During my recent trainings with Caudalie, I fell even more in love with the company and their philosophy.  In 1993, a young, beautiful couple was giving a tour of their vineyard to Professor Vercauteren, a professor of the Pharmacy Faculty of Bordeaux.  On this tour, the professor had asked the couple what they did with the unused grape seeds from their harvest and proceeded to explain to them how these seeds contained polyphenols, the most powerful antioxidant in the plant world.  With the professor’s anti-aging research, and Mathilde and Bertrand Thomas’ passion for skin care and their vineyard, Caudalie was born.

What most people don’t know about Caudalie is that they were the first company to discover and use stabilized polyphenols in cosmetics.  In addition to this groundbreaking patent, Caudalie also has patents on Resveratrol (which stimulates cellular renewal) and Viniferine (which promotes radiance and treats dark spots).  Another fascinating fact about the company is that they were at the forefront of eco-beauty before it became what it is today.  Their products are free of parabens, phenoxyethanol, mineral oil, artificial colorings or sodium laureth sulfate.  In addition, no ingredients of animal origin are used, products are not tested on animals and a maximum of natural active ingredients can be found in all of their products.

With their devotion to skin care research and the environment, Caudalie has not only grown to be my favorite eco-beauty line, but a part of my life now as well. 

So without further ado, I would love to present to you the THREE prizes I have to offer for Big City Beauty’s End of the Year Giveaway:

First Place

Caudalie Vinotherapie Spa in a Box

Second Place

Caudalie Fleur de Vigne Fresh Energizing Fragrance

Third Place

Caudalie Beauty from the Vine Sample Pack

For a chance to win one of these fabulous prizes, pay close attention to the following:

Big City Beauty is in search of a green charity to partner with.  So I am leaving it up to you guys to help me find the perfect match.  Submit your ideas by clicking here by December 25^th at 11:59pm EST and the top three charities I think will be just right for BCB will be considered for these three prizes.  After I do my own research on these submissions, the winners will be announced on January 1^st, 2010.  And like all contest held here, you must be either a Fan on Facebook or a Follower on Twitter to qualify.  So don’t forget to give me your Facebook or Twitter name with your entry.

The best of luck to you all!  And thank you again for being such wonderful and supportive readers.

Until next time my pretties…  xoxo

P.S. – To book a facial with yours truly in the new year and experience the magic of a Caudalie Vinotherapie Spa Treatment, call 212.265.3182 and request a facial with Lia!

For those of you that are new to the brand Philosophy, this is the perfect starter set for you.  It is an effective skincare line and comes at a completely affordable price.  This set includes Philosophy’s best-selling skincare products all designed to promote radiantly clear and smooth skin.  And coming in fairly large sizes, The Miracle Worker will last long enough for you to see real results.  I highly recommend it to those of you looking to try a new line but don’t want to spend a ton on purchasing an entire skincare regimen.

The Miracle Worker contains:

• 8 oz Purity Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser
• 8 oz The Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash
• 2 oz Hope In A Jar
• 0.5 oz Hope In a Tube
• 1 oz The Microdelivery Peel Crystals
• 1 oz The Microdelivery Peel Gel

Do any of you use Philosophy products?  I’m a huge fan of their body care line and especially their holiday sets. Check out my previous post on another Philosophy holiday gift set I’m definitely picking up!    And head over to Sephora.com to see more from their holiday collections.

Until next time girls and boys…  xoxo

Around this time of year, most of you probably switch up your skin care routine and incorporate more hydrating treatments and facial creams.  Well, that’s great!     Just don’t forget about the skin on your body as well.  Be sure to exfoliate more and look for ingredients like shea butter to soothe rough, dry or chapped skin.

In the early 1980’s, Olivier Baussan, Founder of L’Occitane, made his first trip to Burkina Faso and discovered shea butter.  Since then, L’Occitane has worked with a handful of local women and entrusted them with the secrets of shea butter preparation – which is why shea butter is known as “Women’s Gold.”  As a company, L’Occitane has assisted these women in building a stable future for themselves and their families.

Click here to watch a fascinating video on the production of shea butter in Africa.

