Alphabet Soup

Just as I’ve managed to wrap my head (and my skin) around the concept of a BB cream comes the news heralding CC creams (there is even a DD cream looming, but I’m not ready to go there yet, let alone touch on the BB products for hair). The Complexion Correctors or Color Correcting (CC) creams purport to do just that–even out skin tone and reduce redness or ashiness (depending on skin hue), while touting the ability over time to reduce wrinkles and imperfections.

Clinique is coming out with its CC cream in an April launch; others from Peter Thomas Roth, Lorac, Ole Henriksen, and Dr. Dennis Gross will appear soon as well. All fall in the $28-$48 range.

But it strikes me that something is going to have to give–who has the time or the money to use a BB cream, a CC cream, a moisturizer, an AHA product, an exfoliator. These creams have to provide big benefits in order to squeeze into an already heavy lineup of hitters. Clinique is banking big money ($40M) on its ad campaign for its CC cream, and rolling it out in all its venues, so it will be looking for big paybacks.

Women have purchased all types of antiaging products over the years; now BB and CC creams perform multiple tasks (smooth, moisturize, even out, and protect) while offering longer term benefits such as reducing wrinkles and improving tone. Time alone will tell us if these benefits truly accrue. Are they worth it? Well, I’m guessing I’ll be testing one or more out sooner or later.

 

Test Drive: Exfoliants, Part 2

This morning, I took Clinique‘s Exfoliant out for a spin. At $19.50 a tube, it sits in my price range sweet spot, but how would it perform?

It has a grainy and creamy texture, so that I didn’t feel like I was stripping my skin of moisture while I was sloughing off dead cells. It passed the sniff test–no odor. And it had a good, tingling feel as I scrubbed about my face with gentle fingers (and upward strokes, ladies, always upward strokes).

Because of its creamy consistency, I had to use a washcloth to remove all traces, but I was quite pleased with the result–skin that looked and felt clean and moist. The best exfoliants should contain a goodly amount of moisturizer so you don’t feel like you’ve used a belt sander on your face when you’re done. I didn’t really need to use moisturizer, except that I wanted SPF protection, so on it went.

This one is a definite keeper!

BONUS REVIEW: I also trotted out Bobbie Brown‘s Extra Eye Repair Cream, for which I had received several samples. The literature promises that it will reduce puffiness, dark circles, lines, and wrinkles. Of course, multiple applications over time are needed to prove such claims, but I loved the thick consistency, like clotted cream. And I thought it did help reduce puffiness after a few hours perusal. This is a definite maybe–I have enough samples to judiciously last me a couple of weeks, so I’ll see how continued applications help. At $69 for a half ounce, I want better proof of results.

BB Cream Vs. BB Cream: An Experiment

I have been interested in Beauty Balm (BB) creams for a while now–just reading descriptions of them on Sephora gives me visions of porcelain skin, wrinkle- and blemish-free. These creams really are multi-taskers: they contain antioxidants to protect skin and SPF to block harmful sun rays; and they hydrate, prime, and camouflage. But with so many on the market, how was I to determine which was best for me?

I decided to buy two BB creams, use both on alternating days for a week, and judge which suited me best. These creams are found in drug stores and over high-end store counters. I selected two brands whose products have served me well over the years: Clinique and L’Oreal.

Clinique’s Age Defense BB Cream comes in their distinctive green tube and costs $37; L’Oreal’s Youth Code BB Cream is in a silver tube and costs $16.99 (why the 99? why always the 99?).

Here are my findings:

• Clinque’s Age Defense Cream had a matte feel coming out of the tube, and looked matte on the skin. Great if you have oily skin; not so sure how it works with my normal skin. It had an opalescent quality that lightened my skin, but I thought I looked like a cross between a kabuki dancer and Edward Scissorhands. It did a good job covering irregularities in my skin, but by the end of the day looked a bit dry and flaky in spots on my cheeks and forehead.
• The L’Oreal BB cream is more creamy coming out of the tube, and matched my skin much better. It looked moist on, and did a good job covering irregularities on my skin. And, at the end of the day, it was not flaky or dry.
  

  The L’Oreal BB cream proved to be my favorite

Only time will tell if it actually helps to protect my skin, but I’m sticking with the L’Oreal for the time being.

Why am I telling you this? Not to get you to race out and buy a tube of the L’Oreal BB cream. My point is you have to try different products until you find the one that works for you. Sephora and Nordstrom are always happy to give out samples, as are a number of other cosmetic purveyors. Make use of these samples to find the product you love–for skin care, cosmetics, perfume–you name it. That way, you’ll know what looks good on and works for you.

As for the Clinique, I’ll give it another try in the summer when my skin is oilier. Who knows, Edward Scissorhands might be the next hot look.

Five Forward Actions to Protect Your Complexion

snow white (Photo credit: rachel sian)

Would that we all had young, supple skin like Snow White–or any of the model lovelies we see gracing the covers of fashion magazines. Time, sun, free radicals, and other drags take their toll on our faces and necks, and none of us will ever look like we did when we were sweet sixteen again.

However, there are some basic actions we can take to protect our skin and help it to look its best (besides drinking water to hydrate our bodies).

1. If possible, schedule a facial. A facial at an established day spa will help set the baseline for caring for your face and neck (and will pamper you, too, during this cold and dark time of year). The clinician can assess your skin type and offer advice on any issues such as adult acne or severe dryness. The facial will also deep clean and hydrate your skin, extracting nasties from below the surface to help your complexion glow and give you a good starting point to protect.
2. After cleansing, use a serum. The newest serums on the market are remarkable in their ability to firm skin, minimize wrinkles, and infuse the skin with moisture, which helps skin look younger and more supple. There are many great serums. Don’t be afraid to ask for samples and see which works well for you (Sephora is generous with their samples, and last I looked was offering a sample of Clinique‘s newest serum).
3. Exfoliate at least once a week (or according to your clinician’s recommendations). In order for skin to optimally absorb serum and moisturizer, the dead skin cells must be removed.
4. Don’t forget eye protection. I know, sometimes it seems like you need so many products; however, eye care is not the place to scrimp. The skin below your eyes needs protection, and can also show signs of age first. Keep those peepers hydrated!
5. Use sunscreen every day. This is crucial not just to control wrinkles and sunspots, but to protect from cancer. It doesn’t matter whether it’s in your moisturizer, foundation, or BB creme, as long as it’s at least SPF 30.

If you follow this plan, chances are you’ll see marked improvements in your skin–unless you’ve been following such a regime all along. If you have, good for you, Snow!