Skincare – Page 17 – Forty, Flirty & Fabulous

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

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

Kiss My Face Potent and Pure Face Care

Kiss My Face makes natural and organic skin care. I was lucky enough to try items from their Potent & Pure line. The system was created by combining scientific knowledge with botanicals, vitamins, extracts and minerals. Potent & Pure is safe for sensitive skin and does not contain parabens, phthalates, SLS, artificial colors and fragrances, and is not tested on animals.

The products I tried are:

Start Up® Exfoliating Face Wash ($15.00 USD) “Cleanse and exfoliate skin with organic ingredients. Clarify, cleanse and luminize skin with this revitalizing blend of natural green tea and other pure renewable plant sources, many certified organic. Gently exfoliate with natural fruit acids.” Contains Natural Fruit Acids, Lemongrass oil and green tea.

Shea Soy Facial Cleansing Bar ( $13.00 USD ) – “Gently cleanse and calm with organic ingredients. This creamy, fragrance free bar contains organic oils, shea butter and aloe to moisturize while you cleanse. Your skin will feel fresh, smooth and hydrated.” Contains shea butter, aloe and soy oil.

Cell Mate® Face Crème & SOF 10 Sunscreen ($21.00 USD) – “Lightly moisturize and protect skin while reducing the signs of aging with organic ingredients. Instantly enhance skin tone, reduce fine lines and protect from environmental stresses. Antioxidant vitamins and botanicals soothe and revitalize throughout the day while natural mineral sun block helps protect skin.” Contains titanium dioxide, lavender and horsetail.

Eyewitness™ Eye Repair Crème ($19.00 USD) – “Reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, dark circles and puffiness with organic ingredients. Smooth the appearance of wrinkles and moisturize the delicate skin around your eyes. Natural and organic oils and butters leave skin looking hydrated and rejuvenated.” Contains hawthorne Bery exrract, shea butter and rose hips.

So Refined® Jojoba & Mint Facial Scrub ($15.00 USD) – “Exfoliate and polish the skin’s appearance with organic ingredients. This non-drying, natural humectant gently exfoliates and purifies skin by removing dirt with organic jojoba beads and other natural and organic herbs and plant oils. Helps skin look visibly younger and refreshed.” Contains jojoba beads grapeseed oil and mint.

Pore Shrink™ Deep Cleansing Mask $15.00 – “Organic ingredients detoxify skin and diminish the appearance of pores. This deep cleaning clay mask helps to remove oils and bacteria from the skin. Cloves, tea tree, lemongrass and other natural, organic and aromatherapeutic® botanical extracts clean and smooth skin’s appearance. Contains bentonite clay, teat tree oil and lemon grass oil.”

I really liked both the face wash and the cleansing bar. My skin is combination, so both worked for me. The face wash smells citrusy and is refreshing. The bar is very mild. Both left my skin clean and fresh-feeling. Also very cleansing, (and exfoliating) is the facial scrub. This smells very minty and feels great on. Once its rinsed off, my face is very smooth.

My favorite product is the cleansing mask. I love clay masks. They get rid of all of the gunk in the pores. Plus it is green and I got to chase my 5 year old around screaming, “Green Mommy Monster”, so that was a plus!

Probably my least favorite was the face cream. Since it does contain sunscreen, it left a white film on my face that took a while to soak in. I had to wait a bit in the morning to apply my makeup. Besides that, it is a nice cream as is the eye cream.

I really recommend this line. It is very good for you and affordable, too. Check out the website at www.kissmyface.com to check out the Potent & Pure line and other great products. They also have a store locator so you can find a retailer near you.

Want Flawless Skin? Try Belle De Jour from Kenzo

Belle De Jour (1.7 oz $105.00 USD) is a luxurious cream from Kenzo. “White lotus water is the heart of its secret formula. This natural and potent ingredient has proven relaxing and anti-free radical effects and helps restore skin to its natural balance.” The interesting thing about this cream is that the lotus flower counteracts the stress hormone cortisol’s levels in your skin and relaxes it. This make the skin clearer and smoother.

And it really works. After using it for just a week my skin looked good, and now a few weeks later, my skin is very smooth and glowing. Ladies, I look younger!

My 13 year old daughter has eczema and it gets pretty severe on her face during cold weather. She had red patches under her eyes that were so bad she didn’t want to go to school. So I offered my Belle De Jour, and her face cleared up in a couple of days, and it is now very soft and smooth.

I put the cream on before bed and in the morning after cleansing. It isn’t greasy, but it is creamy so it needs a few minutes to soak in before makeup application. It smells fantastic, too. Two thumbs way up from me.

You can purchase this cream, as well as other fabulous Kenzo skincare and fragrance items at www.kenzousa.com.

Avon liiv botanicals

Avon has been around a very long time and is continuously coming out with fun new products that are accessible to almost everyone.

Recently, Avon has launched a new line of skincare products called liiv botanicals. This line boasts “Plant Essence Technology which captures active plant extracts to deliver rejuvenating benefits directly to the skin.” These products are fragrance-free, preservative-free and dye-free. This makes them ideal for sensitive skin (like mine).

liiv botanicals Vital Day Cream with SPF 20 ($15.00 1.7 fl. oz). The claim is that this, “nourishing formula with natural plant extracts protects skin from harmful UV rays, stress and the environment. After 1 day of use, skin is noticeably fresher and smoother. In just 3 days, skin reveals a healthier clarity and improved texture and tone.”

In the morning and night, I slather this cream all over my face and it absorbs quickly, leaving my skin very soft. I have noticed that since I have been using it, my skin does look more even and has a nice glow to it. Another plus is that since it does absorb so quickly, you can apply makeup just a few minutes after rubbing in the cream. And, I can’t say enough about the importance of SPF in your day cream!

liiv botanicals Vitalizing Eye Cream with SPF 15 ($12.00 5 fl. oz). Claims that in just 2 weeks the appearance of fine lines & wrinkles will diminish, and it will minimize bags and tighten the under eye area. In 4 weeks it claims to reduce under eye circles and firm up skin.

I have been using these products for about 3 weeks now and my under eye area does look smoother. My dark circles are a bit lighter and my bags are gone! This also has an SPF. I don’t know if it is as vital to have SPF with your eye cream, but it is nice.

All in all, I think this is a very nice line for the price. It is affordable for almost all budgets and the natural ingredients are great for the skin. Check out this line and others at www.avon.com or talk to that awesome Avon Lady that you know…

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!

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!

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.