Thank you so much to everyone that entered the ThermaClear contest, and thanks for sharing your acne stories! I feel terrible that there can only be one winner, but hopefully I’ll be having some more contests soon.
The winner was chosen randomly, and Jennifer from New York is the lucky winner. Congratulations!
Not that this is much consolation, but I hope my guide to cure acne can help people that are still suffering from acne.
Sephora is offering a great little kit that is available now until June 2008, or until supplies last. If you are obsessed with sunscreens (like me), and want to try everything, this is for you! You get travel-sized versions of eleven different sunscreens in the Sephora Sun Safety Kit!
This is a great way to try a whole bunch of new products, to figure out your new favorite. My current favorite – Shiseido Ultimate Face Protection Cream For Face SPF 55 isn’t in the bunch, but you get its close cousin Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion SPF 55 instead. Also included are travel sizes of:
• Korres Natural Products Watermelon Sunscreen Face Cream SPF 30
• Peter Thomas Roth Max Sheer All Day Defense Moisture Lotion SPF 30
• DDF Daily Protective Moisturizer SPF 15
• Cosmedicine Medi-Matte Oil Control Lotion SPF 20
• Juice Beauty Green Apple Moisturizer SPF 15
• Murad Firming Bronzer SPF 15
• MD Skincare Powerful Sun Protection Pads SPF 30
• Clarins Sun Wrinkle Control Cream Ultra Protection SPF 30
• Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer SPF 15
• Tarte 24/7 Lip Sheer SPF 15
You also get a limited edition Sephora pouch, plus something really cool that I totally want – a UV indicator card. I assume you can take this out in the sun, and it will give you a UV Index reading. This will give you an idea of when it’s just too hot to be outside. I used to have a little gadget that did this, but I’m pretty sure it only measures UVB rays (the ones that burn you) and not UVA rays (the ones that give you wrinkles).
Finally, the best news is that this kit costs $25 (but it’s valued at $87), and all of the net profits (up to $430,000) will benefit The Skin Cancer Foundation. Yay!
Get your Sephora Sun Safety Kit!
As you know, one of my favorite skin care products is Philosophy Microdelivery Peel. I’ve only bought the product once, and it’s lasted me over two years, even though I use it about once a week. It’s worked wonders to keep my skin smooth, and it helps to keep it exfoliated, which helps to prevent acne. I’ve used lots of skin exfoliants, but this is my favorite by far.
Olay Microdermabrasion Treatment
Shortly after I bought the Philosophy kit for $65, Olay released a very similar product – Olay Regenerist Microdermabrasion & Peel System. Its ingredients are nearly identical to the Philosophy kit, but it retails for about $28 at your local drugstore. Well this week my Philosophy kit finally ran out, and I decided to try the Olay Microdermabrasion instead. It was on sale at Target for $23, and I figured if it didn’t work out, I could just return it, and go back to the Philosophy.
I’ve used it twice now, and the results it produces are nearly identical to the Philosophy. It really helps keep my skin smooth and radiant, and I would have a hard time telling the two products apart if I didn’t know which was which. The ph level of the Philosophy is a 2, while the Olay is a 3.6. In theory, I would gather that the Philosophy would work better to exfoliate the skin, due to its higher acidity level, but I think the results from the products are more due to the sodium bicarbonate (the scrub/crystals).
Since sodium bicarbonate is basically baking soda, I wonder what would happen if you used baking soda (mixed with some sort of gel alpha hydroxy acid product) to exfoliate your skin. I haven’t tried this do-it-yourself concoction, but for now I’m okay with paying $23 for the Olay product. I was also okay with paying $65 for the Philosophy version, since the results were so good.
(UPDATE: PLEASE DISREGARD THIS PARAGRAPH AND DO NOT TRY TO MIX YOUR OWN SKIN CARE PRODUCTS! A viewer told me that she tried mixing baking soda with an alpha hydroxy product, and the results produced a concoction that smelled like amonia. I am generally against do-it-yourself skin care, and mistakenly thought baking soda was harmless, but it turns out I’m wrong! It’s just too dangerous to try to make your own products.)
