Category Archives: Moisturizers

Murad Complete Reform

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Because I have just one face, I often times pair up friends and clients with products I receive so they can give them a try and report back. It’s what I did a few months ago with Murad’s Complete Reform when I met a mother of a bride-to-be who was asking what she could use on her skin to get it ready for her daughter’s big day. She said she noticed a lack of firmness and an overall dullness that was the result of too much sun over the years and hormonal changes.  Fast forward to when I saw her last week at her daughter’s wedding, her skin was glowing as was her review of Complete Reform.

She said she could feel from the very first use that her skin felt tighter (it’s supposed to give an instant ‘lift’ on contact) and with each week she could see the contours of her face a little better and the overall texture of her skin had changed- it was also soft as glass. She was using a lightweight tinted moisturizer instead of heavy makeup and was now on her 2nd bottle.

I love it when products perform as promised! Check out Murad online, or at Sephora.

Best Tinted Moisturizers w SPF, Spring 2011 Edition

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It’s that time of year again when I’m bombarded with tinted moisturizers to review. Over the past few weeks I’ve been in Tinted Moisturizer heaven, sporting a new one every few days. I’ve narrowed this batch down to 5 that I really like which also contain an SPF so you can catch some spring sun safely.

Coola Suncare Mineral Face Tint SPF 20

Coola Suncare makes SPF chic. I wore their Mineral Face Tint SPF 20 all last week. I enjoyed the light-yet-there coverage and faint rose scent. Their formulations are without parabens, phthalates, pertrochemicals, propylene glycol, and gluten. It’s a non-whitening mineral-based formula that uses Zinc and Titanium Dioxide to keep your skin safe. It’s available in just one lighter shade, so if your skin is medium or deep, you’d want to mix it with your current foundation to get the SPF benefit and a shade that matches.

Kate Sommerville SPF 55 Serum Tinted Sunscreen

Kate Sommerville is one of the best-known skin gurus around who sees first hand what happens to skin that has seen too much sun, so her Tinted Sunscreen boasts a huge SPF 55. It’s a surprisingly light formula with a tinge of color suitable for most skin tones, save for the extremes. Complete sun protection like this keeps the skin looking younger longer than if you use no protection at all.

Erno Laszlo Tinted Treatment SPF 15

Tinted Treatment SPF 15 from Erno Laszlo has a coverage and weight similar to Laura Mercier’s iconic formula, which is saying a lot. It settles beautifully into the skin and has 6 shade offerings from Light to Dark.

Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare All-In-One Tinted Moisturizer

To me, All-In-One Tinted Moisturizer is a really pretty foundation that just happens to have SPF 15 protection. Its coverage is surprisingly complete with a finish somewhere in between luminous and flat. 6 shades offered.

Skin 2 Skin Care Tint Anti-Photoaging SPF 30

Tint Anti-Photoaging SPF 30 can be worn as a foundation, but I like using the Tan shade as a moisturizer mix-in to get a pretty bronzy look and some SPF at the same time.  More pigment dense than you’d expect, this formula is also a natural one that uses minerals to block out the sun.

Having SPF in your foundation is an easy way to protect your skin without adding another step. Find a formula you love and stick with it year round, your skin will look younger.

Best Moisturizers for Dry Skin

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Is Vaseline is truly great skin moisturizer? It is according to Dr. Robert Tornambe. He says it maintains the skin’s moisture barrier by locking in water content so it can’t escape thus erasing fine lines caused from dehydration. He also touts Dimethacone and Glycerin as great all-purpose hydrating ingredients found in moisturizers of all price ranges.

Check out the rest of his top performing skin moisturizers HERE

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

For What it’s Worth, I Used a Whole Bottle of…

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Suki Balancing Day Lotion. Sure it took me a while because I would pause use to try out new things to review, but I somehow went back to this unassuming lightweight hydrator every time. The line’s strength is taking the best of nature to formulate an incredibly effective product. They swapped out water as the first standard ingredient for Organic Rose Infusion to give the skin as much nourishment as possible and their polypeptides stem from organic veggies.

You can find it online (below), at Whole Foods, and through select skincare professionals.

Suki Balancing Day Lotion

Best Anti-Aging Skin Care From WebMD.com

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There’s a fantastic article at WebMD about skin aging and what ingredients truly deliver results. You can check out the article HERE, but I’ve highlighted 2 that seem to be the most effective of the bunch; Coffee Berry antioxidants and Peptides.

While Vitamins, C, A, E, Green Tea, and other antioxidants are perhaps the best known, WebMD found studies that suggest Coffee Berry is not only the clear leader in antioxidant effectiveness, but the most powerful anti-aging ingredient around . Priori has created a natural line (and a mineral makeup I love) around Coffeeberry extract. Check out their Day Complex for an A.M. dose of big-time environmental protection.

Also among the darlings of skincare are peptides, a chain of proteins that have been used in studies to promote wound care and stimulate collagen. Now tripeptides are all the rage, an uber-advanced designer peptide that helps to break down aging catalysts while promoting collagen production. The article mentioned Osmotics Anti-Radical Age Defense Barrier Longevity Complex, a Tripeptide packed cream that assists damaged skin on all fronts.

Also mentioned about a bazillion times in their video report – sunscreen, it’s still the very best anti-aging solution to prevent damage to the skin. Use it daly no matter what.