General Info Archives - Page 5 of 12

Top Trends In Skin Care 2013

Posted on September 25, 2013 by Nicole Beckley

Have you radically changed your skin care routine this year? Added in new products? Started using a BB creme or a facial oil? You’re not alone. September’s WholeFoods Magazine highlights some of the year’s top skin care trends.

Making the list:

BB Cremes – aimed at streamlining one’s daily routine, BB Cremes combine tinted skin-correcting moisturizer with a primer and a sun-protecting element. Popular in Asia for years, BB Cremes made their first big splash in the US in 2013.
Beauty Oils – working to hydrate skin, nourish hair, and repair cuticles, beauty oils have taken off big-time. Oils like grape seed can add antioxidants and help minimize the appearance of wrinkles.
Body Butters – a deeply hydrating alternative to beauty oils, body butters can offer a protective layer for dehydrated skin.

Read the full article here.

Looking for a Beauty Oil? Or a Body Butter? We’ve got those!

My Daily Beauty Routine: Olivia Hamm, Professional Model

Posted on September 23, 2013 by Nicole Beckley

For my personal day-to-day look, I always aim for fresh-faced and simple. I like to keep things natural with light makeup that enhances my features. When choosing beauty products, I look for what will bring out the best in my skin, not cover it up.

For both my morning and evening skin care routine I go through the same procedure. I always begin by washing my face with just water to remove any leftover makeup. Then I wash my face using (1) First Crush 3-in-1 Acne/Blemish Treatment. This product is great because it cleanses, tones, and treats my skin all in one wash, saving me a lot of time and steps to get the same results. Also, it’s super light and smells so good!

Once I’ve washed off the cleanser and have patted my face dry, my last step is to moisturize using the (2) Merlot Grape Seed Moisturizer. This provides a perfect finish to my freshly-cleansed skin. What’s great about the Grape Seed Moisturizer is that I only have to use a small amount to get great results. It’s perfectly light and smooth, and it leaves my skin feeling soft all day long. One container lasts me months, so I have no problem keeping my dry skin under control.

I use a (3) Mineral Sheers Compact Powder Foundation made by Neutrogena. I love it because the powder lets my skin breathe rather then clogging it up. I absolutely love mascara. My go-to is (4) Loreal’s Voluminous Million Lashes mascara. For lips I love (5) Burt’s Bees Lip Balm.

It’s always fun for me to try new styles and experiment with my hair! I love (6) Herbal Essences products – they work well with my hair and always leave it smelling so nice.

I like to change scents with the seasons throughout the year. This past summer, I used (7) Coconut Water Chill by Bath & Body Works and I loved it! It’s very light and cool; my perfect summer scent. Now that it’s autumn, I just started using Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin, also from Bath & Body Works. I am always looking to experiment with new scents.

— Olivia Hamm is the winner of the 2012 Barbizon Get Discovered Contest and has been featured in Seventeen Magazine.

Top 5 Benefits Of Using 100% Grape Seed Oil

Posted on September 19, 2013 by Nicole Beckley

You’ve heard all about the benefits of using facial oils and beauty oils – the intensified hydration, the sealing and protection of pores, the appearance of clearer, smoother skin.

Compared to other beauty oil products that contain multiple ingredients or feature oil blends, Merlot 100% Pure Grape Seed Oil is simple, natural and 100% pure.

Top 5 Benefits of Using Merlot 100% Pure Grape Seed Oil:

Works to heal scars
Softens and nourishes cuticles
Repairs dry split ends
Helps maintain the color of tattoos
Delivers deep hydration after shaving

Merlot 100% Pure Grape Seed Oil is an ultra-fine cosmetic grade oil suitable for all skin types. This multi-tasking treatment is 50 times more powerful than Vitamin E Oil.

Through September, you can get a bottle of Merlot 100% Pure Grape Seed Oil for less than $6.00!

My Daily Beauty Routine: Erica Brown, Professional Model

Posted on September 12, 2013 by Nicole Beckley

I would describe my day to day to look as mostly a natural look. I don’t wear makeup every single day because I teach dance and also do a lot of yoga. As a professional model, when my agent sends me out I do wear make up, but even then I try for a clean and natural look. Thanks to my years of using Merlot products, I don’t usually have to hide anything on my skin. I am generally just going for a more polished, yet natural look with my makeup.

I wash my face at night with (1) Merlot Grape Seed Face Wash. I use (2) Mary Kay eye makeup remover to remove any eye liner or stubborn make up. I use my (3) Merlot Toner with cotton balls. My skin feels extra fresh and it seems to help minimize my pores. Then I use my (4) Merlot Grape Seed SPF Moisturizer. It’s really rich when it first goes on and then it feels light once I have applied it. My skin feels soothed and nourished. Before using Merlot products, I used to experience eczema flare-ups. But the Merlot products are so gentle I no longer struggle with eczema on my face.

My go-to product for eyes is Makeup Forever. Their eyeshadows are so beautiful and they last! The (5) golden stardust eyeshadow is my favorite. I have a couple of (6) Lancome lipsticks and I love them. My favorite color is called “Truly.” I also use a (7) Dior lip gloss called “Dior addict lip polish 003.” It feels SO good on my lips. It adds a little color and shine!

I do wear concealer. I use (8) Dermablend. I think it makes me look so much more awake. I naturally have dark circles under my eyes, but Dermablend covers them up so well for the ENTIRE day!

