Sounds Good

Silver soap, crystal-charge polish remover among seasonal beauty finds
Don’t be jealous of the French. America has just started selling L’Oréal Paris Elnett Satin, what the company calls “a legendary hairspray used by hairstylists around the world.” When I saw the gold can and the stylized woman drawn on the label, it reminded me of products my mother used in the ‘70s. It smelled and felt that way, too. My daughter actually asked if the can was “vintage.” I agreed it looked old school, but it’s L’Oréal, so I trust it. I agree that the micro-diffusion allows for even application and appreciate its “humidity protection.” Makers say it has an “ultra-fine formula that provides exceptional hold and disappears at the stroke of a brush, leaving hair clean and shiny with a satin touch. “ I just wish I’d tried it before my walk along the Port Arthur sea wall.
Read on for more seasonal beauty finds:

Silver in the soap
I’ve tasted silver in Indian candies, now it’s in Cor’s high-end facial cleansers with a patented formula of nano-silver with silica. Silver is in the beauty news as an antibacterial agent. Who knew? I tried a tiny sample bar that looks clear and foams up a storm. The nano means tiny, so it doesn’t look silver, but I like it. The expensive soap is designed to last a long time, but save money on multiple products, because you massage in the foam and it “revives, plumps, tones, balances, deep cleans and heals surface skin.

Organic and charged
The tinkle you hear from the green burlap bag sounds like fairies. It’s Reiki charged quartz crystals inside the G2 Organics Nail Polish Remover. It’s non-toxic and odorless and 95 percent organic. To me this means a tad more elbow grease in the removal process, but it’s worth it. To the Japanese, reiki is a technique for stress reduction and relaxation that promotes healing, and a sense of well being. Aloe vera extract and Vitamin E, butyl diglycol (derived from corn), an embittering agent, and ethyl alcohol (derived from grain) get the color off your nails and the bottle look alone is a mood booster and conversation piece.

In-your-face caviar
Caviar is my must-have indulgence for New Year’s Eve. I can start early with what Pevonia Botanica calls Ligne Myoxy-Caviar offering “timeless rejuvenation.” Little sample tubes of balm cleanser, repair cream and hand and foot cream smell great and make my skin feel “expensive.”

Oh, baby
I don’t know who decided what baby products should smell like, but they all seem the same. Jenerations Baby has a slightly different take of freshness with a line of organic body and hair care products for babies and children labeled “for good boys and girls.” That’s me, too. Salon owner Jennifer Reilly developed it to perform to salon standards, and babies are getting more choosy all the time. Parents choose to offer their precious cargo no sulfates, parabens or tea tree oil and lavender which scientists say could disrupt a child’s hormone levels, I’ve heard. Reilly’s eldest son was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, to create a safer product. A percentage of proceeds go to Asperger’s education and research. I’ve tried the sensitive shampoo and no-tangles shine-enhancing conditioner with success on myself. I reckon babies will like it, too.

Sweet scrub
I reiterate my theory that there’s a sugar scrub treatment on your first night in heaven. The scented scratch from the sugar and scented oil is surely something Cleopatra coveted in her beauty ritual. Tree Hut Certified Organic Shea Sugar Body Scrubs. There’s always a catch. It’s recommended you use this simply two to three times a week to smooth sun-damaged skin and even the skin tone. I’ll try not to take several baths a day just to get to the scrub, accented with safflower, evening primrose and avocado oil. Walmart is a supplier of the line, which has scents ranging from Almond and Honey, Brazilian Nut and Coconut Lime to Hawaiian Kukui, Original Shea and Tahitian Grass. I’m keeping Tree Hut’s new shea hydrating Brazilian nut body splash at my desk to change my mood. It smells like a brown sugar drink with a dark liquor and quickly transports my mind to a vacation spot. Shea is the stuff for winter’s chapped skin. Tree Hut’s ingredients also include Hawaiian Kukui nut oil and coconut shells imported from the Polynesian Islands.

Drink to your skin
I tried little samples of Sibu Beauty, featuring antioxidant-rich sea buckthorn. These superfruits remind me of the fruits in local palms. There was a tiny soap, little packets of cleanser and something unexpected. A shot. That’s right, you drink it. I put it one of my tiny curved glasses and pretended I was at a spa. Good stuff. To learn more, visit www.sibubeauty.com.

Power bath
Joyful Bath Co. has a chief bath mixologist and her instructions on her daily 5-minute power bath include slipping in as the tub fills to half way, and letting your exposed skin breath. Salt is a natural anti-bacterial, so don’t shower afterwards, she says, if using something like the company’s ‘Nilla Buttermilk or Citrus Buzz. My faves are Green Tea Glee and Ginger Snap, but please, consider having Asian food on hand, because this could cause cravings. For these, I suggest scrubbing the power bath for a much longer version.
From this joyful experience I also learned some packing peanuts are made from cornstarch, and can also go in your bath.

Cleanliness is beautiful
The multi-taskers at Vermont Soap Organics put a cool trigger on their Liquid Sunshine Spray & Wipe all-purpose cleaner that cleans people as well as my favorite leather bag, cars and pets, and everything will smell amazing, too. The company has released Lemongrass Zen foaming hand soap that makes my day and Produce Magic, a spray designed to make all the oranges in your Christmas stocking taste better with a wash of coconut, olive, aloe vera, rosemary and more. I’m enjoying being green.
ddoiron@panews.com