The Ban on Plastic Microbeads Is Finally Here
The ban on plastic microbreads was a long time coming. I wrote about it over a year ago and am so happy to see it has finally passed! Here’s the quick summary: a few years ago, a number of beauty brands started using plastic exfoliating beads in their facial and body scrubs instead of natural exfoliators like coffee grounds, sugar, or nuts because the costs are significantly lower. Unfortunately, as a result, billions of plastic microbeads have been polluting waterways and poisoning fish (the beads soak up toxins in the water which are then absorbed by fish who mistakenly eat the beads thinking they’re food).
Quick Ways to Pamper Yourself Before Bed
Bedtime can be a stressful endeavor when you foresee yourself tossing and turning. Many nights I’ve found myself dead tired, but stress kept me from falling asleep; and it turned into a vicious cycle (especially when I ended up napping the next day as a result). There are, however, a few things I’ve found useful that Osmia Organics founder Sarah Villafranco has outlined for us below – even though some of them (like not checking email before bed) are way easier said than done! There’s something about a little pre-bedtime pampering that works to alleviate some of the day’s stress, and many of Villafranco’s tips take just a few seconds to put into practice!
How To Detox Your Skin with Korean Beauty Products
Getting a late start to your New Year’s resolutions? “Detox” is the buzzword of the season as people revamp their workouts, diets, relationships, and even skin care routines. With that in mind, we asked Christine Chang and Sarah Lee from Glow Recipe, a curated destination for the latest natural Korean beauty products, to share with us three detox tips.
Are Probiotics in Skin Care the New Trend?
By now, most of us know the value of loading up on probiotics, especially this time of year when many of us come down with colds or the flu (if you are prescribed antibiotics, it’s all the more important to load up on probiotics, as they will replenish the good bacteria that the antibiotics kill). What you might not know is that you can do more than load your plate with sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, and kombucha to keep your digestive and immune systems working optimally; you can actually lather your face with skin care rich in probiotics (believe it or not, bacteria can be great for your face).
Everything You Need to Know about Washing Your Makeup Brushes
Most of us wash our makeup brushes every few months – if at all. For a long time I was like that because the brushes were never quite the same after I washed them. I recently got strep throat, however – a miserable experience that involved a few days of pain so intense I could barely swallow my own spit and a few days of total and utter nausea – and I’m now a convert.
Everything You Need to Know about Shaving Your Face
You know you’re good friends with someone when she tells you she just finished shaving her face. That was the case a few weeks ago when I asked a friend what she was up to. I was taken aback. My friend is a little blonde and blue-eyed thing; what could she possibly have to shave?! “Lots of peach fuzz,” she told me before insisting that, “shaving your face is all the rage…seriously, it’s the thing to do.” I laughed it off but soon after started doing some research, and it turns out that she was right. Shaving – and not just your “mustache” – has become increasingly popular among women. Before you go take out your Venus and start shaving away, however, there are some important things to keep in mind.