Skin Care

Where my dry skinned girls at??

If your skin is like mine and enters ashy overdrive in fall, you probably need all the moisturizing help you can get. When Mother Nature chills out, and your skin dries out, grab a tube of Bath and Body Works’ new True Blue Spa Shea Cashmere Shower Cream ($15), stat!

New to Bath and Body Works

Part of the new True Blue Spa Shea Cashmere body care line, Shea Cashmere Shower Cream softens and soothes through a combination of moisture-rich shea butter, cashmere extract (think goat hair), and other ingredients. The six-piece collection includes the Shower Cream ($15), as well as a Body Cream ($17.50), Body Lotion ($16.50), Bubble Bath ($18), Hand Cream ($14.50) and Foot Cream ($15).

Weird Consistency but Smells Fab!

The cream’s consistency freaked me out when I first squeezed the tube because it looks just like curdled milk. Eeeew… Good thing it smells better than it looks. In fact, the warm caramel scent reminds me of dulce de leche ice cream.

Immediate Results

Shea Shower Cream forms a very fine foam in the shower rather than lots of big bubbles. It feels kind of like washing your skin with lotion. Immediately after rinsing I felt a difference in the softness of my skin. I toweled off and, after letting my skin dry out for a bit, saw that my skin didn’t look as ashy as before.

Bath and Body Works True Blue Spa Shea Cashmere Shower Cream

Price: $15
Use: A body shower cream to clean, soften and moisturize skin
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+

I’m not abandoning my go-to body wash, Neutrogena Rainbath Shower and Shave, but for the time being Shea Shower Cream rules my shower roost (it’s actually a small ledge above the tub, lol!).

Puppy Love

I’ve been missing Shauna a lot lately. She’s the family’s dog and lives with my folks in the East Bay, so I don’t get to see her very often. I guess that missing her is why I’ve been compelled to snap pictures of every random dog in my ‘hood.

I ran into these two cuties in front of the Safeway across the street as they waited for their person. I love how the one in front looks so serious, like he’s thinking about calculus.

It looks like it’s going to be a crisp and sunny fall day today. I’m going to see if I can squeeze in a quick run before I head to work. Gotta take advantage of the clear weather before it disappears for a while.

Have a fab Wednesday! 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

My skin gets progressively drier as the temperature drops, and I’ve officially entered seasonal hand cream overdrive. My new favorite, L’Occitane’s Lavender Hand Cream ($28), smells divine.

Fast Absorbing, No SPF

It contains moisturizing shea butter, lavender essential oil, rosemary extract and vitamin E, but, unlike Neutrogena Age Shield Hand Cream, my go-to daytime hand cream, L’Occitane Lavender does not contain SPF.

Despite the lack of sun protection, I dig how quickly it absorbs (and doesn’t leave my hands feeling greasy), despite its thick consistency, and feel that it’s fantastic for use at night.

Relaxing Lavender Scent

I’ve made Lavender Hand Cream part of my nightly ritual. Sometimes I have trubs getting restful sleep, so I try to do things to signal to my body when it’s time to go to bed, like turning off the computer an hour before bedtime (LOL, this one is so hard!) and sipping chamomile tea.

L’Occitane’s subtle lavender and powder fragrance definitely helps me unwind. In bed I massage a bead the size of a jelly bean into my hands and wrists and let the scent soothe me to sleep.

Pricey, but a Little Goes a Long Way

L’Occitane’s Lavender Hand Cream might not be as budget-friendly as many drugstore hand creams like $6 Neutrogena Age Shield Hand Cream, but the 5.2-oz tube should last a while. It’s a luxurious nighttime indulgence, and in today’s busy world we need all the help we can get.

L’Occitane Lavender Hand Cream

Price: $28 for a large 5.2-oz tube
Use: A moisturizing hand cream with a soothing lavender scent; contains no SPF
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

I wanted to make this a productive weekend, but so far I’ve just fooled around, gahhh! I better get on the ball here before it’s too late. That laundry ain’t gonna do itself! 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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I was wandering around the bath section in Anthropologie yesterday when I spotted this odd-looking orange tube.

I thought it was candy from afar, but it’s actually Yu Be Moisturizing Cream ($15 for 1.25 oz) from Japan. It totally looks like something I’d find on a dusty shelf at Long’s Drugstore in Hawaii (NOTE: Long’s carries lots of interesting Asian beauty brands). It kinda looked out of place amongst the girly, froo-froo bath products at Anthropologie.

Yu Be is a glycerin-based moisturizing cream packed with vitamins E, B2 and camphor (stinky!). It’s used to treat split cuticles, chapped lips, cracked heels, calluses burns and severe dry skin.

According to the company history printed on the back, Yu Be’s been around since the late 1950s.

“World-class mountain climbers from Japan use it moisturize and protect their skin from the extreme cold and wind on expeditions to the summit of Mt. Everest.”

If it’s good enough for extreme climbers, it’s gotta be good enough for me, right?

I don’t know… I’ve got some hella dry alligator skin and crusty cuticles. 🙂
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I’d fight a hungry runway model for my tube of $6 Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Age Shield Hand Cream.

Lightly scented (like flowers and soap), this drugstore steal-of-a-deal will sure come in handy this fall and winter when my paws are crazy dry.

Despite how rich it feels, it doesn’t leave a greasy film, for which it earns big props from me — there are few things I hate more than hand creams that leave a slippery residue.

Neutrogena also outfitted Age Shield Hand Cream with full-spectrum SPF 30 sun protection.

