Review: Guerlain Orchidée Impériale Eye & Lip Treatment

Let me preempt this review by letting you know that I did NOT win the lottery. No, I did not purchase this $198 eye cream. I was lucky enough to receive 2 generous mini tube samples of the eye cream from a lovely employee at one of my favorite Shoppes Drug Marts. By all calculations, the samples were worth an astounding $50+ (holy cow!).

According to the good folks over at Guerlain, the Orchid has amazing regenerative and long-lasting capabilities, so they decided to spend a good decade researching this phenomenon. They narrowed 30,000 species of Orchids down to THREE rare species of Orchid that most exemplified this longevity best. 

Guerlain has dedicated an astounding amount of time and money into this venture, even building a dedicated "farm" in China where they grow these very rare Orchids. Additionally, they have a re-habitation program where they re-introduce some of these rare Orchids back into the wild where they are a rare and endangered species. 

So what does this all mean for your skin? Because of the Orchid's long life span, this cream is meant to bring youth back to your skin. While I don't understand the science of it all (the use of Orchid extract is pretty much exclusive to Guerlain), I do know this: this eye cream is amazing!!!

I have been using this cream for about 3 weeks now, every morning and night. The first thing I noticed was how incredibly light it was. It is thick in appearance and texture, but your skin will drink it up entirely in MINUTES! I reapplied a thin second coat almost every time, as I am a fan of thick and almost-greasy eye creams! :) 

My eye area looks taut and bright. My fine lines are non-existent! And best of all, my concealer does not crease, pile, rub off, or move in any way-shape-or-form! I didn't even have to use my beloved Smashbox Targeted Fine Line & Pore primer!


What am I going to do?!? How will I afford to buy this amazing eye cream?!? LOL! I shall find a way...this stuff is amazing! In the meantime I will see if I can find another sample of it to tide me over until I save up enough pennies to afford this baby. ;)

Confusion about your skin routine? Here is some help & clarification

The world of cosmetics gets more and more confusing the older we get. Once upon a time, all we did was wash and moisturize. Then someone tells you that you need a toner....then suddenly you need a make-up remover. Then one day you discover night creams, then the sales person tells you that you need a serum...sunscreen, eye treatments, peels, etc.

I have been requested to help you clear through the clutter of the skincare world... So here is to hoping I don't confuse you any more! Thanks MEC for the special blog request!

THE ORDER:
1) Cleansing
2) Exfoliating (whenever necessary)
3) Toning
4) Serums (follow instructions re: daytime and/or nighttime usage)
5) Eye Serums (if using)
6) Facial Moisturizer
7) Eye Cream
8) Sunscreen...daytime (can I get a resounding "DUUUUH!!!")

THE DETAILS:
Cleansing: Not all cleansers are created equal. Not all remove eye make-up, and not all of them are even comfortable in the eye area. Read the instructions, or if you are like me, experiment! Haha.
 
Exfoliating: Always exfoliate clean skin ONLY! Exfoliating dirty skin can push dirt further into your pores. Yikes!

Toning: Avoid the alcohol-laden ones. Especially you acne-prone folks...alcohol dehydrates your skin, causing more oil production, which just exasperates your acne problem!

Serums: Some that are meant to be used just at night (those with retinol should be used only at night, as UV rays breaks retinol down), some are best used during the day (those with high concentrations of Vitamin C offer amazing free-radical protection, so you get maximum benefit using them during the day when you are out and about, exposed to the elements) and many serums are great day AND night (such as serums that help detoxify, protect, or hydrate).

Eye Serums: Not many brands make Eye Serums, and with good reason. Many people just want to use ONE eye product, and you MUST layer a cream over your serum. Because of the intensity of many of these Eye Serums, you may find that it irritates your eye lid...if this is the case, discontinue their use on the lid or try using it every other day for a couple weeks to build up your skin's tolerance. Otherwise, feel free to apply it all over, inside the orbital bone, taking care to not get it in the eye (can I get another "Duuuuh!"). As a wise friend of mine once said "Where else would Eye Cream go?!? It's not called CHEEKBONE CREAM!"

Moisturizer: Find one you love! Feel free to experiment. And, for God's sake, don't use the same one for 10 years!!! Your skin changes, so should your moisturizer. Feel free to use a different one for night and day, if you like.
 
Eye Cream: I have a theory about eye cream. "The thicker, the better". But not everyone prescribes to that notion. Again, find one you love. Eye cream samples are hard to find. Go to your favorite beauty shop and play around with them on the back of your hand until you find one you like. Buy your products at a retailer with a fair (or even a generous) return policy. *Sephora, I love you*

Sunscreen: A recent study published in the American Journal of Science listed two common ingredients/formulations of chemical sunscreen to, of all things, MELANOMA! Yes, skin cancer. SMARTEN UP PEOPLE!!! Get a Physical Sunscreen! The ONLY active ingredients in Physical Sunscreen are Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide. READ YOUR LABELS!

