The Style Page discovers six (non-food!) uses for coconut oil

In my post Seven fave skin care products, I teased:

In a subsequent post, I’ll reveal a product that adds sheen to the skin and protects the skin from the elements. It also adds shine to the hair and smooths flyaways. And it’s 100% natural, food-grade, vegan, and organic! Interested??!!

The suspense is over. The miracle product is: coconut oil!

I don’t mean to push Barlean’s over other brands, as I have no basis for comparison, but this is the brand that the staff in the personal care department of Whole Foods recommended and I bought.  The difference is that she uses it for cooking purposes (including popping corn!) and I use it on my skin and hair.

Barlean’s is solid in the jar at room temperature, but liquefies when rubbed in the hands.

Six uses for coconut oil:

  1. Use as a makeup remover.
  2. Apply coconut oil on dry patches over your regular serum or moisturizer.  Coconut oil provides a barrier to the elements: good to know in colder weather.
  3. Apply to add shine to the legs.  Coconut oil is water-resistant and lasts through more than one bath.
  4. Apply a layer of coconut oil on the legs before shaving. It provides “slip.” You don’t need a body wash or shaving cream or gel.
  5. Coconut oil is a hair care staple for women in the tropics.  Apply it to the hair for shine.  Until I “discovered” coconut oil, I bemoaned the lack of shine in my hair.  
  6. Use coconut oil to tame flyaways.
  7. Use coconut oil as a substitute for those highly fragranced hot oil pre-shampoo treatments.  I comb coconut oil through my hair and cover my hair with a disposable shower cap and a terry turban over the shower cap to let the oil penetrate.

Barlean’s costs $16 for a 16 oz. tub, whereas rms beauty charges $18 for a 2.5 oz. jar of its raw coconut cream.  I find Barlean’s perfectly serviceable, and see no reason why I should be paying more for less.

Seven fave skin care products

sigh.  Skin care.  I hesitate to write about it, as I don’t know the science behind it: for that, I refer the reader to medical student Nicki Zevola’s FutureDerm blog and Paula Begoun’s cosmetic ingredient dictionary.

Nonetheless, here are seven skin care products that I enjoy using:

1. Perlabella PureDose Pearls are airtight capsules containing serum that offers a fresh product with each dose.  You may find Perlabella at Walgreen’s stores. See my post New skin care at Walgreen’s, dated April 2009, for more on Perlabella.  Later in this post, I’ll provide an update on skin care at Walgreen’s.

2. Lisa Hoffman Beauty A & C Serum goes on slick and oily, but when you wake up in the morning, your skin is soft.  I also like her Day Cleanser, which I use at night.  I have never understood the purpose of washing the skin both morning and night.

Lisa Hoffman Beauty skin care is no longer sold through her web site, as she seems to be focusing on her fragrance concepts.  Nonetheless, you can find some products through DermStore.

I received a treasure trove of Lisa Hoffman Beauty skin care products from her former PR rep, but let it lie in the closet: bad 😦  I’m glad that I pulled it out.

3. The Solution by Envision Beauty streamlines skin care. It is designed as a multi-tasking product that replaces night cream, serum, eye cream, and makeup primer. It also advertises itself as a replacement for day cream, but since it’s not rated for SPF, I hesitate to call it a replacement for day cream. The Solution by Envision Beauty is a lightweight lotion that leaves a non-greasy, non-oily finish.  This is one of the few samples that I have received that I’ve used to the bottom of the bottle and went back to become a paying customer!

Since I reviewed The Solution by Envision Beauty in April 2009, my skin has become dryer and my skin care needs have changed.  I need a richer moisturizer.  Nonetheless, I occasionally apply The Solution by Envision Beauty as a lightweight primer before my makeup.  Founder Kimberly Snyder has since fashioned herself as a “celebrity nutritionist.”

You may shop The Solution by Envision Beauty at its web site.

