Complex for $10.99.

Ambi Even & Clear SPF 30
$8.99 (was $11.99-- save 25%!)
Available at: drugstore.com

If that last fact didn’t scare you because you’ve got darker skin, then you should know just because you have higher levels of melanin, doesn't mean you don't need protection too! Ambi Even & Clear Daily Moisturizer with SPF 30 [right] retails for $9.99 and bears the Skin Cancer Foundation Seal of Recommendation while evening out skin tone and discolorations.

My last tip of the day, involves incidental sun damage, which is a caused by short wave UVA rays that are even harming your precious skin on a cloudy day! You can’t beat the advanced biotechnology product Remergent High Intensity DNA Repair + SPF 30, which prompts your body to self-correct the visible signs of sun damage and protects your skin simultaneously. You can get antioxidants, moisturizing emollients and DNA repair enzymes for the cancer-protecting price of $95.00.

So after all that damage talk, get some bronzing lotion (try VictoriasSecret.com for options), don’t forget your SPF and hit the beach for some people watching!
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Jules Newmark is a contributing writer for Adventures in the Stiletto Jungle. Jules is currently based in sun drenched San Diego, California, where she works, and works the scene, as a modeling agent. Jules's beauty must-haves include mascara by Dior, perfume by Calvin Klein, and a really good sunblock.

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Everybody's Free To Wear Sunscreen

Clinique SuperDefense
$39.50
Available at: Macys.com

No, I'm not talking about the graduation day spoken-word anthem by Baz Luhrmann, although that time of the year is just around the corner and it makes me feel old just thinking about it. I'm talking about one of the single most important things you can do to improve the look and feel of your skin and one of the best ways to protect yourself from developing deadly skin cancer. Everybody's free to wear sunscreen.

I just got back from my routine skin cancer screening. I'm happy to report that all is well on the skin front. My dermatologist was kind enough to point out that I take extremely good care of my skin. It's always nice to get a little positive reinforcement. What's the secret to my mole- and freckle-free, unlined and unblemished skin? Sunscreen. Lots of sunscreen.

Anthelios-L SPF 60
$18.69
Available at: Amazon.com

My favorite everyday sunscreen for my face is Clinique SuperDefense SPF 25 (top left). It's strong enought for day-to-day sun exposure-- the kind you get going to and from the car and sitting close to a window-- plus it has lots of anti-oxidents and other goodies that are designed to amp up the sunscreen power and help protect your skin from all of the other nastiness that is floating around in urban environments. I seriously have seen a huge difference in my skin's appearence since I started using it a couple of years ago.

Neutrogena SPF 55 Sunblock
$10.00
Available at: DermaDoctor

For the days that I need a lot of sun protection for my face and arms-- such as a day of walking around downtown or lunch outdoors-- I turn to Anthelios-L (right). This is the Rolls Royce of sun protection. It contains a powerful sunblock chemical called Meroxyl that was just approved for sale in the United States, although it has been available in Europe for years, which is supposed to be the most effective uva/uvb sunblock ever made. This stuff is fabulous.

Have need of a strong, yet non-sticky, full body sunscreen for a day outdoors? I love Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch SPF 55 Sunblock. It is powerful and comes in a formulation that sinks right into your skin and doesn't leave you tacky. It's perfect for the beach since the sand won't adhere to the lotion and it's great for those days when you need to slather your whole body in sunblock because it feels just like regular body lotion.

Click on any photo to link directly to where you can purchase that sunblock online. Want the best beauty tips and tricks delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to Stiletto Jungle and get free updates by e-mail or RSS.

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