Splurge Or Save: Anti-Aging Moisturizers

Once you reach, say, your mid-thirties, your skincare focus shifts to keeping the ravages of time at bay. In other words, you start looking for anti-aging stuff. Facial moisturizers are probably the most used of all the anti-aging remedies, judging by the sheer number of options out there. But they seem to run the gamut from ridiculously expensive to maybe too cheap, so how can you find a moisturizer that will level your fine lines and fit in your budget comfort zone?

Let me offer you some ideas:

Splurge

Philosophy Hope In A Jar- $39 for 2 ounces, Sephora. The moisturizer that Oprah sent into the stratosphere by declaring it one of her favorite things. By luxury brand standards it’s not particularly expensive, but it’s probably more than a lot of women would think to spend. It contains alpha-hydroxy acids to gently exfoliate the skin and give you a bit of a glow. The exfoliation helps to minimize fine lines as well. It’s a great moisturizer for all skin types. They also make a sensitive skin version and one with spf 15.

Save A Little

L’Oreal Youth Code Youth Regenerating Skincare Day/Night Cream Moisturizer- $22.99 for 1.6 ounces, Walgreens. L’Oreal’s new line claims to get skin looking and “acting” younger. It remains to be seen if it actually does what it says (I can’t see a difference), but as a moisturizer it’s pretty darn good. A bit perfumey (a distinct departure from the chemical-but-not-unpleasant-to-us scent of Hope In A Jar), but a good, rich moisturizer that’s not greasy. And increasing moisture in the skin can help plump it up, make it look lifted and blurring lines.

Save A Lot

Alpha Hydrox Enhanced Anti-Wrinkle Cream – $12.99 for 2 ounces, Drugstore.Com. This stuff has been around for quite a while, and is an old favorite of mine. It seemed to have briefly disappeared, only to reappear a few years later. With 10% glycolic acid, it’s a powerful brew at a bargain price. And, as most dermatologists will tell you, alpha-hydroxy acids and retinoids are the only anti-aging ingredients that are proven to work. Your skin may tingle a bit a first, but you’ll quickly get used to it. The line also includes a facial wash – whether or not using both together boosts the effectiveness, we don’t know. But it couldn’t hurt.

What’s my go-to? In this instance, I splurge. I don’t know what it is about Hope In A Jar, but even if I stray I always go back. How do I justify the expense? Here’s a secret: I actually buy the 8 ounce jar ($110 at Sephora exclusively), which, if you do the math, you’ll find comes in at an almost reasonable $13.75 per ounce. That’s less than the Youth Code at $14.37 per ounce.  Of course, the Alpha Hydrox is only about $6.50 an ounce, so it might be worth another look… I can’t resist a bargain!

About The Author:  Megan is a professional writer, amateur photographer and an accomplished beauty product crash test dummy. She'll try anything once, especially if it's a free sample. She's still trying to figure out what she wants to be when she grows up, but it will probably involve travel and Colin Farrell. And maybe some writing and photography. You can visit her at onethousandwordsormore.com or follow her on Twitter: msmegan.

Featured photo

Splurge Or Save: Eyebrow Fix

Eyebrow fix is usually a clear gel that is packaged in a mascara-like tube with a wand. It’s made to be brushed on your eyebrows to help keep them in place and looking well-groomed. It also can help darken the brows to make them a little more “there.”  Not everybody has use for it, but if your eyebrows are on the thicker side, like mine, and you have one or two hairs that will not grow straight regardless of how many times you pluck them and let them grow back (can eyebrows have cowlicks?), they can be helpful in keeping your eyebrows under control.

To be honest with you, this is one category of product I would rather do without, but I need the help! To that end, I give you three options to splurge or save on as you deem necessary:

Splurge

Anastasia Brow Gel ($21/.28 oz, Sephora) Anastasia is a celebrity brow groomer in Beverly Hills who now has a line brow grooming tools and products that will help the area above your eye look as good as the rest of your face.  The wand makes it easy to apply, and the chamomile in the formula helps to condition brows.

 

 

Save A Little

Tweezerman SPA Browmousse ($10/tube, Drugstore.com) Tweezerman is a trusted name in eyebrow grooming, and the reviews of this product bear this out. Overall, it holds well and lasts all day. The bonus is that this gel is probably available at your local drugstore if you don’t want to wait to have it delivered.

 

 

Save A Lot

Walgreens Beeswax Lip Balm ($1.59/.15 oz) As I said, this is not an area where I want to spend any money, but I find it necessary, so I did a bit of experimenting and discovered something that works very well for me: beeswax lip balm. Yes, lip balm. Have you ever heard of mustache wax? It’s used to keep mustaches looking well groomed. Well, I thought why not eyebrows? I had some around (I don’t care for it as a lip balm, it turns out), so I swiped it on my brows (one swipe per brow) and then combed them into place. Holds all day, defines and then washes out easily. And for the price, honestly you can’t beat it. Just be careful with it around the eye area as it’s not meant for that. It has peppermint oil in it, which smells lovely but would sting if it got in your eye.

