women Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Enhance What's YoursEnhance What's Yours

Posted on June 12, 2013

Carmex Lip balm: For dry lips

Dry lips have never been a huge problem for me growing up, I mean let’s face it, what are the chances of someone with oily skin actually ending up with dry lips as well? Life isn’t that bad! But, (there’s always a but) I did go through a stage in my life where I was mad about using Vaseline’s pocket size lip balm. I thought their packaging was cute, I thought it was great that I could choose from a range of colors and their scents were absolutely gorgeous! sounds like heaven right?

Far from it!

This so called ‘Lip Therapy’ balm was actually the cause of my dry lips because from the moment I started using it, I found my lips getting a lot drier than usual.

So that’s when I did some research and discovered that petroleum jelly (the main ingredient in Vaseline) does not moisturize your lips (or any part of your body for that matter) what it does is, it creates a barrier over your skin that protects it from losing moisture and although I’m grateful for that, this product still didn’t tick all the boxes, it just wasn’t enough!

I then decided to be a bit daring by going for something I wouldn’t normally go for: Carmex lip balm and that was by far the best decision I have ever made (I’m speaking for my lips here!)

This product ‘soothes, relieves and moisturizes’ and thanks to the natural moisturizers it contains i.e cocoa butter and lanolin, you will have healthy looking lips in no time! Because it’s such a great moisturizer, it doesn’t need to be put on as often as others. I tend to use mine right after the shower and then again two or three later on in the day (sometimes even more because of that tingly feeling you get from it! very cool and refreshing!)

This product comes in either a jar or a tube,you also have a few flavors to choose from. I’ve somehow gotten used to the smell of the original one, but if you can’t, then you could always go for the cherry/strawberry flavor (best part is, they contain SPF 15!!)

Have you used any of these products before? If not, What’s your go-to lip balm?

Please comment below and share!

Thanks for reading my post 🙂

Facebook Instagram Twitter

Posted on May 30, 2013

Thermal Water

product review/ Youthful Skin

I’ve always thought that hot bottles were a great idea! You feel cold, heat up some water, put it in you bottle and voila! you instantly feel warm! I thought, who ever came up with that is a genius…… and then I thought, well maybe not! why don’t cold water bottles exist?? I mean we don’t have too many options when we’re too warm, and the ones we currently have, never get the job done quite right!

Well let me tell you, that very thought escaped me ever so quickly, after having used one of the most refreshing summer products that are presently out there : thermal water

Thermal water is a miracle water which essentially soothes and refreshes your face with a single spray! Now I haven’t gone crazy yet so this isn’t all in my head, the reason why thermal water has the ability to do this is because it comes from the untouched waters (untouched by humans anyways) of the beautiful glaciers and lakes of France. Meaning it’s filled with essential minerals and nutrients that you would never find in still water, or better yet, tap water.

What better substance to put on your face than one that has been untouched by humans in a multi-mineral environment?

The debate between La Roche Posay thermal water and Avene thermal water will always be ongoing, as both French brands are absolutely amazing! (leave it to the French to perfect something as simple as water!) and believe it or not, but both products are equally effective!

So why should you include this in your hand luggage?

One reason being that there is nothing worse than travelling while you’re too warm. You’re flushed, you feel like you’re sweating and you just want to shower really! What can be worse than that? Well how about arriving to your destination without freshening up at all!? that really sounds like a nightmare for me, one that could and should be avoided with a travel size thermal water spray.

It’s a simple solution! All you do is spray this directly on you’re face 2 to 3 times a day, especially when you start feeling warm. No rest room required, no mirror required, nada! After a few spritz and you will instantly feel your skin coming back to life! Also, the French have soooo much respect for their wine, so you could only imagine how much respect they have for something as natural and pure as thermal water!

For me it all comes down to packaging, I have yet to see a travel size thermal spray by La Roche Posay, so if you’re ad bad as me with kilos, then I suggest you get the travel size Avene one which is just under 7euro! If you’re willing to give this miracle water some extra space in your bag, then why not go for La Roche Posay! Just remember you will be storing this in a fridge so not too sure how good a big bottle would look in one!

Have you tried any of the three in the picture above? If so, what do you make of it?

Here are a few reviews you could check out:

http://www.makeupalley.com/product/showreview.asp/ItemId=16027/Thermal_Water/Avene_/Skincare_-_Face

http://www.skinstore.com/p-9468-avene-thermal-spring-water.aspx

http://www.aveneusa.com/thermal-spring-water/

http://www.cherrysuedointhedo.com/2012/05/thermal-spring-water-its-very-many-uses.html

Facebook Instagram Twitter

Posted on May 19, 2013

Not so guilty pleasure: Dark Chocolate

Guilty Pleasures/ Nutrition

I never thought I’d ever see the day I’d praise something that I don’t even enjoy eating! It’s not very like me to recommend the things I don’t like, but I guess I’d have to be fair once and a while so my promise to you is that I will not impose any of my personal feelings towards dark chocolate in this post (not intentionally anyways), instead, I will just give you cold hard facts on the benefits of consuming dark chocolate!

