pur~lisse is a product line created by Jennifer Yen utilizing science and Chinese beauty secrets to create products good for you. You’ll find most products have either Blue Lotus Flower or White Tea (antioxidant) in them.

pur~moist ($65.00) is a moisturizer that feels like a hybrid of gel and cream. It absorbs quickly, and it keeps skin hydrated throughout the day. What I particularly liked about this moisturizer was it helped calm any redness I had in my face (which, admittedly is not a major concern nor obvious). I couldn’t detect any noticeable scent to it–seemed non-fragrance to me. This particular moisturizer doesn’t contain SPF, so you’ll need to use something else to cover you on sun protection (though they have pur-protect, which does include SPF). The only downside to this product is the price; you should easily get two to three months worth of usage out of the tube, though. Also, since it is in a tube rather than a jar, you can worry less about getting bacteria in it and oxygen exposure. Always a good thing!

pur~delicate ($38.00) is a cleanser designed for all skin types, and it is a non-foaming milky cleanser. It uses soy milk (along with soy proteins) as one of its key ingredients. You’ll also find extracts of oatmeal and white tea in it. Because it doesn’t really lather or foam up, it doesn’t strip your skin of its natural oils, so it shouldn’t dry you out. It does a great job of removing dirt and makeup and leaving your skin feeling clean (but not that squeaky clean feeling of tightness). As far as packaging goes, it uses an airless pump, so you can control how much product you need (one pump should do ya!) and keep it sanitary and out of oxygen’s reach. There’s no real fragrance to it, which further lends credence to its claim of being non-irritating for all skin types.

M LAB is a line of products designed by Milbar Laboratories, which challenged their scientists to create skincare products without any limitations–they could use the most efficacious and luxurious ingredients and formulations, and as a result, M LAB products use high levels of clinically active ingredients to fight against signs of aging.  According to the brand, “Professional clinical testing has validated the results and expectations of the M LAB™ product line. Demonstrable effects and positive changes will quickly be seen by you and others. Study results indicate our formulation approach produces skin firming, the reduction of fine lines and wrinkles and the improvement of skin clarity, color and texture.”

Let me tell you what I thought about M LAB’s Travel Kit!  Continue reading »

Kate Somerville Oil Free Moisturizer ($65.00) recently became part of the Kate Somerville product line after customer demand for a moisturizer that worked well on combination and oily skin.  This particular moisturizer is aimed towards those with sensitive, combination-to-oily skin; something that doesn’t aggravate existing acne, too.

Benefits

• Moisturizer (duhhh!)
• Enhances skin smoothness and reduces fine surface lines
• Improves skin firmness and elasticity
• Increases cell turnover
• Helps control and absorb sebum to give you oil-free skin

How-to: Use as part of the AM and/or PM routine by applying a thin layer over clean skin (face/neck).  If using a serum, layer on top of the serum.

Key Ingredients: Pepha-Tight (skin tightener, anti-wrinkle, firming, toning, moisturizing properties); Red Marine Algae (APT) (cell turnover, firmness, elasticity, smoothness, reduces fine lines); Sepilift (firmness, stimulation of collagen)

Those are some fancy schmancy ingredients!  Find out what I liked (or what I didn’t!) about this moisturizer… Continue reading »

NARS Potent EFA Cream ($70.00 for 1.7 fl. oz.) is the third NARSskin product in my daily routine.  While I told you about my two favorite PM products, the Hydrating Moisture Cream and the Aqua-Gel Hydrator, let me tell you about a third.  It is a thicker cream than I typically use, but it sinks into skin incredibly well and doesn’t take all day to do it.  The goal of this cream is to give you smooth skin with moisturization using their “lipid-enchanting” ingredients.

So, is it as good as the first two PM products? Continue reading »

NARS Aqua Gel Hydrator ($76.00 for 3.6 fl. oz.) is beyond phenomenal.  It is the perfect treatment for everyone, but especially for those with normal-to-oily skin, because it is water-based (hence the “gel” in the name).  It’s actually made of 87% water!  It is designed to be considered a mask, rather than an everyday moisturizer, though I am sorely tempted to make it a daily staple.  It is just that good.

There’s still more to rave about!  Continue reading »

NARS Hydrating Moisture Cream ($72.00 for 3.4 fl. oz.) is my night cream of choice.  I consider this my current staple, and I’ve actually be ignoring a lot of my other favorite night creams in lieu of this fabulous one.  I also credit my lessened acne and breakouts to using this deliciously rich and quickly hydrating cream.  I didn’t change anything in my skincare routine except for using this as my PM cream, and whoa nice skin!  Although, I admit, I’ve been cheating on Hydrating Moisture Cream with an equally amazing NARSskin product–Aqual-Gel Hydrator–but more on that three-way relationship later on this week.