4. Better Botanicals Rose Tulsi Toning Mist (“tulsi” is Sanskrit for basil) is not a necessary skin care step, but I love spritzing this fragrant mist on my Beautyblender sponge with it before applying makeup.  You may shop Better Botanicals through its web site.

What are my three other picks?

5. Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover is a dual-phase eye makeup remover.  I like dual-phase eye makeup removers so much better than ordinary eye makeup removers, as they do a better job at removing eye makeup.  Use after your cleansing routine to remove the last trace of eye makeup.  Neutrogena is widely available at drugstores, supermarkets, and big-box stores.

Source: dhccare.com via STYLE on Pinterest

6. DHC Deep Cleansing Oil leaves the skin feeling soft.  It removes makeup so thoroughly that you might not need a separate eye makeup remover after using this!

You may shop DHC at its web site.

MJCare Pearl Essence Mask

7. Face Mask Sheets are a weekly treat for me.  I like kicking back in the reclining chair for 15-20 minutes and listening to music as I wear a face mask sheet. Unfortunately, Walgreen’s is no longer carrying face mask sheets from The Face Shop (Korea).  I have not tried SK-II, but there are more inexpensive options.  Fortunately for me (don’t hate me! :-), I’m near the Cinderella boutique, which carries a variety of Korean face mask sheets, some for as little as a dollar.  Cinderella is located in the courtyard of Lotte Plaza, a huge ethnic supermarket in Chantilly, Virginia.  Grocery shopping is a contact sport at Lotte Plaza! 🙂

In a subsequent post, I’ll reveal a product that adds sheen to the skin and protects the skin from the elements.  It also adds shine to the hair and smooths flyaways.  And it’s 100% natural, food-grade, vegan, and organic!  Interested??!!

NARS Eye Shadow

The NARS Spring 2012 collection drops tomorrow, Friday, January 13 at narscometics.com:

NARS Spring 2012 Collection

Here’s the product from the NARS Spring 2012 Collection that I covet (from group shot, above, lower right):

NARS Single Eyeshadow in Lhasa

NARS Single Eyeshadow in Lhasa is described as a “shimmery lavender-gray.”  NARS often names its shades after exotic locales, and Lhasa is particularly evocative for me, as I’ve had the distinct privilege of visiting Tibet.

Shades of purple are more sensuous than grays or browns.  See my eye shadow picks from NARS’s “permanent” collection:

NARS matte eye shadow in New York is a plum brown.

NARS eye shadow in Ashes to Ashes is a “Shimmery violet based brown”

UK’s Advertising Standards Authority bans misleading cosmetics ads

The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority banned an excessively retouched ad featuring Julia Roberts for Lancome and this one featuring Christy Turlington for Maybelline:

At right, a fresh-faced Turlington dares to bare.

The ASA deemed these ads misleading, as the perfect complexions were a result of photo manipulation, not product use.  Watch this space for US crackdown on misleading cosmetics advertising.

Twelve Oils of Ancient Scripture by Young Living

Twelve Oils of Ancient Scripture by Young Living

I still have the Twelve Oils of Ancient Scripture kit by Young Living that I purchased from a friend at church 4 years ago.  Since then, she’s retired and relocated to Asheville, North Carolina.  I use the oils as inhalants (no, I don’t get high!) and keep the kit in the night stand to enjoy the resinous fragrances wafting from the kit as I lie in bed.

Now comes news that frankincense could be on the verge of extinction, due to a number of factors.  All the more reason to cherish the bottle of essence of frankincense in the Twelve Oils of Ancient Scripture kit.

Frankincense in The Bible:
Frankincense is identified as one of the gifts of the Magi, as identified in the Gospel of Matthew.  The Sydney Morning Herald goofs in calling frankincense the “bitter perfume.” That distinction belongs to myrrh.

