RSSCategory: Skin Care
Product Review : Paula’s Choice Resist Barrier Repair Moisturizer
October 19, 2009
This article may be better titled “The Language That Sells To Women”. It is not a review in the traditional sense. I apologize if I offend, that is not my intention.
Read moreThe Best Skin Softening Treatment
March 19, 2009
Paula’s Choice Hydrating Treatment Mask is what you hope moisturizing masks will turn out to be when you buy them but somehow they never quite deliver. It leaves your skin the way you hope wonderful moisturizers will but with a more lasting effect. This mask is a hybrid of the most effective cream you’ve ever used and a fantastic softening mask. There is not a trace of greasiness. The feeling is more of drawing water from the air.
My skin is generally oily. I haven’t much need for hydrating masks. But there is no product that comes close to the performance of this one when
- I’ve gotten too exuberant with the exfoliants and my skin is very sensitive and a bit inflamed. Even my regular non-irritating products will sting, but not this wonderful stuff. Wear this for a couple of night and I promise you, your skin will feel baby-ish – moist, plumped, relaxed. It allows a very healing environment. Each morning, I can tell that my skin has healed significantly just overnight.
- It’s a case of sunburned skin, which should never happen but if you believe that, you don’t have children. The product applies very soft and velvety. It doesn’t sting, spreads easily, is not greasy or slippy, and feels calming and cooling to skin.
- I do my usual Skin Balancing Carbon Mask which is quite lovely in a green-black swamp mud sort of way. I place this around my eyes as an eye mask. I gob it on but it’s thick enough to not migrate into your eyes even if the mask is on an hour because you forgot it and the green stuff is crunchy and itchy but your book is so good you didn’t rinse it off. The consistency is of a thick cream, like DQ soft ice cream. It holds a formed swirly shape.
- My children had very very dry skin as toddlers and one still does to this day. Chlorinated pools are particularly offensive. You know those patches of scaly, itchy skin they get on their back? Nothing, and I mean nothing, solved the problem as well as this product. I tried Eucerin. Dormer. Keri. Shea. Akerat. Hydrocortisone. Curel. Lubriderm. Body Shop Butters, though I was averse to using something scented. This is the stuff they ask for. All 3 have a tube by their bed. They haven’t outgrown the dry chapped hands in winter tendency but we have the solution for all these problems.
- I want the best hand and foot cream I know. Sleeping with socks is more than I can bear but with this mask, I don’t need to because it stays put. I add a few drops of lavender or rose oil for this purpose only, barricade the door to my room, and dare someone to get me out of bed. Wear this at night and the Pure Mineral Sunscreen SPF 15 in the day and your kids will very soon stop telling you that you have old lady hands. These are 2 of the most skin-soothing products I know, no matter how sensitive or irritated the skin might be.
- You have a friend whose skin reacts to everything she puts on it. This is the only thing that doesn’t require a few days of indecision about whether it will irritate. She can tell almost immediately that it will be fine. She uses it as her everyday moisturizer. I was glad to give her some to try. I gave her the whole tube 4 days later. Many of you with reactive or sensitive skin will do the same when you see how your skin looks and feels after replacing your moisturizer with this for 3 days. (Of course, it contains no sunscreen so either you use that as well in the daytime, or just use this for a few nights and leave your day routine as is.)
- Your husband is going out with skin so dry that it looks like it has a layer of chalk on it. God knows why that would be after scrubbing his face with Irish Spring. It has no scent and it won’t get in his eyes or make his face shine. He can feel the effect so quickly that he figures he’s getting some bang for his buck. Thankfully, neither the bottle nor cream are peachy pink, so with the words turned towards the wall, the tube can live on his bathroom shelf.
It doesn’t apply thick and white and masky. It goes on invisibly in a thin layer and translucent in a thicker layer, but it’s not white like sunscreen can be. There is absolutely no color residue. It feels much more soft and velvety than any other cream or mask I know, including Paula’s other creams. The texture really is quite unique, more like whipped cream rather than oil. You can put makeup over it within 5 minutes if you want to and there would be no trace of color. I never ever rinse it off, though you could, like any mask.
