My Favorite Winter Hand Lotions and Products

Product Sent for Review I Bought It Myself Affiliate Links


With the insane cold so many of us are experiencing, this has been a hot topic amongst my friends on Facebook, especially those in the medical community. With the flu season upon us (get your flu shot this year! It can't make you sick, the virus is inactivated, and healthy, young people are dying) my friends and I are washing our hands before and after every patient and many times in between other things as well. Throw in this extreme cold, and it is a set up for super dry, cracked and sometimes even bleeding hands!

So, I thought that I'd share my favorite products to keep my hands moisturized and happy. The key is to restore moisture and help out your skin's barrier function. I like to keep up with moisturizing throughout the day, and when I'm at home I'm sure to use a more gentle soap like soft soap. I know some people use Cetaphil to wash their hands at home as well.


1. Daily Moisturizers: First, my favorite hand creams. These are the ones I like to apply throughout the day, if I'm at work I keep one in my white coat pocket. At home I just keep it around the bathroom, though there is one in my bedside table as well. My favorite is the Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve, it is super hydrating and not greasy. Neutrogena's Norwegian Formula Hand Cream is my 2nd choice, which is great because it is so affordable but is definitely more on the greasy side. I apply only to the back of my hands if I can.

2. Moisturizing Oils! Seriously, these are my new secret for surviving the winter. An oil sounds like something you'd prefer to keep away from your skin, doesn't it? Instead, these oils can do a great job of sealing in moisture and they can sink in quickly, leaving behind no greasy residue. I get the most bang out of these products when apply right after washing (for example, while still slightly damp from a shower or after washing my hands). For my hands, I like to apply a light layer after applying all of my skin care right before bed, and once it mostly sinks in, I go for #3....

My faves are Osmia Organics Oils (there are a million scents and I like a lot of them, no faves yet!), Kiehl's Midnight Recovery and Derma-e Hydrating Facial Oil.

3. Orly Cuticle Therapy Cream: Love this stuff! I like to use a thick, but not balm-like cuticle cream. After years of experimenting with products, this is my favorite. I use it on my cuticles before bed each night, but when I'm feeling dry or the weather is bad out, I apply generously to my entire hand. So, oil, then cuticle cream.

4. Cuticle Remover: As strange as it might seem, you need to keep working on those cuticles! If I'm not keeping up with the cuticle remover, I'm sure to get a big mess of hang nails and cuticle mess. It isn't pretty. You should never cut your cuticles (especially in the winter, it's a great set up for infection), so I use Cuticle Remover instead. This one is my favorite, 1-2x/week.

5. Extra Credit: Small appliances! First, you should already know that using a humidifier (I have this Crane Cool Mist Humidifier) is a must in the winter. If you have one attached to your heater that's the best option. Otherwise a cool mist version in your bedroom is your best bet.

Second, it's a bit of a splurge, but when things get painful I break out my paraffin bath. I have a HoMedics Paraffin Spa. It takes about 3 or 4 hours to heat up and melt, but I'll do a few treatments about 30 minutes apart and it feels amazing.


What are your favorite winter skin products and tips?


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5

All I Can Say Is OMG.... Makes Scents Natural Spa Line Review

Product Sent for Review


Recently, I featured the Makes Scents Natural Spa Line in my 12 Indie Beauty Picks: Products You’ll Love at the recommendation of my friend Shannon from A Girl's Gotta Spa. She raved about the products after trying them at a spa, and I was really, really excited when they sent me a few of their citrus scented products to try out. (This is when I admit that anything citrus is always my favorite and I am a big sucker for it.)


The scrub, the scrub... OMG, this is amazing. I tried out Citrus Grove, which is a combination of grapefruit, orange, lemon and lime. It's mostly grapefruit with a bit of orange, and very fresh smelling. It really smells like you have fruit with you there in the shower. It isn't too sweet, it's isn't overwhelming, it really is just the right amount of citrus. The scrub has just the right amount of grit not greasy. I want to use it every day!


I also tried out the body butter, which is a thick lotion. It isn't greasy and sinks in easily. It has the same amazing scent as the scrub, though a bit more subtle.

The lip balm was a little waxy, but less so than Burt's Bees (for the record, I do like waxy balms, they're a good base for lip gloss). I have the Pink Grapefruit. OMG (again), yes, it is just like Pink Grapefruit and I love it! It s hydrating and feels good on my lips.

