Skin Care

For all of you who have grown up obsessed with the image of Beverly Hills (I freely admit that before I moved to Los Angeles, I had a preconceived notion of it from, uhm, the first version of “Beverly Hills, 90210″) this new skincare line is definitely for you.  Beverly Hills Skincare is the first line of skincare, body and facial products that was given permission to use the legendary city sign on all its packaging, advertising and marketing, so it really seems like you’re getting a little piece of the city when you buy it.  (My teenage self would’ve been VERY excited about this).

I tried out a few of their skincare items and I really like them.  The Daily Age Revolution with SPF 15 is an everyday moisturizer that I like to put on in the morning.  It’s light and not greasy at all, and it has an enjoyable fresh scent that’s not too strong for 8am.  It’s loaded with eco-friendly, organic antioxidants (always a plus) and it has an anti-aging growth factor peptide in it, which means that it protects your skin when you have it on, but it also helps give you long-term benefits that’ll help your skin to look younger down the road.  I wish it had a little bit stronger of an SPF (30 would be great) but any sun protection is a good thing, especially for those people (like my sister, who I constantly nag about this) who don’t wear any SPF at all on a daily basis.

At night, I’ve been using both the Advanced Youth Recovery and the Intensive Eye Therapy.  The Advanced Youth Therapy is an overnight treatment (basically, a thicker moisturizer) that’s super hydrating and helps rejuvenate and firm your skin while you sleep.  I’ve been testing it at a bad time to try and see results because I’ve been working crazy hours, so I’m not sure that any product could actually make me look “well” rested, but I don’t scare myself when I wake up and look in the mirror either, so I consider that a victory.  The Intensive Eye Therapy was formulated specifically to reduce signs of aging around the eyes.  Again, it’s kind of hard to vouch for results on this one, especially because signs of aging take a good amount of time to work on, but I do really like this as an eye cream.  Like the rest of the products I tried, it’s very moisturizing and it doesn’t irritate my eyes at all.  I’m at work right now and I just applied it for a little pick me up – I’m going to keep doing this every day to see if I get any more results from just putting it on once at night.  It can’t hurt!

To find out more info about the brand, visit www.BevHillsSkincare.com.

After a week of pre-Oscar parties like Vanity Fair’s and the Sheer Cover-sponsored Dare2Care benefit, tons of celebrities and a few of us lucky beauty bloggers braved the ice-cold, blustery winds on the beach in Santa Monica today to stargaze at the annual Independent Spirit Awards. There, Black Swan took home top awards and celebrity spottings included ISA and Oscar nominee Mark Ruffalo (had to take a photo), Nicole Kidman (in a stunning L’Wren Scott red lace pencil dress), a very pregnant and glowing Natalie Portman (in a short yellow Givenchy number), Zoe Saldana (in awesome, vermilion Brian Atwood pumps), and Uma Thurman and newcomer Jennifer Lawrence (both most elegant in all-white Dolce & Gabbana).

Backstage doing touchups for the presenters was sponsor Aveeno‘s official spokesperson and branding consultant Patrick Melville, whose clients includes Demi Moore, Heidi Klum, Tom Cruise and Harry Connick, Jr., to name a few. An absolute sweetheart with an intriguing New York-London accent, Patrick was very calm, cool and collected despite having to touch up so many aggressively wind-blown hairstyles. So calm in fact, he just decided to “go with it” and not “fight nature.” (Beachy waves and messy updos galore!)

Aveeno had quite possibly the most serene lounge set-up in the area, complete with Aveeno Active Naturals product displays (new Nourish + Moisturize Conditioner, Positively Nourishing Calming Body Wash, Daily Moisturizing Lotion and Skin Brightening Daily Scrub). Celebrities like Diego Luna enjoyed drinks and snacks in the chic, Art Deco-inspired, glitter-adorned ELLE Green Room. Other sponsors, some of whom had awards in their name, included Jameson (the official house spirit of the evening along with G. H. Mumm Champagne), Piaget, Acura, Stella Artois, LG Cinema 3D, HTC, smartwater and Netflix. All in all, despite the cold, it was a great, laid-back ceremony filled with tons of humor (thanks in part to host Joel McHale) and stars who seemed like they were in the best of moods — the perfect ramp up to tomorrow’s much-hyped Oscars!

I don’t really have rosacea, but I do get occasional red, patchy areas when my skin gets dry in the winter. And there hasn’t been much I can do about them short of covering them with concealer. I recently heard really good things about Ole Henriksen Black Currant Complexion Oil, $32, and since I’m a fan of essential oils as moisturizers, I thought I’d mix it into my routine and see if it helped even out my overall complexion. Surprisingly, the extra step works!

