In this men’s grooming review, I discuss Nivea Men Active 3, which is an all in one shampoo, body wash and shave gel. Nivea for Men Active 3 can be found at drugstore.com.
From our friends at A Girl’s Gotta Spa
With over 200 natural products on the market, Kiss My Face is a recognized name in the cruelty free cosmetic world, so it almost comes as a surprise to find that they are releasing a Potent & Pure Organic Face Care line. After trying a few products though, I can say they have truly improved an already solid brand. Boasting natural ingredients such as Jojoba Oil, Ester C, Tapioca Root Starch, Organic Mint and more, this line stands out in the ever growing world of natural skin care.
The Clean for a Day creamy face cleanser ($15 for 4 oz.) is perhaps the best smelling wash I have ever had the pleasure of using, even when compared to other organic and natural lines. I have sensitive/combination skin and found the soap free formula left my skin clean, without over-drying (it derives its cleaning agents from sugar and corn). An “Insider Tip” indicates this product can also be used with a cotton ball as a make-up remover. While I found it a little too creamy for this, it still fulfilled its main purpose as a face wash quite well.
My favorite product in the line is the Pore Shrink Deep Pore Cleansing Mask ($15 for 2 oz.) — a refreshing mask made up of Clove, Tea Tree Oil and Lemongrass. Gentle enough for everyday use on oily skin, yet effective enough for weekly use by those with combination to dry skin, like myself. Using the product once a week will also make the 2 oz. last, as the mask does not require very thick coverage to work.
Additional products in the line include a Jojoba & Mint Facial Scrub ($15 for 2 oz.), SPF 4 Brightening Day Crème ($23 for 1 oz.), Breakout Oil ($19 for 1 oz.), and an incredible hydrating Night Crème, which I enjoyed using once a week for nighttime repair. With ingredients ranging from 63-84% organic and products that deliver the results they promise, Kiss My Face has established a line that should create repeat users out of fans of cruelty-free cosmetics.
From our friends at Short and Sweet NYC
Luxury beauty. In today’s economy that is a bad, bad word. Because really? How many of us actually have the money to spend on anything luxurious? Yet, when we do, it is like coveting a prized possession. My friends (Channeling John McCain when I say that), David Yurman’s newest addition to his fragrance collection, Luxurious Body Cream, is one of those possessions you will covet.
Glass jar. Gold covered cap. The rich scent of amber mixed with a very pretty floral fragrance…you’ll feel the need to slap on your favorite LBD and heels when wearing this body cream. It smells that good. There’s no need to even wear perfume when you use it, although no worries, it is not overbearing in scent. The best part is that it not only smells indulgently sexy, it also hydrates your skin making it feel supple and smooth.
It’s not too often that I wear, or even like, perfume-scented lotions and creams, but this fragrance ignites visions of a more youthful and sexy me, that I simply adore it. Or it could be because I am now 35 and am reflecting on my younger days…ahh nostalgia.
David Yurman’s Luxurious Body Cream is available for $90 at www.DavidYurman.com Have you tried it?
From our friends at A Girl’s Gotta Spa
I had lunch recently with Caroline Chu, the founder of the Caroline Chu skincare and makeup line. Caroline’s namesake beauty brand was launched in 2007 and on QVC earlier this month. Caroline is a classic beauty and she is living proof and a testament to her products. In addition to her gracious personality, Caroline is an innovator in the beauty world, combining technology with the finest ingredients used by generations of women in Asia to defy aging. Caroline Chu is high tech business woman turned beauty entrepreneur who gave up her career as a successful creative director in Silicon Valley before launching her own skincare and cosmetics line now available at Zappos and QVC. While jet-setting around the globe to faraway destinations, Caroline was inspired to pursue her true passion, the art affordable and effective skincare. Caroline then spent two years researching and developing her products drawing on her background in fine art and high tech.
Caroline Chu’s vision is to let women indulge in her products —an experience every woman deserves, no matter how busy her life. Every product is tested, and used by Caroline and her team. Each product is made in small batches in order to maintain a high degree of quality. As a brand, Caroline Chu stands for more than good looks. It’s about embracing the feeling of empowerment and comfort in one’s own skin.
