The skin is our body’s biggest organ, that’s why it’s so important for us to take care of our skin.  Not only can proper skin care prevent early signs of aging, it also leaves us feeling fresh and revitalized.  Not sure how you can do your skin justice?  It’s easy, just follow these three essentials steps: cleansing, exfoliating and bathing on the sunscreen.

Cleansing your skin is vital, because it rids your skin of dirt, debris and oil, and provides the perfect canvas for makeup. I personally love the feeling of a clean, fresh face; it’s a great picker-upper in the mornings. When it comes to your face and your body, you want to make sure you’re using a cleanser that addresses your skin type needs. A young lady with dry skin should use a product that is emollient and moisturizing, a woman with oily skin should use a cleanser that strips the oil away without drying her skin out too much. If your skin is on either side of the spectrum, you want a product that will help to achieve balance. I have blemish-prone combination skin so I use a salicylic acid cleanser in the mornings and a creamy cleanser at night.

Exfoliation is another priority and one of my favorite tasks to do. It’s only necessary to exfoliate one to a few times a week depending on your needs. I love to exfoliate in the shower, once my skin is all soft and steamed up from the water. I use St. Ives Apricot Scrub on my face and body, and rub lightly in circles. I also love the amazing but pricey, Kiehl’s epidermal re-texturizing micro-dermabrasion scrub for my face.  I usually exfoliate first before shaving or cleansing, I like to pretend I’m scrubbing off the day’s dirt and grime. Scrubs come in all forms and types, from crushed walnut shells, to sea salt, to pin sized plastic beads.  You can pick and choose based on your comfort level. I like my scrubs to be rough and tough, but some gentler formulas I’ve enjoyed are Biore’s Pore Unclogging Scrub and Clinique’s 7 Day Scrub Cream Rinse-Off Formula.

Sunscreen is last but surely not the least. I’ll be honest and admit I often skip this important step, unless it’s July, but the reality is sunscreen is important all year-round!  Let’s face it, the sun is probably the first thing to greet you every morning.  If you’re an avid sunscreen user, high five, keep up the good work. If you skip sunscreen, then here are some tips. Buy products with sunscreen in them so you won’t forget to put it on.  I usually forget to put sunscreen on my body, but because some of my beauty products have SPF 15, my face and hands are always covered. One last thing to know is that you want to make sure your sunscreen is photostable, which means that its components won’t break down after being in direct sunlight for awhile.  As far as recommendations go, ladies seem to love Shiseido’s Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion for Face/Body SPF 55.
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This article was contributed by Michelle Reyes.  She lives in New York City and is a features writer for The Conscious Snob. In her free time, Michelle enjoys frequenting beauty shops, catching up with friends, and stealing a bit of the ever elusive nap.

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Most women like a pretty pout. We have all kinds of options available to us from lipsticks to lip balms to lip glosses. The two most popular options are inarguably, lipstick and lip gloss.

Lipstick lovers are fans of the rich color payoff, and the creamy, smooth feel. There are also the benefits of the longer lasting formula.

Loyal lip gloss ladies admit there’s a more fun approach to the sticky stuff. They wear it with more casual looks, or if they want to make their lips look bigger and more luscious. Lip gloss is usually much sheerer than lipstick, and has moderate staying power.

I am a fan of both formulas and have plenty of favorites in each category.

I love lipstick for days when I don’t feel like reapplying that often, or when I’m going for a more serious look makeup-wise. Some of my favorites include Clinique’s Long Last Lipstick (in Beauty), MAC lipstick (Viva Glam V), and Mark’s Dew Drenched Moisturlicious Lip Color (Juicy). Clinique’s lipsticks are very smooth and are perfect for the gal who likes a natural look. MAC’s collection is practically breathtaking, any color you could imagine will probably be on their shelves. And Mark’s lipsticks are cheap and teeny, perfect to throw in your bag for a night out.

