Juice Beauty Green Apple Nutrient Eye Cream

I tend to veer towards the more "natural" things in life whenever possible. Organic is a plus - and in some cases it is non-negotiable. But when it comes to facial skincare I tend to lean towards the stuff that WORKS - which often tends to be loaded with chemicals.

What can I say? I'm vain.

I've used Juice Beauty products before and was very impressed with their thorough line-up of skincare that's as chemical free as they can get!

This eye-cream is no exception. Instead of water, this eye cream is based on Organic Apple, Carrot, and Aloe Juices. It's loaded with plant extracts, such as cucumber and green tea; oils like sunflower, avocado, borage linseed, evening primrose, etc. They've also added amazing anti-agers like Retinol (vit A), Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Co-Enzyme Q10, DMAE, ALA, Hyaluronic Acid, and peptides.

While it's a nice and creamy cream it absorbs RIGHT in. For someone who likes a lot of moisture (like me), it feels too much like a serum once it's absorbed in - so I put a different (thicker) eye cream on OVER TOP. For someone who likes it lighter, this cream will be fine all by itself.

I've been using this day-and-night for just over a week now, and I gotta tell - my eyes look amazing! My concealer doesn't move into the creases the way it used to - and I'm thinking that it's plumped up my fine lines!

It's quite reasonably priced at about $45.

For now, I can't live without this eye-cream. Ideally it would be richer, or the good folks over at Juice Beauty will come out with a richer version - but I definitely recommend this eye cream for anyone who's looking for great anti-aging with minimal chemical exposure.

For other natural skincare options, check out: www.MadeYouLookCosmetics.etsy.com

Rapid Lash - for olde times' sake...

Oh man, I'm so sorry for not blogging sooner. I've been busy getting my natural skin care line off the ground, which you can find here: http://www.madeyoulookcosmetics.etsy.com/, as well as my hand-made jewelry line, which you can find here: http://www.goddessofjewelry.etsy.com/welry.etsy.com/.

So you can see, I've been pretty busy.

The other day I was going through some old photographs on my computer when I found some that happened to be pretty clear shots of my eyelashes - both with and without mascara. So I thought I should take some pictures of my new eyelashes!

So here is a picture of my old eyelashes, without mascara on:

And here are two pictures of my "old" eyelashes WITH mascara on:

Now...if we can get past the fact that I look a little bit cross-eyed in these pictures, may I present, my new eyelashes with mascara on:

It's pretty astounding what the RapidLash did for me. The feedback I've been getting from customers AND friends who've been using it, is that it works for them too. It takes time, but it works! Be vigilant, apply it every night, and after about 10 weeks of NIGHTLY use, you can start using it just 2 or 3 times a week as a maintenance program...

So there it is - YOU decide if RapidLash is worth the $60 for the tube.

Rapid Lash Review FINAL REVIEW

I can sum it up in 2 words.

IT WORKS!

IT WORKS IT WORKS IT WORKS!!!! (okay, that was 6 words...but you get the sentiment).

For the first 4 weeks there was no evidence of it working...but I kept at it. I applied it every night after washing my face. Faithfully applying it night after night. My vanity had honestly hit a new low, with me checking out my reflection. Very very intently.

At about the 4 to 5 week mark, I couldn't be sure. Was it working? Were my eyelashes longer?

At about the 6 to 7 week mark, I was thinking that they were definitely longer than before...but I was still unsure. I was asking the girls at work (who I only see 2 days in a row, once a week) if they could see a difference... and they thought my eyelashes looked longer

By about the 8 week mark, it was certain. My eyelashes were longer. And as a matter of fact, applying mascara became a cumbersome act. My eyelashes are so long, and so naturally curly that I get mascara ALL OVER my eyelid every single time I apply mascara.

On Thursday I went to the AGO with my son, a little earthquake shook Toronto, and rumours of 300 protestors wearing gas masks (G20's in Toronto) in the vicinity of the Art Gallery made me decide to leave for my safe haven...Greektown. As I was leaving I ran into a girl on a bicycle and I asked her what was going on down University Ave (it turned out to be a peaceful protest)...and in the middle of her describing the situation to me she interrupted herself to ask me "Are those your eyelashes?!?". LOL.. I told her about RapidLash. And there were 10 cops on bikes nearby eavesdropping. LOL.

The stuff isn't cheap - it's $59 for a tube, but I'm running on over 10 weeks now with it... At about the 10 week mark I started growing in my eyebrows for a younger, fresher, fuller look... and I've been applying the RapidLash to my eyebrown area for a little boost. Apparently each tube lasts about 3-4 months... but it's WELL worth the results.