Do you use brow fix? Do you have a favorite? Are you willing to try the lip balm? Inquiring minds…

Featured photo

About The Author:  Megan is a professional writer, amateur photographer and an accomplished beauty product crash test dummy. She'll try anything once, especially if it's a free sample. She's still trying to figure out what she wants to be when she grows up, but it will probably involve travel and Colin Farrell. And maybe some writing and photography. You can visit her at onethousandwordsormore.com or follow her on Twitter: msmegan.

Friday Flop: Bliss Fabulous Rubberizing Mask

I love taking some time for myself, doing things that make me feel pretty and pampered. What I do not love making too much effort in the process, which is why Bliss Spa’s Fabulous Skin-Reviving Rubberizing Mask is a flop for me.

While I usually will not spend $38 on a face mask that will only last me six weeks (it comes in a package of six individual masks to be used once a week), I had a gift card. So I splurged and got the mask, reportedly one of Bliss’ in-spa favorites. I liked the idea of a peel-off mask because it’s much simpler than rinsing one off.

In theory.

The mask comes in powder form, along with six tongue depressors and a scoop. You put the powder in a bowl, fill the scoop with water and mix the ensuing gunk with the tongue depressor. Are you tired yet? Because I am and I still haven’t gotten this on my face. Once the mask is mixed, trowel it on , preferably with the tongue depressors because it’s messy. As you are doing this you must be careful to layer it on thickly or you will not be able to get it off easily.

Once you’ve gotten it all on your face, don’t rinse the bowl. Leave it to dry. The directions explicitly say not to wash the mask down the drain, but to throw it away. I guess you don’t want it to rubberize in your pipes. Pitch the tongue depressor.

After you’ve done all this, you can finally relax. For about 15 minutes. Then you have peel the thing off because if you wait too long it will overdry and then you have to wet it and that defeats the whole purpose. If you’ve gotten it on thickly enough (which you probably haven’t, no matter how many times you’ve done this before), you just peel the whole thing off. Except for those places where you put it on too thinly. Like all the edges. So you have to wet your face so you can scrape those off. When it’s off, you throw the mask away, peel the remains from the bowl and put them in the trash too. Then you’ll have to wash it anyway because stuff will stick.

Really? So not worth it.

Your skin will feel good. At least mine did. But the amount of effort totally negates any benefit. There are other, cheaper masks that require less effort and make my skin feel good. Thanks anyway, Bliss. I’ll save it for the spa.

Featured photo credit

Solid Shampoo: Who Knew?

Straightening Out Under Eye Circles? Maybe Not.

I have an ugly little secret that I’ve been hiding for years. Dark circles under my eyes. Horrible, ugly circles that make me look tired and a little zombielike. I have tried about a billion products and voodoo and offered to sell my soul for a little miracle product that would make me look refreshed.

I was strolling through the aisles at Target the other day and found something shiny and new that promised to get rid of my circles of shame, Garnier’s Anti Dark Circle Eye Roller.

It looks like a giant tube of lip gloss, but instead of rolling out bubblegum flavored shininess, it rolls out a light concealer enriched with caffeine and lemon essence that promises to instantly correct dark circles.

Does it work? A little bit. I washed my face, put on moisturizer, then applied the concealer under my eyes.  I closed my eyes while I rubbed it in and then leaned into the mirror before letting my eyelids fly open. Could I see a difference? Yes. I did look a bit more refreshed and my eyes appeared a little brighter. The problem is that it doesn’t last.  The product tells you to apply in the morning and then “as needed during the day.” I don’t want a product that I have to carry around and apply over and over, I want something I put on in the morning and don’t have to worry about again.

At $15.99 a pop it’s not that expensive, but I still don’t think it’s worth it if I have to keep applying it all day long. I will keep it in my drawer to use if I’m going out for the evening or if my allergies make my eyes look particularly bad, but for everyday banishment of the ugly black circles I’ll keep searching for a miracle!

Friday Flop : Revlon Colorsilk

There are certain products that we use in our every day lives that you just can’t scrimp on.

My personal list includes toilet paper, mayonnaise and tampons.

I recently found out that the same is true for hair dye.

About a year ago, I decided to break up with my hair stylist because my husband and I are in the process of saving up for our first home and spending $100 on my hair every few months was something I felt I could easily cross out of our budget.