L’Occitane’s Moments in Africa Soap Set is a new, limited edition holiday set that benefits not only the women and families of Burkina Faso, but also ORBIS, a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting preventable blindness around the world.  100% of the proceeds are donated to ORBIS through the L’Occitane Foundation.

So take pleasure in these three hand soaps perfumed with essential oils of lemongrass, eucalyptus, and orange and enjoy the carved depictions of these special moments in African life:  The Morning Harvest, The Wedding Day, and Children at Play.  You’ll be doing a good thing not only for your skin, but for others around the world as well.

Click here to see more of L’Occitane’s Shea Butter Collection.

Until next time my beautiful people…  xoxo

Dull skin is usually due to an accumulation of dead skin cells.  When we fail to exfoliate and unveil that more youthful skin underneath, we tend to lose that “glow”.  Well don’t fret, there are so many options out there to help you.  The simplest one I can recommend is to exfoliate!  Find an exfoliant that’s right for you and start off using it 1-2 times per week.  Please keep in mind that overexfoliating can be very damaging to the skin so you could be doing more harm than good.  Steer clear of those overly abrasive exfoliators like St. Ives Apricot Scub.  Now I know everybody on the planet has probably used that one, but its way too much for the delicate skin on your face.  Scrubs like that can actually cause tears in the skin and really do a lot more damage than simply removing the dead skin cells that lie on top.  Overstimulation of the skin can also lead to breakouts.  So depending on your skin’s sensitivity, stay on the lookout for scrubs with soft rounded beads (a gentler option) or scrubs with grounded seeds (a more abrasive option).

Now on top of preventing a buildup of cells, you want to make sure you’re treating your skin to the best serums and moisturizers to keep the growing cells healthy.  All of this combined is what brings about that youthful, radiant glow.  Sephora has just launched 5 new limited edition sets for the holidays (can you believe its that time already?) and I have found the perfect one for all of you concerned with dullness.  Sephora Favorites Radiant Skin Regimen Deluxe Sampler contains deluxe-sized samples of top brand products that are guaranteed to keep you looking young and fresh this holiday season.

Sephora Favorites Radiant Skin Regimen Deluxe Sampler includes:

• 1 oz Bliss Fabulous Foaming Face Wash
• 1.35 oz Cosmedicine Medi-Morphosis Self Adjusting Exfoliator
• 0.5 oz Perricone Advanced Face Firming Activator
• 0.23 oz DDF Wrinkle Resist Plus Pore Minimizer Moisturizing Serum
• 0.24 oz Kinerase C8 Peptide Intensive Treatment
• 0.14 oz Murad Essential-C Eye Cream SPF15
• 0.4 oz Philosophy Hope in a Jar
• 1 oz Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion
• 0.5 oz Peter Thomas Roth Max Sheer All Day Moisture Defense Lotion

Doesn’t it sound amazing?  And at a value of $143 for $38, you seriously CAN’T beat it!  Mine is already on its way in the mail.  I can’t wait!  Make sure you guys check out all the other value sets at Sephora as well.  They’ll make great stocking stuffers for those you love, even if that means stuffing your own! 

A PhotoFacial is an anti-aging treatment that reduces hyperpigmentation, redness, fine lines, and wrinkles through a form of intense pulsed light that safely penetrates all levels of the skin.  It results in a more youthful appearance and normally requires little to no downtime.  Most PhotoFacial treatments start at $1500 for a series and are usually offered at medi-spas.  Now I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t have that much money growing off my money tree.  So when Kinerase came out with PhotoFacials Sun Damage Reversal System Introductory Kit, an at home treatment for $100, I was super excited.

Kinerase PhotoFacials Sun Damage Reversal System Introductory Kit is an at-home system that features three products that reverse the signs of sun damage in as little as four weeks.  The set contains an Exfoliating Cleanser (to be used AM and PM), a Day Moisturizer with SPF 50 (yippee!), and a Night Moisturizer.  Instead of using intense pulsed light, these products are packed with active ingredients that replicate the benefits of an in-office procedure.  This system is truly worth every penny is the perfect way to reverse the damages of summers past.  Just keep in mind that everybody will experience different results.  The more damage you have, the more drastic the results will be.

