Nov 30, 2009

Open Forum: Winter Skin Care

With the colder weather, heated homes and cars, and the rush of the holiday season, our skin tends to become drier and need a little extra TLC. I find that packing on an emollient cream and letting it soak in for a while, prior to showering, helps reduce some of the dryness. A little extra moisturizer at night also seems to help. Overall, I try to do what I can to keep my skin hydrated.

What are your tips and hints for skin care during winter?

Nov 23, 2009

Armani Crema Nera OMC3 SPF15

Armani's newest skin care product is a new cream in their Crema Nera line. OMC3 is a newer version of their popular, and expensive, Crema Nera.

I received several sample packets and used this product for approximately three days. The texture is fairly light but still a bit thicker than I expected. The scent was also rather strong, but very pleasant, which is something this product has in common with other L'Oreal owned companies including Lancome, Garnier, and numerous others.

I found that is was a bit slow to absorb and sat on my skin until I would use tissue to pat off the excess. This may be, in part, to the sunscreen ingredients. Overall, it is a nice, soothing, cream that may be best for those with drier skin types.

A 1.69 ounce jar, beautifully packaged, is sold at finer department stores for $185.00.

Ingredients: Currently unavailable.

Nov 16, 2009

Arm and Hammer Essentials Natural Deodorant

Arm and Hammer began selling an all natural deodorant several months ago. It is free of the parabens and aluminum of most deodorants. This product is a deodorant, to control odor, not necessarily an anti-perspirant which is meant to prevent wetness.

While it applies smoothly and smells good, it leaves a substantial white powdery residue on clothing. In addition, it is not very effective at controlling odor. It must be reapplied frequently in order to control odor and even then it isn't very effective. While an excellent idea, this product seems to be best for those who do not sweat.

This product is available in scented and unscented versions, a 2.5 ounce container retails for less than $5.00 in most areas.

Fresh Scent Version:
Ingredients: Dipropylene Glycol, Water, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda), Coriandrum Sativum (Coriander) Fruit Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil, Lavandula Hybrida (Lavandula) Oil, Fragrance, Triclosan, Terasodium EDTA, Allantoin.

Nov 9, 2009

Estee Lauder Time Zone Eye Cream

I received a jar of Estee Lauder Time Zone Eye Cream in a gift with purchase set. I bought a bottle of my favorite serum, Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex, and it came with a cosmetic bag of make-up and skin care samples.

This eye cream is very rich but spreads and absorbs extremely well. I like that it is supposed to drastically decrease the look of wrinkles in the eye area and features some of Estee Lauder's newest science. Despite the heaviness of this cream it absorbs extremely quickly and doesn't "feel" heavy on my skin.

However, after using it for just a few days I have developed a few breakouts in the eye area. Granted, my skin is easily broken out, but I was a bit surprised that I would breakout so quickly. I do not have the ingredient list for this product but I wonder if it contains mica which I know causes me breakouts (as does titanium, mineral oil, talc and petrolatum).

Despite my issues with breakouts, this is a wonderful, emollient, eye cream and it seems to moisturize extremely well. The Time Zone products seem to be aimed at those with more mature, drier skin and therefore this may possibly be too heavy for those with oilier skin types. However, as with most Estee Lauder products, this is a great product. If only they would resist using mica in so many things.

A half ounce jar retails for $43.50 on the Estee Lauder website and at Estee Lauder counters at finer department stores.

Ingredients: Currently unavailable

Nov 2, 2009

Avon Solutions Agless Results A.M.

My Mother is a huge fan of Avon Dramatic Firming Cream, so I thought, for her birthday I would get her Avon's new Ageless Results A.M. Day Cream to try and see how it compares.

The jar contains a thick, white cream that spreads fairly well and absorbs quite quickly. The scent is a bit strong but not obnoxious. It feels a bit less greasy than Dramatic Firming Cream which does not have sunscreen. So, far, my Mother has said this is her favorite because she likes how well it absorbs, she loves the scent and also likes that it has peptides.

A 1.7 ounce jar sells for $14.50 on the Avon website or from an Avon representative. Avon frequently has specials on their products such as two-for-one or half off making their products an even better deal.

Avon seems to have come a long way in formulating up to date products with peptides and other potentially beneficial ingredients.

Ingredients: Currently Unavailable