Category Archives: Anti-Aging

Edible Skincare; Fruit-Filled Serums for Better Skin

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If you are what you eat, then what does that make your skin? In this case, it’s all grapes, pomegranate, apples, and even rosehip. Your skin is your largest organ, feed it well.

Kosmea: Rosehip Oil

Eighth Natural Wonder Revitalising Facial Serum

Rosehip Seed Oil has been getting a lot of play lately for its ability to wake up and nourish the skin. Rose Hips are the fruit of the rose plant used to make tea and jams but the oil within the seeds is what Kosmea’s uses, all 100% certified organic and full of vitamins and omegas. Because it’s so beneficial, it’s extremely effective for all skin types to help balance out whatever skin concern you’re fighting.

Caudalíe: Grapes

VenoPerfect Radiance Serum

Grapes are good for the heart (hurray for wine), and just as good for the skin. Caudaíle  built an entire line around its effectiveness in fact. Their new VenoPerfect Serum quenches all skin types with grape seed goodness doing what grapes do best; fade dark spots. It’s a chemical-free way to lighten up sun spotted areas of the face and chest that makes skin look like it’s glowing.

MyChelle: Apple

Apple Brightening Serum

Two words: Stem cells. Well, apple stem cells, so technically three. In a perfect instance of nature meeting technology, MyChelle is using the best of the fruit to revitalize the skin and protect it from environmental damage. Super peptides prevent skin discoloration and even out its texture. It’s a vegan, gluten-free, and EcoCert (organic) formula that encourages the overall wellness of your skin.

Weleda: Pomegranate

Pomegranate Firming Serum

Pomegranate is a super antioxidant that keeps skin younger looking by sealing pollutants out. Besides the hydrating and firming effects if offers, I especially like its almost water-like consistency that disappears into the skin without a trace leaving your usual skincare routine uninterrupted.

Dr. Harold Lancer, 20 Years Younger, and Oprah

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Dr. Harold Lancer is celebrating tonight. He’s the dermatologist to the stars who also happens to be Oprah’s go-to guy to keep her skin looking pristine (seriously, her skin is perfect.) He teamed up with Bob Greene on a program called 20 Years Younger, a 2 month life-changing kickstart for 20 lucky women who wanted to get their health back on track. Dr. Lancer turned back the clock on the women’s skin returning it to a much younger state using treatments like microdermabrasion, lasers, Botox, and of course his skincare line. The ladies looked a lot better, and Lady O raved about how radiant her skin looked since using Dr. Lancer’s regimen so she vouched for his line’s efficacy. Well, that was enough for me to pause my TiVo and obsess over which of his products I can’t live without for the past hour and a half.

His home site is under construction so HERE is where you’ll find his offerings on the 20 Years Younger site. I can’t figure out what would work best for my skin type since it isn’t laid out or explained in an organized way so I’m a little hesitant to pull the trigger.

If there is one product that looks to be universal, it’s Nourish, a day and nighttime treatment that’s supposed to restore the overall look of the skin and visibly reduce fine lines and wrinkles.

 

It’s also at Nordstrom so seeing a counter rep about what my skin needs might be a safer bet. Nordys opens at 10 right??

The Best Organic, Sustainable, and Safe Skin Care

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A while back I tried to help untangle so many of the buzzwords used on cosmetics labels. Since I got a great response from you all, I wanted to do a part 2 of sorts and give highlights on my favorite sustainable/organic skin care lines (I’ll get to makeup soon). I’ve written about these lines and reviewed products from them, but this time it isn’t about products it’s about practice.

I’ll highlight each line’s CosmeticDatabase.com information, where to purchase, a few (not all) of their ‘green’ highlights meaning what they do and don’t use and their sustainable or organic practices, average prices, charity affiliates, and where the company is based.

All things being equal in product performance, it just feels good to find a brand that matches your personal values whatever they may be so I hope this is helpful.

Iintelligent Nutrients

Click HERE for their CosmeticsDatabase.com safety scores

Where to Buy: IntelligentNutrients.com, Barneys, Whole Foods, salons and spas.

Green Highlights: They use food-grade ingredients that are pesticide free, formulated without parabens, silicones, sulfates, and other common toxins, USDA certified organic, cruelty free, produced with renewable energy.

