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.

I Max Ceramide-Post Chemical Peel-Soothing and Moisturizing Cream

June 5, 2016 · Leave a Comment

I Max Ceramide-Post Chemical Peel-Soothing and Moisturizing Cream

WHY USE A CERAMIDE CREAM AFTER A PEEL?
I find Glycolic peels to be very beneficial for the skin for shrinking pores, lightening dark spots and reducing the appearance of wrinkles while leaving skin smooth and fresh. AHA’s are often more effective for people with sensitive skin or aging skin because they break up the cement-like glue that holds the dead skin together, so dead skin just melts off, revealing fresher new skin underneath. The longer you can tolerate leaving the AHA on your skin, generally 15-30 minutes, the better.

The problem is that it is easy to over-do it and leave skin red and irritated and in need of some soothing barrier to moisturize and protect the skin. Skin can also require a protective ceramide moisture barrier due to eczema or psoriasis.

This I Max Ceramide Cream is for use after a chemical peel such as any Glycolic Acid AHA peels or other at-home peels that may cause irritation and redness on the skin. It helps skin quickly recover from a peel.

HOW TO USE THIS CREAM POST-PEEL
I use this cream immediately after I do an at home Glycolic Acid Peel because this cream is effective enough to allow me to leave the acid treatment on my skin for longer time spans and get maximum benefit from the peels. After use, the redness subsides within a few hours and the next day my skin is smooth with no indication of swelling, inflammation, dryness or redness. This cream is also useful if you get any chemical peel or too much sun resulting in dryness and redness.

Even if the skin has not been exposed to harsh chemicals or peels, I find this Ceramide cream can make for a soothing and hydrating facial mask for an at-home spa treat. I slather my face with the cream and give my face and neck and decolletage good gentle massage to help the cream soak in, and I leave the cream on for 30 minutes to an hour while I watch TV. I gently remove any remaining cream with a tissue and the next day my skin is soft and supple.

APPLICATION:
This is a very thick, rich cream without notable scent. It is emollient but not sticky or slick, and once it is massaged in it is not oily or greasy. It should be massaged in well for 2-3 minutes. I apply it and add more as needed because a small amount goes a long way. It comes with a small spatula which I like.

INGREDIENTS:
A key ingredient in this cream is Ceramide, which prevents loss of water and keeps skin moist and supple. The loss of Ceramide due to aging or exposure to harsh chemicals, such as those in peels, acne medicines, and some abrasive face soaps can disrupt this layer and result in dry, dull, irritated and sometimes blotchy red skin.

Additional ingredients include Vitamin A, B’s, and C, all of which nourish and improve the skin. Since they are paired with deep moisturizing ingredients within the cream, they are not too harsh even for very sensitive skin.

RESULTS:
As an at-home spa treat for dry, lackluster skin, as a treatment to restore Ceramide balance after a peel, or as a protective barrier for skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis, this Ceramide-Post Chemical Peel-Soothing and Moisturizing Cream provides the important protective layer to restore much-needed moisture balance to the skin. I find that after an AHA peel that this cream reduces my “downtime” due to skin redness and irritation and lets me get the most out of my at-home peel skin care treatments.

Good price, effective and recommended product for use after at-home peels and treatments.

I Max Ceramide-Post Chemical Peel-Soothing and Moisturizing Cream

New York Biology 2.5% Active Retinol with Hyaluronic Acid

June 3, 2016 · 2 Comments

New York Biology is a gentle 2.5% Retinol cream that is suitable for sensitive skin due to its’ hydrating base and lack of harsh, artificial chemical ingredients.

I’d recommend this as a solid Retinol product for those who have used Retinol for years as well as for those with sensitive skin that may not have been able to tolerate other Retinoids in the past. It is also an excellent price point if you are just starting out using Retinol creams and want to give one a try to see what all the hype is about for yourself.

MY RETINOL REGIMEN
I like doing a Vitamin C serum during the day and a Retinol cream at night to maximize my anti-aging program. This combo increases my collagen production, lightens my dark spots and hyperpigmentation, reduces fine wrinkles. I have sensitive skin, so I like that this Retinol is paired with such gentle and natural ingredients, that way I don’t have to skip a night of use due to dryness or irritation on my skin. I like that this Retinol is effective, and my skin is clearer after use, yet I can use it every night without any dryness, irritation, flaky skin or redness.

