take care of your skin

3 tricks to NEVER having chapped lips again

by on January 20, 2013

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Adri and I are always smooching…so soft lips are essential!

Lips are surprisingly delicate, and yet we subject them to constant abuse. I’m pretty sure that lips know no abuse worse than cold, cold city winters. Outside we are subjected to air pollution, freezing gusts of wind, and if you’re really lucky, you get weather that includes sleet, hail, blizzards and freezing rain (woohoo!). When you combine that kind of onslaught with hot, dry indoor climates and the general bad habit of wintertime –too much alcohol and not enough water- you’re also looking at some major dehydration. The thin skin on our lips is no match for all this, and eventually they become irritated and inflamed.  All this results in a bad habit I think 99% of us must suffer from, which is chronic lip licking and biting when lips feel irritated, which dries them out even more.

So, what are we to do to stop lips from getting uncomfortably dried out in the first place? I’ve asked my buddies on Stark’s Facebook Page to help suggest some tips and tricks for smooth lips. Follow these 3 tricks and with any luck, you will soothe your mouth and have a kissable-soft kisser in no time!

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The Scoop on Poop & Great Skin. {Post number 2.}

by on December 21, 2012

Disclaimer: This is about poop. Yes, poop.  Why? Because it’s important to your health and your skin and NOBODY likes to talk about it! Hence, we NEED to talk about it!

If you suffer from many common skin ailments, it isn’t your medicine cabinet or vanity you should be looking at; it’s your toilet. Not everyone will want to discuss this, but if you’re done with congested skin, princess, then I strongly urge you to become well acquainted with your throne. No, it isn’t a miracle in a pretty pot, and there aren’t any celebrity endorsements, but healthy poop and great skin are so intertwined that it’s a shame nobody ever really talks about it.

If you’re still with me on this, it’s time we discuss the art of the poo. Yes, the whole scoop on the poop. [keep reading...]

The Poop on Great Skin. Part 1

by on December 3, 2012

There’s something that I love about running this unconventional skincare biz (well, besides everything, of course!): I get to talk about ALL kinds of things with you! As you know (or will find out) Stark’s credo is so much more than about the quality and content of our products, we’re about lifestyle. From eating to relaxation, to sharing a laugh and travel, it’s all relevant. Your entire LIFE affects your skin, and don’t let anybody tell you otherwise.

One facet of life that we haven’t touched on yet is the ultra-glamorous subject of pooping.

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Oil and Acne…what’s the deal?

by on September 12, 2012

well…certainly no acne here!

I’m surprised that I often get emails from curious customers asking if Stark’s oil-based products are really, actually ok for acne-prone skin (yes, they really, really are MORE than ok!!). I’m surprised because to me, the whole oil/acne myth is pretty laughable, but then again, I didn’t always think this way.

The idea that oil automatically equals acne is a very narrow-minded approach to solving the whole oil-acne problem, and has become the belief of many due to strategic marketing campaigns from years and years of Big Beauty brainwashing. They’ve got some very bad chemicals with some very nice profit margins to sell you. And, they work. In the short-term, and with a ton of bad consequences.

Yes, drying out a zit can shrivel it up and kill it, but think of what it’s doing to the parts of your skin that aren’t swollen and oozing?

Here’s the thing. Yes, oily skin can lead to acne. But, so can dry skin. So can dehydrated skin. So can combo skin. So can “normal” skin.  Any skin type can legitimately breakout, as all skin types are structurally similar. We’ve all got the same parts. [keep reading...]

Multipurposing Stark’s Grapefruit Cleanse + Hydrate Balm

by on June 6, 2012

You probably know that I love all my Stark products (duh, why would I offer you anything I didn’t love? That would be super lame!). What’s shaping up to be our most popular item is that Grapefruit Cleanse + Hydrate balm, which is a yummy mix of coconut oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, some camellia seed oil and almond oil and a good dose of unicorn sparkles (ie. essential oils…no actual unicorns were harmed in the making of this balm.) I can see why you guys are loving it, because it’s effing awesome, if I do say so myself. (And I do, clearly!)

However, contrary to popular belief, I do not have a giant vat of it at my home, where I dip into it naked then proceed to slide around on my hardwood floors. That’s just my fantasy your fantasy crazy! But I do use it daily, often twice daily, and I do love to use it in different ways.

Continuing on in our multipurpose journey, I give you exhibit B: Grapefruit Cleanse + Hydrate Balm. I I feel like this is a bit of a given. I mean, c’mon! It’s right there in the freaking title! Alas, even this split personality product offers even more than what meets the eye.

If you don’t know how to use a cleansing balm, then girl, get your self over to my extremely low-budget video here, where I make some really lovely grooming faces while cleansing my face.  This is the stuff viral videos are made of. Ha! (Side note: gee my bangs are short here!)

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Why you should love and listen to your skin (no matter what)

by on January 4, 2012

natural skin care

The beauty industry is interesting. For the past year or so, I’ve heard countless women describe their skin type to me. They call themselves oily, dry, sensitive, prone to acne. I nod my head in solemn agreement, but I don’t always tend to actually agree with them. People, due to outside forces (which I’ll mention in a moment) like to over-simplify and pigeon-hole their skin type. “I have combination skin, it’s oily in the T zone” or “my skin is dry”. When I tell them I don’t really believe in “types”, that skin is constantly changing and reacting to the environment, lifestyle and health, I get a few raised eyebrows, as though I’m suggesting that their acne is an illusion or a figment of their imagination.

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Stark Skincare video

by on December 28, 2011

I forgot to show you all this! I had this little video made for Stark some time ago. I think it’s kinda cool.
Let me know what you think of it below!

Good skin is something you do, not something you have*

by on October 27, 2011

*Ok. So, the title is a BIT of a lie.

Let me justify myself here. Genetics do play a part in the hand you’re dealt when it comes to your looks, skin type included. There are some conditions such as rosacea, eczema, sensitivity, allergies  and severe acne that unfortunately can run in the family and are much harder to deal with, physically and psychologically, than what most people face when it comes to skin care. Oftentimes these conditions will flare up with the least bit of provocation, and many people turn to medication as a last resort to cope with the unpredictable nature of their skin.

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A LIFESTYLE BLOG FOR PEOPLE WITH SKIN.

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