Average Price: $32 (within their skin care products)

Charitable Contributions: Though not specified, on their site it reads that they donate ‘all after-tax profits… to environmental and social causes.’

Where are They? Their office and farm where they source many of the ingredients used is in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Pangea

Click HERE for their CosmeticsDatabase.com safety scores

Where to Buy: Pangea.com, Vitamin Cottage, Whole Foods, Sephora, select natural foods stores.

Green Highlights: No synthetics or GMO’s, organic and raw when they can.

Average Price: $32

Charitable Contributions: Women for Women International

Where are They? Right down the road from me in Boulder Colorado.

Liz Earle

Not represented on CosmeticsDatabase.com

Where to buy: LizEarle.com, Fred Segal Santa Monica

Green Highlights: They use organic when possible, no mineral oils in anything, no synthetic (only mineral) sunscreens or Vitamin E, no animal ingredients, local when possible, ISO14001 certified – an international and independent certification that ensures a sustainable business practice right down to their light bulbs.

Average Price: Around $35

Charitable Contributions: None that I could find on their site, but I’m looking into it and will update when I know.

Where are They? Isle of Wight, U.K

Pomega5

Click HERE for their CosmeticsDatabase.com safety scores

Where to Buy: Pomega5.com, Bliss Spas

Green Highlights: Pomegranates sourced from biodynamic soil, manufactured in a certified green lab, vegan, cruelty free, between 98% and 100% biodynamic and organic.

Average Price: $50

Charitable Contributions: To Celebrate Life Breast Cancer Foundation, Green America, Farm Sanctuary, FINCA, Environmental Defense Fund, National Anti-Vivisection Society, Alley Cat Rescue.

Where are They? They’re located in San Anselmo, California.

Suki

Click HERE for their CosmeticsDatabase.com safety scores

Where to buy: SukiSkinCare.com, DermStore.com, various Whole Foods

Green Highlights: Made with natural, organic, biodynamic & food grade ingredients, cruelty free, glass packaging- no plastics. Their site does a fantastic job of explaining ingredients, check out their ‘what to avoid’ listing  HERE.

Average Price: $30

Charitable Contributions: They have quite a few, click HERE for specifics.

Where are They: Northampton, Massachusetts

Nude

Click HERE for their CosmeticsDatabase.com safety scores

Where to Buy: NudeSkincare.com, Whole Foods, Sephora

Green Highlights: 40% of their packaging is made from recycled plastic, fair trade practices, free of Parabens, Propylene Glycol, Phthalates, GMOs, Mineral Oils and Silicones.

Average Price: $50

Charitable Contributions: None that I could find on their site, but I’m looking into it and will update when I know.

Where are They? Nude is based in London.

Other Notable Info: Nude’s focus is their own probiotics (milk based so it isn’t vegan) and replacing traditionally used chemicals with more natural ones. They use some organics, but being organic isn’t their focus.

Check out CosmeticsDatabase.com to find out the safety of your cosmetics and personal care items, and also The Environmental Working Group for cosmetics safety reports.

Professional Skin Care From the L.A. Experts

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What would 2 L.A. based plastic surgeons and a facialist know about skin? A lot actually. Keeping celebs camera-ready in the age of HD and paparazzi (where grocery shopping can turn into an impromptu photo shoot) is the cornerstone of their businesses, so formulating their own lines to get the exact results their clients need is a natural next step for their successful clinics. Here are 3 I’ve tried recently that give celebrity-worthy results to us little people.

Of the few things I sampled from the Kate Somerville line, I was most impressed by her Anti Aging and Acne collection, a totally underrepresented category of skin care. It’s for those who are still experiencing slight to moderate breakouts in their 30′s and beyond where drying the hell out of your face to banish acne isn’t the best option for a youthful skin texture. Her Oil Free Moisturizer balances skin hydration levels carefully so as not to exacerbate oiliness or breakouts and also uses Pepha-Tight, an exclusive skin toner and tightener for a firmer looking face.

Kate Somerville Oil Free Moisturizer

Also worth checking out is her Anti Bac Clearing Lotion, a 5% prescription strength, time-released Benzoyl Peroxide that’s strong enough to wipe out acne but gentle enough to  protect skin from the typically drying and peeling effects some acne fighters cause.

