Breaking Down Beauty: Tampons & Dioxins

Why start with dioxins, you ask?  Well, this whole discussion about possibly toxic beauty got started with two things.  

The first was a rumor I heard in the late nineties and only recently asked Seth, my chemistry guru, about.  What I heard was something along the lines of, "I don't use mainstream tampons anymore because they bleach them and they get contaminated with dioxin."  Of course, I had no idea what dioxin was, but I also don't use tampons (I'm weird that way), so I didn't really think about it again until...

The second was information that I came across online that stated there are several "toxic" ingredients being used in the cosmetics industry.  The information seemed to be presented in a pretty reasonable way and I'm no chemist, but I tried just doing a general search online and came up with all kinds of things being used in cosmetics that various people were claiming to be toxic.  My thought was, "Why are they allowed to put all this stuff into cosmetics?!"  

Instead of letting the panic continue, I called Seth and and gave him the skinny.  He felt it was an interesting thing to research.  Since I had just remembered the tampon/dioxin rumor, we started there.  So, in case you were worried, we do realize that tampons aren't cosmetic.  And away we go:

Jess:  So...what the heck is dioxin?

Seth: Dioxin is the common name for the chemical compound 2,3,7,8 tetrachloro-dibenzo-dioxin...

Jess:  What the what?

Seth:  TCDD for short, it is a highly potent carcinogen.  It disrupts the ability of the body's defense system to target and kill cancer cells.  
     The plural term "dioxins" is used to refer to a group of seventeen "dioxin-like" compounds, which share the basic structure of TCDD.  But the toxicity of these compounds is between 10-1000 times lower than that of the highly toxic TCDD.  Both TCDD and these dioxin-like compounds (from here on out, we'll refer to them as just "dioxins") are monitored in the environment and regulated by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency).

Jess:  So there are eighteen of these compounds (including TCDD) out there - how did they get out there in the first place?

Seth:  Traces of TCDD and dioxins are found in the air, soil, waste, water and food, but they aren't produced for any commercial purpose.  They are by-products of certain industrial processes.  For example, the bleaching of wood pulp with chlorine gas, the synthesis of certain herbicides, and the burning of hazardous waste.  
     Herbicides, whose synthesis produced TCDD and dioxins, such as those in Agent Orange, have been banned since 1985 by the EPA.  Non-chlorine bleaching of wood pulp has been phased in by manufacturers to eliminate that source.  Burning of waste remains as the major source of this contamination.  But food is the major source of human exposure to these compounds, which accumulate in the fatty tissue of animals.  The EPA regulates the level of these compounds in drinking water and the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) regulates the levels in food (1).  The EPA's long-term goal is to completely eliminate environmental TCDD and dioxins.


Jess:  ...Have we gotten to the tampons yet?

Seth:  Almost there.  In 1989, reports began to circulate in the media, alleging that tampons contained toxic amounts of TCDD and dioxins.  This suspicion appeared possible, since the rayon fabric in some tampons was made from wood pulp and it was known that bleaching wood pulp with chlorine gas could produce trace levels of both TCDD and dioxins (as by-products).  
     These allegations caused great concern, coming so soon after:  The implication of dioxin exposure as the cause of a variety of toxic symptoms (cancer, birth defects, immune system suppression) experienced by Vietnam veterans who were exposed to the use of Agent Orange defoliant.  And an increase in incidents of TSS (toxic shock syndrome), attributed to bacterial contamination of tampons (2).

Jess:  So some amount of TCDD and/or dioxins was found in tampons, but how much of it?

Seth:  In 1989, the EPA estimated a lifetime daily dose of TCDD/dioxin due to rayon tampon usage was equivalent to one trillionth of a gram of dioxin, accumulated over 80 years.  This was approximately one million times lower than the EPA's estimated dioxin dose due to food intake.
     Just the same, by 2000 (and some before then), tampon manufacturers had switched from chlorine gas bleaching of wood pulp to either bleaching with chlorine dioxide, or to totally chlorine-free bleaching.  Fibers made from wood pulp bleached with chlorine dioxide did not produce any detectable TCDD or dioxins using analysis methods which were sensitive to four-hundredths of a part per trillion.

Jess:  In other words...their equipment couldn't detect any.

