Estee Lauder Good Skin and Grassroots

It seems the original Good Skin and Grassroots products launched by Estee Lauder's Beauty Bank division and sold exclusively in Kohl's stores has been discontinued in favor of a few new products. Good Skin is the Clinique equivalent at Kohl's and offered a variety of really amazing products. Grassroots is the Origins or Aveda version offering more natural sounding products.

While it was a great idea for Estee Lauder to offer many amazing and affordable products in a store such as Kohl's the displays are often not tidy and the products are difficult to get out of the displays. Overall the appeal of the beauty department at Kohl's is not ideal because it isn't kept neat and clean. Perhaps this turned some customers off who are more use to the elegant displays at higher-end department stores.

Good Skin Tri-Aktiline Total Face & Grassroots Bamboo Leaf

Estee Lauder's Beauty Bank division which sells products at Kohl's is launching two new products. Goodskin has launched their Tri-Aktiline Total Face Instant Line Reducing Moisturizer which sounds very similar to the Estee Lauder brand Time Zone. It is meant to be used with the Tri-Aktiline Instant Deep Wrinkle Filler. The brand new Good Skin website is now at: http://www.goodskinlabs.com/

Grassroots is launching Bamboo Leaf Ultra Soothing Anti-Redness Cream which sounds similar to the Clinique Redness Solutions Daily Relief Cream. This cream is unscented and seems to have many soothing ingredients. It appears Grassroots has discontinued many of their products and are replacing them with new ones under the Grassroots Research Labs name. They recently added a Pomegranate Super Anti-Oxidant Cream and Pomegranate Overnight Recovery Serum as well as Blue Algae Enriched Firming face and eye creams. The new Grassroots website is: http://www.grassrootsresearchlabs.com/

I am eager to try both and see what sort of ingredients they contain. Estee Lauder seems to be ahead of the curve when it comes to formulating excellent skin care products featuring the newest in science.

Grassroots Research Labs Blue Algae Enriched Firming Cream

Grassroots is a product line sold exclusively at Kohl's department stores and is manufactured by Estee Lauder under their Beauty Bank division. Think Origins or Aveda as far as marketing goes for this product line.

Grassroots has recently launched several new products under the Grassroots Research Labs banner. These new products are more expensive than the orginal Grassroots products.

The Grassroots Research Labs Blue Algae Enriched Firming Cream is a wonderful product. The scent is slightly herbal but extremely light and barely noticeable. The texture is sort of a gel/lotion that dries to a velvety, powdery, soft finish. It isn't greasy like a lot of other Estee Lauder creams. I really think I can feel it "firming" my skin. It also seems very similar to Creme de La Mer's recent gel moisturizer, which I really like, but as you know La Mer costs substantially more.

According to the Grassroots website... "This refreshingly, lightweight gel-cream delivers nutrients and moisture to parched skin on contact to hydrate, tighten and firm skin for a more youthful appearance.

• immediately: 66% increase in skin's moisture level.
• after 4 weeks: 45% of subjects saw firmer skin.
•skin is firmer, more lifted and natural collagen production is increased (an effect which helps diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles)."

The only thing that would this cream perfect in my book is the addition of chemical sunscreens and if they packaged it in a tube instead of a jar. A matching serum would also be nice. Another issue I have with it is the fact that it balls up if I touch my face after application. I've had the same issue with other high silicone content creams. Some people may not have this problem, however, and it may be caused in part to me layering other products with it.

This product is light enough that I use it over my Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair serum and under my Mastey de Paris Moiste Facial Moisturizer.

A 1.7 ounce jar retails for $32.50 at Kohl's department stores or online from Kohl's.