Just so we’re on the same page, I must say that if you really want to enjoy the health benefits of dark chocolate then you would have to be looking at the ones that contain over 70% cacao; the darker the chocolate, the less sugar and milk it contains and the closer it is to cacao, the secret behind it’s health benefits.

Cacao is probably one of the main sources of health benefits from the consumption of dark chocolate. The reason being that it produces neurotransmitters in the brain such as dopamine and serotonin which are associated with feelings of well-being and happiness…..

Do you see where I’m going with this???

It’s a natural anti-depressant! So don’t be afraid to indulge yourself with a bit of 70%+ if you’re feeling kinda down!

Alright so now you’re thinking, ”it might help me with my mood and I wouldn’t feel as down if I take a few squares of it, but what about the fat? Isn’t it as fattening as all the other chocolates out there???” I’m afraid not!! The fat that is in dark chocolate comes primarily from plants so it would be a lot healthier for you. It contains the fatty acid that is also found in olive oil and this promotes antioxidant activity and also prevents heart disease. So as long as you look for a dairy-free bar (which would contain more of the bad fat), I can assure you that you have nothing to worry about if you’re taking these in small doses!

What about the beauty benefits?

Dark chocolate contains an antioxidant called flavinoid which are usually found in plants such as the cacao plant. These bad boys are associated with the anti-aging effects in the skin and the flavinoid found in dark chocolate are greater than the antioxidants found in some berries. So if you’re feeling guilty about passing on the fruit salad the other day, you can forgive yourself!

Lastly, these flavinoids also absorb UV light which helps protect your beautiful skin from the sun. It also increases blood flow to the skin which improves your complexion and keeps your skin well hydrated.

Now that you know that dark chocolate isn’t all that bad, you no longer have to make this a secret pleasure. Just remember, the more bitter the chocolate, the higher the cacao content and the better it is for you! 🙂

If you’re not convinced, here’s a few more articles that you can read:

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/benefits-of-chocolate

http://www.rd.com/health/healthy-eating/3-health-benefits-of-dark-chocolate/

http://www.naturalnews.com/031959_dark_chocolate_antioxidants.html

Facebook Instagram Twitter

Posted on May 1, 2013

Guilty pleasure #1: Caffeine

Appearance/ Guilty Pleasures/ Nutrition

Something tells me that there’s a few coffee worshipers out there who are now dreading to read the rest of this post. Not to worry, I’ll keep this as short as I can (which isn’t always easy for me to do, but I’ll try my best!)

We all know the list of foods/drinks which contain this addictive drug(yes it’s a drug,don’t look so surprised!). The list is endless really, to name a few, coffee, energy drinks and chocolate would be the most common sources of caffeine. Since my new respect for chocolate has motivated me to write a POSITIVE ”guilty pleasure” post on it, I’ll leave chocolate out (For the most part anyways) and instead, I’ll focus on the other two (bare in mind that I’m a recovering coffee addict so there’s no judging here….)

Now, I can go on and on about how the consumption of coffee and energy drinks increase health problems for both male and female, how they increases blood pressure which leads to heart problems or how they both contribute to blood sugar problems. But that really isn’t my focus. (And I’m not exactly your doctor!)

My primary focus is on beauty (Surprise surprise!!) and here are the main reasons why I think you should avoid taking these products:

1.It speeds up the aging process.
Caffeine accelerates aging because it contributes to the decline in the production of hormones that are usually produced ‘in riches’ during youth. As well as this, it dehydrates your body which sucks all the water from your skin cells and as a result it causes wrinkles and sagging.

2.It affects sleeping patterns.
Because caffeine is a stimulant, it keeps you awake for longer which in turn makes you sleep less, and as Sleeping Beauty already informed us, no sleep takes a toll on your overall appearance and reflects very badly on your face.

Still not convinced? Well how about this one…..

3.Say Cheese!
This alone should be a reason to cut down! Not only is it visible on your face, but too much coffee/energy drinks reflects very badly on your teeth!! You might think that by adding milk or cream to your coffee, you would prevent your teeth from staining,but sorry to burst your little bubble there but white coffee would still contain the same pigments and acids as black so it doesn’t really make much of a difference!

Now that that’s all said and done, I’ll let you go enjoy your cuppa. After all, coffee addicts have always been the toughest to crack! Just don’t say you weren’t warned though!

Hope you enjoyed reading my post. Feel free to comment below 🙂

Facebook Instagram Twitter