Seth:  Precisely.  Now, despite the aforementioned EPA estimates and the switch away from chlorine gas bleaching, popular concern about tampons and TCDD/dioxins remained sufficient so that in 1997 Congress passed the Tampon Safety and Research Act to ensure that tampon materials did not contain these contaminants.  The FDA would henceforth stipulate that manufacturer submissions for tampon product approval should document testing of both tampon materials and finished tampons for TCDD and dioxins, as well as identifying the bleaching method used on wood pulp as either elemental chlorine free or totally chlorine free (3).
     In 2002, EPA scientists reported that they were able to barely detect several dioxins in rayon tampons at their method's detection limit of approximately one tenth of a part per trillion.  TCDD itself and most of the seventeen regulated dioxins could not be detected and thus were present, if at all, at levels below one tenth of a part per trillion (4).  In 2005, FDA scientists confirmed the 2002 EPA findings, using a method with a detection limit down to four hundredths of a part per trillion (5).  The FDA paper re-emphasized the fact, as have several FDA bulletins, that exposure to TCDD and dioxins in food dwarfs the exposure through tampon usage.

Jess:  So can we conclude that bleached tampons nowadays are not hazardous to our health due to TCDD or dioxins?  Or is there still some reason to only use chlorine-free/unbleached tampons?

Seth:  Today the bleaching process for tampon fabrics in the United States should be either elemental chlorine (chlorine gas)-free or totally chlorine-free.  Potential levels of TCDD or dioxins in these tampons should be either zero or so low as to not have a significant impact on health. 
     In conclusion, those who want to reduce their exposure to dioxins should consider reducing their intake of meat and fish rather than discontinuing their use of bleached tampons.  It should be noted that the early concerns over the tampon issue and the 1997 congressional action accelerated the switch away from chlorine gas bleaching of wood pulp, a significant benefit to the environment.

(1)  EPA Fact Sheet - Dioxins and Furans
(2a)  R. Sciallo, Reproductive Toxicology, 15, 231 (2001) - Tampons, Dioxins and Endometriosis; (2b)  2009 FDA Bulletin on medical device safety - Dioxin and Rayon Concerns; (2c)  2009 FDA Bulletin - Tampons and Asbestos, Dioxin and Toxic Shock Syndrome
(3)  FDA Recommendations for Submissions for Approval of Menstrual Products - 2005
(4)  M. deVito and A. Schechter, Environmental Healthy Perspectives, 110(1), 23 (2005) - Dioxin and Furan Levels found in Tampons

Breaking Down Beauty: Definitions

Some Basic Definitions from Seth:

Before proceeding we should first agree on the definition of the following key terms: chemical, toxic, organic, synthetic chemical, natural chemical.

molecule/chemical/chemical compound: The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) defines a molecule as a group of atoms chemically bonded together, representing the smallest fundamental unit of a compound that can take part in a chemical reaction. For example, vitamin C is a molecule consisting of six carbon atoms, 8 hydrogen atoms, and 6 oxygen atoms - bound together in a specific geometrical way.  In common usage, the terms molecule, chemical and chemical compound have become interchangeable – thus, vitamin C is also considered a chemical or a chemical compound.

toxic:  The OED defines toxic as:
     (1) poisonous - The OED defines "poison" as a substance that causes death or injury when swallowed or absorbed by a living organism. Thus, the term toxic applied to a chemical present in a cosmetic infers that the chemical causes death or injury when absorbed/applied to the skin of a human subject.
     (2) relating to or caused by a poison - This definition of toxic covers a very wide range of injury, from the low end of toxicity, with a chemical which irritates the skin so as to produce an itching rash which remains for several hours and then goes away (after which one assumes you will stop using the product) without permanent injury, to the high end of toxicity with death.

Since cosmetics are often applied several times a week for long periods of time, it is certainly appropriate to investigate whether the chemicals present in cosmetics are harmful to your health. 

organic:  Organic Chemistry is the study of the compounds of carbon. So, to a chemist, the term organic applies to all carbon-based compounds, whether they are obtained from nature (vegetation, micro-organisms, animals) and are thus “natural”, or they are synthetic (man-made). 
     For example, vitamin C is found naturally in vegetation (from which it can be extracted), and it can also be synthesized in a laboratory for use in commercial vitamin supplements. It is considered organic in both cases by a chemist. Whether vitamin C is considered natural or synthetic depends only on its source (nature versus laboratory) and the actual vitamin C compound is the same whether it is extracted from a plant or made in the laboratory. 
     Over time, common usage of the term organic has morphed into an implication that something is “natural,” for example: food that has been grown without the use of man-made pesticides, herbicides and hormones, and commercial products (e.g. cosmetics) prepared with all natural (obtained from nature) ingredients, such as plant extracts. I will bow to common usage and use the common definition of organic in this series.

