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.

PriMiracle Natural Deep Facial Cleanser

May 26, 2016 · Leave a Comment

All Natural Deep Facial Cleanser and Daily Face Wash With Rosehip Seed Oil for Normal Oily Dry and Sensitive Skin from PriMiracle

This PriMiracle Daily Face Wash is a gentle wash with a soothing foamy lather. Geared towards all skin types but it is particularly useful for those with naturally sensitive skin, and those who’s skin is made sensitive by the use of retinol, AHA peels or Vitamin C Serums. Skin can also be sensitive due to Rosacea, Eczema, and Psoriasis and it ‘s hard to find a cleanser that keeps skin clean yet does not strip it of moisture.

PRODUCT EXPERIENCE
It is a gel-like consistency with a very mild rose fragrance that does not smell artificial or chemical-y. A dollop slightly smaller than a pea gave a gentle lather for massaging my face and throat, and it washed off clean without making my skin feel tight. My skin felt soft and smooth with no residue. The wash works well as a direct face wash or for use with a Clarisonic facial cleansing tool, and only a few drops are needed for a good lather when used with a cleansing brush.

ACTIVE INGREDIENTS & WHAT THEY DO
What makes this particular face wash so special? It contains quality ingredients that are typically reserved for in treatment serums and creams. Two of these ingredients are rose hip seed oil and seaweed.

Rose Hip Seed Oil is a Vitamin C variant that is both a treatment and a hydrating ingredient. It offers the treatment benefits of Vitamin C and Vitamin A (retinol) serums such as lightening dark spots and even skin tone, but it does so without drying the skin or the causing irritation associated with treatment serums. I like to leave the lather on my face for an extra minute just to extend the treatment of the dark brown spots and acne scars on my face.

Rose hip seed oil also provides hydration that is particularly soothing to skin even when afflicted by eczema or psoriasis. The treatment of wrinkles, brown spot or acne on skin with these conditions is a tricky balance of not triggering a flare-up while still treating the problem. The essential fatty acids of Rose hip seed oil absorbs easily and balances out its’ treatment properties that sack wrinkles and brown hyperpigmentation spots.

Seaweed Extract is another ingredient that has a dual treatment and moisturizing benefit. Seaweed Extract is seen in expensive creams such as Creme de la Mer because it moisturizes and holds soothing nutrients that revitalize skin while making it soft.

When looking at active ingredients in a face wash, I also like to see what it is formulated WITHOUT: this wash is cruelty-free and Vegan.

There are no harsh chemicals or detergents.

SUMMARY
The PriMiracle All Natural Deep Facial Cleanser and Daily Face Wash With Rosehip Seed Oil is a real asset for sensitive skin. If your skin is itchy or irritated for whatever reason: sunburn, chemical peels or treatments, or skin conditions, this is a soothing cleanser that will leave your skin soft, radiant and clean instead of itchy and stripped of moisture. Treating ingredients like Rose Hip Seed Oil and Seaweed lighten dark spots, scars and improve the appearance of wrinkles.

Primiracle Deep Facial Cleanser

First Botany Vitamin C Serum

May 26, 2016 · Leave a Comment

I’m interested in Vitamin C serum because it addresses several of my skincare problems: dullness, adult acne, light wrinkles, and brown spots from acne scars and hyperpigmentation. Vitamin C also promotes collagen production. This First Botany Cosmeceuticals Vitamin C Serum is unique because it has L-Ascorbic Acid, which is a more potent form of Vitamin C because it is fresh and concentrated. There are few L-Ascorbic products on the market because L-Ascorbic degrades fairly rapidly, giving it a limited shelf life. I like that this L-Ascorbic Vitamin C serum has a one-year expiration date printed on the batches, so I know the exact serum production date was just a few weeks before I received it, which means my L-Ascorbic serum is very fresh.

I noticed one side of my face seemed more aged than the other, and then read why: the left side of your face gets more sun exposure while driving in the car. This sun exposure caused hyperpigmentation brown spots on my temples, forehead, and upper cheekbone area. This darkness is almost like unwanted contour on my face where I want to have a lighter highlight area, and it makes me look older and more tired. My dark undereye circles, which are dark in both eyes, is notably more dark on the left side, and that circle is longer. I use this Vitamin C serum all over my face and dab an extra dot of serum on each brown spot and some extra around the delicate skin on the side of my eyes and the undereye bags for some extra treatment directly on problem areas. I pair this with a good eye cream which I apply about 15 minutes after the Vitamin C serum to allow time for the serum to absorb.

Within a short period, my skin had an overall brightening, and the brown spots started to lighten, they are not completely gone, but they are less noticeable and conceal easier with a tinted moisturizer or light foundation. My dark circles are more even in tone, although I think this problem will take some time to resolve, but I am pleased with the smoothness of my undereye skin. I will continue to use it each morning as it takes from several weeks to a few months to expect an increase in collagen production to appear, resulting in fewer wrinkles and decreased sagging.

