ProductWhores

Firm, Baby, Firm

So for the past year or so, I've been all about the serums.  I think I read some article about how important they are, so even though I used them before, now I use one every morning and night.  I'm good like that.  Lately, my serum of choice has been Bliss' Firm, Baby, Firm Dual Action Lifting + Volumizing Serum.  I've been using it for 2-3 weeks now, so I'm not sure how much I can speak to the long-term results, but on a daily basis, my skin feels less tight and it seems to be making my sensitive skin less... reactive.  I also really love its scent - I can't even totally place it - it's something fresh and spa-like, which makes sense since the 99% active, water-free formula is what they use in every Firm, Baby, Firm facial at their spas.  All I know is, when I smooth it on, the scent makes me really happy, which is a definite plus over some of the other medicine-like serums I've used.  (It might be lavender mixed with something else, since the serum has an aloe base with lavender in it).  It's also supposed to correct and prevent the appearance of fine wrinkles with long term use, which is a definite plus (I'll keep you guys posted if it seems to be working on me although luckily, I don't really seem to have any wrinkles yet.  Thanks, sunscreen!)  I'm kind of obsessed with Bliss products at the moment (pretty much all of them, from the shower gels to the entire skin care line) so this one fits into my new routine nicely.  Bring on the firming! 

A sample of this product was sent to me by a PR representative working with Bliss

Meaningful Beauty

Who wouldn't want to age like Cindy Crawford, right?  I mean, sure, genetics play a large part but I couldn't help but wonder if those skincare products she was so excited about would actually work.  I was given the opportunity to test out the Advanced System kit by Meaningful Beauty which I promptly passed on to my friend who suffers from fine lines to get her full assessment. She had this to say -

After trying them religiously for a month, I was actually really pleased with the results!  While I don''t have a bad thing to say about any of the products in the system (only thing slighly negative was the Skin Softening Cleanser was a bit drying), I definitely have three faves I would buy again.  Creme de Serum goes on really well, sinks right into skin and leaves my face feeling hydrated and I also have seen a slight difference in fine lines.  Skin Brightening Decollete and Neck Treatment SPF 15 is especially awesome!  It feels like it's working the minute you rub it in and leaves my neck and decollete soft and super hydrated.  Antioxidant Day Creme also feels great on my skin and I was surprised by how quickly it soaks in and how glowing my skin looks.  I never have a greasy feeling with these products which has been a huge bonus for me! 

She's definitely raving enough that the Meaningful Beauty line is worth a check-out!  Yeah, you may not look like Cindy, but it's worth a shot, right?

Note:  Samples of the above products were sent by a PR representative working with Meaningful Beauty

One Stop Shopping

When I was packing for my trip two weeks ago, I was trying super, super hard to pack lightly.  It did not go well.  I somehow managed to wedge 4 pairs of boots and sneakers into my suitcase for a 10 day vacation (and that's not even counting the sandals for the warm weather later in the trip).  It all started out so promisingly and ended with me paying $75 to get my bag onto the plane.  So when it came time for me to pack makeup, I was determined to at least not add to the weight and brought only products that could do double-duty.  Instead of packing numerous bottles of face products, I only packed one - Clinique's Age Defense BB Cream SPF 30.  I haven't tried a lot of BB Creams and hadn't even opened this one before, but I love that it's one product that does everything you need.  It has an SPF in it for sun protection, antioxidants to keep your skin healthy, and slightly more coverage than a tinted moisturizer.  Plus, it acts as a primer too.  It's actually the perfect product to take on vacation with you because you need all of 30 seconds in the morning to be done with that whole part of your routine.  I also really like the coverage - it feels really light on my face, but it covers enough so I feel like it hides the few freckles I have and such.  I like it so much that I've reached for it both mornings (okay, fine, I'm jet lagged and sleeping at weird times, so afternoons) since I've been back. It's vacation-worthy AND regular life-worthy.  I love it when that happens.     

Note:  A sample of the above was sent to me by a PR representative working with Clinique

Get Your Skin In Shape

 

 

Okay, if you have breakout-prone skin and you've been resisting getting a Clarisonic (for some crazy, unfathomable reason) now is your time.  Clarisonic has a new Acne Clarifying Collection that looks fantastic.  Here's the official info on it:

Clarisonic brings you closer to clear skin—in just one step! The inventor of the professional-caliber, dermatologist-recommended Clarisonic Skin Cleansing System, has paired its patented sonic cleansing technology, including an innovative new brush head, with a gentle yet powerful salicylic acid-based cleanser to form the Clarisonic Acne Clarifying Collection. In one easy step, that’s safe and gentle enough for use twice daily, you can remove dirt, oil and impurities more thoroughly---and begin to treat acne blemishes.

I love, love, love, LOVE my "regular" Clarisonic, but it sounds like this one will be even better at helping  with skin that's a little bit more problematic.  It doesn't start shipping out until March 15th, but you can pre-order now.  Get on that!