I drink a lot of water as well. Drinking a glass of warm water with lemon every morning is great for weight control and for your skin. I also use banana peels to whiten my teeth. I think it makes a difference!

Getting ready for the day makes me feel great and ready to go out and work toward my goals. Having healthy looking skin is a must in my industry. Using Merlot for so many years has given me the confidence to face each day with a positive attitude.

— Erica Brown, Professional Model

Blemish And Acne Treatment – Just In Time For Back To School

Posted on August 19, 2013 by Nicole Beckley

School bells are starting to ring again, lockers are opening and closing, and kids are prepping for a new year.

For teens and tweens a new school year calls for putting a fresh face forward – with clean, clarified, and blemish-free skin.

It’s hard enough coming back from summer break, but harder still if you feel unconfident or sensitive about your skin.

Through the end of August, we’re featuring our powerful-yet-gentle First Crush 3-in-1 Acne/Blemish Treatment. (With each purchase you’ll also receive a free shower gel/body lotion gift set.)

Effective – users of First Crush saw results in 20 – 30 days.
Efficient – it’s three products in one easy-to-use tube! One use gently cleanses pores, tones and firms skin, and treats blemishes at their source.
Breakthrough – First Crush’s formula features active natural ingredients and gentle salicylic acid – it’s not overly harsh or irritating.

See for yourself! Watch the First Crush video here:

Pin It To Win It: August Contest

Posted on August 14, 2013 by Nicole Beckley

UPDATE: This contest is now closed. Thanks for entering!

We’re launching our first wedding-themed Pinterest contest!

Here’s how to enter:

1. Follow Merlot Skin Care on Pinterest

2. Re-pin the image below and include the hashtag #merlotwedding

3. Email a link to your pin.

ONE lucky winner will receive the Merlot Skin Care products pictured in the photo.

The prize package includes Merlot Foot Cream, Purifying Peel Off Mask, Cleanser, Merlot Moisturizer, Merlot For Men Moisturizer, Eye Cream, Merlot Body Firming Lotion, and Microdermabrasion Body Scrub. A $110 value!

Contest expires August 31, 2013. Winners will be notified by email.

Good luck and best wishes!

Build A Healthy You – For The Sake Of Your Skin

Posted on August 8, 2013 by Nicole Beckley

There are many reasons to want to improve your diet, quit smoking, and wear sunscreen. In addition to helping live a longer, healthier life, developing these healthy habits can have a big impact on your skin.

In the July/August issue of GCI (Global Cosmetic Industry) Magazine, Katerina Steventon explains that extrinsic aging – exposure to outside elements such as UV rays and smoking – strongly contributes to “deep and coarse wrinkles, mottled hyperpigmentation and reduced skin elasticity.” Smoking, in particular, reduces skin’s elastic fibers, making facial wrinkles appear deeper. The long-term harmful effects of smoking are well documented, and in the short-term, the habit is actively damaging your skin as well.

Steventon also points out that 80% of the effects of aging seen on facial skin, is due to sun exposure, over the course of one’s lifetime. Wearing sunscreen or a lotion with UV protection is the easiest way to fight against harmful UV rays.

Want to ward off wrinkles? Ditch the cigarettes and don’t forget the SPF!

Steventon also suggests utilizing antioxidants that offer environmental protection. Merlot’s Anti-Wrinkle Cream, with its elasticity-improving formula, 11 amino acids, and grape seed antioxidants, might just be the way to start.

For The Modern Bride: Party Favors

Posted on August 5, 2013 by Nicole Beckley

Every bride-to-be has a pre-wedding day checklist a mile long. Coordinating the caterers, music, color scheme, venue, guest list — it can be tough getting every little detail covered.

And what about all the little thank-you gifts for the ladies that help you along the way? From planning showers and parties to helping with fittings, there are always people you need a little something for.

Over the past couple of years we’ve had people tell us that they’re including Merlot products — like Merlot Moisturizer or Merlot Eye Cream — in their wedding goodie bags, or as thank-yous for their bridal party members. Both of these products offer a bit of pampering to busy wedding guests.

After all, everyone wants their skin to look radiant in wedding photos!

Healthy Tip Tuesday: What’s So Great About Kale?

Posted on July 30, 2013 by Nicole Beckley

If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a hundred times: you are what you eat. We want our bodies to be super, and if there’s one food that being touted at the latest “superfood” it’s the leafy, vitamin-packed roughage kale.

Naturally high in antioxidants, kale may help guard against heart disease, with its high fiber content working to help lower cholesterol. Rich in Vitamin A (beta-carotene), kale can also help the workings of the immune system, and may even help boost brain functionality.

In the latest issue of New York Magazine, in an article about kale, Dr. Drew Ramsey, an assistant professor at Columbia University explains, “Your brain makes up 2 percent of your body weight, but it consumes 20 percent of everything you eat. By changing your food, you change genetic expression and actually change the way your brain functions.”

If you really are what you eat, don’t you want to be smart?

What’s the best thing you can do to keep skin looking young?

Posted on July 26, 2013 by Nicole Beckley

Get a good night’s sleep.

According to a new study by researchers from the University Hospitals Medical Center, presented at the International Investigative Dermatology Meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland, getting an inadequate amount of sleep is connected to accelerating skin aging.

According to the study’s lead scientist, Elma Baron, “Sleep deprived women show signs of premature skin aging and a decrease in their skin’s ability to recover after sun exposure.” [Read more about the findings.]

Keep your skin looking young and receiving quicker — make sure you get enough ZZZs.