Skin Care

At Bliss the other day, my friend Jen insisted that I pick up a bottle of her holy grail eye makeup remover, Bliss Lid+Lash Wash ($14).

Infused with soothing chamomile extract, it’s a gentle, no-rinse gel makeup remover for erasing makeup from the eyelid, lash and lip area. I’ve been using it for a couple days now and can see why Jen’s obsessed.

The oil-free formula removes everything — even waterproof makeup! — and does it fast, without stripping my skin or stinging my eyes. I’ve noticed that after using it my eyes look less puffy, too. I wonder if that’s the chamomile extract at work, hmm…

Bliss Lid+Lash Wash

Price: $14 for a 4.2-oz bottle
Use: An oil-free, non-irritating gel makeup remover for eyes and lips
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+

I like that it’s a gel. The consistency keeps it from spilling all over the place, and I can even see myself using this in cramped quarters.

The best part is the price! It costs half as much as Decleor Eye Makeup Remover Gel ($28), an effective but much more expensive gel makeup remover that I’d been lovin’ on until Jen suggested this. Yay for saving moolah!

Viva la vino

Yesterday El Hub and I drove the 40 miles north to Napa Valley to celebrate our third wedding anniversary with a few hours of wine tasting and walking around. We stopped to have lunch in Yountville, one of the small towns up there, at a place called Bistro Jeanty.
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I tend to get stressed out and sometimes have trouble relaxing or falling asleep at night. To help me unwind before bed, I rely on a few time-tested bedtime rituals, like massaging foot cream on my tootsies while watching cheesy reality TV.

Lately, I’ve been treating my dogs to the new Clarins Foot Beauty Treatment Cream ($25).

Clarins designed it to tackle multiple foot issues (ala dry skin, foot perspiration, brittle toenails and foot swelling) and infused the cream with plant-derived ingredients like virgin cashew nut oil, shea butter, arnica (an herb from the sunflower family) and myrrh (a dried tree sap).

The Clarins massage method

The product comes with step-by-step instructions — massage techniques for use with the cream — that involve pressure points to increase circulation and promote relaxation.

Slight tingle

I’ve been using the cream and Clarins massage method off and on for about a week and a half so far, and I’m hooked on the slight tingling sensation caused by the product — like my muscles are letting go of my tension. The tingle lasts for about two hours and fades gradually. If nothing else, the sensation is distinctive enough that it distracts my mind and helps me relax.

Moisturizing texture?

I have dry feet, especially the skin on my heels, but applying the cream at night before bed definitely makes them feel softer the following morning.

The texture absorbs quickly and feels thick like a body butter (but it isn’t oily or greasy). I wonder if it’s on account of the shea butter, which Clarins says contains a high amount of unsaponifiables, oils and waxes that moisturize and condition the skin.

I’m also a big fan of the fragrance. It’s light (as it probably should be for this kind of product), like carnations and mint tea. 🙂

Clarins Foot Beauty Treatment Cream

Price: $25 for a 4-oz tube
Use: A luxurious (read: expensive) and highly moisturizing foot cream
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B+

You might like Clarins Foot Beauty Treatment Cream if…

1. you’re a Clarins fan and don’t mind paying top dollar,
2. you’re overstressed and looking for a way to unwind,
3. you’re on your feet a lot.

CHEESY RHYME ALERT: Clarins Foot Beauty Treatment is an expensive treat and a very good way to be kind to your feet. 🙂

Drugstore alternative

I’ve used a handful of drugstore foot creams but have yet to find one with the same tingly sensation I get with Clarins Foot Beauty. If you can live without the tingle, then check out Sally Hansen 18-Hour Cracked Heel Cream ($6). I just saw it on sale at Walgreens for $4!

Bliss

I really enjoyed SF’s Bliss spa yesterday, particularly the Deep Sea Detox Wrap. Talk about relaxing, although it would have been bizarre to see…
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Ah, the nuances of Bay Area slang. A few years ago I felt like I couldn’t get away from the phrase “that’s hella tight” (code for “that’s cool”). Everybody and their mother was saying it, including mine. Once, Mom and I were at Macy’s looking at China patterns when she said, “Ohhh, Karen… those Lenox patterns are hella tight!” LOL!

I recently resurrected the phrase, but only in the most literal sense. I’ve been using a new cream, Korres Materia Herba Moisturizing Eye Cream Anti-Dark Circles ($36), on my under-eye area. Designed to de-puff and lighten dark circles over time, it tightens the skin around my eyes like crazy.

Hella tight, indeed.

Tightens skin

Within seconds I can feel the skin under my eyes tightening up. The area even looks a little less puffy and feels tighter, and that was a nice surprise.

Not a dark circle treatment

But Materia Herba Eye Cream isn’t billed as a tightening cream; rather, it’s marketed as a treatment for dark circles.

After using it for three weeks I haven’t seen a significant decrease in my dark circles, but honestly that doesn’t surprise me. I’ve never had success with dark circle removal eye creams in the past, and I just keep trying them because I hope to someday find one that actually works.