Do you have to use the same brand for all of your products? Of course not! You will get maximum benefit if you are mixing and matching your products to find individual products that address your individual concerns. 

Well what about masks or steaming, you say?

Whenever you steam, you should do it after cleansing or before masking.

If you are putting on a mask, you will get maximum benefit after cleansing, and you should skip the toning as to leave some of the penetrated active ingredients on your skin.

Have I helped you clear up any of the skincare routine confusion? Or did I just add to it? 

Talk to me! Leave a comment below...

REVIEW: Neostrata Intense Eye Contour All-In-One Serum

I am in love!!!

I used to be scared of Retinol, and products containing Retinol, because nobody ever told me you have to start slowly with it. The first few times I used retinol-based products, I went full-steam ahead and applied it twice a day for 2 or 3 days until my face and eyes were so dry I thought I was going to die. Okay, not die. But you know what I mean....don't you?

The extremely sensitive may never be able to use Retinol, but truthfully, very few of us fall into that category. The extremely sensitive, if feeling adventurous, should probably use a FACIAL retinol product first to determine tolerance before moving onto an EYE AREA retinol product.

To me, that's just common sense... but in case you've misplaced yours, I thought I'd just let ya know. No offense. We're still buds, right?

Seeing that I now knew to start slowly, when I first got my little bottle of NeoStrata Intense Eye Contour All-in-One Serum, I started using it every other night for about 2 weeks. Then for the next week or 10 days I used it day and night, but still only every other day. Now I'm up to twice a day, every day. I still experience a little bit of dryness, but that's probably because I just started using it twice a day every day. At night, I apply straight Shea Butter overtop of the serum, and during the day I apply my Juice Beauty organic eye cream overtop, and sometimes Clinique's All About Eyes because it's so hydrating.

I've heard some people talk about how it's fine by itself, but I definitely recommend using a rich eye cream overtop. After all, having lots of moisture in your skin is the best way to slow down the aging process (oily skinned people age far slower than dry skinned folks).

I have to say, my eye area looks amazing! The dark circles seem to have faded a little bit and the tiny fine lines have disappeared ENTIRELY. No eye cream has ever been able to do this. I've had rich eye creams soften the lines...but no cream has ever ENTIRELY ELIMINATED MY LITTLE WRINKLES.

For someone who has more advanced aging around the eye area, NeoStrata's Intense Eye Contour All-in-One Serum will definitely help, but I don't know if it will remove ALL your lines. Either way, it is DEFINITELY worth a try because of the wonderful active ingredients in it.

The active ingredients in this light serum are 0.05% Retinol and 3% Matrixyl, a powerful pentapeptide that encourages collagen production. It also has an ingredient called "Eye Regener" at 2%, which reduces puffiness and increases firmness and tone. NeoStrata has also added a 7.5% blend of MDI complex, SabiWhite, and Cytobiol Lumin-Eye which all help to reduce dark circles.

I know I absolutely adore this product and have permanently added it to my twice-daily routine. Once this bottle runs out, I will DEFINITELY pick up a second!

A half-ounce air-tight pump is $45 and well worth it!

REVIEW: Roc Sublime Energy e-pulse eye

Since our bodies are huge masses of atoms, of energy, we are constantly creating energy. We are quite literally balls of electrical charges running all over the mass that is our body.

The people over at Johnson & Johnson (who own Roc) claim they have a cream that fuses together zinc and copper in E-PULSE, which "works by energizing ion-mineral conductors of zinc and copper that activate the skin’s natural process" and "When combined with the specially formulated Boosting Complex found in the crèmes, it increases the rapid flow of mineral ions to dramatically rejuvenate the look of skin."

When Roc first launched this product, I was beside myself! I was told that over the course of their research they discovered that wounds heal faster when this zinc/copper fusion was applied to it - because it allowed the electrical impulses in our skin to travel through the wound. Of course, this is not a claim that Roc makes, but apparently this is what led to the discovery of this zinc and copper fusion as an anti-aging product. This is a two-step product, comprised of a serum and a cream "activator"

I was really excited to get my hands on this product.

The first thing I noticed was that there was no zinc and copper fusion. If you look at the ingredients, zinc powder and copper powder are listed seperately.

The second thing I noticed was that that the E-PULSE concentrate (Step 1) has only 9 ingredients, and that Dimethicone (and its variants) comprise THREE of the first six ingredients. I would guess that it's 50% dimethicone, and if you felt its texture you would probably agree.

I was really disappointed. No wonder over 70% of women saw "instant" results! The Dimethicone is an optical softener, a "blurrer", a translucent line-filler!

