How To Look Better

Did you know that when you look better, you feel better? Yup, it's psychological but who cares right? Everyone wants to look better and there's always room for improvement.

Look Like You Have Fresh Skin

Sometimes it takes a while to have fresh radiant skin. In the meantime, there are things you can do to make you at least look like you have fresh skin. In order to accomplish this, you have to shake things up a bit so to speak. Here's what I mean...

Loreal Answers Questions About Hair Coloring At Home

On September 9th and 10th I'll be attending a Total Beauty blogger's conference. During the conference I'll be in a meeting with L'Oreal Paris. Loreal is interested in questions that my readers may have about hair coloring at home.

If you want your questions answered by the "professionals", please post your questions here...Whatever questions and no matter how crazy they may seem! I need all questions by no later than August 23rd

After the conference I will report back with responses directly from L'Oreal Paris!

Until later.....

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Michelle Howard Smith is an Infopreneur and helps individuals to achieve healthy skin by providing an array of information on how to care for the skin with natural products. Subscribe to The Skin Natural newsletter to receive information on black skin care and similar topics

Revitalift Eye Repair Duo Review

L'Oreal Paris offers a breakthrough for those with deep set under eye wrinkles. This product is a dual eye cream which consists of an AM cream with SPF 15 that needs to be applied after your morning cleanse routine and prior to sun exposure. Then there's a PM cream that is to be applied at night also after cleansing. By using both creams, L'Oreal claims that the fiber-restoring complex will help to repair broken skin fibers around the eyes.

While I don't have any under eye wrinkles, I've been using Advanced RevitaLift Deep Set Wrinkle Repair 24 hour Eye Repair Duo for the past week to evaluate the product for Total Beauty's Sneak Peak Program. I was anxious to see if there would be any visible changes in my under eye area.

Here are my findings:

Usability (Effectiveness) - A 10 all the way, I was amazed at how my under eye area appear to smooth out. Again, while I don't have wrinkles under or around my eyes, the Revitalift formula still caused my skin to look smoother and more youthful. Another big benefit of this product is you see visible changes within a few minutes. This product reminds me of another that I use because it plumps the skin around the eye area.

Likability- An 8 . I like that the product has one tube with the AM on one end and the PM on the other. The packaging is very practical. I do however think that the SPF should be 30 for extra protection, especially since the eye area is very sensitive.

What I don't like is while the product does appear to be effective at doing what it claims to, it's still filled with synthetic ingredients. Anyone who has been reading my reviews knows by now that I prefer natural ingredients. That's the reason I gave this product an 8 versus a 10. However, if you don't mind the chemical ingredients then you will like this product. It delivers results and only retails for approximately $19.99

*For those interested in a natural anti wrinkle remedy that is a serum versus a cream, try Blended Naturals Mineral Under Eye Serum

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Michelle Howard Smith is an Infopreneur and helps individuals to achieve healthy skin by providing an array of information on how to care for the skin with natural products. Subscribe to The Skin Natural newsletter to receive information on black skin care and similar topics.

Black Skin Care

When it comes to skin care, people with more pigment in the skin tend to suffer with common skin problems such as acne and severe dry skin. Black people in general have dry skin conditions and will benefit from specialized black skin care products. Some of us also deal with oily skin on the face...usually a T-zone where the oily portion is the forehead, nose and chin areas.

Upon further evaluation and feedback for my product line, Blended Naturals I realized that this is truly a black skin care products line. Most of my repeat customers are of African decent. That's not to say that people of other skin types and races can't use the products. It's more a reflection of the fact that these products are so beneficial for dry skin sufferers and those who also have eczema of which tend to be black people and those with additional pigment

My daughter gets eczema and our Organic Shea Butter and Soy Balm with Sweet Orange Essential Oil quickly restores moisture to the skin. In addition to that, the facial skin care products are gentle enough for even the most sensitive skin.

I invite anyone who has severe dry skin or sensitive skin to try these products, but especially those who are interested in black skin care. Use special discount code of REVIVE for savings.