How often should Retinols be used?
It depends on your skin care needs. Some people use them twice a day; some people only once. My advice is if you are under 30, twice a day Retinol is great if your skin can tolerate it. It addresses acne, lightens acne scars, reduces pores, and builds collagen reserves. And blackheads just seem to want to flee off your face they purge so fast with twice a day Retinol use. But if you are over 30, consider a Vitamin C during the day and Retinol at night program. This way, you maximize your anti-aging benefits while still addressing the occasional pimple and wrinkle that manage to crop up at the same time. As a side note, even on once a day, I notice blackheads purging with this Retinol; it just took a little longer.

If your skin is sensitive or you are new to Retinols, for the first 30 days, only use it once a day or apply it every other day until you find what works for you.

APPLICATION:
It is simple to apply the cream: one pump of the container should cover your face, two to three pumps if you are doing your throat and decolletage. I use any leftover I have to the top of my hands, focusing on my knuckles and cuticles and my hands appear much younger. It is not wet or sticky after application, but allow a few minutes of dry down before applying your eye cream. There is already moisturizers in this Retinol cream, so unless you live in a very arid climate, you do not need to add a moisturizer atop your Retinol, as is the case with some Retinol creams. I that this Retinol contains a moisturizer because it is less effort at night to use it compared to some Retinols.

SUPPORTING INGREDIENTS
There are lots of retinol products available, so the supporting ingredients generally make or break a Retinol for me. The New York Biology Retinol has some quality ingredients worth considering, especially for those with sensitive skin.

This retinol is paired with Hyaluronic Acid, which hydrates the skin by holding a fair amount of water in the skin. This results in not only a dewy and supple look to the skin, but it plumps up wrinkles and diminishes their appearance. Hyaluronic Acid also helps active ingredients penetrate deeper into the skin, which means the Retinol can work on deep skin layers, effecting a better result on more collagen production and accelerated lightening of hyperpigmentation.

Supporting moisturizers include Aloe Vera, Sunflower Oil, Shea Butter, Green Tea and Jojoba Oil.

RESULTS:
Being able to use a Retinol every night is a real boon in my skin care regimen, so having a Retinol suitable for sensitive skin gives me faster results to having clear skin.

New York Biology 2.5% Active Retinol with Hyaluronic Acid

I received this item for testing and unbiased review purposes. 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!

New York Biology Eye Gel

June 3, 2016 · Leave a Comment

New York Biology Eye Gel is a generously-sized 1.7-ounce container at a very reasonable price point, especially for an eye gel. The price is particularly exceptional for an eye cream with so many ingredients that are typically found in expensive creams the come in tiny containers.

APPLICATION
I found this easy to apply with no residue; it was not greasy or oily upon dry down. Once dry, it provides a smooth and dewy surface for applying makeup, but it also can be worn on a bare face when I choose to go out without any eye makeup. After a few minutes, it reduces my mild morning eye puffiness, especially since I started keeping this eye gel in my refrigerator, which makes for a new cooling treat on the eyes. I also use it at night over my Retinol serum. One pump is enough to cover both eyes; I do another two pumps to cover my forehead, brows, and temple area.

BEST USE
I like to combine the New York Biology Eye Gel with my Vitamin C serum during the day and Retinol Serums at night to maximize my skin care routine. The ingredients in the eye gel have an excellent synergy with these serums. The gel can be used on the forehead and temples as well. The scent is light and neutral and suitable for men and women.

NOTABLE INGREDIENTS
This eye gel contains one of my favorite anti-aging ingredients, Matrixyl 3000. Matrixyl 3000 is a combination of two peptides that signal the skin to go into “repair mode.” Typically the skin goes into repair mode when there is an injury to the skin that requires the formation of new collagen and elastin; it does not go into repair mode for age-related collagen loss. Matrixyl 3000 “tricks” the skin into thinking the missing collagen is due to injury and requires replacement. The gel also has Amino Acid Complex, the protein of collagen building blocks. I pair this eye gel with my Vitamin C serum; the C supplies additional components to build collagen and elastin. More collagen means fewer wrinkles, less sagging and overall younger looking skin.

