Nu Skin — Anti-Aging Specialists

Go ahead and hate me, I deserve it. For a woman of 40 (okay 41, I just had my b-day), I don’t have a lot of wrinkles. But I do have some on my forehead and the lines around my mouth (marionette lines) are starting to deepen. I also have big pores and a little redness. Aging is so much fun!

So, like many women of my age, I am searching for products that will make me look even a little younger. Nu Skin is a company that has a variety of products to help your skin be its best. Since 1984, Nu Skin has pursued creating quality products with premium, wholesome ingredients. This is luxury skincare, so it is not cheap. But I have found with the combination of the two products described below, Tru Face Line Corrector and Tru Face Essence Ultra, the lines I have look smoother and my skin is firmer and more even. 

Below are the products with descriptions from the website.

Tru Face™ Line Corrector — ($48.00 USD) — Features revolutionary pro-collagen peptides that help soften moderate to deep lines around your mouth, eyes, and forehead. Medical science has recently discovered that peptides have the ability to send age-reversing signals to collagen-producing cells, promoting younger looking skin. Tru Face™ Line Corrector offers a targeted approach to help the most aggressive signs of aging in just four weeks. Gentle and safe for all skin types. Some of the benefits are: Reduces the appearance of moderate to deep lines and wrinkles, minimizes the appearance of dermal creases around the mouth and forehead, smooths the appearance of crow’s feet, delivers results in as early as four weeks. Clinical testing has shown continued improvement over six months.

Tru Face™Essence Ultra — ($180.00 USD) — Combined for the first time with the coenzyme Q10, TeGreen 97®, and a protective antioxidants network, the powerful science of Tru Face Essence Ultra helps restore facial firmness, promotes cellular energy production, and helps prevent future signs of aging. In clinical studies, this silky serum was proven to increase skin elastin content to youthful levels, enhancing skin firmness and elasticity. Tru Face Essence Ultra—leave sagging skin in the past and fight current signs of aging for firmer, younger looking skin now and in the future. Benefits are: promotes skin firmness and elasticity and fights current signs of aging with ethocyn®, an ingredient clinically proven to improve skin elastin, helps prevent degradation of elastin with elastase inhibitors, helps contour and firm the skin for a more youthful appearance and defines skin around the eyes, neck, chin, jaw line, décolleté, and hands.

I use these products twice a day. I first smooth the essence, which comes in single use capsules, over my face concentrating on the fine wrinkles around my eyes and my chin and neck. I then gently pat the line corrector in the lines around my mouth and forehead. The essence is a bit oily, so I don’t put it where I break out, my cheeks and forehead. I have been using these products for over a month, and have noticed my forehead “frown” lines almost disappearing and my chin and neck are is more firm. I am looking younger!

These items are a splurge, but one that may be perfect for your skin. Learn more at www.nuskin.com

Olay Professional Pro-X — The Answer for Youthful Looking Skin

Olay Professional Pro-X Anti-Aging Starter Protocol
Olay Professional Pro-X Anti-Aging Starter Protocol

Olay Professional Pro-X is a scientifically advanced line of skincare that claims to give you younger looking skin in 28 days. Too good to be true? I decided to try it and find out.

I have been testing the Pro-X Anti-Aging Starter Protocol ($68.00 USD) for about four weeks. This includes the following three items as described by the Pro-X website:

Pro-X Age Repair Lotion with SPF 30 is designed and professionally tested to help shield your skin from harmful UVA and UVB exposure. This Primary Solution also hydrates to fight the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Pro-X Eye Restoration Complex is designed and professionally tested for the part of your face that communicates age the most: the delicate eye area. This Specialized Treatment hydrates to restore the area to its optimum appearance by improving the look of crow’s feet. Massaging it in reduces excess fluids to diminish dark circles and puffiness.

Pro-X Wrinkle Smoothing Cream is designed and professionally tested to smooth uneven textures with moisture, combating the look of fine lines and wrinkles.

Well. My face looks pretty great. Especially around the eyes. The skin under my eyes is so smooth and that really makes me look younger. I love the Repair Lotion because it feels light and silky and even though it has an SPF 30, it absorbs quickly so I can put my makeup on right over it. I Use the Wrinkle Smoothing Cream at night and it is very moisturizing. Plus, when I wake up, my skin is glowing!

I recommend using this starter kit for 28 days to see what it can do for your skin. And if you think you need a little more care, try the Discoloration Fighting Concentrate to get rid of uneven patches, the Hydra Firming Cream to tighten the skin and the Deep Wrinkle Treatment for those stubborn wrinkles.

Visit the Olay Professional website for more information at www.olayprofessional.com

Jurlique Purely Age-Defying Collection

Jurlique Purely Age-Defying
Jurlique Purely Age-Defying
 

I love organic and natural skincare; plus I love anti-aging products (a little help doesn’t hurt anyone!). Jurlique’s Purely Age-Defying Collection (Formerly the Biodynamic Beauty Collection) is both! It is comprised of herbs and flowers from certified organic and biodynamic farms in South Australia. These unique blends are as follows:

Serum ($75.00 USD) and Night Lotion ($55.00 USD): This blend includes Rose Gallica, Licorice Root, Black Elder, Chamomile, Pansy and Violet extracts, which work together to combat the appearance of redness and fade discolorations to brighten the skin. The Serum renews the skin while the Night Lotion restores. 

