I am in a wonderful state of skin shock!

At Tuesday night’s Gorgeous and Green, I was very fortunate to meet Karen Behnke, founder of Juice Beauty.  I have long been a fan of Juice Beauty’s Blemish Clearing Serum.  So when I heard back from a customer service rep that the products cannot be confirmed as gluten free, I was quite distraught about finding a replacement. 

On Tuesday night, however, Karen was shocked to hear this news and confirmed that the product is in fact gluten free!  She was unsure of how this misinformation came my way, and very appologetic, but most importantly, proud to review with me the organic ingredients she uses in her products, all of which are gluten free and !

Now, I have been blogging a lot lately about how nothing can ever compare to my 100% Pure Organic Healing Balm facial moisturizer, but last night I just may have found it’s match–and it contains an SPF.  A quick spritz of the Juice Beauty’s mist and application of moisturizer, and I woke up with soft, supple skin.  I’ll continue my trial to be sure, but I just may be loving these other Juice beauties already!

My skin was immediately softer and more supple, leaving me infinitely grateful to be using the Healing Balm again.  I can see how the toner is a nice addition, and would’ve been good to have while travelling, but I did sneak a bit of my new Naturopathica Environmental Defense Mask along with me, and used that to spot treat any blackheads or spots. 

What surprised me the most, however, was when I saw my mom.  I hadn’t seen her since the summer, and her skin looked positively radiant!  My mom is nearing 60 and looks like she’s in her 40s, she absolutely has great genes, but her skin was different since I’d last seen her.  Her skin was soft and glowing, and I had to know how! 

Surprise!  Mom’s been using the 100% Pure Organic Healing Balm for the past few months.  She absolutely loves it, and was telling everyone at Thanksgiving who was willing to listen.

So all in all, I am back onto my regular skin care routine, though maybe I’ll give the Hauschka facial oil and toner another try. Either way, I adore Dr. Hauschka’s bronzer, mascara, eye liner and lipstick. And I’m sure he has plenty more amazing products to offer that I’ve yet to try.

The morning show has passed, but there is still another chance.  QVC will re-air the program about these amazing products and their patent-pending fruit pigmented formulations tonight at 9pm EST and 6pm PST. 

This is a great chance to learn about some truly groundbreaking natural products–plus, the entire line (except the mascara) is gluten free!

Click the product picture to purchase or check out my reviews in the Make-Up and Skin Care sections of www.NaturallyDahling.com .

1. Lead- A neurotoxin that can accumulate in the body over time. Found in lipsticks, hair dyes, hair care, etc. Often listed as lead and lead acetate.

2. Mercury- Known to cause damage to the brain and diminish function. Found in mascaras, etc. Often listed as mercury, thimerosol, mercuric oxide, phenyl mercuric acetate, and phenyl mercuric benzoate.

3. Phthalates- These tiny plasticizers can cause infertility, feminization of baby boys and sperm damage. Found in “fragrance,” nail polish, nail treatment, etc. Often listed as phthalate, dibutyl phthalate and diethyl phthalate. These tricky toxins can legally be left out of ingredient list, encompassed under “fragrance.” So when buying a product that does not specify fragrance as being naturally derived, I suggest contacting the company.

4. Hydroquinone- This skin bleaching ingredient can cause ochronosis, an irreversible skin condition causing black and black raised bumps on the skin. Found in skin lighteners, anti-agers, hair color/bleach, SPF products, concealer, acne treatments, astringent/toners, etc. Often listed as hydroquinone.

5. Petroleum- Byproducts of this non-renewable, industrial resource still make their way into cosmetic products despite the high-incidence of cancer causing contaminants. Found in facial cleansers, moisturizers, facial treatments, styling products, eye make-up, soap, anti-perspirants, concealer, sunscreens, etc. Often listed as petroleum, petrolatum, petroleum distillates, mineral oil, mineral spirits, unspecified waxes and paraffins.

