Touch of Twilight - New Product Line

Whew! It's been a while since we updated, things have been real busy here trying to get write-ups and new products on the shelves and ready to ship. We've gained a lot of new products, we're working on better pictures of our merchandise, we're using better, waterproof labels AND our personal line-up is paraben-free now. With so much going on, I thought I'd take a moment to introduce our Touch of Twilight (TT) products.

Touch of Twilight is a new line of top-shelf worthy, effective products designed to intermingle with each other for a custom, professional treatment for your skin. The line is up on our website now, but here's some features we are so excited about having available.

First up is a spot treatment: Anti-Blemish Drying Lotion

A cute, simple bottle with a powerful mixture. Stubborn blemishes and sudden crop-ups don't stand a chance with this stuff. Simply dab a q-tip into the solution and dab on the blemish. Excellent as a night treatment.

Couple this with a cool Ultimate Neutralizing Toner for a professional facial treatment without the expense of the spa.

Here's an awesome line-up! A day at the spa for ONE treatment would cost you well over $100. A small investment in this line-up gets you the same professional products that spa uses and your money works for you over and over again, giving your skin the luxury it deserves for hundreds less. I refer to it as my "Instant Spa."

First, I wash any make-up or dirt from the day off with the Make-Up Cleansing Milk and follow behind it with this fantastic Red Clay Masque.

This [pictured] Natural Spa Body Scrub has a Wash that accents it well. The ingredients in this are so refreshing, and makes all the difference in your skin. Proper exfoliation is sometimes the difference between glowing and dull skin.

Finish it off with this Active Facial Serum for 50% more retinol without burning, irritating side effects and a cool moisturizer and within minutes you get the exact same treatment as a posh spa for a price anyone can afford.

There's treatments for oily, dry, and combination skin as well as the gentle eye and lip areas and anti-aging solutions. We've been working hard (and test driving a bit..) to get these products ready for sale, and we're really impressed with their performance!

There's so much more to write about, we'll get to updating about more of the new things that have been cropping up in Aiken Skin Care, but be sure to check out our TT products and touch your skin with a bit of twilight!

Matching up your skin type.

I don't believe that one skin system can work perfectly for all skin types. Skin is very fickle, and picky, and varies greatly person to person. The needs are different and dymanic, and as the (arguably) most important organ of your body, it's only natural to take care of it and keep it looking it's best. Even if you know you need cleansing, moisturizing, and replenishment, where to start is sometimes a daunting task. We'll help make it as easy as referring to this post.

Aiken's line of skin care has a wide variety of products, interchangable as well, making the customization of your beauty routine a personal thing. The downside to choices, though, is sometimes there's an uncertainty of which product does the job you want it to do. We put together a chart and recommendation list to refer to.

Feel free to comment, e-mail, or call to ask what recommendations we can make for your skin type and condition. We get requests in for recommendations all the time, but this list is our handiest tool and we're going to publish it here for your viewing and referring pleasure.

Keep in mind www.aikenskincare.us is the place to get all of the below mentioned products.

Basic Skin Types

Here is the basic list of skin types and the regimes attached to them. We recommend and encourage Solar Defender SPF 28 sunscreen as a finishing touch to any beauty routine.

Acne Prone:

Skin showing white heads, black heads, sensitivity and irritation triggered by acne

Solution: Pore-Clearing cleanser, Pore-Purifying toner, Rescue gel blended with Instant calm Ultra complex, Shine-free solution (day moisturizer), Oil-free Hydrating fluid (night moisturizer), AHA/Vitamin C Eye Cremegel.

Exfoliant and Masque: Gentle Enzyme Peeling Creme, and Zinc and Sulphur Masque.

Oily:

Shiny, oil-prone skin, or mild oil-triggered acne

Solution: Pore-Clearing cleanser, Oil Neutralizing Astringent, Shine-Free Solution blended with Rescue Gel, Oil-free Hydrating Fluid (day&night moisturizer), AHA/Vitamin C Eye Cremegel.