Caroline gave me a few of her products to try. Two of my favorites are the Day & Night moisturizing cream and the Bamboo herbal face scrub. The Day & Night Cream is smooth and velvety and absorbs quickly without feeling greasy or leaving shiny patches on my skin. It also created a smooth and even surface on which to apply my primer, concealer and foundation. It has quite a luxurious feel to it. I don’t have many wrinkles (yet!) but hopefully this will prevent the premature appearance of lines down the road. Also part of my weekly regime is the Bamboo Herbal Facial Scrub, which I use weekly to exfoliate and my skin feels refreshed afterward. Although I do have to be careful not to scrub around under my nose and chin because of rosacea. I like the fact that the beads are natural and will dissolve and not harm the environment. Both of these products are available in the Caroline Chu Anti Aging Kit at QVC for $89, normally $99. My mom is also a fan of Caroline’s skincare line and I plan to buy it for her for Christmas.
Save at Zappos with coupons from TheFind.com’s coupon site.
So let’s say you have skin that is normally fairly well behaved, but is currently suffering from dryness, tightness, mild eczema, very oily/dry patches or just looks a little lackluster after a long night or long day traveling.
This is where Rodin Olio Lusso comes in.
Olio Lusso was created by Linda Rodin, a former stylist and editor in the fashion world for over 40 years. She has worked with some of the world’s most recognizable faces. It was during this time she created her blend of moisturizing oils and used them on select models, and celebrities. Soon word spread about the wonderful elixir which had the ability to make skin instantly radiant, supple soft and hydrated using only natural ingredients.
Olio Lusso is a blend of arnica, neroli, argan, sunflower, calendula oils (plus more!) that provide antioxidant and antibacterial benefits to moisturize and protect skin. The scent of the mid-weight oil is a rich, tropical Jasmine flower. I added just 3-4 drops of the oil into the palm of my hands, rubbed them together first and then applied. The oil felt very light and smooth on my skin, with no greasiness or oily feel. It also absorbed into my skin very quickly which I loved.
I immediately noticed a beautiful glow to my skin, my drier areas were very soft and supple and instantly my skin did look more radiant. I paired this with richer moisturizers on colder days, and on days when my skin was no quite as dry, I used on it’s own. I really did like the feel it gave my skin and how easy it was to use.
As wonderful as I found the oil, I must stress that it has a very heady, floral scent from the oils. It lingers a bit, so if you are a floral person and/or like your beauty products to have a prominent scent, this is perfect for you. If you have a very sensitive nose, unfortunately, it is not. – RLB
Go–>Oliolusso.com for stores and doctor’s offices to purchase. Also available online at beautyhabit.com.
From our friends at Palacinka Beauty
Weather changes are imminent and thus, it is time to once again alter our skincare regimens from sun-wary to wind-wary in light of the all-too-familiar damaging effects of colder weather.
Darphin is a Paris-based skincare line founded in 1958 by Pierre Darphin who became renowned for hisindividualized approach and transformational results. Most unique to the Darphin line of cosmetics, according to the line’s website, is its Aromatic Care formulas, as they are highly concentrated and designed to “purify, balance, tone, [energize, soothe and relax]” the skin through the inclusion of restorative essential oils.
Darphin’s aromatic qualities are meant to enable consumers to enjoy a “multisensory experience” and trigger more than just the skin in the transformation process. This approach brings to life Darphin’s belief that one cannot look good if one does not feel good. There is no doubt that the fragrant nature of this particular product enhances that freshly clean post-use feeling.
Darphin Aromatic Cleansing Balm with Rosewood itself is waxy to the touch and upon mixing with water results in a subtle lather. A little goes a long way, which is very, very, very ideal for an item such as this balm, which sells for $95. Despite it’s not-so-recession-friendly pricing, there is no doubting that this cleansing balm lives up to its refreshing promises. The rosewood scent is delightfully not overpowering and is indeed a very aromatically pleasing scent to apply
so close to the nose. Furthermore, skin feels entirely cleansed without also experiencing that drying sensation that other, too-harsh formulas cause.
Darphin Aromatic Cleansing Balm is a splurge worth making for the skincare savvy consumer with a nose for high quality, nourishing formulas. With the onset of autumnal winds and hints of winter ahead, I must warn that one whiff of this rosewood heaven may lead you to consider this one indulgence.
From our friends at Short and Sweet NYC
Clean & Clear MORNING BURST In-Shower Facial is the way to go!
This is a soft grainy/creamy facial mask-scrub that is bursting with a refreshing citrus scent. The way it works is with the steam from the shower.
