Have you heard? There’s a new B word on people’s lips these days…blue—as in Blue Light. It seems like everywhere I look, people are wearing blue light glasses to help prevent eye strain and fatigue from staring at screens all day. It turns out that blue light may also endanger your sleep by disrupting your circadian rhythm. And now, even sunscreens are stepping in to help protect your skin from this dreaded foe. Farmacy Green Screen Sunscreen claims to help protect your skin…

I’m slowly working my way through the spoils of my Japan trip last fall. During my trip, I noticed that several Japanese beauty products would use pictures of babies instead of adult models. American skin care products tend to use words and graphics, rather than pictures of adults or babies. But using real baby photographs makes total sense, if you think about it. Babies have the softest, smoothest, bounciest skin imaginable—unencumbered by teenage hormones, environmental pollutants,…

Face masks are one of my favorite souvenirs to pick up while I’m traveling. On a trip to Japan last fall, I picked up a rice ceramide mask from CAN DO, a popular 100 yen store (dollar store) in Japan. This mask is marketed under the brand “Precious Times,” and the package included a link to MITSUKI. This company appears to specialize in creating 100-yen products. The package promised that it would “console” your skin and promote “smooth-textured skin.” I…