IMAGINE putting this on your face:

• harmful xenoestrogens
• dangerous preservatives
• bio-accumulative/free-radical creating chemical sunscreens
• coal tars
• phthalates
•  formaldehyde-releasing substances
• chemical scents
• petroleum substances and mineral oil
• chemical penetrants like propylene glycol & 1, 4- dioxane, and other chemicals ending in "-eth"
• heavy wax-coated cheap fillers like bismouth oxychloride
• aluminum powder and other metal by-products that cut into the skin
• talc
• alcohol
• Carmine red derived from beetles, and chemical dyes
• Triclosan, verified dangerous antimicrobial
• Silicones and anything ending in "-siloxane, or "-methicone"

If you are using commercial foundations, chances are what you are reading above is what can be found in most OTC/retail mineral makeup and foundations. I'm amazed at the gunk and minerals I see packed in my clients' and patients' pores from some of these makeups! Under high magnification and under the SkinScope, it is practically upsetting to see how deleterious these products can be. It takes very deep cleansing treatments to really rid the skin of this build-up; generally not something you can do at home. Combine it with the wrong hydrators, moisturizers and the wrong homecare products, it becomes a gunky-mess which contributes to all kinds of skin issues. Large pores happen for many reasons, but consider one of the reasons: Those ear-lobe stretching 'earrings' called gauges stretch the lobe wider and wider. If you continually have something occupying the opening of your pores and staying there, it causes enlargement of the pore. Add other skin damaging factors and the pore wall breaks-down and becomes lose and flaccid.  Many people have skin texture similar to orange peel due to this and other factors. You probably are seeing a lot of media (HYPE) about BB and CC creams. Just like a GOOD multi-vitamin, it is IMPOSSIBLE to cram all the 'good' into one tablet; and in the case of facial products, you cannot cram everything in one cream. Also, some substances shouldn't be combined with others as they will not absorb as well in a concoction. Big-name brands are manufactured in GIGANTIC volumes, loaded with inexpensive, hormone-disrupting preservatives because no one knows the shelf life, handling & storage, and distribution of it. Large quantity of inexpensive harmful/irritating mineral are used for effect, and price point. You are paying not for ingredients per se, but multi-million dollar advertising and marketing. Testing on finished products are not always performed, as long as the INDIVIDUAL ingredients used are FDA approved. Think about the free-radical (aging/cell-damaging) causing concoctions these chemical foundations could potentially cause. Imagine a foundation that is actually a soothing NOURISHING TREATMENT for your skin that gives you soft-focus coverage, hydrates, heals, and protects without the chemicals listed above. Plus, has a naturally intrinsic sun protective effect between 10-20% SPF without chemical sunscreens* added. Too good to be true? No! Skinplicity is happy to announce that it will carry private-label natural/organic, 'clean' makeup. Soon to be available in-house: liquid foundations, mineral veils/setting powder/finishing powder, blush, bronzer, and eyeshadow. Do this little foundation test: put a drop of your liquid foundation on a sheet of copy paper. Wait overnight and look at the 'oil ring' around the pigmented area. But, your label reads oil-free!? It is a little poetic license where manufacturers can state the product is oil-free when all it means is it does not contain MINERAL oil. There are still pore-clogging ingredients that are waxy, greasy, oily, and you'd never realize it because they are under the aforementioned suffixes of: -ates, -eths, -cones, -siloxanes, etc. Skinplicity labels won't read like a chemical formula, and will be easy to read and understand. The ingredients are safe, simplistic, natural, and truly kind to your skin. Most every foundation has a little bit of oil in it, which provides adhesion and slip, as well has to hold in moisture (not to create it); but will not aggravate the skin, might lessen oil production, and protect the skin from environmental factors. My products have natural ingredients such as:

• Jojoba oil - very close in texture and pH to skin's natural sebum (oil), generally comfortable for even oily/acneic skin. Not actually an oil, but a triglyceride, it is so close molecularly to natural sebum, it may even signal pores not to produce any more oil in excess.
• Carrot seed oil - a natural source of Beta Carotene/Vitamin A,  free- radical scavenger. Helps keep the skin cells turning over properly.
• Aloe - soothing/hydrating/anti-inflammatory/healing
• Vitamin E - antioxidant,  free-radical scavenger, may slow down aging
• MSM - an natural sulfur compound which is responsible for keeping the skin elastic, improves wound healing and proper scar formation, creates healthier skin cell walls enabling the skin to detoxify and exchange waste and nutrients properly, keeps skin smooth, and helps improve acneic skin. Water-soluble, it will flush out any excess within 12 hours taking toxins out with it.
• DMAE - an anti-aging antioxidant that addresses the cause, not the symptoms, of loss of firmness by triggering  a muscle toning/firmness substance called acetylcholine to be released. It strengthens the cell walls from aging by keeping it healthy.

Keep an eye out for my next newsletter with more information and special introductory savings on these products.

  * Not to be used in place of a natural sunscreen