Defining Skincare

Skincare Products

Skincare includes products for the skin. This includes cleansers, exfoliants, moisturizers, acne treatments, anti-aging treatments, serums for specific skin concerns, as well as sunscreen. Find Skincare product recommendations for specific skin concerns and skincare products using organic ingredients.

Skin care includes ways to care for the skin, including facial skin, throat, decolletage, and body skin. Visit the Skin Care guide section of StyleChicks for more skin care how-to information.

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

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!

Michael Todd Beauty Soniclear Petite Antimicrobial Facial Skin Cleansing Brush System

May 12, 2016 · Leave a Comment

The Michael Todd Soniclear Petite Brush is similar in premise to the Clarisonic rotating brush systems, but with some features that I prefer. When I first got my Clarisonic, it became a go-to beauty tool for me. Unfortunately, I found the Clarisonic was more water resistant than waterproof; it needed frequent rechargings without any advanced notice that the charge was low, and, by my clumsy, soapy, butter fingers fault, I dropped it one too many times, it eventually no longer powered up. So I was excited to see some of the features on the Soniclear that I feel are more geared towards my needs.

First off, a cleansing brush of this sort is a great beauty tool. The Soniclear gently exfoliates facial skin without causing irritation and can even be used on acne, rosacea, and eczema to cleanse gently and exfoliate. After Soniclear use, skin is clean and even leaving an even surface for makeup application and by removing the dry and dead skin, bacteria, dirt and sebum can’t get trapped in the skin, making acne all the worse.

CLEANSING POWER
Soniclear also removes heavy makeup better than other cleansing methods, especially mineral based makeup, and powdered pigments, contour creams and powders, airbrush makeup and foundations including Paramedical foundations, and even theater oil-based pancake makeup.

ANTIMICROBIAL & GENTLE BRUSH HEADS
The Soniclear brush heads are antimicrobial and stay cleaner and bacteria free longer than other brush heads. This is a big selling point for me over using washcloths or sponges or my hands to scrub my face.

It is also a softer feel on the skin when in use, I am surprised to see it has the buffing and smoothing capacity that it does since it feels so gentle when it is on the skin. Despite how soft it feels, it eases out blackheads in tricky spots like the curve of the nasal tip in just a few uses. I have been scrubbing away with a washcloth at those same blackheads, and they didn’t budge until now. The downside is replacement brush heads are about $25 each, which is much more expensive than many of the Soniclear competitor brush systems.

The slightly smaller size fits better into my hand than the Clarisonic I kept dropping, and while it is not flimsy, it is lighter than the Clarisonic. Body brush size heads do not fit on this petite model, although I used the face head on shoulders, neck and chest and liked the results.

CHARGING
I like the charger, instead of a base there is a little round piece that magnetically adheres to the brush handle, and it has a USB port cord to charge. So far it holds a charge longer than my Clarisonic did, as each full charge gives 60 minutes of charge, 35 can be continuous, so one charge will last through a vacation. It comes with a nice sturdy travel case, and if the brush is fully charged in advance, you won’t need to pack the charger.

PRICE POINT
This brush is a well-priced device with several nice features. Some features include the carrying case for travel, the quality anti-bacterial brush head, the very gentle but effective cleansing even for problem skin, and the length of time before recharging is needed, the ease of use and the results, I think this is a great price for what it does. While replacement brush heads are more expensive than the competitors, the special anti-bacteria coating on the heads is a great feature for anyone with skin conditions, sensitive skin or acne to make sure your mode of cleansing does not introduce bacteria to your skin. I don’t consider the brush head cost a flaw, just something to consider in the overall long-term cost of the unit.

Find it at Amazon.com.

Michael Todd Beauty Soniclear Petite Antimicrobial Facial Skin Cleansing Brush System

Michael Todd Beauty Soniclear Petite Antimicrobial Facial Skin Cleansing Brush System Cleanser

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!