Lipstick Powder N Paint

July 2007, saw the launch of Alexandra’s Jewels. Based out of New Hampshire, this all-natural skincare line was developed out of concern for what harmful ingredients might be going into our beauty products.

Alexandra Wolf is the woman behind the brand “The use of parabens and other common chemicals in cosmetics are now giving evidence that they cause cancer, especially Breast Cancer. I was convinced all the more that making my skincare line of products earth sustainable was the path for me.”

Two years were spent with formulators developing these specialty skincare products. Each ‘Jewel’ is free of parabens, polypropylene, petroleum jelly and fragrance, and the packaging is recyclable too. No cardboard boxes are used but the sweetest little silver bags to envelope the jewelesque casings.

Alexandra’s Jewels is broken up into two categories – Lip Jewels and Body Jewels. I sampled three products from these collections:

Butter Me Beautiful
This whipped cream is full of antioxidants and contains Shea Butter, Organic Jojoba Oil, and Moringa Oil. Light and fluffy, this product soaked into my skin immediately and left it smooth and soft, without a trace of greasiness.

Sugar Lips Polish
Brown Sugar, Moringa Oil, Shea Butter and Vitamins A, C and Calcium assist to help revive and restore lips. I had to stop myself licking my lips. The aroma from the brown sugar was delicious!

Lip Masque
Made with Shea Butter and Tamanu Oil this lip treatment can be applied before bed or during the day to fight chapped lips. I have been using this for the past couple of nights and have woken up to kissably soft lips.

For more information on Alexandra and her products visit www.alexandrasjewels.com

Q: hi! as a beauty reader that enjoys your blog very much I have a question for you. Whilst going through shoppers drug I happened to notice the Reversa 3-1 Cleanser stuck down below and well hidden away. My question is this I am having problems finding anything about this product and because I need to change the skincare routine I am using (being older you need to change products because they become less effective as you age, I am 53) do know anything about this line? thankx shazza

A: Well thanks Shazza for your question. It is true that your skin is a little different than from your 40s. In your 50s skin starts to show character. As you enter menopause, your skin may feel thinner and more fragile. You may notice more wrinkles and a paler overall skin tone.
Some tips are:
- Hydration is so important. Use a rich, protective moisturizer. Apply a nutrient rich night cream before bed.
- Use a creamy cleanser to assist in hydration of the skin.
- Exfoliate to clear dead skin cells but avoid harsh abrasives.

With regards to Reversa, this brand is manufactured in Canada by Dermtek Pharmaceuticals Ltd and is available at drugstores. I have never tried these products but did some research and everything I read was good. Here is an article I found written by Karen Hall, a well respected journalist. I even found that the Reversa Corrective Night Cream was one one of the top 100 best in Chatelaine’s 2006 Best of Beauty.

Other skincare lines you may wish to take a look at are:

L’Oreal Age Perfect
Olay Regenerist
Dermaglow Nuvectin and
Vichy Liftactiv

Let me know if this is helpful!

Ellen

This is a little different from the products that I usually talk about, but I was so impressed with the new Secret Clinical Strength that I had to share it with you!

With the summer being as warm and muggy as it is, sometimes I find that my current product is not as effective as I would like it to be. When you’re zipping around town for events and meetings you need to feel fresh.

What is kind of odd is that you apply this product at nighttime. Strange I know, but the body is supposedly at its most natural temperature and most receptive to forming a stronger barrier against perspiration in the evening. Who knew?!

This antiperspirant really fights odour, wetness and actually moisturizes. I have the Light and Fresh but it also comes in Powder Protection too. I absolutely love it and will be using it forever more.

Secret Clinical Strength can be found at your local drugstore.