Skincare
Care for winter skin
Now winter is coming again and I have really dry skin during this season. What I love is Shower Oil with Almond Oid from L’Occitane En Provence. It smells delicious and leaves my skin after shower soft and in a really good condition without being too greasy or sticky.
What do you use for your daily care in winter?
Cor Silver Wrinkle Serum
Summer is so hard on our skin, no matter what steps we take to be protective of our body’s largest organ. Sunscreen plus hats plus tiding topless, and it still isn’t enough to truly protect from the damage. Cor Silver Wrinkle Serum ($120) is designed with the intention of reversing those signs of aging.
Read on for my thoughts.
What they say:
In addition to our core ingredients of patented nano-silver with silica, Cor’s Silver Wrinkle Serum contains the following: Palmitoyl Pentapeptide is a unique molecule that has been shown to imitate the skin’s natural rejuvenation process, stimulating renewal and natural exfoliation of the skin’s surface without the use of harsh ingredients. PP regenerates the dermal layer by developing new collagen, elastin and glycosamainoglycans. PP not only appears to renew the skin’s dermis layer, but also it has been shown to make it noticeably thicker which adds to improved appearance of the skin. A “thicker” skin has the added benefits of protecting itself against the harmful elements of the environment. Acetyl Hexapeptide is an extreme amino peptide that relaxes muscle contractions and reduces the frequency of contraction. It has been shown to produce Botox® type results without paralyzing the muscle, in the form of an everyday cream. After a few minutes of application, the skin feels more taut and “lifted”.
Copper Tri-Peptide has been well documented to improve the healing of various types of skin lesions, such as scarring, lesion, sun and acne damage, breaking down the abnormally large cross linked collagen and also at the same time stimulating the production of regular collagen found in normal skin. In other words copper tri-peptides can help restore the damaged area to its original look.
What I say:
I really enjoyed sampling this moisturizer. It’s lush without being heavy, it’s not scented with anything offensive or cheap smelling, and my skin just soaks it in. This moisturizer is perfect for dry skin. Lately I’ve been going barefaced a LOT (thanks to a major lack of time) and this moisturizer has been a God-send.
I like to take a hot shower and enjoy the steam rising, then after I’ve finished up and toweled off, apply the Cor Silver. It’s soothing, and I admit, after the hot shower, I love the way a great moisturizer feels. I use it daily in the morning and before bed. The price is steep, yes, I admit that, particularly in these recessionista times, but for anyone looking for a truly effective anti-aging moisturizer, the price is negligible. I have tried far less effective products at much higher price points.
My skin care regimen!!
Every makeup artists best canvas, is a face with beautiful skin. Here’s what I do to get mine to look the way it looks since I’ve had quite a few requests. Featuring the products I use from when I wake up in the morning, to what I wear underneath my makeup, and I saved my best tip for last 
SERIOUSLY! for those of you who have oily skin, you really are going to benefit from watching this video!!
I’ll show you how I keep my makeup shine free with a matter finish ALL DAY! Yup! I hardly use my blot papers anymore! lol
ERNO LASZLO TranspHuse Topical
Stress, exhaustion, poor diet, and an abundance of work mean I’ve got lots of reasons to be embracing the anti-aging products on the market these days. Throw in some kiddos with multiple activities and one with questionable report cards and bam. Stress lines and headaches abound.
I’ve been using Erno Lazlo TranspHuse Topical ($165) for a couple of weeks now, just applying at night before bed and then in the morning before my makeup/work routine. I like it…quite a lot actually. First, it doesn’t take much product to cover the entire face, second, it’s not greasy or heavy feeling…which is a NICE feeling at night, and third, I’m seeing results. Obviously, the third reason is the best reason, but hey, who am I to discount the other two?
The fine lines around my eyes, from frowning, smiling, and reading (ugh. Reading lines. I wish I had NEVER become the type to frown when I concentrate…even as I type this I’m doing it!!) are, after two weeks, less noticeable. Not 100% gone by any stretch, but definitely not as prominent. My frown lines between my eyes, another problem area for me (thanks to my genetics, I’m guaranteed them, unless I go the botox route, which I’m not totally saying I wouldn’t do…), are softer. I won’t lie, I have tried things that were a little more efficacious, but they were a LOT more expensive. Seeing results after two weeks is a pretty good standard, IMO.
The product itself doesn’t have a scent really. I like to put it on and let it absorb, then put a heavier moisturizer over it for night time. During the day, I let it absorb then put a lush daytime moisturizer on and then my makeup. This seems to work, because I haven’t had any breakouts this month, of any kind…sneaky or hormonal…and I’ve received several compliments on my skin.
