I recently tried a few products from Verikira Naturals, a new brand I recently learned about. First, let me give you a background on the brand. Verikira Naturals was founded by Kira Peterson with a vision for being an advocate of healthy choices. Founder Kira was diagnosed with a complex muscle illness, and through her journey of learning to manage her health, what she discovered is what she shares in Verikira Naturals. Verikira “never uses synthetic fragrances, unnecessary chemicals, or animal byproducts and only the purest essential oils are used to create the most pleasing of natural aromas and the deepest of therapeutic values.” Every sale of Verikira Naturals results in a donation of a portion of all profits to various non-profit organizations throughout the world.

I tried three products in particular, two of which I enjoyed, but the third I didn’t like in the least bit. The one I liked a lot was their Cucumber Hand & Body Wash, Sink-side ($16.00). The last time I tried anything with Cucumber in the title, it was B&BW Cucumber Melon, which I detested (the scent, at least). However, this is strictly cucumber, and it smells just like it–the scent I tend to associate with salad. So every time I use it in the shower, I feel like I’m making a salad, LOL. Which isn’t a bad thing! What I like about the Sink-side version is that it has a pump, so you can easily get the amount you need. One pump onto a loofah is plenty to keep you cleansed from head to toe. I don’t want my boyfriend stealing this, so I told him it was an exfoliator! (The word “exfoliator” will keep him far, far away.)

The next product I tried from this line was their Soothing Muscle Gel ($16.00). When I am able to con my boyfriend into giving me a massage, I love it when I get a little added bonus through using oils, bars, etc. In the past, we’ve often opted for Lush’s massage bars (love them!). Since I had this on hand, we decided to try it out on some achy muscles. It kind of does this thing where it feels warm, but then not… I know this thing is filled to the brim with essential oils, which presumably are good for you.

The final product I tried was their Honey Bath Body Polish ($38.00), and it is something that will never find a place in my shower. What turned me off of this product was its smell–it reminds me of Chinese Sesame-Honey-Something-Rather Chicken. It’s not really a sweet smell, it’s tangier, and it just doesn’t work for me. I felt like I was in the back of a kitchen over a hot stove. My second issue with this product, which may or may not be consistent across the board, was that the salt (Dead Sea Salt, to be precise!) was stuck and hardened at the bottom. It was more work than I anticipated, because it was a pain in the butt to attempt to mix the honey mixture with the salt whilst showering. Perhaps, if I mixed it in the kitchen using a spoon, it would have gone easier. To be honest, the scent is not one I can jive with, so I didn’t even bother. I do feel that perhaps the salt falling to the bottom may be the result of the product I was sent being too old or something. The texture of the salt, the grit of it, is fine, and I think would work well as a body exfoliator. But give me a different scent, please! (They do, for reference, have two other scrubs, Peppermint & Grapefruit Coffee and Spicy Citrus Walnut.)

Despite my bad experience with the body polish, the other two products I tried keep me having faith in the brand.  Like I said, I’m hoarding my Cucumber Body Wash away from my boyfriend!

For more information, visit www.Verikira.com.

If you’re living in a naturally warmer climate (cough, California!), it’s easy to confuse spring with the beginning of summer as blue skies dominate and the sun shimmers down. But whether you’re jonesing for a touch of summer in your life or are already breaking out your booty shorts, bronzers are often turned towards for a subtle, sunkissed glow that is an earmark of summer and fun.

1. Flirt! Bring on the Bronze Bronzing Powder ($12.00) comes in two shades, Foxy Bronze and Golden Minx. What I like about both shades is that neither is too dark, which makes it easier to go natural rather than overboard. I loved Golden Minx, just because it is a really great shade of peachy-bronze that is perfect for summer. The packaging is interesting and unique (slides out, flips up), but I found that I felt a bit like I could easily break it.

2. Face Atelier Ultra Bronzers ($30.00) have three shades, ranging from a medium bronze to a deeper color bronze. Face Atelier uses micronized pigments wrapped in silicones to make a bronzer that lasts longer on the face and doesn’t emphasize fine lines or wrinkles. It is incredibly soft, smooth, and it has decent buildability. It is also meant to be moisture, heat, and sebum resistant. I personally found it wore well throughout the day with noticeable fading.

3. Cover FX ‘Bronzed FX’ Bronzing Powder ($28.00) uses “micro-nutrient” technology, which is Greek-speak to me, but it is wax-free, oil-free, paraben-free, and fragrance-free. What I really liked about this line of bronzers is that it comes in five shades, but not all of them are just “bronze” colors. They have Garnet and Pink Topaz, both which look like blushes with golden sheen. Gold and Bronze are more typical of the bronzer family, while Golden Peach reminds me a lot of NARS Orgasm, with more gold shimmer.