I believe this is one of the superstars of Paula’s lineup, I really do.
Do you know that cleansers and toners are 25% off in March AND shipping is $3 on all orders? So, that’s Canadian money at par and free shipping from a US site. The next step is obvious. Lay in your summer supplies and pick up a tube of this mask. You will not regret it.
-->
Paula’s Choice Hydrating Treatment Mask is what you hope moisturizing masks will turn out to be when you buy them but somehow they never quite deliver. It leaves your skin the way you hope wonderful moisturizers will but with a more lasting effect. This mask is a hybrid of the most effective cream you’ve ever used and a fantastic softening mask. There is not a trace of greasiness. The feeling is more of drawing water from the air.
Read moreMUST READ on Anti-Aging Treatments For Skin : The Surgery-Free Makeover
January 1, 2009
In Gifts For The Real World 4 and Botox For Christmas, I talked about the great website, Skin Tour. In that site, you’ll see the book, The Surgery-Free Makeover.
I was sent the book (but am not being paid for this review). I knew I’d find it an essential read because the website already is. I didn’t expect how much more information made it into the book. I finished it in 2 days. I was reading it in the bathtub.
The information cuts to the core of what you need and want to know.
Dr. Irwin is a scientist with access to and comprehension of the research. Would you take a pill that didn’t have solid research behind it? Not if you’re sane. Same applies for injections and lasers. And skin cream, of course!! Just because some company added Noni Juice or whatever magic potion to a cream doesn’t mean they did any research to prove it works (other than market research to see if and how they could sell it, of course!!).
There’s loads on the net. I can tell you that it is almost impossible for pet owners to find accurate information about their animal’s condition on line. It’s there but people can’t recognize it amid all the clutter and can’t put it in the context of their own pet. They’re as hopeless at choosing the right treatment option as they would be at reading their dog’s X-ray. You need help from a professional to filter out what’s true and how it applies to you. What happened to your best friend’s face or your neighbor’s cat has nothing to do with your face and your cat. Zero.
Plastic surgery seems too radical a first step. Anytime I’ve seen it (and known it), it looks odd. The skin on the neck is a different age from the skin on the face. Or the skin behind the ears is older. Or the face is 10 years younger than the voice/energy level/personality, and the whole person comes across as weirdly discordant. For some problems, this is the only answer. For most common concerns of aging faces, you can achieve gorgeous results without it. I still want to be able to see myself.
The Surgery-Free Makeover is written almost as a workbook, certainly not a textbook. This reads like straight-up talk at your own personal consultation. You’ll find yourself over and over. You’re encouraged to write your own specific list as you learn the various terms and types of problems.
You’ll be taken on a tour of your own face, including the neck and chest area. The most frequent complaints for each feature are discussed, along with real patients’ questions and concerns. There are 6 different problems for the forehead alone (including a brief but bottom-line discussion on thinning hair at the temples)!
You’ll get information throughout the book on the 6 most common anti-aging treatments. They are
- Botox
- fillers like Restylane and Juvederm
- lasers for redness, blotches, and age spots
- lasers for wrinkles, and imperfect texture
- skin tightening treatments like Thermage and Titan
- Peels and microdermabrasion
Which one is for you? How much can you expect it to do? You’re about to find out. If there’s a short-term fix or cream, it will be named. If there’s a question you must ask or a risk you should know, Dr. Irwin tells you. If only surgery will fix it, you’ll be saved a lot of time and money.
There is an entire chapter on menopause and skin. If you’re working towards a particular event or with a finite budget, you’ll learn what you can accomplish with realistic expectations of the near and far future.