Overall, I loved everything I tried out from Makes Scents. They have seasonal scents (I'm pretty sure they took pity on me and sent me the Citrus because I may have mentioned how much I like Citrus. A lot. But I think that's a summer one), you might want to try out the Pumpkin Sorbet scent. It might be even better than a #PSL.

Makes Scents Natural Spa Line
Product Sent for Review

6

Kiehl's Newest Super Multi-Corrective Cream Review: Intro and First Thoughts

Product Sent for Review


So, I think by now it's pretty obvious that I'm a big fan of Kiehl's, especially since I'm continually reviewing and raving about their products, running into their stores to buy more products, stockpiling their Lip Balm #1, I could go on and on. A little while ago they offered to send me their latest product, which has just hit the website. It was really good timing for me, I had spent a lot of time outside and somehow my skin was suddenly drrryyyyy. Super dry. And it wasn't responding to my "normal" super hydrating treatment (Kiehl's Midnight Recovery), I think because it was also irritated and unhappy about sun exposure. It was tight, felt like I had an outer layer of dry and dead skin that would not move, be fixed and didn't like to have my Clarisonic on it either.

So, when my new Multi-Corrective Cream arrived in the mail, I gleefully opened it and swapped out everything else I was using for my most hydrating, gentle and basic Kiehl's products. I've been using the Ultra Facial Cleanser and Ultra Facial Lotion SPF 15 (which comes in 30 now but I still have 15 hanging around my house).

I swear to you, that within 36 hours my skin was back to happy and glowy. Was it because I backed off of everything and went to "basic" and gentle products that I know my skin loves? Was it the new cream? Was it because I also backed off of the Clarisonic and any other potentially issue causing treatments that I was overdoing in my desperate attempts to stop the cracking and peeling that I had for about 5 days? I do not know.

I do know that this is one of my new favorite creams. It, too, shall be hoarded and purchased in bulk during the Friends and Family Sale.

Read on to see what is in this new miracle cream...

5

First Aid Beauty Skin Care: Overview of the Dual Repair Line and My Impression So Far

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I recently started my First Aid Beauty skin care routine, and while I've shared more information about First Aid Beauty's philosophy, I have been slacking a bit on doing my full post with what I'm using, what is in each product and why it works. Finally, I'm spilling the beans!

What sets Dual Repair apart from other anti-aging skin care lines is that in addition to providing ingredients to help fight and prevent aging, First Aid Beauty also supports the skin's barrier function. There are a lot of ingredients to soothe skin, support barrier function (aka- moisturize with emollients and ceramides), and as I said in my intro post to this series, Good Barrier Function = Happy Skin = Glowy Skin and I like Glowy Skin.

To help fight aging the Dual Repair line includes a proprietary blend of ingredients in all three products:
• Astaxanthin (algae extract in the ingredients list): This is a very potent antioxidant derived from a micro-algae extract.
• SymCalmin: A proprietary blend of Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Hydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid. The blend (derived from Oats) has anti-itch, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties!
• Lana Blue: Derived from a blue algae, this actually has some retinoid activity, without being a retinoid.
• Argireline (Hexapeptide or Acetyl Hexapeptide-8): This is a Peptide to help stimulate collagen production and prevent its breakdown.


Dual Repair Eye Cream
This eye cream is very lightweight like a lotion, but it seems to provide more moisture. It doesn't leave a residual film on my skin at all, though it does hydrate the under eye area very well and the result is that my concealer goes on very smoothly and looks better. Who can argue with that?

While the Eye Cream has the same active ingredients that I mentioned above, it has some additional ingredients just for the under eye area and its special problems. Sodium Phytate and Glucosyl Hesperidin were added to reduce the look of puffiness and undereye circles.
• Sodium Phytate is an antioxidant often derived from Rice, it also acts as a chelating agent, taking up metals and modulating enzymes in the skin.
• Glucosyl Hesperidin helps to increase circulation to the area, decreasing the appearance of circles and helping to reduce swelling.