6. Parabens- These estrogen-mimicers have been found in breast tumors, linked to breast cancer and known tocause hormonal activity in the body. Found in deodorants, lotions, eye shadows, shampoos, facial cleansers, body washes, facial moisturizers, etc. Often listed as methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, isobutylparaben, (I pretty much avoid anything ending in “paraben”).

7. Sodium Lauryl Sulfates- These commonly found chemicals have been shown to cause severe changes to the skin, though studies linking them to cancer are still debatable. Found in toothpastes, shampoos, facial cleansers, body wash, acne treatment, exfoliants, moisturizers, hair color/bleach, etc. Often listed as sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium dodecyl sulfate, sulfuric acid, monodecyl ester and monododecyl ester.

8. Formaldehyde - This awful enbalmer is not just awful smelling, it is also known to cause respiratory irritation as well as cancercancer. Found in nail polish, baby soaps, eye lash adhesives, hair products, sunscreens, etc. Often listed as formaldehyde, formalin, formic aldehyde, Merthaldehyde, methanal, methyl aldehyde, oxomethane, oxymethylene.

9. Coal Tar- A known carcinogen that still makes its way in to beauty products used daily. Found in shampoo, skintreatment, anti-redness creams, bath oils, conditioners, bath salts, bath soaks, etc. Often listed as coal, tar and coal tar solution.

10. Food Allergens- Though little research is currently available on the subject, food allergies and sensitivities can cause rashes, irritation and breakouts. My suggestion is to check all labels for any ingredients that may be of concern to you.

After energizing and nourishing my body, I then go for a deep facial cleansing with the swamp mud looking 100% Pure Lavender Seafoam Cleanser (gluten free). At first glance, this facial wash is quite deceiving, but a quick sudsing with it produces an amazing, deep cleaning lather. My pores have never been so clear, and my skin feels utterly clean sans stripping.

So at first sight, yes, these two morning rituals of mine do appear a bit unappealing, with their swampy green colors. But if you can conquer the color, the results are far worth it. Amazing Grass Super Food mixed with a bit of water and apple or cranberry juice is a power packed formula to feeling great, staying healthy and looking amazing. 100% Pure Seafoam Cleanser is like a gentle, yet utterly effective daily facial–your pores will love you for it!  So get over your fear of swampy green beauty already, and try these two gluten free, organic beauty marvels. Green beauty doesn’t get any better than this!

**Amazing Grass Green SuperFood and 100% Pure Organic Lavender Seafoam Facial Cleanser are Gluten Free

An avid label checker, today, I found myself in ingredient shock after scoring a teensy sample of a former product fav from a posh Neiman Marcus cosmetics counter. This product I sampled from a "botanical" skin care/cosmetic line, was formerly for me, that one. The one utterly indulgent and expensive product that I would rationalize the purchase of, despite the price. Some womens' secret weapon is a fine parfum, mine was a luxe bust firming cream that leaves the decolletage glowing in all her radiance. Large or small, this botanical bust firming cream firms as promised, but then delivers so, so much more. Almost immediately post application it leaves the entire chest area glowing with a non-greasy, dewy, healthy radiance. It's really amazing! So today I retrieved my sample and did something I never thought to before, I checked the ingredients. Unsure of what many of them were, I decided to make a chart of ingredients and then researched each in search of it's mystical properties. Instead I found that 8 of the 23 ingredients in this luxe "botanical" lotion are dangerous preservatives or emulsifiers. Of course, one might expect that these awful chemicals would be used in minute amounts, coming in at the bottom of the ingredient list. But the fourth product in a 23 part mix is a known toxin! That means that the fourth most important ingredient to this formulation is simply a vile additive. And thus one must decide: glowing bust with a toxic cocktail or eau natural sans awful (possibly) cancer-causing chemicals. My vote is for the natural botanicals sans icky synthetics and petroleum derivatives. Of course, that raises a whole other concern: product instability. Are you prepared to risk finding that your fav skin cream has grown a little mold?