Archives for February 2011

Why We Love Caudalie Vinosource Moisturizing Cream Mask

February 7, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Note: This week is Caudalie Week here at Style Chicks – we’ll be giving our initial impressions of a few products and then we’ll update you in the upcoming weeks with further results as we use this fabulous skincare line. Today, Lyn lets us know why she loves Caudalie Vinosource Moisturizing Cream-Mask Face and Eyes!

Treating Dry Winter Skin

The winter weather has been frightful and my skin has been less than delightful.

I have managed to have multiple skin issues at once this week: some breakouts, dry and peeling skin on my nose/nostril area and I am red all around my mouth and really raw, and my skin feels very tight and dry around my eyes and it is making me look much older. The skin around my eyes is just dry and tight no matter what I do, and too flaky to apply any concealer or foundation on my dark under eye circle skin. Even my silk pillowcase feels scratchy (FYI: silk pillowcases are a great investment as they are gentle to facial skin and reduce hair damage and breakage when hair rubs against the pillowcase).

My standard go to creams and lotions are just making my skin feel raw, as in serious debating about applying Vaseline directly to my face kind of raw. I am not sure what this winter storm is doing that I have both pimples and such tight, raw skin at the same time, but when I look at my skin in the mirror and the phrase is important is to be pretty on the INSIDE comes to mind, with all due respect to inner beauty, what that means to me is it is time to get aggressive on the hydrating.

Caudalie Vinosource Moisturizing Cream-Mask Face and Eyes

So I look at my creams, lotions and potions, and my new Caudalie Vinosource Moisturizing Cream-Mask Face and Eyes catches my eye because it is a moisturizing cream mask for both face and eyes. It is used as an intensive skin mask twice a week, but in the case of extremely dehydrated skin, it can be used as a daily moisturizer by applying a thin layer to the face. Sounds like a good excuse to try it out.

I rarely like a cream for both my face and delicate under eye area, but this is for around the eyes and on the face. It is not too thick for the face but still does the trick for the eyes.

APPLICATION:

When the skin around my mouth gets this raw, even the uber-gentle Clinique DDML stings a bit upon application, but this didn’t sting at all. This was really soothing and almost melted the dry skin. I put on a second application on spot areas like around my mouth, forehead crinkle, the dry flaky skin on my nose, the crow feet area of my eyes, under eye and lips. There is a light pleasant scent upon application but I can’t detect any scent while wearing it.

My skin had a luminous glow without being greasy, it could be worn nicely under makeup and would make a great go-to product after a sunburn or a cold or flu when skin around nose is flaky and raw, this would be a great quick-trick to look healthy again.

I am impressed by the feel on my skin. Usually a cream product that is this emollient feels heavy or looks greasy after application, but this dries down undetectable as a product not sticky or wet or shiny it just leaves behind better skin. You can definitely leave the house with the cream on under makeup which is especially nice when the weather is still so cold and raw outside.

My skin immediately looked better and feels hydrated. Some products feel like a soft wax just on top of your skin, but this feels like my skin. My face felt good quickly and within about ten minutes felt very spa like without feeling heavy or sticky at all, I can see how this would be nice as a at home spa night mask face did not feel dry, cracked or itchy. Usually when my skin gets this raw, I have to slather on so much Creme de la Mer Concentrate that my face is too greasy of a base to wear any makeup, so I am glad to find a deep hydrating product to wear with makeup so my skin can get through the rest of this winter.

I will try Caudalie Vinosource Moisturizing Cream-Mask Face and Eyes as a traditional mask at home spa night once a week or two and report the results.

Where to Buy It

Get Caudalie Vinosource Moisturizing Cream-Mask Face and Eyes at Caudalie-USA.com

Why We Love Caudalie Vinotherapie Vine Body Butter

February 4, 2011 · Leave a Comment

I’ve been searching for the perfect body butter for awhile now, without success. I’ve tried some nice ones, but there is always something that keeps me from using it regularly – it takes too long to absorb, the scent is too heady, too greasy, or it just doesn’t hydrate all that well.

