Ellen Lange Retexturizing Peel Review: A Little Pro Spa In Your Home

Product Sent for Review


So, recently I mentioned this peel in a post over on Babble (Beauty Bloggers Share 19 Skincare Secrets You May Not Know). Actually, my friend Cindy mentioned it in her skincare tip, and I was really, really, really wanting to try it after reading her post! This is an at home glycolic acid peel kit, and after talking to Cindy, it was gentle but gave results. If it sucked, Cindy would have said so. Instead she raved! I had to try it!


Inside of the kit you'll find Peel Prep, Peel Accelerator Pads, and Glycolic Peel Solution. There is enough product for 8 peels, which means even though the kit costs $68, a single use will only cost you $8.50. That's a pretty good deal compared to having a pro do it for you!


The first product is the prep, which is this light orange face wash. It has little microbeads to help exfoliate, though I admit that I didn't think there were enough there to make a big difference. (I admit, I'm a picky girl when it comes to my microbeads, I need a lot of them so they can spread very evenly. I mostly just ignore them.) Really, the Prep is a face wash to prepare your face for the peel by getting rid of any residual makeup, face oils, and dirt. You rub it on, let it sit for 30-60 seconds and then rinse it off. It removes everything, but I was surprised by how gentle it was. It just left my face feeling nicely refreshed.

The next step is the Peel Accelerator Pad, which is the size of an Oxy pad and is soaked in 5% Glycolic Acid. They do smell like chemicals, but it isn't horrible and really, I'm not sure what else a Glycolic pad would smell like. To use the pads, you wipe them on your face and let it dry completely, this only takes a few minutes. Once you've dried, you can't feel the solution on your face at all.

The great thing is that you get 60 pads in the kit and you only need 1 for a peel. That leaves you with 52 extra pads, and they are gentle enough to use a few times a week if you want. I've been doing this, using the pads as part of my nightly skin care routine. I have rosacea, and while it is mild I'm still sensitive. I've been able to tolerate using the pads 2-3 times a week without any irritation or redness. Instead, they have helped make my skin softer and reducing pore size.

The last step is the actual peel! You take the Peel solution, which comes in a pump, and put 5 mL into the little cup (which is 1 teaspoon). The solution has the consistency of a lotion, and I did have a bit of a hard time getting it out of the pump. Eventually I just opened up the top and dumped it into the cup, which worked fine.

You spread a light layer of the peel solution over your face and it starts foaming up. Really, it's like you put scrubbing bubbles on your face, there's a couple of millimeters at least of foam, and you can feel it foaming a little bit. Nothing hurts at all, but it does feel a little strange! After a few minutes you rub it again to get more foam going. Then a few minutes later you rinse it off.

What you're left with at the end is super soft skin! Even with my rosacea sensitivity, I had absolutely no problems with this peel. I've used it once a week for 3 or 4 weeks now (with using the pads 2-3x/week as well) and I think my skin is smoother with smaller pores because of it. I was really impressed that it seems to do a great job but is gentle enough for my rosacea to handle.

Have you tried any at home peels?

Ellen Lange
Product Sent for Review

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First Aid Beauty Instant Oatmeal Mask: A Cookie For Your Face

I'm a big fan of masks. The little extra time for myself (because, obviously, I don't want anyone else to see me with the mask on. I want to be alone) can be a big thing. The 10 or 15 minutes to pamper myself can make a big difference in my day!

An oatmeal mask.... doesn't sound super impressive, does it? Should masks been peeling and full of clay? Something that removes the outer layer of skin to smooth things out and refresh? Does that even sound like a good idea?

An Oatmeal mask really is for soothing out any rough and irritated spots, and bringing down any inflammation. But, I have to tell you, I really feel like this mask also adds a huge amount of moisture to my skin. It makes my skin plump and dewy and just... glowy. When you apply it, it is grainy and you can feel a lot of the oatmeal in it. It feels a bit like a combination between lotion and a ground up oatmeal cookie. It also smells like it. Which makes me want to lick it off of my face. . .

