Somme Institute Neckline Review

So, I should start by saying that I'm of the opinion that a separate neck cream isn't really necessary. Those ingredients that fight aging on your face? Well, they work on your neck and chest area too. I do think that the skin in those areas is a bit different than the skin on your face (your eye area is even different than the skin on your cheek after all), but I'm not really sure that you need a completely separate product for that. But, I'm not a derm. (Picture me shrugging my shoulders here.)

So, in my lazy girl, get it done fast world, I don't use a separate neck cream. Instead I use a tad more face serum, cream, etc. I smear it down my neck, on to my chest and any extra beyond that goes on the back of my hands. (Notice those areas? They're the ones we're most likely to forget to treat and they give away your age!)

But, since I wasn't lazy while testing out the Somme Institute products, I actually used a neck cream! I applied this after the other steps, after wiping on Transport, applying serum and smearing some A-Bomb on my skin. Neckline contains the same MDT5 as all of the other Somme products, so you're getting the same vitamins deep into the surface of your skin and fighting aging while improving the appearance of your skin.

Neckline is a thicker white cream with a scent similar to A-Bomb, though lighter. It feels very creamy as it is applied and it takes a few minutes to sink in fully. It is very hydrating and if I applied a bit too much I did notice that my skin had a little bit of a sheen on it afterwards. I didn't find this bothersome since, really, are you going to be applying makeup down there? No, you aren't. So, I just let it take an extra long time to sink in.

I think after using Neckline for a month my neck skin does look a bit better. Primarily because it actually had attention paid to it consistently! It is softer and more moisturized. I don't have any aging issues on my neck (I'm only 34), so I can't really comment on those results. I'll be leaving Neckline on my countertop and applying when I remember.




Note that the presence of vitamin A in the MDT5 technology means that this entire line should be avoided in pregnancy.

Somme Institute

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Somme Institute Eye Cream Review

Here it is, the eye cream that I've fallen in love with! This thing is amazing. Yes, it contains the same MDT5 as the other Somme products, with the blend of vitamins A, B3, B5, C and E that penetrate deeply and help to fight aging and improve your skin. But, this white cream just feels amazing going on. Somehow it feels like my eye area is immediately better. Very hydrated, but not too hydrated, it sinks in immediately and there's no residue left on the skin. It makes concealer go on more perfectly over it. It makes me look less tired. Love it.




Note that the presence of vitamin A in the MDT5 technology means that this entire line should be avoided in pregnancy.

Somme Institute

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Somme Institute A-Bomb Review

When I first started using Somme Institute, I was a bit confused by A-Bomb. Is it the night cream? (Kind of) Is it just super hydrating? (Yes) But it still has the MDT5? (Yes again)

A-Bomb is a super hydrating cream. It has a light ivory color and it does have a smell that I can't really describe. It's a bit... overly sweet and almost like you've left out yogurt for too long? I'm not a fan of the smell, but it isn't very strong and it disappears a few minutes after application. (Thank goodness!)

A-Bomb is another product that I dropped from my morning routine. I found that it is just too hydrating for my combination skin to use every morning, at least when the weather is a bit warm. It's fine for night time use, and the extra hydration makes my skin extra glowy (not shiny) the next morning.




Note that the presence of vitamin A in the MDT5 technology means that this entire line should be avoided in pregnancy.

Somme Institute

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Somme Institute Serum Review

What's a skin care system without a serum? Everyone has to have a serum! The Somme Institute Serum is the step after Transport, and it is pretty light in feeling. It sinks into your skin immediately and I didn't notice any residue left behind from it. The serum is a bit hydrating as well, I found it similar to a light moisturizer in hydration level. I had no problems applying makeup over the serum.

The serum has a very high concentration of the MDT5 technology in it, so if you're going to go for any of the products from Somme, I'd start with this one!




Note that the presence of vitamin A in the MDT5 technology means that this entire line should be avoided in pregnancy.

Somme Institute

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Somme Institute Transport Review

Transport is the second step in the full Somme Institute Skin Care routine, and it is super fast and easy. Inside that jar are little cotton pads (yes, just like Oxy) soaked with a gently exfoliating AHA fluid. Just wipe and move on to the next step! The pads are a bit larger than what I remember Oxy pads being like, so there's more than enough for your face, neck and upper chest. Transport doesn't really have much smell, I didn't have any tingling or irritation with use (though Somme says some people have a little bit of tingling), and there wasn't any irritation afterwards. I used it twice a day, and note that the product only comes with 50 pads. So, if you're going to start using Somme I'd order extra!