Breaking Down Beauty: Introduction

There is a glut of misinformation out there about beauty products and cosmetic ingredients.  It can be very hard to figure out what is true and what is misunderstood.  Misinterpretation of scientific findings can lead to erroneous and alarmist statements.  Having worked in the natural foods industry (which includes beauty products), I heard a lot of different things from supposedly reliable sources and I never thought to question the accuracy of the information or do my own research.

These days it is also becoming more difficult to separate fact from fiction because certain key words appear to have been redefined by the industry.  Seth, PhD in Chemistry from MIT, has volunteered/been coerced into exploring the different meanings of toxic, organic, synthetic, natural and chemical.  Are these terms just savvy advertising?  A way for one cosmetic company to slam another?  Or are there real reasons to worry about what companies are adding to their products?  I imagine it may be a mix of all three.

The aim of this series is to try to help you (and me, because I want to know too) sort through all the marketing, hype and misconceptions.  And to provide you with some tools to bust myths and help all of us be a little more wary of alarmist media, which I myself have fallen prey to in the past.

We will also be discussing cosmetic ingredients that people have concerns about like parabens, anti-bacterials, sodium lauryl sulfate, coloring agents and sunscreen chemicals.

Hopefully we will leave you with more answers than questions.

Speaking of questions:  Since this will be an ongoing project, Seth and I would love to hear your questions and concerns.  You can comment on a post or contact me directly and Seth or I will get back to you.  I am acting as curious consumer in this series and co-researcher, but Seth will be doing the grunt work.  He is going to try to break down the science for us - no easy feat for people like me who aren't big into chemistry. And he will provide you with sites and books to reference so that you can do more research on your own.  If you have discovered an alarming ingredient in one of your cosmetic products, do share!  

Moblin Beauty on LostGirls

There are a couple of kids bath products mentioned in my most recent LostGirls post - For the Moblins...

I have been doing a bit of babysitting this month for a friend of mine.  Her toddler is not afraid of monsters and completely understands that the moblin (which is how she says goblin) that lives in the storage closet of my house is not to be disturbed, but is not mean and won't eat her.  Unless she's stinky - moblins like stinky things.  Did you know?  [read more...]

Beauty on a Budget: Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser

You may remember my review of Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Soothing Lotion and  how much I loved it.  A few weeks later, I am still excited to use it every day.  However, it did take me a while to decide on using the cleanser from the same line.  I don't usually trust that all products in a particular line will work as well as the first one I fall for.  I have been burned before (literally, in the case of an Aveda product that had cucumber extract in it, which it turns out I'm allergic to) by thinking that everything by a particular brand must be used together.  In most cases, it is simply not true (it's called "marketing").  I've found that picking and choosing carefully is the best way to go and I rarely love every single product I try in a line, no matter how much I love the brand.

Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser is an exception to that rule for me.  I had already seen a slight decrease in my usually facial redness from using the lotion.  Adding the cleanser to my routine has pretty much eliminated it.  When I get out of the shower, I'm so used to seeing my skin a pale shade of red from the heat (it doesn't take much) that not having any red was almost shocking.  And so delightful.  The skin on my face is more comfortable, less oily without going straight to dried out, and very soft.  

This is a soap-free, dye-free cleanser without sulphates.  It does produce a small amount of (SLS-free) lather, but rinses clean quickly.  It would be even better if there was no added fragrance, but at least it's at the very end of the ingredients list. There is one ingredient listed that will make me reconsider this product (in other words, I have to do more research), but such is the result of buying inexpensive products - a long list of ingredients in a beauty product is likely going to mean lots of chemicals and preservatives, which is why researching ingredients is so important (more on that in my next post).