This serum is an exceptionally good price for a two-ounce bottle that contains L-Ascorbic Acid. It is almost water like in consistency and is not sticky, and you don’t need an entire dropper full to cover the face and throat. As summer approaches, I also use it on upper chest and decolletage.

If you already use Vitamin C Serums, you will like how this is not sticky compared to some; your makeup can go on quickly and easily over the serum. As this is stronger than many other Vitamin C Serums, I increased my sunscreen SPF. I learned this the hard way that Vitamin C makes your skin more sensitive to the sun when I went outside and got red quickly. If you don’t use a sunscreen, I would recommend it when you use a powerful Vitamin C serum such as this one.

10% Glycolic AHA-Alpha Hydroxy Acid Serum for Chemical Peel-Pro Grade

May 22, 2016 · Leave a Comment

10% Glycolic (AHA-Alpha Hydroxy) Acid Serum for Chemical Peel-Pro Grade

This Serum is a 10% Pro-Grade AHA Glycolic Acid. I started using Glycolic Acid in my late twenties because I preferred to use peels to remove my dead skin instead of exfoliating it, my skin was just a smooth and more even in tone and texture without having to irritate it with grains and scrubbing. I read skin over 30 and sensitive skin respond better to peels than scrubs, and I found this to be true.

I especially like Glycolic Acid because skin doesn’t visibly peel and slough, which can sometimes be uneven and leave behind the partially peeled skin. Rather, with Glycolic Acid, dead skin just seems to melt away, and skin glows. It also helps with acne and blackheads. The reason is that Glycolic loosens the “cement” that binds dry and dead skin, so it just loosens and virtually melts dead skin, but it doesn’t alter fresher skin unless it irritates it with chemical additives.

As much as I love Glycolic Acid, it can sting and make skin red, and the chemical additives in many Glycolic Acids can irritate skin enough that it needs to be washed off fairly quickly. Ideally, if one can leave it on the skin for 10-30 minutes, it makes a huge difference on how much peeling can occur.

I like that the Serum Ceuticals AHA Glycolic has both soothing and treating ingredients in the serum. These help the skin tolerate the Glycolic remaining on the skin for longer periods of time because this can give the best short term smoothness and long term collagen regenerating result. It also does not contain any harsh chemical additives that irritate my skin, so I was able to leave the serum on my skin for a full 30 minutes, which is about 15 minutes longer than I have tolerated any other Glycolic. Like all their products, Serum Ceuticals uses a natural charge to preserve their products, which means it is more powerful with a longer shelf life than other organic/natural AHA’s and causes less irritation than AHA’s filled with chemical preservatives.

APPLICATION
Test a small dab of the serum on your earlobe 48-72 hours before use to see if you get any irritation. I did this step even though I have used AHA’s before.

There is no detectable scent, it is a watery consistency and comes in a bottle with an inverted dropper than only dispenses a drop at a time.

If you have not used AHA’s before, you might want only to leave the serum on about 10 minutes the first time. If you have used AHA’s, check the mirror frequently for redness but try for the full 30 minutes if you can tolerate it. I have sensitive skin and use Retinol but still was able to tolerate it for the full 30 minutes.

First, I slathered the serum on my forehead since that skin is less sensitive. Then I lightly applied it all over my face except the eye area, paying extra attention to some dark brown spots and wrinkles, the nasal folds, and the areas that my pores seem larger on both sides of the nose in the area of my cheek below my undereye bags. I also have some dark brown sunspots on the top of my cheekbones that I made sure had a good layer of the serum.

I didn’t feel any stinging or irritation, but at almost 30 minutes the apples of my cheeks had some redness, but it was not uncomfortable. I washed it off and applied a light moisturizer. If you have the Serum Ceuticals Ceramide, this is a great post-peel product to use to reduce any redness quickly. The redness lasted a few hours, but it was not painful and returned to normal. I did feel some skin exfoliate off my jawline, but mostly it was just smoother and even, especially my forehead. Two whiteheads that were just stuck in my skin and would not come out despite topical medicines expelled while washing the serum off my face and some clogging of blackheads around my nose and cheek disappeared. A pimple that was a just red bump for an extended period shrunk in size. My forehead wrinkle appeared shallow. My skin was very soft. I took two days off and did it again for the full thirty minutes.

I also used this on my hands for the full 30 minutes. My hands show more aging than my face does due to not applying sunscreen on my hands all these years. One treatment on my hands lightened some of the darker skin on my knuckles and cleaned up my chronically dry and uneven cuticles. The lines on my hands do not appear as deep. There was no irritation or redness.

Highly recommended for use 1-2 times a week, does not cause irritation even on my sensitive skin and I could see improvement after the first use. Will continue with the full recommended course and I will be purchasing this AHA again.

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!

Natures Nectar Ultra Premium Natural Organic Matcha Green Tea

May 20, 2016 · Leave a Comment

The Style Chicks have long enjoyed a good cup of green tea: a tasty warm treat that does wonders for the skin, metabolism, and energy. Green Tea aids in hair growth. Green Tea contains Vitamin B, and its’ anti-inflammatory properties are significant. To get skin glowing the day before an event, we started drinking a minimum of 2-3 cups of green tea per day as was recommended in Dr. Nicholas Perricone’s 3-day “Anti-inflammatory Diet.” When you drink 3 cups of green tea in a day, your skin is luminous, dewy and glowing.

