Review: Clinique Youth Surge Night

Clinique just came out with the evening companion to their Youth Surge SPF 15 moisturizer - Youth Surge Night (1.7 oz. for $48.50)

I've been using Youth Surge SPF 15 for about a year now. While I could do with 15 extra notches of SPF thrown in (hello! 30 is the minimum), I appreciate how rich it is without making me feel like I rubbed a hamburger patty on my face. The new night version has a similar appeal. It goes on like a balm, which I deeply appreciate this time of year while the heat is blasting and parching the shit out of my skin. It absorbs fairly quickly and leaves your skin looking young and plump and taut and all that good stuff. I find that the next morning, I don't have to heap the moisturizer on as heavily, which is also great. I can add that thus far I have no zit evidence against Youth Surge Night. It comes in 2 versions - dry combination (2) and very dry to dry (1).

Price: $48.50 - Holy shit that's kind of expensive, right? But the jar is huge and if you don't have a freakishly large face this should last you a LONG time. I expect to get about a year out of mine.

Verdict: LOVE this. But get yourself to a Clinique counter and try before you buy - it's an investment.

Review: Clinique Deep Comfort Hand Cream

After my research into who's animal testing and who isn't, I was wondering where to turn once my former go-to winter hand cream (by bunny-beaters Neutrogena) runs out. Leave it to my friends at Clinique to save the day! I've had the opportunity to test out Clinique Deep Comfort Hand and Cuticle Cream ($17.50 for 2.5 oz.) which becomes available in November 2009, and I can't recommend it enough.

At that price point, I might call it a luxury for "just a hand cream" but I put literally a pea-sized amount in my palm and it did the job for both hands, so I think you could stretch one tube for almost an entire winter. It's extremely rich and thick but absorbed almost immediately. My skin felt really soft, not just surface-soft, and there was no heavy fragrance to it at all.

Verdict: Worth it! Try it at a Clinique counter next month and see for yourself.

P.S.: There's already a Deep Comfort Body Butter and Body Moisturizer out now. In November, a Body Wash is also set to be released.

Origins GinZing Eye Cream

Origins GinZing
Claim: "Refreshing eye cream to brighten and de-puff"
Cost: $29.50
Verdict: Worth it.
Why: It de-puffs and leaves behind a subtle light-reflecting shimmer that works well under concealer to hide dark circles.
Details: GinZing goes on light and has a cooling sensation. Typically de-puffer products cause your eyes to water - this does not, yet it's still effective. The active ingredients responsible are caffiene and ginseng. The soft shimmer it leaves behind helps refract light and detract attention from your dark circles. This is a great double-duty product (maybe you can toss that highlighter pencil?) and reasonably priced.
PS: Any product claiming to erase dark circles is bullshitting you right to your face - dc's are hereditary and have to do with the thickness of the skin under your eyes. The best you can do is a product like this, which helps sooth the skin and camouflage the darkness.

Twiggy Sells Olay Again

Twiggys new Olay ad

Twiggy's 1980's Olay ad

Crabtree and Evelyn Goes Under

The purveyor of old lady soaps and lotions filed Chapter 11 yesterday, according to WWD. I suspect the reason is not the bad economy, but one of the following:

1.) It's a beauty business with the word "crab" in it's name
2.) Their target demographic is old ladies, and they totally die

Product Review: Model Co Tan Airbrush in a Can

I'm very fair-skinned, and I don't want to look like a leather purse when I grow up, so it's fair to say I've tried a LOT of self-tanning products. My most recent purchase was the $42 Tan Airbrush in a Can by an Australian company called Model Co. I got it on sale, but it was still pricy, and I have been beyond horrified with the result.

First of all - like most airbrush tanners - the bottle claims you don't have to rub it in. Yes, you always do, unless you want to look blotchy. (Note: If you self-tan, invest in a box of disposable thin plastic or rubber gloves, like the ones that come in home haircolor kits, to prevent orange palms.) This product comes out the color of Hershey's sundae syrup, so if you don't rub it in you'll end up looking like a chocolate zebra.

After one time directly spritzing it on my skin and trying to rub it in I discovered how difficult the product is to spread and blend. I got out the plastic gloves and began spritzing it into my palm and rubbing it in from there, making it slightly more possible to blend in the color.

The product contains an instant bronzer, and the tan is supposed to develop over several hours beneath that. I found that after 24 hours or so, there was no hint of a tan and all that was left were two strange bronze amoeba shapes on the front of both of my shins (and yes, I exfoliated pre-tan), which basically made me look like I suffered from whatever skin disease Michael Jackson is claiming to have. A friend likened them to birthmarks. And guess what? After over a week, they still are visible. I've exfoliated twice a day and just now resorted to trying a Magic Eraser sponge. (That has worked the best so far, but now my shins are red and sore.)

Verdict: Total ripoff, awful product.
Instead, try: Neutrogena MicroMist Tanning Sunless Spray. It's about $10 and is the best airbrush tanning product I have tried so far. The CVS brand knockoff works well too, but you'll only save about $1, so go with the name brand. Whichever you choose - rub it in!

Sun Saviors for a Burnt Babe

The Boston area got its first serious beach day this week, so I took advantage and drove up the coast to Maine for a little outlet shopping and sunbathing. When I arrived home, I was totally sunburnt and my hair looked like dried seaweed. Enter the great new summer products I just received for testing!