Hyaluronic Acid is another one of my favorite anti-aging ingredients because it super-hydrates the skin making it appear dewy and plump. Hyaluronic Acid absorbs moisture from the skin and air and pulls it into wrinkles and sagging skin and instantly improves their appearance by plumping them. Hyaluronic Acid also helps skin care ingredients such as Vitamin C sink deeper into the skin so they can be more efficient.

Nourishing and moisturizing ingredients soothe the skin and keep it hydrated and soft including Vitamin E, jojoba, and licorice.

OVERVIEW
Great price, pleasant scent, effective product with quality ingredients.

New York Biology Eye Gel

I received this item for testing and unbiased review purposes. 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!

Anaiti Anti-Wrinkle Smoothing Serum

June 1, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Anaiti Anti-Wrinkle Smoothing Serum is a powerhouse of ingredients that provide long-term benefits to the skin as well as offer immediately visible skin improvements including light deflection to soften the look of wrinkles and fine lines, plus plumping and moisturizing the skin for a youthful, dewy glow. It is suitable for use under makeup or worn alone on a natural no-makeup or low-makeup face.

APPLICATION
The serum comes in a pump bottle; the product is a creamy white. It is not sticky on contact or dry-down, but I try to allow a good 15 minutes before makeup application so the serum can fully soak in and dry well. There is no residue on the skin once it is dry and skin feels naturally soft to the touch. Skin also looks dewy immediately after application, and wrinkles are plumped and seem less prominent. There is a light deflecting property to the serum that makes skin look smoother and more even in tone and appearance.

A little goes a long way: one pump covers the entire face and the front of my throat. Apply it sparingly, no need to slather it on, which is tempting once you see the light reflecting properties of the serum.

INGREDIENTS
The Anaiti combines several active ingredients and soothing moisturizers. I like this dual approach to soothing while treating because my skin stays moist and supple enough to tolerate the stronger active ingredients such as Argireline, Matrixyl, and Renovage. Avoiding irritation during an anti-aging skin improvement regimen is a big plus and a worthwhile thing to find in any skincare product.

The Anaiti serum packs in several ingredients that are typically just seen in very expensive serums. A few of them are:

ARGIRELINE is sometimes called Botox in a Jar because it inhibits muscles that cause expression lines such as squinting, furrowing and frowning. Afraid you will look like an expressionless, vacant-eyed Stepford Wife with a face full of Botox? Don’t be, because there is no impairment of your actual facial expressions.

Research indicates that expression lines are due to muscle contraction, not the movement itself. Argireline mimics the protein that is involved in these involuntary contractions, and can stop the muscle contraction when moving facial muscles. But Argireline does not repair skin or boost collagen; it strictly limits future damage caused by wrinkle-causing contraction movements. Any product with Argireline alone won’t address aging: other ingredients address the repair and collagen production, including Matrixyl.

MATRIXYL kickstarts your skin into “repair mode” by telling skin to send more support to build more collagen and elastin. The layperson’s version of the science behind it is Matrixyl alerts the fibroblasts (the part of the collagen support or scaffolding) to go into collagen production overdrive, which is what it does when there has been an injury to the skin that needs collagen to rebuild and heal.

Meanwhile, the serum has also supplied the “building blocks” like Vitamin C that needed to make collagen, and via other supporting ingredients, it has gotten these building blocks past the surface layer of skin to where the collagen is missing and needs to rebuild. Elastin forms fibrils which act like the mattress springs to give the skin its elasticity and solidity. As we age, we naturally have much less of these collagen and elastin building blocks, so to have them available exactly when the skin is in repair mode is a very efficient way to get an abundance of collagen and elastin, similar to the amounts found in youthful skin. This Matrixyl trick works especially well on improving skin elasticity and wrinkles. I have seen my wrinkle depth significantly improve with the use of the serum. And the best part is the skin doesn’t “catch on” to the fact that Matrixyl is essentially tricking the skin working overtime every time you apply the serum to build as much collagen and elastin as it can, so it always works even if the serum is used twice a day.

