Wednesday, July 22, 2015

THE BENEFITS OF PAPAYA FOR YOUR BODY AND SKIN

Hello, dolls. Hope you are staying cool in this summer heat no matter where you live! Don't forget about our month of July special: buy our Papaya Enzyme Cleanser, Exfoliating Scrub, and Papaya Enzyme Toner for just $65. That's over 20% off the regular price of $82 when purchased separately. It's over here in the store.

And real quick, let's break down the benefits of papaya for the body and skin, shall we?

We believe that our skin reflects the health of our inner body, which is why the health benefits of papaya apply to both our inner and outer selves.

Papaya contains an enzyme called papain which aids in digestion and the body's ability to break down protein. Papayas are known to be an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory playing a significant role in ridding the body of toxins. It's low in sodium and helps in retaining water and always keeps the skin hydrated. Papaya's main nutrients are Vitamin C, Vitamin B, carotenes, and flavonoids, fiber and minerals like magnesium and potassium.  It’s also abundant in natural alpha-hydroxy acids (AHA) which can act as a gentle exfoliator and skin brightener.

All of the health benefits of papaya lead to rejuvenating the skin. It's properties help rid the skin of a buildup of dead skin cells making it look lighter, brighter, clearer, and more youthful.

Yes, please! More papaya for us. Get your special July offer today!

*sources: 1, 2, 3.

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

BRONZING 101: HOW TO APPLY BRONZER

Bronzing can be intimidating, can't it? We walk a fine line of getting that perfect sunkissed glow and getting a little carried away and entering into oompa loompa land. Bronzer is a great makeup regimen staple since we want to do our best to protect our faces from the sun at all times. We'd rather use bronzer to get that natural glow vs. exposing ourselves to too many harmful UV rays. Bring on the SPF!



Here are 5 tips to apply bronzer:
  1. Choose a bronzer that isn't just 1 color. That's why we L-O-V-E our Mosaic Bronzing Powder because it contains 5 hues in one compact to get a more natural, subtle bronze. Because it has several shades, it mixes together to create the perfect combination for your skin tone. A single color bronzer can leave you looking a little too orange and give you a flatter all over color.
  2. Apply bronzer with a large all-over face brush. We recommend the Chisel Dome Powder Brush. Its bristles are both long and dense enough to get that even all-over coverage, which is key to bronzing.
  3. For the actual application, we recommend dipping the brush back and forth several times on the powder to pick up each color. Then, flick any excess powder off. 
  4. Most importantly, we apply in small circular motions starting at the forehead and moving counter clockwise around the perimeter of the face {forehead to temple to cheek to chin to cheek to temple to forehead} until you end up in the same place you started. Go back for a bit more powder + flick action, and using the same small circular motions do an inner circle starting between your eyebrows, inner cheek, upper lip and nose.
  5. Finally, use your puff to blend!
Sometimes we do it twice depending how much coverage we got the first time around and how much powder is on our brush, but not more than that.

Happy bronzing and happy July!

Thursday, June 18, 2015

HOW OFTEN YOU SHOULD CLEAN YOUR MAKEUP BRUSHES

Cleaning your makeup brushes is often one of those tedious tasks that we 'forget' about doing. It's similar to how we feel about flossing... we know it's good for us, but we have to consciously remind ourselves to do it daily.

It's no secret that makeup brushes can build up bacteria over time. One study* revealed that over the course of a month an uncleaned makeup brush had a bacteria count that was too high to be measured. That sounds scary! And, it was even further revealed that 72% of us don’t wash our brushes. In an effort to fight germs on our precious skin, here are our rules of thumb when it comes to cleaning your brushes.


