And now a word from our sponsor...
Renee Rouleau Annual Anniversary Sale!
August 13 - August 18, 2007
Shop on-line and receive 10% off all products when you enter code CC2007 at check out.
Hurry! This once a year sale expires midnight on Saturday, August 18th!
At Renee Rouleau, we feel there is more to skin than just dry, normal and oily. Choose from 9 different skin types and have products recommended exclusively for your unique skin. Questions about your skin? Email jocelyne.adonia@yahoo.com
- August 13, 2007
The latest skin technology from Avon
As tempting as some of the luxury cosmetic brands that are advertised in all the fashion magazines and mail order catalogs might be, you really don't have to spend a fortune to find excellent skin care products.
Mesmerized by an ad for a product that was supposed to "brighten" your complexion as well as take care of age spots and wrinkles, I couldn't bring myself to plunk down $90 to try it. Instead, I scoured the web for other products claiming to do pretty much the same thing and came up with two products from Avon that had similar claims and much lower price tags.
ANEW Luminosity Ultra Advanced Skin Brightener helps to reverse skin discoloration caused by aging, sun or hormones. While it didn't completely obliterate my age spots, I certainly noticed a difference in my overall skin tone. A lightweight cream, it can be worn alone or along with your favorite moisturizer. At $22, it's truly a bargain and worth trying.
At the same time, I tried ANEW Retroactive+ Skin Optimizer. This is a serum to be worn alone or over your moisturizer. Although it contains no irritating AHA, it acts as a gentle exfoliant, pore minimizer and contains optical brighteners to make your complexion appear more even. Used together with Luminosity Ultra Advanced Skin Brightener, I noticed a definite difference in my complexion within a couple of weeks! My skin looks smoother, brighter and healthier! Also a bargain at $22, Avon often puts their products on sale, so you can sometimes find it for considerably less.
New skincare finds from Neutrogena
Neutrogena seems to have been on a roll lately, as they continue to introduce great products for all skin types.
Neutrogena Healthy Skin Serum, Anti-Wrinkle Intensive is a great choice for your under-makeup primer. With a combination of Retinol and vitamins, it absorbs quickly into the skin with a somewhat matte finish, smoothing wrinkles and leaving your skin quite smooth and ready for your moisturizer and makeup. If your skin is sensitive, Neutrogena recommends using every other day. I had no problems with my sensitive skin with this product.
Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Cream SPF 20, Deep Wrinkle Moisturizing Treatment contains concentrated Retinol to help with wrinkles and sun damage, and hyaluronic acid to improve appearance of wrinkles, while promoting healthy skin call renewal. At the same time, Neutrogena's new Helioplex broad spectrum UVA/UVB sunscreen provides excellent protection from the sun. Packaged in a tube, this moisturizer works great under your foundation while protecting your complexion. For evening, there is also Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Cream, Night Formula
, which does the same job, minus the sunscreen.
Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control, 3-in-1 Hydrating Acne Treatment
Even at my age, my skin can really act confused with the weather changes, so I keep a few items in my arsenal to use when breakouts occur. Although almost every good acne spot treatment contains the same ingredient, 2% salicylic acid, the way in which it is presented can make a big difference in its effectiveness. This product is in a very gentle, mild base, and really does work well, although I'm not exactly sure how it can differentiate between normal breakouts and those caused by stress! Neutrogena claims this product prevents acne by daily use as it gently acts as an exfoliator, softens skin and soothes with green tea and cucumber extract. I've tried it for spot treatment and it really does the job. Not greasy, gel-like or thick, you can wear it under your makeup without worrying about it peeling or showing through as some acne treatments do. It's a great product to have on hand!
Judith tries new foundations
Everyone needs a good foundation. Here are three of my most recent finds:
Neutrogena
I'm a longtime fan of Neutrogena Healthy Skin Enhancer Tinted Moisturizer, which I reviewed when it first came on the market. Healthy Skin Glow Sheers Natural Radiant Look SPF 30
is an even sheerer version of the same with SPF30. If you're looking for coverage, this product isn't for you, but if you want just a hint of color to even out your skintone, this is a great product! I especially like the fact that it isn't greasy and doesn't leave your face shiny or sparkly. This is great warm weather product and I'm enjoying using it a great deal.
Face Atelier
Face Atelier Ultra Foundation is one of the best gel-based foundations I've tried in ages. With a silicone base, it literally melts into my skin, giving natural coverage that lasts all day long. The best part of Face Atelier's product is that you can create your own custom color by adding Zero Minus, a white cream, to lighten or Zero Plus, a darker shade, to darken your foundation. With both products, you can easily tweak your foundation to match your skintone all year long.
Face Atelier has one of the best sampling policies of any cosmetic company I've ever tried or read about. At $1 for each sample, they send you a generous amount of product to really try before ordering your actual item. I wish more companies would consider this policy, because it really helps avoid making costly mistakes!
Ultra Foundation, Zero Minus and Zero Plus are $42 each at faceatelier.com.
BeautyADDICTS
I love the theory of mineral foundation, but in practice, any powdery mineral foundation I have tried has been a bust as it settled into the dry lines of my face and made me look much older than I want to. I've reviewed and still like Jane Iredale and Youngblood liquid mineral foundations, both of which provide excellent medium coverage.
BeautyADDICTS Mineral SheerTINT SPF20 is a fabulous find! Sheer as a tinted moisturizer, but able to provide enough coverage to give me a glowing complexion. Available in five shades, Light worked great for me. I haven't tried the other products in the BeautyADDICTS range of products, but hope to do so and report back to you about them.
Mineral SheerTINT SPF20 is $35 at beautyaddicts.com. I found it in Washington, DC at Douglas Cosmetics, which has several shops in the metro area.