RENOVAGE slows down the premature aging of cells. It operates on the deeper level skin issues. The value of Renovage in a product is to fix deep skin layer problems that surface serums and creams can’t reach. These issues include lightening over-pigmentation, reducing redness and improving skin firmness. Over-pigmentation can be caused by dark spots, acne, and scarring. It also works to some extent on undereye circles, depending on why the circles exist. Skin starts to get random brown spots and redness in the early 40’s and sometimes sooner due to sun damage. The results of Renovage take longer than other improvements seen with the serum, as it lessens pigmentation over the course of several months, and helps to start firming the skin in about a month. It firms the skin at the DNA level, a deeper layer of skin that if treated can improve sagging. I don’t have much sagging but do like applying this serum to the drooping areas on the sides of my mouth and around the eye area and a bit on my jawline.

SUPPORTING INGREDIENTS:
The serum contains one of my favorite support ingredients: the dual purpose HYALURONIC ACID. While it is an “acid”, it is not irritating, rather it makes skin soft and dewy without greasiness. It does this by holding a fair amount of water compared to its’ weight, so when I apply it over my just washed damp skin, it plumps the skin, giving a bit of a “lift” and immediately reducing the appearance of wrinkles. The second benefit to Hyaluronic Acid is that this moisture holding property gives it the ability to penetrate deep into the skin, almost serving as a microscopic transport system by pulling active ingredients that would not otherwise pass the skin barrier if they were not within the Hyaluronic Acid moisture content. When collagen-producing ingredients seep deeper into the skin and make collagen at lower levels of the skin which create better support for the “scaffolding” of the face. I’m always happy to see an active ingredient paired with Hyaluronic Acid because I know the Hyaluronic will enable the best results possible.

RESULTS
I like the immediate results of the appearance of dewy skin where wrinkles seem to diminish, and skin looks moist and youthful. Pores There is a light deflecting property to this serum that skin has a glow that is not sticky or fake looking, and it makes pores seem to disappear. Allow time for the serum to dry down before applying makeup.

Actual skin improvement showed in a couple of weeks, notably on my brown spots and wrinkles.

I was pleasantly surprised to see the difference in my skin after using the serum for a while and realizing how the brown spots I had around the top of my cheekbones were making my skin look older, much more so than any wrinkle does. The dark spots created a dull look to my skin, and I am happy to start to see a real improvement that the brown spots easily conceal with just a light powder instead of full foundation.

The depth and width of my wrinkles have improved over time. While the wrinkles are still there, they are lighter, less prominent and seem thinner in width. They appear smoother immediately upon the application of the serum due to the Hyaluronic Acid. The other wrinkle related issue I like about this serum is the wrinkle-prevention action of the Argireline. I often inadvertently crinkle my nose and brow when I am confused, so as a result, the pursuit of my Master’s Degree gives me “eleven lines” on the brow area of my forehead. I doubt I will stop being confused anytime soon, so I am glad to find a non-Botox injection way to pre-empt further deepening of those pesky furrows. I have one expression line on the top right of my forehead that is undetectable when I apply the serum and has significantly improved in general appearance with the consistent use of the Anaiti serum.

Included with the cream is a complimentary eBook entitled How to Use Oil Blends, a PDF geared toward understanding how to use natural oils for beauty purposes. It covers a variety of oil blend recipes ranging from acne skin care to cellulite treatments, eczema, beard care, pre-shave oils, as well as general topics such as how to correctly blend carrier oils and essential oils. An in-depth discussion of hair oils delineated by potential haircare problems is discussed as well.

The section I like best is Section Seven: Face Oils for the face. Washing the face with oil has become more popular within gentle skin care treatment, and oils are even used to gently massage blackheads into self-extraction. I like this approach over the overly drying skin care regimens that used to be the standard of skin care. What oils protect the face from potentially drying anti-aging treatments are discussed as well as and what product pairings are effective.

Anyone interested in this product will probably find interesting the benefits of washing your face with Vitamin C oil regimen for 12 weeks. How to do this at-home anti-aging treatment described in exacting detail in section 7.2

Anaiti Anti-Wrinkle Smoothing Serum