Ingredients:
Water, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Sodium Polyacrylate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Silybum Marianum Oil, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Chrysanthemum Parthenium (Feverfew) Extract, Sorbitol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Caprylyl Methicone, Hydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid, Algae Extract, Phenyl Methicone, Allantoin, Sodium Phytate, Glucosyl Hesperidin, Glyceryl Polyacrylate, Sodium Hydroxide, Polysilicone-11, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Hydrogenated Phosphatidylcholine, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Astaxanthin, Tocopherol

Note that the key ingredients are in blue above, here's more info on the other ingredients:
• Moisturizers (read more about moisturizer types): Glycerin (humectant), C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate (emollient), Pentylene Glycol (humectant), Sorbitol (humectant)
• Ascorbyl Glucoside: A stable form of Vitamin C
• Phenoxyethanol: Paraben alternative for preserving the whole thing (no one like their lotion to go bad!)
• Ethylhexyl Palmitate: A palm oil derivative that gives skin care items that "slip"
• Licorice Root: Helps to decrease melanin production, so can help with hyperpigmentation
• Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (aka: White Tea Extract): Contains polyphenols, which are known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, though they even suppress cancer. While most of the research into these effects used intake of the polyphenols rather than topical use, "most researchers agree that tea (black, green, or white) has potent anti-inflammatory properties and that it is a potent antioxidant whether consumed orally or applied topically"
• Feverfew: Anti-inflammatory that also helps to decrease redness
• Hydrogenated Lecithin: Good to help preserve barrier function, read more at Truth in Aging
• Algae Extract: Lots of antioxidants as well as other minerals.
• Allantoin: Moisturizing, helps to slough dead skin cells and anti-inflammatory all at once!
• Tocopherol (Vitamin E): An antioxidant






Dual Repair Serum
I've found that this serum is more hydrating than many other serums. I don't need to add in the moisturizer in the morning when using the serum (it's too much moisture for my skin and I get greasy later in the day), serum alone is perfect for my combination skin. The serum also has the highest concentration of active ingredients, so if you're going to pick 1 product, this is the one to pick!

Dual Repair Power Serum contains concentrated levels of the Dual Repair key actives. It is enhanced with Diacetyl Boldine to improve skin tone and Siegesbeckia Extract to calm the skin.

Note that this is the product with Retinyl Palmitate. It's safe to use while nursing, but if you're pregnant (or trying to get pregnant), skip the serum and just use the moisturizer and eye cream.


Ingredients:
Water, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Copolymer, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Phenoxyethanol, Siegesbeckia Orientalis Extract, Retinyl Palmitate, Carbomer, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sorbitol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Hydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid, Algae Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Chrysanthemum Parthenium (Feverfew) Extract, Allantoin, Hydrogenated Phosphatidylcholine, Tromethamine, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Diacetyl Boldine. Astaxanthin, Tocopherol

Note that the key ingredients are in blue above, here's more info on the other ingredients:
• Dimethicone: A silicone to help things glide nicely (probably part of the reason concealers like this so much!)
• Moisturizers (read more about moisturizer types): Glycerin (humectant), Pentylene Glycol (humectant), Sorbitol (humectant)
• Hydrogenated Lecithin: Good to help preserve barrier function, read more at Truth in Aging
• Ascorbyl Glucoside: A stable form of Vitamin C
• Retinyl Palmitate: Retinoid
• Algae Extract: Lots of antioxidants as well as other minerals.
• Phenoxyethanol: Paraben alternative for preserving the whole thing (no one like their lotion to go bad!)
• Licorice Root: Helps to decrease melanin production, so can help with hyperpigmentation
• Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (aka: White Tea Extract): Contains polyphenols, which are known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, though they even suppress cancer. While most of the research into these effects used intake of the polyphenols rather than topical use, "most researchers agree that tea (black, green, or white) has potent anti-inflammatory properties and that it is a potent antioxidant whether consumed orally or applied topically"
• Feverfew: Anti-inflammatory that also helps to decrease redness
• Allantoin: Moisturizing, helps to slough dead skin cells and anti-inflammatory all at once!
• Tocopherol (Vitamin E): An antioxidant




Dual Repair Face Cream
The cream is more like a traditional night cream in that it is thicker and more hydrating than a day lotion. I think it does sink in quickly and completely enough to use under makeup, but the amount of hydration in the product is just a little too much for every day use in the morning for my combination skin. I've been using it at night, and if there's a day my skin feels a bit dry or irritated (I hate that it is still in the 20's here in Michigan!), then I've been using this a little on my cheeks and other dry spots in the morning as well. While it has heavy duty moisture, the cream hasn't otherwise been an issue. It's non-comedogenic, and I haven't had any increase in clogged pores or blemishes.