Until next time guys…  xoxo

So today I wanted to give you another tip on battling cellulite (I told you it was going to be a continuous one).  This at home recipe goes perfect in conjunction with Caudalie’s all-natural, anti-cellulite concentrate I told you about last week.  Plus its fun making your own concoctions at home isn’t it?  I’ve always been a little scientist ever since I was a little girl so I definitely think so. 

The following treatment is a great firming scrub that contains coffee beans (renowned as an anti-cellulite agent) to help detoxify and tighten the skin.  Combined with sugar and coconut, it also helps to exfoliate, reduce fine lines, and fend off acne.  Macadamia or olive oil is great for deep hydration while essential oils help to wake up your senses.  Gentle enough for every day use, this scrub will leave your skin silky smooth and will appear virtually dimple free.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups cane sugar
• ¼ cup ground coffee beans
• ¼ cup shredded coconut
• ¾ cup macadamia nut oil or olive oil
• 1 tsp. honey
• 3-5 drops essential oil of choice

Directions:

1. Mix sugar, ground coffee beans, coconut, and oil in a bowl until fully combined.  Add honey followed by the essential oil.
2. Transfer the mixture to a plastic container with a lid. (The scrub will keep for 1 to 2 weeks sealed at room temperature.)
3. Rub a generous scoop of the scrub over your arms, legs, stomach, chest, and bottom, scrubbing medium to hard depending on your sensitivity.
4. Rinse off in the shower under warm to hot water, ensuring the sugar crystals disintegrate completely.  Pat dry to allow the oils to soak into your soft, glowing skin.

Note: Those with very sensitive skin may wish to use pure cane sugar because it is less abrasive than raw.

Try this one out and let me know what you guys think.  It smells absolutely fabulous and is a great way to start your day!  There’s nothing better than the smell of coffee to get you going.  Plus this treatment doesn’t even cost you any calories like a cup of joe would!  How great is that?  Well, unless you eat it of course! 

Until next time ladies…  xoxo

*Recipe courtesy of spamagazine.com

Not only was the restaurant great, but the company we spent it with was just as amazing as well.  I had the pleasure of meeting the wife of one of my boyfriend’s business associates who actually is the heart of this post today.  At the end of our lovely meal, this wonderful woman pulled out two little sachets as a gift to both my boyfriend and myself.  She mentioned that she always makes a little gift for people she knows she is meeting for the first time.  I was so touched by her selfless act that I just had to tell you all about it here on BCB.  Inside our sachets was hand made jewelry that she had created herself and a beautiful piece made of larimar stone.  Larimar is a rare stone found only in the Dominican Republic and represents peace and clarity, emitting an energy of healing and love.  It a beautiful stone and I will always remember this beautiful woman for it.

Now throughout our dinner we carried on many conversations but one that stuck out in particular was what this lovely woman did for her own skin.  I wish I had a picture to show you but this older woman did not have a single wrinkle on her face!  She had gorgeously healthy looking skin.  She told us a story about this 60 year old woman she had met when she was younger who looked no older than 25.  She asked the woman what her secret was and the woman told her olive oil.  From then on, my new friend used olive oil on her face daily!  Little did she know that olive oil truly is a beauty secret that has been around for centuries.

Here are some different ways olive oil (a natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory) can give you an all over beauty treatment:

• Mix ¼ cup of virgin olive oil (to hydrate and protect the skin) with 1 egg white (to nourish and tighten the skin) and apply the mixture as a mask to the face and neck to help smooth, tighten, and hydrate.
• Mix 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil (to loosen layers of dead skin) and ¼ cup of sugar to slough away rough spots like the elbows and knees.  Can also be used with a coarse salt all over the body to tone and stimulate the skin, while keeping it hydrated.
• Pure olive oil can be used to keep hair soft and tangle free by applying to the hair and scalp and left overnight.  Follow with a great shampoo the next morning for frizz free locks.
• Take care of neglected tootsies by dipping your feet into warm olive oil for a few minutes and buffing them with coarse salt, and rinse.
• Apply olive oil all over to soften dry, irritated skin and to treat sunburns after spending a day at the beach
• For a quick treatment to tame frizzy hair and fly-aways, apply a few drops to your hands and comb through hair with your fingers.

