Skin Care

Boscia MakeUp-BreakUp Cool Cleansing Oil May Not Remove It All

November 27th, 2010 by Karen 35 Comments

Oil: It’s not just for deep frying and cars

I would love to hug the genius/sadist who, one fateful, oil-slicked day, threw that first potato into a vat of boiling oil. Buddy, I’d like to shake your greasy hand. 🙂

Mmm, fries…

But oil’s not just for cars and deep frying. Companies have been pushing cleansing oils for years, and skin care lines like Shu Uemura and Decleor even sell them as specialized makeup removers (on the premise that oil attracts oil).

Boscia has one, too. Their MakeUp-BreakUp Cool Cleansing Oil will set you back $26 for a 5-fl. oz. bottle. The preservative-free, non-comedogenic cleansing oil is made from eucalyptus, rose hip, green tea, jojoba and golden palm oils (among other things; check out the full list of ingredients in the bottom pic), and the company claims it’s good for all skin types and cruelty-free.

I’d been using it for about a week when it came time to pack for Hawaii. The question was: would it stay or would it go?

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A Look at Two Products from the Clinique Redness Solutions Line

November 25th, 2010 by Karen 13 Comments

Written by OIga

Could Clinique’s Redness Solutions line be the solution to mild rosacea? See what Olga has to say about it in today’s special Thanksgiving Day guest post. 🙂

The Clinique Redness Solutions Line

Having suffered from mild rosacea for a few years, I am always on the lookout for products to conceal the redness on my face without making it look like it has been dipped in pancake mix. This time that search led me to two makeup products from the Redness Solutions line by Clinique: the Targeted Corrector and the Instant Relief Mineral Powder.

Despite the way these two are advertized (helps skin “keep its cool” and reduces redness on contact) they do not reduce redness (at least, not on my skin); they merely conceal it. Good enough for me, so let’s get on with the review. 🙂

Redness Solutions Targeted Corrector

Clinique Targeted Redness Corrector

Before corrector (left) and after (right)

This is a yellow concealer pen with a thick, pasty consistency. It’s pretty dry, so I would avoid using it on the undereye area (luckily, this is the only part of my face that never gets red and bumpy like the rest!). The best part about this corrector is the great coverage it provides — I have tried it both with and without foundation, and the redness was covered up pretty much completely in both cases.
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Should You Say Yes To These Yes To Cucumbers Facial Towelettes?

November 24th, 2010 by Karen 39 Comments

yes to cucumbers facial towelettes review

I experienced what can only be described as a euphoric scent-sory experience the other day with a Yes to Cucumbers Facial Towelette ($6 for a pack of 30). El Hub walked in on me while I was holding one of them up to my nose and breathing deeply (smells like those cucumber water drinks you get at a fancy shamncy spas). I must have looked like Gollum from Middle Earth, cradling my little precious…

These softer-than-soft wipes are the latest additions to the Yes To ______ line of organic eco-friendly skin and hair products.

I think the company’s pretty cool, especially when they release something I really like.

The biodegradable cloths say “yes to” removing face and eye makeup without the need for water, but with the help of skin softening cucumber, aloe vera and exfoliating minerals collected from the Dead Sea.

Soft, they are, but they’re still able to cut through foundation, powder, blush and lipstick with ease. Eye makeup, however, is another story. I find myself having to use a second wipe to remove eyeshadow, liner and mascara, and, to take care of waterproof stuff, I give it a little help from Bliss Lid + Lash.

yes to cucumbers facial towelettes review wipe that smile on your face
Cute!
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STEAMCREAM Will Steamroll Your Dry Skin Away

November 21st, 2010 by Karen 28 Comments

STEAMCREAM, a relatively new company that just made its way over to the U.S. this fall, launched first in Japan back in 2007. It’s been building up steam ever since, zipping from Japan over to the U.K., and now over to us here.

Their entire catalog consists of one product — an $18 face, body and hand moisturizer made with what they call their “steam-infused manufacturing process.”

We use STEAM during the manufacturing process to bind ingredients together in a process called emulsification… STEAMCREAM’s emulsion is held together very loosely allowing each ingredient to break down to its purest form on contact with the skin for maximum moisturization.

The product, which is vegan as well as cruelty-free, comes in a cute 2.6-oz. collectible tin, so it’s also TSA approved. Being collectible, the tin comes in different designs, and the one I have is called Kaleidoscope.

The very first item on the ingredient list is oatmeal, known for its soothing and hydrating properties, but there are also parabens listed among the natural and plant-derived compounds, which I find a little odd. I guess they couldn’t figure out a way to leave ’em out. For what it’s worth, they appear way down at the bottom of the list, which should imply they’re here in low quantities.