More Reviews:
NouveauCheap blog
About.com
Saved by the Beauty blog

My Poor Uncrafty Hands, Pt. 2

For those of you who want a hand wash that lathers but are worried about your crazy dry hands, there are a lot of moisturizing handsoaps on the market.  If you're like me and forget to apply lotion regularly, these soaps can help keep your hands from drying out.  If you're a fan of Bath & Body Works, they have a line of moisturizing hand soaps in various scents that cleanse without stripping moisture.  Cold-process, all-natural soaps like the one pictured below from Plantlife are supposed to be the best moisturizing and non-irritating soaps you can find and I know for a fact that your local Whole Foods Market (or local natural foods grocer) will carry a few different brands (honey, oatmeal, goat's milk and shea butter are great ingredients to look for in these soaps).  Then there's Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Cream Soap Bar which contains pure cocoa butter and Vitamin E and has been long trusted by moms-to-be.  

   

There are also a slew of great hand moisturizers that are designed to soak in so quickly that you can go right back to crafting without ruining the materials you're using.  Shepherd's Choice Secret Stash is a light, quick-absorbing balm with no greasy residue.  The Knit Picks Butter Hand Cream sounds like it should be sticky and greasy, but it is a quick-absorbing, vanilla-scented, lanolin and dye-free, vegan hand cream.  And I'm thinking of trying Knit Happens from Alsatian Soaps (which has a whole knitters line, as well as one for gardeners), a softening balm that won't harm natural fibers.  There is a long list of these balms and lotions specifically for those working with fibers available at yarn stores, on Etsy or you can even make your own.

The key is to find what is going to work for you.  Something that leaves your hands moisturized, doesn't leave residue on your work, is easy to remember to use, helps the yarn glide through your fingers and smells great to you.  I love my LUSH Lemony Flutter, but a combination of a moisturizing handsoap and one of these knitters balms might just be in my future.

My Poor Uncrafty Hands

As those of you who read Uncrafty know, I learned to crochet in July.  I am really excited about being able to make things.  In fact, I crochet any time that I can - watching TV, waiting for something to bake in the oven, while on the phone, etc.  Because I have sensitive skin, some of the yarns I've used have irritated my hands and, as all crafters know, yarn and other media will suck the moisture right out of your skin.  

As I've gotten older, the skin on my hands has started to dry out anyway and I've already found some really excellent hand creams/lotions/etc.  My biggest problem is forgetting to use them.  When I do remember, my favorite product to use is LUSH Lemony Flutter Cuticle Cream.  I did originally purchase it just for my cuticles, but it is recommended for dry cuticles, elbows, toes and heels (and in the video above, hair!).  I'm a bit obsessed with the sweet lemon scent of this stuff and a very small amount goes a long way.  The biggest complaint I hear about it is that it's greasy, but if you truly use a small amount it soaks right in.  By a small amount, I mean one teensy dab, emulsified between your hands.  This is also a great on-the-go, multipurpose product.  I always carry a small container with me and the regular size always goes in my carry-on when I travel.  I love to smell like this stuff.

But since I often forget to moisturize my hands throughout the course of the day, I am truly grateful to LUSH for creating a new hand product - a non-lathering, super moisturizing hand cleanser.  Putty for Your Hands soothes and moisturizes with oats, marshmallow mucilage and shea butter (among other things) and most notably without any foaming agents (which often irritate skin).  You can use it by lightly rubbing the bar over your hands or by breaking a piece off and crumbling it into your palm first.  This creates a sort of thin paste, which you then rinse off.  It doesn't feel greasy afterwards and your hands will feel softer, be lightly scented (the lavender in this is very subtle) and you can stick some of this in a tin and take it with you wherever you craft.

Beauty on a Budget: Clear Scalp & Hair Beauty / Pantene Curly

I have been reading rave reviews about Unilever's newest haircare line, Clear Scalp and Hair Beauty Therapy, for a few months now. At $5-6 a bottle and represented by the lovely Heidi Klum, I decided this was definitely worth a try.  Unilever's claim for this line is that it "feeds the scalp and creates the right foundation for stronger, more beautiful hair in just seven days."  I bought the Clear Scalp Damage and Color Repair shampoo and conditioner and used them for a little over a month.    

Unfortunately, I saw no positive change to my hair.  It didn't make my hair worse, but it also didn't strengthen it or make it look more healthy, shiny, etc.  I could have kept using this line, because it certainly wasn't damaging my hair, but I just wasn't overly fond of it.  The smell was kind of generic.  The shampoo lathers well, but feels like it strips my hair.  And the conditioner was a little on the thin side for repair.  It is certainly an inexpensive choice, but you are getting what you pay for, which is to say nothing special.  For my chemically treated hair, I need something that is really going to make it happy and feel soft and soothed.  This stuff is just not it.


