Girl-Woman-Beauty-Brains-Blog

To provide a natural and high-performance alternative, Origins introduces Brighter By Nature™ Skin tone correcting serum. While not a laser, Brighter By Nature™ harnesses the power of plants to deliver immediate results without having to endure painful treatments. 

Mother Blogger didn't test-drive this product because she is currently using  Tri-Luma which contains 4 percent hydroquinone (results will be posted here), but this is a great product for women who want to lighten age spots or freckles without seeing a dermatologist or paying a couple of hundred dollars for prescription-strength creams. 

Although both Mother Blogger and The Working Girl are big fans of Origin products, The Working Girl, now The Working Pregnant Mom,  is taking a nine-month break from test-driving any beauty products and will focus entirely on the fashion end of Girl-Woman--Beauty-Brains-Blog.

According to Origins, Brighter By Nature™ provides both immediate and long-lasting results. Potent plant ingredients including Rosemary Extract and Japanese Basil Leaf counteract irritation that can lead to dark spot formation. Yeast Extract accelerates brightening by breaking apart the appearance of existing dark spots while Vitamin C works with precision to quickly help fade the appearance of stubborn discoloration.

Compared to pricier alternatives, Origins Brighter by Nature could be a good value at $39.50.

The Working Girl divulges a secret while singing the praises of Murad Post-Acne Lightening Treatment

The skincare giants have turned me on to their Post-Acne Spot Lightening Gel.  I get the occasional breakouts and I'm a picker. 

I pick scabs. 

I pick zits. 

TMI.

Call it OCD, call it boredom, but I have never let my acne heal correctly.  From this obsessive picking, I have small scars, which are not noticeable when camouflaged with makeup. However, I know they're there. 

Murad Post-Acne Lightening Treatment is cooling, clear, and effective.  It transformed my small scarred blemishes into mere nothingness.  The main ingredient, Hydroquinone, has been proven to help fade acne. AHA clarifies and tones the skin.  Licorice and allatonin reduce irritation and inflammation of the skin. 

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding!  Antiaging Bonus points!  Murad Post-Acne Lightening Treatment not only reduces acne scars but gets rid of unwanted age spots and freckles created by the sun's damaging rays.

Brains on Beauty:  Any woman can start loving their skin again for only $60, compared to laser treatments that will run you up to $1000.

To lighten your mood, check out the current headlines on Girl-Woman-Beauty-Brains-Blog.

 

From the brown streaks to the stains in my bathroom to the orange skin that clashed with my pale pink dress, I have had my share of sunless tanning catastrophes, but through trial and error, I finally discovered the secret to sunless tanning when your skin is stippled with age spots or freckles. Aging gracefully is a work in progress, but tanning gracefully has never been my forte.

Before a trip to the beach a few years ago, I opted for the mist-on tan at a salon. A newbie in this department, I suffered comically embarrassing difficulties with the button inside of the booth. I inadvertently pushed the button twice and ended up with a double dose of dihydroxyacetone. By the time I reached my tropical destination, I looked like an angry Jackson Pollack abstract painting -- a collection of spasmodic splotches of brown and white.

Having arrived in Florida last week with skin as white as the snow that I left behind in the Midwest, I needed a little tanning oomph. I performed the requisite skills of an experienced sunless tanner:

Before bedtime, I shaved and exfoliated until I had less scales than the indigenous Floridian crocodiles, and then I carefully applied Glow Fusion Micro Nutrient Face and Body sunless tanner (Sephora $58).

GlowFusion Micro-Nutrient Face & Body Natural Protein Tan: What it is: A revolutionary new self-tanning technology that delivers your perfect shade of sun-kissed glow. The first ever clear, all natural, fast drying, odor-free, self-tanning mist. No odor. No streaking. No staining. No kidding. What it is formulated to do:Breakthrough micro-nutrient technology delivers a potent blend
of vitamins and powerful antioxidants to boost skin's inherent, sexy, "lit-from-within" luminosity. The pure, natural sugarcane-derived formula works with your skin's natural keratin proteins to create your perfect, customized shade of glow -every time, all the time. GlowFusion™ is completely odor-free, stain-free, and streak-free. The crystal clear mist dries immediately, evenly, perfectly. What else you need to know: Lasts up to two weeks without fading. Dermatologist tested. Non-comedogenic. Suitable for all skin types. Will not stain fabric. Available in two formulas: light and medium.

Upon looking in the mirror the next morning, to my surprise, instead of a Pollack abstract, I looked more like a brown spotted skink, with my age spots darkening to the color of Nestle's chocolate morsels.

Not to be beaten by my age or spots, I lemon-juiced my extremities, I once again exfoliated, and I started my sunless tanning process from scratch. This time I applied the Glow Fusion and with a Q-Tip dipped in alcohol, I wiped the sunless tanner off of my freckles and age spots. Now that was a grim and interminable task. Do you know how many spots occupy my epidermis? Well, I'll put it this way: If I played "Connect the Dots" with my body, I could create -- uh -- well, a squirrel.

 

Last evening, scheduled to attend a pool party, my arms and legs were still white enough to blind you, but searching through my makeup bag, I stumbled upon a quick and easy fix -- Clinique's Non-Streak Bronzer for men (Clinique.com $14). I have used this beauty product on my face for a decade because it was the most natural color I could "fake."

Clinique Skin Supplies For Men Non-Streak Bronzer: This transparent, oil-free gel goes on easily and produces a natural-looking glow that lasts through rain or swim. 2 oz.

I moisturized my legs and arms and then applied Clinique's bronzer, which to my delight, camouflaged my little adversaries. My fellow vacationers wanted to know how I achieved such a great tan with all the sunscreen and Coolibar clothing that I wear while at the beach. (By the way, the bronzer has never stained my clothes.) I had finally discovered the secret to sunless tanning for women with age spots or freckles.

But I don't want to leave this to your imagination, so to show you the difference, I applied Glow Fusion sunless tanner to one leg and Clinique's bronzer to the other.

Can you tell the difference? As you are looking at the picture, the leg on the left is the bronzer and the leg on the right is the sunless tanner.

I will continue to use Glow Fusion -- when I have time! -- but it's comforting to know that I now have two weapons in my sunless tanning arsenal.

Beckie

P.S. For those wrinkled areas, like your knees and elbows, hold the area tight before you smooth on sunless tanner and hold for a minute. In that way, you won't get darker areas in the creases.