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Monday, June 20, 2011

Summer Time Countdown Favorites! HUGE LIST!!

Happy Father's Day Everyone!!

Summer time, summer time.  Officially, it's on Tuesday June 21st so it's now time to bring out the summer clothing, if not already, and also prepare to transition our favorite summer time products back into our beach bags, purses and beauty regime.

I personally never used to change my products for different seasons, but with that some of the winter lotions for my face are thicker and heavier and I break out using those same products in the summer type weather.  I feel that having the right products and smells to some of those products makes the summer more enjoyable.  It can even make it easier to get ready if everything is going together effortlessly.  I have some favorites to use, and I have some products I am interested in.  Let me discuss a couple that may help you out this summer.

The first product I would like to discuss, is the Vitamark Natique Skin Care System line.
I personally used this in the winter and it helped then too but it would also make a nice light summer time product to use as well. It is one that is versatile and I will be using this one both winter and summer because it does balance my skin.

There are a few steps to this line, but if done properly, amazing results!  Here they are:

Step #1 is the colloidal cleanser which is quite soothing and removes all initial impurities like makeup.  It's enriched with things like Aloe Vera, Sunflower Seed Oil, Jojoba, Green Tea extract and vitamin E.

Step #2 is the lathering cleanser which encourages exfoliation, tightening and firming.
It also is made from Aloe Vera, Panthenol, Green Tea and more to encourage the wonderful results to
happen.  For both of these cleansers, they only require very small amounts, to be used morning and evening for optimal results.

Step #3 is the enriched ultra conditioner which is the moisturizing step to this line.
This product contains Natural Oils, Vitamins and Green Tea to name a few, that really does balance the level of moisture in my face, and amazingly it is only a half a dime size amount that you have to use to do the whole face and neck, give or take the level or amount you need.

Step #4 is the protective lotion made to tone, firm and nourish one's skin.  It helps protect skin from bad environmental elements and also aids in exfoliation especially under the eyes.   It does work to improve the look and feel of skin.
It contains things like Aloe Vera, Vitamin C, Green Tea and other natural oils.  I feel this is the final and cooling step to the process, as this is a product that is like water, that you put a small dime size amount on and lightly pat the face with.  It feels great, completes the firming and refreshing part to the line, and actually keeps the oil away.
It is recommended, if you have oily skin to use step 4 before and after step 3.

This would be great to use if you get oily skin in the summer, as opposed to dry skin in the winter.
For the smell of this product, it does not seem to have any scent to it too much, so it is just a fresh
face it leaves you with. 

To follow-up there is a Night Cream made by Vitamark Natique that is a very nourishing
and does smell like Aloe Vera of which is does contain.  It does help fine lines and smoothing of
the skin.  This skin care does cost about $45 + shipping & handling.  It will last though and comes with a nice clear plastic carrying bag of it's own, a skin care guide with tips and tricks and you would be happy with many more of the Vitamark products.  I reuse the bags for organizing purposes, such as small hair ties and things I don't want lying around.


My next favorite summer product right now, and through out my 20's has been Oil of Olay Complete All Day Moisturizer for combination and oily skin with UV protection and SPF 15 lotion or the same for sensitive skin.  It works great for sun protection, for small amounts of exposure like on the weekday on the way to work, looks great under make-up and also really holds up all day indoors. Now my skin will likely change, but for now it's still working great.

It does have to be re-applied if you are in for prolonged sun exposure in the day, or use a higher SPF altogether if you are really planning to be in the sun all day.  If you are an outdoors person and always in the sun, perhaps you should probably choose something with more SPF protection in it.
This prevents your risk and chance to sun burn and dangerous exposure to the UV rays.

I do find that a make-up primer be used over top of this product just to set it best for your
foundation.  There is a light scent to this product, I find it to be fresh and clean smelling but for those who have sensitivities it definitely might sting a bit if you are in direct hot sun.

The next face lotion I love is No 7 Protect and Perfect Night Cream.  I love a lot of this company's products.  It is a bit thicker, but since it's a night cream it can be quite soothing on the skin while you sleep and recover from your day or the night before.  It has many ingredients, and I recycled the box that lists these, so I cannot recall exactly but it is not a "all natural" product by any means.  It smells great and is very moisturizing.  It is recommended to smooth this lotion on after No 7's Protect & Perfect Beauty Serum of which smooths lines and reveals a healthy glow to the skin.
The Eye Creams also work fairly well from No 7.  It is bit more pricey, if you are considering spending more than $10 on yourself and so I wait for sales and I can save myself $20.  If you are not concerned on the prices then I recommend it but I have also spent way more on under eye creams and way less.

My next favorite summer product is a refreshing body spray from Avon Naturals.  It is the pomegranate and mango spray, that is so light and fruity.  It is not as strong as some perfumes and
is a very summery smell and will be just the product you love in your beach bag.  I am not sure the current price on this product, as I got mine awhile ago.  I would guess $8.

I also love Cherry Blossom from Calgon, and actually may be my favorite of ALL TIME.
It can be anywhere from $5-8 or $1 if you head to the dollar store and they carry it.  Sometimes I got lucky.  I like to buy the small purse size bottles of these, so I can throw it in my bag of the day or take with me to the beach, or even keep at work in my desk drawer for a fast fresher-upper. It can  be nice if someone else doesn't smell particularly good and you need to spritz the air (of course when they are out of sight and spray range) so as to not insult your own smell senses any longer than necessary.

A new favorite perfume for the summer is, Mariah Carey's Luscious Pink.  It has a nice fruity note to
it and just screams summer.  I also like the cute bottle, but I do need to purchase this myself and stop getting free spritzes of it from the perfume counter. lol  I have not bought it yet.  It is $42.00 for a 1.1 fluid oz of this stuff and ranges higher prices in the bigger sizes.

A summer razor to try is the Schick Naturals Intuition razor. Let me say, it's a fast process with the conditioning Aloe Vera solid that it comes with.   It does work great and is fast with no shaving creams needed since the solid is the shaving cream built in.
Couponing will help you get this product for less.  If you get a coupon from a coupon site or elsewhere, then it will not cost a lot.  I had a coupon for $5 off, and it was originally $7, so it cost $2. That is not bad to try it out.  It has a thick and comfortable handle to hang onto, this is really good because I have not dropped it because of that.  It comes with a solid and razor refill after the first one is used up, and has suction cup holder unit to stick to the wall in your shower.  It also comes with a travel cap to cover the razor blade and solid when you have to pack it up.  All pretty good for $2. When it comes to buying the refills from the store, now that is a another story.  They can be quite pricey.

I will further discuss summer shaving products, foot scrubs,  what is going in my beach bag this summer and more on summer time products that are organic.  Check back in July~!

A great summer drink is Crave (Vitamark) and if you are interested in energy with out the caffeine crash, then this is for you!  It comes in convenient pouches that you can  slip into your summer bag.   It is a nice pick me up in the afternoon and it is cheaper per package than other energy drinks. I love the taste as it's original and something different than pop or juice.  It has become something I crave- no pun intended. Here's a link where you can get some:
http://123buycrave.com/

Well, that's all for this week and if you are having a hard week throw on some Bob Marley, pour yourself a Berry Mojito or a Malibu Coconutini and think summer time.
Have a great week!






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