But Mama still has to do something about those pesky roots every now and then so I’ve been stalking the sales flyers and coupon inserts for great deals.  I was doing really good – never spending more than $3 or $4 a box, which is a big deal for me because I have a crapton of hair and using only two boxes is cutting it close.

Unfortunately, a few weeks ago I was short on time and short on cash and there were no sales or coupons to be found.   Under normal circumstances, this wouldn’t be a big deal because, d’uh, I could always wait another week, right?

Well, no.  I had a big wedding to go to the next day and my roots were long past the acceptable limit.

I was just about to give up hope when I saw it….a beautiful $4 price tag.

Revlon Colorsilk Ultra Light Sun Blonde.

I grabbed my two boxes and gleefully skipped to the check out line, certain that I was going to have my lustrous blond hair back in business.

That night, I popped the top and mixed up the oh-so-toxic smelling chemicals and prepared to be amazed.

This lasted all of two minutes….then I thought I was going to need a breathing treatment or something because my lungs were on fire.

I soldiered through and dutifully waited the required twenty-five minutes.

After I did the rinse/condition/rinse routine, I went to the mirror to comb out the tangles and seriously wanted to cry.

First off, the color?  Was a streaky, brassy Marilyn Monroe knock off kind of travesty.

Second off, um, can you say OUCH?!

My hair was so dry, brittle and tangled that I was in serious pain.

I wish I could say that after I dried my hair, things looked better.

I wish I could say that when I woke up the next morning, things looked better.

I wish I could say that a few weeks later, things looked better.

But I totally can’t.

Also, all of the deep conditioning treatments in the world have not brought my hair back to their once shiny and soft glory.

Next time, I’ll just live with the roots until I can snag a good deal on my Garnier.

Note to Self : Next time, stock up on extra boxes for emergencies!

Loreal Telescopic Liquid Eyeliner

I love the look of liquid eyeliner.  I love the drama that it adds to a face.  But let’s face it- with most liquid eyeliners, you almost need to be a professional artist to make it look good.  It smudges, is hard to apply, and will drive a woman to distraction.  Those little brushes that you dip into a bottle make you feel like you need to be Monet to make it look good.  I had almost given up on liquid eyeliner until I discovered Loreal Telesopic Liquid Eyeliner.

Loreal Telescopic Liquid Eyeliner is the very best liquid eyeliner I’ve ever tried- and I have tried them all.  I am currently using it in dark brown, but it also comes in charcoal and black.  What makes Loreal Telescopic different than other liquid eyeliners, is the brush.  The brush on the end of most eyeliner wands, has individual bristles. (and one of those bristles always seems to want to be a renegade, ruining your polished look with a tiny smudge!)  But  the applicator brush on Loreal Telescopic is all one piece- there are NO individual bristles.  The applicator comes to a perfect point and the brush tip is solid.  The firmness of the brush keeps the application easy.  No more of that “slapping paint on” look and feel.  While the brush is solid, it is not hard, so it feels smooth on your eyelid.  It makes application so easy.  With Telescopic, the construction of the applicator gives you  the ease and precision of an eyeliner pencil, but the dramatic look of a liquid eyeliner.  It is truly the best of both worlds.  Telescopic gives any eye the perfect polished look.  Use the tip of the brush for a thinner daytime look, or use the side of the brush with more pressure upon application, for a more dramatic nightime look or to complete the perfect smokey eye.

I bought my Loreal Telescopic at Target and paid &7.49 for a .08 oz. bottle.  It can be purchased at any drug store or retail chain or purchased on Amazon.

Friday Flop: GoodSkin Labs Skincare

I’m kind of habitual about my skincare products. If I find something that doesn’t a) make me break out b) dry the hell out of my face and c) give me a rash (no, really), I generally stick with that product.  Occasionally, however, I’m susceptible to shiny new ads and gimmicks.  Enter GoodSkin Labs. This is a line of skincare products that’s available exclusively through Kohl’s. Recently, while at the recent BlogHer conference, I was given the opportunity to try a few of the objects for free. FREE? I’M IN.

I started using GoodSkin Labs Tri-Aktiline Total Face about two months ago. Now this stuff is a moisturizer that also claims to instantly reduce wrinkles. And after four weeks I’m supposed to notice in overall face moisturization (duh?). I also got Citra-Peel Exfoliating & Neutralizing Peel Pads which is a two-part system of pH resurfacing and neutralizing. And, lastly, we’ve got the Eyliplex-2.  This is a container with eye cream for day and nighttime use, claiming “eye lift” and dark circle reduction.  The results?

