MYTHBUSTER MONDAY

MYTH: Cold cucumbers are the best way to beat under-eye puff.

FALSE: Busted!  Uggg, those dreaded puffy eyes are a sure sign of age. Puffy eyes can also be caused by too much salty food or alcohol-laced fun the night before. The ingredient in cucumbers, known as cucumis sativus, can help, but it's not your best bet


Actually it's really the coldness that constricts the blood vessels and pulls excess fluid out of the tissues to reduce puffiness.

Caffeine is also a vasoconstrictor, which is why so many eye creams contain it. A puffy-eye twofer-- cold plus caffeine. Try chilled tea bags or better yet, keep a caffeinated eye cream or gel in the fridge for a quick morning fix.

Makeup MYTHBUSTER Monday

MYTH: Skincare products are more effective if all used from the same brand

FALSE: BUSTED!

This is an age old selling technique that doesn’t hold up to examination. You know the drill, you go to a makeup counter to get, say a toner and here comes the spiel, "now you know our toner works best with our mositurizer; yes I see your skin is dry too" then, "if you add XYZ you'll get even better results--all our products work with each other and are only effective if used that way". Soon enough you've spent $300 when all you wanted was a $20 toner. I have fallen for this line more times than I’d like to admit and spent tons of money on products that don’t work for me and I end up not using or giving away. In fact, I’ve had the best luck with skincare products that are from skincare companies not makeup brands. It makes sense to me that skincare companies have more research and development behind their products since that's the only business they're in. There is no evidence that one products efficacy is more potent when used in conjunction with another, regardless of brand. If a product such as a toner, does what it’s supposed to do, there is no reason you need purchase all the additional skincare items in that line, it will not increase the efficacy of the toner.

In my current skincare routine, I’ve chosen whatever brand works best for my skin type and issues and most are not from the same line. I say ‘current’ because I’m always testing new products to review and write about in this blog. I've spent a lot of time, money and research in my quest to improve my skin and if I do say so myself, I get a lot of compliments on it. Below are the products I've found to a terrific job and without having to use the entire line.

Cleanser- Purity Made Simple by Philosophy. This cleanser is creamy and gentle to the skin but is a workhorse at taking off makeup, even stubborn waterproof eye makeup. It does not leaving skin skin feeling tight or dry. Suitable for all skin types.

Toner – DDF 10% Glycolic Toning Complex. This is an anti-aging toner containing glycolic acid. It helps to dissolve the ‘glue’ that binds dead skin cells together making your skin look dull. By exfoliating the dead skin cells, the skin looks younger and brighter. I’ve been using this toner for a few years now and it has really made a difference in the brightness of my skin. However, this is not suitable for sensitive skin. There are toners made for all skin types; sensitive, dry oily, normal etc.

Serum- As we age we lose collagen, elasticity, moisture and a myriad of other things our skin needs to look fresh and young. Serums can help with these problems among many others. The type of serum you choose will depend upon your skin’s particular issues. There are serums for uneven skin tone, wrinkles, hyper pigmentation, and firming serums to name a few.

I’m using Bliss The Youth As We Know It concentrate and love it! It’s an anti-aging collagen-boosting serum. The same serum they use in their high priced spa for facials. It’s lightweight, has a citrus smell (maybe grapefruit?), absorbs well and generally makes me feel radiant. Bliss says there are encapsulated hydrators to continue releasing moisturizers for up to 6 hours. Ingredients include pearl illuminators, Hydroplex-3 encapsulators (that’s the moisturizers), marine-sourced skin renewers, oxygen boosters, advanced moisture binders and a brightening multi-fruit complex. It’s pricy, but it works beautifully. At any rate and at some point you will want to introduce a serum into your routine to give your skincare routine an added boost.

Day Moisturizer – Your choice of moisturizer will depend on how dry your skin is. If you are oily or still have that pesky T-zone you will want to go with something lightweight. I used DDF’s Ultra-Lite Oil Free Moisturizing Dew for years until my skin staring getting too dry for it. A good choice for normal skin is Olay ProX Age Repair Lotion; it has an SPF of 30 which means no need for a separate sunscreen. I refuse to use a moisturizer that doesn’t have SPF in it. I don’t want the hassle of having to apply a separate sunscreen that is most often greasy or casts a white shadow on my face. My choice of late (and I’m normal to dry) is Chella Anti-Aging Formula Morning Crema SPF 25. The formula is packed with peptides, antioxidants and botanicals but I like it most for how delicious it makes my skin feel. Check back for a full review.

Eye Cream – I know I’m beginning to sound like a broken record, but the type of eye cream depends on how much moisturization you need and what you are trying to correct. I wish I had started using an eye cream before I saw a picture of myself and my co-workers at the company chili cook-off and I vowed to never smile again--but I digress. There are creams for puffiness, fine lines, dryness and dark circles. I will tell you this; I have yet to find one eye cream that addresses all these problems. If you only need a bit of moisture, then L’Oreal Advanced RevitaLift 24 hr. Repair Duo will do just fine. It is a double ended tube with a day cream on one end (with SPF 15) and a night cream on the other. I need more moisture than this and in addition I have fine lines and crow’s feet. I’ve tried eleventy billion eye creams and I think I’ve found the one for me; Cures by Avance Age Definer Eye. It delivers moisture without feeling or looking greasy on the face. My under eye area feels hydrated all day and I truly believe my crow’s feet look softer. Yay!