You can’t go wrong with either of these two products, in my opinion. It’s hard to say which is better, but given the price point, I’d probably start with the Olay, unless you have money to burn. And I’m sorry for not mentioning the Olay earlier, but since I hadn’t tried it til now, I was hesitant to recommend it.
Buy Olay Regenerist Microdermabrasion & Peel System
In case you haven’t seen the contest – I’m giving away a ThermaClear this Friday, April 18th. ThermaClear is a zit zapping tool that retails for $150!!
Enter to win your very own ThermaClear. I will announce the winner a few days after the contest ends.
:) Jeni
Here are my favorite, and most informative Savvy Skin posts from December 2007-February 2008. I’ll do a wrap-up each quarter to make it easier to view my older articles. Also read my Best Of Summer 2007 and Best Of Fall 2007.
• Skin Care
Save Money While Looking Fabulous
Lots of tips to save money, without sacrificing your beauty needs.
MAC Strobe Cream
A luminizing moisturizer that’s great, but only for some skin types.
Get A $125 Wrinkle Cream For 99 Cents!
I found a nearly identical moisturizer to Creme De La Mer, but it’s 100 times cheaper!
Sunscreen Is A Tax Deduction!
Reduce your taxes by buying beauty products!
How To Pick A Retinol Product
Retinol is a great anti-ager. Here’s how to find the best retinol and retinoid products.
Hydroquinone, The Skin Lightener
How to even out your skin tone, and lighten sun and age spots.
What’s Wrong With Freckles?
Freckles are cute, but here’s why I personally don’t want them.
Freeze 24-7 Review
Can you instantly erase wrinkles with the right skin care product?
Product Reviews
This is my approach to doing unbiased product reviews.
Olay Regenerist Deep Hydration Regenerating Cream
A review of one of my favorite peptide moisturizers.
Philosophy The Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash
Review of a cleanser that’s great for oily skin.
• Medical Spa & Cosmetic Dermatology
Alternative To Botox?
Can you find a true alternative to Botox by using the right skin care product?
Botox Backlash In Hollywood
Botox can make you look years younger, but at what price?
Botox Bunny Lines
Tell-tale signs that someone has had Botox injections.
• Acne
Cosmetic Acne
How to avoid getting acne from your skin care and makeup products.
Great Makeup I Won’t Use
It’s a shame that lots of great skin care products clog your pores.
Proactiv Solution For Acne
My review of the super popular Proactiv Solution.
Murad Acne Complex
Will Murad Acne Complex cure your acne? Read my review.
• Beauty
The Truth About Beauty
A must-have book for beauty junkies.
Nostalgic Beauty
Reminiscing about fabulous beauty products from the past.
Don’t Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me 7th Edition
A new edition of this cult-classic book is out. Another must-have for beauty junkies.
Beauty No-Nos
What sort of naughty things do you do for the sake of beauty?
Beauty Tips From Lolcats
Silly pictures of cats giving out beauty advice.
My Favorite Makeup
Here’s the makeup I wear on a daily basis.
• Body
The Cellulite Solution
Will this book help your banish cellulite forever?
Fig LipoDissolve Goes Bankrupt
Hopefully thousands of Fig LipoDissolve customers will be able to get their money back after this unfortunate event.
Are You Allergic To Your Boyfriend?
Emotional issues can manifest themselves in physical problems – including skin issues.
• Hair
Prevent A Hair Disaster
A simple tip to avoid a hair dye disaster.
Why My Hair Is Now A Frizzy Mess
Nothing is more frustrating that finding the perfect beauty product, and it then gets discontinued.
I’ve just tried an interesting sunscreen called UV Natural Sunscreen Baby SPF 30+. As you know, I’m a big fan of Zinc Oxide-based sunscreens, and this UV Natural product has 24.8% Zinc Oxide, which is the highest percentage I’ve seen in a sunscreen. UV Natural sunscreens are biodegradable, not tested on animals, and the packaging is recyclable. Also, no fragrances or preservatives are added. The Environmental Working Group (EWG.org) also rates this as the best sunscreen. That is quite a feat, because that website hates just about every skin care product on the market and thinks just about every product is bad for our health! This product is about $32 for a 5 ounce tube, so it’s much more expensive than a drugstore find, but per-ounce, it’s cheaper than a lot of my other sunscreen favorites.