First Aid Beauty did conduct some independent research and they found that after 6 weeks of twice daily use:
• 88% reported an improvement in the texture of their skin
• 84% reported that the product calmed and soothed the skin
• 81% reported a reduction in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
• 81% reported an improvement in the moisture level of their skin


Ingredients:
Water, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Silica, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Sodium Polyacrylate, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Pentylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Phenoxyethanol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Caprylyl Methicone, Styrene Butadiene Copolymer, Sorbitol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Phenyl Methicone, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Chrysanthemum Parthenium (Feverfew) Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Sodium Potassium Aluminum Silicate, Algae Extract, Hydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid, Hydrogenated Phosphatidylcholine, Xanthan Gum, BHT, Allantoin, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glyceryl Polyacrylate, Polysilicone-11, Butylene/Ethylene/Styrene Copolymer, Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer, Sodium, Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Benzyl Alcohol, Titanium Dioxide, Sodium Hydroxide, Acetyl, Hexapeptide-8, Astaxanthin, Tocopherol

Note that the key ingredients are in blue above, here's more info on the other ingredients:
• Moisturizers (read more about moisturizer types): Glycerin (humectant), C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate (emollient), Pentylene Glycol (humectant), Sorbitol (humectant), Sunflower Seed Oil (emollient), Safflower Seed Oil (occlusive)
• Dimethicone: A silicone to help things glide nicely.
• Ethylhexyl Palmitate: A palm oil derivative that gives skin care items that "slip"
• Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil: Emollient moisturizer with antioxidant properties
• Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter): This is super popular as a moisturizer because while it acts as an occlusive, it also acts to replace the body's natural moisturizing factor (NMF) more directly than other emollients, really helping to reduce dry and flaky skin.
• Phenoxyethanol: Paraben alternative for preserving the whole thing (no one like their lotion to go bad!)
• Hydrogenated Lecithin: Good to help preserve barrier function, read more at Truth in Aging
• Licorice Root: Helps to decrease melanin production, so can help with hyperpigmentation
• Feverfew: Anti-inflammatory that also helps to decrease redness
• Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (aka: White Tea Extract): Contains polyphenols, which are known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, though they even suppress cancer. While most of the research into these effects used intake of the polyphenols rather than topical use, "most researchers agree that tea (black, green, or white) has potent anti-inflammatory properties and that it is a potent antioxidant whether consumed orally or applied topically"
• Algae Extract: Lots of antioxidants as well as other minerals.
• Allantoin: Moisturizing, helps to slough dead skin cells and anti-inflammatory all at once!
• Ascorbyl Glucoside: A stable form of Vitamin C
• Tocopherol (Vitamin E): An antioxidant






How I'm Using the Products & What I Think So Far
Basically, I'm using the entire First Aid Beauty Dual Repair line, with the First Aid Beauty Facial Cleanser that I reviewed a few weeks ago.

All of the Dual Repair products can be used twice a day, and to get the most out of the ingredients (I'm a bit in awe of how much is packed into these bottes!) I would probably use the serum, then eye cream and finally the face cream. This order will let the better penetrating serum get on your skin first, then the eye cream and finally the Face Cream can kind of seal it all in to your skin.

You should always listen to your skin, and mine definitely seemed to be saying to me that the cream is a bit too much moisture for my skin to use twice a day, every day. So, I've been sticking to the eye cream and serum in the morning, and adding in the face cream at night. I definitely will use a bit of the face cream on days that I feel a bit dry, we're still stuck in winter mode here in Michigan and a bit too much time outside means I'll be using cream the next morning.

As I've been using the line, here's what I've found:
• All three products have a little scent, but it isn't much and it goes away after everything is absorbed into your skin.
• All three products sink into my skin very quickly without any residue left behind, which means they're great under makeup.
• The Eye Cream especially seems to do a great job under makeup, it does something to my under eye area which makes my concealer look flawless. Flawless. Immediately I look awake. Love that.
• None of the products have caused any stinging, sensitivity or other issues.

I often have dryness and irritation issues with my skin this time of year. Since starting the Dual Repair products, my skin has definitely been happy. I have no dry patches and my redness has improved (I have rosacea) as well I feel like my skin tone is evening out a bit just because everything is happier. I'm definitely happy that my First Aid Beauty time fell during what is the roughest time of year for my skin!

What do you think, could the Dual Repair line work for you?




