First Aid Beauty Instant Oatmeal Mask: A Cookie For Your Face

I'm a big fan of masks. The little extra time for myself (because, obviously, I don't want anyone else to see me with the mask on. I want to be alone) can be a big thing. The 10 or 15 minutes to pamper myself can make a big difference in my day!

An oatmeal mask.... doesn't sound super impressive, does it? Should masks been peeling and full of clay? Something that removes the outer layer of skin to smooth things out and refresh? Does that even sound like a good idea?

An Oatmeal mask really is for soothing out any rough and irritated spots, and bringing down any inflammation. But, I have to tell you, I really feel like this mask also adds a huge amount of moisture to my skin. It makes my skin plump and dewy and just... glowy. When you apply it, it is grainy and you can feel a lot of the oatmeal in it. It feels a bit like a combination between lotion and a ground up oatmeal cookie. It also smells like it. Which makes me want to lick it off of my face. . .

Ingredients:
Water/Aqua/Eau, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Caprylic/Capric/Succinic Triglyceride, Caprylic/Capric/Myristic/Stearic Triglyceride, Avena Sativa (Oat) Bran, Colloidal Oatmeal, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate,Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Octyldodecanol, Glycerin, Polysorbate 20, Cetearyl Alcohol, Decyl Glucoside, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Polysorbate 60, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Vanillin, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Xanthan Gum, Dimethicone, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Chrysanthemum Parthenium (Feverfew) Extract, Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Extract, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract, Butylene Glycol, Bisabolol, Hydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Pentylene Glycol,1,2-Hexanediol, Tetrasodium EDTA

First Aid Beauty

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First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser Review: Not Just a Basic Gentle Cleanser

One of the first things to include in any anti-aging skin care routine is a gentle cleanser. It seems silly to so overwash your skin and strip it of any natural moisture it has, that you then need to use heavy moisturizers to add it back in. That stinging and redness and the tight feeling? I don't tolerate that nonsense. Those cleansers don't get used more than a few times, let alone make it to the blog for a review.

The Facial Cleanser from First Aid Beauty is pretty much exactly what I expected from them. It's a white and slightly pearly creamy cleanser. It's a bit thicker than most, which means that it works really well with my Clarisonic and doesn't sink down into the bristles. It has a light lather, but doesn't become a bubbly mess when I use the Clarisonic (I'm not a fan of bubbles up my nose!)

I've seen a few reviews online that complain about the smell, which confuses me, honestly. There really isn't much of a smell, what there is, is really a faint lotion smell to me. I don't find that annoying at all, especially since it washes right off anyways.

Here's what is in the stuff:

Ingredients:
Water (Aqua), SodiumCocoyl Isethionate, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Stearyl Alcohol,Sodium PCA, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Chrysanthemum Parthenium (Feverfew) Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Allantoin, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Coco Glucoside, Glyceryl Stearate, Disodium EDTA, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol

Things to notice here:
1) It is sulfate free. There are also no parabens for those of you avoiding them. It also meets all of my pregnancy safe skin care criteria.

2) The main surfactant is Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, which is a gentle surfactant derived from coconut oil.

3) While most of your cleanser will get rinsed off, it is true that some of it will get left behind on your skin. Some of the things this will be leaving behind:
• Glycerin: Moisture. Moisture. Moisture.
• Aloe
• Green tea (Camellia Sinensis Leaf) extract, which is full of antioxidant goodness.
• Feverfew Extract: Anti-inflammatory that helps soothe redness
• Licorice Root Extract: Known to have anti-inflammatory and soothing properties. It is also thought to decrease melanin production, so is often included in brightening products.

I'll stop there, but there is a lot packed into this cleanser!


First Aid Beauty

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New Skin Care Month: First Aid Beauty for March and April

I'm really excited to announce that it's time to change skin care again, and for the months of March and April I'll be using (and sharing my opinion on) First Aid Beauty! I've been quietly using some of their products most of the winter (you got a little sneak peek when I included Ultra Repair Concentrate in my travel bag), and I really have to admit that I've been really, really impressed.

