REVIEW: Lancome Genifique Eye

According to Lancome:

Youth is in your genes. Reactivate it. See visibly younger, brighter eyes in just 7 days. 10 years of Research - 7 International Patents. At the very origin of your skin's youth: your genes. Genes produce specific proteins. With age, their presence diminishes. Today, for every woman, Lancome invents the first eye care that boosts the activity of genes. Discover the skin you were born to have. This unique gel-cream texture leaves the eye contour velvety to the touch. Dark circles and signs of fatigue appear to diminish. The eye are appears fresher and luminous, as if infused with life.

When I first received training on this product (it was a "quasi-training" of sorts - another associate who went to Lancome school was "training" me on it) I was under the impression that it's an eye serum, so you still have to put moisturizer over top. So that it how I was using it. After doing a little bit of research, I learned that even on Lancome's website the instruct you to "pat it over brow bone and under the eye"....but what about the lid? So anyway, I am continuing to use it the way I would a serum - by following it with a moisturizer (in this case, an eye cream).

I have to tell you. I did a personal 7-day challenge and wish I had taken before and after pictures. My under eye circles are visibly brightened since I incorporated the Genifique Eye into my skin-care routine. I only use it once a day under my eye cream (I use Kinerase C6 peptide serum in the mornings, which I'll review another time) and within 7 days I felt like I could get away with not wearing concealer! And I have! It truly does brighten eyes! It didn't brighten them to the point of me NEVER having to wear concealer again... sigh...I only wish! But it did brighten them to the point where I don't feel like I absolutely NEED concealer in order to not look like Uncle Fester.

I have to say, I don't really have wrinkles around my eye area anymore (the Kinerase serum took those away) so I can't comment on Genifique Eye's efficacy in that department, but I can most definitely attest to it's skin brightening abilities!

It's not cheap... at about $80CDN and $59USD (again, what the HECK is up with the price difference when the Loonie is almost at par with the Greenback?!?) for a half ounce. However, I use it only once a day...and just a tiny bit to dampen the eye area. I let it sit for a minute while I serum and moisturize my face and throat, then go back to seal it in with eye cream. A little jar should last you a really long time. If under eye circles are a concern for you, then yes... I highly recommend this product.

So what is it that makes it work? Lancome markets this as a product which will give you the skin you were born with... They spent years and years researching how the skin works - especially after DNA researches released the human genome, it became easier to target exactly what genes are responsible for your skin's behaviour as it relates to aging. As we age, the proteins in our skin cells die off quicker, leaving us with dehydrated/thinning/uneven skin that ages more quickly. Essentially, the ingredients in Genifique (including the serum, the cream serum, and the soon-to-be-released night cream) provide proteins that encourage the existing proteins in our skin to live longer, making them act like they're young again.

The science behind it works! It's a rich treatment for the eye area that brightens. I recommend this for anyone who is looking to boost their current skin care regime with brighter eyes and fewer wrinkles.

REVIEW: Lip Plumpers FREEZE 24/7, Too Faced, DuWop Lip Venom, Fusion Beauty, Benefit Lip Plump, etc

I have in my possession Freeze 24/7 Plump Lips Lip Plumper AND the coloured lip gloss "Ice Sticks" in the gorgeous WindChill shade. I also have DuWop's Lip Venom, Too Faced's Lip Injection, Fusion Beauty's LipFusion (the LipFusion XL, the regular LipFusion, AND a coloured LipFusion), as well as the Benefit Lip Plump, and Neostrata's Anti-Wrinkle Lip Enhancer.

Freeze 24/7's Plump Lips and Ice Sticks:

It really does give you fuller lips! It plumps up your lips and makes them redder, which leads me to question how the folks over at Freeze 24/7 can call it non-irritating. It is OBVIOUSLY irritating the skin on your lips and causing blood to come rushing there. While there are other lip plumping ingredients out there that burn your lips (have you ever tried Lip Injection by Too Faced, or DuWops's Lip Venom? Oh lord...burn baby burn - and not in a good way! OUCH: reviewed below) this one feels cooling and refreshing on the mouth. It doesn't feel burny (is that a word?) nor does it feel numbing...just a cool refreshing feel on the mouth.