Ingredients:
Water/Aqua/Eau, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Caprylic/Capric/Succinic Triglyceride, Caprylic/Capric/Myristic/Stearic Triglyceride, Avena Sativa (Oat) Bran, Colloidal Oatmeal, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate,Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Octyldodecanol, Glycerin, Polysorbate 20, Cetearyl Alcohol, Decyl Glucoside, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Polysorbate 60, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Vanillin, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Xanthan Gum, Dimethicone, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Chrysanthemum Parthenium (Feverfew) Extract, Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Extract, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract, Butylene Glycol, Bisabolol, Hydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Pentylene Glycol,1,2-Hexanediol, Tetrasodium EDTA

First Aid Beauty

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Somme Institute Boost Mask Review

I'm a mask girl. If I had time, I'd use 2 or 3 masks a day. A day people! Love them! I really only get to use a mask about 2 or 3 times a week if I'm having a great week, more like once a week if things are at their typical level of busy. So, I want my mask to do a lot. Help me clean out some of my back up, gunky pores. Leave my skin smooth and glowing because it was a bit more exfoliated than usual. If there's a way to get a bit more hydration even, then I'd love that. Do it all in 10 minutes or less!

Boost is interesting. This is a light tannish mask and I can't describe the scent at all. There is one, it isn't unpleasant, I just can't think of how to explain it. It's a bit earthy (probably the Kaolin Clay), a little herbal and sweet... I'm not too sure beyond that.

It feels like a moisturizer that has been mixed 50/50 with a clay mask. It has that slightly gritty mud feel, but is somehow a tad creamy to me? Once applied to your skin it starts to warm up, and oooooh.... it feels so good! It isn't hot, just warm enough to feel really great. I had some faint (pleasant) tingling at about 3-4 minutes in, but it never hurt. The mask had dried slightly on the surface when I washed it off at about 10 minutes. It rinsed off pretty easily and I used the Nourishing Cleanser to remove any excess.

After use my skin was smooth and glowing! I was a bit hydrated, but still needed to use a moisturizer. The mask contains that MDT5 with all of the vitamins to penetrate deeply in to your skin, but also has Kaolin Clay (to suck stuff out of pores), a retinoid, peptide and even pumpkin enzymes (read: hydroxy acids) all to give you an anti-aging boost.





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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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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Boots Gentle Glycolic Peel: At Home Peeling?

Yes, yes, yes. Many of us are afraid of using a peel. I could show that same old picture of Samantha post-peel and wearing a hat with a veil. Because her face is a mess. But really, it's been done. I mean, I think I've shown that pic at least 2 or 3 times here, who knows how many times other bloggers have done the same thing?

This peel isn't that peel. This peel is the one I recommended to my mother in law over the phone last week. She likes beauty products, but she needs gentle and effective. This is that peel.

It's very easy to use. Put a few pumps of peel into that little clear petri dish thing, and then use the brush to apply a very thin layer on your clean face. Be sure to avoid sensitive/thin skin areas like your eyes, lips and nostrils. The brush bristles can stick together a bit strangely, I found it helps to use your fingers to push them together on the sides, basically making the brush thinner. Wait 5 minutes, then wipe one of the pads on your face to neutralize and wash.

The results are definitely worth it! My skin was smoother and glowing. I've used it a few times a week over the last 2 weeks and my skin is clearer with smaller pores. I have had absolutely no issues with redness, irritation or any reaction to the peel. The kit costs $25 and has enough for 24 treatments. Twice a week for 4 weeks a course, and then 3 courses of treatment. That's about $1.04 a treatment. Not bad at all!

One note, as with any exfoliation, a peel will make your face more sensitive to the sun. Please be sure to wear sunscreen, at least SPF 15 (though 30 would be better) while using this product. As well, if you have a skin condition such as rosacea talk with your doctor before using this kit.

Boots

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Combating Winter: Turn Your Bathroom Into a Hawaiian Spa Getaway

When I lived in Southern California, my husband and I were stressed out and worked crazy hours. To help ourselves relax and reconnect we jetted off on vacation once a year, and because we like not having to worry about if the water was potable and to spend as little time as possible on a plane... We usually went to Hawaii.