Kate Somerville Anti Bac Clearing Lotion

Dr. Solieman is a double board certified plastic surgeon who developed Jolie MD Metamorphosis to refine lined, blemish-prone, hyper-pigmented, and oily skin into a clearer, more vibrant version of itself. His two step system uses an arsenal of proven ingredients that helps overall skin clarity like Glycolic, Salicylic, Vitamin A, and Whitonyl to name a few. The two light lotions are layered together nightly for a deep down exfoliation revealing the clearer skin you’ve been hiding all this time.

Dr. Garth Fisher is known for his appearances on ‘Extreme Makeover’ as well as the guy who fixed Bruce Jenner’s earlier too-tight face work. Even Kim Kardashian raves about his line, CellCeuticals and says her whole family has been using it since they’ve met him. Extreme Defense is a best-seller because it’s a good-for-all skin protector that targets daily environmental pollutants known to advance skin aging. He uses Vitamins A, C, E, Green Tea, and Vitamin B5 along with Almond and Avocado oils to soften the skin without a heavy cream. His line is straightforward and so effective that he touts visible results in just 2 weeks.

Review: Personal MicroDerm

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I was sent a Personal Microderm kit just a few days before Christmas and was so excited that I used it seconds after I tore it open. I love the results Microdermabrasion can bring and since I’ve been breaking out more than usual lately, a little skin refinement was just what I needed. Instead of reading the instructions which would have encouraged me to use the least abrasive disk for my first use and only make one pass along the skin, I grabbed the coarsest disk (the red ones, luckily not included in the typical starter kit) and went back and forth over and over until my skin was rubbed away. This wasn’t one of my best ideas I’ve had (though probably not among my worst.) I’m surprised my family could eat Christmas dinner sitting across from my wounded, scratched up, ointment-coated face. Oddly, my first reaction was ‘I love this thing.’

So why do I love it? Because it works that well. Incredibly well. Professionally well.

Had I actually read the instructions (or watched the video) I would’ve learned that this thing delivers an unexpectedly professional result that’s to be taken seriously. It does include disks for your first few stages of use to help your skin tolerate the treatments without any irritation so you can build up to more aggressive treatments that break down and sweep away that sluggish top layer of dead skin. After just a few treatments your moisturizer and serums will start penetrate more deeply (so they’ll work better), and your fine lines, brown spots, and acne scaring will fade. You’ll also have a softness and glow to your skin that’s visible.

The kit runs $170 and will pay for itself in just a few uses, typical microderm sessions usually run about $100-$150 a pop. I’m sensing this isn’t one of those things that I’ll be into for a little while then let it collect dust, it’s a treatment I know I’ll use over and over – especially now that I actually understand how to use it while keeping the skin on my face in tact.

Personal MicroDerm

The Best Daytime Moisturizer to Keep Wrinkles Away

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I use a zillion different moisturizers. It’s not that I’m fickle as much as I’m searching (like you) to find the best moisturizer that will somehow give me perfect skin. Though I’m not going to have perfect skin anytime soon, I’m certainly not going to be accumulating anymore damage either. The one moisturizer you should use every single day to ensure you have beautiful, sun spot and wrinkle-free skin is one with a good sunscreen.

If you’re normal to dry:

I used La Roche-Posay Anthelios SPF 15 for years in the past and really liked it, but now I’m pumping up my protection by using this one with a big dose of SPF 40. It’s the ideal cream because it isn’t greasy or cause breakouts, it absorbs quickly and fully without any color or scent. Best of all, it contains Mexoryl, a known sunscreen effectiveness enhancer so your protection lasts all day long.

If you’re normal to oily or have sensitive or troubled skin:

Obagi is a medical grade skin care line sold mostly by physicians. I love their Healthy Skin Protection SPF 35. It’s an approved sunscreen of the Skin Cancer Foundation because of its effectiveness that’s meant to be used on compromised skin. I love the feel of this sunscreen and can wear it daily under makeup and not even notice it’s on.

It may not seem like much, but wearing sunscreen daily will hands down keep wrinkles and spotting away longer than if you didn’t use anything at all. It’s a rare product that’s a guaranteed home run.

La Roche Posay Anthelios

Obagi Healthy Skin Protection SPF 35