I was happier with the Clear Scalp line than some of the other drugstore brands I've tried (Garnier Fructis, John Frieda and Redken) and I used it for as long as I did because I couldn't afford my usual from Bumble and Bumble.  Luckily, I came across a coupon for Pantene Pro-V and found that Pantene has a lot more choices and doesn't cost much more.

I was delighted to find that Pantene has a few lines specifically for curly hair (I didn't think drugstore brands got that specific).  I chose the Pantene Pro-V Curly Hair Series Moisture Renewal line.  I've now been using the shampoo and conditioner from this line for the past two weeks and I really like it.  I was surprised at how much I like the way it makes my hair smell.  The shampoo lathers so well that even my big ol' pile of hair only needs a quarter-size dollop.  And the conditioner controls my frizz and makes my hair shiny without weighing it down.  I really like the fact that Pantene offers a lot of options, since a lot of curly haircare lines don't work for me (my hair type, aside from being curly, is not usually targeted).  


More Clear Scalp reviews from MomAdvice.com, Budget Beauty Blog and Makeup Alley.

More Pantene Pro-V Curly Hair Series Moisture Renewel from WalMart, Drugstore.com and Total Beauty.

Beauty on a Budget: Summer Beauty Lists

I have Twitter to thank for bringing my attention to these:


Allure Magazine's Best of Beauty: Cheap Thrills:  I haven't tried most of the items on this list, but that's just more to look forward to!


More Magazine's 30 Best Beauty Products Under $30:  My favorite lip treatment by FRESH is one of the many fabulous products on this list.


Self Magazine's Healthy Beauty Awards: Best Buys $10 and Under: CoverGirl LashBlast has been my go-to mascara for the past couple of years (perfect brown, doesn't clump, doesn't smudge).  I can hardly wait to try the new 24HR version that Self liked enough to add to this long list of drugstore beauty.

Beauty on a Budget: Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Soothing Lotion SPF 15

The Neutrogena Original Beauty Bar has long been my mother's most trusted facial product, but I haven't had much luck with the brand.  Their cleansers dry out my combination skin (which is probably more to do with my sensitivity than anything else) and their sunscreens usually feel uncomfortable (like a creamy coating on my face - not good).  

However, the Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Soothing Lotion is one of the best face lotions I've tried on my super-sensitive skin.  This lotion is thin enough for a humid summer, but you don't need much - it smooths on easily.  It has broad spectrum UVA/UVB SPF 15, absorbs quickly, doesn't feel greasy and even took some of my usual redness out (without being tinted).  At about $15 for 4 fluid ounces, this is quite a bit of bang for your buck.  There is also a cream version, for those of you with dry skin.  One reviewer complained about the fragrance, but I honestly didn't notice that this lotion had one.  It doesn't seem to have worked for all sensitive skins, but my skin loves it and I actually look forward to putting it on every day.


Other reviews:
Amazon
MakeupAlley
Ulta

Beauty on a Budget: NYC Nail Polish

Before I get into this review, a few people have asked about my favorite Sonia Kashuk Nail Colour, Rock Star.  I couldn't find it on Amazon (so I can't provide a product link photo), but the embedded link above will lead you to Target, where I originally bought it.  Rock Star (13) isn't currently listed, but will hopefully come around again (check your local Target, they may still have it).  The Noir Lacquer post here gives a good representation of this shimmery indigo polish (shimmery, not opalescent).  On to the review...

Target is always a great place to find good, inexpensive and fun beauty products.  Meg is always a good person to listen to about style and living on a budget.  Combine the two in a conversation about me hating hot pink nail polish and you get a surprise:

MoMa

It turns out that there is a hot pink nail polish that I will actually wear (who knew?!).  And I have Meg and Target to thank for it.  But that's not all - I have completely fallen for the New York Color - In a New York Color Minute nail colors.  At $1.72 each (at Target), these seem too good to be true.  The biggest complaint about them from other reviewers seems to be that they're too thin, but I agree with one of the MakeupAlley reviewers - it makes it easier to control. 

Lincoln Square Lavender

I know everyone's crazy for the Sephora by OPI collection, but I spent the last few years trying a bunch of their polishes and never being satisfied with any of the colors.  So far I've tried five colors from the NYC In A New York Color Minute line - and I love every. single. one.  Granted, the grey and lemony ones probably don't look as good on me as someone younger or more fashionable, but I still really like them.  