Okay, what else makes this so great?  Continue reading »

Simply Flawless O2 Anti-Aging Moisturizing Creme ($39.95) is a facial cream that utilizes Simply Flawless’ patented Oxygen Complex that contains RejuvenOx (TM) PFD. Basically, it is an oxygen molecule that has been shown to be able to permeate the skin layers to the lower layers. Many skin products are topical and tend to sit on the surface of the skin, so you don’t actually get nearly as many of the nutrients and whatnot as you could be using.

It comes in a pump container, which means no light gets in it and no worries about contaminating it with your fingers. You only need one or two pumps to moisturizer the entire face, which makes the product last you a decent amount of time. Even though it looks little, the 1.7 oz you get is about on par with many other mid to high end moisturizers. It is a concentrated cream, so a little is all you need; there’s no reason to pile it on, which means it should last you awhile.  It can also be used both AM and PM, making it a multi-tasking product (but make sure you have a separate sunscreen product then!).

I liked that there was no real scent to this–a lot of fragrance-free products smell clinical, but this is fairly odorless. It also absorbs pretty quickly, and this is always an important factor to me, because I hate waiting for things to dry (anything!). It felt gentle on my skin, and I liked the way my skin looked and felt two weeks later–smooth, fresh, and soft.

You can learn more at www.simplyflawlesso2.com.

Karin Herzog Vita-A-Kombi 1 ($52.00) is a product that boasts 1% of pure oxygen and Vitamin A, which is a patented combination by Dr. Herzog. This cream is meant to be used both morning and night, and it does a whole slew of things. It promotes healing, increases cell regeneration, minimizes pores, detoxifies, hydrates, diminishes lines and wrinkles, and desensitizes sensitive skin.

I was using increased amounts of acne medications, and predictably, they made my skin more sensitive. There were few creams that I could use without feeling like my face was on fire. Vita-A-Kombi 1 was one of them, and even better, it can be used both morning and night. It is a fairly thick cream, and it does take some time (5 to 10 minutes) to sink into your skin. It is best applied with a light layer all over the face, but without rubbing it too much into the skin; instead, just let it absorb naturally. My skin looked refreshed, and it felt so soft.

My only complaint was that every time I used this, my boyfriend told me I smelled like old lady. So I ended up wearing this mostly at night, rather than day, because I didn’t want people thinking I smelled like “old lady.”  Otherwise, the results were right in line with what I expected, and my skin was happy to use it for a few weeks!

The Karin Herzog line was the first to stabilize and deliver pure oxygen in cream form. The brand manufacturers their products in Switzerland, doesn’t conduct animal testing, and products are hypo-allergenic.  Learn more at www.karinherzogus.com.

Olay Total Effects Touch of Sun Moisturizer ($18.99) is an anti-aging daily moisturizer with subtle self-tanning properties. This is good for those who just want to slightly brighten and tan the face, but do not want an actual self-tanner. I find gradual and subtle self-tanners to have a great effect on brightening up the skin, and they do not require nearly as much maintenance as regular self-tanners need. You should see a noticeable color difference within three applications, and after a week, you will get to the darkest you will get. Similarly, Olay Touch of Sun UV Defense Regenerating Lotion ($18.99) works like the moisturizer does, only this has SPF 15 in it.

Olay Touch of Sun Daily Body Lotion ($7.99) comes in light/medium and medium/dark, depending on how deep and dark you want your tan to be. For those who do not want to apply a regular self-tanner after a shower (which can take an hour or two from start to finish), try this moisturizer with just a touch of self-tanner that works while you sleep. Within two or three applications, you should notice that your skin tone has deepened slightly. From there, you can control how dark you want to be or how dark you want to stay. If you want to go darker, apply nightly. If you want to maintain your current color level, apply every other night or less.

Continue reading »

Olay is one of those brands that everybody has heard of, but you may or may not have tried. It has been around for so many years, you may have tried it eons ago, disliked it, and written it off (or loved it and have forgotten about it!)–but now is the time to head to your nearest drugstore to peruse Olay’s Definity line.

Definity is Olay’s line for “highly defined anti-aging” products. In just eight weeks, consumers should see a difference in their skin when using Olay Definity products–from brown sputs, dullness, unevenness, and wrinkles. These days, so many products tout scientific breakthroughts, miracle ingredients, and jaw-dropping pricetags. It’s hard to keep up, and I have always found that Olay makes it easy to figure out the right skincare regimen for you. For Definity, Olay is emphasizing its usage of the Glucosamine Complex, which is meant to help your skin retain moisture better, increase the regeneration of collagen, smooth lines and wrinkles, and increase your skin’s luminosity.

What products are in the Definity range? Continue reading »