I’ve only tried the Baby version of the sunscreen, which appears to have the same ingredients as the Adult version. There’s also a Sport version, which I assume is more water resistant. These sunscreens contain no chemical sunscreen ingredients, so the only active ingredient is Zinc Oxide.
UV Natural Sunscreen Baby review
The Good:
This sunscreen is hydrating, so it’s great for someone with dry skin. You may be able to skip your moisturizer all together. When I first applied it, it seemed extremely sticky and greasy-feeling, however after waiting 10 minutes, it seems to sink into my skin, and just leaves it hydrated. UV Natural says not to put too much on to avoid the sticky feeling, so I’m not exactly sure how much is needed to achieve the SPF 30 rating. I needed to wait several minutes before applying my makeup (which is annoying) but my makeup went on smoothly, and this gave my face a bit of a glow. It also doesn’t leave a white cast. This product is safe to use on babies, and it’s also water resistant.
The fact that this has 24% Zinc Oxide is awesome. This is a great sunscreen for someone that can’t tolerate chemical sunscreen ingredients, or that has a problem with fragrances. It also contains antioxidants, and the packaging appears to be stable, so that the antioxidants can stay active.
The Bad:
This is not the sunscreen for you if you have oily skin. It’s just far too hydrating and thick, and it will just make your skin oiler. If you have normal skin, though, this should be fine. If you don’t like heavy feeling sunscreens, then this is not for you, but personally it doesn’t bother me. The other sad news is that this is probably not for you if you have acne-prone skin. UGHHH. The first inactive ingredient is grape seed oil, which is a 4 out of 5 on my pore-clogging list. This is the reason I never bought this sunscreen in the past, however I received this sunscreen free, and figured it was worth the acne-risk, because of its overall positive features. I have used it twice now, and have not had any breakouts. I will keep you updated on whether it breaks me out, and if that’s the case, this still makes a great body sunscreen. The smell of this product is a little weird – there are no fragrances added, but it has a slight smell, but not enough to bother me.
Shiseido SPF 55 vs. UV Natural SPF 30
Higher SPF sunscreens are generally better, because they offer more protection from getting burned (SPF 55 is maybe only 3% more protection than SPF 30, but to me that’s significant). My favorite sunscreen – Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Cream For Face SPF 55 only has 13.9% Zinc Oxide, compared to the 24.8% in UV Natural. It achieves a higher SPF because it has an added chemical sunscreen (7.4% Octinoxate). So which product is better? Currently I don’t know! I do feel that either of these sunscreens is much better than your typical drugstore sunscreen (due to the Zinc Oxide content), so you can’t go wrong with either one.
SPF measures UVB rays (the ones that burn you) but you also need to be watchful for UVA rays (the ones that give you wrinkles) and Zinc Oxide is capable of blocking both types of rays. My personal experience is that sunscreens with Zinc Oxide work better than any other types of sunscreen. Now that summer is coming, I will go to the pool and do some unscientific testing on myself, and compare a bunch of sunscreens at once.
Whenever I look for a new skin care product, it’s always a huge plus when it contains antioxidants. Topical antioxidants are supposed to help neutralize the assaults our skin takes on a daily basis – pollution, the sun, cigarette smoking, etc. Then, of course, there are the antioxidants we get from healthy foods (fruits and vegetables, for example) which help to neutralize the free radicals in our bodies. All forms of antioxidants can help us look younger, stay looking young, and stay healthy.
Topical Antioxidants
I would recommend using a topical antioxidant once or twice a day. Lots of moisturizers come with them, but you need to make sure your moisturizer comes in a tube or bottle that is not exposed to light or air, or the antioxidants will stop working. So any jar moisturizer is useless antioxidant-wise. It still annoys me to no end that my favorite moisturizer – Clinique Moisture On-Line is packaged in a clear jar, so while it hydrates my face extremely well, that’s all it does.
