It's your Skinsational News!

Welcome to your May edition of Skinsational topics that will keep your skin looking younger, healthier, and absolutely gorgeous!

Be sure to bookmark the Skin Care Resource Center's Anti-Aging Skin Care Blog and visit us frequently. You don't want to miss out on valuable skin care news or the hints and tips that are published every day!

(. . .and be sure to share the Skinsational News! by forwarding these newsletters along to your friends. Thanks!)

In this issue:

• Featured Article ~ Spring Facial Spa Fling
• Anti-Aging Skin Care Strategies: Beauty is Only Skin Deep
• Your Special "Top Secret" Facial Treat
• Beauty Tip- Reducing Dark Under Eye Circles
• Skin Care Product Review: Anthelios Sunscreen

Creating a decadently luxurious do-it-yourself facial spa experience is ridiculously easy to do and doesn’t have to cost you a thing other than 45 to 60 minutes of your time. And you’ll be so happy because your skin will reward you with a fabulous healthy glow.

You will see wonderful results by combining three very effective skin care spa treatments into one DIY facial experience.

Facial Steam: Start with a facial steaming to open your pores, provide a deep cleansing and to hydrate the skin. Either pull out and dust off your facial steamer or put a pot of water on the stove to boil. (For the later method be sure that the water is barely simmering or you'll risk getting a steam burn!)

I like to add a selection of natural ingredients to provide additional nourishment to the skin. Choose herbs and other ingredients that have natural anti-aging properties, add them to the water and steam your face for up to ten minutes. Lightly pat the excess moisture off your skin. (Don't dry your face completely, it is best to leave your skin slightly damp.)

Exfoliating Scrub: Using an over-the-counter scrub or your favorite homemade scrub recipe, gently rub the surface of your skin in a small circular motion to deeply cleanse and exfoliate away all the dirt and old skin cells that have collected on the surface of the skin.

Facial Mask: Apply your favorite facial mask (according to your skin type) to provide your skin with nutrient rich anti-aging treatment that will not only “feed” your skin but provide essential emollients, nourishment and moisturizing properties to the skin. (Try the Vitamin Rich Avocado Mask recipe included in this newsletter. It is a great all purpose anti-aging skin care recipe for all skin types.)

Rinse well with warm water and pat dry. Your skin will feel wonderfully smooth and have a vibrant healthy glow! Be sure to seal in all the rejuvenating benefits from your spa facial with a light application of a vitamin rich anti-aging moisturizer.

More on DIY Spa Facial Treatments.

How many times have you heard that beauty is only skin deep? The meaning of course alludes to anything perceived as superficial.

Naturally beautiful skin and skin health go far beyond the depth of the skin. One of the best strategies to maintain beautiful, healthy skin is to adopt an anti-aging lifestyle. Every day we all hear more and more about research that confirms the far reaching benefits of adopting an anti-aging lifestyle.

Healthy, youthful looking skin is in part achieved through a healthful lifestyle that includes a well balanced diet, (I like the analogy of eating the colors of the rainbow as the cornerstone of an anti-aging diet), exercise, and the recommended 8 hours of beauty sleep a night.

Learn more about adopting an anti-aging lifestyle.

They also are high in emollient qualities imparted by sterolins which work to heal sun damaged skin, scarring and reduce age spots.

Mixed along with the rejuvenating attributes of sage and grapefruit juice as well as the moisturizing properties of castor oil, this mask provides a bounty of nourishment for any skin type.

Mix together thoroughly:

• 1/2 mashed avocado
• 4 fresh sage leaves finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons grapefruit juice
• 1 drizzle castor oil (just enough to make the mask mixture creamy and easy to apply)

Apply a thin layer of the mixture to the skin and let set for up to 20 minutes. Rinse well with warm water.

More natural facial treatments: Natural Skin Care Recipes

Last month we focused on reducing under eye puffiness. Now let's take a look at tackling another chronic problem; the ever frustrating problem of dark under eye circles.

Vinella posted a number of recommendations that work for her on our skin care forum: Tips for Dark Circles

Because of the variety of reasons that cause dark under eye circles, experimenting with a variety of different strategies and treatments to determine which one(s) will work for you is helpful. For some, a lack of adequate sleep might be the major contributor while for others the tendency towards having dark circles may be a result from allergies or hereditary factors.

Now that the warmer weather is beginning to arrive it's time to put your use of sunscreen into high gear!

As you may know, sun damage is one of the biggest contributors to wrinkles, age spots and a host of other aging skin symptoms. A life long sun prevention plan has been proven over and over again to be the number one strategy everyone can use to ensure healthy, youthful looking skin as they age.

Available to USA markets since the fall of 2006, Anthelios is the first sunscreen to be approved by the FDA in 18 years.

It is a long lasting sunscreen product that incorporates Mexoryl SX, octocrylene and avobensone as sun filter ingredients. Anthelios is actually absorbed into the skin which works to prevent sun damage for extended periods of time so reapplication every hour or two isn’t necessary.

I tried Anthelios when it was first released for sale in the USA and haven’t looked back since. I particularly like the fact that it is odorless, and doesn’t leave that heavy greasy feel on the skin. (Plus, I’m lazy and never seem remember to reapply regular sunscreen products frequently enough. Anthelios eliminates that issue!) More on Anthelios sunscreen.

Be sure to use your sunscreen each and every day!

Next month we will take a look at a variety of other skin care strategies that work to protect and nourish your skin throughout the summer months.

Have a beauty filled day!

Until next month. . .

Have a Skinsational Day,

Sue

P.S. In case you haven't heard the exciting news yet, Sue's popular book, Naturally Skinsational ~ Rejuvenating Skin Care Recipes is now available in paperback on Amazon.com :-) Yeah!

Enjoy!