Skin Care

I should probably file this under “too much information,” but beauty isn’t always a pretty subject. Ladies, I’m in the midst of a breakout on my back (aka “bacne”), and it has been totally suck-tacular 1) because the pimples are big and painful, and 2) because I’ve had to skip on all the pretty backless summer tops I’ve wanted to wear during the recent heat wave here in the Bay Area.

Making matters worse — as if that’s even possible — one crop of zits took roost smack dab in the middle of my upper back, at the base of my neck between my shoulder blades, which means they’re within reach and easily scratch-able. I know that scratching ’em constitutes a big, gross no-no, and I’ve resisted the temptation so far, but it hasn’t been easy.

Because I’ve gotten great results from Clinique skin care products in the recent past, I decided to try Clinique’s Acne Solutions Cleansing Bar ($12.50) in place of my go-to back breakout product, Neutrogena’s Body Clear Body Wash. Clinique’s mild cleansing soap bar contains salicylic acid, a popular active ingredient used to prevent and treat breakouts on both the face and body.
[Continue reading…]

I love it when companies make great, affordable beauty products and give some of the proceeds to a worthy cause. A friend of mine recently turned me on to Nubian Heritage Carrot & Pomegranate Lotion ($12), which won my heart not only on the merits of the lotion, but also on the company’s efforts to make the world a better place.

Nubian Heritage, an up-and-coming skincare company specializing in organic products, got its start in 1991 when founders Richelieu Dennis and Nyema Tubman, both friends, immigrated to the United States from their home country of Liberia. The country was in the midst of a terrible civil war at the time.

Dennis comes from a family of soap makers, and, with Tubman’s help, put that background to work selling Nubian Heritage products on the sidewalks of New York City in 1992. The recipes used to make their products date back four generations.

The company has come a long way since those early sidewalk sales. Today, Nubian Heritage has four free-standing stores and offers a full line of body products, including soaps, lotions, scrubs, body washes, lip balms, body butters and hand creams.

When I first saw Nubian Heritage’s Carrot and Pomegranate lotion I assumed it would smell like, well, carrots and pomegranates. Seemed logical, right? I think it smells more like pineapples and flowers, two very appealing scents in their own right. In fact, the carrot and pomegranate in the name refer to two of the main ingredients — carrot seed, for its high vitamin and beta carotene content, and pomegranate, which has been used for thousands of years to treat skin problems.

Without question, it’s a great, highly moisturizing lotion, but the fragrance and the story behind the company are what make it truly exceptional.

Carrot & Pomegranate is one of 10 lotions in the line ($12 for a 13oz bottle; $10 for an 8oz bottle), each designed to treat a different skin condition and to bring about emotional and spiritual balance. Carrot & Pomegranate is the line’s anti-aging wunderkin.

The Other Nubian Heritage Lotions

• African Black Soap Extract Lotion with Oats & Aloe : Contains shea butter, palm ash, plantain peel extract and papaya enzymes. Designed to balance and hydrate acne-prone skin. Has a spicy, woody, unisex scent.
• Coconut and Papaya: Contains coconut oil, shea butter, papaya enzymes and comfrey root. Designed to protect skin against free radicals and to prevent wrinkles and acne. Has a sweet, tropical scent.
• Goat’s Milk and Chai: Contains shea butter, goat milk, chai extract and rose extract. Designed to condition and hydrate sensitive skin. Has a sweet tea and rose scent. Side note: despite my fear of goats, this is the one I want to try next!
• Indian Hemp and Haitian Vetiver Lotion: Contains shea butter, hemp seed oil, neem oil, vetiver and vitamin B5. Designed to balance and comfort skin. Has an herbal, exotic floral scent.
• Lavender and Wildflowers Lotion: Contains shea butter, lavender and wildflowers. Designed to condition skin and to calm the mind and body. Has a sweet, floral, herbal scent.
• Mango Butter: Contains mango butter, shea butter, cocoa butter, avocado butter and aloe vera. Designed to provide maximum hydration for all skin types. Has a fruity, tropical scent.
• NH Man Drive Three Butters: I couldn’t find the list of ingredients for this one, but I’m assuming it smells, well … manly!
• Olive: Contains olive oil, shea butter, avocado butter, green tea and ginseng extract. Designed for deep hydration and to repair environmental damage. Has a sweet, musky floral scent.
• Raw Shea Butter: Contains raw shea butter, soy milk, vitamin E, frankincense and myrrh. Designed to heal chapped, dry skin while promoting mental strength, clarity and balance. Has a spicy scent.

[Continue reading…]

As summer approaches and we leave winter far behind, my skin feels progressively better every day. I find I’m able to replace the thick, heavy-duty creams I rely on in the cold winter months with lighter moisturizers like Clinique’s new Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief, a fantastic face moisturizer half way between a gel and a cream. I can already tell it’s going to be a star in my summertime skin care routine.

Fast acting; not sticky

With the exception of Clinique’s Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion, which breaks me out somethin’ fierce, my skin tolerates Clinique moisturizers very well. Knowing the brand, I wasn’t worried at all about potential pimples when I slathered peachy Moisture Surge Extended Relief all over my face before bed a few nights ago.

Right off the bat I noticed it felt a little lighter and more refreshing than my beloved Clinique Moisture On-line, which I used regularly last fall and winter. Moisture Surge absorbs faster than Moisture On-Line does, is nearly as hydrating and doesn’t leave a sticky residue.