Exfoliant and Masque: Foaming Facial Refiner, and Zinc and Sulphur Masque.

Combination:

Shiny, oily skin (especially in T-zone) and dry skin elsewhere

Solution: Pure & Simple Cleansing Lotion, Activating Liposome Complex, Moisture Replenishing Creme (day&night moisturizer), AHA/Vitamin C Eye Cremegel.

Exfoliant and Masque: The Ultimate Scrub, and Vitaplus Masque. We also recommend Soothing Mist.

Normal:

Skin that is not badly inbalanced, but needs to be maintained and nourished

Solution: Pathenol Cleanser, Activating Liposome Complex, Oil-Free Hydrating Fluid (day moisturizer), Hydrating Vitamin Creme (night moisturizer), AHA/Vitamin C Eye Cremegel.

Exfoliant and Masque: Foaming Facial Refiner, Vitaplus Masque

Slightly Dry:

Skin prone to feeling dry, tight, with occasional flaking

Solution: Pathenol Cleanser, Visibly Moist toner, Moisture Boost Hydragel blended with Nutriment Blue Oil, Moisture Perfecting Creme (day moisture), Continuous Moisture Creme (night solution), AHA/Vitamin C Eye Cremegel.

Exfoliant and Masque: The Ultimate Scrub, and Moisture Infusion Creme Masque. Avocado Q10 Hand & Body Lotion is also recommended.

Extremely Dry:

Skin that flakes, shows irritation, over-produces oil to try and compensate for lack of moisture

Solution: Moisture Protecting Cleansing Lotion, Visibly Moist toner, Moisture Boost Hydragel mixed with Nutriment Blue Oil, Continuous Moisture Creme (day&Night moisturizer), AHA/Vitamin C Eye Cremegel.

Exfoliant and Masque: The Ultimate Scrub, Moisture Infusion Creme Masque. Avocado Q10 Hand & Body Lotion is also recommended.

Keep in mind these product lines are suggestions based on the average skin type. The only way to tell what works best for you is trying and finding what is best.

We'll keep updating, talking about sensitive skin suggestions, special line ups designed for men, make-up, and more, as well as other solutions for skin problems.

I'm still working on creating a post that explains Powerplexes and their variety of uses and how using these small, powerful doses compliments your skin.

We're also working on posts dedicated to further detailing and showcasing different products so more information is out there to use.

Also, keep an eye out for freebie postings for the site.

Our first Blogbie!

We've been thinking about how this blog can better serve ya'll, and what better way to begin than with a freebie? Our way of saying thank you for coming to the blog, checking us out, and being loyal customers. Between now and April 3rd just put this coupon code in the check out for 10% off your entire order! Coupon code: myblog

Keep checking back, we're working on compiling different powerplex combination recipes to show you how to maximize your skin routine with just a few simple pumps.

Soy Showcase

While I was doing my amateur photo taking to finally post some pictures of our awesome simple soy line I thought I'd post this lovely picture. Soy Candles, Sensitive Hand Soap, Linen Mist, Shampoo, and Conditioner, I don't think a day goes by where I don't use something from this line. The scents are fantastic, and soy shampoos and conditioners give your hair a break from all those harsh chemicals.

These products are available at aikenskincare.us but now we have lovely pictures to accompany all the products!

Why Soy Candles are the New Black

When you're shopping candles, price and quality never seemed to go hand in hand until soy hit the scene. It's the biggest rage for everything and there's good reason: it's not expensive, it holds fragrance and distributes it evenly, has a low-smoke burn and I'd be here all day listing the benefits. I promised a pic-by-pic reflection on our candles, so despite the busy schedule lately here you are!

Now here we have a large, one wick candle on clearance for $1.00 at Wal-mart, a $2.00 clearance mainstay's three-wick candle, and our beautiful soy candle. Immediately, I draw attention to the large fat labels on both of the jars! Stickers that are hard to peel off, cover, or hide. A simple label and a small flavor on the soy candle says 2 things: clear elegance so you can display the jar or put it in a more decorative container, and you can re-use this jar easily!

