fun in the sun...

When the sun is high and the weather is hot a good sunscreen is needed. Korres is great as I mentioned before. My latest favorite, as mentioned by Angelina as well, is Dr. Hauschka mineral sunscreen. Mineral sunscreen sits on the top of the skin instead of being absorbed which many believe can be harmful because of all the chemicals in sunscreen. Available in a range of SPF and as a spray as well. Order here are receive two free Dr. Hauschka trial sizes. Offer available until June 30th.

guest blogger Angelina...

Angelina, founder and buyer for Beklina speaks about her green boutique and her some of her favorite beauty finds. Visit Beklina the blog as well...

Beklina is a small family run boutique in Northern California. Comforted by nature, inspired by design, Beklina is passionate about living at the harmonious crossroads of the two. We hand select the best available in sustainable style. Our fashion is modern organic, reflecting Northern California's grace and beauty. Beklina believes clothing and design can be precious, radical, nurturing, healing and wonderful.

Here are some of my favorite beauty products:

The best sunscreen ever....

All of the products I love smell wonderful. I can't stand synthetic fragrance, only real plant oils for me. My nose always knows too!

Weleda has a wonderful line and their deodorants are amazing. The double as perfume, but all natural for sensitive noses.

I also love the Pangea Organic line. Their lip balm is always a nice treat anytime of day. Egyptian Fennell is my favorite.

Oh and we also recommend always having a hat on hand in Summer. Here's a great easy-to-pack carefree hat that we love. Available at Beklina.

orange is the smell of summer...

New York City has reached the 80's and I finally get to bare some shoulder. This morning I applied the Sweet Orange body sunscreen by Korres. The scent is light and sweet, the texture absorbs well and I came home without tan lines. If you are looking for a good sunscreen for your body and face I highly recommend. Ideal for sensitive skin and water resistant. Another wonderful product by Korres.

products with great fruity ingredients...

I came across this wonderful company from Hawaii, Bubble Shack. They use fair trade Shea Butter for the lotions, organic ingredients, and because of the high content of aloe vera this makes for a great after-sun lotion. The scent is wonderful, rich and natural.

I previously mentioned the new line by Tarte cosmetics featuring products loaded with their special blend, t5 super fruit complex. Featuring Acai, the super berry from Brazil. Pictured above is the natural cheek stain in Full Blossom. Presevative-free, paraban free, mineral-oil free and phthalate free. Available now at Sephora.

Another deliciously scented creme is the Mangosteen body lotion from Fresh. High in antioxidants and made with Shea Butter, a wonderful blend for dry skin right after those winter baths!

expert skincare advice on pores...

Dr. Mah Hussain-Gambles Ph.D, the natural skincare specialist who created the aforementioned and remarkable skin care range Saaf, has much to offer the generally beauty industry disillusioned:

Primarily, a gentler, evidence-based approach to skin care that transcends outrageous beauty marketing claims and emphasizes instead what has consistently worked over her fifteen plus years of research and treating people homeopathically.

Here Dr. Mah offers us some clear insight about pores!

According to Dr. Mah there are four main factors affecting the size and overall appearance of your pores:

1. GENETICS- those with oily thicker skin tend to have larger looking pores and those with drier skin likely have pores that are hardly noticeable.

2. DIET- a diet rich in oily and fatty food promotes over production of sebum.

3. AGING- as we age, our pores appear larger due to a build up of dead cells around the pore. As collagen breaks down and production of collagen slows, the supportive structures surrounding cells looks stretched.

4. SUN DAMAGE- sun damage is linked with enlarged pores by thickening the rim of the cells around individual pores thereby creating an enlarged appearance.

A REMEDY? Dr. Mah urges us to keep skin exfoliated, the pores clear, and to remember gently does it-- using a soft Muslin cloth rather than harsh dermabrasion to exfoliate since irregular exfoliant granules will actually damage skin with long term use. Finally, she reminds us to reduce sun damage by ALWAYS using a sunscreen and make sure to be adequately hydrated so as to avoid 'compensatory' over production of oil.