Summer is winding down and it’s a great time to “start fresh”. Summer sun and wind wreaks havoc on your skin, so take time to exfoliate and bring back fresher, younger looking skin. And we’ll make it easy for you! This week we are offering a fantastic deal – spend $75 or more, and get a FREE Starting Over microderm scrub. Yep – totally free!

If you have not tried Starting Over, you’re in for a treat. This creamy microderm scrub gently but very effectively buffs away dead skin cells, revealing a brighter and smoother complexion. It’s one of my personal favorites – because it offers immediate gratification! You’ll notice a difference after the first time you use it.

The ingredients are natural, gentle and moisturizing. This is the most natural microderm scrub I have seen out there. Not only does it contain the same natural micro-crystals used by dermatologists for their powerfulmicroderm treatments, but it also is loaded with shea butter to ensure that you won’t dry out your skin. It is not harsh and won’t tear skin like some scrubs that use crushed seeds can.

Use Starting Over one to three times per week, after cleansing but before toning and moisturizing. You’ll be amazed at the difference your skin will look!

If you want to find out how to get your FREE, full-sized (2 oz) Starting Over microderm, simply sign up for our email list on our website at www.gardengirlskincare.com and not only will you get the code for this great offer, but you’ll also receive a weekly email with a new offer each week. And on top of that – you’ll get a $5 coupon for your next order!

This week, our special offer is a double whammy! Save 10% AND get free shipping all week this week on any order of $20 or more. This is an email list exclusive offer – so sign up for our list today by going to our home page at www.gardengirlskincare.com and clicking on the link. We’ll send you the offer PLUS you’ll get a coupon code for a $5 savings off your next order.

You know, I have to say – when I read this blog post from SELF magazine’s editor, I just found it completely depressing and defeating. The deal is, Kelly Clarkson is on the cover of September’s SELF magazine. Apparently, last week there was a lot of buzz on the internet that SELF had “photoshopped” the cover shot. Now, I’m not naive. I know (especially being in the beauty business) that there is seldom a photo in a magazine that hasn’t been airbrushed to death. That’s why the actresses that are in their 40’s and 50’s seem to have this flawless skin without a single wrinkle. But I am getting the sense that this is all going way too far. The ability for digital photos to be seamlessly manipulated makes it fantastically easy for magazines to create this fantasy world where women have no cellulite and no wrinkles.

And when the editor of a major magazine blogs about this with such ease and confidence, I realize that it truly has gone too far. The SELF editor says “Pictures are meant to tell a story, express a feeling, convey an emotion or capture a moment. Portraits like the one we take each month for the cover of SELF are not supposed to be unedited or a true-to-life snapshot.” I say – why shouldn’t they be true to life? What good can we possibly be teaching our children and even ourselves when we have to retouch every photo? And for this photo, apparently about 20 pounds were shaved off Kelly. If we continue to show these covers and represent them as “true-to-life” (which, sorry SELF, is how they are perceived), then we are saying that even when you are confident and strong, you still should not be proud of what your body REALLY looks like? That there’s always room to “touch things up” a bit? We have far too many body-image issues in this country. And if this editor thinks she is not partly – and directly – responsible for perpetuating images that feed into these issues then she is kidding herself.

I will end my rant with the quote that I found most ridiculous and offensive:

“Kelly has this amazing spirit, the kind of joie de vivre that certain people possess that makes you want to stand closer to them, hoping that you can learn what they know. In this case, you get the feeling Kelly has not let fame spoil her, but also that she was just born confident, with a generosity of spirit that is all about others and rarely about herself. She is, like her music, giving and strong and confident and full of gusto. Did we alter her appearance? Only to make her look her personal best. Did we publish an act of fiction? No. Not unless you think all photos are that. But in the sense that Kelly is the picture of confidence, and she truly is, then I think this photo is the truest we have ever put out there on the newsstand.”

How can it be her “personal best” if it is not reality? And moreover, how can this woman actually say it is NOT an “act of fiction”? Lastly – if this is the “truest” photo they have ever put out there – then how can we trust anything in this magazine?

I’d love to hear your comments! (and be sure to read the blog comment – yipes I am sure they are scrambling to figure out how to handle this further!!)

All this writing about dry skin vs. dehydrated skin (see below), made me realize that I very seldom do a special offer on one of our unsung hero” products – Cookies + Cream.

Cookies + Cream is an amazing face masque that is used once per week and leaves your skin feeling incredibly soft and smooth. Ground vanilla beans will soothe your senses and calm your skin, while white kaolin clay will draw out impurities without drying skin. Finally, the high honey content forms a thin barrier on the skin to help trap the moisture and keeps skin hydrated, and rice bran oil’s high antioxidant levels and moisturizing properties keep skin smooth, soft and protected.

And this week – we are giving you the chance to get Cookies + Cream for <b>FREE</b>!!! Find out how by signing up for our email list at www.gardengirlskincare.com.

Skin dehydration is a very common occurance – but it is often confused with simply dry skin. Yep – there’s a difference. While dry skin is the result of insufficient oil in the skin, dehydration is the lack of water in the skin. That means you would treat it differently as well.

