Skincare – Page 60 – Forty, Flirty & Fabulous

Smooth Shaving Part 2 — Gillette Venus Spa Breeze and Embrace Razors

Gillette Venus razors are one of the most popular brands for women, and with good reason. They are always introducing new, extremely effective products. When you buy a Venus razor, you know it’s going to give you a close, smooth shave.

I’ve been lucky enough to try some of the new and revamped razors from Venus:

Gillette Venus Embrace — $9.99 — $11.99 USD for the refillable razor, two cartridges, and a shower pod to hold the razor in the shower and $13.49 – $14.99 USD for a four-pack cartridge refills. This razor now comes with a new purple and turquoise handle and has five, yes FIVE, blades for an perfectly smooth and close shave. I love this razor! The head swivels and hugs every curve. This would be perfect for the summer when we wear way less clothes!

Gillette Venus Spa Breeze System — $9.99 USD for the refillable razor, two shave gel bar cartrideges and a shower compact and $11.49 USD for a four-pack of refill cartridges.

Gillette Venus Spa Breeze Disposables — $6.49 – $8.49 USD for a two pack.

What makes the Spa Breeze different than most razors is that it has shave-gel bars on the head of the razor above and below the blades. The shave gel bars are scented with white tea and you do not need separate shaving lotion or soap when shaving.

Both the Spa Breeze Refillable and the Disposables are practically the same. The handle on the refillable is a little bigger and more ornate. The only real difference is if the user enjoys a refillable razor or prefers disposables.

I gave my 13 year old daughter Hannah the refillable and I tried the disposable (the Embrace is all mine!). Hannah reports that the Spa Breeze’s scent is fantastic and it makes her legs smooth, but she had to go over some areas twice. I agree with her. It is such a cool idea to have built in shave gel and would be great to take on trips this summer. But the shave bars do kind of get in the way of the blades, making it necessary to shave twice to make sure you get all of the hair.

My recommendation is for the Venus Embrace — don’t let five blades scare you. They are awesome. If you love great scents and don’t want to buy a separate shaving lotion, try the Venus Spa Breeze. Visit their website at www.gillettevenus.com/en_US to learn more about the products and find a retailer near you.

Smooth Shaving Part 1 — Whish All Natural Shaving Products

I have been known to just use soap or shower gel to shave my legs. So it was a really nice change to use the luxurious Whish shaving products. This line uses natural and mostly organic ingredients. Without the harsh chemicals, my skin is even smoother after shaving than usual!

The Whish Pomegranate Shave Crave Pump Shave Cream ($24.00 USD), is a very moisturizing, thick cream. It has a wonderful pomegranate scent that is tart and sweet all at once! The ingredients includes organic shea butter, organic green tea and organic jojoba seed oil, and they leave your skin soft and smooth. Unlike many store brands of shaving cream, the Whish Shave Crave doesn’t dry the skin or leave it sticky. It’s kind of like a shower gel and body butter all in one.

After shaving, I use the Whish Flawless Ingrown Hair Serum ($22.50 USD) on the little red bumps on my legs. I’ve noticed that even after the first use, the bumps were less noticeable. After a couple weeks of use they seem to almost vanish. Their formula includes wheat germ extract to soothe, yeast extract to regenerate and willow bark extract to fight inflammation. It has a very mild scent and feels cool when you apply it.

The Whish products are “made in the USA with Earth friendly packaging and ingredients. Tested on us, not animals™.” These are a nice splurge, especially with warmer weather (hopefully) in the near future. You can purchase this products along with shower gels, body butters and much more at www.whishbody.com. Enjoy!

Tarte ReCreate™ Foundation

I love liquid foundation. I know that mineral powder foundations are all the rage these days, but I for me nothing beats the perfect smoothing foundation that is a perfect match to my skin color. It hides my pores and makes the rest of my makeup look flawless.

Tarte’s ReCreate™ Foundation ($37.00 USD) is a natural anti-aging foundation with Wrinkle Rewind™ Technology. What’s that, you ask? Tarte’s website explains it as, “proprietary re-hydrating complex restores moisture, tone, and elasticity to the skin, effectively reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles”. They also claim the micronized minerals in the formula help brighten the skin and provide an SPF 15.