I was recently sent Caudalie Vinotherapie Vine Body Butter, and I tried it with a guarded excitement – the other Caudalie products I’ve tried have been absolutely jaw-dropping (we’ll be reviewing a few in the next couple of weeks – Vinoperfect Radiance Serum and Pulpe Vitaminee 1st Wrinkle Eye Cream are life changing!), so I had hope that if Vine Body Butter was as good as the other products, that I had found the Body Butter I have been looking for. The verdict? It’s the perfect body butter, light fragrance, and mini spa experience rolled into one.

Let’s start with the scent. It’s incredible. The top note is like the freshest, most perfect peach you’ve ever had, and a more subtle citrus scent. When I asked the other Style Chicks what scent they detected, though, I kept getting different answers. Interestingly, it reminded each of us of scents we loved, and none of us came up with the same first answer. It seems like it’s an universally likable scent. I asked what the actual scent is, and it consists of sweet orange zest, peach pulp, carrot and iris. I could go on for pages on how great the scent is, but I’ll sum it up this way – the amazing scent of Vine Body Butter is replacing my regular fragrance now. It’s a subtle scent that just makes me happy. If you are interested in complimenting the scent, try Caudalie’s Hand and Nail Cream and their Foot Beauty Cream. Oh, and did I mention how fantastic the scent is?

Of course, efficacy and texture are top priorities in picking a body butter. On those scores Vine Body Butter hits it out of the park as well. It is a relatively lightweight consistency and glides on the skin with absolutely no greasiness. None. Massage it in lightly and your skin is just smooth, supple, silky, and dewy, but not greasy or oily. This is a big plus for me, especially for a daily use product – sometimes you can’t stand around waiting for several minutes for a body product to sink in before you get dressed. Vine Body Butter super-hydrates the skin upon application, and you can get dressed immediately. Of course, feel free to take your time if you have a few minutes. In fact, it makes for an amazing massage cream.

The results are the best I’ve seen in a body butter. I especially noticed the change on hands. I realize I sound like a broken record lately in my reviews, but it is really cold here on the East Coast. And cold, windy weather always wrecks havoc on the skin on my hands. After apply Vine Body Butter after my shower each day, I’ll rub whatever I have left over on my hands. My hands look sooooo smooth and, well, like skin of a child. My nails look instantly buffed and cuticles are quickly tamed. If it can do that for my incredibly dry hands, I can’t wait to use it during summer to get super supple skin all over! In fact, numbering among my reasons that I wish winter would hurry up and pass include being able to show off how great it makes arms and shoulders look – really makes you resent having to bundle up instead of wearing a sleeveless top!

So how does it work? Like the rest of the Caudalie line, Caudalie Vinotherapie Vine Body Butter has highly effective, super hydrating and repairing ingredients. The Caudalie website product page mentions that it contains: “Grape Seed Butter, rich in Omega 6, Vitamin E, minerals and proteins and Grape Seed Oil to regenerate skin cells and fights effects of ageing, rich in Omega 6, Vitamin E. Caudalie exclusive ingredient, Vinolevure, which holds 100 times its weight in water, nourishes and strengthens. A Hydra-complex – from plant active ingredients, increases skin water reserves”. The tube also mentions shea butter, which works superbly in tandem with the other ingredients. These ingredients form a lipid layer on your skin to protect it. I am quite impressed at how well this layer works – I noticed that after several good hand washes, my hands still felt moisturized – this isn’t a cream you have to apply after every hand wash.

All in all, I’m thrilled to find Caudalie Vinotherapie Vine Body Butter. It makes skin look, feel, and smell phenomenal, and protects against future damage. The tube is 6.7 oz for $36, which is a great price considering the relatively small amount you have to use for good coverage. It also makes a fantastic gift – baby showers, brides, get well gift, etc – it’s a luxuriously enough product that everyone will think that you found them the product that addresses their exact need – even if it’s just to be pampered.

Find the amazing Caudalie Vinotherapie Vine Body Butter at Caudalie-USA.com.

How to: Benefit Cosmetics Mr. Bright Kit

February 3, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Benefit Cosmetics Finding Mr. BrightI love adding brightness to the skin, be it on bare skin or with makeup.

