Eat Your Way to Healthier Skin!

Caring for your skin using the right products is crucial, but you can also help your skin out by eating the right foods. Here are some elements you should be looking for in the foods you eat for healthy, glowing skin!

Essential Fatty Acids: Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) help keep skin cells healthy by keeping harmful elements out and sealing nutrients and water in, leaving skin more hydrated and young-looking. EFAs also help dilute sebum and unclog pores. The best-known essential fatty acids are omega 6 and omega , which many people lack. Some great sources of Essential Fatty Acids are fish (especially salmon!), and walnut, canola and flaxseed oils.

Antioxidants: Antioxidants protect from free radicals that damage skin cells’ membranes and DNA. Protecting against this damage helps prevent premature skin aging. Blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, plums, and Goji berries are some of the fruits with the highest antioxidant content.

Selenium: Selenium is especially beneficial in the summertime, when your skin is more exposed to the sun. This essential mineral helps protect skin against sun damage and other oxidative damage that can increase the risk of cancer. Selenium and vitamin E together also form a powerful free radical-fighting antioxidant. Some great sources for Selenium are: Cottage cheese (also great for calcium and Vitamin A!); whole-wheat bread, muffins, and cereals; turkey, tuna and Brazil nuts.

Vitamins A, C & E

• Vitamin A (niacin) is important for healthy skin: it is anti-inflammatory, provides soothing and calming properties for irritated skin, and maintains and repairs skin cells. As an antioxidant, vitamin A also fights free radical damage that can prematurely age the skin. Avocado and mango are a great source for Vitamin A – just one avocado contains 27% of your daily requirement for Vitamin A, and one mango contains more than 80% of your daily requirement! Dairy products are also great for your daily intake of Vitamin A – dairy also contains calcium, Vitamin D, Vitamin A, and the "live" bacteria acidophilus that helps regulate intestinal health, which also reflects healthier-looking skin.
  

• Vitamin C: Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps fight skin damage and wrinkles. It also plays a central role in the production of collagen, the structural protein in your skin – it will help your skin stay younger and more supple. A surprising source of Vitamin C is Acerola cherries – while most cherries are not normally a source for Vitamin C, just one Acerola cherry will fulfill your daily requirement of Vitamin C – one cherry contains 65 times the amount of Vitamin C found in oranges!

• Vitamin E: Vitamin E's rich oils moisturize dry skin, and its antioxidants protect against skin damage and premature aging. Vitamin E can be found in almonds and sunflower seeds –just a handful of sunflower seeds fulfills most of your daily requirement for Vitamin E.

Do you have any skincare food secrets?



Sources: www.webmd.com, www.lifescript.com
Photo credit: spotsfordates.com, chinesegrandma.com, graphicshunt.com

Beach-Chic with Lierac Expert Catherine Raubiet

Summer is almost here! That means we'll have to put on a bathing suit sooner or later and face those body issues that we’ve been hiding all winter. Unlike what you may have been told, it’s never too late for bikini prep. Our own Catherine Raubiet, Lierac Beauty expert and National Educator, shares her secrets for looking bikini-ready in a flash!

1- Exfoliate your entire body 2-3 times a week. This will get rid of dead skin cells, prevent ingrown hairs, stimulate circulation, and give your skin a healthy glow.

2- Finish every shower with cold water. This will tone end energize your skin.

3- Apply a self-tanner evenly over your entire body and face, one area at a time to avoid streaks. I would suggest a self-tanner cream (versus an oil or spray), which blends into skin more easily. Not only will this give your skin a healthy, summery glow, it will also camouflage any imperfections like cellulite or winkles! Lierac has an express or a progressive option that gives a natural-looking glow.

4- This will not solve the problem overnight, but it's never too late to start treating imperfections and problem areas with targeted products. An anti-cellulite cream, for example, will noticeably diminish the appearance of cellulite with regular and prolonged use, and will give you a firmer, tighter feel right from the start – an instant confidence booster at the beach! I would suggest Morpho-Slim Anti-Cellulite Concentrate and Morpho-Slim Stomach & Waist Resculpting and Firming Concentrate, that contain Active Caffeine to effectively diminish the appearance of cellulite.

5- Moisturize your skin regularly- especially after sun, salt and chlorine exposure to keep your skin nourished and healthy. Your skin will look visibly healthier and radiant with the moisture. A light, non-greasy option is ideal for summer: Sensorielle Multi-Use Oil is fast-absorbing, ultra-hydrating, and has a delicious, light floral scent.

6- Don’t forget to drink water! It is not only important for your body’s hydration levels, but also for glowing and healthy skin. This is especially important during the hot summer months, when your body is more dehydrated than usual.

7- Bring a healthy snack with you when you leave the house: fruits like berries are full of antioxidants, and raw vegetables and almonds are great for energy and feeling clean and healthy – your skin and body will thank you!

8- Always wear sunscreen, and pack it in your bag at all times! It will protect your skin from the harmful UV rays, and will also give you a more uniform and healthy tan – no one looks good with a sunburn!"

Merci, Catherine! Do you have questions for Catherine? Ask or comment below!

Vive La France! Bloggers Celebrate Bastille Day At Phyto Universe

Last night beauty bloggers gathered at Phyto Universe in NYC to celebrate Bastille Day (a few days early!) with PHYTO hair care, LIERAC Paris skincare, and Caron fragrances. Guests were invited to learn about products from all brands, including some of our more recent launches. Experts were on hand to offer up their knowledge and everyone had a chance to mingle with fellow bloggers while munching on some delicious French delicacies (complete with cheese and paté, bien sur!). Live band, "The Hot Club of Hell's Kitchen," played French tunes in the background.

The night also included a mini French lesson, courtesy of Laurel Holland and the Alliance Francaise, in which bloggers learned beauty-related words and phrases associated with skin and hair, as well as hair care and skincare tips from celebrity stylist and salon owner, Julien Farel, and LIERAC's Director of Education, Catherine Raubiet.

Catherine provided great tips while highlighting some of the differences between the ways Americans and the French view skincare:

• Start early with skincare - Get regular facials as early as the teenage years. Americans view getting facials as a luxury, while the French see it as necessary for proper grooming.
  
  
• Use minimal makeup - keep makeup light! Cosmetics are intended to enahance beauty, not act as something to hide behind.
  
  
• Keep it gentle - Though Americans embrace more aggressive procedures (such as microdermabrasion, lasers, and peels), the French prefer more holistic approaches to skincare, with more of a reliance on botanics.
  
  
• Skincare regimen - It's important to maintain a proper skincare regimen including cleansing, moisturizing, and toning, in the morning AND at night. Also, exfoliate and use a mask at least once a week.
  
  
• Body care - Americans tend to forget about taking care of the skin on their bodies (just focus on moisturizing the face), but keeping the body hydrated is just as important!
  
  
• Minimal cosmetic surgery - Plastic surgery is much more common in the US than in France. The French prefer the use of non-invasive topical treatments.
  
  
• Approx. 30% of skin ages due to genetics....70% is in your control!

  
  
  Everyone had a great time at 'le soirée' (we ended up with more attendees than expected...the more the merrier!). A fabulous night indeed!

  
  
  Photos!

  
  
  

  
  
  

  The experts! Julien Farel and Catherine Raubiet

  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  The band

  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  Caron's Diane Haska and Lauren of Everyday to Runway
  

  
  

  
  

  
  
  A big MERCI to all who came out to Phyto Universe!