Regardless... I thought I'd try it.

Two steps... first you put the E-PULSE concentrate on, and then you apply the "activator" over top. The concentrate is a strange grey colour... and the activator is loaded with sparkly light diffusers!

My eyes immediately looked firmer. My concealer also went on beautifully and didn't crease at all! However, my eye area felt dry. By the end of the day I couldn't wait to get my make-up off to load up on a rich eye-cream!

The next day I tried it again, but this time I put an eye cream underneath it. Bad idea - it caused the cream to "rice" and pile off my eye area. It was hideous! I had to wash my face and reapply my creams (without the E-PULSE).

Lesson learned. The E-PULSE is fantastic for if you need an INSTANT bit of line-filling and if you're okay with letting your eye area feel unmoisturized. But I wouldn't recommend it for every day use! Dry skin ages faster, and if your moisturizer isn't absorbing properly through the layer of dimethicone you're first putting on, then you're setting yourself up for fast aging!

I would recommend this for situations where you need a lift NOW, and then you turn into a pumpkin at midnight.

This stuff isn't cheap. It's over $60 for the eye treatment...and it's not a true anti-ager!

Roc's other eye creams (the retinol based ones) are AMAZING and are the true stuff of anti-aging-science. But I don't recommend the E-PULSE (which, btw, has SIX different parabens in it)

REVIEW: La Roche Posay Redermic [+] Eye cream

When first reading about this cream, and the rest of the Redermic [+] line, one feels compelled to try it out! It sounds like a great moisturizer! It sounds like a lovely and mild anti-aging product!

According to the good folks over at La Roche Posay (Canada's #1 recommended brand by dermatologists) "one of the key ingredients is a nearly pure derivative of madecassoside, which is one of the molecules in Centella asiatica, a healing plant from Madagascar. Madecassoside is purified at over 95% concentration and is combined with pure Vitamin C dosed at 5%. Vitamin C is a well known anti-aging active ingredient." Along with "Neurosensine: Combats micro-inflammatory stress, a true aging accelerator" and Hyaluronic Acid, which we know is a wonderful hydrator, plumper, and encourages Collagen to stick around longer in the skin.

It SOUNDS like a great product! But there's a problem....

It balls off when you apply it. Like putting on too much primer. I tried putting on less. I tried putting on more. I tried NOT rubbing it in... but it still balls upon application.

Some days I'd get lucky and it wouldn't ball up around my eyes... I wanted to do a little touchdown dance! But then I'd put concealer on, and the concealer would ball up. Sigh...

I did a little research. "Ahhhh! There it is - DIMETHICONE!" (again!!!!). It's the second ingredient from the top! And then TWO more forms of it show up in the ingredient list.

Wait. What's Dimethicone? And why is it so bad for me?

Well, technically speaking - it's safety IS up in the air. Environment Canada recently requested more studies to be done on it, as it is suspected to be bioaccumulative/persistent and a possible environmental toxin.

But even if it is found to be safe, the problem with Dimethicone is that it creates an OPTICAL ILLUSION! Dimethicone is well known by those in the cosmetics industry to be a "soft focus" creator. It's similar to taking a photograph with a camera that's out of focus; wrinkles disappear. The people who create these anti-aging formulas know this and add Dimethicone as one of the main ingredients. Dimethicone comes in a variety of molecular sizes that are transparent to look natural, but they bend and refract light in such a way that they "instantly fill wrinkles".

Dimethicone is the SECOND ingredient in Redermic [+] eye cream! ALWAYS read your ingredient lists... If Dimethicone is one of the top 7 or 8 ingredients then stay far far away! You could be spending your money much more wisely on products with active ingredients that actually improve your skin's tone/texture/etc and aren't just instant wrinkle fillers. (note: there is another brand out there that starts with an "O" and ends with a "lay" that has 2 anti-aging lines... 100% of the time, Dimethicone is one of the top 7 ingredients in every single cream/lotion/serum)

My advice? Don't waste your money on La Roche Posay's Redermic[+]. I didn't notice any difference using this eye cream, it was a bother to apply, and it was terrible under make-up!

Au Naturel Day 2

I don't wear much make-up in my day-to-day comings and goings. My average war paint consists of black mascara, a peachy blush, and lip balm. And it wore just fine yesterday over my moisturizer of coconut oil. Closer to the end of the day my mascara threw in the towel before I did. Probably because of the extremely rich Druide cream I used as my eye cream.

My face didn't get shiny as the day progressed, it started off a tiny bit tight after moisturizing with only the coconut oil, but after just an hour or so it felt fine but I never got oily! This is a crazy notion...even for me. :o)

I use a lot of NeoStrata products in my every day skincare routine. NeoStrata products are glycolic acid based, which means lots of exfoliation. I didn't want to give up the exfoliation - it could cause breakouts if your skin is used to shedding at a certain faster-than-average rate and you suddenly stop.