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8

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Concentrate Review

Yesterday I shared my First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream review, which is a lotion I've been smearing all over my body all winter to combat the worst of my winter skin issues. While this product is the "concentrate" of that cream, really they are very, very different. Well, I guess they're the same in that they both off a lot of hydration with soothing components, but many of their moisturizing ingredients are different.

The concentrate depends much more on occlusive style moisturizers than the cream does (read more about different types of moisturizers and how they work), which means that the Concentrate will give more of the super silky "I AM HYDRATED" feeling that many of us are used to. I do like to use occlusives on my hand and body, though I don't typically recommend them on the face. They're especially useful when you are sealing something into the skin. So, if you have just washed your hands or taken a shower, an occlusive can really help to seal in the moisture you may have gained. There are also a lot of emollients in this product, so it has a ton of moisture packed into the little jar.

Now comes the part where I admit that I saved this review for the end of the week because I still can't quite figure out how to describe the feeling of this product. In the jar it is a white and waxy appearing solid. It breaks apart very easily with your fingers, and it then feels like a dry-ish cream with a little wax in it (really, this is the best I could do, so I hope that makes some sense). As you rub it in, your body heat with quickly melt the product and it feels like a slightly waxy lotion, though not as wet, when it is sinking in to your skin. Sometimes (when it is cold out) it will feel a bit grainy (like you got sand in it), but if you keep rubbing those sandy bits will also melt away very quickly. It does leave a moisturizing residue on the skin, which is all of those occlusive moisturizing ingredients. So, I wouldn't put it on my face (definitely can't put makeup on over it, though FAB says it is fine for the face), and it makes doing things like turning on a table lamp a bit... slippery for about 5 minutes.

It smells a little medicinal, I can smell the eucalyptus oil and maybe a little peppermint as well (though that isn't in there), but the smell is very subtle and I can't notice it after about 5 minutes or so.

Ingredients:
Colloidal Oatmeal, Water/Aqua/Eau, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Beeswax (Cera Alba), Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Glycerin, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil, Urea, Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Allantoin, Chrysanthemum Parthenium (Feverfew) Extract, Camellia Sinensis (White Tea) Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Ceramide 3

• Colloidal Oatmeal: I think it's rather telling that the #1 ingredient is Oats, which shows antioxidant activity, inhibits prostaglandins (anti-inflammatory activity) and works to clean the skin when used in cleansers.
• Safflower Seed Oil: Occlusive moisturizer, contains linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid
• Beeswax: Occlusive
• Shea Butter: Emollient
• Sweet Almond Oil: Emollient
Cocoa) Seed Butter
• Glycerin: Humectant
• Wheat Germ Oil: Emollient
• Urea: Helps with hydration but can penetrate down into the skin and help exfoliate.
• Caprylyl Glycol: Emollient
• Allantoin: Moisturizing, helps to slough dead skin cells and anti-inflammatory all at once!
• Feverfew: Anti-inflammatory that also helps to decrease redness
• White Tea Extract: Contains polyphenols, which are known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, though they even suppress cancer. While most of the research into these effects used intake of the polyphenols rather than topical use, "most researchers agree that tea (black, green, or white) has potent anti-inflammatory properties and that it is a potent antioxidant whether consumed orally or applied topically"
• Licorice Root: Helps to decrease melanin production, so can help with hyperpigmentation
• Ceramide 3: Emollient

I do notice a difference in my skin with just 1 use, though it seems best when I use it a few times a day for several days in a row. With all of the occlusives in the mix, this is best used after your hands are wet, so I tend to leave it next to my sink and use it right after washing. I will often get little areas of eczema during the winter (the harsh midwest winter and tons of extra hand washing due to the RSV and Flu seasons at work), but I've been using this on any dry patches that crop up and I haven't used any steroid cream all winter, which is quite a feat!

First Aid Beauty

1

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream Review

I've been using the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream (and Concentrate, which I'll review tomorrow) for most of the winter, and you may have noticed I've made references to the products, but haven't done a full review until now. These are the products that I've been reaching for first this winter (which has been pretty harsh here in Michigan) as my hands have been dry, irritated and they just... hurt. I've eczema, and sometimes it seems as if no amount of extra care can prevent my hands from becoming dry and irritated.