A dime-sized dollop thoroughly treats both of my hands and cuticles. The cream absorbs quickly, too, perfect for quick applications when you’re out and about. This isn’t one of those creams you’ll have to spend 10 minutes massaging into your hands, looking like a criminal mastermind plotting world domination!

I’ve been using this on my hands for about week now, and even in that brief time I think my hands look less rough than they did. The fines lines in the creases between my fingers are less noticeable than they were. I can’t comment on the cream’s ability to treat age spots, though, because I don’t have any on my hands.

Neutrogena Age Shield Hand Cream provides long-lasting protection from both UVA and UVB rays, those responsible for up to 90% of the signs of premature aging. According to Neutrogena, it’s clinically shown to improve the overall age impression of hands in just four weeks (I noticed a difference in one).

Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Age Shield Hand Cream improves what ages the look of hands most — roughness, age spots and fine lines.

I’m officially sold on Neutrogena Age Shield Hand Cream and ceremoniously plopped a tube into my big ole’ purse.

One thing I would change about the product is the screw-on cap. I wish it had a twist cap like Lippman’s Rich Girl Hand Cream. I get the feeling I might lose the screw cap in my bottomless purse.
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I’ve always tried to take care of my skin, applying sunscreen every day and moisturizing on a regular basis, but I haven’t always been good about taking care of the skin on my neck.

Lotions tend to make my neck feel sticky (I can’t stand that feeling!), but I don’t want to end up with wrinkled turkey neck. I’ve tested different moisturizers over the years and finally found one that doesn’t cause sticky neck: Olay Definity Deep Penetrating Foaming Moisturizer ($29).

It’s a quick absorbing mousse like Olay Quench Mousse body moisturizer and feels light as air. But most importantly for me, it doesn’t leave a gross, sticky film when I use it on my neck.

The bottle says it contains a glucosamine complex “…to allow the natural rebuilding of skin’s collagen structure and diminish the appearance of discolorations like dullness and brown spots.”

I put it to the test.

Each day for a month I applied Olay Definity Deep Penetrating Foaming Moisturizer (say that five times fast!) to my neck, shoulders and collar bone area in the morning and at night before bed. Not only have I noticed softer skin, but my skin tone appears more even than it was before the test. I used to have a few slightly discolored patches on my neck and shoulders, but now those patches are gone.

I was so happy with the results on my neck that I tried using it on my face. Unfortunately, I think that’s where my luck ran out. My cheeks and forehead are prone to breakouts, and they didn’t like Definity very much. After a few days I broke out in tiny pimples.

So, I’ll stick to using it on my neck, shoulders and collar bone area. No problem. I’m so glad I’m fully moisturized and don’t have a sticky neck! 🙂

Yep, $29 is a bit steep, but it only takes a small dab the size of a gum ball to cover a large area. That makes the price a little easier to stomach.

Olay Definity Deep Penetrating Foaming Moisturizer

Price: $29
Use: As a neck and/or facial moisturizer
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

If you like to shop online, I just found it on sale at drugstore.com for $20!

Daily Photo

It was hotter than hades here today, so Tabs decided to kick it old school with me indoors. Here’s his striped butt relaxing on my writing chair, which, coincidentally, sits right in front of the fan.

Smart cat. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Pimples, meet your match! Clean & Clear’s Soft In-Shower Facial ($7) kicks clogged pores to the curb, quickly, and on the cheap.

I’ve been using this stuff for about two weeks now, and the results have been akin to watching a shirtless Jack Black run around in stained tighty whities — gross, yet awesome at the same time.

The company claims In-Shower Facial does double duty, thoroughly cleaning the skin with exfoliating grains and alpha hydroxy (glycolic) acids while moisturizing at the same time. I call this stuff magic in a bottle because it actually lives up to the claims. All kidding aside, my skin looked clearer and felt softer immediately after using it.

Immediate Results

Over the weekend, a gang of tiny pimples set up shop on my chin. I used In-Shower Facial on Monday, and by this morning the three baddest members of the gang had all but disappeared — and this was without a secondary acne treatment. Purified pores was what I wanted, and that’s exactly what I got.

I’ve had to exercise restraint because I get really tempted to pop my pimples. Yup, gross. So far I’ve resisted the urge.

To treat mild to moderate breakouts, I also like Clean & Clear Advantage Acne Spot Treatment, applied once in the morning and once at night.

Fast and Cheap… But In a Good Way

Not only does In-Shower Facial make quick work of small pimples, it’s quick and easy to use. I followed the simple directions on the back of the tube, using the treatment in place of my regular cleanser while in the shower. I slathered a layer of the powder-scented paste onto my face (avoiding my eyes), waited a minute, massaged my skin gently to exfoliate, and then rinsed. The paste warms a little as it’s rubbed on the skin. I think it feels nice.
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Like Swiss timing, Chanel is all about precision … the new Precision line of facial cleansers and toners, that is. Have you given ’em a sniff yet? With a fresh floral scent, a hefty price tag and minimalist, elegant packaging, they’re a lovely, indulgent way to clean your purty face.

Tulip Tree extract is the star ingredient. The Chanel marketing folks claim it protects skin from air pollution, something those of us living near cities can appreciate. Within the Precision line are products targeting three skin types, ranging from Balance for normal skin, Purity for oily skin and Comfort for dry and sensitive skin types.

I have dry skin, and to deal with it I’ve been using Creamy Cleansing Milk from the Chanel Precision Comfort range ($45). I haven’t yet used any of the other products from the Precision line, but Creamy Cleansing Milk compares favorably to Philosophy’s Purity Made Simple, probably my all around favorite facial cleanser of all time.
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