Skin Care

All right. I’ll admit it: facial mist sprays don’t exactly fall into the category of must have skincare. I always thought those Evian can toting gals looked a little silly misting themselves on summer days in Central Park. I even had a mini sample of the mineral water spray and it sat in my fridge for over a year before I finally tossed it. But these days, all of a sudden, I’m addicted. Addicted, I tell ya! And my new found appreciation for these (let’s be honest here) nice-to-have-if-you-already-have-everything-else products stems from the fact that I finally figured out how to use them correctly.

When I’m already sweaty, spraying some more water onto my face isn’t really helpful. But when the air turns cold and dry, these sprays actually help sooth and comfort skin immediately. I use mine right after showering and before I begin my morning regimen. Why not just hit the moisturizer instead, you ask? Well, I find that my skin is usually very dry and tight right after I shower and I crave something that will instantly add moisture without too much effort. But more importantly, I’ve unfortunately reached the stage where I need to start using serums. And retinals. And other products I’m trying out to ease those pesky smile lines. Most of these kinds of treatment products require that you apply them before your day cream but they themselves don’t contain any moisturizing properties, making the application (and waiting) process rather uncomfortable. However, I find that when I use a spray mist first, it’s so much easier to apply those wrinkle fillers and makes the process much more pleasant. I also feel like it helps the products absorb better as well, though scientific testing is needed to verify this one.

If you do buy a facial mist, however, I would recommend looking for one that has skin nourishing ingredients beyond just normal water. I personally love Caudalie’s Grape Water, which contains moisturizing polysaccharides and vitamins. Also on my bathroom counter is Clinique’s Moisture Surge Face Spray Thirsty Skin Relief, packed with aloe for extra soothing. Or try this herb infused version from Mario Badescu. And finally, if you want to try before you buy, here’s an easy recipe to make one at home.

Since Hurricane Sandy has derailed everyone’s wild Monday night plans (I mean, cut into my “recover from Halloween” and How I Met Your Mother couch potato schedule), my roommates and I are indefinitely sequestered in our apartment. With an entire bathroom full of beauty products and nothing but time, you can imagine the kind of trouble we might be getting into…the beauty sleepover kind. And what’s a beauty sleepover with face masks? Here’s a roundup of my favorite four face masks, to get you through this a forced night in (or your own imposed night in, no judgment).

For Clear, Post-Sandy Skin

Are you guys sick of me talking about my love for Eve Lom? I hate to sound like a beauty broken record, but their Rescue Mask is a mainstay for me whenever I think my skin need a clarifier or a pick-me-up. This thick, herbal rich mud mask has the effect of a juice cleanse, on my skin, re-setting balance anytime it gets overly oily, dry, or anything. Feel an impending breakout or bump? This is mask is your toolkit, by drying out blemishes, tightening up pores, and clearing out impurities. Its gloppy texture dries quickly to a matte finish that you easily wash off with water. Under the skin bumps that formerly register an 8 on the Angry scale, are instantly reduced to half that, after a few nights of using this treatment mask. (more…)

Lately, I’ve made more of an effort to incorporate more natural and organic products into my skincare regime. With that, I’ve rediscovered Josie Maran Cosmetics and their fantastic line of skincare products.  (more…)

Ah, cleanses. It’s been over a year since I did my last cleanse — mainly because, well, I’m not a huge fan of cleanses. But leading up to my latest vacation, I decided to do a short one to prepare myself for the days of decadence ahead (and yes, lose a quick few pounds). That and I was curious about Kaeng Raeng, an affordable vegan and gluten-free detox cleanse developed by entrepreneur, writer, certified personal trainer and animal rights activist Lindsay Reinsmith.

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Ever since the first day I even knew what a dermatologist was, I’ve known about Cetaphil.  Pretty much every derm I’ve ever talked to has talked about it, or recommended it, or say they use it and I, myself, have been a consistent on/off user of their iconic Gentle Skin Cleanser for years.

But I won’t lie that there’s been some periods, especially when I had acne prone skin, that I wished for something just a little bit stronger or give my skin just a tiny bit of that squeaky clean feeling.  And now Cetaphil has an answer for that. Their new DERMACONTROL Oil Control Foam Wash promises to give your skin that satisfying deep cleansing without ever over-drying or being too harsh, because we all know that can actually backfire. Unlike the original cleanser, the oil free wash is a very lightweight foam that suds up easily and glides over skin weightlessly.  And I love that it washes off in like 3 seconds without the need to keep rinsing and leaves absolutely no residue. After washing, I do feel like my skin is very clean, but without any tightness or dryness. (more…)

Holy moly guys. It’s not every day that I come across a product I love so much I feel the need to write about it within minutes of trying it. But the Pro+Therapy MD-Gentle Skin Polishing Exfoliator that I popped open in the shower yesterday is so amazing I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it!  (Yes I am going a little crazy over exfoliator. #beautyeditorproblems)

The product is cool because it’s a gentle formulation that includes great technology that prevents you from over-exfoliating. The exfoliating beads actually dissolve around the 2 minute mark so you’ll never hurt your skin by accidentally scrubbing too much. But in addition to jelly beads that fizz away, the product also contains a few key ingredients like Kinetin and Zeatin that help treat the skin and encourage regular cell turnover. So the two minutes you spend scrubbing both helps exfoliate dead cells manually and also helps your skin rejuvenate over the long run.