Simply rubbing three drops (no more!) between my hands and patting on my face before applying moisturizer or foundation has helped even out my skin tone and bolster my usual moisturizer for winter. I dare say I could even go without foundation if I was feeling up to it. Infused with apricot kernel oil, black currant oil, cypress, geranium and lemon, this little potion is engineered to do a variety of things including moisturize (with vitamin E), protect your skin from environmental damage, soothe, sanitize, tone and energize by boosting your skin’s metabolic activity. The only caveat I’d throw out there is the scent; a cross between rose geranium and tea tree oil that I don’t mind, it could be a downside for those who don’t like strong, floral or herbal scents.

I’ve been using Parisian hair care brand Leonor Greyl (a rumored celeb favorite that’s gone on tour with both Madonna and Gwen Stefani) off and on for about a year now, and I must say their beautifying oils are not only some of the most glamorous “natural” products I’ve encountered, but the Huile de Palme (for hair) and Huile de Magnolia (for face and body) are quite the little miracle workers when it comes to moisturizing dry skin and hair.

Free of the chemicals and additives found in most hair products (sulfates, parabens, silicones, etc.), Huile de Palme (literally “palm oil”) is an environmentally friendly blend of botanical and vegetal oils that protects hair health from the elements, such as sun, surf and chlorine. It’s a pre-shampoo treatment, so you can apply it to dry hair and leave it on anywhere from a few minutes to overnight, depending on your hair texture and/or conditioning needs. (more…)

Another holiday, another panic attack: What on earth is there left to get for the man in your life? Well, a good home-cooked meal should work, but if that’s not your idea of a special gift, I suggest you say “I love you” with:

… a Hot Shave
I recently got the chance to check out Alexander’s for Hair, a mid-range, family-owned, all-in-one spa and salon in west L.A., and I thought, “What a great place to take my [insert any family member here]!” Formerly the male-targeted Reeder’s Barber Shop, complete with beers and flatscreen TVs, Alexander’s for Hair has undergone a recent makeover to suit its growing clientele base, offering more services for both men and women as well as eco-friendly hair products by Eufora and high-quality GRAM skincare by Dr. Bernard Gramlich (you should see his skin!). Helmed by new owner Krissy Smith and her mom Jeanne Phares, the salon has both a small-town feel and a cosmopolitan flair — perfect for those who want luxurious treatment but find super-high-end salons and spas either intimidating or just not worth the extra dough. Best of all, while you’re loved one is getting his Signature MVP Hot Shave, you can indulge in a Eufora Deep Conditioning and Scalp Treatment (free this month with any color service), a fantastic facial, a mani-pedi or a delightful (and affordable) deep-tissue massage (ask for Barbara!). Ah, the perks of co-ed bliss.

Alexander’s for Hair is located at 11515 W. Pico Blvd. in Los Angeles. Call (310) 473-0462 to make an appointment. Readers, mention the code AFHGO through February and you’ll get 30 percent off your service!

… Custom Kicks
If the love (or like) of your life is a label-savvy jet setter who frequently blends street style and upscale threads (or just likes any of the aforementioned), he’ll appreciate the new G3 collection by Ryz, the brainchild of former president of Adidas America and Adidas Japan Rob Langstaff. (more…)

I’ve been obsessed with all of the different Clarisonic Skincare Brushes for awhile now (ask any of my friends and/or relatives – I’ve told all of them to buy one at some point).  So when the new Opal Sonic Infusion came out, I was dying to try it.  I finally got my hands on one after reading several glowing reviews of it online and it was totally worth the wait.

The Opal is an oval shaped device that uses something called sonic infusion to help soothe and firm your eye area.  It’s very simple to use – you put in one of the serum dispenser caps and charge the device, then when you’re ready to use it, you simply dispense a few drops of the serum onto the cap, press a button to turn it on, and then move the device in a circular motion around your eye while it does its work.  It’s really mistake proof (pretty much the only thing you could do to make it not work is if you decided to use it on say, your neck or something.  Which would be crazy).  The serum contains a hand-selected blend of marine and botanical extracts and by using the Opal, it gets infused into your skin much better than if you just massaged it in.  It also feels really good when you’re doing it.  I think my eye area is probably the most neglected part of my face, so it’s nice to give it some extra attention.