Refining Treatment ($35.00 USD) :This blend includes Calendula, Witch Hazel, Echinacea, Spilanthes, Horse Chestnut, Pansy, Sweet Violet, Daisy, Dandelion, Chickweed, Self Heal and Soapbark Tree extracts, which work together to soothe, cleanse and refine the skin to reveal a glowing complexion. This is a natural skin polisher that exfoliates the skin.

Eye Cream ($45.00 USD) :  This blend includes Arnica, Euphrasia, Daisy and Spilanthes, which work together to help combat puffiness and help fade discolorations to brighten the skin.

These products have a light, herbal scent and are very gentle on the skin. I have been using them for a few weeks and my skin is very smooth. I have broken out just a little bit, but my skin looks good!

My favorite products from the line are the Refining Treatment and the Eye Cream. The Refining treatment is a really great scrub that gets rid of all of the dead skin and impurities. And the Eye Cream! Wow, my eyes look smooth and very young right now! I definitely recommend the Eye Cream because its a really effective natural product!

To purchase these items, visit the Jurlique website at www.jurlique.com. Enjoy! 

    

Kerastase Hair Products Helps Hair Look Younger

Kerastase is a luxury hair care company that is known to create products to target specific hair needs.  I have tried two items from different lines; the Bain Age Recharge from the Resistance Age Recharge Collection, a lipo-replenishing Shampoo for dry, tight scalps and hair losing vitality and the Lotion Densitive GL from the Specifique Thinning Hair Collection, a texturizing and thickening after-shampoo spray.

Bain Age Recharge (250 ml $32.00 USD) – This is a oil-based shampoo that you message into your scalp and hair.  The active ingredients include, Vita-Refil Complex, morphofill and glycerol.  It leaves my hair soft and shiny and doesn’t strip down the color. It is supposed to bring back the youth to your hair, and my hair does look a lot bouncier and more vital since I have been using it.

Lotion Densitive GL (125 ml $45.00 USD) – I apply this spray to damp hair by starting at my roots and working my way down to the ends. It contains Complexe Gluco Impulsion, which includes vitamin PP, mineral molecules and a cooling agent.The website claims that it, “helps soothe and calm the scalp. Texturizes the fiber. Creates a volume effect.” It does give my hair more body, but my hair gets a little greasy so I only use a few sprays.

These products are a nice treat for my hair! You can check out Kerastase’s other lines such as Nutritive and Reflection at their website www.kerastase-usa.com. The products will give your hair a boost!     

Tarte ReCreate™ Foundation

Tarte ReCreate Foundation
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!

FFF’s Skin Care Musts — Hydration and Protection

Hope In A Jar SPF 20
Hope In A Jar SPF 20

Luckily, I have been blessed with pretty good skin. But as I get older (40!), I have noticed my skin looking a bit dull. So I have turned to — gulp — anti-aging moisturizers.

This is new to me. In the past I have only worried about SPF in my moisturizer, but now I’m looking for ingredients that will keep my skin looking fresh and slow the onset of wrinkles. Yes, I am vain.

Oh, well.

So to begin my quest I am reviewing two anti-aging products with sunscreen. Philosophy’s Hope In A Jar SPF 20 ($45.00 USD) and L’Oreal Skin Genesis SPF 15 Lotion (20.99 USD).   

I really like the classic Hope In A Jar. It is a heavy cream, but it makes the skin very soft and glowing. So I was really excited to hear of the Hope In A Jar SPF 20. But would it be the same wonderful cream, with the added benefit of SPF? Not really. It does have a little of the lavender scent of the original, but with a slight sunscreen smell to it. When I first put it on, it is very greasy and it never really sinks it, just gets less greasy over time. My skin is combination and still breaks out sometimes. This has not helped and I seem to be getting more breakouts.

As much as I wanted to like the Hope In A Jar SPF 20, I don’t agree with the claims that it “hydrates the skin, provides a gentle exfoliation, and helps improve the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, texture, and tone.” If it didn’t make my skin so oily, I might over time find that it does all it claims. But I will not be continuing using this product to find out.

L'Oreal Skin Genesis SPF 15
L'Oreal Skin Genesis SPF 15 Lotion

With this next product, the L’Oreal Skin Genesis SPF 15, I did something crazy. I bought it without trying it first. I was hoping that it would be a light lotion that would soften my skin, make it glow and protect it. Tall order, yes, but this product delivers.

This lotion claims that it “reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, combats the signs of aging, helps to even skin tone and texture, helps to firm and tone skin, helps moisturize dry skin”. I don’t really have wrinkles yet (knock on wood), but this lotion does reduce my pores and makes my skin glowy, without leaving it greasy.  

I think the best advice I can give while looking for a skin product is to keep your skin type in mind. Having combination skin, I shouldn’t be looking for heavy creams. But as I’m aging, I do need to look for skin brighteners, pore minimizers and especially, SPF.