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Michelle Howard Smith is an Infopreneur and helps individuals to achieve healthy skin by providing an array of information on how to care for the skin with natural products. Subscribe to The Skin Natural newsletter to receive information on black skin care and similar topics.

Natural Face Toner Recipe

A step in every skin care regimen should be to use facial toner. Face toner tightens the pores after cleansing. Here's 2 simple items you can use to make your own Natural Face Toner:

(Use facial toner after cleansing and removing your weekly face mask)

Grate a cucumber and use the liquid
Dilute some lemon juice, 1 part lemon juice, 1 part water

These are simple, easy and natural. If you are lazy like me, then buy a natural facial toner. This one is made with Dead Sea minerals for help preventing wrinkles and clearing acne:

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Michelle Howard Smith is an Infopreneur and has a heart for helping individuals to achieve healthy skin. Subscribe to The Skin Natural newsletter to receive information on skin care topics like the above.

Homemade Massage Oil By Skin Type

A few days ago I shared with you how simple it was for you to be able to create homemade massage oils. Today I want to share with you recipes for homemade massage oils by skin type.

All Skin Types Massage Oil Recipe:

Ingredients:
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup almond oil
3 drops lavender oil
Directions: Mix all ingredients in a bowl and heat in your microwave for 30 seconds. Stir the oils thoroughly and make sure they are warm but not hot. T
Dry Skin Relief Massage Oil Recipe:

Ingredients:
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup organic shea butter
½ cup rose petal water (see below)
Directions:
Mix a hand full of rose petals in a large bowl, add enough warm water to cover the rose petals and a few drops of olive oil. Cover mixture tightly with plastic wrap and allow it to sit overnight.

In the morning, pick up with the All Skin Types directions for mixing your homemade massage oil.
Full Body Super Duper Moisturizing Massage Oil Recipe:

Ingredients:
1/4 cup of cocoa butter
¼ cup organic thistle oil
¼ cup vitamin E oil
3 drops lemon oil
Directions: Follow the same as the homemade All Skin Types Massage Oil Recipe

Voila! there you have it! 3 Simple Homemade Massage Oil Recipes. Let me know how you like them. To get more interesting skin care information subscribe to my monthly Skin Naturale Newsletter here.

Create Homemade Massage Oils

Natural massage oils are great for aroma therapy and are useful for helping to relax after a stressful day. If you are like many people who are into their personal care, you want to enjoy the benefits of a variety of massage oils but don't want have to pay for such costly products on the market.

Well Good News! You can learn how to make your own natural massage oils with just a couple of simple ingredients:

• Natural vegetable oil
• Natural Scent (ex: lavender or lemon essential oil or even rose petals)

That's it! In a couple of days I'll share a few recipes for just how to mix your own homemade massage oils just for your skin type. It's different for each so Follow this blog so you won't miss it!
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Michelle Howard Smith is a distributor of Young Living Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils. To purchases essential oils, visit www.youngliving.org with distributor # 1066504. Also, subscribe to Michelle's monthly Skin Naturale Newsletter to receive more great skin care tips like these.

Article Stealing

I am posting this on all of my blogs. I started it on my Stress and Alternative Pain Relief blog but I want everyone to know just in case you are unfortunate enough to experience this:

"You want to talk about stress, how about the fact that I just discovered that two different people stole original articles that I have written and not given me credit for it!

I contacted both websites and no response so i'm blowing them up right here as well as reporting them. I work too hard writing articles and dumping my brain every day onto paper for people to come along and claim my work.

So here the two lying article thieves have stolen my work and now they are so cowardly they don't even have the decency to reply.

I wrote an article entitled, "STRESS: Is It Your Silent Killer?" and I submitted a copy of it to Ezinearticles (http://ezinearticles.com/?STRESS---Is-it-Your-Silent-Killer?&id=1080550) in March of 2008. The article thief posted it on their blog at burnettconsult.com/stress-is-it-your-silent-killer.htm (and no i didn't create it as a link because why should I help their search engine rankings) word for freaking word! On top of it, he or she has no contact info. on their blog other than a comments form for each post. He/she has not responded to me. The original article is on my site at http://www.stressreliefbyrv.com/stress. You'll notice in the article that I post scriptures in the Bible and everything. I even talk about a situation where I at work and had a difficult time with a co-worker. This person probably doesn't even believe in God!

