Skincare Products + Skin Care Techniques

Skin Products & Devices

Skincare products & skin care techniques for skin problems. How to apply Retinol & Vitamin C. Anti-aging skincare. How to treat acne, brown spots, dry skin, wrinkles, Keratosis Pilaris. Skincare ingredient list. Skincare research. Skin care techniques, news, products, tutorials.

How to use anti-aging devices such as NuFace and Revive light therapy devices. Details on dermaplaning and cleansing devices. News of the latest skin care products.

CURRENT SKIN CARE OBSESSIONS: SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic with 15% L-Ascorbic Acid.

KLM Cosmetics Organic Eye Cream: What to Know

July 27, 2016 · Leave a Comment

KLM COSMETICS ORGANIC EYE CREAM FOR DARK CIRCLES

I’ve had dark circles since I was a kid, and they got worse over time with age and sun damage. There are numerous causes for dark circles, and I have several of them: genetics, allergies, and leaking capillaries. Leaking capillaries under the eye look bluish when the capillaries first leak and turn brown as the blood settles and gets trapped in the skin tissue. Because of this, many of the traditional remedies don’t work for me when it comes to lightening the circle or concealing it. Also, my under eye skin is thin and somewhat transparent, which makes it difficult to conceal the circle itself.

WHAT MY DERMATOLOGIST ADVISED FOR DARK UNDER-EYE BAGS
I spoke to a dermatologist about my dark under-eye bags. Short of surgery, there are few options for dark under-eye bags. So my Derm suggested I can: 1) wear products that deflect light on the dark part of the undereye and 2) reduce the puffiness and the swelling that make the eye bag look so much larger and thereby makes me appear much older and tired. So when I heard about this KLM Eye Cream for Dark Circles that treats puffy eyes, I was all over it.

ABOUT KLM COSMETICS ORGANIC EYE CREAM

Some organic ingredients in this cream are well-known, others are not. Japanese Green Tea, Black Tea, and White Tea on the eye bag is a well-known remedy for reducing inflammation and puffiness as well as nourishing the skin. Aloe Vera Juice nourishes skin and soothes it. Rooibos is an amazing anti-inflammatory that drains excess fluids.

Some of the less known but important ingredients are:

Gotu Kola repairs skin shrinks swollen membranes and helps eliminate excess fluids. Particularly notable about Gotu Kola is Asiaticoside and madagascoside, which may help keep veins and other blood vessels from leaking. This is important for people like me who have undereye bags with a bluish tint. Few products address this type of dark circle problem, and even fewer do it organically.
Peptides hold amino acids, the building blocks of skin protein. This cream’s peptide is Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, which mimics the human body’s mechanism to produce collagen. By triggering collagen production around the eye, skin becomes firmer, tighter, less saggy, and fine lines are reduced with long-term use.
Camellia sinensis Seed Oil is Green Tea Oil. It emulsifies, is an anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory agent that soothes and treats.
EcoCert Glycine Betaine (Beet) Sugar Extract restores hydration and imparts a youthful luster to the skin. Dull skin just looks old, so this is a very beneficial ingredient. It also serves as a light deflector – something the Dermatologist told me to look for – making the undereye area seem less sunken and appear brighter.

Unlike some puffy eye bag reducing products, there are no drying ingredients such as caffeine. Reducing puffiness without drying the skin is a big perk of the KLM COSMETICS Organic Eye Cream.

APPLICATION
One small pump is enough for both eye bags and surrounding area. The gel applied smoothly. Since Aloe Vera is an ingredient and the product is a gel consistency, I expected it might be sticky like an Aloe Vera gel, but it is not. It takes a few minutes to dry. Once it dries, I could apply makeup over it without any problem such as the type of tackiness that some gels leave on the skin, as it dried completely without a residue and did not cause my makeup to wear off faster. It seemed to serve as something of a base. It does not sting or irritate my eyes.

For optimal use, before applying any makeup, I wait about 15 minutes after application so that the puffiness of my eye bags can dissipate and the fine lines could smooth out before I applied concealer to the under eye bag itself. This gives a much smoother overall look to the eye area.

I found that leaving the bottle in the refrigerator enhanced the cooling and de-inflaming properties of the gel. And in the summer months, it feels especially good on the skin!

I formerly used a MAC gel that did something similar, but it is much more expensive and could not be used on consecutive days without causing irritation to my eye skin. It also just temporarily reduced the puffiness, it did not provide any long-term benefit.