Once your lashes get really long, go get them tinted black! You'll never need mascara again!

SUNSCREEN!!!

It's that time of year when we should all be thinking about sunscreen... I mean, technically we should be using sunscreen year-round (in the Northern Hemisphere the sun is actually closer to the earth in winter time - ha, who knew?).

Anyway...in light of the fact that summer is definitely here I just wanted to share my thoughts about SUNSCREEN!!!

There are 3 types of sunscreen out there: Physical sunscreens, Chemical Sunscreens, and a combination of both.

Physical sunscreens are made of either (or a combination of both) Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide. Remember the movies from the 80's? The lifeguards on the beach with the white on their noses? Yeah... physical sunscreen. A physical sunscreen has small mineral particles that sit on your skin and REFLECT THE SUNLIGHT AWAY. So it doesn't even hit your skin. It would be the equivalent of wearing tiny little hats all over your skin. Today's technology allows for Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide to be milled superfinely - you shouldn't look white or pasty when covered in a physical sunscreen.

Chemical sunscreens are every other type of sunscreen other than Zinc Oxide or Titanium Dioxide... Parsol 1789, Oxybenzone, avobenzone, PABA, Mexoryl, etc.

It is MY PERSONAL BELIEF that chemical sunscreens are dangerous and can lead to cancer...and oddly enough studies of late have been backing up my personal little theory.

Chemical sunscreens require about 20-30 minutes of time to absorb into your skin to form a chemical bond that prevents your body from absorbing UV rays, whereas physical sunscreens provide immediate protection upon application.

I do not wear chemical sunscreens...

My favorite physical sunscreens include the ones by Juice Beauty which come in an SPF15 and SPF 30, Cliniderm makes one in an SPF45 (this one is my personal fave), and Avene makes them all the way up to SPF50. Avene used to be one of my fave brands, until the started replacing some of the natural oils in their ingredients with Mineral Oils (bad bad bad). So read the labels, especially on the Avene ones, just to make sure they haven't snuck in some mineral oil.

The Juice Beauty ones come in Light, Medium, and Dark, so they're like tinted moisturizers. If you're highly sensitive, this brand might not work for you because they have a lot of fruit juices in them (AHAs). Sephora has a full money-back guarantee, so you can always return them if they give you a reaction - they are definitely worth a try though (unless you're crazy sensitive - then just stay away!).
Cliniderm is made by dermatologists to address the most sensitive of skin types. If you're highly sensitive, source this brand out. Honestly...if you can't find it near where you live, then get it on eBay - it truly IS the best!
Avene goes on a little bit white, so they really only seem to work for the palest of skin tones - the rest of us either shouldn't use them, or get to used to the grey, pallid complexion it leaves behind.

REVIEW: Vichy CxP Eye Cream

I. Love. This. Cream!!!

If you like rich and creamy eye creams... this one is for you! It's not greasy at all, it absorbs really well and is great for under make-up - if you wear eye make-up.

This is an anti-aging eye cream. The C in the CxP stands for Vitamin C. And the xP stands for 2 peptides. Vitamin C is an amazing ingredient that should be mandatory in all skincare IMHO.

A little skincare lesson:

Vitamin C brightens your skin. It evens out your skintone. It helps to fade and soften age spots, liver spots, or any type of discolouration. It won't bleach your skin, but it'll brighten it and it'll help fade dark spots. Vitamin C encourages collagen production and it firms up your skin's elastin. This keeps your skin gorgeous and firm. Vitamin C is also an incredibly potent anti-free-radical. It fights the things that age you: pollution, smoke, the sun, etc.

EVERYONE should have some skincare products that have Vitamin C in them.

Vitamin C is fairly unstable, which is why you should buy one in an airless pump. And the higher the concentration, the more brightening and anti-aging benefits you'll receive (NeoStrata makes the most potent Vitamin C product out there - their Intense Skin Brightener with 20% L-Ascorbic Acid...but that's a whole 'nother post!).

Ok...end of lesson.

The folks over at Vichy aren't using L-Ascorbic Acid, but instead a combination of "glucosylated and phorphorylated Vitamin C" (I have no idea what that means). I'm assuming this is gentler for the eye area. They don't mention what the percentage of Vitamin C is in the product. But the cream also has a bit of caffeine in it to help eliminate puffy eyes and the peptides encourage collagen production to ease away wrinkles.

I have to tell you... I'm on my second tube of this stuff. And with all the products, new and old, that I get to try on a very regular basis, I have to tell ya - this is good stuff!

I havent' noticed a reduction of dark circles (I'm beginning to think they're permanent) but I have to tell you, my fine lines have been very much softened.