Clinique just put out a great new batch of sun care products, including After Sun Rescue Balm ($20 for a big tube), which is saving my back quite literally at the moment. The balm is rich and soothing and so far has kept me from peeling. It also absorbs easily and doesn't leave a weird feeling residue like plain old aloe gel. I'm also digging the super-rich, unscented SPF 30 Face Cream ($17.50)for it's non-greasy moisturizing power. At that price, I'm ditching my Neutrogena SPF 20 Anti-Wrinkle moisturizer, which actually costs more.

I washed the sea salt and sand out with Redken's new Color Extend After-Sun Shampoo ($13)and After-Sun Mask ($15). Together they restored my hair to it's silky self after just one shower, and left it with some UV protection to boot. All the products in this line contain mango oil and have a very flowery scent. (If you're scent-sensitive they may not be for you.)

If your hair is medium to thick, the Sparkling Shield ($16) spray on color protector adds intense shine (it's full of miniscule gold glitter particles). Fine hair should be tied back first if you plan to use this product, as it can make it look thinner and oilier.

Clinique also just released a new line of sunless tanning and bronzing products - I haven't tried the airbrush spray or tinted lotions yet, but the dual-colored Almost Bronzer SPF 15 ($28.50) has prompted me to toss all my cheapo Maybelline (too dull) and Bonne Bell (too sparkly) powder bronzers. This one is PERFECT and worth the markup! It goes on very sheer and has just a tiny hint of shimmer in it. This coming from a fair skinned girl who has never found a shade that looked human before.

Review: Two From Dermalogica's Age Smart Line

One of my favorite beauty boutique chains - Planet Beauty (their stores are all California-based but they have a cute, easily navigable website) - recently sent along a little package of spring essentials, and I've been loving two of the skincare items I had the opportunity to test-run. Both are from skincare brand Dermalogica, a prestige company that prides itself on products free of skin irritants and breakout-causing ingredients.

Dermalogica Age Smart Multivitamin Thermafoliant
For a product like this, $48 is reasonable. Why? Because you do get pro-facial level results. Like with a regular facial, your skin immediately after the treatment can be a little blotchy or reddened, but later you just see an awesome "glow." Any dead skin on your face just got it's ass kicked by a self-heating grainy micro scrub.
What sucks: I have to admit I'd never tried a thermal treatment before, so the heating first registered as burning, but the results make the slight discomfort of the process totally worth it. Verdict: I'd drop the cash to pick up more of this one in the future. It's harsher than my old fave, Origins Modern Friction, but every once in a while you need a stronger exfoliant - Origins' is more of a "several times a week" thing. This is more once a month (at least for me.)

Age Smart Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF 30 is great. I decided recently that SPF 15 in my moisturizer was not cutting it, and I wanted something more moisture-rich but not loaded with mineral oil. This product wears well under makeup and doesn't leave a greasy/shiny residue or a trail of acne devastation in its wake. Plus there are no artificial colors or fragrances - great for sensitive types.
What sucks: It's pricey at $60. Dermalogica does offer SPF face lotions for about half that price as well, so if you dig the brand but cant swing the cost, you don't have to miss out.
Verdict: It's not one I'd personally splurge for on a regular basis, but I am really enjoying it while it lasts.
FYI: All women should be wearing sunscreen at the very least on their face and neck if they don't want their youth rapidly obliterated by the environment. If you don't wear one, get one.

Review: NEW from Origins!

Back in the day, I used to save my masks for slumber parties. They were something to do, since we couldn't leave the house yet, but we didn't care what was in them or why.
Nowadays slathering a mask on is a less frequent and more solitary ritual, but one far more necessary-- if for no other reason than it forces you to take a few "me" minutes and hide out because your face is a mess. I got a chance to try out the new Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins™ Plantidote™ Mega-Mushroom Skin-Calming Face Mask (Coming in September 2008!) tonight, officially kicking off a mask comeback in my skincare ritual.

What: This mask does double duty on the relaxation front, cooling and softening the skin with just a dash of aromatherapy thanks to natural ingredients like ginger. (It smells just like the other Plantidote products.)

Verdict: On contact the light green cream cools the skin. When it was close to dry I rinsed... and rinsed... and felt like the mask wasn't coming off. I finally realized it was just my skin, which had become unrecognizably smooth. My usually massive pores even looked smaller! When the drier weather kicks in, this stuff is going to be a lifesaver.

Price: $35

A Dab Will Do Ya

Wiping a cool cotton ball soaked in skin-refreshing potion across a greasy or sunburnt face is one of the small pleasures of summer for me. These are the two new ones that I can't live without:

Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins Plantidote Mega-Mushroom Treatment Lotion - My fave for before bed, after a day in the sun and anytime my face is feeling a bit parched. It's super-soothing thanks to a myriad of plant ingredients and has a light earthy scent that reminds me of the natural oils I wore back in my high school hippie days.
The 6.7 oz. size costs $30 and will last you forever.

Kiss My Face Obsessively Organic Balancing Act Toner - Totally blasts the excess oil on those hot, humid, unbearable days without drying you out. Contains 78% organic ingredients and has a light citrusy scent. Even better, it comes in a spray bottle so you can quickly spritz a cotton ball whenever you're feeling greasy, no cap to unscrew. I use it several times a day, especially when it's steamy outside.
5.3 oz. will cost you $13.99.