Soothe Your Skin

 

 

As someone who has sensitive skin that gets easily irritated, I'm totally in love with Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Soothing Treatment Lotion.  (Phew, that was a mouthful.  I've had relationships that took less time than it did to type that out!)  I like to use a toner or other sort of cleansing lotion at the end of my skin care routine, but most of them are too harsh or drying or otherwise make my skin sad.  This one is perfect though.  It's super light and feels refreshing on, but I can still tell that it's cleaning the last bits of makeup off my skin.  It also doesn't leave my face feeling tight or sticky, which always happens when I use a "regular" toner.  (How on earth did I ever use Sea Breeze when I was younger?  That stuff can like, strip the paint off cars!)  The lotion has Dr. Weil's beloved Mega-Mushroom blend in it and is one of the ten products of his that Origins carries.  If you have sensitive skin or your skin is prone to redness, you absolutely must try them.  They're some of my favorite gentle products ever because they clean really well without stripping your skin of its moisture or irritating it even more.  (The Face Cream and Face Serum are especially fabulous).  Also cool?  Dr. Weil donates all of his after-tax profits from royalties from sales of Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins products directly to the Weil Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting integrative medicine through training, education and research.  Very cool of him.  Even more reason to pick some of the products up!

Note: A sample of this product was sent to me by a PR representative working with Origins

iO Beauty

I swear I've tried about a million different skincare products - some I've loved and some I've hated and some, well, I've just been on the fence about.  I can't remember the last time, however, that I used a new skincare line and had other people comment on my complexion!  iO Beauty, the skincare line behind make-up guru Sue Devitt and nutritionist Tanya Zuckerbrot, has completely changed my skin, and all for the better.  I've been using their entine line for a few weeks and the results have been incredible.  Their Eye Concentrate is super-hydrating and sinks in quickly which I love (so many eye creams I've used are super greasy, but not this one), their Moisture Concentrate is brilliant-  uber-moisturizing and leaves skin so fantastically soft, but the true stand-outs for me are the Treatment Concentrate and Beauty Booster.  I use a few pumps of the Concentrate, mix it with a few drops of the Beauty Booster (which has all these fabulous antioxidants) and put on my skin before the moisturizer.  It smells lovely and really gives my skin a healthy glow.  I can't remember the last time my skin looked this with so little effort.  Love this line so much and am so excited to let you all know that on Feb 17 iO Beauty is launching on QVC!  So excited to see the amazing deals they will be able to offer.

Note: Samples of the above products were sent to me by a PR representative working with iO Beauty

Join L'Oreal's FIrst Ever Twitter Chat!

This is very exciting!  L'Oreal Paris is going to have their first ever live Twitter chat next week!  Leading the chat will be their Consulting Dermatologist Dr. Gervaise Gerstner and she'll be chatting about all things skin care.  (Her first L'Oreal Paris ad for the new Youth Code Dark Spot Correcting & Illuminating Line has just started airing, so it's the perfect time to pick her brain).  She'll be talking about everything from hyper-pigmentation to acne and rosacea and what types of products are perfect for different skin types.  It'll be like having your very own expert right at your fingertips!  The chat will take place on Friday, January 27th from 3-4pm Eastern time and all you have to do to join is follow @LorealParisUSA on Twitter and tweet your questions for Dr. Gerstner to answer.  They'll even be giving away 25 Youth Code Dark Spot & Illuminating Serum samples over the course of the hour, so you might even win something.  Mark it in your calendars! 

Make Your Beauty Meaningful

Cindy Crawford has always been my favorite model.  She's absolutely stunning, but she's athletic and healthy and she seems like the kind of normal woman who could go to yoga in the morning and then eat a cheeseburger for dinner.  She also has gorgeous skin, which is why I was interested to try a product from her skin care line, Meaningful Beauty.  It's an entire anti-aging system with a number of products that are made to work together, but so far I've only tried one of them - the Glycolic Treatment Pads.  (I would've tried more products, but I'm in the middle of testing out some other skin care and it would've meant stopping that in the middle).  The pads are designed to exfoliate and rejuvenate the skin and are used to get rid of dull and dry skin without harsh chemical peels.  The pads come in a jar of 30 pads for $52 and they're super easy to use.  After you've washed your face, you just smooth one over your skin and let it sink in.  The pads smell really good, which I didn't expect - sort of fresh and lemony - and they're not harsh at all on my sensitive skin.  I've actually used toners that stung more than these!  My skin is really glowing and clean after I use one and I feel hopeful that it's helping me stay young looking through exfoliation.  (Maybe in six months, I'll look 25 again!)  

You can order the Glycolic Treatment Pads by calling 1-877-383-1212 or they're also available at meaningfulbeauty.com as a bonus gift of 5 pads with the 5-piece New Advanced System (which is $39.95 plus shipping for a 30 day supply).  Has anyone ever tried the complete system before?  I'm kind of curious about it now.  Cindy knows her stuff!  