Here are the symbolic meanings of the gifts of frankincense, myrrh, and gold (from Wikipedia):

  • Frankincense – deity
  • Myrrh (an embalming oil) – death, anticipating Christ’s death.
  • Gold – kingship on earth

BTW there is no mention of the names of the Magi in The Bible.  The names – Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar – ascribed to the Magi in western tradition come from other sources.

Sue Devitt Beauty Defining Eyeliner Pencil

Sue Devitt Beauty’s Eye Intensifier Pencil is one of the best products I’ve ever received. I’ve never had much luck with eyeliner pencils, but Sue Devitt Beauty’s Eye Intensifier Pencil doesn’t need “priming” and goes on smoothly and easily. With smudging, Sue Devitt Beauty’s Eye Intensifier Pencil in Pointe-Noire is great for recreating the sooty kajal-rimmed eye that I so admire on Indian women.

Now Sue Devitt Beauty has come out with the fine-tipped Defining Eyeliner pencil, which complements the jumbo Eye Intensifier Pencil. Like the Eye Intensifier pencil, the Defining Eyeliner pencil goes on very smoothly and easily. I received the Defining Eyeliner pencil in Hvita, a shiny silver that looks like Christmas tree tinsel. It is great for rimming the lower eyelids and illumining the inner corner of the eye. Sue Devitt Beauty Defining Eyeliner pencil in Hvita would be great applied over black eyeliner and smudged. For holiday parties, wear a simple LBD and complement the look with sparkly earrings and hair accessories.

Sue Devitt Beauty Defining Eyeliner Pencil in Hvita

Items in Sue Devitt Beauty’s holiday makeup look (her products, of course!) are:
Luxury Lash Mascara
Eye Intensifier Pencil
Balanced Matte Lipstick
Lip Intensifier Pencil

Sue Devitt Beauty is available through Bloomingdales stores, Nordstrom.com, Beauty.com, and www.suedevittbeauty.com [The Style Page is an affiliate of Beauty.com through LinkShare and receives a nominal commission for products purchased through this blog – ed.]

The Style Page wishes to acknowledge Tractenberg & Co. for sending me Sue Devitt Beauty products for my review.

CoverFX NaturalFX Water-Based Foundation

Ever since I finished my bottle of MAC Satin Foundation and the MAC salesgirl tried to sell me on a peach-toned foundation (that was years ago), I’ve been on a quest for the perfect foundation: one that feels good on the skin, evens out my complexion, and matches my skin tone.

I went to Sephora to find a new foundation.  I was interested in MUFE’s HD Invisible Cover Foundation for its wide variety of shades and Laura Mercier Crème Smooth Foundation as I thought that a crème foundation would be good for my dry, maturing skin, but the salesgirl sold me on Cover FX Natural FX Water-Based Foundation.

Cover FX Natural FX Water-Based Foundation

Sephora’s website says that Cover FX Natural FX Water-Based Foundation provides “sheer to medium coverage” and “a natural-looking, satin finish.”   I had to spread it very thin to obtain sheer coverage, and it did not provide a satin finish.  Cover FX Natural FX Water-Based Foundation can double as a concealer: I wonder if the thickness has something to do with Cover FX founder Lee Graff’s background as a corrective MUA .    As I moisturize nightly, I have some sheen on my forehead, and the foundation’s finish did not match the finish of my forehead.

CoverFX Natural FX Water-Based Foundation is rated SPF 15, which suggests that you should apply it fairly thickly.  Its active sunscreen ingredients are octinoxate, octocrylene, and oxybenzone.

One good thing about Cover FX Natural FX Water-Based Foundation is the wide variety of shades for various skin tones:

  • B Series: Golden brown to ebony undertones
  • C Series: Primarily pink undertones
  • E Series: Pink and yellow undertones 
  • M Series: Yellow and olive undertones

The salesgirl selected E10 Warm Ivory for me, which seemed to be a good match for my skin tone.

To quote U2, I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.

CoverFX is available at Sephora stores and www.sephora.com.

The fine print: this article contains links for the Sephora affiliate program, through which I can earn nominal commissions.