Currently I use Paula’s Choice Skin Recovery Super Antioxidant Concentrate in the mornings. It’s a light serum designed for normal to dry skin that you can put on under a moisturizer, makeup, and sunscreen. Paula’s Choice also makes similar serums for normal skin, and for oily skin. These products don’t clog pores, and they contain all sorts of antioxidants, in stable packaging. Ideally I would like to find a moisturizer (in stable packaging) that I love, that contains a lot of antioxidants, but this hasn’t happened yet. Actually, it would be great to find a product in stable packaging that has loads of antioxidants, works to moisturizer super dry skin, and has a high SPF, with a high percentage of Zinc Oxide as its main sunscreen ingredient. That’s my dream product! I’m sure it’s out there waiting for me to discover it!
What I don’t like about the Paula’s Choice antioxidant serum is that it doesn’t appear to do anything. My skin doesn’t look better when I use it, and after using it for a year or two now, it hasn’t improved the appearance of my skin. It’s like an insurance policy – it’s there to protect you, but that’s about it. There’s also no way to know if it works or not, so I feel like I’m going on blind faith, since I’m just hoping that it’s preventing future wrinkles.
Types of antioxidants
It seems like each week a new antioxidant is discovered, and is touted as the next big thing. Right now Coffeeberry is getting lots of hype, and last year Idebenone was the “it” antioxidant. Green Tea, Vitamin C, Kinetin and CoQ10 have all also been in the spotlight as “wonder” antioxidants. The problem is that visually it’s hard to really see much of a difference when you use them.
Both Idebenone and Vitamin C are supposed to actually produce visible results – namely a reduction in fine lines, and an evening out of skin tone and texture. Plus they are also supposed to prevent future damage.
Personally I need to do a lot more testing and research to really figure out which antioxidants I find the most valuable. If Prevage (Idebenone is its main ingredient) didn’t cause my face to break out like crazy, I’d probably use that every day, because I’ve read that it’s one of the most potent antioxidants. I should look into finding another product with Idebenone to test. Hmmm… Another product I want to try is SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic, which contains Vitamin C and E. Lots of testing is being done as we speak on antioxidants, so new and exciting breakthroughs will continually be happening.
What antioxidant product (in stable packaging) do you use?
My boyfriend produces corporate events here in Las Vegas, and last weekend his company worked on a big show for Passion Parties, the company that is sort of like Avon, but for sex toys! Instead of tupperware parties, women now host passion parties in their homes. Passion Parties gave out all sorts of “party favors” to his company, and as a joke he brought me Cremesicle Edible Massage Cream. It’s supposed to be a strawberry massage cream, however I realized it’s actually just a thick body moisturizer. Since it’s pretty thick, it seems to work really well on my super dry skin. The sickly sweet strawberry smell is a bit much for me, though. This also comes in Orange, which I haven’t tried.
Edible Moisturizer?
Since this is an edible product, I tasted it and it tastes like strawberry candy. Here’s the weird part…The ingredients are pretty much identical to your standard body moisturizer, but with some sugar added in. Some of the ingredients include: Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Safflower Oil, Shea Butter, and Methylparaben. It’s also not tested on animals, which is great.
A lot of people (myself included) are paranoid about the products they use on their skin, and they worry that the ingredients are harmful for their skin or body in some way. Now here’s a product that comes along, and not only can you massage it on your skin, but you can eat it too! I was expecting to see the ingredients in this product to be “food,” not “moisturizer” ingredients. Assuming this product has passed whatever sort of food regulations there are, maybe we are far too paranoid about skin care, if this is actually safe enough to eat!
Cremesicle is only $13 for 4 ounces, and so far it seems like a great body moisturizer. If you like the smell of super sweet strawberry candy, look for your local Passion Parties event, and try it out! Or you can shop online at their site – Passion Parties.
“Might as well face it, you’re addicted to love…” Flash back to the 80s and see Lilan from The Daily Cookie recreate a look from a popular music video!
