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The Top 10 Skincare Gifts for Valentine’s Day

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With so many skin care gift sets out there for Valentine’s Day, why not choose something that benefits the skin of your sweetie, a friend, or even yourself? 🙂 After reviewing dozens of products, I have found the ten best products that are skin-beneficial and Valentine-worthy…(No, not cookies, they were just pretty 🙂 )

1. Lavanila Laboratories Pure Vanilla Eau de Parfum ($56.00) and Body Butter ($24.00), Sephora.com.

Unlike most fragrances and fragranced lotions, which are loaded with low-molecular weight alcohols and only emollients (if you’re lucky), Lavanila Laboratories products contain antioxidants goji berry and kakadu plum. Although the antioxidant capacities of these ingredients have not been compared to other known antioxidants (like vitamin E, idebenone or coffee berry), it is still better than the zero antioxidant capacity of most perfumed sprays and lotions. Lavanila Laboratories products further impress with soothing willowherb, hydrating olive leaf, and pure essential oils rather than low-molecular weight, drying alcohols. Available in pure vanilla, vanilla grapefruit, and vanilla blossom, at least one of these fragrances has to appease your nose as well as it takes care of your skin.

2. Custom-made fragrance plus a non-scented lotion.

A woman’s fragrance should be distinctive, so what better gift than to design a fragrance exclusively for her? For $100, Esens.com enables you to work with Kathleen Dreier, an experienced perfumer to design 0.25 oz (a reported nine-to-twelve month supply) of a custom, alcohol-free scent that captures her essence. If that price is too steep for you, ParfumsRally.com offers a service for $39 where it will blend your choices of 80+ fragrance notes to customize your own fragrance. For a moisturizer to use with the customized fragrance, choose a fragrance-free drugstore lotion, like Vaseline Intensive Care Lotion for Dry Skin ($20.25 for three, Amazon.com), which contains antioxidant and collagen/hyaluronic-acid producing soy extract, anti-aging retinyl palmitate, antioxidant vitamin E, and numerous hydrators (glycerin, petrolatum, dimethicone, lactic acid, to name a few). If you know uneven skin tone or age spots on the body are more of a concern, Olay Quench Body Lotion for Normal to Dry Skin ($18.64 for two, Amazon.com) contains a high concentration of niacinamide, which is also hydrating. Unfortunately, the Olay Quench lotion leaves a light trace of a scent, so be careful. One further caveat: The drugstore bottles aren’t all that presentable as gifts, so you may want to transfer the lotion into a stylish opaque lotion dispenser, like this one from Bed Bath and Beyond.

3. Philosophy Kiss Me Exfoliating Lip Scrub ($15.00, Amazon.com).

As if “Kiss Me” in the name were not enough, this lip scrub also contains a high concentration of fructose to gently exfoliate the lips, and sunflower seed oil, olive oil, sweet almond oil, mango seed butter, mineral oil, and shea butter to hydrate. Two things to keep in mind: One, Philosophy Kiss Me Exfoliating Lip Scrub is a lip treatment without sunscreen, so apply it at night and use a lip treatment with SPF during the day. Two, Philosophy Kiss Me Exfoliating Lip Scrub contains a lot of oils, so you may want to rub it on and then gently wipe it off with a soft washcloth before applying lipstick. (Otherwise, your lipstick will not stay on for as long). Other than that, though, a great hydrating sugar scrub for the lips!

4. Antioxidant-rich dark chocolate

Although all dark chocolate contains a fairly high concentration of antioxidant cocoa, Dove Dark ($25.28 for 48 bars, Amazon.com) made by Mars, Inc., contains Cocoapro cocoa, a proprietary, specially processed cocoa that contains superhigh levels of flavanols, according to Prevention magazine. One study featured in the magazine mentioned that researchers at the University of California, Davis compared the effects of 11/3 oz of high-flavanol Dove Dark chocolate with the same amount of low-flavanol dark chocolate on 10 healthy people. They found that only the Dove Dark had heart-healthy benefits: It reduced LDL oxidation and boosted antioxidant levels and HDL concentrations in the blood. Other studies have shown that the higher the Cocoapro “dose,” the higher the levels of antioxidants in the blood and the less LDL oxidation. Just watch your intake: in addition to containing fats, all chocolate contains sugar, which can add to advanced glycation endproduct formation, which, amongst other things, can harden collagen in the skin, giving the skin an overall aged appearance before its time. P.S.: Dipping fresh strawberries into melted Dove Dark makes for a tasty, vitamin C-and-antioxidant-rich treat! 🙂