The size of the other two candles outweighs the soy by a good bit, so how did they all do? Three days of burning these candles as much as I could reveal the results.

The first common mistake with candles is that they don't burn evenly. I couldn't keep the green 3-wick jar's wicks lit!! One or two wicks would sputter out, leaving uneven burning. The two smaller jars were accent candles that came with a large 5-candle-for-10-dollar set but as you can see even though they were both burn at the same times, one is running down faster than the next! The unreliability of these candles is pretty obvious.

And our chutney? The cranberries smelled less like cranberry and more like chut. The smell was strong, but it was too strong! The 3-wick candles could be smelled within a smaller space, but in the living room I was sad to see that I could hardly tell I had lit anything. More importantly, look at the fact that HALF of the jar is missing! 3 days later, that dollar did not stretch very far at all!

It even seems that I wouldn't mind a dollar a week for candle fragrance, but unfortunately the smell was not fresh and enjoyable... but funky and overwhelming.

Another thing I want to call attention to is this ghastly thing I called a candle. Leather scented, I was so excited! Fragrance rocks built right into it, so I could be guaranteed a wonderful comfortable scent. Expensive, but it did offer the quality of scent I was looking for. So why am I upset? I paid for a whole candle, but the candle only burned half of itself! It cored itself down right in the center, leaving a lot of work for myself to do if I want to burn the other half sometime. And I didn't pay nearly 10 dollars to buy a do-it-myself project!

And our wonderful soy candle! An even burn, a lovely jar and you can see hardly any residue is left behind clinging onto the sides of the jar! A quick clean, and this jar is certainly available for whatever you need a jar for. The lovely smell was softly distributed throughout the entire living room on it's own, and with 5 dogs that's really saying something.

I want to really call attention to the one we use in the office. If you're a smoker, even with the window cracked open, smoke clings to paint, fabric, and anything it can get itself attached to.. but the soy candles do a wonderful job of neutralizing the smokey air and making the area more comfortable for those of us who don't appreciate the fragrant smell of nicotine.

And with fragrances as yummy as chocolate kisses, you can enjoy yourself in the tub, while working, or relaxing while knowing that your candle is delivering exactly what you paid for, and you'll be able to enjoy it longer.. The key word being enjoying!

Candles can come a dime a dozen, and it's sometimes more convenient to buy a cheap jar and toss it... but you get what you pay for, and there aren't many candles that beat Pure, Lovely Soy Candles.

Valentine's Day

It is the last holiday during winter (although it doesn't look much like winter here in the south) and it's a wonderful one! Not to mention only about 10 days away.

I figured while we were in the last gift-giving holiday I'd make a quick mention of our Skin Care Kits. These kits are my favorite feature of our skin care (I know. I have a lot of favorites), and I cannot praise their convenience enough.

The skin care starter totes are mini-systems of products put together for different skin care needs. They have cleansers, toners, high performance treatments, poxerplexes, and more to give you your skin care regimine in travel size.

They are also a cost-effective way of trying out the products you're looking at buying in full size. Not to mention an inexpensive gift to put into a basket of chocolates and flowers. There are men's systems too for the special guy in your life.

Skin care isn't what you first think of when you're gift giving, but people are always buying cheap products that have a lot of skin-irritating fragrances and no real sustence to them. Instead of another "Strawyberry-mango-razzle-dazzle" lotion that will hide in the bathroom for a year before being tossed... think about an all-natural Soy-based Product. Softer fragrances, and soy products that last, work, and also give you the comfort of being all natural and beneficial to your skin.

To update on what's to come: We're working on adding pictures for all of our soy products, because we (obviously) strongly believe in pictures. I will also be updating about the power plexes as promised so that you can get a better idea of what they do and how to use them. Also, be looking for another picture-by-picture post project on the Soy Candles and why buying soy will save you money.

The Tea Revolution

I thought while I was on a tea kick I would break down some really useful information when it comes to tea! I'll answer questions like the difference between the tea colors, steeping times, and useful recipes and ways to incorporate this trendy yet ancient brew that's Oh-So-Good for you.