Tri-Aktiline Total Face ($42.50): My first impression with this stuff was, “Whoa. Thick.” Clinique is my regular stuff, and it’s a fairly light  moisturizer. But the Total Face formula is much thicker. While I can see how this would be beneficial for “reducing” lines (by filling them…with cream…ick?), I didn’t like that I had to rub so hard to get it smoothed all over my face. This felt counter-productive. I also felt like I needed to use much more than should be necessary. The plus side is that, for as heavy as it goes on, the lotion doesn’t feel heavy on your skin. So if you’re the type of consumer that’s partial to a thicker, more substantial lotion, this might work well for you. I’m sure there’s some of you out there. Right? I, for one, won’t be purchasing a second tube.  (Also note that I *did* notice an increase in breakouts while using this product. Like, a substantial increase. But in all fairness, since my trial period also coincided with, um, Halloween, I can’t be completely certain of the cause. Ahem.)

Citra-Peel ($32): Okay, so this stuff was by far my favorite of the three. (And, unfortunately, Kohl’s seems to be out of stock of the stuff at the moment.) The first step is a pre-moistened pad that had me nostalgic for those zit-filled OXY days of my teen years where the only way to treat an outbreak was to burn the hell out of your face and hope for the best in the morning. Turns out for me, the “best” was “you are allergic to salycilic acid” and “here is your red-ass face” and “good luck in homeroom!” But while Citra-Peel felt similar to other acid-based treatments, it didn’t burn as much as it tingled. And no rash!  Perhaps it’s because of Step Two: the balancing pads. After a few minutes, you apply a pH neutralizer before rinsing. The end result was a refreshed, glowing skin tone that was rash free. Now, whether that’s worth the $32 is up to you, but I think I’d consider buying the stuff myself.

Eyliplex-2 ($39.50): Now, this stuff I wanted to love. I really did. The day cream is a nice gel that’s cooling and refreshing to the eye area. The down side, however–and it’s a pretty significant one in my book–is that the gel leaves this residue if you use too much. And too be honest, as much as I tried reducing my application amounts, there always seemed to be a residue. When I would apply my concealer, the result was this awful you’ve-got-a-fungus effect around my eyes. DISLIKE.  The overnight cream, on the other hand, was pleasant. Not as cooling, but certainly did the trick without too much heaviness. And after washing my face in the morning, the residue was never an issue. But since you can’t buy just one (they come together in a single unit), I’d have to pass on this one as well.

Bottom Line: Guys, I thought the best thing about this line is the packaging. I mean, really. Doesn’t it look impressive? While there were clearly some benefits, I don’t think the price point is worth those perks. Not for me, anyway.

A Month of StriVectin-SD Instant Retexturizing Scrub

Is your bathroom cupboard anything like mine?  Overflowing with unused beauty products?  Things I bought, was given, inherited, bought cause I had a coupon and picked up who knows where else.  And mixed in there was a brand new tube of StriVectin-SD Instant Retexturizing Scrub.

In that I was out of room, I decided it was time to start using them.  I grabbed the one closest to the front, gave it a read, and began using it.

It was StriVectin-SD Instant Retexturizing Scrub.  Mine is 150mL/5 fl. oz and comes in a very clinical-looking tube.  My husband actually asked if it was some new prescription.  I think I may have received it from BlogHer, but I can’t honestly say for sure.

But I decided to give it a whirl.

You are supposed to use this 2-3 times per week.  It’s easy to use, you simply use a small amount and massage it on to your face and neck.  (Note: Watch out for the eyes.  It really burns if you screw up and get it in them.)

I can be a real skeptic about these kinds of things, especially when they are price-y.  But I am not kidding, the first time I used it, my skin really did feel smoother and looked more even.  And I have noticed a definite decrease in those “really, come on, I am 36-years-old!” breakouts.

I have now continued using it a couple times a week for a month.  I have felt like the results were definitely worth keeping up with it.  My skin continues to feel more even and soft.  But the best part?  In a blog post I wrote recently, I included this photo of myself.

One of the comments I received read:

This has nothing to do with the maze, but I just had to tell you that your skin looks amazing! As in perfect and flawless. I’m jealous. Not that you ever looked anything but great in high school. Got any secrets or is it just good genes?

Now I certainly am not going to say that a month of using a new product made all the difference.  My skin is still my skin.  But I do think that it was interesting to have someone comment on something as specific as my skin a month after I started using StriVectin.

StriVectin products are available online at Amazon, StriVectin and Sephora.

Nail Tek Nailcare: The cure for soft, peeling fingernails

My fingernails suck.  Bad.

My nails are soft and tend to peel.  They break and I can’t keep nail polish on them no matter what I do.  Even when I was pregnant and hopped up on vitamins, I had bad nails.

Two months ago, my friend Becky gave me a Nail Tek nailcare product to try that changed my life.  Or at least, stopped my fingernails from peeling.

Nail Tek Intensitive Therapy II

Read more