But all that aside, what I was most impressed with were the immediate results (and I *never* say that). My skin was ridiculously glowing all day long. No makeup, no moisturizer- it was just radiance from an exfoliator. Color me very, very impressed- this is definitely one product I’ll never need a reminder to use.

“No I don’t want radiant, glowing skin”- said no one ever- which is probably why everyone I know who has tried the new NARSskin lineup of skincare products has loved it. Formulated with NARS’ exclusive “Light Reflecting Complex,” all the products in the collection ranging from the gentle cleanser to the serum to the eye cream is formulated to help uncover your skin’s natural radiance.  The range contains a blend of high tech technology and natural products to help stimulate skin and produce cell turnover. And while the product is working its magic to improve texture and overall skin health (don’t expect overnight results- with this or anything else), light reflecting prisms give an instant cosmetic makeover, diffusing imperfections and creating an overall glow.  (more…)

The sales associates at Space NK are the best kind: knowledgeable, non-pushy, obsessed beauty junkies. I should know better than to ever “kill time” by browsing Space NK but kill I did, along with my AMEX.

Maybe you’re like me and you try to stay away from foaming face cleansers because you find them to be too drying. If that’s the case, Rodial Glamtox will be your thing. The texture is unique—it’s sort of a cloudy, smooth emulsion that transmutes into a milky toner with water. It’s odorless, with an easy pump dispenser. For those if you familiar with the feel of Shu Uemura cleansing oil after adding water, it’s like that, but thicker and more viscous. Foaming bubble purists may not be used to this type of texture but trust me, it does one of the best jobs at dissolving the heaviest face and eye makeup while still retaining all the good moisture oils. You can rinse with water or wipe it off with a warm facecloth, it’s that gentle. Afterwards, your face feels like it emerged from a good, hot steam bath, that’s how pure and clean it feels. It’s not a “squeaky clean” feeling, it’s radiant and soft in a way that makes you want to self-pet your skin like a puppy.

Now, is it as thorough a cleanser as the Eve Lom? No, I still have yet to see anything that competes with the completeness of the Lom cleanser experience. But the Eve Lom cleanser can be a laborious, multi-step process (5-10 minutes), so Rodial Glamtox is a welcome, quick, effective cleanser to add to my cleanser arsenal when I want to get to bed ASAP.

The Rodial Glamtox can be found at Space NK (unfortunately, where the site says it is currently unavailable) but don’t worry, it’s also available at Nordstrom and ASOS. It retails for $80.

Eve Lom holds a special place in my heart, because it was my conversation-starter to meeting Carolyn for the first time. We were introduced by a friend and scheduled to meet for brunch. Fortuitously, having arrived for brunch early, I stopped into Space NK for a quick browse, and as is wont to happen, came out with a shopping bag and my first box of Eve Lom cleanser.

Eve Lom, beauty blogging, and writing were some of the centerpieces of our conversation that Carolyn and I had that day, and led to my writing for TDO. It’s been four wonderful years since I started contributing. It’s amazing how one little product was able to effect such a change in my life (and skin), and a demonstrable case to how beauty is the great equalizer. You can be sitting next to a stranger on the subway, but a simple question of “What are you wearing?” can make her your friend by the time the train rolls to 31st street.

We’ve been lucky enough to interview Eve Lom on our site before and I still think her cleanser is the best of all time. But if I were to pull a “Kanye, Imma Gonna Let You Finish” Grammys moment, the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish would be the Beyonce to my Taylor Swift. Both of these British brands still reign supreme in my bathroom cabinet, so I urge you to re-visit their greatness in this original post.

Dr Jart+, one of the first brands to bring BB creams stateside, has just released one of my favorite products ever: their Black Label Pore Penetrator aka blackhead remover. It’s a little TMI but I’ll have you know that I’m one of those people who are pretty fixated on keeping my pores clear and give myself weekly extractions (the old fashioned way) in the bathroom mirror. Being that I’m a fan of the painful extraction method, I was a tad skeptical when I heard that just one pump of this serum like product could melt all my blackheads away with no pain or effort on my part.  So I put it to the test.

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