One of our favorite vacations was to Kauai, where we stayed at the Grand Hyatt. It was beautiful, the food was great and the pool.... wow, I don't even know what to say. Amazing. I distinctly remember amazing massages at Anara Spa the day after our arrival, and the next day I had a facial that left me glowing until well after our return home.

Some day, I'm definitely heading back!

The estheticians at Anara Spa (Maureen, Valerie & Rochelle) put together some easy DIY skin treats with readily available ingredients. The scents will induce thoughts of summer & relaxation, and your soft skin & hair will thank you. I already feel more relaxed!

Face Treatment
1 banana mashed
¼ c sugar
2 T milk
1 T honey
Mix and gently rub onto face. Let sit for a minute or two and rinse.

• Sugar exfoliates, banana nourishes skin keeping it supple and glowing, milk nourishes skin and provides lactic acid, an alpha-hydroxy acid, that exfoliates and cleanses. Honey softens skin and is anti-microbial.

• Can be refrigerated & reused within a week. Double recipe for a full body treatment.


Hair Treatment
1 banana mashed or ½ avocado
3 T coconut oil
Mix together and massage into hair.
Leave in hair for 5 minutes. Rinse.

• Banana and avocado are nutrient rich, nourishing hair, coconut oil deeply moisturizes making hair soft and manageable.


Bath Treatment
½ c oatmeal (in cheesecloth bag)
½ c sugar
¼ t vanilla

Dissolve sugar in the bath water. Place cheesecloth filled with oatmeal in water. Add vanilla to water just before getting in.

• Oatmeal cleanses, exfoliates and soothes skin, sugar encourages new skin turnover and collagen growth, the aroma of vanilla soothes the nerves, reducing stress.


Anara Spa

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Pore Strip Your Face: The At Home Gelatin Facial

I did something brave last week. I pore stripped my face. The entire thing. Yes. No, I did not go crazy and buy my local Walmart out of Bioré products. Instead, I bought a $1.36 box of unflavored gelatin and used up half of it. Truly.

I found this via Pinterest (love it!), and I knew as soon as I saw it, I would have to try it! The idea came from Petite Elefant (pinned here). I was the girl in college with the nose strips on her forehead, nose, chin and cheeks. I had to try this. There was no choice.

I should note that I tried this out immediately after my morning shower, so I knew all the stuff clogging my pores had been nicely loosened up by my shower and I was more likely to yank some of it out.

So, first, I somewhat followed the directions over at Petite Elefant. In that I used disposable items and unflavored gelatin with milk. Not so much in that I forgot how much to use, so when I combined ingredients I used 2 packets of gelatin and about 1-2 tablespoons of milk and when mixed up mine was about the consistency of a fruit on the bottom yogurt once mixed up. There is no other way to describe it, I created Yoplait.

Then I put it in the microwave. I thought it was 30 seconds (actually, 10 seconds is recommended), but I pulled it out about 25 seconds in once it started bubbling. Oops! It turns out this stuff cools down rapidly and as it cools it sets up. So, this gave me about 2 minutes of stand around and talk to my husband while stirring, then I realized it was getting stringy and thick quickly so I ran up to the bathroom to put it on.

Application was pretty easy. I used a plastic picnic knife, it was fine if you don't have the recommended popsicle stick. You don't want a thin or a thick layer, really it should be somewhat in between. Once it dries you'll be peeling this stuff off. Too thick is goopy and hard to peel in 1 piece, too thin and it will break off every where. Avoid your eye brows and too close to your eyes. Really.

About 10-15 minutes later, things will definitely start to tighten up as it dries. This is when you want to remove. I simply opened my mouth to start tearing into it, and then I started peeling. It isn't quite as satisfying as a Bioré, since it is harder to see the grossness you've just pulled out of your skin. But, you'll notice right away that your pores are smaller and black heads are gone.

As you pull the mask off it does exfoliate (aka- pull off skin). I didn't notice redness, but my skin was definitely sensitive that day. You should do this on a day that you'll be able to baby your skin with added moisture and maybe staying home sans makeup. Be sure to wear your sunscreen as well! I swear this stuff also pulled off hair, so any little baby fuzz you have is likely to be pretty reduced by using this mask.