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My Skin Is Thirsty for Korres Milk Proteins Foaming Cream Cleanser

November 19th, 2010 by Karen 33 Comments

Written by Vonnie

Blogger Vonnie’s quest to find the best face wash brought her to the subject of today’s guest post, a fabulous foaming force for good. 🙂

Look at that Clarisonic!

I’m somewhat like Goldilocks when it comes to face washes: this one is too foamy and dries out my skin, this one isn’t foamy enough (hellllo, are you there face wash? It’s me, Vonnie!), and, ahhh, the holy grail — this one is JUST RIGHT!

Well, I wanted to share my just right face wash with you all: Korres Milk Proteins Foaming Cream Cleanser ($21).

Seriously, this is lush stuff! It starts as a cream in its hygienic bottle, but once squeezed out and mixed with water, it turns into a soft foam. There’s none of that tight skin feel after washing with this, and my skin feels soft DURING the wash as well as after!

I don’t know about the cleansers you’ve used, but with lots of the ones I’ve used my skin can feel like it’s trying to give me an impromptu facelift with how tight it can get! Not the case here. 🙂

I use my Clarisonic Face Brush with it because I find that the brush makes every face washing feel like a trip to the spa. Not to mention, I’m a frequent makeup wearer, and no matter which makeup remover or wipes I use, there’s always brown (foundation) on the brush’s head afterward, so obviously it’s giving me a deep cleanse and washing away the residue that I had no clue was even there!

Goop
See how clean this Clarisonic looks here?

What it removes
You can see from the change in color what the Clarisonic/Korres combo removed…
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I Gotta Hand It to the Tocca Crema Mani Cream Viaggio Set

November 18th, 2010 by Karen 25 Comments

tocca hand cream viaggio review

Ladies, as you know, I Tocca pretty product packaging very seriously. Remember the cute-as-all-heck minis in the Tocca Eau de Parfum Viaggio Set ($45)? Well, Tocca’s back, this time with an adorable trio of matching hand creams in the very same scents (for more on the scents, click here).

The 2-fl. oz. tubes are a perfect travel size and fit snugly in my tiniest purse. The one called Cleopatra is scented with notes of grapefurit and cucumber, Stella with blood orange, and Florence with English Rose. All of them contain moisturizing compounds and extracts like coconut oil, shea butter and aloe.

tocca hand cream viaggio review

tocca hand cream viaggio review
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Well, Hello, Weleda Pomegranate Regenerating Body Care Kit! You’ve Put Me in a Holiday Mood

November 2nd, 2010 by Karen 25 Comments

weleda pomegranate regenerating body care kit

Weleda Pomegranate Regenerating Body Care Kit ($10) smells just like a holiday party! Some may find the fragrant three-piece body care kit a little too eau de potpourri, but for the most part I like it.

The limited edition set, with products scented with a blend of apple cider, cinnamon, orange and pomegranate fragrances, comes with wee portions of Weleda’s Pomegranate Hand Cream, Body Wash and Body Oil from their Pomegranate Body Care Collection. They’re designed to target aging skin (doesn’t all skin age?), and the small tubes contain just enough product for about three to five uses each.

Now, these are perfect for dry winter skin. The Creamy Body Wash moisturizes more like a lotion than a sudsy wash, while the Body Oil feels thick and luxurious (my shins and feet it). As for the Hand Cream, it leaves my paws a little greasy, but I can live with that since it also leaves them baby soft.

I’d seen the line, which has been around since 1921, at Whole Foods and Target a bunch of times but just never got around to picking it up. Now I wish I’d tried it sooner!

They’re all about flowers and herbs and made sans pesticides or other harsh chemicals. From what I’ve seen of the ingredients and considering the reasonable price, I’m impressed. All three items in the set contain plant oils and extracts up high on their ingredient lists.

weleda pomegranate regenerating body care kit

weleda pomegranate regenerating body care kit box
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The Buzz on Burt’s Bees Holiday Kits at Target

October 31st, 2010 by Karen 26 Comments

I was at Target today buying Halloween candy when I stumbled on these cute holiday kits from Burt’s Bees. There’s a whole bunch of them for lips, body, hands and nails, ranging from $14.99-19.99. Some even come with little purses, too.

Ahh, the temptation! I want the $19.99 manicure set. It comes with a jar of Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Cream, Cuticle Cream, a lip balm and a little purse.

But for some reason I feel like I should be starting to think about holiday shopping for other people and not getting any of these for myself…which is bizarre because it’s only Halloween. I’ve already been seeing Christmas decorations all over the place. Target had a small but growing Christmas area. Can you believe it? Before Halloween? I guess they couldn’t wait for Thanksgiving this year.

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