All of the colors dry quickly with a glossier finish than I'm used to (requiring no top coat, if you're lazy, like me)  This line also has a mattifying polish, if you're interested.  All of the ones I tried definitely require two coats to avoid streaks, but you get nice, bright, glossy color and after a week my polish hasn't chipped.  I also love that I can actually afford to have a decent selection of great nail color thanks to NYC (the regular NYC line is only 99 cents each!).  

MoMa is the hot pink I was referring to, but it's more a dark fuchsia...I think of hot pink as being a bit on the neon side.  When Meg first told me about it (and showed it to me on her own nails) I wasn't so sure.  I tried it on my toenails and was surprised how much I liked it.  I'm guessing that what bothered me about the color at my last pedicure was the opalescence.  There's just something about bright and dark opalescent polishes that I do not like.  MoMa is my favorite of these five.

Lincoln Square Lavender is a shade or two lighter than MoMa and a great contrast (sorry to tell the world your secrets, Meg!).  I haven't found a single picture of it that doesn't look so purply, so I'll just tell you that it is a nice pink-purple mix, just enough purple to keep it from being bubble gum.  I prefer this one on my fingernails, which is downright shocking - I almost always wear nudes or clear polish on my hands.

Sidewalkers is a cement grey and doesn't have as much blue as most pictures show.  I don't think it makes pale skin look as dead as most of the dove greys out there.



Lexington Yellow is more lemon custard-y then it looks, pale-but-still-bright yellow.


Mulberry Street is not as sheer as I thought it would be (read: wanted it to be), but it's a nice, shimmery nude and, okay, it has a bit of opalescence.  I think this shade is suited for a classy occasion (but I have no class, so I'll have to find another excuse to wear it).  

Other reviews:  Makeup Alley, Glam on the Cheap, additional links to reviews embedded in the nail color names (above).

Is there a product you'd like to learn more about for the Beauty on a Budget section of this blog?  Leave a comment on this post or email us and we'll look into it!

Beauty on a Budget: Wet 'n Wild Juicy SPF 15 Lip Balm

I've never been a huge fan of lip gloss, but I love tinted lip balm.  When everyone else was using Kissing Potion roller lip glosses (sticky but tasty) in the 80s, I was obsessed with Maybelline Kissing Koolers.  I loved those.  I'd totally buy those now.  They stopped making Kissing Koolers a long time ago, probably around the time that we were all convinced that dark berry-colored Revlon lipstick looked really great on us (I feel sure it didn't).   

I've tried dozens of lip products since then and found a few that I really liked, but Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment is the one I've lingered on the last five or so years.  However, at   $22.50 each (at Sephora) they are not exactly budget-savvy.


Enter Wet 'n Wild Juicy Lip Balm (with SPF 15).  An oversized lip balm, available for about $3, in four flavors (red rasperry, cherry, strawberry and watermelon).  These aren't as big as the jumbo Bonne Bell Lip Smackers (another hot 80s beauty product, but this one could be used as a Kubotan), but they are larger than your average tube of Chapstick.

These balms leave a very light, translucent tint and very little shine, but they do glide on easily without feeling waxy or heavy.  They don't have much staying power, but they do have an initial and very light fruity scent/flavor that you might enjoy reapplying anyway.  I chose the Red Raspberry and found the tint turned a little too hot pink with a touch of purple for me, but it wasn't a bad color - it just didn't suit me.  I would be willing to try the Cherry one, which appears to have the most tint to it (see the Beauty Junkies Unite review for color swatches of all four).  


While this isn't the hottest product on the market, I actually do think it is a good product for someone who just wants to use something to keep their lips moisturized and protected from the sun while adding just a hint of color.  You also really can't beat that price.

Still not sure?  Here are some links to other sites for reviews on this product:

MakeupAlley.com:  Some people have complained of a chemical taste.  I haven't experienced that, but it should be noted.  One reviewer said it burned her lips, which would have convinced me to not try the product, but I've tried it and not had that experience (and I have freakishly sensitive skin).


Beauty Junkies Unite:  The original review I found for this product that made me want to try it.  

Do you prefer a drugstore brand or something more fancy? Is there another product you think we should try?  Leave a comment for us here!