4. Jane Iredale Moonglow & Sunbeam ($46.00) are compacts that have four colors inside them. The shades feature bronze and copper shades to be used alone, together, or in combination thereof. It is a bronzy highlighter to help warm up skin in a natural way. In case the price tag made your heart stutter, the gold shimmer is the result of 24 karat food grade gold flakes. You can use these all over, because it doesn’t contain and FD&C dyes or irritants.

Make sure you didn’t miss part one or two!

Find these bronzers and more at Nordstrom.com or Sephora.com.

Know your body type. Be honest with yourself about what your best features are – and what parts you shouldn’t accentuate or highlight. Just like a pair of pants or a dress, certain fits will make your body look better than others. For instance, a bandeau top is typically more flattering on women with smaller busts. Larger breasted women should use an under wire top or something with extra support.

One-pieces are great for plus size women, but just because you are not a size 2 does not mean you must shun a two-piece. If you have larger legs and a smaller torso or if you have very broad shoulders a one piece might actually emphasize your flaws. Don’t automatically assume a one-piece bathing suit is more flattering than a bikini.

Pay attention to detail on the suit itself: Colors and patterns are very important and can make your body look better or worse. As an example, a solid color usually draws less attention to the rear. Conversely, if you are small busted and self conscious about it you can play up your bust with a swimsuit top that has bold patterns and colors. Playful suits with ruffles, logos, or really bold designs in certain areas can help draw attention towards one area of your body while masking others.

Fit is everything. Just like a business suit, a wedding dress, or a pair of jeans, the fit of the swimsuit is the most important item. Don’t worry about what size you are wearing. Too many women get hung up on trying to “fit into” size X because they don’t want to be in a size larger. If a 10 fits better than an 8, even if you are usually an 8, get the 10!

Find a suit that does not pinch (you should not get bulging above and/or below any of the straps or material). Go up a size if you feel pinched.

The swimsuit bottom should not be baggy in the front or the back. You want the bottom to contour your rear without pinching and without sagging. Women who would like to elongate their legs should wear a tie side or a thin hipster bottom with a high arch. Tie sides make the legs look longer.

With the top, always do the bottom strap first as tight as possible (don’t lose circulation!) and then tie the top around your neck. This has a dramatic effect on how the top looks.

Women who want to de-emphasize their butt should wear less fabric. The less fabric you have the smaller the target for peoples eyes. The more fabric, the bigger the butt will look. Also, another tip to draw the eyes away from the buttox would be to wear a top that is eye catching. It can be more colorful, have jewelry, have a pattern or anything else that would catch attention. Then pair this top with a solid darker color

State of mind is important: Do not go swimsuit shopping after a long day of eating or shopping or after a hard day at work. You will think NOTHING looks good because you are already in a tired, possibly negative state of mind. If possible, try to go swimsuit shopping in the morning or early afternoon after you’ve exercised and drank lots of water (no sugary soft drinks!). Your body always looks its best after a workout and ample water.

REMEMBER: We are our own worst critic. You probably look better than you think! Don’t compare yourself to how another woman looks in a swimsuit. Focus only on what bathing suit makes you feel most confident in YOUR body.

Self-conscious or don’t know where to start? Try Fiji Time Swimwear & More’s private fitting service or online consulation.

If you’re living in a naturally warmer climate (cough, California!), it’s easy to confuse spring with the beginning of summer as blue skies dominate and the sun shimmers down. But whether you’re jonesing for a touch of summer in your life or are already breaking out your booty shorts, bronzers are often turned towards for a subtle, sunkissed glow that is an earmark of summer and fun.

Estée Lauder ‘Bronze Goddess’ Soft Matte Bronzer ($29.50) is part of their summer Bronze Goddess launch. It’s a smooth, silky bronzing powder that minimizes oil to keep skin looking more matte throughout the day. The compact comes with a contoured brush, which I adore. I don’t love sponge applicators, and usually, that’s what you get in a compact. Instead, you can tote this easily transportable compact with a fabulous little brush inside for last minute touch-ups.

Dior Essential Bronzing Powder ($40.00) is very much like your typical bronzer, though I will say it goes on like velvet and feels like silk. It also blends incredibly well with my natural skin tone so that it really does create a subtle bronzed look without being too heavy or unnatural.