The Total You Cosmetics Makeup Brush Rules:
#1: For bronzer, blush, or any other all-over face brushes, we suggest washing them once every two weeks. You will start to see they are dirty when you notice the subtle discoloration and the bristles get somewhat 'caked' and start to bend in different directions losing their plump shape.
#2: We recommend using a mild soap or shampoo. We're not picky here, just nothing harsh. We've used everything from hand soap, bar soap {Cetaphil anti-bacterial soap is great}, face wash, dish soap, and various shampoos. Make sure the water is warm, squeeze a pea-size amount of soap {if liquid} onto the brush and begin to work into a lather. You'll notice the water becomes discolored with makeup. Continue to massage the brush with soap, gently wringing out the water from the bristles until it becomes clear. This is when you'll know that most of the makeup is gone.
#3. If you want to clean your brushes more frequently, we recommend using one of our amazing brush cleaner, squeezing some on a paper towl or in a small bowl and dipping just the ends of the brush ever so slightly into the liquid. Then rub on a hand towl or paper towl to get the excess makeup off. Note, this isn't necessarily a deep clean and we still suggest mixing in a soap/water routine discussed in #2 once a month if you clean daily with makeup remover.
#4. For your small brushes like eyeshadow, eyeliner, concealer, or lipstick, we recommend a bit more frequent cleaning. Since these are more precision tools, they likely have specific colors on them that get changed out more frequently vs. the one bronzer or blush color you use. In order to get the color you're going for instead of a combination of colors leftover on the brush, it's best to clean these after every use. They can simply be blotted on a hand towel or paper towl using a small dab of brush cleaner mentioned in rule #3. And, because this isn't technically a 'deep clean' we still like to use soap/water at least once a month.
#5. Puffs are our favorite makeup accessory! They are oh-so-soft and perfect for all of your blending and contour needs. Because these guys are so versatile and can truly be used for every part of the makeup application process, they get the dirtiest and likely have the most bacteria on them. Depending on how much face makeup you wear we recommend washing them once a week or once every two weeks depending on the amount of makeup used. You will easily notice when these puffs get dirty due to their off-white coloring. Once you can't see most of the white anymore, it's time to wash! We follow the soap/water routine in #2 for our puffs.

We hope this helps your beauty routines, dolls, and that your face feels extra clean by adding these to your regimen. Happy cleaning!

Oh, before you go, check out our brush selection -- we've got one for every occasion!

Study
*Simonian, A., 2013, The Identification of Bacteria Found on Makeup Brushes, Loyola Marymount University, California.

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

8 TIPS: HOW TO GET A NATURAL GLOW

At The Total You Cosmetics, we are always striving for naturally glowing skin. We know how important it is to properly protect it from the sun and the inevitable toxins that exist in our environment. Taking care of our skin is one of our top daily priorities and we thought we’d give you a few tips on what works best for us.


1. Drink an adequate amount of water daily
The standard recommendation for daily water intake is at least 8, 8 oz glasses of water a day. We like to go above and beyond that to flush out any excess toxins and hydrate our skin. But, listen to your body and let it tell you what it needs.

2. Get enough sleep
The recommended hours of sleep per day varies on one's age, but according to the National Sleep Foundation, anywhere between 7-9 hours is adequate for adults. We believe in this! The more sleep, the more well-rested the skin appears.

3. Squeeze in a good sweat
Getting a good sweat helps to rejuvenate dead skin cells and create new ones — perfect for getting that extra glow. It gets the body’s blood flowing and stimulates endorphins that can boost your mood. And, a happy woman is a glowing woman!

4. Use a good, natural moisturizer
Keeping the skin hydrated so it doesn't dry out is key. Many people who suffer from acne tend to dry out their skin, but we have to make sure we put moisture back into it to achieve that 'dewy' look. Our favorite product right now is the Peptide Wrinkle Relaxing Creme that helps prevent collagen and elastin breakdown for firmer, more resilient skin.

5. Shimmer it up
What better way to get that true glow effect than with a little shimmer? It catches the light and looks especially good if you put it in the right places. We love to dab it on the top of our cheek bones, brow bones, and a tiny dab in the corner of each eye. This is one of our favorite tricks used with our Liquid Illuminator.

6. Hydrate those lips
Our lips take on a lot of work during the day. Between talking, eating, and sipping we have to make sure we treat them with care so they don’t dry up on us. Keep your lips hydrated and protected with a Vitamin C Lip Treatment with SPF 15.

7. Use a lightweight all-over tinted moisturizer
Having a light, all-over coverage that smooths blemishes is key for glowing skin. The Mineral Sheer Tint with SPF 20 is the best product on the market {in our humble opinion}. It has a subtle shimmer to it, and it doesn't leave your skin feeling caked with makeup. You'll have people asking where you get your glow with this product - we promise, it happens to us frequently! 

8. Exfoliate often
Our rule of exfoliation thumb is 1x a week. It's important to slough off dead skin cells so new ones have the chance to form, while also being mindful not to overdo it. We love the Enzyme Exfoliating Scrub because it leaves your skin feeling revived by the papaya enzyme extract, and of course leaving you glowing.

Thanks for reading our 8 tips for naturally glowing skin. We make a point to ensure our products are paraben-free, hypoallergenic, and non-comedognic. They truly are the kind you'll use for a lifetime. Enjoy and happy glowing!