The ingredient list contains Palmitoyl Oligopeptide which is a peptide that helps encourage collage production; to me this is probably why they claim that it helps mature lips to appear more youthful. However, collagen production in skin is short-lived if the ingredients don't contain Hyaluronic Acid...

A LITTLE SKIN CARE LESSON:


Hyaluronic Acid and Collagen are both naturally found in your skin. They like to "hold hands" in the skin, so having peptides that encourage Collagen production, but NOT having Hyaluronic Acid just makes no sense...

Hyaluronic Acid is also an amazing hydrator, holding 1000 times its own weight in water - so not only does it hydrate very well, but it also plumps up your skin wherever you may apply it.

Ok, I'm rambling.

END OF LESSON!

While this is a good lip plumper, the effects are temporary. If you have an anti-aging serum that contains Hyaluronic Acid, I would recommend you apply that serum to your lips and surrounding lip area morning and night. The hyaluronic Acid in any skincare you use would make this lip plumper even more effective by making the results more long-term. This is what I do, with my Freeze 24/7 lip plumper AND with my LipFusion (even though the LipFusion already has HA in it - what can I say? I'm thorough)

I like the feeling of this treatment on my lips! Morning and night, after I have cleansed my face and applied my serum and moisturizer (and brushed my teeth), I apply Plump Lips to my lips. Sometimes during the day, I will apply the coloured Freeze 24/7 Ice Stick (which is coloured).

Overall, this is not a bad plumper. The results are short-lived, unless you include a serum/moisturizer with Hyaluronic Acid in it. At about $40 per bottle, I expect Hyaluronic Acid as well!

DUWOP's LIPVENOM & TOO FACED's LIP INJECTION:

Ouch. These ones burns. They hurts. They works by irritating the skin on your lips, causing the blood to come rushing, and temporarily increase the volume of your lips. Both are also sticky... I've had my hair get stuck in my lips, and in the process of pulling my hair out I accidentally pulled my lip-glossed-hair-strands over my cheeks. The result? I had swollen and red lines on my cheeks from where it touched my face. SCARY! My verdict? I do not recommend. At about $20 per little bottle, it's not worth it..

BENEFIT'S LIP PLUMP:

This one is just a primer, gals... it is a flesh-tone thick lip treatment that is meant to visually erase your lip line so that you can re-draw your lip line back on as you desire. There is ZERO plumping action with this stuff... And another draw back? Really light skinned gals and dark skinned gals can't use this stuff - it only comes in one "flesh tone" which is a medium-light warm (almost olive) tone, effectively rendering itself useless to at least half of the world's female population...if not more.

NEOSTRATA'S ANTI-WRINKLE LIP ENHANCER:

I think this may be the only Lip Plumper that is actually marketed at the anti-aging crowd. While I did notice a plumper pout, it also reddened my lips and anywhere it was applied. This lip treatment is VERY similar to the Freeze 24/7 lip treatment, except instead of a cooling sensation it was hot... very hot! It has retinol which is also a powerful anti-aging ingredient. Even though this one is clear, it makes your lips red - just like the Freeze 24/7 treatment. With the exception of the burning feeling Neostrata's Anti-Wrinkle Lip Enhancer gives, to me it felt like pretty much the exact same product. In Canada, this lip enhancer is MUCH easier to find than the Freeze 24/7 Plump Lips and Ice Sticks. $36 for a tube, but Neostrata REGULARLY has buy-one-get-one-free packages at Shoppers Drug Mart.

FUSION BEAUTY's LIPFUSION (and LipFusion XL):

I love this one! The technology behind it is pretty darn amazing and the stuff works; both instantly and long term! Collagen molecules are too large to absorb into the skin, so the good folks over at Fusion Beauty have found a tiny marine collagen that is dehydrated into a microsphere. Combined with Hyaluronic Acid (remember my lesson up above?) it absorbs into your skin where it finds your skin's own hydration. The Collagen micromolecule plumps up and the Hyaluronic Acid not only helps it stick around long term, but the HA also amasses more water/hydration which provides both instant and long-term plumpness. This comes in a clear formula and in tinted formulas. The tinted formulas are sooo sheer. I have one of the darker tones of it and it's barely visible on my lips, so don't be afraid of the red or dark brown tones - they are quite lovely on! The clear formula works by itself AND overtop of any lip colour you may be wearing.