The other article I wrote, "Understanding Adult Acne and Hormones" was stolen from ezine articles (http://ezinearticles.com/?Understanding-Adult-Acne-and-Hormones&id=2637614) where I am credited as the author but it's posted on kissawayacne.com/2009/07/understanding-adult-acne-and-hormones as if they are the author. The original work (mine) is also on my site at http://www.deadseastorebyrv.com/adult_acne_and_hormones. I talk about how I got adult acne and didn't have it too much as a teen. Notice however that on the original article posted on my site, there is one little line at the very end that does not appear in the ezinearticles version or the thief's copy. It says "I suggest the latter." It's on my site because I'm the author!!!

I guess I shouldn 't be shocked since there are always going to be devious dishonest people in the world but I am. I am so pissed off I can't even begin to express. I have experienced some horrible people talking about me like a dog for the last few days and now this. I don't bother anybody and I keep to myself. Is it too much to ask for people to treat me the way I treat them???

Blogging is a great outlet for me to write but I certainly don't appreciate that all of my writing is being done to be stolen and profited by someone else. However, the Bible says that you will reap what you have sown so for all of the article thieves, back biters, liars and the like I say this: "You will have your day when you have to stand before the God of the universe to give an account for every evil deed and you WILL pay for everything you have done unless you repent.

That's all I have to say. I'm going to try and enjoy my weekend and I hope everyone reading does the same."

Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly Review

A couple of weeks back I received my regularly shipped "Sneak Peek" products and boy was this a shipment. I received and have since used (and have my opinion.....shocker) about Herbal Essences New Tousle Me Softly Collection which consists of Shampoo, Conditioner, Mousse, Spray Gel, Flexible Hold Hairspray and Finishing Touch Cream. The packaging is very attracting, bold beautiful purple colored bottles. Prices are average for hair care products ranging from

The entire line is formulated with a fusion of wild violet & pomegranate. Here's more of what the products claim to do:

• Give touchable tousles from wet to set
• Set your style and hold hair in place
• Protect hair from heat
• Cleanse hair without stripping essential oils
  

Now My 411:

First of all, the wild violet and pomegranate smells artificial in the Mousse, Spray Gel and Holding spray. That was a bit of a turn off as I am expecting some sort of mini-aromatherapeutic experience. NOT.

Second, Herbal Essences boasts that these products are for all hair types. Sure if the entire world were Caucasian or any other race other than African American. My hair felt stripped so I was not too pleased by that. The sad part is I have all natural hair with no chemical relaxer or perms so I expected better results with a product that boasts almost mistake-proof results.

The shampoo tangled my hair so badly I had to add WEN by Chaz Dean to help detangle. The conditioner did nothing special and was not any different than other store brand shampoos. As a matter of fact, Garnier Fructis gave better results.

The mousse was nothing special either (I'm still waiting to see when I'm going to get the so called "Tousled" look)

The only two products that were somewhat useful for me were the Spray Gel and Finishing Cream and that's because they gave me a stiff enough hold to lay my edges down when I pulled my hair back. My daughter is also using the finishing cream to give herself a neater ponytail.

The theory behind these products (layering them for soft tousles that beg to be touched) is grossly overstated. Perhaps a different hair texture may fair better with these products. I definitely don't recommend them to those of African decent.

Lastly, I've always wondered why Herbal Essences is called just that when their products are not very herbal at all...ok maybe 20%. The majority of the ingredients can't even be pronounced.

Usability: Fair
Likability: Fair
Staying Power: Fair

Overall rating out of 10: A 3 - reppin' black people with a tighter curl pattern. Everyone else....you may have to try it for yourself. I was not impressed at all.
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Michelle has an avid interest in beauty products, natural skin care and offering her very opinionated opinion! subscribe to her monthly Skin Naturale Newsletter to receive more great skin care tips like these along with a ton of other goodies.