I love lip gloss for the summertime, to top off a bronzed, glowy look. One of my biggest peeves about lip gloss though, how sticky some of them are. But no worries! My three faves go on smooth and also have a tiny hint of flavor. I love Fresh Sugar Lip gloss (in Sugar Rush and Sugar Shag) for the smooth feel and candy-like wash of color. I also noticed that even after it fades away your lips feel comfortable and moisturized. Can’t beat the sweet lemon scent either! I also have a thing for Mark’s Glow Baby Glow hook up lip gloss (Blow kisses, Honey and the fan fave Pink Crush). The prices are sweet, the shades can’t be beat, they’re cute and petite and the minty flavor is neat! I also love Maybelline’s Shinylicious glosses (Chocolate Cherry) which you can pick up at the drugstore. The color selection is pretty vast, and they are all sweetly flavored.

Whichever is your fave, you can find comfort in the fact that there’s tons of wonderful options to choose from!

Honorable mentions:

Lavanila Laboratories The Healthy Lip Shine, Vanilla Grapefruit
Clinique Glosswear for Lips
Sonia Kashuk Luxury Lip color
Chanel Glossimer

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This article was contributed by Michelle Reyes.  She lives in New York City and is a features writer for The Conscious Snob. In her free time, Michelle enjoys frequenting beauty shops, catching up with friends, and stealing a bit of the ever elusive nap.

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As the proud owner of attention grabbing ringlets for well, all my life, I happen to know a thing or two about curly hair. After years of tangled affairs with various shampoos, conditioners and styling products, I finally saw the light. For years I thought my hair was just bad, difficult, straw-like, and hard-to-manage — until I approached my strands differently.

Curly hair is naturally dry. The upside of this is that you don’t need to shampoo every day, but the downside of this is that curly hair without product becomes a frizzy nightmare. I like to restore the moisture in my hair by using sulfate-free shampoo, a conditioner that doesn’t make my hair feel heavy, and a styling cream that is free of alcohol. (Sulfates and alcohol are known to cause dry hair so that’s why I steer clear of them). One thing you have to figure out is the style you’re seeking. I like texture and definition with a loose hold, which means that my curls are never crunchy, just defined, smooth spirals.

So if you want to take control of  your curls, here’s what to do.

Fully soak your hair, put a glob of shampoo on your roots and rub it through your scalp. Some women put conditioner on their ends before shampooing but I always skip this step for reasons unbeknownst to me. I love DevaCurl’s No-Poo, but I’m also a fan of Healthy Sexy Hair’s Chocolate Soymilk Shampoo (both sulfate free!).

After you rinse the shampoo out, put another glob of conditioner on your hair, comb it through, and then pin it up while you finish your business. You want to let the conditioner penetrate a bit. I make sure to rinse out only about 80% of the conditioner. Once you’re out of the shower, squeeze your tendrils gently with a absorbent towel. After this step, shake out your hair. Then start with styling cream and run it evenly through you hair. I love Frederic Fekkai’s Luscious Curls Cream and Bumble & Bumble’s Grooming Crème.  As a cheaper alternative I also use Garnier Fructis Curl & Shine Leave in Conditioning Cream. If cream is not your thing, you can always substitute the hydration with a leave in conditioning spray, such as Infusium 23’s Moisturologie formula. After your hair is set, you want to go through it again with gel, paying special attention to the hair on your crown and your ends.

On days when I don’t have as much time, I give my freshly washed curls a little shake, finger-style a little bit, then I air dry or use a diffuser.  Once I’m all finished, I admire my curls from afar –because once these tendrils are dry, it’s hands off!

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This article was contributed by Michelle Reyes.  Michelle lives in New York City and is a features writer for The Conscious Snob.  In her free time, Michelle enjoys frequenting beauty shops, catching up with friends, and stealing a bit of the ever elusive nap.

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I’m writing to give everyone a friendly reminder to register to vote. This election year, as you all have witnessed, is pivotal in all aspects of America from the economy, to the environment, to the war in Iraq. Frankly, I don’t care so much what your politics are, what I do care about is that we all register to vote.

I passionately believe that my vote will make a difference, perhaps against all logic, because I am just one person. But consider this, the greatest enemy of our time is not terrorism or global warming or war, it is apathy. We are constantly disgusted by those who turn a blind eye to suffering and cruelty as we read about wars and genocides in the news. Don’t find yourself doing the same. Voting is where it begins.

As for California , it actually DOES matter. Back in the 2004 Election, Californians voted 45% Bush and 54% Kerry. The race is closer than you think.

So, I’ve done the hard work for you and gotten all the information you’ll need in order to vote. The deadline for your registrati