It never feels hot, always cool and refreshing. The only downside is that it makes your lips feel dehydrated, so at least once or twice a day you may feel the need to put a good and proper lip balm on your pout to moisturize.

The LipFusion XL is STELLAR! By far the best lip plumper I have ever tried. This one contains double the active ingredients of the original LipFusion. This one is recommended as a night time lip treatment to put on after you cleanse/tone/treat/moisturize and brush your teeth. With every passing morning you will wake up to subtly fuller lips and reduced wrinkles around your mouth.

Unlike ALL the other lip plumpers I have reviewed, this is the only one that DOES NOT make your mouth red. Which means you can apply it outside your lip line with no fear of looking like you just ate a whole bowl of pasta with red sauce. The best part about applying it outside your lip line is that it plumps your pout thoroughly and reduces the tiny vertical lines that are starting to pop up around your mouth.

If you want a lip plumper that works best (one step) try Fusion Beauty's LipFusion XL. While it's not cheap, each bottle lasts for-bloody-ever and gives you honest to goodness RESULTS! The XL is about $55 or so per bottle...so before you take the dive you can always try the clear (original) LipFusion at $38. But I'm telling ya...this stuff works!

REVIEW: BIOTHERM AGE FITNESS ELASTIC

According to Biotherm's website: With age, skin loses its elasticity and natural capacity to regain it's original form: its shape memory. Biotherm invents AGE FITNESS ELASTIC: in one step - 1 bounce-back cream and 1 tensing serum to transform skin leaving it more elastic so that it no longer marks the sign of aging.

When I attended a recent training seminar by Biotherm, they covered the old and the new. The best part about covering the new stuff is that you actually get to understand how it works. The even better part?!? Sending us home with it to try!

I am the "target customer" for this product. In my 30's, with skin juuuuust starting to show it's lack of shape memory. After you smile, does a little crease remain in your naso-labial fold or just outside your mouth? After furrowing your eye-brows, do the tiny little horizontal lines in your forehead remain? Then you are a prime candidate for this product.

I've been using the AGE FITNESS ELASTIC for about 2 weeks now, and I have to tell you - I like it a lot! With one pump, the bottle provides enough of the serum and enough of the moisturizer to cover your face and throat. For those with drier or more dehydrated skin types you may feel the need to let it absorb and then follow with another light moisturizer. Combination/Oilier skin types will love this 2-in-1 treatment all by itself.

Often, people with oilier skin types tend to avoid anti-aging products because of a misconception that they are too rich or too oily for them. This is the PERFECT product for those who are on the oilier side. I think it's because the texture and richness of the cream are "watered down" by the serum. The serum adds the pure essence of what makes it work (as well as the tightening polymers) so those with more dehydrated (like me) or drier skin types should definitely follow up with a dab of their fave re-hydrating or re-moisturizing moisturizer.

In just a few days I noticed a difference in the lines that remain after I have big expressions on my face... my forehead is visibly smoother and the lines near my naso-labial fold (on the outer corners of my lips) have softened a little.

Another positive is the see-through design of the bottle. The serum and cream are in individual, air-tight tubes inside the bottle and you can see the line move up on each as you use them. So there will never be a surprise one morning when *OOPS* you realize you're all out of your favorite cream... and you'll definitely want to re-stock on this as it's running low!

My verdict? Those in the 25-35 category (or older gals with almost no wrinkles) will LOVE this cream/serum combo. Those with oilier/combination skin types will love it even more! Gals with normal to dry/dehydrated skin types who don't mind using multiple products for better anti-aging results will love this one too.

At $44US or $64CDN (hey...why are we getting ripped off in Canada? The USD is almost at par!!) it's reasonably priced. With once a day use, each bottle should last almost 2 months.