Just look for one with 'ate' on the end of it, as in magnesium aspartate or magnesium citrate.

William Davis recommends glycinate or malate, as citrate can have side effects.

Thanks - he's terrific, too -- cardiologist William Davis -- on health issues related to eating. I have a big jar of malate.

By the way, the epidemiologist I'm friends with advises that you not buy vitamins made in China, and says maybe most American brands are. I pay a little extra, but get them without the melamine, made in America.

Magnesium Fizz at bedtime seems to really help my MIL sleep better at night-- seemed to help my son, too, when he spent a few nights at her place.

Lots of guys respect a cheap woman! Monetary wise that is!

Alternet recently had an article in its Living section about how more expensive cosmetics aren't necessarily better:

http://www.alternet.org/health/148140/the_cosmetics_racket%3A_why_the_beauty_industry_can_get_away_with_charging_a_fortune_for_makeup

I had read about the uber high price tags on well known cosmetics not being better then the cheapies sold at the local thrift stores.

I recently started making my own skin care products. I use Cediphil as the base lotion (dermatologist recommended and fragrance free) and I add my own essential oil mix that I got out of a book I bought.

It's funny that Nichole K's article mentions that tea tree oil and lavender oils cause breast growth in teenage boys. In my book, it talks about them being hormone balancers (my acne is gone since doing this).

I made a toner out of distilled water - a few drops of tea tree oil, lavender oil, helichrysum (regenerates skin cells), lemon and rosemary. For the cream, I use my Cedaphil and combine with lavender, helichrysum, clary sage, myrrh and geranium oils.

Only a few drops of each are needed (don't remember the exact measurements offhand but you want to be careful about using too much) and it's been working out pretty good. Carrot seed oil plumps the skin, you can put a few drops in your lip-gloss of your choice for those kissable lips. There are books online about this, for measurements and recipes I would suggest checking them out. I have really sensitive skin, and this hasn't been a problem when its diluted correctly. And sure enough, it seems to have contributed to (perhaps just a placebo effect) balancing my moods and sleep patterns as well.

I had a beautician once tell me that she saw a woman with flawless skin once and asked her what her secret was. She said baking powder (maybe it was baking soda). She exfoliated with baking powder and water every morning.

Drinking half your body weight in oz of water is also suppose to help keep your skin looking youthful.

I think the cosmetic industry is a rip off.

Oh, and I do one mask weekly. I take a piece of my aloe plant, squeeze out all the juice and apply it all over my face. Aloe plants are REALLY easy to keep alive. Just water them once a month and keep them in a nice sunny spot.

I think I may have a mild allergy to aloe. Whenever I put it on my skin, it burns like I've poured rubbing alcohol on it. But maybe it is supposed to do that?

Baby shampoo instead of department store face cleanser. Also the BF read in Consumer Reports that Target's house brand sunblock is the best. I have no idea how that was measured but I do like it better than most any I have tried.

Olay Regenerist face cream is surely the best for the price as well. I don't fool myself that it's performing some miracle on my skin, it just moisturizes well, has sunblock, and doesn't leave me feeling like I've been sprayed with shellac.

A simple mixture of sugar and baby oil makes a nice body scrub.

"I think I may have a mild allergy to aloe. Whenever I put it on my skin, it burns like I've poured rubbing alcohol on it. But maybe it is supposed to do that?"

It doesn't happen to me. Are you using a product with other ingredients (like alcohol) or the plant itself?

I do know that there are HUNDREDS of types of aloe plants. Only one of these is what is used in burn creams, drinks, or whatever. I was using Blue Aloe for a long time before I realized it wasn't the same as Aloe Vera. If you are using it on your skin or consuming it in anyway - you should be sure you have Aloe VERA.

Then again, you could just have an allergy. I've read that people who are allergic to Aloes, also have allergies to garlic and onions (which I do have a slight allergy to because I am allergic to everything, somethings more than others). But I don't show any adverse reactions to the Aloe.

I wash my face with just water and am happy with my skin, but maybe that's just genetics.

"I had a beautician once tell me that she saw a woman with flawless skin once and asked her what her secret was"

Or you can just be like my mom, naturally gorgeous. She is 50 and people think she is 28 because her skin is perfection (I've never seen her with ONE pimple-ever!) No wrinkles and naturally tanned skin.

For the rest of us, I'm a cheapo with skin care products. But I do skip Chinese makeup. Always make sure anything that is absorbed by my skin doesnt say Made in China

For sunscreens, make sure that whatever you're buying doesn't have methylparaben listed as an ingredient. Any paraben is bad (they operate as xenoestrogens), but methyl is the worst for sun care, because it may react with UVB light to INCREASE skin aging and DNA damage. There are links to the studies here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methylparaben

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Enhancer. It's tinted moisterizer with sunscreen and peptides... great if you tend to sleep late.

Also- and I think that my hormones have changed a lot since I had a baby, but my skin has never been better than now- I wash with Cetaphil and then use a ROC retinol cream... and that's about it, besides a sunblock during the day.

If you get adult acne, in my experience the MOST important thing to do is wash your face at night. Eye makeup doesn't matter; skin makeup does. No matter how drunk or tired you are, wash your face before bedtime.

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Enhancer has methylparaben in it... =(

I used to use that too, Amy, until I read the environmental working group study on sunscreen and cancer. That one has a terrible rating.

http://www.ewg.org/2010sunscreen/finding-the-best-sunscreens/?search=&brand_id=1145&ptype=sunscreen

CB, what products don't have methylparaben in them? Cedaphil comes highly recommended by dermatologists, and it's the only skin product i use daily(and cheap too!).

Oops, that should be spelled Cetaphil.

I'm currently using a face wash that I found at the hippie grocery store (Desert Essence Thoroughly Clean) and Josie Maran sunscreen. It's really hard to find paraben-free products at the drugstore, though I'm hopeful that that will improve in the coming years - even Walmart is including organic beauty sections in some of its stores. In the meantime, I've had the best luck with sephora.com and their "natural and organic" section. It breaks down each product by what it does/does not include - parabens, pthalates, triclosan, etc. Vitacost.com is great for the kind of stuff you find at hippie grocery stores, too.

I've heard good things about Cetaphil too, but I suspect that the dermatologists' recommendations are a bit out of date - so much of this environmental toxicology research is new. But I bet this is how it went when they stopped using lead in makeup, too!

Incidentally, Amy's favorite brand of sunscreen (which I also used until I saw the EWG's review) does not have parabens in the versions sold in Europe. The US products do include parabens.

Baking soda exfoliating scrub. Just dip in a moist finger and rub it on.

Unlike commercial products, it dissolves completely when you rinse.

Highly recommended for oily/acne prone skin.

I buy a gallon of sulfate-free shampoo, which lasts me about a year, from here: http://pvsoap.com/soap_bases.asp (Scroll down until you find the "Liquid Shampoo & Soap Base" listing.) And if you want it scented, you can pick up fragrances/essential oils from a number of venues, including some dollar stores. Amy, I know you had a good article about sulfate-free haircare a few years back on your blog.

Makeup comes from everydayminerals dot com. Great stuff, and extremely affordable, especially for mineral makeup.

I also buy a 4 oz bottle of glycolic acid (chemical) peel solution for about $25 on eBay, which lasts me about a year. Doing chemical peels at home this way ends up being about 30 cents each, instead of going to a spa/dermatologist for the same treatment at $30/week.

Makeup removal wipes, razors, and deodorant come from the dollar store.

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