Transport is a hydroxy acid product, and it lightly exfoliates the skin. I found that it is definitely gentle enough to use twice a day, which I did at first, though I did drop down to just using it at night after a few weeks. I had no redness or irritation associated with it, just smoother skin. Note that using a hydroxy acid regularly will make your skin more sensitive to the sun, so remember to use a broad spectrum SPF of at least 15 (30 would be better) if you decide to use this product.




Note that the presence of vitamin A in the MDT5 technology means that this entire line should be avoided in pregnancy.

Somme Institute

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Somme Institute Skin Care Review Day!

In an effort to avoid the world's longest blog post (truly), I'm declaring today (unofficially of course) Somme Institute Skin Care Review Day! A day of reviews devoted to this line. In a very short time (aka- the time it mostly takes me to cut and paste but also add a few extra tidbits of information) you'll see reviews of 8 (!!) products from their line popping up.

This line is large, though not really that much bigger than most lines. What is different is that most lines intend for you to use only a few together. Maybe a cleanser, cream and eye cream. There are a lot (lot) more steps here. You can see all of the products I was sent up above. They do work best when all used together. Intimidating much?

Read on to see what those things are and what order to use them in.

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Algenist Firming & Lifting Intensive Mask Review

Remember back when I shared the Algenist Skincare hitting Sephora info with you? And I promised that I'd be trying it out soon? Well, I did! And now it is time to share.

I didn't try out the every day serums and creams (I only have one face! There are so many items to try out lately). Instead I tried out the Firming & Lifting Intensive Mask. This product does have the same active ingredients as the rest of the line. So, the Alguronic Acid that the line is known for is present. You'll find peptides and Green Tea acts as an anti-oxidant. Keep in mind that these ingredients fight aging over the long term, so it isn't likely that you'll see big anti-aging benefits with just a few mask treatments. Think of the mask as a little intensive burst of those ingredients on occasion.

What you will notice is that this mask is nicely hydrating and the plumping/glowing effect of that moisture definitely is a nice temporary pick me up!

This mask is light and feels a bit like a thick lotion as it is applied. It dries slightly during the 5-10 minute treatment time, but it never becomes tight and uncomfortable. The mask is easy to wash off. The end result is that nice hydrated feeling and a pretty glow.



Algenist

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Fighting Aging with Parisian Botanicals: Darphin Paris Skincare Review

I was recently asked to review some skin care products from Darphin, a skin care company that I've been really curious about for years. I've only had the products for a short period of time (I'll be posting an update after my typical six week trial period), but so far I've really been liking the products!

I started using the products two weeks ago, right as the cold(ish) winter weather was suddenly giving way to mid-70 early summer weather? What was up with that? And it was a challenging time of the month for blemishes. So, from several perspectives, these products have already been through some skincare-challenging times.

Azahar Cleansing Micellar Water

This was a completely different skin cleanser for me. It looks like water, but you basically use it like a toner. Which means you apply with a cotton round and don't rinse it off. It did remove all of my makeup without issue, including mascara and eye liner. Since Darphin says to not rinse afterwards, I was worried about residue, but there wasn't any. I had no after wash irritation or redness. It seemed to just get the job done and to be very gentle. Darphin says that this product has been formulated to be ultra-gentle and suitable even for those with rosacea.

Age-Defying Dermabrasion

I'm super picky about scrubs, particularly if they will be used on my face. My phobia stems from a comment made by one of the faculty during a lecture when I was in medical school. They showed a picture of the skin surface after using a scrub. It was full of deep scratches, and while they weren't visible to the naked eye, it really it looked horrible. It made most of us cringe. I had a few tubes of the same scrub stockpiled in my bathroom at home, they were promptly thrown out! The problem? The grit was unevenly sized, sharp and there wasn't enough of it. To compensate, most women really scrub with the scrub, resulting in skin injury.

This scrub really does have all of my ideal scrub qualities. When looking for a scrub I look for grain that it small, uniform in size and not at all sharp. The grit (silica, pearl and lava powders) is small, consistent in size and I haven't had any issues with sharp edges. There's just enough grit to spread around and get every little bit of skin. With light washing I found that this scrub has a good balance between being gentle enough to use a few times a week and still get a nice exfoliating effect.

Ideal Resource

Ideal Resource is the real star here, the anti-aging cream. Sure, it has the usual suspects such as anti-oxidants (Tocopheryl Acetate), my beloved sqaulene and sodium hyaluronate are there for some hydration, and there's even caffeine for some added temporary skin tightening. But, you'll also find some new ingredients here such as Centella Asiatica, Knotweed, and White Hibiscus.

What exactly do these things do? Truthfully, I was a bit confused by the paperwork sent to me by Darphin on these ingredients. (What exactly does "increased oxygen resource" mean?) The MD in me needed more info, so I dug some up.