Night Cream – This is where you can go a little heavier than what you might wear during the day to help replenish skin. I’m using another Chella product—this time Anti-Aging Formula Evening Crema Ultra Hydrator. This cream contains the proprietary Chell-x Complex which is a combination of peptides and botanicals. I am so impressed with this line! Stay tuned for full reviews of three of their best selling products.

Once a Week - An at home microdermabrasion treatment. I use Olay Regenerist Microdermabrasion and Peel System. A gentle (if used according to directions) exfoliation treatment to activate cell renewal and resurface skin. I prefer Philosophy The Microdelivery Peel but the difference in cost doesn't justify it for me.

An at home chemcial peel can also be used once a week. I recommend going to the MUAC (Makeup Artists Choice) website. They have many different products at different strengths and will have something to get you started. They also have great customer service so you can email a question and they will respond with a product choice that is best for your skin type.

Once a Week Face Mask - I'm kinda bad at doing this, but I do recommend it as an addition to your weekly routine. For oily skin; a clay mask to deep clean and control oil, a hydrating mask for dry skin to add mositure and plump skin, an exfoliating mask for dull skin to brighten and add radiance, a firming mask to reduce fine lines and give a more youthful firmer complexion. I need to find a new one now that my skin is drier than it used to be.

*This post is dedicated to my friend who was "sick and tired of every makeup counter trying to sell me their entire line. And I'm sick of hearing how only their products work together, yada, yada, yada".  Hope you enjoyed it L!!

**Please keep in mind my skincare issues may be different from yours and my recommendations are from personal experience and products I myself have tried. Your experience may vary. If you have troublesome or serious skincare issues, you should always consult a dermatologist.

Mirror Mirror on the Wall, Who’s the Least Chronically Challenged of Them All?

Your mirror will be saying “you my dear”! after using the new Olay ProX Anti-Aging Starter Protocol. It is supposed to help with fine lines, wrinkles, uneven skin tone, all the things that plague us ahem, “mature” women. . The starter kit contains three products—Age Repair Lotion SPF 30, a daytime moisturizer, Wrinkle Smoothing Cream for nighttime use and Eye Restoration Complex for use twice a day. Let me say, it does a pretty fine job.

The Olay ProX Professional line was created by Proctor and Gamble beauty scientists and a group of renowned dermatologists. Olay makes some pretty hefty claims on this new line; “younger looking, younger acting skin in 28 days or your money back”. The Olay ProX Anti-Aging Starter Protocol Kit is not cheap for drugstore skincare, around $60-68, but that is a big savings over buying the products individually and is a great way to try out the products. To help ease the pain, you can go online and download a $10 off coupon for the starter kit.

The Age Repair Lotion SPF 30 has a nice lightweight texture, absorbs quickly and leaves no greasy or sticky feeling. I also appreciate the SPF 30 so I can skip the sunscreen layer underneath. I was surprised and delighted that with an SPF of 30, there was no ghostly white cast or “sunscreen sheen”, and no smell. It is packaged in a pump which is not only more sanitary but also allows you to use much less product. I use 2 half pumps for my face and a full pump for my neck—don’t forget your neck ladies, it’s one of the first places to show age. I had lunch on the sunny deck of a restaurant while wearing Age Repair Lotion under my foundation and no pink nose!

I am very impressed with the Eye Restoration Complex. I have tried every eye cream on the planet (well almost) and this has just the right amount of hydration and it too absorbs quickly. Too many eye creams are too rich for daytime use and you end up with black dots from your mascara or those pesky little white milia bumps under your eyes. This cream gives you moisture that lasts all day without being goopy. I don’t have dark circles so I can‘t speak to any improvement in that area, but I do have some puffiness and I did notice a bit of improvement there. The big news is after just two weeks of use twice a day (morning and night) I think my crows feet may be a bit softer. Can I get a Hell Yeah!!

Wrinkle Smoothing Cream is a bit thicker than the Age Repair Lotion and is designed for nighttime use. It is also a bit greasier but still absorbs well. The oiler parts of my face—forehead, nose, chin were a bit slick in the morning after using this cream but that is not abnormal for me. It is packaged in a jar as opposed to the Age Repair Lotion in a pump, perhaps because it is thicker? I have pretty decent skin with no deep lines so I didn’t notice any particular improvement.

Overall I am really pleased with the Olay ProX Starter Kit. I believe my crow’s feet are softer, my skin is smoother and looks refreshed and refined. Perhaps my significant other put it best “you look nice today, like you have a semi-pregnant glow”. Okay, well aside from the pregnancy part (uh, how can you be semi-pregnant?) the key word is GLOW! This from the same man that still hasn’t noticed my new haircut after two weeks. This stuff has got to be good to garner a comment from Mr. Oblivious!!

Bottom Line: Recommended

Additional products available in the line are ProX Deep Wrinkle Treatment, Discoloration Fighting Concentrate, and Hydra Firming Cream.

Have you tried Olay Pro-X yet? If so, let me know what you think in the comments.

This set was given to me by a friend to try