Beauty Tea Time At The Herbal Emporium

You may have seen an ingredient called "Camellia sinensis" included in some of the products we carry at Sephora (Mystic Tan's Sunless Face Conditioning Complex, Dr. Brandt's Water Boosters and Kinerase's C6 Peptide Intensive Treatment, to name a few) and in case you don't know what that is, it's the plant that makes green, black and white teas. It's a fantastic anti-aging ingredient and as a beverage, bestows fantastic weight loss benefits too. At least that's what the famous "Dr. Tea" says in his book, "The Ultimate Tea Diet." (I've read it twice -- obsessed). So at the end of my trip to LA, I decided to decompress at his Herbal Emporium on Melrose Ave, and guess who was there? Dr. Tea himself! So I pulled up a stool and we talked tea (and beauty, of course!). Here's what he said about the beauty benefits found in green, black and white teas: “Tea’s antioxidants have proven to repair skins cellular damage to rejuvenate and hydrate the skin. This is why women in Asia have been renowned for their beautiful skin for centuries. Drinking tea (4-6 cups a day) and using a skin cream mixed with tea’s antioxidants, like some carried at Sephora, will have you looking younger in a matter of weeks. Of course cutting coffee and sodas out of your diet will expedite the cellular rejuvenation because these beverages dehydrate your skin. Drink tea instead!” I'm still starry eyed by my visit there, and of course, will carry his wise words home with me along with a can of his delish Candy Bar Black Tea. Here's a picture of his zen garden where I chilled out, soaking in the beauty benefits of my tea and his advice. Fight wrinkles one delicious cup at a time? Yes, please. -- Joannie McIntyre