Note:  A sample of this product was sent to me by a PR representative working with Meaningful Beauty

Gift Sets To Go Gaga Over

This is the time of year when all the stores are awash in gift sets.  Makeup gift sets, skin care gift sets, body care gift sets...  Sometimes the deals are so good, it's actually cheaper to buy the set and get a couple products than it is to buy a single one of them on its own.  (I call this the "doesn't even need justification, just throw it in my basket as fast as I can" purchase).  Since I'm sure at least some of you are like me and still have the majority of your gifts to buy, here are a few of the sets I'm either buying for myself or handing out to others this year.

Bliss' "Glow"-Ho-Ho Radiance-Revving Triple Oxygen Trio is a limited-edition set with three products - a1.7 ounce Triple Oxygen+C Energizing Cream, a 3.4 ounce Triple Oxygen Energizing Mask, and a pair of Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Eye Masks.  Before I got the set, I'd only tried the mask before, which I love, but now that I've tried the cream too, I like to pair them up for full effectiveness.  It's a great value too since Bliss can be a little pricey and you're getting a lot for your money here.  (And if you like Bliss, make sure you check out all of their holiday gift sets because there are a bunch of them and they're all fantastic values.  I sort of want them all).  This set's a great way to get introduced to their skin care line if you've never tried it before and it's easy to pick up at Sephora at one of your many holiday shopping trips to the mall.

I've been totally obsessed with Ahava's products all year because they're great on my sensitive skin, so I'll take any excuse to pick some more up.  Shoshanna for AHAVA is another limited-edition set that comes packaged in a bright travel bag perfect for a weekend away.  Inside you'll find a 3.4 ounce Mineral Hand Cream, a 3.4 ounce Mineral Body Lotion, and a .85 ounce Dermud Intensive Foot Cream.  I love their Mineral Body Lotion so much that I use it almost every day, so I'm really psyched to have stumbled across this set before I have to pack for my trip to the east coast next week.  More room for another five lipsticks!

Origins is one of those brands that I sometimes forget I love as much as I do and then I'll use one of their products and get all excited about how great it is and want to buy every single thing they make.  Since that's (sadly) out of the question, this season I'm turning to their gift sets as a way to get the best bang for my buck.  I know their ginger products are uber popular, but I hadn't tried them until now and I can finally see why everyone raves about them so much.  I always thought I didn't like the smell of ginger, but apparently I was confusing it with like, the scent of exhaust of something because it's SO nice.  It's all rich and warm and a little spicy and just delicious.  The Ginger To Go and Stay set is great because you get both travel-size and regular-sized products in it, so you can use them both at home and on vacation if you want.  (And I definitely do.  The smaller sizes will also be making the cross country journey with me next week.  They'll be perfect to use in the apparently frigid NJ weather that I'll be flying into).  You get a full array of body products in the set too - Body Wash, Body Scrub, Body Cream...  You'll be able to layer the scent as much as you want, which always makes me very happy.  Now I kind of think that I need the Ginger Essence to spritz on top as a final layer.  It seems very winter appropriate, doesn't it?  It'll be the perfect scent to wear to cheer me up when I'm shivering in my sixteen layers as I trudge through the snow, wondering how I ever managed to spend four years of college in upstate New York with its ten foot high snow drifts.  Los Angeles has made me soft!

Note: Samples of these items were sent to me by PR representatives working with Bliss, AHAVA and Origins

Pumpkin Goodness

I love pumpkin so, so much.  The pumpkin pecan cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory is my favorite dessert of all time and I've literally pushed people out of the way to get to the last pumpkin scone in the morning at Starbucks.  (I'm not proud, but sometimes it just has to be done).  Peter Thomas Roth's new Clinical Peel & Reveal Dermal Resurfacer smells deliciously of fresh pumpkin, so I already loved it from the second I opened the bottle.  It has little scrubby sort of beads in it, and you smooth it onto your skin, then rub it in circles to exfoliate a little, then leave it on for about seven minutes before rinsing it off.  The product is an intensive antiaging resurfacing treatment and is meant to help with dullness, aging, flaking and discoloration by peeling with alpha hydroxy acid, exfoliating with pumpkin enzyme, and polishing with aluminum oxide crystals.  I've used it twice so far, so it's hard for me to speak to all of that, but I do really love the way it leaves my skin - all soft, smooth and glowing.  My skin just feels super healthy and clean after I use it.  Most importantly, it doesn't irritate my sensitive skin at all, like a lot of products with alpha hydroxy acids do.  And did I mention that it smells amazing?  Why can't pumpkins be a year round thing?  Scientists can mate broccoli with cauliflower to make a broccoflower, but they can't figure that out?  Someone needs to get on that!

Note:  A sample of this item was sent to me by a PR representative working with Peter Thomas Roth