Stephanie from Benefit Cosmetics has a great Youtube tutorial on using the products in the Benefit Mr. Bright kit – pay particular attention to her techniques – once I had the makeup artist at my local Benefit counter show me these tricks, using the products became so much easier!

Enjoy!

New Product: d.j.v. beautenizer Volume Lash Mascara What to Know

February 2, 2011 · 2 Comments

We recently reviewed the amazing d.j.v. beautenizer Fiberwig LX, and we were very excited to try out Imju’s new product, d.j.v beautenizer Volume Lash Mascara when it was sent to us. We expected a great product in line with our favorite mascara, Fiberwig, but we were simply blown away by Volume Lash Mascara. It has earned a permanent place in my makeup bag.

As with the original Fiberwig LX formula, the Volume Lash formula is a very dark and rich black. That’s a sticking point for me, since my lashes are black to begin with, and far too many otherwise decent mascaras have disappointed me by being a lighter black than my natural lash color. It’s glossy in a healthy-lash hair way, not mirror shiny. Personally I dislike mascaras that are mirror shiny – it’s just not a look that is flattering to the eye, at least on me. Volume Lash is black enough to make lashes look their darkest and healthiest and make them stand out beautifully. And living up to it’s name, it gives lashes incredible volume and length, without clumping.

One coat of d.j.v. beautenizer Volume Lash Mascara

The brush is excellent. Referred to as a “sculpting brush”, it holds a lot of formula and distributes quite evenly. While not marketed as a curling formula, I think it accomplishes that as well – in the picture above, I hadn’t curled my lashes to get that level of lift, I simply applied Volume Lash. And for the record, my bare lashes have no natural curl whatsoever – they stick straight out, and some actually grow straight down (long live eyelash curlers!). The directions say you should curl your lashes after the formula has dried. Don’t worry about breakage – Volume Lash is flexible enough that your lashes won’t be affected by curling afterwards. I’ll have to take a picture of the effect when you curl both before and after – it is an absolutely jaw dropping false lash look without the hassle of applying false lashes. But if you haven’t mastered or just don’t like using an eyelash curler, you will want to try the formula to get great lift without a curler.

If you want high impact, try layering Fiberwig LX as a basecoat, then Volume Lash, and then top off with a light coat of Fiberwig LX again. Your lashes will reach your eyebrows! Go slow in order to avoid clumps and be sure to curl before and after, and the look will rival a super-long, luxuriously thickÂ false lash look.

As with all Fiberwig formulas, Volume Lash removes quickly and cleanly with warm water. No tugging, no lash loss, just clean removal.

I’ve found with most Fiberwig formulas (and most fiber mascaras in general) that’s it’s best to gently blot the brush on a paper towel before the first use lest too much product ends up on the brush. This holds true for Volume Lash – the brush holds plenty of mascara on it’s own, so you don’t want any excess on the brush.

And I’ve been using Fiberwig as my main mascara for long enough that I forget that smudging and flaking are even an issue with mascaras, and you don’t have to worry about Volume Lash going anywhere either. It stays on until you decide to take it off. If you happen to get some on your skin during application, just wait until it dries and use a dry shadow brush or a Q-Tip to take it off, and if more hits your skin than your lashes, you can take it off easily with water on a sponge or wet Q-tip without disturbing the rest of your makeup (one time I really missed and got it on the tip of my nose. Don’t ask me how. But it came off without rubbing.)

I’m really thrilled with this addition to the d.j.v. beautenizer family. I will keep both Fiberwig LX and Volume Lash on hand for a quick and easy incredible lash look together, but you can’t go wrong with either. Right now I think I’ll be using Volume Lash more consistently since it gives such an incredible, wide awake look with one swipe. If you were a fan of the original Fiberwig formulation, I think you’ll find that Volume Lash is a super-amplified version of Fiberwig. I try plenty of mascaras, but Volume Lash stands far ahead of the pack in my book.

Just make sure you allocate enough time in your day for when you inevitably end up admiring your lashes every time you pass by a reflective surface. 🙂

Find the fabulous d.j.v. beautenizer Volume Lash Mascara at Sephora.com and Amazon.com for $24.00