When I’m done using it, the area around my eyes feels smoother and tighter.  If you use it for a long period of time, it’s supposed to lead to a decrease in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, but since I’m crazy face product girl, so far I’ve managed to stave those off, so I can’t vouch for that claim.  (At least, not yet.  When I told my mom about it, she made me promise I would let her try the Opal for awhile, so once I hand it off to her, she should be able to tell me what her results are.  Stay tuned!)  I just really like how much more awake it makes my eyes look – I hardly ever get enough sleep, so anything that can make me look less like a zombie is a hit with me, and the Opal really accomplishes that with barely any effort.  (I love making barely any effort!)  Definitely a product worth checking out.

If you’re already racking your brain about what to do for Valentine’s Day and all you’ve come up with is “Dinner out or dinner in?,” consider taking pause from all the hustle and bustle at a quiet oasis such as Spa Luce. A seasonal offering on the spa menu, the delightful aromatherapeutic Spa Luce Valentine’s Day Couples Massage, $370, gets my vote for best investment in relaxation. It features massages performed side by side in the couples room, a mineral-salt soak in a hydrotherapy tub built for two, and a complimentary bottle of champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries.

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Dry skin might be a winter thing, but my skin feels parched no matter what season it is. If it weren’t for Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream — one of three Ultra Facial products in their new Ultra Facial Cream Starter Kit — it would hurt me to smile for most of the day! The cream, which is the standout product in the kit as far as I’m concerned, contains fancy-sounding ingredients like Antarcticine, “a Glycoprotein extracted from microorganisms sourced from sea glaciers and notable for an ability to protect skin from cold temperatures,” and Imperata Cylindrica, “a plant indigenous to the Australian desert which possesses superb water retention properties in dry conditions.” Translation: This little jar has made me one grinning, instantly hydrated girl this month.

Each kit comes with a gentle Ultra Facial Cleanser and a non-alcoholic Ultra Facial Toner along with the cream. (There’s also an Ultra Facial Moisturizer Starter Kit, $29.50, for those who prefer a lotion.) All the Ultra Facial products are available separately, and depending on the product, make use of ingredients such as olive-derived botanical Squalane, apricot kernel oil, avocado oil and vitamin E to keep skin balanced, hydrated and silky. If dry skin bothers you, getting a starter kit is a great way to try out the regimen; but if you already know what you need, I say spring for the full-sized bottles of individual product. You can order them at kiehls.com or pick one up at your local Kiehl’s store. Happy hydrating!

On the sixth day of Christmas, Proactiv gave to me … $200 to one of my favorite charities, the National Marrow Donor Program. As part of a quite generous holiday giving effort, The Daily Obsession was lucky enough to secure a charity sponsorship in Proactiv’s 12 Days of Christmas, a collection of YouTube vlogs in favor of our favorite charities. Check out my vlog, in which I explain why I chose the National Marrow Donor Program and review one of my favorite Proactiv products, Proactiv Green Tea Moisturizer ($18). Make sure you tune in for tomorrow’s post from SheKnows.com! (Just log on to YouTube and search for Proactiv’s 12 Days of Christmas!)

I absolutely adore Farmhouse Fresh because all of their products smell ridiculously good.  Like, so good that if they’re in my closet, even if I’m going in there for a totally unrelated reason, I often find myself opening their products just to take a sniff.  The deliciousness continues with their two new products – Hello! Yellow and One Fine Day.

One Fine Day is a face polish that’s perfect for when you’re in need of some exfoliation (although it’s definitely gentle enough to use every day if you wanted).  It’s a shea sugar blend and is 98.5% natural, so it’s perfect if your skin is dry or sensitive.  It smells absolutely amazing – the polish contains grapefruit and citrus oils, so the scent is light and refreshing and even a little energizing.  The polish itself is a really nice consistency – it’s strong enough to give a really good exfoliation to your face, but it’s not harsh or stingy at all.  It leaves my skin really soft and glowing.  I’ve been using it every other night for the past two weeks or so and I’ve barely made a dent in the container – you need to use so little that one jar will last you a long time.  Always nice!

Hello! Yellow is another can’t miss product.  It’s a shea butter body cream made with natural vanilla and citrus oils.  I know I sound like a broken record about these products, but this one smells amazing as well.  It’s a comforting mix of sweet and citrusy, sort of like a sugary creamsicle, and the cream is dense and rich and not at all greasy.  It comes in a display-worthy glass jar (perfect to give as a gift) and the shea and cocoa butters make it super moisturizing – great for the bitter winter months.  I’ll be using this one until I’m scraping the very last bits out of the bottom of the container!