A Tale of Beauty Gone By

I learned a long time ago that, in the wonderful world of beauty, you have to be careful what you get attached to.  There is always the possibility that it may not last.  From my first signature scent (Victoria's Secret Raspberry Glace - we're not counting the Coty Wild Musk I wore when I was ten here) to my favorite foot cream (LUSH Pied de Pepper), I have loved and lost quite a few beauty items.  And while I do not live in fear of a new favorite being discontinued, it is always great to hear that there is sometimes hope for a sort of resurrection.


My mother and I recently had a conversation about discontinued perfumes and she mentioned her love of a Shiseido fragrance that had once been discontinued.  She was quite disappointed until the day she found out that Shiseido's one-time perfume art director, Serge Lutens, had gone on to create his own line of fragrances and had relaunched her favorite Shiseido perfume, Feminite du Bois.  Although she no longer sticks to just one perfume every day, sometimes you find a fragrance that changes or enhances your mood in just the right way and it's nice when you can still pull that bottle out for special occasions or maybe on Wednesdays.



After she told me about this wonderful rediscovery, I looked around for some of my old favorites.  I had no luck but I did find that some brands (like Shiseido) let you know about a reformulation, or at least push you in the right direction of a similar product, when they discontinue certain items.  This does not mean that I have forgiven Shiseido for discontinuing my favorite nail polish...  Though it happened so long ago that I can't even remember the name of the color...it was translucent...and pearlescent...not helpful, is it?


Of course, sometimes a reformulation just isn't the same.  Something gets lost in translation and that perfect pink lipstick you once loved has just a tinge too much orange in the newer version.  Thus you find yourself on the hunt again.  That said, I'd be lying if I told you that I don't enjoy the hunt just a little bit.  And I admit, sometimes I hunt for a new item even when I already have a favorite.  Aren't I fickle?


Now I must ask you to get a little distracted for a moment and go to the Serge Lutens website - right this very second.  His biography is a timeline that shows photos of him (more can be found under A Few Images) and his artwork from various points in his life (if you do nothing else, click on 1974).  If you have an appreciation for beauty, art and/or perfume, I think you will really enjoy his site.

"Perfume is a form of writing, an ink, a choice made in the first person, the dot on the i, a weapon, a courteous gesture, part of the instant, a consequence."  

Serge Lutens

The Scent of Change

Years ago, my stepmother gave me a bottle of CK Be as a Christmas present.  I remember thinking it was strange for her to give me what I thought of as a masculine scent, when I was at that time wearing a light fruity floral (I was trying to be more feminine and was wearing Victoria's Secret Raspberry Glace, which was shortly thereafter discontinued).  I also wondered if she was trying to tell me something by giving me the black-bottled CK Be while gifting the simple transparent CK One to my brother.  Was she commenting on the state of my soul?  Would she be wrong if she was?

I wore the scent that day because it was a gift and I figured that I might as well give it a go.  I enjoyed the way it smelled on my skin, but I hesitated to make it my "signature scent."  But whenever I needed a boost of confidence or a reminder of my own strength, it was the first thing I thought of.  It became my "power scent."  It didn't make me feel manly, by any means (and on my skin, it didn't smell masculine at all), but it was earthier and more fun than the fruity scent I'd been using.  At the same time, I didn't want to wear it every single day.  


It can be said that CK Be (and my stepmother, of course) changed a few things for me that day.  First, it was the end of my having one signature scent.  Many years later, I have a whole collection of perfumes that range from sharp citrus to soapy musk to single-note floral and I wear all of them, it just depends on what kind of a day I think I'm going to have (or want to have).  Second, I started wearing perfume more for myself than for others.  Not that I don't love it when my friend Sarah grabs a handful of my hair and inhales it while telling me she loves me for smelling good.  But I can't remember the last time I went to the perfume counter thinking of what someone else would like me to wear.  And finally, I realized that I don't really care if a fragrance is marketed for men - if I like it, I'm going to wear it.  Which is why my brother should lock up his Versace Pour Homme.  When I told him to get it, I didn't realize I wanted it for myself, but now that I know...

Check out our store's fragrance section where we've wrangled together some of our favorites and let you know how we feel about them (and what they're composed of, when we could get our hands on the details).

Do you wear a signature scent or do you have a whole collection?  Do you wear feminine, masculine or unisex fragrances?  Do you think these categories should even exist?  Aside from Brut, that is.  Brut is definitely masculine.