I so appreciate the attention and space devoted to helping you find a good doctor and treatment facility. What if I live in a small town where the local M.D. has opened a Skin Center? Do I trust him? Or will I look like a clown for 3 months while a bad injection wears off ? You’ll be well armed, with the 7 most important questions to ask (and what answer you should get!), how to evaluate the facility and the staff, when to run screaming, and much more. One of my absolute favorite chapters.
With a final section on emerging technologies, this book was written for us. It’s the best.
My eyes have been completely opened to the possibilities in this field. I LIKE possibility. It’s what I am about. What I’ve learned will influence every decision I ever make about this subject, even which creams I buy. Once you’re done reading, you’ve got the last word. You won’t wonder anymore. I honestly get when and how this will fit into my life.
If you would love to have something done to improve your appearance, you have got to get informed. One of the chapters is entitled Knowledge Is Power. That is exactly what it is.
-->The Surgery-Free Makeover is written almost as a workbook, certainly not a textbook. This reads like straight-up talk at your own personal consultation. You’ll find yourself over and over.
Which treatment is for you? How much can you expect it to do? You’re about to find out. If there’s a short-term fix or cream, it will be named. If there’s a question you must ask or a risk you should know, Dr. Irwin tells you. If only surgery will fix it, you’ll be saved a lot of time and money.
Botox for Christmas
December 7, 2008
More women I know want this than anything else. Would they really do it? Or are there still too many unknowns… like how do you know a good doctor when you see one, where do they inject exactly, and is it REALLY safe? A thousand questions. Now you can find answers.
Photo by EverJean
In Gift Ideas For The Real World 4 (items 9&10), I told you about this fantastic website called Skin Tour. How excellent to have found an authority site on anti-aging treatments for skin that we can count on.
To tell the truth
Skin Tour is the website of Seattle dermatologist, Dr. Brandith Irwin. It is dedicated to providing consumers with the facts about anti-aging skin products that work, be they cream or injection. I’m always looking for that. This field is desperate for some reality.
We need voices that will plough through all the rubbish and gimmicks and tell us what’s true. Skin Tour is full of informative articles that whittle the topic down to what you need to know. Specific products are shown but the anti-aging focus is more about cosmetic and enhancing procedures like Botox, peels, fillers, and the various types of lasers.
Under Resources >> Menopause and Your Skin, there is the most clear, concise article on what the options are for improving the skin – and there are loads of options !!. Love the comment about the greater confidence and self-acceptance that we finally have found. Yes, we have.
A learning site
I have an impression that the opinion of dermatologists is that every one of us (with normally aging skin) should be using RetinA or Renova afer age 35 or so. I’m not certain if that’s correct but Dr. Irwin seems to support the belief. I haven’t cared enough yet to see a Derm to get some. I was thrilled (not too strong a word) to find Skin Medica Retinol Complex.
Terrific products are recommended, many that I’d never seen before. There are moisturizers, sunscreens (look at them when you go to the site; most interesting), antioxidants, both costly and affordable options. Look at the very neat Booster Packs while you’re there. Cute gifts, matched to a person’s activities.
Video treatments
Dr. Irwin has totally demystifyied Botox/Restlylane injections for me. I get this now. Watch the video blogs. See the questions that were asked, how comfortably the doctor could adapt to the face of each woman to produce a natural look, and how relaxed the patients are. What I can see for sure is that you need someone who can handle a needle.
After all, a needle is a knife. This is far and away my biggest fear. How do you know how smooth a doctor will be as an injector? It takes huge left brain- knowledge and right brain- artistry to be that proficient at using a needle and syringe. It’s really a form of surgery. Conservative taste and a great eye for the end result as part of the entire face go a long way too. These procedures are as much art form as science.
If you’ve been thinking of finding a dermatologist but aren’t sure what to look for in technique or bedside manner, this woman sets a high standard.
Recovery
I wish there were more After pictures on the site. I know exactly what the before issues are. I see them in the mirror every day. What I’d love to understand is what it looks like after. My inkling about Botox is the wooden look. Restylane? I haven’t a clue what that can do when it’s done well, though I can well imagine what done poorly looks like (lopsided and bumpy). It worries me greatly.