If you have any other olive oil tricks, please comment and share with us your experiences!  And if you’d like to see more useful home remedies, click here and check out this awesome book.

Until next time everyone…  xoxo

Well Dr. Dennis Gross, a renowned New York dermatologist, has created that product.  MD Skincare Alpha Beta Daily Face Peel 30 Day Supply does not actually peel the skin but instead provides a gentle, “microscopic” exfoliation that is safe enough to use every day.  This two-step process combines five Alpha Hydroxy Acids and Beta Hydroxy Acids at low concentrations to give a more gentle but effective treatment.  In addition to the exfoliating acids in the treatment are green tea extract, genistein (a firming ingredient derived from soy), and retinol.  All of these help yield an improved and luminous look.  These little pads that come as a treatment in Step 1 and a neutralizer in Step 2 literally take only two minutes of your day but give you a smoother, firmer, more even complexion over time.  And it all can go down in your very own home!

Check out this podcast by Dr. Gross himself speaking on the Alpha Beta Daily Face Peel.

I myself have tried this product and fell in love with it from the very first application.  The treatment comes in either a 30- or 60-day supply.  It is so simple to use and the results I saw were instant.  My skin felt like porcelain!  I was amazed.  Not only did my skin instantly feel smooth, but my skin tone evened out over time as well.  The product yielded such great results with my own skin, that I decided to investigate more of the MD Skincare line.

So yesterday we talked about my battle with bacne.  Well guess what?  Not only does Dr. Gross make the Alpha Beta Daily Face Peel, but he also makes one for the body.  It is with MD Skincare Alpha Beta Daily Body Peel that I was able to overcome the hyperpigmentation that resulted from my horrible habit of picking at my back.  Not only did my dark spots fade, but the texture of my back smoothed out as well.  I am a true fan of Dr. Gross’ products and I highly recommend you trying some of them out as well!

Until next time ladies…  xoxo

So who here has any nervous habits?  I know I am guilty of having a few!  Aside from biting my lips, I have a tendency to start picking at my back.  I know it’s not the most attractive habit but its something that I’ve done for as long as I can remember.  Whenever I’m faced with a stressful situation, I go right for the shoulders and upper back.  It’s physically natural to tense up in that area during times of stress, so maybe that has something to do with my habit.  But the aftermath of this gesture is not something I am too pleased about.  In fact, it ends up making the situation worse.  I end up with BACNE!

Bacne, or acne of the back, occurs when pores are clogged with skin cells and oil is unable to properly escape.  This causes an inflammation of the skin resulting in acne.  For some people, bacne can be a very frustrating and embarrassing condition.  In the past, I had tried getting back facials.  Now these treatments definitely helped to clear up my problems at the time, but I was looking for something to maintain a clear back when I didn’t have time to run to my esthetician.  I was introduced to Murad Clarifying Body Spray 4.3 oz a few years ago and still find it to be the most effective over the counter treatment for bacne.  This product contains agents that fight propionibacterium acne, the bacteria that causes acne.  It also contains Retinol and Salicylic acid, which helps to keep the pores open by gently exfoliating the buildup of dead skin cells.  By killing surface bacteria, this spray heals existing blemishes while preventing new ones from popping up.  The best part about this product is that it is made with a revolutionary 360° spray that works upside down so that you can get those hard to reach spots.

I recommend using this product daily after cleansing your skin.  It can be used up to three times a day but you should start off with using it only once a day as the product may dry out your skin with overuse.   Murad Clarifying Body Spray dries quickly, has a cooling effect, and doesn’t leave a sticky residue.  It does initially have a medicinal smell but this goes away very quickly in a matter of seconds.

This product is perfect for the summer when your skin tends to be oilier and you’re dying to get into those tank and halter tops.  Please just make sure you are following up with a moisturizer and SPF if you are going to be in the sun.  Any exfoliation of the skin leaves the skin vulnerable to those damaging UV rays.  So like I know you would anyway, please put on that SPF!

Until next time everybody…  xoxo