Other ingredients also include goji berry extract, peat extract, and wheat extract and its paraben, sulfate, and phthalate free. To find out all of the ingredients, visit Tarte’s website at www.tartecosmetics.com.

I think that the price of this foundation is good for the great coverage and glow it gives you. I have noticed that it doesn’t settle in my fine lines and makes my pores (a big problem) less noticeable. I am yet to get a lot of lines (yay sunscreen!), but it seems to make the ones I have less noticeable. All in all, a great liquid foundation!

Sea Results Line Menders from H2O+

The Sea Results Collection from H2O+ claims to, “visibly rewind signs of aging with firming phospholipids and restorative sea nutrients.” The Sea Resulsts Line Mender cream and Sea Results Eye Mender Plus also claim to improve the quality of aging skin in 28 days.

The H2O+ website, http://www.h20plus.com, also touts these statistics concerning the Sea Results Line Mender cream ($54.00 USD), “Over 28 days of continued daily use, 97% of those participating in a consumer panel test reported their skin to be more richly hydrated and 95% noticed smoother, more even skin texture. There was a 22% decrease in wrinkle depth and 19% increase in firmness over that same period of time. In addition to softening dermal creases and refining skin texture, this multi-tasking formula also provides antioxidant protection to help reduce the effects of free radical induced damage. ”

People who participated in a consumer panel test of the Sea Results Eye Mender Plus ($36.00 USD) reported that after a period of 28 days of continued daily use, a 47% decrease in wrinkle depth, a 24% reduction in puffiness and 19% increase in firmness was observed.

I have been using these products for approximately 28 days and I have to say that my skin looks clearer, it is softer and firmer and my eyes look less puffy. My lines on my forehead are a little less noticeable. I think that if I use it a month or two longer, they will be even smoother.

I really do love this cream. It absorbs quickly and can be worn under makeup. That is a big plus for me as I have little time in the morning to get ready for work. The eye cream is thicker, but also absorbs fairly fast. Also, they both smell really great. They have a lighter version of the H2O Spa scent.

My verdict? The price is a bit high, but the quality is excellent. I definitely recommend this line!

The Wonders of Nude Skincare

In my quest for healthy, youthful skin, I have recently found Nude Skincare. Nude formulas are biocompatible, meaning that they work with the body’s own biology to naturally moisturize and balance the skin.

Nude’s products contain peptides, phytoactives and bioactives to target aging by firming and smoothing the skin. They keep out parabens, sulphates, silicones and many more ingredients that could be harmful to the skin. For more information, check out the website at www.nudeskincare.com.

The Cleansing Facial Oil ($52.00 USD) has won an Allure Editor’s Award and it is very easy to see why. This effective cleanser is blended with Omega-3 and Vitamin E-rich oils and easily removes makeup and dirt. Just massage the oil on your face and add water, rub and rinse. The face is left feeling soft, not greasy.

The Replenishing Night Oil ($78.00 USD) is a pure blend of omegas 3, 6, 7 and 9 and nourishes and protects for silky, soft skin. It contains the antioxidants cranberry and avellana that defend against free radicals and is fragranced with Tahitian vanilla oil and rose absolute. I recommend this oil only for night since it is a bit greasy. But by morning the oil is gone and you are left with incredibly soft skin.

I have been using these products for a couple of weeks now and my skin looks clearer and much smoother. You can find these products at their website or Sephora, and probably other department stores. I think that with Nude skincare you definitely get what you pay for, high-quality skincare!

Moisturize Your Winter Skin With H2O Plus

Being that it is so dry in Missouri in the Winter, I am always looking for good moisturizer to quench my parched skin.

H2O Plus has a wide range of spa-quality products that have natural ingredients and are great for your skin. One of my favorites is the Spa Hand and Nail Cream (6oz $15.00 USD). The H2O Plus website, www.h2oplus.com, states these benefits of the cream, “Specially formulated for hands and cuticles. Vitamins, marine extracts, aloe vera and panthenol help restore moisture leaving hands soft, smooth and conditioned”.