At $39 per tube (that lasts for-bloody-ever) this is not an expensive eye cream at all. I highly recommend this stuff to anyone who likes a creamy eye cream and wants their eye cream to address wrinkles and puffiness.

Rapid Lash Review PART II

So it's been almost 4 weeks of nightly use. I haven't forgotten to apply it once... I've been meticulously applying it to my upper lash line. Every. Single. Night.

I'm convinced my eye-lashes are the tiniest bit longer. Once I have mascara on, they are without a doubt touching my eyebrows now. One of the girls at work said she thought they looked more curled.

My eyelashes don't look any thicker, and upon closer inspection (I stare at them multiple times per day), I don't see any new baby lashes growing in.

But it's only been 4 weeks. Like I mentioned in the last Rapid Lash post, my customer at work who loved it said it took 8 weeks before she saw results. I've been meaning to ask her if it was 8 weeks before she STARTED to see results, or if she saw results after 8 weeks. Unfortunately I haven't seen her to ask. Sigh.

But I'm going to continue applying RapidLash. Every Night. Until I look like Bambi... :o)

NEOSTRATA... an introduction

First of all... GAH! It's been 2 weeks! Sorry you guys, life just got in the way. Plus I've been attending various schools and trying various new products... but there's really no excuse, I have a list as long as my arm of products I've ALREADY reviewed and just need to get up here. So - I apologize.

Today I want to talk about NEOSTRATA. Yes, I realize it's a brand, not a single product. But I want to talk to you about it, because there's something in the line for EVERYONE. And pretty much everyone should be using SOMETHING from the line to address their skin concerns.

I love NEOSTRATA. L-O-V-E absolutely LOVE it. For starters, they're Canadian (yay), but not that it matters when you consider that EVERYTHING they make is backed up by scientific studies. The kind of scientific studies that are done by an independent third party. The kind of scientific studies that are double-blind (which means neither the administrator or test subject know what they are using).

NeoStrata is famous for it's use of AHAs, specifically Glycolic Acid and Gluconolactone. Essentially what both AHAs do is dissolve the bond between dead skin cells. What is the benefit to this? Well, when you use a manual exfoliator (any kind of scrub) you run the risk of exfoliating unevenly, exfoliating too much (or not enough), or literally cutting yourself (which happens almost 100% of the time when you use a scrub that is naturally based, like walnut shell-based, etc).

Glycolic acid is amazing because at the concentrations found in NeoStrata's products, they speed up cell renewal. Therefore your skin sheds faster. The beauty in this is that because your skin cells are sloughing off faster, new skin gets pushed up more quickly. This flattens your skin, so acne-scars and wrinkles will soften. Their Skin Renewal Peel Solution is 10% Gluconolactone and 10% Glycolic Acid. I am literally on my 5th bottle of this stuff (I've been using it for about 3 years now, and let me tell you - my skin looks better now than it did 5 years ago).

Gluconolactone is amazing because not only does it facilitate a gentle peel, it also hydrates.

I think pretty much everyone, except those with crazy rosacea, can benefit from the Skin Renewal Peel Solution. It brightens your skin tone, firms up your skin (while Glycolic Acids thin out the skin on top, they encourage collagen production, thereby thickening the lower layers of skin, giving your plumper, softer, thicker skin), eliminates wrinkles and softens acne scars, and prevents break-outs (by eliminating surface dead skin cells which can clog pores, leading to pimples).

They also have an acne line... their toner for acne prone skin is 8% glycolic acid, which is PERFECT for a once-a-day application after cleansing and before moisturizing. I've sold this to MANY customers who have reported fantastic results after just a week or so of once-a-day application.

They have a 10% Glycolic Acid body moisturizer. Perfect for anyone who waxes or is prone to ingrown hairs on their legs.

They also have a spectacular line of anti-aging products, which I'll have to review for your seperately.

In the meantime, RUN to Shoppers Drug Mart to get yourself a bottle of their Skin Renewal Peel Solution. It's $73, but at under $1 per peel, it's well worth the results... one peel at the Doctor's office (or medispa) will set you back AT LEAST $100, and leave you hiding at home with an inflamed face for 3 or 4 days. But using this peel 3 times a week for one month gives you THE SAME RESULTS as a Dr's strength peel with ZERO downtime... Just make sure you use a good physical sunscreen and wear a hat as AHAs can leave your skin more sensitive to the sun.