First Aid Beauty was started by Lilli Gordon in 2009. She is a former financial wizard who became one of the cofounders of Fresh (yes, I might be a huge fan of their Lip Treatment), and helped oversee their purchase by LVMH. She later started First Aid Beauty when she found there was a big hole in the skin care industry. And you know what? She was right.


In my mind, this is what First Aid Beauty is. It's the skin care you pull out when your skin has a problem, or to help keep any problems under control. Similar to those lotions I was taught to recommend in my medical training (yes, I was taught to tell parents to use a gentle cleanser like Cetaphil or a super hydrating lotion like Aquaphor or Cetaphil Cream for eczema. Amlactin is great for Keratosis Pilaris), these creams work the same way by first supporting your skin's barrier function. Happy barrier function=happy skin=pretty and glowy skin. I like Glowy Skin.

Except that First Aid Beauty isn't just the same thing as Cetaphil but in a fancier (and more expensive) store. They've updated the formulas by adding great ingredients like Colloidal Oatmeal, Squalane, and Ceramides. So, rather than simply supporting barrier function, they really have created a more advanced product that also soothes, does a better job of moisturizing, etc.

For the next 8 weeks or so I'll be using the new First Aid Beauty Dual Repair collection. Talking to Lilli Gordon about why she created the new product line was like deja vu from my discussions with Amanda, my esthetician. Amanda, Lilli and me are all of the same mind. We think that you don't need to have red and irritated skin to know that your anti-aging skin care is working.

It seems that many people think the only way to tell if it is working (and therefore, you will continue to spend your money) is if you have tingling, a little burn, some redness and maybe even flaking. In truth, that irritation means you have some inflammation in the area. Which causes aging. The irritation has undone any work the cream has actually done to fight aging, and you're probably paying big bucks to make your skin age more quickly. (Which, yes, makes you buy more creams. See how that works?)

If you've read my site for a while, you've probably noticed that I focus a lot of my anti-aging focus on keeping your skin happy. I want to exfoliate, but do it gently. I say to use gentle cleansers. When discussing retinoids I talk a lot about not necessarily using them every night and really paying attention to what your skin can handle. I want to have a lot of moisture, use high SPF broad spectrum UV coverage and just in general protect my skin from damage. So, the First Aid Beauty approach really works for me.

This week I'm going to be finally posting reviews for the First Aid Beauty core collection items that I've used in the past. Mark your calendar for March 12th at 4pm EST, I'll be hanging out on Twitter with Lilli Gordon (OMG!!!), so please come and join us! I've started a First Aid Beauty Pinterest Board, where I'll be adding reviews and some pretty pictures. Soon I'll be reviewing the Dual Repair Line in more detail, so stay tuned!

First Aid Beauty
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Makeup Wars: My Travel Beauty Essentials

This week for Makeup Wars we've decided to concentrate on travel beauty. Some of us will show what we pack, what we bring in our 3-1-1 bag, how we keep our skin glowing despite the arid environment of an airplane, etc. I've decided to show a bunch of what I'd be bringing if I left for my next vacation tomorrow. Actually, my next vacation isn't too far off, very soon my husband and I will be taking our 2 year old to Walt Disney World for her first visit! She's proving to be as much of a Disney fan as I am (our current favorite videos are Winnie the Pooh, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Peter Pan), so you can only imagine my excitement! Even better, while we're in Orlando my friend Nancy from Beauty 411 will be at the resort as well, and I'm really looking forward to seeing her!

In all of my Disney preparations for our first visit with a toddler, I've been reading a ton of travel tips, and you can see some of what I've been reading over on my Disney travel tips Pinterest board. I'm planning on doing things like bringing things to occupy my daughter while in line, I have rain parkas for those sudden Orlando showers, even little laundry soap pods for our in room washer and dryer! If you have some Disney World travel tips for toddlers, definitely share them with me! I want everything to go as smoothly as possible.