What makes this cream different is that it contains so many soothing ingredients to help with irritated and unhappy skin, and it doesn't depend upon a heavy occlusives to really hydrate your skin. (If you're not sure what that means you can check out my post on how skin moisturizers work for more info.) That feeling most of us have after we use a moisturizer and it "feels" silky and thick and, with some moisturizers, almost greasy? That is from the occlusives. You won't feel that with Ultra Repair Cream, but your skin instead will feel soft, you'll have less redness and irritation and my skin feels more normal when I've been using this regularly.

Ingredients:
Colloidal Oatmeal, Water, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Cetearyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Squalane, Allantoin, Sodium Hydroxide, Dimethicone, Xanthum Gum, Disodium EDTA, Chrysanthemum Parthenium (Feverfew) Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Butylene Glycol, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Eucalyptus Globulus, Ceramide 3

Here are some of the ingredient highlights:
• Colloidal Oatmeal: I think it's rather telling that the #1 ingredient is Oats, which shows antioxidant activity, inhibits prostaglandins (anti-inflammatory activity) and works to clean the skin when used in cleansers.
• Stearic Acid: A thickening and emulsifying agent, this is a naturally found fatty acid, it can feel soft and sometimes slightly waxy on the skin when applied (it's that "slip" that you can sometimes feel).
• Glycerin: Humectant
• C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate: Emollient (again, look at that moisturizer post. This is good stuff!) It will also make things feel less greasy.
• Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride: Quite a ways down the list, you'll see the first occlusive moisturizer
• Glyceryl Stearate: A combo of Stearic Acid and Glycerin
• Cetearyl Alcohol: Emulsifier made from wax (not really an alcohol the way we think of it...)
• Caprylyl Glycol: Emollient
• Shea Butter: Emollient
• Squalene: Emollient
• Allantoin: Moisturizing, helps to slough dead skin cells and anti-inflammatory all at once!
• Feverfew: Anti-inflammatory that also helps to decrease redness
• Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (Green Tea): Contains polyphenols, which are known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, though they even suppress cancer. While most of the research into these effects used intake of the polyphenols rather than topical use, "most researchers agree that tea (black, green, or white) has potent anti-inflammatory properties and that it is a potent antioxidant whether consumed orally or applied topically"
• Licorice Root: Helps to decrease melanin production, so can help with hyperpigmentation
• Ceramide 3: Emollient

Ultra Repair Cream comes in a very big tub, and really, it's a huge supply. A little of this stuff will go a long way. It is a strange lotion/creamy/slightly goopy consistency for me, I haven't fully figured it out. It feels immediately soothing when I put it on, and it sinks into my skin very quickly. Which I love. I have no residue left behind.

I've been using this pretty much only on my body (especially my hands), though you could use it on your face as well. It's definitely too much hydration for my combination skin to use every day on my face, but it did work really well one day when I was feeling dry. I've noticed that it works best when used consistently, which really allows those anti-inflammatory ingredients to work.

First Aid Beauty

3

Le Metier de Beaute's Ultra Hydration Eye Mask Duo Review: Fresh and Awake in Under 15 Minutes

If you're anything like me, when you're tired your under eye area takes the brunt of it. Luckily, hydration seems to really plump everything up and smooth out any creepiness. The key is getting enough moisture into the skin.

Le Metier de Beaute's newest mask is the Ultra Hydration Eye Mask Duo. This is some serious hydration, and LMdB has figured out how to deliver it in under 15 minutes. Without mess. And you don't even need to take your makeup off. For realz.

The mask is a thick seaweed-based gel shaped to perfectly fit under and around the eyes. Immediately after putting it on the skin, it feels cool and soothing. LMdB says that you can leave it on for up to 15 minutes, and they say you can use the mask easily and pretty much anywhere. On an airplane, after the gym, driving in the car. . . you get the idea.

I threw mine on after putting my toddler down for a nap. I probably should have taken off my makeup, but given the on the go motif, I decided to really be on the go and just put them on. It molds to your face and has no trouble staying on. When you're done, simply peel the patches off easily, and there's no residue left behind. My makeup looked perfect underneath, but my skin was definitely softer and really hydrated. I looked much more awake! If I'd been planning to makeup on after the eye mask it would have been very easy, there was no residue left behind.


If you decide to check out Le Metier de Beaute and you're visiting my local counter (Saks in Troy at Somerset), remember to tell them that you read about LMdB on my blog! We're having a contest amongst a few beauty bloggers, and letting them know you read about it on my blog would be great!

Saks Troy
Lauren (Beauty Associate at counter) 248-643-9000


Le Metier de Beaute

6

A Month of Meaningful Beauty: What Do I Think After Using It?