5. Origins A Perfect World Body Cream ($30.00, Origins.com).

Not only is this product distinctly (and I think beautifully) scented, but it contains a plethora of antioxidants (white tea, sweet orange, grape seed) and hydrators (butylene glycol, squalane, glycerin, urea, dimethicone, shea butter and sodium hyaluronate, to name a few). Slather it on after a shower to lock moisture into the skin, or put it on thickly under cotton pajamas to wake up with softer skin (unless your skin tends to break out; ask your dermatologist if you have concerns). Plus, there is free standard shipping from Origins until January 27, 2008.

6. Perfect for Friends: Spongeables Soap n’Sponge All In One ($8.00, BeautyIntuition.com).

Featured in this month’s In Style magazine, Spongeables are heart-shaped hypoallergenic sponges with natural glycerin and olive oil-based soap built in. Lasting for up to 10 showers, Spongeables are great to take along on vacations (most soaps provided can be drying). Although there are more moisturizing soaps available for less money (a favorite is Olay Ultra Moisture Body Wash, which contains petrolatum, niacinamide and small amounts of vitamin E and vitamin A), Spongeables are perfect little gifts for friends or the traveler in you. (One caveat: they have scents like “Peony Passion”, so you may not want to buy one for the man in your life.)

7. Satin pillowcases ($17.90 for two standard, JCPenney.com).

Über-romantic when paired with satin sheets (but this isn’t that kind of blog, haha), satin pillowcases help keep creases from forming on skin in the morning.

8. Kama Sutra Massage Oil ($13.29, Amazon.com).

Sweet almond oil is the massage oil most commonly used by the professional masseuse, for it absorbs into the skin at a pleasant speed and hydrates without becoming too greasy. Because of the almonds used in the manufacturing process, sweet almond oil is not to be used on or by individuals with nut allergies. A common alternative for those with nut allergies is apricot kernel oil, which can be found in Nature’s Alchemy Apricot Kernel Oil 100% Pure ($16.00 for four, Amazon.com). Both sweet almond oil and Kama Sutra Massage Oil contain vitamin E, a potent antioxidant. In addition, both massage oils have a scent, so if you choose to light candles, you may wish to go with the non-scented variety. An excellent assortment of unscented soy candles is available from Lizzie Candles and Soap.

9. Philosophy Falling in Love Gift Set ($35.00, Beauty.com).

Although the ingredients aren’t stellar (the best ingredient is vitamin E, and the perfume contains drying SD-40 alcohol), the lotion is hydrating, with macadamia nut oil, glycerin, olive oil, dimethicone and shea butter, amongst other hydrators. The packaging is also adorable. (P.S.: If you prefer a larger lotion and no shower gel, a second gift set is available for $50 from Drugstore.com). A perfect gift for one of your best friends or…yes, even yourself 😉

10. Bath and Body Works Pure Silk Body Lotion in Warm Vanilla Sugar ($17.50, BathandBodyWorks.com).

Voted by men in Cosmopolitan magazine for favorite scent, this silkening body lotion contains hydrating mineral oil, avocado oil, sweet almond oil, dimethicone, urea, and acetylated lanolin alcohol, in addition, to antioxidant vitamin E. Warm Vanilla Sugar is also available in a large assortment of products, including Eau de Toilette ($18.50) and a scented candle ($17.oo) and the Signature Collection Body Cream ($9.50), of which I am not a fan (please see review).

Overall…

There are a lot of great gifts for this Valentine’s Day in the realm of skincare! Happy shopping! 🙂

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