First off, how can you tell if your skin is dehydrated? It looks scaly and flaky – and, you guessed it, it looks dry. Fine lines are much more visible, and skin can even appear as if it has an additional thin layer of skin on top. I know – that’s what dry skin can look like – but it is important to remember one thing: dry skin is skin type and tends to be hereditary or as a result of the aging process, while dehydration is condition and tends to be something more temporary. Dehydration can be the result of things like exposure to the sun, wind, or dry heat. It also is often caused by drinking too much coffee, tea or other diuretics.

And don’t forget – dry skin AND oily skin can become dehydrated. Oily skin often becomes dehydrated by using strong, harsh soaps and cleansers, as well as using astringents too frequently. And when oily skin becomes dehydrated the top layers of skin cells harden and block the skin’s ability to secrete oil. You can see where this is going – oily skin that can’t secrete the oils can increase (ugh) breakouts.

So now that you can identify it better – you can treat it more effectively. For instance, just treating dehydrated skin with oils can be completely ineffective. The trick is to find a moisturizer that is designed to trap the water in your skin by forming a thin layer of film on the skin’s surface. Ingredients to look for include glycerin, glycolic acid and lactic acids (which help to bind water and draw it into the skin) and hyaluronic acid (which traps the moisture). There are other ingredients, like dimethicone, which can also trap the moisture, but since that has a questionable safety rating, we don’t use it in Garden Girl products. Lastly, it’s important to treat dehydrated skin with a hydrating face mask weekly as well.

All Garden Girl face creams and body lotions are packed with hyaluronic acid, and our Like Magic anti-aging serum is highly-concentrated with hyaluronic acid as well. Plus our Cookies + Cream masque is perfect for rehydrating your sun-parched skin. So whether you have dry skin or dehydrated skin – we’ve got you covered!

Holy smokes – I am so behind schedule this week!! My apologies for not posting the contest winner! But the person who was selected at random from the entries with the correct answers to my questions is……. (drum roll)

LISA MATHER of Texas!!

Congratulations Lisa! I will contact you this week and get the Break Free out to you!

Baby steps are better than no steps I guess? This week Massachusetts issued a warning to parents of young children and pregnant women to avoid plastics that may contain BPA (bisphenol A). While I would much rather they ban all products containing BPA, like Connecticut did a few months back, at least they are acknowledging that this is a dangerous chemical and that there are significant concerns regarding BPA exposure to young children.

According to an article in the Boston Globe:

“The state’s warning is precise for parents of children up to age 2: Avoid transparent (clear or colored) plastic containers or baby bottles with the recycling number 7 and the letters PC (which stands for polycarbonate); use glass or stainless steel instead. If plastics are still being used, parents should avoid heating those containers because that can increase the release of the chemical. They should also wash the containers by hand with warm water and soap, instead of placing them in dishwashers.

Maybe it was too much sun this weekend or maybe I’m just thinking this would be a fun offer – but this week’s special is a big, actually an ENORMOUS 50% savings off of our most popular anti-aging product – Like Magic serum.

Like Magic is every bit as effective and amazing as the hugely expensive serums you’ll find at the cosmetics counters of department stores. It’s packed with hyaluronic acid and a peptide complex that magically hydrate, trap moisture, tighten, and relax fine lines and wrinkles. It’s going to be your favorite trick!

And the best part? This week it is an incredible $22.00 after the 50% savings. But to find out how to get that savings, you have to go to www.gardengirlskincare.com and sign up for our mailing list. So get going and take advantage!

One thing I learned very quickly after launching Garden Girl is that there are TONS of women out there who are challenged by sensitive skin.

Did you know that more than 60% of women believe that they have sensitive skin? But the interesting thing is that it’s estimated that scientifically speaking, really only about 20% of women technically do have sensitive skin, and of this, only 2 to 5 percent can attribute the sensitivies to cosmetic ingredients. (Source: Milady’s Skin Care + Cosmetics Ingredients Dictionary – Second Edition, by Natalia Michalun) Interesting isn’t it?

The way skin becomes irritated is when the stratum corneum (top layer of skin) is damaged and products can penetrate deeper into the epidermis and/or dermis. Also – your own skin’s bacterial content can react with chemical components of a product and cause a reaction. The irritation typically appears as redness, burning, itching and/or some type of a rash.

The most common ingredients in products that cause reactions are fragrances (which, as I have mentioned before, can have hundreds of ingredients but are simply listed as “fragrance” or “parfum” or “perfume”), preservatives, and some of the chemical sunscreens. Other common irritants are sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate. But every person is different and what bothers some, may not bother others.

If your skin becomes irritated, be sure to think about whether you have tried any new products – these could be skin care, bath care, laundry, dishwashing soap etc. Also – check ingredients and see if you can narrow down any commonalities that could be causing problems. To be safe, it is always a great idea to avoid products with any chemical fragrances as this is often the cause. Here is a link to a great list of the most common fragrances that can cause allergies. And of course, have any irritations checked out by a doctor to be safe!

The reality of that all is that there are many many women out there who are afraid of trying new products for fear of getting a terrible reaction. So as you can imagine, people with sensitive skin are incredibly happy to find products that work for them! This is why Garden Girl has focused on providing products that work for sensitive skin – and why we exclude parabens, sulfates, petroleum products and phthalates. Nearly all of our products are designed to work well for sensitive skin, and we have some products that are specifically formulated for even the most sensitive skin – like like Oasis for Faces face wash and No Worries face cream.