Category Archives: Pure + simple

Aaahchoo! Is Allergy Season Wreaking Havoc On Your Skin? Gentle, Soothing Skincare Is Your Friend.

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Gaaah! It must be spring! My sinuses are clogged, and my eyes, ears and throat are so itchy. Right now it’s so important to have the proper skincare so that I won’t look like a red hot mess. A good skincare regimen, as you know, starts with cleansing.

allergy season skincare 1

In the evening, shu uemura ultime8 sublime beauty cleansing oil ($98 for 450ml online and at Holt Renfrew) takes off almost all my makeup in 30 seconds. The oil is so soothing and effective, and it’s been a staple in my bathroom since fall last year. As you can see, it is well loved. I then do a milk cleanser: Holistic Vanity Damage Care Rejuvenating Rosewater Cleanser ($30 for 100ml online and in Pure + simple spas). It’s so gentle and takes off the last bits of makeup while also soothing skin with rosewater and tamanu oil. All other cleansers really irritate my skin right now, so I really appreciate the soothing feeling I get from this rosewater cleanser. In the shower, I am nothing without Live Clean (baby) Soothing Relief Foaming Wash ($6.99 for 265ml at Loblaws, Real Canadian Superstores, Real Atlantic Superstores, Shoppers Drug Mart/Pharmaprix and Walmart). I am obsessed with the soft baby smell of the entire line, so much so that I’m convinced that I am, in fact, just a giant baby. :) Also deserving of an honourable mention is Live Clean (baby) & Mommy Bath and Massage Oil ($6.99 for 126ml), which is enriched with lavender, chamomile and aloe that feels incredibly moisturizing on the skin. The entire Live Clean (baby) line is of course petroleum-, paraben- and phthalate-free, because you wouldn’t want that stuff on your baby, am I right?

allergy season skincare 2

Every time the founders of Pure + simple come out with a new line, I do a little happy dance. Minimalist Face Lift Serum ($99.95 online and in Pure + simple spas) is from their latest anti-aging skincare line, and it is fantastic! It is a liquid, much like Pure + simple collagen elastin serum, and I use it to give my moisturizers a boost. This regenerates damaged skin with Vitamin F (linoleic acid, linolenic acid) as well as reduces inflammation and sensitivity. There are two moisturizers that have been saving my sensitive skin since the winter. First, SkinCeuticals Redness Neutralizer ($78 for 50ml, in dispensing doctors, medical spas and high-end spas. List of locations at www.skinceuticals.com/canada) is actually made to prevent redness associated with rosacea. This alcohol-, fragrance-, paraben- and silicone-free formula is gentle and hydrates nicely without any stinging, which is usually a problem for me this time of year. Also, I bought La Roche-Posay Toleriane Ultra ($31 for 40ml online, and in pharmacies) at the drugstore when my skin was really at its worst in the winter. I still use it now during allergies season, because like the SkinCeuticals, I don’t get any stinging from this and it thoroughly hydrates my skin without being too greasy or heavy for daytime. In the evening, my eyelids become pretty raw from constantly rubbing all day, and Bobbi Brown EXTRA Eye Repair Cream (CDN $80 / US $69 for 15ml online, Sephora and Holt Renfrew) is heaven sent, you guys. This is a heavy, greasy balm so I wouldn’t recommend it under makeup, but for nighttime it is perfect. Again, it’s important to point out that I experience no stinging from this product. :)

Do you suffer from seasonal allergies? How do you switch up your skincare regimen for the season?

Cold Weather Skincare Essentials, Face Edition: Pure+Simple, Holistic Vanity, Pai, SkinCeuticals and KORRES

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I don’t know why, but every time I go through my current skincare favourites, it’s just impossible for me to be succinct. Does that happen to you, too? It doesn’t help that my skincare regimen consists of a kajillion steps… :)

Cleanser

Pai Skincare Camellia & Rose Organic Facial Cleanser ($49 at Pai Skincare)

Now that the idea of a harsh foaming cleanser totally makes me cringe, it’s so wonderful to find a cream cleanser that still cleanses the day’s oil and grime. This cleanser is gentle on sensitive skin but works well, especially when used with the included muslin cloth. I miss the muslin cloth; I left it at the cottage this past summer. Wahhh! It doesn’t do the best job at removing mascara and eyeliner, but I’m okay with that.

Eye Cream

Pure + simple Super Vitalizing Eye Kit ($59 at Pure + simple)

This handy little holiday kit contains a Collagen Elastin Eye + Lip Concentrate and Eye Brightening Cream. The former has a water-like consistency and applies with a roller ball. But I don’t use the roller ball! I found that it can get a little scratchy on the delicate undereye area, so I roll it on to my finger first and then apply the product to my eyes. It’s quite nice and refreshing. After that dries I follow up with the eye cream. The eye brightening cream is deeply soothing with its apricot kernel, borage seed oil and shea butter. In a pinch I actually use it all over my face, and it’s a nice moisturizing face cream!

Serum

SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel ($78 for 30 ml at various medical and high-end spas)

This was a post-summer favourite, and still is. After cleansing, I quickly apply this gel/serum over my face and my skin just drinks it up. It feels absolutely wonderful and cooling on the skin, and its tissue repairing properties is a nice little bonus, too. :)

Creams

Day: Pai Skincare Avocado & Jojoba Hydrating Day Cream ($40 for 30 ml at Pai Skincare)

This organic day cream’s green scent can be too sharp at first, but I am willing to overlook it as it provides the perfect amount of hydration I want for daytime. The main ingredients — avocado and jojoba oil — are well-known to be intensive moisturizers and I believe it. This is great to wear under makeup because it absorbs well and leaves a natural non-greasy finish.

