Problem Skin? First Aid Beauty to the Rescue!

We'd all love flawless skin, but sadly, few women have it. You can cover up some problems with make-up, but some things need treatment, too. And that's where First Aid Beauty come in.

First Aid Beauty, or FAB, was created by Lilli Gordon, an expert in the beauty industry, for skin with serious problems, including dermatitis, severe redness, dryness, and acne. Her line includes both "emergency" treatments, and skin care that provides therapy and improvement over time. Most of the products are under $30, and they do last a very long time.

Cleansers
The heading should be "cleanser," in the singular, because FAB offers only one cleanser, simply called Face Cleanser. It contains the FAB antioxident blend, a proprietary compound that cares for all types of skin. This gentle and hypo-allergenic cleanser removes the grime of the day, as well as skin toxins, make-up, and skin oils. It also calms redness and any skin irritations. In addition to FAB, it contains aloe leaf juice, camellia leaf extract, feverfew extract, and licorice root extract, among other ingredients. It's safe for the most sensitive skin (I know this; I use it!), but it cleans oily skin too, without leaving it so dry that natural oils start to over-produce. Use it in the morning and before bed, and follow with a toner or a treatment that's right for your skin.

Moisturizers
First Aid Beauty has three moisturizers. The most intense of the three is Ultra Repair Cream. A thick, rich cream, it penetrates the outer layers of your skin for deep hydration. Whether your skin is dry from winter air, too much sun, age, or skin treatments, this moisturizer can help. Ingredients include shea butter, colloidal oatmeal (if your body is itchy, take a bath with a dollop of colloidal oatmeal, and thank me later), eucalyptus, and of course the FAB concentrate of anti-oxidants to deal with free radicals. Try it, and you'll feel your skin suck it right in, with instant improvement in the appearance of your skin. You can use it on your body, too (elbows and knees love this stuff, as do your heels).

The 5 in 1 Face Cream with SPF 15 from First Aid Beauty is an anti-aging moisturizer with skin protection. Remember, ladies (and gentlemen; you need moisture too!), just because it says "anti-aging" doesn't mean you should wait until you're getting old to use it; start now to keep your skin looking young! The "5" in the title refers to the five active ingredients that work together to keep your skin looking its best. They are zinc oxide, that stays on your skin's surface to provide protection from the sun; bisabolol to calm troubled skin; Alpha Albutin to even out the tone and color of your skin; the FAB antioxidant combo (including feverfew, licorice root, and white tea) to fight free radicals; and Homeostatine TM, a proprietary botanical complex, that protects new skin (remember, skin cells die in about 7 days and are replaced by new ones) and keeps collagen fibers from drying out or unwinding (collagen firms your skin; your body makes it naturally, but makes less of it as you age).

First Aid Beauty's Daily Face Cream is a lightweight, non-comedogenic (it doesn't cause pimples, in other words) cream containing botanical antioxidants and ceramide. This is a great moistuizer for oilier skin that has a tendency to break out; it moisturizes without oils, and keeps your skin looking healthy, plump and young. It too contains the FAB antioxidants (see above) to protect your skin from free radicals and heals any existing damage. Daily Face Cream soothes as it moisturizers, and reduces your skin's tendency to react to weather and environmental damages.

Treatments
For treatment of skin problems, both immediately and with long-term use, First Aid Beauty offers four products. The first is their Blemish Eraser, a product whose ingredients include 3.5% benzoyl peroxide, the right amount to fight existing acne and cool your skin without drying it. Other ingredients include witch hazel, to exfoliate dead skin cells and get the "black" out of blackheads, aloe to soothe the redness and inflammation that pimples create, and of course the FAB botanical antioxidants.

If your eyes always have dark circles and puffiness, then the First Aid Beauty Detox Eye Roller is for you. It's a wand with a metal ball that rolls the product over the dark circles as it reduces puffiness by breaking up lymphatic build-up. The product contains caffeine, a substance some love in coffee and tea, but it also is great at constricting capillaries and small blood vessels, one of the causes of those dark circles. It immediately improves the appearance of the under-eye area, and with long-term use, it can seriously reduce that darkness. Hyaluronate along with peptides increase the under-eye area's production of collagen, actually reducing fine lines. Witch hazel soothes the under-eye area's delicate skin, and the FAB botanicals fight free radicals.

Do you have itchy skin? Not just on your face, but anywhere on your body? Then you could use First Aid Beauty's Healing Stick. Easy to drop into a purse, brief case, backpack, or golf bag, this water-free stick fights the itch and inflammation of insect bites and reactive inflammation caused by plants like poison ivy or sumac, and provides some temporary relief for problems like psoriasis and seborrhea. It contains a 1% solution of hydrocortisone. The stick won't leak, and is a convenient take-along.

Finally, First Aid Beauty's Anti-Redness Serum will relieve redness, calm irritated skin, and, with regular use, reduce flares. The Anti-Redness Serum is for anyone with red skin, regardless of cause, whether it's something serious like rosacea, or if you're naturally "ruddy." It uses caffeine, whose anti-redness properties are described above, to reduce visible redness within minutes. It also contains colloidal sulfur to get to the source of the redness, aloe to soothe skin, ginger as a natural treatment for inflammation, and bisabolol to help the skin absorb the other ingredients. And of course, the FAB botanical free radical fighters to protect the skin.

If you have problem skin, turn to First Aid Beauty. Their products work as well as most prescription treatments, but they're combined with botanicals and beauty. Treat your skin to a dose of First Aid. Visit your nearest Sephora store, or go online to www.sephora.com.

(Sources: http://www.sephora.com/browse/brand_hierarchy.jhtml?brandId=First+Aid+Beauty , http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P248407&shouldPaginate=true&categoryId=5972 , http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P263006&shouldPaginate=true&categoryId=5972 , http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P257524&shouldPaginate=true&categoryId=5972 , http://www.sephora.com/browse/brand_hierarchy.jhtml?categoryId=S15100&brandId=First%20Aid%20Beauty&view=all , http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P248404&shouldPaginate=true&categoryId=5972 , http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P248408&shouldPaginate=true&categoryId=5972 , http://www.sephora.com/browse/brand_hierarchy.jhtml?categoryId=C11723&brandId=First%20Aid%20Beauty&view=all , http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P248406&shouldPaginate=true&categoryId=5972 , http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P264932&shouldPaginate=true&categoryId=5972 , http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P248409&shouldPaginate=true&categoryId=5972)