What’s In My Makeup Bag?

News flash: my skin isn’t as clear or young as it used to be. Thinking I needed a little help, I thought I’d give Peter Thomas Roth’s Anti-aging Buffing Beads a try. I like the fact that it isn’t as abrasive as some of the other buffing products I’ve used. The jojoba beads supposedly help to lift dirt and debris from skin pores, and melt away blackheads. I don’t know about that, but I do know after several weeks that my skin looks clearer and I haven’t had any breakouts.

It also contains glycolic and salicylic acids to smooth the skin and reduce the look of fine lines; and the aloe keeps it from drying my skin. I like that I can use just a little bit to cover my face and neck (at $36 a bottle at Sephora, that helps). I also appreciate the fact that it tones and prepares my skin to easily absorb moisturizer and sun block . This is a keeper, and I intend to continue using it morning and evening.

What’s in My Make-up Bag?

This time of year, my normally well-balanced skin takes a beating from the heat and humidity, and turns oily. My forehead, nose, and chin are shiny by early afternoon, and in need of a pick-me-up. That’s why I love Shiseido‘s Pureness Refreshing Cleaning Sheets.

These moisturized cotton wipes clean my skin with a few swipes. They are big enough to handle my face and neck (and feel great on the back of the neck, too), and are sturdy enough that they don’t tear while wiping. The sheets have a pleasant smell and do a thorough job refreshing and cleaning skin. And they are alcohol and oil free, so they don’t dry or put unneeded oil on your face.

Summer is my favorite time to use them, but they come in handy in my desk drawer at work year round when I’m going out for the evening and want to freshen up. And at $18 (from Sephora) for a good-sized pack, they don’t break the bank.  Come to think of it, it’s time to use one right now…

Test Drive, Pt. 3: Exfoliants

The exfoliant de jour today is Kate Somerville’s ExfoliKate Gentle Exfoliating Treatment (cute, huh?). At $65 for 2 ounces, it’s not exactly a bargain. However, value always plays into my equation for what constitutes a bargain for me; if it does the job and makes my skin look great, I’m willing to pay the price (up to a point, which is why I pass on Creme de Mer products).

The sales pitch states that “Microbeads lift dead skin cells from surface while papaya, pumpkin, and pineapple enzymes reduce pore size, stimulate circulation, and improve oxygen flow.” Sounds good.

Unlike the other two products, this one is a seaweed green, and smells like–fruitcake? Something spicy and natural. It goes on easily, and tingles while I’m scrubbing gently, gently, gently. One down side is that it is supposed to stay on the skin for two minutes after I’m finished scrubbing. I always wonder what I’m supposed to do while the product is on my face. Today, I did a sun salutation, so some good came of the two-minute wait! Otherwise, I’m so impatient I can’t see myself doing this too often, especially when I try to keep my facial care to 5 minutes.

Back to ExfoliKate! It washed off cleanly, but my skin felt tighter than I would have liked, and I noticed I had to use a bit more moisturizer afterwards. Perhaps ExfoliKate might work better for women and men with oilier skin. But I’ll give it a pass.

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.

Test Drive: Exfoliants, Part 1

Now that I have amassed a sizable bag of samples from various cosmetic companies, I’ve decided to try out a new sample every night for a week and see which one works best.

This week, I am focusing on exfoliants–those products that help remove the dead skin cells from our faces and necks, leaving our skin clear and smooth. There are exfoliants for the body, too, but those will wait for another time. Exfoliation is important in that it polishes the skin, helping to eliminate rough patches while improving texture and tone, and minimizing fine lines.

First up was Lancer’s Dermatology Natural Minerals Polish. Unlike other exfoliants, the texture is quite fine, like the creams used in microdermabrasion. It had a clean, fresh odor, more like eucalyptus than sea minerals, and went on smoothly. I used just a small bit, dot by dot, on my forehead, cheeks, and chin, and it covered my face and jaw line quite well. Once I applied the polish onto my wet skin, I was instructed to gently massage the polish into my skin, avoiding the eye area. I could feel a tingling, but it was not unpleasant. After a minute, I rinsed my skin. With just one application, my face felt smoother and perhaps looked just a bit brighter. When I finished with moisturizer, my skin looked quite moist and felt like velvet. Go Lancers! It is available at Nordstrom for $75 for 5 ounces, and wouldn’t you know it, the omnipresent Oprah loves it, too.

Tonight, I have a date with Clinique’s Exfoliating Scrub. Anything for science and beauty!