I also wish there were some idea given of how the recovery looks. Am I wrong or does Restylane appear to have serious bruising potential? I’m sure it’s covered in depth in the consultation and each woman is different, but I’d like to see the average reaction.
Note the AntiAging Tour
Definitely do take The AntiAging Tour. Scroll down and key in your areas of interest. Mouse over the dots that come up on the face and your options appear in a table on the screen. What smooth and effective use of the internet this is.
To teach and provide information consumers can depend on is the best of what this medium can do. The 13 year old sitting in front of me looking at street level satellite pictures of Paris and finding the pizza place nearest to the Eiffel Tower is illustrating the same thing in a whole different way.
You and I can’t tell what’s in a skin cream by the feel of it. We sure don’t know Restylane from Juvederm from the many new options flooding the market. The next 20 years will be crowded with this stuff, which I personally am quite pleased about.
Photo by Julianne.hide
Feel better
What impresses me most is the Doctor’s desire to just send something good out into the world. Though commission is made on the sale of products, it probably just pays for the site. The time and work seems to be a labor of love and a sincere desire to help people. Since every single molecule of good energy (and bad energy) you send out there boomerangs back to you, I would say there’s some good stuff coming her way.
So yeah. Pretty soon, the face on both sides of my nose will cave in enough and the lines will be so deep that I’ll be glad to have this option. I can almost imagine having these injections with no more worry than getting a hair color. In good hands, it looks like there’s little to fear, especially if you start with temporary treatments.
PS: The purchasing is redirected to Skin Care Rx. Let me tell you, they’re worth a look. Based in Utah, you’ll find an amazing list of hard-to-find brands. If you buy, do link to it from inside Skin Tour. We want to support that site. It’s going to help us a lot over the next 30 years.
I couldn’t link to Skin Care Rx directly or through Skin Tour. I don’t know if it’s a Mac thing because the 3 Windows XP IE7 systems I tried were fine. Oh, the stress! I finally had to place the order by phone. They have terrific tech support at Skin Care Rx and they helped me find a bypass way into the site with the Mac. Let me know if you have any issues.
-->
More women I know want this than anything else. Would they really do it? Or are there still too many unknowns… like how do you know a good doctor when you see one, where do they inject exactly, and is it REALLY safe? A thousand questions. Now you can find answers.
Read moreA Cheap Gift To You From You
October 13, 2008
It’s “A Cheap Gift To You From You” every day this week ! We’ve survived September, one of the toughest months. We’re back to carrying the burden of our childrens’ social, athletic, academic, and artistic schedules and frustrations … oh, yes, and run our own lives as well.
Have you learned to expect that three weeks into school, the kids all get sick ? Even without kids, you’re exposed because the viruses disseminate like rockets.
Dammit, we deserve a gift. Throw this cleanser into the cart when you’re wondering if buying Motrin in bulk is somehow defeatist, or setting yourself up for a self-fulfilling prophecy you’ll regret.
Product Review : Neutrogena Extra Gentle Cleanser
A reader emailed to tell me that she called Neutrogena to inquire about animal testing policies. While they do not test their products, the parent company (Johnson&Johnson) does. I’m glad to know this because I can be more discerning when I shop (no J&J), while supporting subsidiaries with humane ethics.
A thick, creamy, white liquid, this cleanser is just plain agreeable. It feels like you’re taking special care of yourself. It is so incredibly non-irritating that it crosses over to being calming to skin and soul.
You may feel like a slightly waxy layer on the skin as you rinse but once you’ve dried your face it’s not perceptible. I have noticed no breakouts or clogged pores or any other negative issues with its use.
For those of you, and you know you are, who are still using soap and water, try this one.
Don’t expect a great makeup remover. It is not that. On makeup days, I still use my Paula’s Choice One Step Balancing in the evening. This cleanser is just a very pleasant way to start the day.