Ingredients: WATER\AQUA\EAU**, STEARYL DIMETHICONE , DIMETHICONE , BUTYLENE GLYCOL , ALOE BARBADENSIS LEAF JUICE , GLYCERIN , AMMONIUM ACRYLOYLDIMETHYLTAURATE/VP COPOLYMER , CITRUS MEDICA LIMONUM (LEMON) PEEL*, OCIMUM BASILICUM (BASIL) OIL*, CARUM PETROSELINUM (PARSLEY) SEED OIL*, PRUNUS AMYGDALUS DULCIS (SWEET ALMOND) OIL*, CUCUMIS SATIVUS (CUCUMBER) OIL*, FERULA GALBANIFLUA (GALBANUM) RESIN OIL*, FUCUS VESICULOSUS EXTRACT, VIOLA ODORATA (VIOLET) EXTRACT, ABIES BALSAMEA (BALSAM CANADA) RESIN, LIMONENE , SPIRULINA MAXIMA EXTRACT , ASCOPHYLLUM NODOSUM EXTRACT , ALTEROMONAS FERMENT EXTRACT , CHLORELLA VULGARIS EXTRACT , ACRYLAMIDE/SODIUM ACRYLOYLDIMETHYLTAURATE COPOLYMER , ALGAE EXTRACT , TRITICUM VULGARE (WHEAT) PROTEIN , ASPARAGOPSIS ARMATA EXTRACT , SUCROSE , TREHALOSE , HYDROLYZED YEAST PROTEIN , GLYCINE SOJA (SOYBEAN) PROTEIN , SORBITOL , TOCOPHERYL ACETATE , ISOHEXADECANE , OLETH-10 , PALMITOYL OLIGOPEPTIDE , CAFFEINE , TROMETHAMINE , CARBOMER , GLYCERYL POLYMETHACRYLATE , SODIUM HYALURONATE , POLYSORBATE 80 , HYDROGENATED LECITHIN , PENTYLENE GLYCOL , PEG-8 , DISODIUM EDTA , POTASSIUM SORBATE , PHENOXYETHANOL.
* ESSENTIAL OIL
**HAWAIIAN DEEP SEA WATER

Grassroots Happily Ever After Moisture Cream SPF15

I first tried Grassroots Happily Ever After Moisture Cream SPF15 two years ago when I was given two generously sized sample tubes of the product. I was eager to try this product because of the fact it contains a lot of natural ingredients.

Grassroots is very similar to Aveda and Origins products and all three are owned by cosmetics powerhouse Estee Lauder. This product seems to be very similiar to Origins Have a Nice Day Super Charged Moisture Cream SPF 15.

According to Grassroots Happily Ever After is... "A mega moisture cream packed with a powerful blend of eight anti-oxidants, skin soothers and SPF 15 to protect, firm, and hydrate thirsty skin."

The first thing I noticed about this product was that it is thick and smells great. The scent is in the citrus family and while delicate does linger. The texture of this cream is slightly oil, like most moisturizers, especially those containing sunscreen. It spreads easily, however; I find that it does not absorb very well and instead sort of feels like it sits upon the skin. It also seemed to cause me breakouts. I used this several times when I was going to be outside for an extended period of time on hot days and it would irritate my eyes when I perspired. Sunscreen needs to be applied to the entire face and thus because it would migrate when I perspired I could not use it on my forehead at all or it would end up getting in my eyes and really irritating them.

Another concern of mine is the use of essential oils. A lot has been written about certain essential oils causing sensitivity among other issues. While some may be perfectly safe to use, others, I have read can cause the skin all sorts of problems and this tends to keep me away from them. Mint, Camphor and Orange being among those I try to avoid. Natural doesn't always mean better. Good Skin, another Estee Lauder product line also sold at Kohl's, offers sunscreens that are fragrance free and do not contain essentail oils. Mastey de Paris has Moiste Facial Moisturizer SPF15 (Which is what I use everyday and love) as well as SunBloc which is their moisturizing sunscreen.

Happily Ever After is very similar to other Lauder products, it contains vitamins, antioxidants, humectants, peptides and other ingredients that are helpful to the skin. If it weren't for the essential oils this might rate higher on my list. This cream also contains silicone which may cause breakouts in some individuals.

Grassroots Happily Ever After Moisture Cream SPF15 is sold in a jar, contains 1.7 ounces and sells for $18.00 at Kohl's.

Ingredients: Octinoxate 7.5%, Octisalate 5.0%, Avobenzone 3.0%. Water, Butylene Glycol, Methylheptyl Isostearate, Pentylene Glycol, Stearyl Alcohol, Peg-100 Stearate, Citrus Tangerine (Tangerine) Essential Oil, Menthe Arvensis (Wild Mint) Leaf Essential Oil, Litsea Cubeba Fruit Essential Oil, Citral Essential Oil, Linalool Essential Oil, Limonene Essential Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Essential Oil, Cinnamomum Camphora (Camphor), Grapeseed Extract, Dimethicone, Rosemary Extract, Ascorbyl Tocopheryl Maleate, Steareth-2, Arginine Ferulate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glyceryl Stearate, Glycerin, Neopentyl Glyocol Diheptanoate, Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Pantethine, Caffeine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sucrose, Steareth-10, Lecithin, Cholesterol, Glycine, Lauryldimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Glyceryl Polymethacrylate, Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Carbomer, Isohexadecane, Trifluoromethyl C1-4 Alkyl Dimethicone, Peg-8, Polysorbate 80, Hexylene Glycol, Sodium Carbomen, Caprylyl Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Bht, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Chlorphenesin, Disodium Edta, Phenoxyethanol.