Welcome to the new Olivia Care blog. This is the place you can find out all the latest news about our fantastic online boutique, our latest products, and industry news – helping you to feel beautiful and great in your skin. Visit our website now to see our fantastic selection of professional skin care products.

I can’t tell you how excited I am that Mad Men Season 4 is starting up. I need the return of the incredibly stylish mid-century modern furniture on the set, the drool-worthy wardrobe, Don Draper’s tragic handsomeness, and Betty’s sternly beautiful, dewy, perfect visage back in my life. Things have been dull without the intrigue and drama. I’ve been on the edge of my seat, wondering what will happen in the plot this time around!

Did you know that January Jones is committed to using organic soaps and beauty products? Hardly a surprise! Obviously, her beauty is a natural wonder, but the fact that she cares for it using organic soaps and other products makes her seem all the more beautiful to me. That Grace Kelly glow is going easy on the environment, and that’s just gorgeous.

Plus, it obviously works! It’s amazing to see her in magazine spreads or paparazzi scoops when she’s not dressed up in her Betty Draper 60s style. I think I prefer her look in the show’s wardrobe, but I can’t deny that her skin looks just as beautiful either way. I’m happy to add her to my growing list of celebrities promoting and using organic soaps. Gwyneth, make a little room for January!

My skin used to be so dry. It flaked and peeled and even though I’m only 25, there were the signs of crow’s feet around my eyes, and those lines around the mouth that come with old age. I realized that I didn’t just need a new makeover or a clay face mask, I needed a new skin routine.

I decided to do some research. I found out that I should begin to clean my face with organic soaps to remove all the dead skin. I also began to moisturize at night to rehydrate my tired, dry skin.  Every week I use a toner to keep my skin looking tight and new. The result is noticeable – I’ve seen a drastic decrease in the amount of flaking and peeling on my face, and the wrinkles that used to show up have been showing down.

I drink plenty of water and wash my face twice a day with organic soaps, once in the morning and once before bedtime. Monthly, I’ll use a green clay mask to treat my face. And I feel better! I have more confidence because I can see how my hard work is paying off, and other people can too.

Men’s skin care is getting a lot of attention these days. Over the past few years, this industry has become a major player. There are products for men that decrease shine, remove splotchiness, even, tone and moisturize. They even have manscara. And while some men apply powders and cover up, they will take offense if you dare to call it make up.

It’s one thing to use men’s make up, but it’s another to take good care of your skin. That begins with organic soaps. When you slough off all the dead skin cells, your face looks younger and healthier. Then with a daily moisturizer, you lock in all the moisture to prevent your face from looking dry and red. Throw in some eye cream to prevent wrinkles and bags, and you will fool people with your age.

Once a month or so, you can try a green clay mask, which will revitalize your face and make you feel like you’re on vacation.

But your daily routine is most important. When you use organic soaps and moisturize, you will be in good shape. That way you can avoid using make up when you’re old.

The kind of organic soaps you use really do make a difference. Using cheap soap to wash your face and body is akin to sleeping on a mattress that you don’t like, or eating cheap fast foods. If you don’t take care of yourself by spending a little extra time and money, you will see the difference, and it won’t be good. You may ache, or you may gain weight, or in the case of organic soaps, your skin may dry out and flake, making you look older and less attractive. Overall effect: skin that just doesn’t look that great.

That’s not to say that you have to break the bank to have nice looking skin. Organic soaps and olive oil soaps aren’t very expensive, and they will leave your skin glowing, fresh and renewed. In different scents, you can choose a flavor that suits you best.

When you invest more time and money in yourself, you feel better about yourself.  A green clay mask, triple milled soap, or a new hygiene product of any sort will leave you with healthier, softer feeling skin. And since you wear it all day long, the least you can do is take good care of it.

If there is one thing I enjoy almost as much as spending the afternoon tucked into a green clay mask, its saving money on that same clay face mask. That’s why I love the plethora of different ways Olivia Care helps me save money.

On the front page of their website, there are three ways to save dough right there in front! Olivia Care belies that perfect skin starts with the perfect organic soaps, and they help you load up on it by guaranteeing free shipping on all orders over $75.

And for those looking for even more opportunities to save, Olivia Care offers a 2-for1 deal with their Cote Jardin Olive Oil & Herbs Body Milk. Intended to lock in moisture for use after bathing, ordering a 14-oz bottle of body milk comes with a second bottle absolutely free.

And as if that wasn’t enough, Olivia Care currently offers 25% off the price on all body scrubs. Order online, and the price of your body scrub is automatically discounted during checkout. Since I started using olive oil and herb body scrubs, I’ve made dry and damaged skin completely disappear, and it’s an added bonus that I can get lavender, mandarin, and verbena fragrances all at discount prices through Olivia Care.