-->We’ve survived September, one of the toughest months. We’re back to carrying the burden of our childrens’ social, athletic, academic, and artistic schedules and frustrations … oh, yes, and run our own lives as well.
Neutrogena Extra Gentle Cleanser is so incredibly non-irritating that it crosses over to being calming to skin and soul.
Unrivaled Products 3 : Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum
October 10, 2008
If I had to pick the one product that I most credit for allowing the age and behavior of my skin to proceed more gently, it would be this. Of the three Paula’s Choice products presented in this Unrivaled Products series (see the previous articles on Beta Hydroxy Acid Gel and Hydrating Treatment Cream), this one appears for its unbelievable ability to improve the look of skin.
Several companies now make serums and some of them are probably pretty decent. But do you know one that is remarkable and costs $22 per tube? I did look but couldn’t find a reason to jump this ship.
Skin Recovery and Skin Balancing
There is a version of the serum for Normal/Dry skin called Skin Recovery. I apply it around my eyes, and to throat, forearms/hands, and upper chest. Why, yes, I do buy 3 tubes at a time.
The Normal/Oily product version is called Skin Balancing and I apply it to my face. The Balancing version contains some mattifying ingredients so you could wear it under makeup. It is equally fabulous. On truly oily skin, it could serve as moisturizer as well as serum.
For me, both serums go on at night after cleansing and toning. Then I read for 10 minutes, and follow with moisturizer : Skin Recovery Moisturizer everywhere the serum of the same name went and Hydrating Treatment Cream right on top of the Skin Balancing serum.
There is a third serum called Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum . It lives somewhere between the other two. You can read about it at Product FAQ. That’s oddly buried under Contact Us in the left column on the Paula’s Choice website. Click FAQ, then the >> PRODUCTS >> Skin care >>Super Antioxidant Serums breadcrumbs. The information will help you find the right one for you.
Across the horizontal bar at the top, follow the Learn >>Skin Care Facts >> Basics and Beyond >> Antioxidants and Free Radical Damage trail to find a more detailed explanation.
What I absolutely love about the ingredient list (available for every product), like this one for Skin Balancing Serum is that the list includes not just the ingredient but also its purpose in the final composition. Somehow, they even managed to get the list printed on the back of the tube. The variety of oils and antioxidants makes this an unrivaled product and that’s before we discuss the price.
Read the product reviews below the ingredient list. Those women said it all and I corroborate every word.
Prepare to be amazed. These serums are that good. If you don’t like them, you can always return them. But I don’t think you will.
-->If I had to pick the one product that I most credit for allowing the age of my skin to proceed more gently, it would be this.Several companies now make serums and some of them are probably pretty decent. But do you know one that is remarkable and costs $22 per tube? I did look but couldn’t find a reason to jump this ship.
Read moreUnrivaled Products 2 : Hydrating Treatment Cream
September 12, 2008
This is one beautiful cream. In the article Unrivaled Products 1: Beta Hydroxy Acid Gel, 3 unrivaled skin care products for alluded to. This article will focus on the second item in the list. It appears among the 3 because of its incredible performance for the price.
As with all products made by Paula’s Choice, you can accept certain things as guaranteed. The formulation is state-of-the-art. The inclusion of high levels of ingredients known today to be of great benefit to the health and appearance of skin is certain. You won’t sweat over the price. No animal testing takes place at any stage of the development of the product.
What you get with Hydrating Treatment Cream is a medium weight moisturizer that glides over the skin. It is so soft and smooth, not too rich, and completely non-greasy. It is the perfect all-purpose moisturizer. I use it every night on face/neck/upper chest/ and arms.
I have used it around my eyes, though I now use the Skin Recovery Moisturizer as an eye cream (take a look at the article The Best Eye Cream), only because I figure “the more emollient, the better; maybe it will keep the lines away longer”. Wishful thinking maybe, but I’ll use any ammunition I can get. Also, because the Skin Recovery is thicker, it doesn’t migrate into my eyes when I’m reading before bed, if I’ve gotten some too close to the edge of the eyelid.