CONCLUSION

Having used all kinds of treatments and concealers for the undereye area, I am very pleased to find an effective, organic product that provides immediate and long-term relief from the appearance of a puffy eye bag. It does not dry out the skin; it provides nutrients that strengthen the blood vessels and provides a light deflecting property to give an overall brighter appearance to the undereye.

Find it at KLM Cosmetics.

I received this product in exchange for my unbiased review and received compensation for my time and effort. However, my experience with the product and the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine.

InstaNaturals Dual Phase Mattifying Toner

July 20, 2016 · 2 Comments

InstaNaturals Dual Phase Mattifying Toner

I started dealing with the issue of excess oil years ago as a teen. At fourteen, on a family trip to Florida, my aunt noticed and shared an expensive commercial mask that worked for her but it didnâ€™t do the trick for me. Over time I tried an untold number of dedicated products, alternate use products and even do-it-yourself home formula suggestions designed to hold back the oily tide but experienced little lasting success.

Most of them did initially mattify upon application, but oil broke through quickly. Though I would apply the mattifier as late as possible in my morning makeup routine I still would arrive at my destination, even ones only twenty minutes away, needing to blot and powder.

The only product that did have a long-lasting effect was a department store powder that didnâ€™t advertise itself as an oil retardant but did have that serendipitous benefit for me. However, Iâ€™d picked it up on clearance and when I needed to replace the compact it had been discontinued by the manufacturer.

When the opportunity to try â€œinsta natural Dual Phase Mattifying Toner â€œ came along I was happy to give it a try but didnâ€™t have high hopes, given my background. The pure and natural ingredient list is impressive. Even though I usually avoid anything with fragrance due to allergies, Insta naturalâ€™s very pleasant inherent natural scent is extremely subtle and didnâ€™t bother me a bit. In fact, since hasnâ€™t prompted any allergic reaction, I prefer it to fragrance-free.

The instructions call for shaking the bottle well before each use since separation occurs naturally, probably due to the kaolin clay. Then the toner is poured into dry hands and applied to the skin. The manufacturer, instaNatural, recommends after the toner dries, following with a moisturizer. I followed the instructions as written, applying a moisturizer (I chose an oil-free product) over my entire face.

Well, the proof is in the pudding and, to my surprise, the toner does reduce oil and shine for an extended period, in my case an unprecedented five hours, sometimes longer. After the first few days, I experimented by discontinuing applying the moisturizer on my nose to see if it had any impact on how long the mattifying effect would last. It seemed my nose remained shine-free for about the same length of time with or without the moisturizer, but it did look more matte (which I prefer for that area) when I didnâ€™t use the moisturizer. I have continued using the moisturizer on the rest of my face, though, since it leaves a nice finish after using the toner.

The product also helps to reduce the appearance of pores (a big plus for me since you could drive a truck through mine) and helps with acne.

Iâ€™m delighted with my results and will continue using the product. It’s reasonably priced at about $16.00 for 8 ounces. I would pay more, if necessary, to achieve these results but am glad I donâ€™t have to. And everything comes with a reassuring money-back guarantee.

Find it at InstaNaturals

I Max Age Spot Reducer & Preventer

July 14, 2016 · 4 Comments

I Max Age Spot Reducer & Preventer

SUMMARY: I-Max spot reducer takes longer to fade a brown spot or acne scar because it is addressing hyperpigmentation and using stem cells & peptides to assist in the generation of new regular pigment skin cells. This cream is not just bleaching the spot, like some spot correctors. Bleaching works but can give uneven results, particularly on any skin tone is that not fair. The I-Max Spot Reducer does work, but it takes about 2-3 months. This process can be accelerated however when the spot reducer is combined with other treating creams and serums, such as Vitamin C or a whitening cream. I explain my application tricks for getting faster results below.

ABOUT BROWN SPOTS & FADE CREAMS
Brown spots are associated with aging, and often start in one’s forties, but they can also appear in a younger person due to too much sun exposure, pregnancy, or acne scarring.

Some fade creams are overly harsh on the skin, and some do not work at all. I have tried a few spot correctors from a well-known department store cosmetic department with limited results. The problem with age spots, I have noticed, is they are not quite on the surface of the skin, but often slightly deeper. If you do not respond well to dark spot remedies, considering pairing a spot corrector with another product. This I-Max Spot Reducer is excellent for combining with a serum or peel product to penetrate past the surface layer of the skin and reach the layer of skin that holds the discoloration.

