With gentle breezes and warm, sunny days just around the corner, I’m already penciling in some of my summer plans. And by now, I’ve learned not to neglect my skin during these warmer months. Every time I walk into the drugstore or my favorite department store, I see new evidence that the skincare market is booming. The shelves are lined with skin creams and potions that all make pretty awesome-sounding claims, but it can be hard to know where to begin.

What’s a good way of getting back to basics and choosing the right product for your skin? The answer yet again lies in understanding the ingredient list. But as always, talk with your licensed esthetician or dermatologist to get a professional opinion on what products will work for you.

In her article “What Are Those Ingredients?” Stacy Colino asks some dermatologists to decode some of the most common skincare ingredients. Here are a few of the big-name players:

1. Vitamin C:
• Also known as: ascorbic acid, L-ascorbic acid, ascorbate, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, ascorbyl palimate.
• Great for: almost all skin types, except very sensitive skin
• Treats: aging and sun damage

2. Salicylic Acid
• Alias: beta hydroxy acid (BHA)
• Great for: normal and oily skin
• Treats: acne and skin irritation

3. Ferulic Acid
• Alias: 4-hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamic acid
• Great for: normal and dry skin
• Treats: aging and sun damage

4. Retinol
• Alias: retinoic acid, retinyl palmitate
• Great for: normal and oily skin
• Treats: aging, acne and sun damage

5. Idebenone
• Alias: ubiquinone, coenzyme Q-10
• Great for: almost all skin types
• Treats: aging, irritation and sun damage

6. Hyaluronic Acid
• Alias: sodium hyaluronate
• Great for: almost all skin types, especially for dry skin
• Treats: aging

7. Green Tea
• Alias: epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)
• Great for: almost all skin types
• Treats: aging, irritation and sun damage

8. Niacinamide
• Alias: nicotinamide
• Great for: dry skin
• Treats: aging, irritation, sun damage

9. Alpha Lipoic Acid
• Alias: lipoic acid
• Great for: almost all skin types, except very sensitive skin
• Treats: aging and sun damage

Some of these wonder ingredients have pretty long aliases, but paying attention to the label next time you’re in the skincare aisle can pay off for your skin. Have any great brands to recommend for skincare during the warmer months? Let us know!

The pen is mightier than sword – well in this case, knife! I found a great product that is a cosmetic pen that erases the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Sephora.com offers Cosmedicine Instant Wrinkle Write Off Pen and it is supposed to fill in your wrinkles with the ease of a stroke. 

The pen is designed to temporarily eliminate fine lines and wrinkles and tightens and lifts the skin while absorbing oil and minimizing pores. After reading some reviews, it sounds like it might work, and be a cheaper, safer alternative to Botox or cosmetic surgery.

This product is light weight and can be worn under make-up and fetches the price of $25. BeautySchool.com would like to know your thoughts and opinions on this.

Try this for healthy, young-looking skin!

My boyfriend’s mom is in amazing shape. She recently became a certified nutrition coach – her area of expertise is in whole foods. She practices everything she preaches – and more. In fact, when it comes to local and green living, she’s one of the savviest people around.

Recently, she shared something with me that completely amazed, shocked and inspired me. So, I have to pass my new-found wisdom along to you.

I’ve always thought that skin damage was permanent and that, unless you paid tons of money for injections or surgeries, you were stuck with it. Guess what? That’s not true! According to my boyfriend’s mom (I’ve seen 15 year-old-pictures of her that prove it), you can improve your skin’s health through completely natural and super-cheap method.

Aside from eating healthful, local and mostly organic foods that have done wonders to improve her health overall, she attributes much of her skin’s healthy glow to a really common and inexpensive ingredient: carrots. She simply juices a few carrots in the morning for a beta-carotene, vitamin and mineral packed drink.

Breaking it down
Beta-carotene absorbed into your skin can help protect it from UV rays. And, when your body converts it into vitamin A it helps develop skin cells and promotes skin health.

Plus, the vitamin C in carrots is a powerful antioxidant that can clean up the free radicals caused by overexposure to the sun. Vitamin C also helps in the formation of collagen which helps keep skin looking young.

How to juice
Juicing carrots is really easy, too. You just have to take several large carrots and clean them with water and a vegetable brush. Be sure not to peel them because a lot of nutrients are stored in the upper surfaces. Put them in a juicer and drink immediately to get the most nutrients.

I’ve also heard that eating a ton of carrots can turn your skin orange, but as long as you don’t go overboard, drinking carrot juice will give your skin a natural tan and give you a soft glow.

The best part: it’s delicious!