As directed, I used the product about 2x week and applied the mask (a light orange color!) to my dry skin first, started my shower, allowing some steam to rise, and then used my fingers to circulate the product on my skin and exfoliate.
The scrub grains are medium/fine, so I definitely felt like I was getting a great scrub, and it lathers when it mixes with the water from the steam of the shower, so I also got a great cleansing. It really did give me that “morning burst” combination of the energy to my skin from the exfoliation, with the fantastic aromatherapy effect of the great orange scent.
After rinsing, my skin felt so fresh and clean and vibrant. I loved how soft and smooth it left my skin without any irritation. This product does not dry out skin, but will work best with non-sensitive normal/combination oily or slightly drier skin.
This is also the perfect burst of freshness you need after a gym work out or sauna visit for instance, and the flip top cap packaging makes it easy to tote in your bag. – RLB
From our friends at Palacinka Beauty Blog
Pineapple, strawberry, blueberry, raspberry and pomegranate…it all sounds like some mighty fine ingredients to concoct a delicious smoothie with. Yet I’m simply naming off some of what you will find in Renée Rouleau Triple Berry Smoothing Peel. You have not encountered a beauty product yet that smells so utterly scrumptious while providing an at-home facial that will leave your skin glowing.
From the moment you open the jar your cravings for toast with jam will begin! Honestly, it smells THAT good. But please do not be tempted to eat it! Simply apply it to your face (yes there are even seeds in this peel) and leave on for 5-10 minutes. While Renée’s website says the length of time to keep it on your face depends on the severity of the tingling you’ll feel, I can honestly say I have never felt any uncomfortable tingling.
The Triple Berry Smoothing Peel is a chemical exfoliant chock full of skin smoothing acids. Thought you could only slough off the dead skin cells with a just a scrub? Then be sure to check out my previous write up regarding Renée’s comparison of chemical exfoliants and physical exfoliants. This peel is going to make your skin feel baby soft and because this product contains vasodilators (ingredients that dilate the blood vessels), it will make your skin glow. I promise you that you will love it!
You can find it on www.ReneeRouleau.com. Be sure to also check out her blog Beautiful Skin (I’m a contributor there), Facebook fan page and Twitter (@ReneeRouleau) where she gives out some great skin care tips daily. Not sure your skin type? Renée can help with that too, as she breaks down nine distinct skin types.
From our friends at A Girl’s Gotta Spa
Now is the time of year when colds, sniffles and even the flu can catch many of us off guard, and we can feel like we don’t have quite as much energy with Fall’s arrival.
I’ve discovered a fantastic nutraceutical system called Sibu Beauty. The line combines nutritional supplements with topical skin care products to not only give you fresh, glowing skin, but fantastic energy and defenses against all the outside elements that can leave you feeling run down and more susceptible to getting sick.
Sibu Beauty has developed a revolutionary line of topical products and nutritional supplements based on sea buckthorn berries — a powerful superfruit packed with omegas, antioxidants and great taste — that help improve health, longevity and promote beauty from the inside out and outside in. Sea Bukhorn grows high in the Tibetan Himalayas (12,000 feet above sea level) and is a tiny but resilient fruit that resists the harsh weather conditions and high altitudes. The sea buckthorn berry fortifies itself against the elements by producing an array of powerful nutrients.
Read on to learn more about Sibu Beauty
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My friend took a trip to Bali and turned me onto JUARA skin care upon his return. JUARA is an Indonesian line of skin care produced by four women of eastern decent. They created an integrative approach to skin care – mostly outside of science – rooted in Eastern skin care regimes. Each and every product is remarkable, but I am particularly into the “skin quencher” also known as the Tamarind Tea Hydrating Toner ($27, 4.75 oz). This is the first toner I have used that refreshes, cleanses, and moisturizes. Toners can leave the skin dry and stripped; more often than not due to the alcohol content of the product. The ingredients in this toner include tamarind (moisturizer), rice (anti-inflammatory), teas (antioxidants), and hyaluronic acid (moisturizer). The expression “very little goes a long way” certainly applies here. A nickel size amount of the orange hued serum is potent enough to cover your face with your bare hands. JUARA is a fantastic line as it relies on tradition, simplicity, and botanicals to provide effective skin care solutions.
From our friends at Short and Sweet NYC