GlowFusion Micro-Tech Intuitive Active Bronzer GlowFusion ($39.00) is Fusion Beauty’s answer to giving you glowing skin. It is supposed to help fill in fine lines and wrinkles to help give the appearance of healthier skin that glows. There are “soft-focus luminzers” to help give you that bronze color by their InvisiSkin complex. With all their techy and patent-speak, it makes me skeptical. I actually happened to get this when I attended a Nordstrom Beauty Trend Show a season ago, and while it is deliciously smooth and feels like silk on skin… I can’t say that I would ever splurge $39 on it.

MAC Bronzing Powder ($20.00) come in three shades that have a touch of shimmer (very fine, very subtle!) to help highlight and color naturally. I only own one bronzer by MAC, and it will probably last me a lifetime. I think the shade I own is Golden Bronze or something like that. Each summer, MAC launches their summer skin/bronze line, and that’s usually a great place to pick up a bronzer.

Stay tuned for part three (did you miss part one?)!

Find these bronzers and more at Nordstrom.com or Sephora.com.

Zeno ($149.00 to $200.00)

As a bit of a gadget geek, high-tech beauty products are always on my radar, including Zeno, a handheld device designed to treat acne. Zeno works using ClearPoint Technology that uses heat to treat P. acnes (read more about this type of acne at Wikipedia), which accounts for nearly 90% of blemishes according to Zeno.

The device takes thirty seconds to heat up after turning it on, and then it is applied to each pimple for two minutes, treated by a heated tip at 118.5 degrees F. Zeno beeps every thirty seconds, and then it does a little video game-like sound to signal that it’s been two minutes. You wait thirty seconds in between treatments before you can treat another pimple, and you can only treat three per session. After three, Zeno automatically has a safety mechanism that kicks in and forces you to wait another two minutes before treating additional pimples.

First and foremost, yes, I saw results, and yes, they were amazing. Zeno manages to “dry out” pimples within 24 hours, which means they’re healed within two or three days. When you have just one or two pimples that aren’t noticeable, it’s not a big deal, but when you’re plagued with more or ones that you can see easily, it is a godsend. The heat is also not at all painful — it’s quite like holding a warm washcloth against your face, soothing and pleasant.

So I must rave about the results, because who doesn’t want a way to treat unsightly acne? I’ve yet to find a cream/gel that actually produces such impressive results in the same time frame. Zeno does work better on newly developing pimples than ones that have already fully surfaced, though I personally found that it still worked well on that type, too.

The bad news about Zeno is that is cost-prohibitive. The device itself has a hefty pricetag, ranging from $149 to $200 (it is available in three versions — Zeno with 60-uses-tip, Zeno Pro with 90-uses-tip, and Zeno MD with 150-uses-tip). I wouldn’t mind spending that on a device that would last me quite awhile, but each tip will only work for a certain amount of uses — 60, 90, or 150, depending on your version. Tip replacements are $25, 35, and 55, and if you think 60 is plenty of uses, think again!

Say you need to treat five pimples, and you’ll need to do it 4 days out of the week. For effective treatment, it is good to treat each pimple two to three times a day. Just treating each pimple twice for four days (5 pimples x 2 treatments/day x 4 days) is 40 uses. Stay with me — think about your yearly usage, is 100 days out of the question? If we were going at 4 days per week for the year, we would end up with over 200 days. In 100 days, you will need 1000 uses (5 pimples x 2 treatments/day x 100 days)! If you opt for the 90-uses-tip ($35), you’ll need 11 of them, bringing you to a yearly total of $385.

While the results were amazing, I think my money could be better spent on prescription acne treatments, and at the very least, the long-term thinking and cost pattern of Zeno makes me more inclined to think about what’s causing my acne instead. I think the Zeno would be worth it for those who are not acne-plagued; for those who only need to treat one or two pimples a week or less. It is even great for treating that solitary pimple that shows up right before a big date or fancy occasion. Simply put, if you don’t need to use your Zeno that often, you won’t need to replace the tip as often, which means it comes to you at a much lower cost.

(By the way, I am aware that several users try to “cheat” the system that Zeno uses — as once your uses are up, it stops working — by simply using the heat that emanates from it as it heats up, but 1) it is not as effective as a full treatment cycle; 2) I’ll probably forget to do this half the time.)

Conclusion? Pick up Zeno if you only have a few dastardly pimples in a month, but look for other treatments and alternatives if you have persistent, regular acne.

Have you tried Zeno? Love it, hate it, worked for you? Is it worth it?

P.S. — Next week, I will bring you a review on ThermaClear, a product that is often compared to Zeno, so watch for that!