Moderately hydrating, kinda pricey

The $36 price tag seems typical, if not a little pricey, for what you get. Price-wise it’s about average for a moderately moisturizing department store eye cream.

I found myself wanting a little more hydration, but I have very dry skin under my eyes. Girls with normal to oily skin under their eyes may not find themselves wanting more.

Texture, scent and packaging

I really like the texture, scent and packaging. It’s an odorless cream that absorbs quickly and doesn’t leave an oily film on my skin. I like that it comes in a tube dispenser, too, because with this I’d rather not have to dip my fingers into a jar.

One of nine products in the Materia Herba line

Korres may not have a home run on its hands with the eye cream, but I like their overall approach to beauty products. Moisturizing Eye Cream Anti-Dark Circles is one of nine products in Korres’ new Materia Herba line of face moisturizers and cleansers.

All of the products in the line are certified organic and, according to Korres, manufactured using a sustainable process and mostly renewable resources. Plus, the products are made without parabens or harsh chemicals.

I think I want to try the Materia Herba Nourishing Night Cream For All Skin ($46), but it sure would be a splurge. I’d be all over it at $26.

While I like the way Materia Herba Eye Cream feels and love the tightening effect, I don’t think it’s my dark circle remover extraordinaire. But if what you’re mostly looking for is a moderately moisturizing under-eye cream that tightens the skin, it may be worth a try. 🙂

Alternative eye cream

If you, too, have dry skin under your eyes and wouldn’t mind a cheaper alternative, consider American Beauty’s Beauty Boost Overnight Radiance Eye Cream ($26, now on sale for $20). It’s rich, moisturizing and absorbs quickly. Of course, like Materia Herba’s cream it doesn’t do a whole lot for under-eye circles, but c’est la vie!

Korres Materia Herba Moisturizing Eye Cream Anti-Dark Circles

Price: $36 for .51 oz tube
Use: A moderately hydrating eye cream that tightens skin like a mofo
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B-

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Ever since my allergies kicked into high gear a few weeks ago, my eyes have been a sensitive mess. Even my old standby makeup remover, Lancome Bi-Facil, which never used to bother my eyes, has been bringing me to tears.

I’ve been looking for a makeup remover that won’t bother my peepers, ideally one able to remove waterproof makeup, and last week I started using Decleor’s Eye Make-Up Remover Gel ($28) for sensitive eyes.

It’s a watery gel with a thin consistency, neither sticky nor greasy, and it smells lightly of chamomile. To use it I soak a cotton ball and then gently wipe at the makeup around my eyes.

First, it works, removing everything — even waterproof mascara. Second, it doesn’t bug my eyes.

I’ve been using it for about a week, and I think my lids already look a little less puffy.

Something else — the skin around my eyes feels hydrated after using Decleor, not stripped of moisture. At $28, it costs a little more than Lancome Bi-Facil ($24), but it works, and my ultra-sensitive eyes don’t complain. That makes the price easier to bear.

Decleor Eye Make-Up Remover Gel

Price: $28 for a 5-oz bottle
Use: A chamomile-scented eye makeup remover for super sensitive eyes and skin
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B+

You might like Decleor Eye Make-Up Remover Gel if…

1. your eyes protest a lot of other makeup removers,
2. you’re on the market for something able to remove waterproof mascara, or
3. you’re comfortable spending top dollar to try something new.

Man in the mirror

Holy crap! Can you believe MJ’s gone? And Farrah Fawcett too?

MJ’s music was such a huge part of my childhood… It’s the end of an era. I’ve been moonwalking around the apartment and singing Man in the Mirror all afternoon.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Summer just isn’t summer for me without my bottle of Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse OR ($67) dry oil spray.

For years I’ve used this moisturizing dry oil spray to make my arms, shoulders and legs shimmer and glow.

Not only do I love the way it smells — like almonds and honey — but the ultra fine golden flecks never rub off on my clothes. That, and the oil never leaves my skin feeling slick or greasy.

It’s one of my favorite ways to accessorize a strapless dress (or anything else that shows some skin).

This summer, to commemorate the product’s tenth anniversary, Nuxe doubled the size of the regular 50-ml bottles to 100 and — get ready to be blinded with science — added a spray pump, LOL!

It normally comes with a plastic stopper, the kind with a small hole to dispense the product.

The stopper works fine but takes more effort to use…

How lazy am I? 🙂

First I’d have to shake product into my palms, rub them together and then apply. Yah, so tough.

The spray top’s just a packaging change, but I think it equals a big improvement. The mist covers a large area, making the product much faster and easier to apply. Just mist, rub and go.

Added bonus? The spray never clogs, and even works upside down — love that!

A bottle should last through at least a couple summers (maybe more)… so even though it’s not cheap, it’s almost a long-term investment.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Want to show off your abs o’ steel? Skin misted with Huile Prodigieuse is the hotness when paired with a white bikini!