I dig 302 Skincare!

Lucky me to know some of the most awesome people in the skin care industry. A good friend of mine announced to me that she's going to be 302's educator and I, of course, started asking questions about the line. A few of my clients were using some of the serums and raved about it, so naturally, I want to know what they hype is.

This winter did a number on my face and in the end, it became a dry, crusty, inflamed mess. Now I'm a lover of peels....lactic, glycolic and salicylic. Burn baby burn! But it seemed that my skin just wasn't responding very well to the peels. It was having a hissy fit and there was no stopping. What a great time to try out 302 and they generously allowed me to sample retail sizes of the line so that I could really see and feel a difference.

302 provides acid-free products that use natural and organic ingredients with proven science and clinically observed results. In fact, I have the very confusing manual of scientific studies right here. I have no idea what these diagrams mean, but to any scientist, they are facts and results of how these products can drastically change your skin.

The product line emphasizes treatment of skin depleted by chronologic aging, sun damage, acne and rosacea as well as skin that has become topically addicted to acids.

I chose the creamy sensitive cleanser to use as my daily cleanser for my cranky skin. For a sensitive cleanser, this sure was invigorating! Packed with organic ingredients such as rosemary, clary sage, lemon verbena and mandarin lavender, my skin instantly felt smooth, softened and refreshed.

After that, I slathered on the 302 Serum. I could instantly feel it working. And the scent was much like the cleanser with additional oils of peppermint,lavender and tangerine. I wouldn't say that I enjoy the scent, but I enjoy the feeling of the serum. After a few days of using both the cleanser and the serum, I noticed that my red, irritated, crusty spots around my chin and mouth had completely disappeared. Over the course of a few weeks, I noticed my skin felt a bit plump and thicker....almost as if I had given myself a collagen injection to the entire face!

On the days that I don't use the serum, I use the 302 drops, which are nutrient rich lipids. It has the texture of a light oil and sinks right into the skin. Within a few weeks, my dry, irritated skin became smooth, hydrated and plump!

The line is very simple and easy to follow. I would recommend this to anyone with aging, sundamaged skin or better yet, someone who has had vigorous peels and microdermabrasion. This line is a reminder that you must nourish and replenish what you've taken away from the skin from deep exfoliants. Don't leave your skin high and dry people!

I also cannot say enough about the eye serum and the body treatment. The eye serum opens up the eyes and relaxes those fine lines. And it also feels very refreshing. I honestly do not go a day without it. It's my new crack.

The body treatment has done wonders for the crusty, red wonder on my back. I've had this spot for a couple of years now and none of my doctors can figure out what it is. I have an appointment to see my dermatologist this month, hoping they can come to a conclusion as to what it is. But in the last 2 years, this small spot becomes red, itchy, crusty, then flakes and bleeds like a scab. Since using the body treatment, it has given me total relief and doesn't itch or bleed anymore. It hasn't miraculously disappeared, but I feel much better knowing I won't be ruining anymore shirts and wasting bandages!

All in all, I'm sold on 302's products. And enough that I am carrying their Rosacea line to begin with and adding a 302 facial onto my treatment menu. It takes a lot for me to like a product because I've heard all the gimmicks and have tried a lot of luxury "crap."

I'll continue to do some enzyme peels and a lactic treatment here and there, but I'm happy to integrate some wonderful and result oriented products into my daily routine.

Cheers to 302!

Philosophy Microdelivery Peel

Philosophy Microdelivery Peel (step 1 and 2)

I’ll tell you first off that this does not have the same benefits as Microdermabrasion. This is a scrub folks, not a miracle facial in a jar.
You apply step one, which is basically orange scented silica crystals, preserved in 5 different parabens. The directions say to massage into the skin, which is exactly what I did. Leaving the crystals on, apply step 2, which is the lactic/salicylic activating gel. The packaging claims that a warming sensation would occur, which didn’t happen for me. This contains parabens and propylene glycol, which is the main ingredient of antifreeze. After one use of this product, my face broke out into a rash and large, dry red spots around my mouth. It took 2 weeks for my face to recover. $65 for garbage.

Ole Henriksen skin care......all-natural? Says who?

I received quite a few samples of Ole Henriksen's skin care line. The first thing I did was look at the ingredients. Parabens, fragrance and artificial coloring were a few of the named ingredients. Since when did artificial coloring mean natural?

The products were terrible. I used the Sheer Transformation renewing cream and it burned my skin upon application. So did the Ultimate Lift Eye Gel. The next day my skin felt raw and thin on my face and eyes and also had a red appearance.

I read through the rest of the ingredients and threw out the rest of the samples.

Don't waste your money on this stuff. You're no better off putting comet on your face!

Spa Junkie approves of Protective Nourishment

I set my standards pretty high with skin care lines. A good friend of mine happened to have a few full size samples of some Protective Nourishment products and I absolutely loved them!

I used the Cranberry toner, which is labeled for oily/acne and normal skin. The toner smells heavenly and it also moisturizes while providing a follow up to cleansing. There are no harmful or toxic ingredients in their line. It's completely herbal and uses awesome antioxidants such as Blueberries, Cherries and Vitamin C.

I believe that it comes in a 4 oz. bottle and retails for around $30. This is about the norm for a line as great as this and I, personally, would pay full price for a great toner.

Check out this sweet new line that smells almost good enough to eat!

Juara Rice Cleanser

I had a wonderful opportunity, a few months back, to assist Pharmacopia with an open house for one of their clients, Lavender Natural Beauty, in Sherman Oaks, CA. This warm and heavenly scented holistic skin care store retails everything from Ecco Bella "Health by Chocolate", to beautifully scented soy candles and a wide array of natural skin care lines. It was hard to work in there as I wanted to play with all the testers.

At the end of the day, the owner was so thankful for all the work we had done, she let me pick something from her store that struck my eye to take home.

I chose the Juara Rice cleanser. The cleanser is 4.75 ounces and retails for $25. I liked the packaging, the scent and the consistency of this cleanser. One small pump gives a nice, rich lather for the entire face and neck. One thing they boast about is that this is an all natural product. This does contain paraben preservatives and the ingredients show that there is fragrance added. It doesn't list any essential oils in the ingredients so I'll have to assume that this does contain synthetic fragrance which is toxic to the skin and can alter pigmentation.

While I love the texture, scent and feel of this cleanser, I'd rather use a cleanser that is safer for my skin.

KY Jelly's new name and packaging

In the last few weeks, Spa Dee Dah has been hired by a local marketing company to provide spa services for KY Jelly's new product launch, Intrigue.

No, we are not testing products out on clients! KY Jelly has had a reputation for being medicinal....something a gynecologist uses. When I look at the new packaging, it appears more like a luxurious perfume than a lubricant. Several women were selected to share the new product with their friends. Johnson and Johnson decided to project a more luxurious image of this new product on prospective buyers by throwing a spa party for these ladies and catering in chocolates and delightful hors de oeuvres. At these parties, the women are to sample the product, talk about it and fill out a questionnaire. Of course, we're providing services right in the middle of these parties. We're hearing things like, "The packaging is gorgeous! It smells very nice!" When it comes right down to it, those are the first 2 important things that excite us when looking for any kind of skin care product right? Think about it! Would you go for this?

or would you go for this?


When it comes right down to it, packaging and image is everything. I would probably buy something without even trying it if the packaging was beautiful. Because to me, if it looks good on the outside, it must be great on the inside!