The past two weeks we have spent an exorbitant amount of time discussing different clay face mask types, and the many advantages of these different masks. This week we’re going to talk about a popular ingredient for a lot of those clay face masks: bentonite.

Of course, we know bentonite for its cosmetic purposes. A common ingredient in organic soaps, shampoos, calamine lotions, creams and even lipsticks, bentonite is the main common ingredient for a very effective clay face mask. Like any clay mask, a bentonite clay mask removes oils, dirt, toxins and dead membrane cells from the skin while simultaneously unclogging pores. However, one advantage bentonite has over your average clay face mask is it reduces blemishes and contains both anti-inflammatory and anti-infection properties. These healing properties give bentonite clay face masks an advantage over your typical green clay mask.

However, here is just a sample of the many other uses for bentonite:

• Due to its unique rheological properties, betonite clay is often useful for drilling, as well as geotechnical engineering.
• Bentonite is also a common ingredient in ceramic bodies and adhesives like cement, and can also be found in  a high number of kitty litters.
• Taken orally, bentonite is often prescribed by doctors for patients in need of a strong laxative. Bentonite is a commonly-used colon cleanser.

Last week we went over some of the different types of clay face mask styles. This week we’re going to go over, in case you weren’t already aware, of the benefits of a clay mask:

The most well known advantage of using a clay face mask is that the mud itself has the ability to remove oils, waste, and toxins from the skin on the face.

A weekly date with a clay face mask is recommended, not just to get an adequate level of moisture to the skin but to fight skin disorders as well. All different types of cosmetic clays consist of minerals, with each having a different positive effect on your skin. These materials are proven relievers of psoriasis, eczema, acne, and other skin disorders. They even reverse wrinkles!

If you clay face mask includes avocados, you are ensuring your skin receives a high dose of Vitamin B and Vitamin E (as avocados are loaded with both). This is a fantastic way to “pamper” yourself while simultaneously getting your skin the vitamins it deserves.

Often, these kinds of mask’s increase and improve upon the faces blood circulation, which not only provides health benefits but also increases skin regeneration and adds color.

And top of it all, clay masks gentle and unnoticeably peel away dead skin cells, causing no physical harm but helping to make your face look more youthful.

Olive oil is pure, natural, antioxidant-rich and full of nutrients, which give your skin a beautiful glow. It’s so pure that it’s often called extra virgin. The Egyptians, Greeks, Phoenicians, and Romans all took advantage of this prized oil, and it was one of Cleopatra’s beauty secrets. Olive oil is the only oil made from fruit, and keeps your body healthy on the inside and outside.

Olive oil promotes a smooth, radiant complexion and helps keep your skin moist and elastic. It also conditions and adds shine to hair, and helps heal dry and brittle nails and soften cuticles.

There are many ways to use olive oil in its purest form on your body. Before you go to bed, apply olive oil to your feet, put on some socks, and wake up the next morning with skin as soft as a baby’s. You can soothe dry chapped lips with a little olive oil, and if your cuticles and nails are ragged, just soak them in a cup of olive oil while you’re watching television.

To revitalize your hair, massage your scalp and hair with olive oil soap to repair split ends, prevent dandruff and give your locks a silky and shiny look. You can even use a little olive oil on a Q-tip to remove your makeup at night.

To get the full benefits of this time-honored beauty secret, try Olivia Care’s range of olive oil products, which are infused with natural and organic ingredients like pure essential oils, anti-aging nutrients like Vitamin A and E, and cleansing French clay to draw out impurities.

Wrinkles are an inevitable part of the aging process. Exposure to sun, smoking and air pollution can all contribute to premature aging.

As you get older, the epidermal cells on the outermost layer of the skin become thinner. This means that they start to release more moisture than they retain, and this results in dry skin.

The second layer of the skin, the dermis, starts to produce less collagen and lose its elastic fibers, so skin begins to sag. In addition, sebaceous glands produce less oily sebum, which further contributes to dryness.

The area between the dermis and the epidermis becomes more fragile, making it harder for skin to repair itself on its own. Fat cells get smaller, so skin loses its plumpness.

The good news is, there are plenty of olive oil soaps and organic soaps containing anti-aging nutrients and vitamins like Vitamin A and Vitamin E that can help smooth out facial lines and help keep skin looking clean, fresh and youthful.

To pamper your skin with healing olive oil infused with herbs and essential oils like lavender, mandarin, verbena and green tea, try Olivia Care’s Cote Jardin range of soaps.