The difference between each tea is how it's harvested and made, so the flavors, benefits, and how to steep it can be different for all of them! Of course, boiling water with a drop of honey is a quick and convenient way to enjoy your cup, but here's some useful information behind it all.

Some teas (particularly whites, greens, and blacks) have a bit of sensitivity to temperature, so the amount of steeping you do can depend heavily on how bitter the flavor comes out. With all tea, if you desire a stronger flavor, simply add more tea instead of lengthening the steeping time.

1. White Tea

• How it's made: White Tea comes from the bud of the plant rather than the leaf and is unfermented. The buds are withered (or steamed) and air dried, and are the least processed of any tea.
• Flavor: Light, subtle taste that's slightly sweet.
• Brew: Ideally 175 degree water will allow for white tea to steep to perfection in 1-4 minutes. Some white teas are sensitive to temperature, so if you find your tea a bit bitter tasting just shorten the steeping time.
• The Benefits: Research is starting to suggest white tea may prevent certain forms of cancer, but more immediately white tea's subtle crisp benefits are geared towards helping the skin and reducing fine lines and wrinkles. According to Wild Wisdom, white tea is also chock full of antioxidants and offers a high ORAC value.
• Suggestion: So, you've steeped yourself a nice hot cup of tea, but it's too hot to drink! Allowing a few moments for the tea bag to cool, full leaf tea that's moist and opened and good for the skin--Hmm.. Treat yourself to a quick spa treatment! Rest it on your eyelid for a few moments and switch to the other eye. Or, if you like strong flavors and used two bags in one cup, you have one for each eye! Might as well grab all the benefits you can from something you're about to toss anyways.
• Our Favorite: We're currently really hooked on the White Tangerine Tea. It's fruity, and light and good with dinner or dessert.

2. Green Tea

• How it's made: Green tea is the least processed of any tea Leaf, to clarify (as white tea is the least processed but is not made entirely of the leaf), and is withered, steamed, then rolled and dried.
• Flavor: Because it is the least processed leaf, green tea gives a fresh flavor closest to the taste of the leaf itself. It can be considered bitter for some, but I've never had a good quality green tea that a bit of honey or splenda hasn't solved any bitter flavors. A bonus is that honey is also good for you! Some people find green tea a weak flavor, but I disagree entirely.
• Brew: Ideally, at 175 degrees 1 minute is all green tea needs to infuse entirely into a cup of water. For temperatures less than that, another minute or so could be added, but green tea is one of those sensitive types I talked about earlier that turn bitter when left exposed too long. If you leave it too long (as I often do...), as I stated before, I've never had a bitter edge that honey or sugar hasn't cured in an instant.
• The Benefits: We've all heard about green tea's fantastic antioxidant compounds, most notably EGCG, and how it's cancer-preventative, but it doesn't stop there. It lowers cholesterol, regulates blood sugar levels, helps digestion and can even help with cavities and aging.
• Suggestion: I mentioned earlier about how fantastic our Orange Chocolate Green Tea is, and since this tea is not short on flavor, it is a wonderful drink to have with desserts! Green tea is a wonderful transition drink from a strong meal to a sweet dessert.
• Our Favorite: I'd be lying if my personal favorite wasn't the one I wrote a whole post about... but I really think that a great suggestion for breakfast is a healthier alternative to Earl Grey: GREEN Earl Grey tea.

Oolong Tea

• How it's made: Fresh Camellia leaves are shaken to bruise the edges, partially fermented, and dried. It's also referred to as Wu-long tea.
• Flavor: The intensity is a balance between the unfermented green and the fired black teas with a smoky floral flavor.
• Brew: A golden brown hue is what you'll get when steeped at 195 degrees for 3 minutes. Oolong tea, because it's fermented partially, is not as sensitive to prolonged water exposure as the other two so the chances of the flavor being bitter aren't present.
• The Benefits: Skin and teeth, digestion, metabolism, and weight loss are all attributed to Oolong tea.
• Suggestion: The flowery shade that this tea gives off makes a simple treat for cold nights, but this tea tastes just as wonderful iced and sweetened for summer evenings. It seems you just can't go wrong with Oolong tea, since there's plenty of benefits without the delicacy and potential of oversteeping.
• Our Favorite: Happens to be the only Oolong tea we offer, Dragon Eye.