Centella Asiatica

According to Darphin, Centella recharges the dermo-epidermal junction with oxygen resources by stimulating cutaneous microcirculation, resulting in an increased "glow." What does this mean? It took me a while to figure out because that term "oxygen resources" was confusing me. What I can figure out from that sentence is that the underlying levels of the skin see improved oxygen delivery because their microcirculation is better, essentially because there are more blood vessels in the area. Is it true?

A quick search for this ingredient over in Pubmed found that it is used in a wide array of applications, and this reference in particular mentioned decreased edema, anti-oxidant properties, anti-inflammatory actions, collagen modulation to prevent scarring, and yes effects on blood vessel creation in the area. I even found quite a few references about wound healing (2, 3, 4). Perhaps more encouraging was the effects on fibroblasts, preventing them from early death (reference 5).

So, overall there are quite a few ways that this little extract could fight aging, and the increased "oxygen resource" claim is true as there is evidence in the literature for improved microcirculation in the area.

Knotweed Knotweed extract is rich in Resveratrol, the amazing wondrous anti-oxidant found in red wine. Preventing damage from reactive oxygen species will help fight the signs of aging, but in particular premature aging due to sun exposure (reference).

White Hibiscus Here's another claim that I was confused by when reading the info sent to me by Darphin. White Hibiscus is present to "recharge the epidermis with cellular vitality resources by stimulating keratinocyte renewal" and the "epidermis is transformed progressively, and skin surface imperfections are removed." Which I think means improved cell turnover and maybe improved cellular life so that the cells are around to improve that skin surface.

White Hibiscus was a bit harder to find information about, and surprisingly enough a lot of what I initially found was about insulin resistance and hyperlipidemia (1 and 2). What was more interesting about those references was the potential for anti-oxidant activity, which was then confirmed in reference 3, and then in reference 4 there was event discussion of specifically improving White Hibiscus for topical application. I'm not certain that what I found matches what was in my paperwork, but it does sound promising as an active ingredient in skin care.

So, get to the point

After all of that, how did I actually like the cream? I really like it. It is thick, light ivory color, and it has a subtle floral scent. It feels really, really good going on. It seemed like it should have been much too heavy for my combination skin, in particular once the weather turned so warm. But it really wasn't. The cream absorbs within 1 or 2 minutes and there wasn't a residue left behind. I can use it at night or in the morning since it doesn't interfere with makeup application at all. And since it is so hydrating it seems to just make me glowy. All sorts of glowy goodness is going on. And there were no issues with blemishes, despite some hormonal issues and weather changes. So far I really like this cream!

Darphin Paris

This is a sponsored post, so I have been given both free product (from Darphin) and money for my time (from BlogHer) to write an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Sweepstakes

Now that I've tried the Darphin Age Defying Dermabrasion that I was lusting after, what do you want to try? Leave me a comment to enter for a chance to win a Darphin products valued at a minimum of $100.

Plus, Darphin has a special offer (one of their best!) just for readers of this post: Get a free Age Defying Dermabrasion Deluxe Sample, Dark Circles and De-puffing Eye Serum Deluxe Sample and Spa Headband with any order at Darphin.com through 5/31/12. Use code BLOGGER at checkout.

Sweepstakes Rules:

No duplicate comments. Leave your email address in the comment below with your entry info.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 4/23 ñ 5/24

Be sure to visit the sponsor's brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggersí reviews and find more chances to win!

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Clarins Extra-Firming Day Cream Review

I love reviewing great skin care products. But, when each of my readers has the opportunity to get a free 7 day supply of their own... well... that's just amazing, isn't it?

I've been using the Clarins Extra-Firming Day Cream for a while now, and I am so glad that I had it for the end of winter! This is a medium to heavy cream, and it really did a great job of keeping moisture where it should be, which is in my skin, rather than leaving it. Somehow, it did this without feeling heavy or greasy at all, which is even better! The cream has a light pinky-beige color and has a faint floral perfumed scent, which I couldn't smell once I applied it. The cream sinks in quickly and left no residue behind on my combination skin. I found that I could easily apply makeup over it without any issues.

So, what is in this stuff? Well, Clarins lists a ton of botanicals with anti-aging properties. Note that a lot of these claims are made by many skin care companies, though I can't verify all of it in PubMed. That doesn't mean it isn't true, it just means that no one has bothered to publish it in the American Medical Literature.

Green Bananas
Encourages collagen synthesis and helps keep the dermis strong and well organized. I found evidence in the literature for ulcer and wound healing as well.

Lemon Thyme
Helps to keep the skin firm.