TranspHuse Topical is available at the Erno Laszlo Institute, 888-352-7956, www.ernolaszlo.com, and Erno
Laszlo counters at fine specialty stores including: Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and
Holt Renfrew.
BABOR Skin Perfecting Fluids
Is your complexion uneven, tired and stressed by environmental factors? A perfect complexion without makeup has become reality! With an unparalleled detoxifying effect, this new fluid effectively protects against environmental pollutants. Also eliminates any irregularities in the complexion, creating a ”perfect skin” effect.
Each kit ($42) contains 7 ampules, ideal for a week long treatment. I love how this feels under the Derma Cellular Collagen cream. Skin Perfecting Fluid doesn’t feel greasy going on, it’s not slick or slimy, and it hasn’t created breakouts or bumps. I’d recommend using this in conjunction with some kind of exfoliant (I like BABOR’s AHA Peeling treatmant but have also used Queen Helene’s peeling mask with nice results.
I’ve got dry skin, so my skin really just sucks all of the fluid up and absorbs every drop. I follow with a creamy moisturizer and something to seal it all in before bed (like BioElements Oxygenation or something similar). I sleep with my bedroom at a comfortable 64 degrees, with a fan blowing on my face, so yeah, I’ve got to protect what I’ve got.
This is really ideal for a beauty treatment preparing for an event, something to use to give your skin that extra glow. Would I say “OMG Hey use this religiously”? Eh. Probably not. But for something to give your skin an extra boost before a big night out or a wedding or something like that? For sure.
LUSH Sugar Scrubs
Sugar Babe, Sugar Scrub
I freely admit I’ve avoided ever so much as entering a LUSH store through the years, simply because I know I wouldn’t leave without a dazed expression, an armful of delicious bath and body yummies, and a mission intent of spending hours in the shower.
My fears were (are) well founded it seems, as I had the privilege of trying LUSH’s Sugar Scrub and Sugar Babe and oh my joy what a happy place they took me to. I have this thing I do with my boys where when I come home from work or walk into a room where they’re playing, I say ’1…2…3!!!’ and they’ll both jump on me and hang…giving me hugs and smooches. It’s awesome and it’s one of my favorite parts of the day. I only tell you about this because my 7 year old is the King of Candor and after I showered and scrubbed with the Sugar Babe scrub, he hugged me and stopped and said…”Mommy…you’re sooooffffttttt!!!”, so I KNOW this stuff is fantastic.
I have unbelievably dry skin, no matter how much water I drink, how much moisture I put on, it just never seems to be enough, so I can look kind of ashy or scaly (never flattering), and the LUSH really did seem to help with that.
Sugar Babe is a combination of Fair Trade sugar and extra virgin coconut oil, beeswax absolute, mimosa absolute, and ylang ylang. The exfoliating motions get the blood circulating, which will help with the elimination of toxins and encourage cellular turnover.
Sugar Scrub is another Fair Trade sugar concoction, filled with fresh fennel and fennel oil, lavender oil, and warming ginger. The ginger kicks up circulation while lavender oil heals and soothes.
Both are vegan friendly, both are delicious, and both are available at LUSH stores nationwide or online at Lushusa.com for $4.95!!!
DERMA CELLULAR Ultimate Calming Serum by BABOR
Tuesday I mentioned how much I love BABOR’s AHA Peel…and I really do. Today I’m going to rave about BABOR’s Ultimate Calming Serum ($100).
I spend loads of time doing stuff that stresses my skin and body. I climb, I dance, I swim (in chlorine water, no less), I ride in my Jeep with the top off (it’s summer in Texas…no freaking WAY am I putting the top UP!!), I sleep with fans and air conditioners blowing in my face, and…I have four kids. THAT’LL stress your whole body.
My skin’s reaction to stress is to tighten…particularly across my cheekbones and forehead, giving it a stretched, dry, kind of flaked look. SO not hot. Ultimate Calming Serum is geared to help with that, using a combination of plant-based ingredients from cardiospermum, echium and sunflower. SO nice as it goes on, and light weight, unscented, and nongreasy. Especially after a long road trip in the Jeep when the sun’s been beating down (SPF! SPF! I wear it! And a hat!) and the wind’s been blowing…smoothing the Calming Serum feels like a little delicious slice of heaven at the end of the day.