But sometimes it is tough to consume 3 cups of green tea a day when I really feel like I just want a double espresso with whip to get over my afternoon energy slump. An easy fix for this problem is to drink Matcha. Matcha tea has about half the caffeine of an espresso shot. AND it makes you extra pretty.

WHAT IS MATCHA & WHY SHOULD I DRINK IT?
Matcha is ground tea leaves which make for an intensely concentrated tea, something of a super tea, which has more than 100 times as much Polyphenols as regular green tea. One cup of matcha tea per day is enough for a jitter-free time released energy boost, glowing skin, weight management, increased metabolism and maximum health benefits. Matcha has highly concentrated green tea benefits, but you can get too much of a good thing. Drinking too much of any green, white or black tea can deplete iron in the blood, and all natural tea leaves, like anything else grown in soil, can have minuscule traces of lead. After one cup of matcha per day, you have gained all the Polyphenols, Amino Acids, and metabolism boost that you need.

A cup of Matcha in the afternoon can be an easy alternative to drinking multiple cups of green tea or a coffee substitute when you need some energy. Personally, I can use as much caffeine as I can get, but I do enjoy the energy boost from a good cup of Matcha because there is no “crash” from it like I get from some other caffeinated drinks.

HOW TO MAKE MATCHA TEA
To make Matcha tea, add 1 gram (just shy of a 1/4 teaspoon, .20 of a teaspoon to be exact) of Matcha powder to 6-8 ounces of hot but not boiling water and whisk until the powder dissolves. If you don’t have a matcha whisk, use the smallest whisk you have. Whisk the tea until you have a light froth, probably 30 seconds to a minute. To froth, quickly move your whisk in an M motion (remember: “M” for Matcha!)

A RECOMMENDED MATCHA TEA FOR DRINKING
Nature’s Nectar Ultra Premium Natural Matcha Green Tea is a ceremonial grade Matcha that is delicate and sweet without tasting artificially sweet. If you already drink green tea, you will notice it has a superior flavor of not tasting ‘vegetable-y’ or bitter, just a warm and delicate flavoring. The intensity can be richer depending on the amount of powder and water used, but this tin is a 30 day supply, 1 gram a day. Some brands are an entire teaspoon of Matcha per cup; that is too much powder for a fine grade Matcha such as this one. There is no need to over-do it with this Matcha as it has 137 times more Polyphenols than regular green tea, so you don’t need more any powder than suggested to optimize your green tea benefits. Nature’s Nectar Matcha is also organic and gluten free.

Something else I noticed about Nature’s Nectar Matcha is it is a much brighter green than the other Matcha’s I have. When I select a Matcha, I look for the most vivid green I can get not just because it makes for a prettier cup of Matcha but the colorful green means it is also packed with Amino Acids.

While this Matcha can be added to smoothies and drinks, but since it is such a high-grade matcha, I only drink it straight as a tea and use my less tasty Matchas for including in Matcha-based beverages.

DRINKING GRADE VERSES BAKING GRADE
Here is where Matcha can get tricky: a Matcha powder suitable for drinking as a tea should be a pure and high-quality matcha powder with an intentional blend of green tea leaf varieties. These Nature’s Nectar Matcha leaves are the preferred “first harvest” leaves which make the freshest tea and the highest levels of green tea benefits. A quality Matcha is often labeled as “ceremonial grade”. These Matcha powders often come packaged in a relatively smaller tin than those sold in bulk or bagged. They are also more expensive than those intended for making beverages featuring Matcha. For example, Trader Joe’s Matcha Green Tea Latte Mix is a larger container of powder best suited for use in lattes and recipes because the Matcha is pre-mixed with sugar cane, coconut and milk powders. Good in a DIY latte but not suitable as a matcha powder for tea. A pure matcha suited for drinking as a Matcha tea can be pricey but costs far less per cup than an afternoon run to a coffeehouse for a double espresso. And it is super simple to make.

Matcha TIPS and HACKS:

Once opened, store matcha in the refrigerator to maintain its fresh taste and vibrant green color.

Is your Matcha tea too bitter? Bring water to only a near boil, or wait for one to two minutes after boiling before pouring the water into your cup. Water at 194 degrees Fahrenheit (90 Celsius) and below will produce sweeter Matcha tea than when mixed with boiling water.

Need an extra brain power boost? The lower the temperature of the hot water, the more Theanine that brews. Theanine is the part of green tea that causes brain focusing and mental alertness. Can you tolerate a little extra bitterness for the sake of beauty? Then brew up a nice extra hot cup.

Matcha makes for a great pre-workout caffeine boost that will give you sustained energy without the mid-workout crash.

Natures Nectar Ultra Premium Natural Organic Matcha Green Tea