In the meantime, if I was packing up tonight, here's most of the beauty items that I'd bring with me. I'm not a girl that can pack everything in to a carry on, I am the super over packer. Honestly, I'm not even sure that I can do 1 night with a carry on. I'm trying to be more minimal (for me) on this trip. I still want to feel like myself, but I'm limiting my shadow and lippie options, etc. (Remember, I'm the girl that usually has 20-30 glosses in her purse. Not really on purpose, but that's just the way I roll.)

These are the bags I usually travel with. I previously featured them in my hospital bag post, though I use them all the time when going out of town. The first bag was sent to me by Trina, but I liked it so much that I bought 4 matching bags (not all of them are here, they're spread amongst various suitcases). I love them because they're lined, so if anything spills then the mess is contained. They're the perfects sizes and shapes, and I especially love that the big bag has removable matching clear bags.

1. Olay Body Wash: This is an anti-aging one, though somewhere I have the Olay Ultra Moisture Body Wash somewhere here too. I have a smaller shower poof here, but really only because it was in my travel bag. I'll likely swap it out for me Beautisol Exfoliating Mitt.

2. Ummm... yes, shave gel and a razor. Venus and Skintimate.

3. I'm still undecided about body lotion. Here I'm showing Kiehl's Creme de Corps, though I usually use Cetaphil Cream. I haven't decided if the Kiehl's will be enough moisture for me.

I usually travel with whatever skin care I'm testing at that time, though I do try to add in a few "emergency" items to help cope with issues due to travel.

1. Pevonia Hydrating Sunscreen: Obviously I'm a big fan of sunscreen, and since I'm going to Florida I'll need a decent SPF to wear every day. This has SPF 30 and is very light weight.





2. My current regimen from Pevonia Spa Clinica is obviously what I'd pack to come with me.

3. I'm currently pairing my Pevonia C Evolutive Eye Gel with the rest of the PSC. It's great under makeup and to decrease puffiness.

4. Kiehl's Midnight Recovery: I don't travel without my Midnight Recovery! A few drops on my skin before I head to bed and any dryness from a long flight is just... gone. Love that.

More sun protection!

1. Coppertone Kids Wacky Foam: My daughter has become a bit resistant to my slathering of lotion, so I'm hoping that this foam will persuade her! A foam also sounds lighter weight than the usual lotion that we use.

2. Coppertone Lip Balm: I once had a sunburn on my lips, and I swear, never again! This Coppertone Sport also has sun protection.

3. Aveeno Baby Sunblock Lotion: This is my old stand by for my daughter, I'll still be bringing it, but likely it will be my husband and I using it.

1. L'Oreal Advance Haircare Total Repair 5 Shampoo and Conditioner: I'll be decanting my shampoo and conditioner into smaller bottles, but I'm really loving this new line from L'Oreal. Seriously, amazing.

2. DermOrganic Hair Masque: Wow. Seriously, the best hair masque ever. And it only takes a minute. I'm always worried about how my hair will respond to water when I'm out of town, having a few applications of this with me will make me feel a lot better!

3. L'Oreal Advance Haircare Color Vibrancy Dual Protect Spray: It looks like a regular shine spray, but it is so much more. It smells amazing, gives me great shine, and oh yes, it protects my hair. It has some UV protection and protects against heat up to 450 degrees. L'Oreal, please, please, please start making this in a travel sized bottle!

4. Ojon full detox Rub-Out Dry Cleansing Spray: Birchbox sent me a travel size of this great dry shampoo, so it's coming with me! It isn't powdery, doesn't leave a white mess, just soaks up oil and adds great volume. Love that.

5. DermOrganic Leave in Treatment: DermOrganic's version of the hair oil that everyone has. This one has Argan Oil and does a better job than others (**cough, cough, MorrocanOil**) at making my hair soft and shiny. Oh, and it is almost impossible to use too much, my hair seems to just suck this stuff up.

6. DermOrganic Volume Foam: This is a great "mousse" that really is a liquid that foams up with a pump. It adds volume and some hold to my hair without becoming sticky.