So I made a scrub using baking soda, activated charcoal, and a few drops of rosemary essential oil. After washing my face with GwendolynForever's Honey and Glycerin Cleanser (http://www.etsy.com/listing/34338193/honey-glycerin-cleanser-and-mask-4-oz) I scrubbed with my home-made scrub and my skin glowed! I followed with my toner (http://www.etsy.com/listing/55464096/oily-skin-toner-sage-aloe-witch-hazel), then used a dab of 99% organic Aloe Vera Gel (okay..I cheated, the other 1% of this product is quite laden with chemicals!) all over and sealed it in with a bit of Rose Hip Seed Oil. Again, I used the Druide Shea and Argan cream around my eyes...

I'm going to see if I can find an aloe vera plant today to use in lieu of the 99% organic stuff...

So far, so good. My skin is looking beautiful! Just as beautiful as when I use the chemical store-bought stuff.

Thinking of going All Natural?

So I've been thinking... I love my skincare routine. I use a gazillion different products every day, I vary the routine from day-to-day (partly because I have so much crap and partly because...I am Aries? - IDK...but somethings gotta get the blame) and I obviously vary it from night to day.

But sometimes when I over-do it, I get these thumb sized patches of dry spots just outside of my nose between my mouth and my nose - for those in the know it's called the Nasolabial fold. Dry skin = aging. And the lines in my nasolabial fold have been really starting to show up. I blame the dry skin. which comes from abusing my skincare...

Anyway... I've been thinking. I make natural skin-care. (http://www.madeyoulookcosmetics.etsy.com/) I also buy natural skincare. I'm obsessed with skincare and I'm a junkie for trying new stuff out all the time! Thankfully I have an amazing manager at my pt job who loves to play the role of my crack-dealer and she sends me home with new stuff to try all the time.

I'm not talking about drugs people... SKINCARE! Stay with me...

Anyway, I'm wondering how I can incorporate completely natural skincare into my day-to-day (and day-to-night) routine. I'm talking COMPLETELY natural. Hand-made. No chemicals...

This can be difficult to do where moisturizers are concerned. After all, a heavier oily based product wouldn't work very well under make-up.

So I started last night... I came up with the idea AFTER I had washed my face with my NeoStrata face wash (which has 4% glycolic acid AND SLS - sigh). See ya in a little while NeoStrata!

I moisturized my eye area with a Shea Butter/Argan Oil cream by Druide that is rich, and thick, and creamy...and to DIE FOR. Those are literally the only two ingredients. You can buy a tiny 5mL size for $5, or a huge container of it for not much more.

You can find the product here: http://www.druide.ca/Product.aspx?ProductID=49008&Langue=En

To tone my skin I used my own "Oily Skin Toner" that's all natural. It has witch hazel, aloe vera gel, sage, lavender, and Calendule. You can find the product here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/55464096/oily-skin-toner-sage-aloe-witch-hazel

For my face I used a tiny bit of coconut oil and just massaged it in very well. At first it didn't have that "plumping" effect that you get with products that have water in them. You know that "aaaahhhh" cold-water-feeling of moisture being pushed into your skin? But after an hour or so, my skin felt rehydrated again, even though I hadn't actually added any more water...

I woke up with morning with beautiful skin! The lines around my eyes have disappeared (the Druide cream is THICK - and soooo refreshing, despite it's shocking lack of water) and my skin doesn't look congested after only using oil to moisturize.

I washed my face this morning with an amazing Honey & Glycerin cleanser I bought from another seller on Etsy. Her name is Gwendolyn and this cleanser and mask are AMAZING!!! The link for it is here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/34338193/honey-glycerin-cleanser-and-mask-4-oz?ref=v1_other_2

The small 4oz size lasts forever! You can use it as a cleanser or as a mask. Both the honey and the glycerin are natural humectants so you're increasing your skin's ability to hold water everytime you wash with it. It's also been infused with a bunch of wonderful organic herbs that she grows herself on her gazillion-acre-farm. It doesn't lather, but it's amazing. Honey is also a natural anti-bacterial (nurses used it in WW2 to clean out and heal wounds of all types). You'll have soft, glowing skin from the very very first time you use it! At $12 for the small bottle, it's WELL worth the investment!

Again, I moisturized with the Druide Shea & Argan Cream (I'll report back on how my mascara holds up, later) and I used a dab of coconut oil to moisturize. Except this time I sprayed my face with Avene's Thermal Water (just like the Evian stuff) before I put on the oil... my skin DID feel more "hydrated" because the oil sealed in the water.

Have any of you ever used an all-natural-routine? How did it work out for you?

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.