This product more than delivers. It instantly smooths my hand and cuticles and has the most addictive scent. The ingredients include sea fennel, wakame, sea lettuce, spirulina, nori, aloe vera gel, apricot kernel oil, seaweed extract, allantoin, provitamin B and vitamin E. I don’t know what half of those ingredients are, but together they smell fantastic!

Another great H2O Plus moisturizer is the Hydrating Body Butter ($19.50 USD). This thick and creamy moisturizer is very effective on flaky, dry winter skin. H2O Plus touts, “Natural coconut and vegetable oils penetrate deeply while green tea and Paraguay Tea combine with vitamin C and E for nourishing protection. Leaves skin conditioned and restored.”

The scent in the body butter is good, but not the same as the Hand and Nail cream. It has a very soft, creamy scent.

I have been using both products for a couple of weeks and my skin is much smoother and softer. H2O Plus is definately a line worth checking out!

Looking For a Different Valentine’s Day Gift? Try Weleda Wild Rose Facial Care Kit

Weleda Wild Rose Facial Care Kit

In my search for natural and organic beauty products, I came upon the Weleda website at usa.weleda.com. They state, “The Weleda Wild Rose Facial Care line is based upon organic rosehip seed oil and fragrant, organic rosa damascena oil for everyday skin rejuvenation. Valuable rosehip seed oil contains a combination of vitamins and essential fatty acids, which have been found to have remarkable effects on the skin. The essential fatty acids found in rosehip oil make up the structure of every living cell and are vital to the skin’s metabolism. The oil revitalizes dull, tired skin and helps reduce signs of premature aging. Weleda hand-picks organic, wild crafted rosehip seeds and organic rosa damascena flowers through its pioneering fair trade projects.”

If this sounds like something you would like to try, Weleda has recently released the Wild Rose Facial Care Kit ($14.99 USD) . This little kit includes:

Wild Rose Cleansing Lotion, 0.35 fl oz
Wild Rose Facial Toner, 0.35 fl oz
Wild Rose Moisture Cream, 0.35 oz
Wild Rose Night Cream, 0.33 oz
Facial Care Brochure

The great thing about this kit is that because of the small size, it is commitment free (wait, maybe that’s not what you want on Valentine’s Day!). What I mean is that it is sized and priced right so that you can try it and see if this is the skincare regimen for you. Another cool thing about these products are that the packaging is recycled.

I tried it for a couple of weeks. My favorite products are the toner, which takes away all the dirt and makeup that the cleanser may miss and the day cream which absorbs into the skin quickly. This helps makeup application.

One thing about these products are that they are very fragrant and have a strong rose scent. It clashed with my perfume and I could smell it all day. I didn’t really care for that, but if you love rose and need some quality anti-aging skincare, this might be perfect for you!

Fresh Soy Face Cream

I’m always looking for a quality face cream that will make me look youthful and dewy. When I received a sample of Fresh Soy Face Cream ($42.00 USD at Sephora), I thought this sounded like just the thing.

This moisturizer is “enriched with natural protective soy proteins, restorative rose water, soothing cucumber extract, nourishing meadowfoam, and jojoba seed oils that work together to provide moisture and promote collagen synthesis. It hydrates and renews the skin, creating supple, healthy, firm, radiant results.”

And guess what? It does all of that. My skin glows right after using and looks very smooth and young. The only thing is…the smell.

It has a very strong scent. Very strong. You can really smell the rose water and cucumber. With a natural product like this, you are going to smell the ingredients. It is not a bad fragrance at all, but if you are sensitive to scent, I wouldn’t invest in this product.

But, if you love all things natural and especially if you love rose; I would definitely recommend this cream. It is very a high quality product and will make your face look smooth and lovely almost immediately.

What else you need to know (from the Sephora Website):
Soy Face Cream has been scientifically proven to have significant, long-term moisturizing and restorative effects on the skin. A healthy dose of antioxidant-rich tea complex and an infusion of vitamins A, C, and E make this skin-smoothing formula exceptionally fortifying and beneficial. For best results, use it as a complement to the Fresh Soy Face Cleanser.