Beauty Babble : One Beauty Product That You Can't Live Without

I like beauty blogging, and it is something that I truly enjoy. But as much as I love it, I also feel frustrated occasionally when I don't know what to blog about. This is when magazines and books come in handy. Often, I find inspirations from reading others' works.

Real Simple was launched in March 2000 with the goal to help and provide information to busy women who are looking to maintain easier life. The magazine offers a variety of contents, ranging anything from cooking recipes to fashion ideas. The latest issue of Real Simple, which hits newsstands on February 8, is all about affordable spring beauty. As soon as I got my hands on a copy, I flip through it immediately. This issue is very informative and interesting, so today's post is inspired by one of the articles in the magazine.

The articled entitles "What is the one beauty product that you can't live without? asks its readers to  reveal one stable product in their makeup bags. I am not surprised that some of my favorites made it onto the list.

Smith's Rosebud Salve ($6) : One of my stables. I double this as a lip balm and a night treatment for my dry lips. With such an inexpensive price, you really can't go wrong with this. You can find it on Sephora website or in stores (near the cash registers). If dipping your fingers into a tin sounds too nasty, the product also comes in a new tube packaging.

Aussie Sprunch Catch the Wave hair spray ($4.99) : I have recently started to used this Australian brand, and it has many high quality products at very affordable prices. If you are going for the natural curls, give this a try, and you won't be disappointed. 

Clinique facial soap bar ($11) : If you haven't tried its 3-steps system yet, you are missing out. Clinique offers 3 levels, extra mild, mild, oily, so anyone can find one that fits their skin. I recommend getting the 3 steps together for the maximum benefits.

Vaseline petroleum jelly : A product that every lady needs to have in their purse. This multi-purpose product will come in handy, and it won't hurt your wallet. It works wonders on dry skins and can be also used as a lip brush cleanser. Yes, you hear me right. I've talked about this in my makeup brush cleansing routine post. This can be found at different drug stores at various prices.

Bare Escentuals BareMinerals powder foundation ($25) : I love power foundations because they are easy to apply and save you lots of time on days when you are in a rush. Bare Minerals' original foundation has a great formula and gives you amazing coverage. The SPF 15 is perfect for indoor, although a bit lacking for the whole day. If you have oily skin like I do, I recommend you to try its matte formula. It is perfect to keep shine away and helps cover large pores so it is one of my favorites. See my review for more details.

It's good to know that some of the ladies out there have a similar taste for beauty as I do. The article obviously has a much longer list; I simply pointed out products that I personally have tried and love. If I have to answer the question, my pick for the one product that I can't live without (and I really mean it) will be face wash. I can go days without makeups or shower ( I really prefer not to though) but I can't stay not washing my face. My pick for a good face cleanser would either the Clinique Liquid Facial Soap ($15) or the Philosophy Purity Made Simple ($20 - 8 oz).

For more information on spring trends and bargain beauty deals, check out the Marsh issue of Real Simple. Now, I want to ask the same question to you. Comment below to let me know what is your one stable product.

Disclosure : This post contains products that were sent to Sparkle Midori by companies and PR agencies for blog consideration. Sparkle Midori does not receive money compensation and is not affiliated with any sponsors. Reviews are our honest opinions from personal experiences with the products and are not affected by any companies or PR agencies. For more information on this, please see our Review Policy.

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Beauty Babble : Taking Care Your Feet Could Be Dangerous

When it comes to makeups and skincare, I believe that educating ourselves is very important, so that we don't just blindly follow raves. One easy way to do this is the internet. Usually, I spent at least some time every week to try to read news articles and blog posts about cosmetics. The beauty world is constantly being updated and changed. I find myself lost if I don't try to keep up with all the new things. On top of this, internet provides a good way for me to receive first hand news, so that I can share them with my readers.

A while ago after reading a news article, I wrote about the possible negative consequences of using cosmetic products made with nanotechnology (click here to read). Today, while I was browsing online, I came across another news article that brought to me some shocking news.

I'm sure many of us have used face masks before, but recently, foot masks had quickly became a popular skincare trend, especially in Asia. Just like how some facial masks work, most foot masks claim to get rid of dead skin on your feet and make your feet soft and nice. Most of them contain Salicylic Acid, which are widely used in skincare products, especially to treat acnes. However, Salicylic Acid have to be used really carefully because overdose of it is toxic. This is why many governments have strict rules to the amount of Salicylic Acid that can be used in cosmetic products. 

Recently, Taiwan's Public Health Bureau received complaints that some consumers got their feet burned after using foot masks, so the department conducted random tests on 3 of the most popular foot masks on the market. 

The result is shocking. All 3 foot masks' PH level is abnormal, and all 3 has higher than recommended level of Salicylic Acid, which can cause inflamed skin or even burn your feet. The department recommends that consumers be careful when purchasing foot masks until further tests can be conducted on these masks.

This news is so shocking to me because personally, I have actually used 2 of the foot masks that are mentioned in the article. Luckily, I didn't have any bad reactions to them. But I want to share this news with my readers because I know many people had or are interested in foot masks. I stopped using foot masks after trying the 2 kinds because I felt they are too strong to my skin. Plus, when they claim to get rid of your dead skin, it literally means that. After soaking your feet in the masks for an hour, you rinse it off. After several days, you will notice that skin start to peel off of your feet. It was kind of nasty because I like to wear sandals, but my skin was peeling off like I had some kind of skin disease on my feet, so I stopped. 

I would be really interested to see how further tests on these foot masks would turn out. Before that, I would just recommend people to hold off from using them. There are so many other ways to achieve soft skin on our feet, but we don't need to risk our skin getting burned. Has everyone used foot masks before? What are your thoughts on them? I'd love to hear what you guys thinks.

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Beauty Babble: Second Thought About Advance Technology And Beauty

I've noticed that more and more beauty products nowadays advertise that they are produced with nanotechnology.

More about the idea : Nanotechnology, shortened to "nanotech", is the study of the controlling of matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally nanotechnology deals with structures sized 100 nanometers or smaller in at least one dimension, and involves developing materials or devices within that size.

Nanotechnology is commonly used to break down particles into extremely small units. It is widely integrated in cosmetic productions these days due to the popular belief that the tinier the particles in a skincare product are, the higher ability that products has to penetrate our skin, and thus leads to more effective benefits. However, a recent research study conducted by an university in Taiwan concluded that nano particles may cause damages to our lungs because these particles are a lot smaller than normal particles in the air. They irritate our lungs and may cause damages to lung tissues and may also leads to fluid accumulation. In addition, it can lead to impaired gas exchange and may cause respiratory failure.

The research study's experimental group (the group that breathed in nano particles) appeared to have lung infections due to the irritation from the particles. It also proved that even just skin contact could lead to similar negative effects.

This is very shocking because so many beauty products these days are made with nanotechnology, and even myself was a believer in nano products. But now, I really need to rethink about these products. This is definitely an alert and wake up call that advance technology does not necessarily mean positive results. Hopefully more studies can be done on this topic. This will definitely add a twist to the beauty world, and I am looking forward to see how cosmetic companies respond to this.

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