Since Hydrating has been my favorite cream for so many years, I’ve devised a couple other uses for it along the way. Both take advantage of the cream’s ability to form a very thin, weightless film.
Line softener
I never use powder anywhere under my eyes because the drying effect accentuates the wrinkles there. But, really, any product in that area seems to make the skin more prone to creasing, even concealer or foundation.
After your makeup is on, put a tiny bit of this cream, like the size of a sesame seed, on the end of your 2 ring fingers. Smudge it round till it becomes a film, then tap it (with an up and down motion only) on the whole region at the outside of the eye just to the top edge of the cheekbone, and extending a little to the inside corner if the skin is lined there too. Can you see a marvelous, instant line-softening effect?
Be careful to stay at least 1/2″ or so away from the eyelid margin because the cream can wander into your eyes. While not painful, it blurs vision a little and will cause eyeliner and mascara to smudge more than usual.
Placement of Hydrating Treatment Cream
The area looks moist. Light shines off the top of the cheekbone without shimmer or frost, just to accentuate it a little. It still blends perfectly with the rest of the face. The makeup previously applied under the eye does not crease any more easily, or at all. In fact, I will do this process several times a day, especially in winter. It works incredibly well.
Make your own cream eyeshadows
I use very few cream eyeshadows. I’ve never really found one I like enough to buy till very recently, though I do think the gleam is attractive… but it has to be a gleam. If it’s shimmery, unless the skin of your upper lids is very tight, it will only make the looser skin there more obvious. Most cream shadows are either too frosty, don’t blend out without some tugging, or don’t last well.
Here is a way of making a powder shadow have that moist appearance of cream.
So apply your regular eyeshadow. Just as you did above, spread a small amount of Hydrating Treatment Cream between 2 fingers just to create a thin film. Now tap the cream over the eyeshadow. You really want a very, very thin film. The gleam will look very much like a cream eyeshadow application. The makeup doesn’t crease any more easily than before. Isn’t that good?
Less is always more
You wouldn’t do both of these methods on the same day or you could risk looking a little greasy. But, really, both effects are so subtle and real-looking that even together, they would not be overpowering. Both bring light to the eye, soften the skin so it seems to crease less (or less noticeably), and give an appearance of tight glowing skin.
Cool products multi-tasking. Love it.
-->This is one beautiful cream. In the article Unrivaled Products 1: Beta Hydroxy Acid Gel, 3 unrivaled skin care products for alluded to. This article will focus on the second item in the list. It appears among the 3 because of its incredible performance for the price.
Read moreUnrivaled Products 1: Beta Hydroxy Acid Gel
July 18, 2008
There are 3 skin care products that the market could not replace. They are unique either in their formulation, their performance, or their quality for the price. If they became unavailable, I know of no substitute. All 3 are made by Paula’s Choice.
Read moreSunscreen Search 2008
June 16, 2008
Each year, I take a look at what’s on offer in the sunscreen world. Our family goes through 12-15 tubes in a summer, so I’m price-conscious. What I put on my face ( see the articles Clinique : A Gorgeous Lipstick, A Fabulous Sunscreen and 2 Estee Lauder Product Reviews : A Best-In-Class Sunscreen and a So-So Foundation ) and what my kids cover themselves with at the beach or the pool is not the same product. To show you how seriously I take sun protection, take a look at my new sunglasses.
Read more15% Off All SPF Products At Paula’s Choice
June 5, 2008
Does everyone know that sun products are on sale at Paula’s Choice for the month of June ? That includes any product with an SPF, not just sunscreens. We’re talking foundations, pressed powders, and one of the lip products.
Not only that, each order includes 15 free sample packets. 15 !! My kind of sale.
Get daily makeup and colour updates. Join the 12 Blueprints Fan Club on Facebook! A Click on the box will take you there.
-
A Greener Tea
Web Maintenence by Rick Beckman