For the past month or so I've been participating in a Meaningful Beauty skincare review. This was a product line that I was interested in anyways (seriously, Cindy kind of sucks you in with the French Melon in the infomercials), and I get asked about it by readers a lot. Like, really, a lot.

So, for the past month I've been using the line and participating in Meaningful Activities. You can see some of the activities over on my Facebook Page. There are a few things not mentioned there, in truth because I forgot to take pics! Things like bringing donuts in to the ICU for my nursing staff on the week end, etc. It was really nice to have a little extra money each week to think about what was really important to me or would enhance my own life or those around me. I was able to go out to eat with friends and family, purchase a gift for our adopted family at work and I bought a few goodies to enhance the cooking marathon that was Thanksgiving. I have one more activity to post over there later today.

Overall, what are my thoughts on Meaningful Beauty?

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Meaningful Beauty: What Exactly is in this Stuff?

As a beauty blogger, I get about 5-10 request a day to review skin care lines. (I'm serious people, that's a lot of expensive cream!) So you can imagine that I see a lot of crazy ingredients being added to skin care. Everything from blood, to pieces of human placenta (ick!) Some of these pitches clearly don't understand the science behind the products, if there is any science.

Anyways, you'd think that a brand featured prominently on late night television would rank up there with the fake science and gross human by-product skin care lines right? What exactly is this Melon stuff that Cindy talks about?

Luckily, Meangingful Beauty is much more normal than those other companies, and the science behind the line is actually real. (Insert sigh of relief here!)


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Meaningful Beauty

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Revision Skin Care Intellishade SPF-45 Review

Are you feeling a bit overwhelmed suddenly with the huge number of tinted moisturizers and BB Creams that are on the market? I fully admit that it is getting really hard to tell them all apart. However, this one was recommended by Dr. Tanya Kormeili, a dermatologist at UCLA when she shared her favorite beauty products with me recently. Ummm... a dermatologist loves it? I need to check it out!

Like other BB Cream/tinted moisturizers that are out right now, this product packs a lot into 1 little tube. First, it has great UV coverage with SPF 45. It has a lot of my favorite anti-aging ingredients in it (just check out that checklist below, that's really great for 1 product). Not included in that check list are the skin brighteners and the highly stable Vitamin C that is in the formula. While it only comes in 1 shade it does claim to be "intelligent" and work with every skin tone.

First, it wasn't a perfect match for me, but I am very pale and it was starting out about 2-3 shades too dark for me. Considering that, I felt it was a much better match than I thought it would be when I first checked it out. I was able to wear it out and about for the day without an issue. It has light to medium coverage and I only needed to add a little extra concealer right under my eyes. It definitely minimized my pores and it has a bit of a mattifying effect as well. The coverage lasted most of the day, still looking pretty perfect at about 12 hours.

As far as I can tell the only draw back is that it is available primarily through physicians and spas.










IntelliShade

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Summer Skin Protection: Skin Authority Sunscreen Moisturizer Review

It's summer time, which means that it is time to take your existing sun protection routine (you have one, right??) and amp it up a bit! In previous summers I've featured a boat load of sunscreen reviews. Last summer I tested about 40 products and narrowed it down to about 4 or 5 that I actually wrote about, those were the cream of the crop. This summer I've decided to do things a bit differently. I'm only testing products that look amazing or are things that I think you (my readers) will be interested in.

So, today I bring you an every day facial moisturizer with broad spectrum SPF 30 protection. You can wear makeup over it and it doesn't even feel like you have a thick layer of goo on your face!

This moisturizer looks like a typical sunscreen when you squeeze it out of the tube. White, a bit thick... it doesn't look very promising as you apply. It looks kind of thick and white. But, it actually rubs in pretty easily, and feels hydrating. A little bit of the faint sunscreen smell does stick around, but not enough to notice if it is on your face (I only notice it on my arm, and then I can only smell it if I basically stick my arm in my nose. I can't smell it on my face.) What is most interesting is that the sunscreen feels incredibly light weight, and rather than leaving behind a tacky residue, my skin feels matte and a tad powdery. I can apply makeup right over this sunscreen without primer. Love that. Throughout the day I don't have any increase in shine, and nothing melts off a few hours later.

I'll be leaving this one on my vanity as a go-to product for increasing my sun protection.









Skin Authority

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