A Personal History of Fragrance

Why do we wear fragrance?  How do we choose one that is right for us?  Is it based on memories of how people we love smelled?  Is it based on how we want to feel on a particular day?  Or who we are trying to attract?  Even those people who can’t wear perfume in spray form (allergies or irritation) find a way of fragrancing themselves, maybe with a solid perfume, an oil or a scented lotion.  Perfume has a long, interesting and sometimes even disturbing history (Parfum a la Guillotine, anyone?).  Mary and I have been discussing her love of perfume and its history and we have decided to share a few things with you over the next few weeks that we have discovered.

  

For this post, I used the wonderful fragrance directory from BaseNotes.net to take a look at the fragrances I associate most with my parents and if they are at all responsible for the scents I have chosen to wear over the years.  

My mother wore Yves Saint Laurent Opium throughout my childhood.  At some point, she decided that she didn’t like having a “signature scent” and started collecting perfumes, but I can catch a whiff of Opium anywhere and instantly link it to her, even though I don’t think she’s worn it in years (she told me that she does still have a bottle, though). 

Opium is defined as a feminine fragrance in the floral oriental family.  It has top notes of mandarin orange, bergamot and lily of the valley; middle notes of jasmine, carnation and myrrh; and base notes of vanilla, patchouli, opoponaux (also known as sweet myrrh) and amber.

My father rarely wore any fragrance, other than what his soap left behind, but when he did use it, he chose Procter and Gamble Old Spice.  Such a typical dad fragrance, isn’t it? 

Old Spice is defined as a masculine fragrance in the oriental woody family.  It has top notes of orange, lemon, spices, clary sage and aldehydes; middle notes of cinnamon, carnation, geranium, jasmine, heliotrope and pimento berry (smells like Cuban cigars); and base notes of vanilla, musk, cedarwood, frankincense, benzoin, tonka, and ambergris (you do not want to know what this was made out of before it was replaced with synthetics).

It surprised me that these two fragrances have some common notes:  Both have citrus in their top notes, carnation in the middle and vanilla in their base notes.  But I don’t think of them as being similar, just the same.

So how common are the notes from each of their fragrances with the ones I have loved most?

Coty Wild Musk (note the awesome 80s ad in the embedded link): This was the first perfume that I bought for myself (with my dad's money, since I was a tween).  It has the bergamot and amber from Opium and the jasmine and vanilla from both Opium and Old Spice, but it was certainly meant to be a feminine fragrance. It is in the oriental floral fragrance family, so I went in the same direction of both parent fragrances.  I mean, it could have been Jean Nate, right?  And maybe it was, for a little while...

Kiehl’s OriginalMusk, Blend No. 1: I wore this in my late twenties and through the first part of my thirties.  It has the bergamot and patchouli from Opium and the tonka and musk from Old Spice.  It is a unisex fragrance, but most reviews I’ve read think it’s too manly – I don’t agree, obviously.  It is in the fougere fragrance family, but they started calling it “aromatic” after 2010.  The musk on this is very “creamy,” which reminds me of Old Spice, but I believe the aromatic title comes from the bergamot, ylang-ylang and neroli.  To note, these are three fragrance notes that I was completely unaware of until I worked at The Body Shop in my teens – all three were offered in the aromatherapy oil section, so I had a chance to smell them individually and liked all three.  But when I purchased this musk, I had no idea what the notes were – I just knew I liked it.

And finally, Acqua di Genova:  This is the fragrance that my mother brought me as a gift after her last trip to Genoa before she moved there, so obviously it’s close to my heart.  My bottle has survived a fire and three moves so far.  It is funny that my mom picked a fragrance from the oriental woody family, since Old Spice belongs to the same fragrance family, but Acqua diGenova smells nothing like either fragrance to me.  It does  share Opium’s top notes of citrus but in a stronger way, and a base note of musk like Old Spice is present, but much weaker.  Acqua di Genova also has neroli (which I believe was left out on the Fragrantica entry) as a middle note, which isn’t strong, but does change the overall impression of the fragrance.


In the end, and though there have been other perfumes in my life that were very different from these, it looks like I do owe some of my preferences to my parents.  I am a sentimental person, so it's entirely possible that I'm in the minority for being influenced by my family members when it comes to the scents I prefer.  Which is where you come in:

Do you know where your preference for a certain scent came from?  Or has this post got you wondering?  Leave us a comment below.