Black Tea

• How it's made: Black tea is fully fermented. Fresh Camellia leaves are withered, rolled, fermented, and fired.
• Flavor: Because it is fully fermented it is the most intense in flavor, and it is also the easiest to manipulate flavor wise. Different flavors and flowers are easily incorporated and black tea works well with variety.
• Brew: 195-205 degrees, ideally, will steep 2-3 minutes. Some black teas may turn bitter if steeped too long, so I'll encourage more tea being added instead of more steep time. The difference between the way normal Lipton black tea is handled and ours is that our tea is full leaf instead of put through a powdering process.
• The Benefits: Black tea, even fermented, helps lower cholesterol and prevent tooth decay, and is also good for the heart. It's a gentle stimulant, but truly the best benefit of black tea is the flavor of the tea itself.
• Suggestion: Black teas are wonderful, and the bag itself can be used to help soothe sunburns, razor burn, and other cheap beauty tips that I'll list below since the recipes are a bit long for this section.
• Our Favorite: Sweet Ginger Peach Decaf tea is a wonderful flavor. Very fruity and fun and perfect for kids.

Red Tea

• Red Tea is not actually a tea variety, but an herbal tea preparation of the South African herb Roobios. The naturally caffeine-free Roobios leaves are fermented to produce their distinctive reddish-brown color and contain even more antioxidants than green tea.
• Brew: 208 Degrees of hot water can be brewed anywhere between 5-10 minutes and it is not as sensitive to heat as our earlier varieties.
• Flavor: I've found red tea to have a surprisingly subtle taste, a very light enjoyable one, but if you're eating loud flavors (like strong olives, or pesto) the flavor won't be noticed and it may taste watery in comparison.
• The Benefits: Digestion, skin, and allergies are all improved with red tea, but more importantly it's very high in vitamins and minerals as well as antioxidants.
• Suggestion: I love red tea, but I admit there just isn't a lot of time to drink cups and cups of hot tea everyday. To combine benefits with on-the-go, I steep red tea in hot water and use the hot tea to make my instant oatmeal.
• Our Favorite: Definitely the very light, airy Honeybrush Caramel.

Herbal Tea/Organic Tea

• Herbal and Organic teas are made using the same processes as above, but organic teas are made with organic-certified ingredients, and herbal teas have the added benefits of different herbs.
• Brew: Herbal infusions need hot water and time, so just like the red tea, ideally you'll want 208 degrees for at least 5 minutes, but herbal infusions can sit as long as 10 minutes without compromising flavor and allowing benefits to transfer fully into the water.
• Flavor: Herbal teas have strong qualities, and they're a wonderful way of getting kids to drink tea for their benefits.
• The Benefits: Certified organic ingredients are benefits in and of themselves. For Herbal teas, different herbs aid in different things, so each tea has a unique way of helping.
• Suggestion: Cook with teas! If you think mint teas taste fantastic, Southern Mint Herbal Tea would be a wonderful addition to any icing mix, cake, or other fantastic desserts. A nice minty tea with a dessert that has a more natural hint of mint will give you benefits so you don't feel guilty indulging into desserts during your bikini-diet.

How simple or complex your tea is is entirely up to you, but it feels good to have excuses to drink it more than once occasionally, and even better to be able to choose which teas to have during meals, or by themselves. You absolutely cannot go wrong with this beverage! In addition to all of the above, there's some cheap recipes that you can use your new found (or old favorite) for in your beauty routine.