Night: KORRES Quercetin & Oak Antiageing & Antiwrinkle Night Cream ($59 for 1.35 oz at Sephora)

My beloved KORRES Quercetin & Oak Night Cream jar is almost empty now (noooooo!). This woody scented cream soaks into the skin just wonderfully while still leaving the skin velvety and not oily. I’ve recommended this night cream to my sister and she also loves it as much as I do.

Oils

Holistic Vanity Damage Care Restorative Raw Argan Oil ($58 for 100 ml at Pure + simple) or Holistic Vanity Rosacea Care Comforting Camelia Oil ($57 for 100 ml at Pure + simple)

You guys, I’m just head over heels over Holistic Vanity’s oils. Holistic Vanity is a sister brand of Pure + simple (I should probably start calling it the Church of P+S now). These facial oils seal in moisture like nothing else. Recently I have been using the argan oil from the new Damage Care line and have fallen in love with it. I love the slightly nutty scent, and I can understand why a lot of people love argan oil. It’s an oil that isn’t greasy, so it’s a great gateway drug oil for those who are scared of putting anything heavy on their face.

The camelia oil is richer and a little bit more luxurious with its dreamy scent. I am trying to make my deluxe-sized sample last for as long as I can. :) Hopefully until the end of winter.

Mask

Pure + simple Skin Restoration Mask ($16.45 at Pure + simple)

This cloth mask is the next best thing to a Pure + simple Super Hydrating facial. The mask is huge and is super saturated with a serum that my skin just loves. When my skin needs a bit more boost, this mask does the trick for instantly radiant skin.

Be Kind. Rewind. Damage Control for Summer Skin with Pure+simple, SkinCeuticals and Weleda

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I am two foundation shades darker than my winter colour. A year ago I would have been ecstatic over having a golden tan, but now I cringe a little at the damage I’ve done to my skin over the hot summer months. :(

Here’s the thing: I bike a lot in the city. It’s great for my cardio, but very bad for my skin. Having a natural tan, I can get away with a lot of sun exposure without getting a burn. But that is so not the case this summer. I didn’t get major peeling burns, but dry red irritated skin? Absolutely. It sucked.

So who’s trying her best to reverse the sun damage and over the years, prevent wrinkles from appearing prematurely? This girl. And here’s how I’m doing it: hydrate, hydrate and hydrate some more!


Pure+simple Aquabrasion machine

My favourite place in TO has added a new facial treatment to their spa services: Pure+simple Aquabrasion ($129 for 30 mins, $179 for 60 mins — on special for the month of August). I went in with hot sweaty skin that day and came out relaxed and refreshed. The Aquabrasion process is pretty cool; they use fine jets of saline water controlled by a wand. It exfoliates, encourages lymph drainage, smooth lines, and makes you coffee in the morning. Just kidding. But it really is all-powerful. I tweeted my results after 7 days (sorry, Photo Booth pic). But it’s good eh?


7 days after Aquabrasion

The Science of Layering Skincare Products

Okay, not really science. But the idea is start with the lightest (least viscosity or “thickness”) product like a serum and finish with the most viscous product, like an oil.

Products I’m Using Now

Since I am currently going through a ridiculously amazing skin streak — think plump, glowy and I don’t have to wear foundation (I know I know, I’d hate me too!) — I want to go through some of the stellar skincare products I’ve been using lately.

My first layer of hydration is a lightweight watery serum. SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel ($78) is a lightweight oil-free gel that boosts moisture, and is perfect especially for oily skin types as a standalone moisturizer. It has vitamin B5, which helps with tissue repair, which is totally the point. Pure + simple Collagen Elastin HCH ($79.95) contains super hydrators algae and aloe vera and feels amazing as my skin drinks it up immediately.

Weleda Almond Soothing Facial Lotion ($27, weleda.ca; well.ca) is rich in vitamin E, which soothes and calms the skin. Other moisturizers sting my irritated skin in the summer, but none of that happens with this almond facial lotion.

I am obsessed with facial oils. I think everyone should stop being so afraid of oils because they are so effective at balancing your skin. I truly believe this. My current loves are Holistic Vanity Damage Care Restorative Raw Argan Oil ($60, coming out in November 2012) and Weleda Almond Soothing Facial Oil ($28, weleda.ca; well.ca). The handmade argan oil (from an all-female West Moroccan cooperative) has the perfect viscosity that I love for daytime. The Weleda oil is near and dear to my heart. It clears up nasty ouch-y pimples so quickly that I believe it also contains stuff of dreams. Actually, what it does have is organic blackthorn flower extract, which protects your skin by helping it strengthen. Cool huh?

As an additional treatment for oops-I-got-too-much-sun-again moments, I reach for SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Gel ($65). This antiseptic and anti-inflammatory gel is the answer to sunburnt skin. I love how wonderfully cooling it is and that it also helps lighten dark spots. It makes a perfect aftershave for your man, too!

Now tell me…

How are you taking care of your skin this summer? I hope sunscreen is part of your daily regimen. And, how do you feel about an end-of-summer skincare feature in the middle of August? ;)

Pure + simple and Holistic Vanity are available onlineand in their spa locations. SkinCeuticals is available through selected distribution channels via dispensing doctors, medical spas and high-end spas across Canada (store locator). Weleda is available at well.ca; www.weleda.ca ; Whole Foods Market; natural independent health food stores; Planet Organic Market; Nature’s Fare; Noah’s Natural Foods and Rexall Pharma Plus stores.