7. Sarah Potempa Beach Waver Curling Iron: Yeah, so this is amazing. And I'm still obsessed with it despite frying my hair with it over the summer. My newly dark hair does seem to look better when a few curls have been added (I think it looks a bit harsh when really straight. I'm probably just not used to it), and the curls are WAY better as 2nd day hair. So, Volume Foam for just the right amount of hold, curl, and I'm good for a few days. That sounds like vacation hair to me!

1. Kiehl's Lip Balm #1: I wear it every night. I can't go to sleep without it. I might be addicted.

2. First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Concentrate: This product is really interesting. It is kind of hard and feels almost waxy at first, but when you get it out it quickly melts and just sinks into skin, healing everything. It's insane moisture. It's how I'm surviving this winter.

3. Elie Saab Perfume: So, I really need to just fully review this perfume. I'm wearing it every day (my husband loves it), and I've mentioned it a few times. It's made me put all my other perfume testings/reviews on hold because I only want to wear it. Anyways, they just came out with this really great travel atomizer (that's the gold thing), but what is really great is that there are 3 vials of the perfume! So, you can refill it. You simply twist the gold atomizer, and something comes out of the top, you spritz from there. So, it's pretty hard to get it all over the place.

4. Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve: This is the hand lotion I leave in my white coat pocket at the hospital so I tend to travel with it, though it might not make it in the suitcase due to the FAB Ultra Repair Concentrate. We'll see!

5. Rembrandt Deeply White + Peroxide Toothpaste: This is a new minty flavor, and it is wintergreen (!!! Love that!!!) and it doesn't taste like peroxide. I'm doing a lot of tooth whitening stuff with my new hair. They were white before, but with the new hair my skin looks lighter and more porcelain, and somehow white teeth just didn't look quite as white. So, I'm sticking with toothpaste for now, but I have another Rembrandt 2 Hour Whitening Kit already in my bathroom. I might do it, not sure yet.

6. Revitalash: Love this stuff, it's given me amazing eye lashes.

7. Aveeno 1% Hydrocortisone: In case my eczema flares

8. Clindamycin Gel: This is my prescription for my rosacea.

A lot of these are my oldie but goodies, things that I know will work. See below for a few more details.

1. Eyeshadows, primer is my NYX primer, there's a stick shadow from Mally and 2 Urban Decay liners (Zero and Underground).

2. Lippies: I have a nice array of colors here, but the real star is the Mally Beauty Lip Primer. I can't find it alone, but it comes with the perfect red lip kits. It's a white-ish liquid that becomes clear, and creates a slightly sticky base for under lipstick. IT IS AMAZING. Oh wait, did I yell that? Yes. I meant to do that. It makes all lipsticks better, last much longer and not come off when you sip your coffee. Get it.

3. Face Items: CoverGirl TruBlend in my new shade of 410, It Cosmetics Concealer, TruBlend Pressed Powder and my Urban Decay De-Slick Setting Spray.

4. Mascaras: Obviously, a curler and my CoverGirl Clump Crusher Mascara and the new Maybelline Rocket Mascara. An amazing combo.

5. Some blushes, a travel Tweezerman and Clean & Clear Oil Control Sheets.

6. Milk of Magnesia Face Primer: Basically, it is 75% MoM and 25% water. I have it in a little Nalgene bottle so it won't spill, and it is definitely coming to Florida!


1. Mally Shadow in Saddle Shimmer: It's kind of a gold. So pretty!

2. Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette

3. Stila Travel Palette, this one is an old one, "Road to Radiance Across the USA"

4. Watch for a post soon, but this is the PUR Minerals Beautiful Creatures Palette. Amazing. I might need a backup.

1. Stila Convertible Color in Lillium

2. Stila Travel Palette: I don't know the name of it, but the convertible color in this palette is pretty close, I might leave my beloved Lillium at home. And that is a little claw mark in the product, my 2 year old tried to dig it out with her fingers... I guess she liked it too?

3. Laura Mercier Creme Cheek Color in Oleander

1. MAC Baby Sparks
2. MAC En-Chantée
3. L'Oreal in Lilac Ever After and Infinite Fuchsia
4. Fyrinnae in Lollipop-Pop
5. Maybelline in Made It Mauve

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