REVIEW: Dior Lip Glow Lip Balm

I'm sure by now you all have heard of the various types of "intuitive" lip colour/gloss that is out there. Personally I remember my first exposure to such a thing when I was maybe 10 or 11 years old. I think it was from Avon, and it was a "mood changing" lip colour. Truth be told, it only ever changed into a single shade, no matter what your mood. A hideous, completely unflattering shade of fuschia. At the time (please do remember... I was fresh into my double-digits) I was impressed. Even though the colour was wrong in every way possible, I thought it was the coolest thing ever. The actual stick of lip colour was green...or maybe blue (?) but by the time it went on it immediately started changing to the afformentioned shade of fuschia.

I wonder if that was when my obsession with make-up began?

Anyway... how far we've come! I know that Smashbox makes something called O-gloss. It's a very popular spin on their O-Glow (a gel blush): both of which turn into a sheer shade of pink on any and everyone.

I am olive toned. My colouring is very warm. And even though I've tried and tried to wear it, I just can't. The tone of it is too blue (the Smashbox "O" products).

Along came Dior. This stuff goes on like lip balm. Not gloss. It goes on like your favorite thick, creamy lip balm. The kind of lip balm that once it goes on, you forget it's there. It's rich, it's creamy, it sticks around all day. Unlike any other lip product out there, it actually hydrates and leaves your pout feeling nourished. When I wear Dior's Lip Glow, I don't think I reapply it more than 3 or 4 times all day long! Not only is it an amazing lip balm, and not only does it have an SPF 10 built in, but it's the perfect, neutral, almost warm shade of pink on any and everyone.

I like to wear it on days when I'm not at work and wanting something a little bit more than plain lip balm, without the shine and sparkle of gloss, and without the thick feeling of lipstick. I also wear this to work on days when I wear heavy and/or smokey eye make-up and my lips need just a little of "something" to tie it all in.

I know this stuff isn't cheap. At $35, you can buy a whole lot of cheap lip balm. But this is a luxury product, no doubt about it. However, when you compare it to other "prestige" lip products out there, it's really not that much more expensive! Plus once you factor in how well it wears, and how little of it you use with each application, you can justify it's expense.

Dior Lip Glow has earned a permanent place in my purse and I recommend you add it to yours too!

REVIEW: Cover Girl LashBlast Length

I gotta admit...I love Cover Girl's packaging. Receiving the wand OUTSIDE of the tube is just so pretty. It's almost a shame to put the wand into the tube and never see the yellow of the bristles again! :o)

I love the Cover Girl Lash Blast (the volume lash blast, and the original VolumeExact in the red tube) line so when they came out with the new length version, I thought to myself "Oooooh I gotta try that".

Come to think of it, that thought crosses my mind a lot.

Anyway, I've been using it and I have to say... just like the other Cover Girl mascaras that I've tried (just the new ones, the ones with the plastic bristles), it gives you great defined lashes without clumping - it must be the bristles.

But there's just something about the formula that gives you length. And only length. And nothing but length. Which is great if you have thick eyelashes and just want, yup you guessed it, length. But for someone who wants a little something extra; someone who wants length WITH volume - then this isn't the mascara for you.

I have to admit, there were times when I put two coats on and it made a small difference in the volume. But this is not a mascara I would wear to work. This is my *running errands* mascara. But even then I usually prefer something thicker.

I feel bald without mascara. Not so say I like the Tammy Faye Baker look. But I like something a bit more substantial.

So bottom line - if you want NOTHING but length, then this is a great mascara for you. It gives great natural length, there is no clumping, and it's easy to apply. But if you want volume and more substance to your eyelashes, then you may want to save yourself the $10 and try something else!

Rapid Lash Review PART I

Soooo.... I've been using RapidLash for 10 nights now. I tried taking "before" pictures so that I could *really* document this, but the camera just wont focus right without a flash, and with a flash you can't see anything anyway! ARGH! So I've been obsessively checking out my eyelashes every morning when I wake up.

My boyfriend thinks I've hit a new low with my vanity.

The things I do in the name of research.

Okay okay, it's cuz I'm a product junkie and I just can't help myself.

Anyway, it's been 10 days.

And nothing to report.

There' s no change in the length of my eyelashes. They look just as thick as they did before (not that I'm implying they're thick - I'm just saying they haven't gotten thicker). I see no evidence of little tiny lashes trying to grow in.

I had a customer at work (a sweet little old lady who looked like Bambi - with the use of RapidLash) tell me that one had to be patient and that it took her 8 weeks to see results. I have to remember to ask her the next time I see her if it was 8 weeks before she STARTED to see the growth, or if it was 8 weeks before her eyelashes were noticeably different...

Anyway, I shall keep you all posted with this as time goes by. So keep yer eyes peeled for a PART II soon! :o)