Oats
You've seen this one used by many skin care companies, but Avena sativa has been in use for over 2000 years for a reason! It has anti-oxidant capacities, acts as a protectant, helps decrease inflammation and even helps to cleanse the skin. The sugars in the oats help to have a temporary tightening effect as well.

Bocoa
Encourages collagen synthesis and helps prevent it from breaking down.

Hops
Helps to stimulate fibroblasts (which I assume in turn make more collagen).

Lotus Zymbiosome
Helps to brighten the skin.


So, how did it work for me? I really liked it. It was enough moisture for me without being too much, it made my skin glowy and the added moisture definitely helped my makeup go on more smoothly. I can't really comment on any anti-aging effects since I don't really have wrinkles, but the added moisture and glowiness definitely would help there.

Now for info on how to get your own sample! You'll be able to get the 7 day testing pack pictured here. There are 7 one time uses included, a week is definitely enough time to see that you'll be nicely hydrated and glowy.

To get your own pack, you can head to the Clarins Facebook page today, or from April 13-15 head to any Clarins counter throughout the US.

Also, Clarins is about to start an amazing Facebook giveaway with 5 winners each week for a month from April 11 to May 11. Each winner will receive a full sized Extra-Firming day, night and foundation ($202 value), so make sure you enter!


Clarins USA

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Artistry Skin Care: Microdermabrasion and Intensive Peel Review

I know what you're thinking. Isn't that a picture of an Amway product? Yes, it is. I'm not sure why Amway has a certain cache in the US (it likely has to do with the door to door nature of selling?) for some reason most Americans don't think very highly of it, despite elevating their opinions of similar companies such as Avon and Mary Kay. For the last couple of decades Amway has concentrated their efforts in markets outside of the US, areas like Asia, where they are insanely popular.

More recently, Amway has been really upping their A Game, though most Americans are unaware of this. To help get the word out, they sent me a few products to try out, and later today there will be a huge giveaway.

Artistry sent me their Microdermabrasion System and Intensive Skincare Renewing Peel to try out. Read on to see what I thought.

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Bel Mondo Beauty: Moisture + Bio-Cellulose = Glow

Lately, my amazing hubby has been helping me carve out a few (ok, maybe 15-20) extra minutes for some morning pampering. It isn't do-able every day, but about once a week he balances our dog (super old, some strange spinal condition so he wears two diapers for accidents not to mention his anxiety and weakness issues) and super energetic and sometimes clingy 9 month old. All in the name of letting me spend some extra time under the shower and maybe have a chance to squeeze in a bit of pampering for myself. When this happens, I break out a mask!

This weekend I used a new type of mask for me, an infused bio-cellulose mask from Bel Mondo. Bio-cellulose is artificially created in a lab. It is 200x finer and 4x stronger than cellulose from plants/wood. The process takes 10 days, basically putting a special bacterial formula into a mold and letting things grow, though I'm sure there is a lot of special care that goes into this along the way.

The film is amazing. It is actually pretty thick (I think it feels at least 1 mm thick), and is somewhat translucent. It can hold up to 100x its dry weight in fluid, so a lot of active ingredients can be infused. Then, once you put it on the skin it is so pliable that it lies very easily on the skin surface. Obviously this has medical uses such as burn and wound dressings, but here we're using it for something much more mundane. A face mask.

The mask itself is somewhat large (it will definitely fit your face!), and there are holes in it for your eyes, nose and mouth. The directions talk about removing outer layers in a certain order as you apply it, blah blah blah. I found it too hard to move the mask around this way. I ended up removing the outer layers so I could just position the mask itself. I found this much easier for application. The mask is thick and has some strength, though it isn't super strong. I didn't tear it at all, but I would just treat it fairly gingerly. Once it is positioned where you want it, smooth out the bio-cellulose and fold flaps under the mask for access to your eyes.

The mask feels somewhat heavy (I guess that is the 100x its dry weight in fluid!), and is cool. I found it to be a bit cold for me, though in the future I'll probably warm it up by putting the mask in warm water for a bit before opening it. It is definitely moist! Leave it on for about 20 minutes, and then simply pull the whole thing off. The mask does not dry at all, so there will be a lot of left over liquid on your face. Rub it in to your skin (it does absorb pretty quickly) for added moisture. It leaves a very light residue, though I could apply makeup later without an issue.

I used the Anti-Aging mask, which contains a ton of moisture with ingredients like hyaluronic acid, aloe vera and ceramides. It also contains peptides, which yes do need to work over time, but a little boost every now and then certainly isn't going to hurt. Mostly I loved the huge boost in moisture, I was definitely glowing after my treatment!






Bel Mondo Beauty

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