However, a word of caution! I was too close to my eyebrows when I applied. I didn't think this would matter. The first removal swatch I did near them did pull up a few eyebrows (small bald spot! I have had to fill it in with an eyebrow pencil, though it is now filling in). So, be careful! After that I took a little warm water with my fingers, wet the gelatin on my brows, and once it loosened up I gently scraped it off with fingernails. So, problem averted.

The first day my skin was sensitive to the touch, though I didn't look irritated and my skin wasn't red. Instead, it felt very soft and my pores were immediately much smaller in appearance. The best results were actually a few days later, I swear my pores looked smaller and smaller! The usual gunk I have clogging them was gone and despite a time I should have been breaking out (hmmm....) my skin was perfect!

Have you tried this? I'm definitely going to be doing it again, though I'll probably just direct it at my t-zone rather than my entire face. And I likely will only microwave for 15-20 seconds. I think this might be an every other week or so thing for me for now on.

Update!
When I wrote this post I had a cold and couldn't smell it, but yes, it really does smell horrible (read below, this seemed to make a few people VERY ANGRY WITH ME. You've been warned! Sorry!)

There are quite a few great tips in the comments to help with the smell including using soy milk, lemon juice, adding a few drops of essential oil to the mix.

Also, to prevent your eye brows from being pulled out, coat them with vaseline first!

127

ExoliKate Review: The Fastest Scrub/Peel Ever

ExfoliKate is my favorite facial scrub or peel, or scrub/peel or whatever you want to call this thing. It is fast, it works and is well worth the expensive price. I've called it a holy grail product in the past, and it definitely is worthy of that title!

I want to say right away that yes, this is a pretty expensive product. However, I use about the size of a large pea with each use for my t-zone and most of my cheeks and chin. So, that 2 ounce tube has a lot of uses in it!

This product is a green goo, with a herbal and somewhat minty scent. The texture is a bit like a regular face mask, though there are some big chunky bits like you'd find in a body scrub. Which yes, is usually something that I avoid in a facial product, but since I don't rub it in the grit doesn't bother me. You simply smear it on and then....

Why yes, it really does say to wait only 20-30 seconds. I confess I might lose track of time and wait a full 45-60 seconds before washing it off. But still... insanely fast, right? As in, this could definitely be included in pretty much any morning routine. My ideal time is in the shower. I apply, put conditioner in my hair, and then rinse off my face. Pretty much perfect timing.

It tingles slightly but doesn't sting at all. It rinses off very easily with just water, which I then follow up with face wash. I've had no problems with redness, irritation or flaking. Just smooth and glowing skin. In 20-30 seconds. Or 45-60 if you're lazy like me.


Kate Somerville

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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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Freeman Beauty: What Really Comes in those Little Packets at the Drugstore?

I'm sure that you've seen these little packages in your neighborhood drugstore. I fully admit that I've always looked at them, but haven't purchased them because I thought a one time use pack was a bit expensive at $2 when the whole tube was only $4. But, can you beat the little packet for portability? It is so easy to just throw one of these babies in your 3-1-1 bag. It takes up almost no room, gets thrown away after use... kinda perfect.

So, now that we've established I'm really excited about the idea of different face masks for travel, how are the actual masks?

Cucumber Peel Off Mask
I used this mask back in high school all the time, so this was a very nostalgic product for me to test! It is green, feels cool when applied and once dried it peels off easily. Peeling it off is a bit like using a pore strip in that you feel like things are being extracted from your pores, but really it is much less painful.

Chocolate & Strawberry Facial Clay Mask
Yes, it really does smell like chocolate and strawberries! This is a thick clay mask with the same clays as most similar masks, including the super expensive Fango that I love so much. It does feel a bit tighter when it dries, but as you wash it off you'll reveal tightened and glowing skin.

Avocado & Oatmeal Facial Clay Mask Travel Size
Just like the Chocolate mask except a bit more... avocado. I'm a big sucker for clay masks. I swear applying clay to your face is like just turning on a "glow" switch in the skin.


So, yes, a $2 face mask can do wonders. I'll be stocking up on those Goji Berry Facial Hydration Mask packets, they sound like just the thing to perk my skin up after a long plane trip!


Freeman Beauty

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