S-Life Mag

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A Chocolate A Day Keeps The Botox Away

In my quest for porcelain perfect skin, I have tried everything. From lights to lasers to expensive creams with magical seaweed (you know the one). Not to mention the masks: mud masks, 24k gold masks and Korean sheet masks that make me look like a panda. I am a girl on a mission to find the ultimate beauty solution for a flawless, ageless complexion-- with no Photoshop required.

So when Sakara Beauty Chocolates first landed on my desk, I was intrigued, but skeptical. Could eating chocolate possibly reduce signs of aging and give me back my glow, as promised? Sounds like a gimmick. But as a woman in my 30s living and working in New York City, where the stress doesn’t stop, I’ve noticed little lines starting to form around my eyes and across my forehead, and a rough patch of dry skin right above my eyebrow that no moisturizer seems to fix. Improved skin in two weeks by eating chocolate sounded hard to believe, but I’ve tried crazier things. And between my $150-per-month facial subscription and medicine cabinet filled with hundreds of dollars in toners, serums, lotions and creams, what’s one more product? It’s worth a shot.

The label reads that each Beauty Chocolate contains 70mg of a patented blend of phytoceramides “clinically proven to reduce signs of aging, improve skin elasticity and boost cellular moisture retention, with visible results in just two weeks.” Sounds great, but how do they work? I decided to do some research of my own.

A quick Google search revealed some pretty fascinating scientific studies, complete with little diagrams of what my skin looks like up close. They explained that that as we age our skin loses key lipids called ceramides, which act as a water barrier between our skin and the outside world. This water barrier is there to seal in moisture, keeping our skin hydrated and plump. As we lose these ceramides in our skin with age, hydration is able to escape, resulting in dryer skin, and the dreaded fine lines and wrinkles (that I’m now seeing on my face).

While the science of ceramides may be new to me, I know that hydration is one of the keys to staying radiant and wrinkle-free. Take a grape, for instance. What’s the difference between a grape (plump, juicy and smooth) and a raisin (dry and wrinkled)? Hydration! If we’re comparing our complexions to fruit, I definitely want to be a grape, not a raisin. And the key is to keep moisture locked in by maintaining a youthful level of ceramides in the skin. But how do we do that? That’s where phytoceramides come in.

Phytoceramides are ceramides that come from plants—typically wheat, like the ones in Sakara Beauty Chocolates, or rice. By consuming these ceramides from plants, we are able to replenish the natural ceramides in our skin and rebuild that water barrier from the inside out.

OK, but do they work?

I’ve been consuming the recommended daily dose of one chocolate per day for about a week and a half now, and honestly, I’ve already started to see changes. They are subtle, but when it comes to your face, subtle is good. Overall, my skin seems a bit softer and brighter, and even though I definitely haven’t been sleeping more, I wake up looking more well-rested. And just the other day, someone at work asked me if I’d had a facial...the ultimate compliment.

At $45 for a full month's supply of Beauty Chocolate, this is the most cost-effective skin routine I’ve ever had. It’s also the most delicious...it’s real, high-quality dark chocolate, sweetened with coconut sugar (another bonus). I’m going to continue to watch for all of the anti-aging benefits, but I’ve seen enough signs to continue. I might not go as far as to toss out all of my lotions and potions just yet, but this little jar has definitely earned a permanent spot on my vanity.

By S LIFE MAG • April 6, 2017