Check out Beauty Anonymous‘ Current Favorite Lippy – Einstein Lip Therapy Hydrating Lip Cream.
A Touch of Blusher puts on more blusher……
The Beauty Bug previews the new products that hit the counters and shelves this month.
Looking for affordable high quality makeup brushes? Check out The Makeup Divas review on these cosmetic brushes.
Girl Gloss loves Maybelline Volume XL Seduction Plumping Lip Gloss.
Product Girl tries out Avon’s Supershock Mascara and gets shockingly plump lashes.
The Muse features her very favorite, holy grail mascara from Japan (Nope, not Fiberwig!)!
Mischo Beauty has a fabulous reader who wrote in to share why she loves Sunsilk’s De-Frizz 24/7 Crème.
The Beauty of Life hearkens back to her childhood with Bonne Bell LipSmackers. Check out her favorites!
See what products Beauty Blogging Junkie has deemed promtastic.
In need of an awesome hair mask? Glossypink found one!
Cybelesays has found some winning makeup brushes with the new ones from Sonia Kashuk.
Embarrassed by dark marks, sun damage, or age spots? Don’t get mad. Spoiled Pretty tells you how to get even!
Is your hair showing signs of frizz? StyleBell has discovered the secret to keeping those locks soft, shiny and frizz free all on a budget! Hint: Apple Cider Vinegar.
15 Minute Beauty Fanatic starts off her sunscreen review series by looking at Neutrogena’s UltraSheer with Helioplex.
Elessa of Pursebuzz.com gets a makeover by Glamour. Beauty Pro’s transform’s youtube “web stars” see it all here. Check out newsstands for May’s issue, can’t wait, go to Glamour.com.
Makeup Moxie feeds her faux glow addiction with Fake Bake Tantalizing Self-Tanning Butter.
Elke asks, if runway makeup has gotten too creative. Plus, the April Issue of The Beauty Ideal is out!
Stylish Opinion finds these truly stylish headbands.
The Beauty Blog Network spotlights their ‘post of the day’.
Toya tries 100% Pure Cosmetics – with real fruit pigments!
Karen from Makeup and Beauty Blog loves Gazelle, Chanel’s hottest and newest lipgloss.
Aging Fabulous tells you about a lip enhancer and moisturizer that really works.
Petite Fashionista has a $100 Gift Card to Lands’ End to Give Away enter today!
Beauty Match discovers Clear by Hydroderm: adult acne solution free beauty samples
Viva Woman reviews Ferro Cosmetics fabulous mineral makeup and offers her readers an exclusive promotion code.
Beauty Bento Box invites readers to discuss RivaleSkin and CoffeeBerry.
Tops 2 Bottoms has a new ruffled dress, lace top, and a desert scarf, all from Irene’s Closet!
Beauty Secrets Revealed is Giving Away Normal Skin Kit Worth $315 From Esente Physioceuticals
Style Manila tries on Vintage Silk for a change.
Shopalicious has a flashback to Charlie’s Angels’ time with this sunset print string bikini!
There is still time to join NY Spender’s Bikini Club.
SugarShock Beauty is indulging in yummy pink buttercream frosting treats but this stuff is guilt-free, courtesy of Jaqua.
Beauty and Fashion Tech spent six weeks trying a unique acne treatment, DS Labs Trioxil Acne Treament Gel.
ShoeBlitz talks about fun spring sandals from Prada, Christian Louboutin and Betsey Johnson.
Style…A Work In Progress goes cuckoo…or should that be pigeon…for racing pigeon ring necklaces.
All That & a goes green with a look at Beau Soleil’s new spring collection.
It’s time for prom mania and Indie Style File has got a bunch of great dresses for you.
Karen fromMakeup and Beauty Blog road tests skin care products from Dove’s new Go Fresh line and loves them!
Her Accessories is celebrating springtime flowers with these fun flowery rings, hair clips and even a flowered belt.
ShopDiary is quite excited about the Comme des Garçons for H&M designer collaboration.
Canadian Beauty tells you about Julia Allison’s makeup.
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