Tips to Treat Prickly Heat Rash

We are in the middle of summer here in NY and while it's rained almost every day, it's finally starting to get hot. Well with the heat brings things like a nasty little prickly heat rash if you aren't. Oh and heat rash isn't just for babies. I get it on my back and I'm 40...oh yes I told my age! Heat rash is really annoying too. Those little prickly heat bumps itch so much. If I don't treat it, I tend to scratch until I bleed. Gross yes I know.

Here are some simple remedies for heat rash:

1. Wear loose fitted cotton clothing to allow your skin to cool down
2. Take a cool shower and air dry instead of towel drying.
3. Apply a cool rag to any heat rash areas to keep the skin cool
   
4. Use corn starch powder to help relieve the itching and chaffing caused by the heat rash
5. Apply calamine lotion (you know...the gooey pink stuff...no, not the Pepto Bismol LOL)

Whatever you do, don't be a super star like me and ignore the prickly heat rash. Treat it right away. I learned my lesson.

Subscribe to my monthly Skin Naturale Newsletter to receive more great skin care tips like these along with a ton of other goodies.

L'Oreal Extra Volume Collagen Mascara Review

L'Oreal Paris has done a wonderful thing for mascara wearers everywhere. They have recently developed Extra Volume Collagen Waterproof Mascara - honestly one of the best mascaras I've ever used. The packaging is ever so sleek and the mascara lasts all day without any running. I tend to wipe my eyes during the day but I am really pleased that I don't have raccoon eyes by the end of the day!

Product Specs from L'Oreal : Biggest volume builder! Introducing the latest innnovation in mascara technology - Extra Volume Collagen Waterproof Mascara. It's made with hydra-collagen and enhances the thickness of your lashes for up to 12x more impact without any clumps. Our patented brush is 50% bigger so it builds that incredible volume fast. Your lashes will build extra body and extra impact in just one sweep. Available in Black and Blackest Black.

The only thing that struck me was that I didn't see where it gave my eyelashes a more "full" look than L'Oreal's Volumizer mascara. The brush applicator also didn't seem to be that much bigger than the others. These are not negatives, just an observation.

The product overall gets a 9 out of 10 stars because it's simply amazing! I had no clumping problems and at just a little over $6, this product delivers long lasting results.
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Michelle Howard Smith is an avid skin care enthusiast and has made it her mission to provide her completely unbiased opinion on unheard of and popular known beauty products. subscribe to Michelle's monthly Skin Naturale Newsletter to receive more great skin care tips like these.

2 Natural Skin Care Remedies for Cuts

I often talk a lot about caring for the skin by having a proper daily skin care regimen, protecting your skin from the sun and avoiding certain chemicals in your skin care products.

But what happens when you have done all of that and you still have issues??? Skin issues caused by no fault of your own such as heat rash or cuts and bruises?

That's when we go into what I like to call defensive skin care management (sounds like a business continuation plan at a major organization!).

My Defensive skin care management system is simply caring for skin therapeutically with natural skin care remedies. Tea Trea Oil and Aloe Vera are good natural skin care remedies for if you get a
nasty little cut.

Tea tree oil is an essential oil that attacks bacteria, viruses and fungi. Tea Tree oil can be applied directly to a cut and it will encourage healing and scar tissue formation. You don't even need to use a bandage because the cut will start healing naturally with the help of the air.

Aloe Vera is an old time favorite of mine. My mom used to have a lot of aloe plants growing up and whenever we got a cut I would pop open one of the leaves from the plant and put it right on the cut and it would heal up faster. It also works to help sooth minor burns. My poor sister though was allergic. Oh well!
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Michelle Howard Smith is a distributor of Young Living Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils. To purchases essential oils, visit www.youngliving.org with distributor # 1066504. Also, subscribe to Michelle's monthly Skin Naturale Newsletter to receive more great skin care tips like these.