As with all BABOR products, the packaging is sleek and simple…the serum is dispensed via a pipette…and the product size is quite generous…30mL, so it will be a long lasting investment, for sure. For skin that’s like mine, on the dry side and under lots of different influences through the day (sun, heat, water, wind, and chlorine) Ultimate Calming Serum is a skincare MUST!
DERMA CELLULAR Skin Renewal AHA Peeling by BABOR
DERMA CELLULAR Skin Renewal AHA Peeling by BABOR is magic in a tube. A month ago, I wouldn’t have EVER copped to considering skipping at the VERY least…tinted moisturizer or a natural Skinfinish…something…just to even skintone. I’ve used this alpha hydroxy peel three times and the results are just so immediate, I don’t WANT to wear makeup afterward. My skin looks immediately smoother, softer, and more plump.
The instructions say to smooth the peel on your face, wait ten minutes, then rinse it off. I’ve let it sit the full ten and once (accidentally) the full 15. 10% glycolic acid sloughs dead skin cells, brightening the surface appearance of skin, while reducing age related spots and lines. I wouldn’t recommend going over if you have sensitive skin, simply because it is an AHA and you don’t want any redness afterward.
The formula is smooth and creamy, easy to dispense from the tube, and as with all other BABOR products, a little goes a LONG way…so a 50mL tube should last quite some time. Get it online at BABOR.com for $140!!!
DOCTOR BABOR Derma Cellular Collagen Booster Cream
One of the great things about skin care is that if it doesn’t work, you’re not married to it. You can find something else to take the place of the product you didn’t like. Because of this, many people are way more comfortable using the best anti-aging products on the market rather than going under the knife.
First things first, the packaging is sleek and silver. It’s not cheap looking or delicate at all. Second, the jar is HUUUUGE…50ml. 50ml is going to last me quite a while. Which is good news because at $150 a pop, one wants a product that will last.
Click ‘Read More’ to get the rest…
Third…and of course most importantly…it’s effective. I’ve been using Collagen Booster Cream for two weeks and my skin feels soft. Plump. Smoother. I can’t deny that at all…just like I can’t deny that my skin needs a product like this. I run on the dry side, and I stress a lot, so anything that’s going to pamper my skin is A+++ in my book.
An alternative to anti-wrinkle injections, DERMA CELLULAR COLLAGEN BOOSTER
CREAM with collagen and hyaluronic acid complex restructures the skin, cushioning
it intensively from the inside and reducing wrinkles while inhibiting collagen fibre
degeneration.
The lines on my forehead and under my eyes aren’t as deep, my foundation is going on smoother. I actually use less foundation now than I have been. Egads, I even went without makeup when I went to work yesterday! A month ago I wouldn’t have considered that.
For anyone who’s sensitive to perfumes or dyes or additives, you’ll be glad to know that DERMA CELLULAR is on the unscented, dye-free side of the spectrum. It’s not heavy, oily, or greasy, and doesn’t take long to absorb at all. I just dot it around my face and smooth it in and I’m good to go. A little goes a long way with this product, like I said before.
Get it online for $150.
Patricia Wexler MMPi-20 Skin Brightening & Pore Refining Serum
With Summer coming up, I know everyone is looking for an alternative to the heavier foundations that we wear in the winter – they can end up melting off your face in the heat. Tinted moisturizers are great but too often can leave oily or combination skin looking shiny by the end of the day. Instead of trying to cover pores and uneven skintone, focus on correcting them for a naturally beautiful complexion!
I have pale, sensitive skin that has always been plagued by redness and visible pores. So, admittedly, I was quite skeptical about trying Patricia Wexler M.D. Dermatology MMPi-20 Skin Brightening & Pore Refining Serum. In the past, the only thing that really reduced my redness was laser resurfacing.
However, I noticed after a mere 2 days of usage (morning and evening, ladies!), that the majority of redness in my face was markedly diminshed. The perpetually pink skin around my nose, cheeks and chin was, well, the same color as the rest of my face! The pores on my cheeks are definitely looking smaller in addition. It is worth stating that the effects of this product will only persist as long as you use it: this won’t fix your redness when you aren’t using it (but no skin care product can.) This product provided significantly noticeable skin evening effects.
This summer, skip the tinted moisturizer and repair your skin to its maximum potential with Patricia Wexler M.D. Dermatology MMPi-20 Skin Brightening & Pore Refining Serum! No touching up will ever be required.
Patricia Wexler M.D. Dermatology MMPi-20 Skin Brightening & Pore Refining Serum is available at Bath and Body Works for $55.00.