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One morning in Harlem, Mr. Langston
Hughes, Harlem Renaissance poet, stuck
his head out the window and said,
"spring kissed me bang in the face."
After three months of hats, scarves, and
gloves, you know the feeling. Throw open
the windows, cleanse the fetid air - and
take a look in the mirror. It’s time to
let go of that winter pallor and get a
grip on spring.
Clean the closets - and then scrub your
face, and your body, with some of our
current favorite products.
It’s that time of year when the birds
start singing and the boys are back in
circulation.
It’s time for you to put on your pretty
face and get yourself some spring
kissing. Or to paraphrase Mr. Hughes,
"Bang your kissing face into spring."
Jurlique: Purely Age-Defying Facial
Serum
Have you ever wandered through a garden
in spring - say, the Central Park
Conservatory, for example - and felt the
life force of every plant emanating all
around you? Everything so new and
fragrant and fresh - and you want to
scoop it all up in your hands and rub it
all over your tired, old winter face.
If you ever find yourself in Jurlique’s
Day Spa on Madison Avenue in New York,
you’ll encounter a similar feeling (that
blissful smell of organic aromatics) -
and as soon as your pump two little
squirts of Jurlique’s Purely Age-Defying
Facial Serum into your hand and press it
gently (notice the operative verb here:
press, not rub), you might feel as if
you’re applying the essence of flora
life into your pores.
Ever since 1985, Jurlique founders, Dr.
Jurgen Klein and his wife, have farmed a
small corner of south Australia,
cultivating more than 35 herbs and
flowers for their all natural skincare
line. The 153-acre Jurlique farm uses no
pesticides or herbicides in order to
maintain a completely biodynamic organic
business.
Lightweight and yet extremely
concentrated, Jurlique’s Purely
Age-Defying Facial Serum is one of the
most efficacious emulsions made of
natural actives. Rich with organic black
elder and licorice, this serum helps
fade skin discoloration, while beech
tree buds, hibiscus, and yeast work to
fortify the skin against fine lines and
wrinkles. Here’s the truth: you can
actually feel the life force entering
your pores - and during the time it’s
taken to write this, we’ve pulled out
the hand mirror five times, merely to
gaze at our face. Cue the violins: we’ve
got a new love affair going on here.
PRICE: $75.00 / 30 ml (1.0 fl. oz.)
LINK:
Jurlique: Purely Age-Defying Facial
Serum
Blissoma: Intense Hydration Tonique
If you’re like us, almost the first
thing you do in the morning is wash away
the night from your face - and on some
mornings, after using a nice cleanser,
your face feels so clean, you can’t help
but smile in the mirror. (Of course,
then there are those other mornings,
when you feel like reaching for a paper
bag - but we’re not talking about those
mornings...)
It’s always nice to discover something
new - especially when that something
makes you feel good. Founded in 2005,
Blissoma is sold at Whole Foods and
Abe’s and Amazon, but we only recently
encountered this fresh and natural line
of products. "Natural, natural, natural"
is Blissoma’s mantra and the company
uses only natural essential oils and a
majority of certified organic
ingredients. In short, Blissoma’s
products are designed to enhance total
well-being for conscious consumers.
Blissoma’s Intense Hydration Tonique is
loaded with anti-inflammatory and
soothing herbs that calm and hydrate
your skin. Spray this cucumber-based
cooling tonic directly onto your face
before applying any moisturizer - and
honestly, on some mornings, that’s
enough to send you beaming into your
work day. Everything on your face
suddenly feels alive and ready to
embrace the world. Use it also for a
mid-afternoon pick-me-up, when your
energy is flagging; it’s like lowering
your face into a punch bowl of aromatic
herbs and flowers - and what’s not to
love about that?
Irie Star, the company behind Blissoma,
is a conjunction of words meaning "positivity
and unity" - and that’s exactly how you
feel after a spritz of Blissoma Intense
Hydration Tonique.
PRICE: $18.99 / 4 fl. oz.
LINK:
Blissoma: Intense Hydration Tonique
La Roche-Posay: Lipikar Lait
What’s nicer than a hot shower on a cold
morning? Well, a few things, of course -
but still a hot shower ranks up there.
The only thing is, the hotter the water,
the more your skin dries out. And when
coupled with steam heat and blustery
winds and winter’s frigidity, your skin
runs the risk of looking like real
alligator. Not pretty. Alligator doesn’t
get you strokes in bed.
La Roche-Posay produces an emollient
called Lipikar Lait, which roughly
translates to Body Milk - and it’s as
delicious as it sounds. Very lightly
fragranced, almost like dewy grass, La
Roche-Posay Lipikar Lait is creamy
without feeling greasy. Loaded with
lipids (hence the product name) to
enhance your skin’s elasticity, Lipikar
Lait also contains ten percent shea
butter for suppleness, as well as
glycerin for lubrication.
Best of all, Lipikar Lait contains La
Roche-Posay’s signature thermal spring
water. In the small French village, the
rain water is filtered through ancient
chalky rocks that are rich in selenium
reserves. Selenium? One of the skin’s
essential defense mechanisms against
free radicals.
Like a thirsty kid downing a glass of
milk, Lipikar Lait quickly soaks into
your skin - and almost immediately, your
skin feels like it’s on a tropical
vacation. So when your skin looks as
dehydrated as that orchid you got for
Valentine’s, quench the thirst with La
Roche-Posay Lipikar Lait. Got Body Milk?
Check.
PRICE: $22.50 / 200 ml (6.76 fl. oz.)
LINK:
La
Roche-Posay: Lipikar Lait
Nu Skin: ageLOC™ Gentle Cleanse and
Tone
You know how there’s that spot on your
cat or your dog where the hair is so
soft, you can hardly believe it - right
behind the ear or under the chin? You
want to keep touching it.
There’s something of that feeling when
you apply Nu Skin’s ageLOC™ Gentle
Cleanse and Tone to your face in the
morning. It’s so soft - and gentle. The
cleanser foams in your hand and then
you’re rubbing this lightly-fragranced
toner over your face - and your eyes
widen because it feels almost like
you’re rubbing that soft spot on your
cat or dog. Can your skin really be that
soft?
This dual-action product mildly cleanses
your skin with gentle ingredients that
work to maintain your skin’s natural pH,
while also toning your skin with an
infusion of anti-aging ageLOC™, which
also increases hydration.
The result? Skin so soft you want to pet
it all morning.
PRICE: $53.00 / 60 ml (2 fl. oz.)
LINK:
Nu
Skin: ageLOC™ Gentle Cleanse and Tone
Every Man Jack: Face Wash | Signature
Mint
Some mornings you don’t want fancy; you
want a simple cup of Joe - and something
clean to wash your face. That’s where
Every Man Jack comes in. This affordable
line of grooming products from San
Francisco is no-frills and no-nonsense -
not unlike that guy you brought home
from Folsom Street Fair.
Every Man Jack was founded in 2006 on
the principle that every man has the
right to...good product. Their Signature
Mint Face Wash is a gentle,
chamomile-infused wash that goes on
light, using glycerin to hydrate your
skin and coconut-derived surfactants to
cleanse deeply. Formulated for all skin
types, and particularly for sensitive
skin, Every Man Face Wash is great as a
pre-shave to help reduce razor
irritation.
Plain and simple, a cup of Joe and Every
Man Jack every morning makes Jack and
Joe a happy couple.
PRICE: $6.00 / 5 fl oz (150 mL)
LINK:
Every Man Jack: Face Wash | Signature
Mint
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