After a couple days of use, my skin was clear and blemish-free, and I’ve been slathering it on at least twice per day — in the morning before applying sunscreen and at night before bed.

Blinding you with science…

According to Clinique, Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief is more moisturizing than the previous version. I’d never used the last version of the product, but now I wish I had.

Rapid temperature and humidity swings wreak havoc on skin. When we leave a heated building and head out into the cold, or enter an air conditioned building on a hot day, our skin works to maintain its moisture balance, and while it’s adjusting to environmental swings, skin will delay its own ability to repair.

Clinique claims that Moisture Surge maintains the natural balance of moisture in skin during environmental shifts, thanks to ingredients like sorbitol, trehalose and glycerin that bind extremely well to water. While in a proper state of moisture balance, skin becomes more receptive to beneficial ingredients and also stays in its optimal repair mode all day long.
[Continue reading…]

Product: Chanel Sublimage Eye Cream
Price: $175 (!) for 0.5 oz jar (!!)
Use: A top-notch eye cream
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B-

I wish I’d known how outrageously expensive Chanel’s Sublimage Eye Cream was before I dipped my paws into the wee sample jar (0.13 oz). For two weeks I’d been gleefully applying it morning and night, impressed by its ability to reduce the appearance of my ever-present dark circles. I was ready to crown it as the stuff of eye cream fantasy when I found out the price.

Brace yourself.

It’s $175! Holy credit card debt, ya’ll!

What a shame, too, because I love this cream. Sublimage moisturizes remarkably well, doesn’t irritate the sensitive skin around my eyes, reduces puffiness and decreases the appearance of my dark circles. Those are the benefits I noticed, but Chanel also claims the cream targets wrinkles, fine lines and helps restore skin’s natural firmness. It’s thick and rich yet absorbs surprisingly well, and I think it smells faintly of vanilla ice cream, yum.

If I were blessed with the power of rhyme (I’m not), I’d write a rap about it and ask Timbaland to make a banging remix that I could dance to all day long. I love this stuff that much. I love it even more than my previous eye cream crush, MAC Moisturelush ($30, 0.5 oz jar), and that’s saying a lot. I feel Chanel’s Sublimage moisturizes as well as (or better than) MAC Moisturelush does but soaks in faster and requires less work to apply.
[Continue reading…]

This week your girl tested (aka played with) three of the products from Dove’s new Go Fresh line. You may have heard about Go Fresh while watching The Hills. In one of last night’s episode’s, Alicia Keys co-stars with two other women in an extended-length commercial — what Dove calls a micro-series.

The Three Go Fresh Fragrances

• Refresh: water lily and fresh mint
• Cool Moisture: cucumber and green tea
• Energize: grapefruit and lemongrass

Far and away, Energize took the cake as my favorite of the Go Fresh fragrances. Dove describes it as “grapefruit and lemongrass.” I could have sworn I picked up more orange, lemon, baby powder and soap, but still — it’s a wonderful scent.

In the interest of beauty science, I road tested three of the Go Fresh family products in the Energize scent last night before and after dance class — Ultimate Clear Invisible Solid deodorant, Beauty Body Wash and the Body Mist. In hindsight, it may not have been a great idea to nighttime test a so-called energizing product, but I expected to be up late anyway (TV time).

Was your friendly neighborhood beauty addict, in fact, energized by Energize?
[Continue reading…]

L’Occitane’s new Ultra Comforting Cleansing Milk doesn’t remove all of my makeup, but it’s one of the most moisturizing cleansers I’ve used in a while.

It’s no-rinse, so you can use it with or without water, and leaves a soothing, moisturizing film. I have sensitive skin, and some moisturizing cleansers I’ve used in the past left my face dry, stripped and tight. L’Occitane got the moisturization part of Cleansing Milk right because after using it my face feels incredibly moisturized and soft to the touch.

Now for the catch: it doesn’t remove all of my foundation and powder, and at $22 for a 6.7oz. bottle, it’s expensive. Because it’s not a great makeup remover, I only use it in the mornings.

I think it’s a better moisturizing cleanser than Cetaphil, but Cetaphil has it beat as far as price (an 8oz. jar of Cetaphil runs about $8) and its ability to remove makeup.

Ultra Comforting Cleansing Milk is one of four products in the Shea & Cotton skin care line, which was formulated by L’Occitane to minimize the risk of allergic reactions for folks with sensitive skin. The products contain minimal ingredients and no perfumes, alcohol, artificial colors or preservatives. L’Occitane also says they’re packaged in a special way to minimize contamination.
[Continue reading…]

When I hear the word “mousse” I think of Bullwinkle, or maybe a creamy chocolate mousse (yum), or perhaps hair mousse, but I don’t think of moisturizing lotions — that is, until now. Introducing Olay Quench Mousse, Olay’s latest entry in the crowded field of body moisturizers.

I usually look for thick, rich body lotions and creams. My first impression of Olay Quench Mousse was that it felt light and fluffy, so I didn’t expect to like it. But ooh la la I did!

I gave it a try after my shower last night. I shook the bottle, squirted a few dots o’ mousse onto my arms and watched in fascination as the dots reacted with air, magically growing into[Continue reading…]