For your hair: Conditioning your hair the natural way will give a soft shine to dry hair. Just use a quart (liter) of warm, unsweetened and freshly made tea as a final rinse after your regular shampoo. Even better: A simple cheap way of keeping a dark brown tint to your hair without buying expensive glosses and harsh hair chemicals can be made with black tea. Steep 3 bags in 1 cup of boiling water. Add 1 tbsp each of rosemary and sage and let it sit overnight before straining. The next morning, shampoo like usual, and then pour or spray the brew on your hair, making sure to saturate it. Blot with a towel and do not rinse. Regular use will help you maintain those dark tresses (or tint greying hair) but beware as black tea can stain clothes or towels.

For your skin: I already mentioned the benefits of quick eye fixes with tea bags, and the sun and razor burns, but you can also tan your skin with teas. A more natural tone will cure that dreaded oranging fear (as well as being cheaper than) of tanning creams, and it's safer than UV rays from the sun. 2 strong cups of black tea in a spray bottle and applied to clean, dry skin and allowed to air dry will give subtle tone changes safely. This also works for you men on your faces, when you shave that beard you've been saving off and end up with a pale patch on your chin!

Soothing mouthwashes, relieving first aid recipes, and more can all be found all over the internet, and these are only the beginnings of the uses. It really is one of the most versatile ingredients in your kitchen, and it's so easy to make and enjoy.

Next week, now that I've got this tea kick running, I'll look further into some of our most fantastic products: our Power Plexes. It's hard to tell what they do, how exactly to use them, and they really are some of the best and easiest additions to your skin care regimen.

Orange Chocolate Green Tea

I'm a tea fanatic! I drink it at least twice a day, and I'm always exploring different flavors, types, and figuring out new ways to incorporate this healthy wonderful favorite into daily life. I'm going to break down one of my favorite flavors now: The Orange Chocolate Green Tea.















The first thing I want to point out is the packaging. It seems like EVERY tea box you ever buy forces you to keep the box to preserve the tea itself.
Cardboard is replaced with a sturdy plastic casing inside, so even though it comes packaged in a nice cardboard box for presentation, there is a practical preservation of the tea itself. A convenient label on the top will keep your flavors sorted out.
The picture shows what a (nearly... I couldn't resist a bag of the Honeybrush Caramel) full package looks like, and the obviously nearly gone flavor we'll be discussing.















The tea bag itself is a very soft satin-like fabric with tiny mesh screens that allow you to see everything inside of the bag, but more importantly, the bag allows all of the flavor and leaves to easily escape into the water.















The leaves look shriveled and you can see the bits of orange peel as well. The smell of the bag itself is what gets me: It really smells semi-sweet, like baking chocolate.















I tried to show how it seems like there isn't a lot of tea in each individual package at all.
A later picture will show you just how much tea is really inside.




















Simple boiled water and a bit of steeping, you can see the color of the tea is true to traditional green tea - that yellowish color with a hint of green hues is exactly what you want to see.




















Here is what I really wanted to show! The tea expands almost immediately when the water hits it, and it almost has new life breathed into it. The aroma is very fragrant and it smells almost as if a dessert is cooking. It still has that semi-sweet touch to it all.















From package to tea, this is a size comparison picture of the tea before it is steeped, and right after a nice cup of tea has been made.















A close up, I tried to show (forgiving my older digital camera) how green and lively the leaves look after steeping.

The tea can be bitter if steeped too long because it is still green tea, but a bit of honey or raw sugar added takes the bite out of it, and really brings out the orange and chocolate hues to the tea. It's not so soft on flavor for a green tea, so while I often enjoy it as a nice cozy beverage, there's much more you can do!

Dessert cooking that calls for water could be pleasently stirred up with a bit of sweetened Orange Chocolate green tea, and antioxidants and the healthy qualities of green tea will keep you from feeling too guilty about sneaking a sweet into your diet. If you're interested in learning more, you can visit http://www.aikenskincare.us/ or use this direct link.

Welcome to the Official Aiken Skin Care Blog!

Aiken Skin Care has been in the works for years now... and Expanding our horizons in the process. We're always looking for new, beautiful products for our customers.

From updates on products to come, to notifying of glitches in the system, and closer examinations of current products, we at Aiken Skin Care will start with regular blogging to keep you notified with everything involving our business and service.