HOW IT WORKS
This cream is a different process than just “bleaching” the skin, which is how many fade creams work. A bleaching of the skin will lighten the skin but will not give you even skin; you will likely get overly whitened, pigment-less spots instead. While these areas are easier to conceal, they are still not ideal and may even appear more like a scar depending on your skin tone.

This cream works differently than a lightening cream or a fading cream because it first exfoliates the skin lightly to reach a deeper layer of skin. Then it suppresses “UV-induced melanogenesis” – the continued darkening of already dark spots due to sun exposure. Despite being darker, these spots are extra sensitive and can get even darker. Then the cream uses several natural lightening ingredients to fade the spots and break up the discoloration. The Peptides and Stem cells assist the skin to go into repair mode and generate new skin cells that are not hyperpigmented, meaning normal skin-colored skin replaces your spots. This process takes longer than bleaching, but can happen in about two months.

APPLICATION
The I-Max Spot Corrector has sort of a burnt rubbery smell which dissipates quickly and then it doesn’t have a detectable scent. It absorbs well and leaves no detectable oily or greasy mark. Suitable for daytime use. I dab it on after my Vitamin C serum and let it dry.

HOW I GOT FASTER RESULTS
What works best for me is applying Vitamin C to my entire face, which also works to lighten dark spots, and pairing that with the i-Max topical spot treatment just on the spots. I have three brown spots, one is an age spot, two seem to be from sun damage. I also have two or three areas of an acne scar that has faded to a plum-brown color. These are not raised or bumpy scars, just flat with demarcation discoloration.

I also like to use the spot corrector with some Hyaluronic Acid so that the spot corrector ingredients penetrates deeper into the skin.

The spot corrector can be combined with AHA and TCA peels, as outlined in the instructions. But personally, I prefer to do use this cream with my serums and creams because it is less harsh on the skin, but if you want faster results, this is a good option.

CONCLUSION: Gentle, effect method of actually removing dark spots and replacing the hyperpigmented skin with your own skin color, not a bleached out version of your skin.

Find it at MaxLife

I Max Age Spot Reducer & Preventer

Lift Care Vitamin C L-Ascorbic Acid Serum

July 14, 2016 · 4 Comments

An L-Ascorbic Vitamin C is the freshest and most powerful C you can get in serum. When I first saw that it was only 10%, I thought it might be less effective than many of the 20% Vitamin C serums commercially available. But since it an L-Ascorbic Acid variety of vitamin C, it is a more potent antioxidant and when paired with other specific ingredients as those which are seen in this serum, and can be a far more efficient skin treatment.

Lift Care Vitamin C L-Ascorbic Acid Serum

An L-Ascorbic based Vitamin C serum has superior anti-oxidant properties to traditional Vitamin C serums. This makes the Lift Care Vitamin C serum especially helpful for aging and photo-damaged skin. Even if you are younger but have over-done suntanning, the L-Ascorbic in this Lift Care Serum is ideal for rejuvenating skin, fading acne scars and treating current acne breakouts.

Secondly, L-Ascorbic Acid provides soluble Vitamin C on a topical level that can be used by the skin in the production of collagen. Providing the skin with Vitamin C is especially important as skin ages and natural levels of both collagen and Vitamin C decrease, which causes sagging and wrinkles.

APPLICATION
This is a lightweight serum that applies smoothly and dries down evenly without residue. Once the serum is dry, moisturizer, makeup, and sunscreen can be applied over the serum. I also apply it to my throat and upper chest. Skin appears dewy, not sticky.

RESULTS
I have a few acne scars that over time have become plum-brown marks on my cheeks. I also have a few lighter wrinkle lines along my forehead. Additionally, I have several blackheads and whiteheads around my nose and surrounding pores. These three problems both respond well to this L-Ascorbic Vitamin C serum, and the anti-oxidant properties help purge the sebum from blackheads and whiteheads, so my skin is clearer on the overall.

CONCLUSION: I like that this serum is suitable for both older and younger skin problems including sun damage, acne, scarring, brown spots, wrinkles, the need to use an anti-oxidant and increasing collagen production. Good price for a versatile, useful serum.

Find it at Amazon.com.

I received this product in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. If you have any questions about my experience with it, leave it in the comments section below, and Iâ€™ll do my best to answer it!