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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.

New Product: Dr. LeWinn by Kinerase HydraBalance Foaming Cleanser

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I’ve been feeling a little Goldilocks-esque lately when it comes to facial cleansers. Some are really moisturizing, but take too much scrubbing to wash off. Others wash off easily, but don’t do a thorough job when it comes to taking off all my makeup and sunscreen.

And then I found Dr. LeWinn by Kinerase HydraBalance Foaming Cleanser.

Based on past experiences, I generally shy away from foaming cleansers since the ones I’ve tried tend to be drying. However, I have used Kinerase products for years now, so I had hope that their mass market line in connection with Dr. LeWinn would live up to it’s claim of being not just non-drying, but hydrating. And it does. My skin is soft, hydrated, and bright after cleansing. And as far as taking off makeup? It is exceptional. No scrubbing needed, it just takes everything off on both face and delicate eye skin. I’ve been using a liquid liner lately that is fabulous, but it is pretty tough to take off at the end of the day. Hydrabalance Foaming Cleanser takes it off easily and with no tugging. Yay!

HydraBalance Foaming Cleanser is soap-free, which will make your dermatologist happy (mine was the one who turned me on to the Kinerase line in the first place years ago). But I can’t say enough how well it cleanses while it treats the skin with great ingredients like Kinetin (which is in the whole Dr. LeWinn by Kinerase line in the same amounts as the regular Kinerase line). I’ve tried products from both the Kinerase line and other lines that contain Kinetin, and they are always so soothing to the skin. It encourages cellular turnover without irritation – a great alternative to retinoids. It also contains SK-Influx to protect your skin’s moisture barrier, and Aquaxyl to hydrate the skin. All in all, a great way to start your skincare for the day and end it at night.

In an act of sisterly love, I let Lyn use the cleanser, and her comments were interesting – she said that she’s never used a foaming cleanser that felt soft. She hit the nail on the head – there is something that feels kind of rough about most foaming cleansers, but HydraBalance Foaming Cleanser isn’t that way. It is gentle, soft, and luxurious feeling. I’ve been using it with my Clarisonic – it feels like a spa cleansing!

I’m pretty thrilled with this cleanser. We’ll be reviewing other products from the Dr. LeWinn by Kinerase line in the upcoming weeks (spoiler alert: Skin Tone Perfecting Serum is so effective it’s kinda spooky), and I will purchase HydraBalance Foaming Cleanser in the future. And since my derm loves the regular KInerase line, I can’t wait to tell her about this very affordable and very effective new line!

Find Dr. LeWinn by Kinerase HydraBalance Foaming Cleanser at Walgreens for $10.49.

How To Use Retinol When You Cant Tolerate Retinol

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Want to be glowing by Saturday? Try this at home facial tonight:

This works best if you have prescription retinol at home (Retin-A, Retin-A Micro, Renova, etc), but any cream that has retinol in it will do.

  1. Wash your face and wait about a half-hour.
  2. Apply the retinol. If you are using Retin-A and typically use a pea-sized amount, and use a little extra. Let it soak in for a few minutes.
  3. Add a deep hydrating mask or cream over the retinol – we like:

Both these products contain ingredients that leave skin dewy and protect the skin while the extra retinol performs a mini-peel.

CeraVe Moisturizing Cream has three key ceramides to hydrate and protect the skin barrier. Ceramide 3 is highly moisturizing. It also contains Hyaluronic Acid that holds moisture and plumps skin. It is non-comedogenic and non-irritating. If you suffer from eczema or aging skin, CeraVe helps skin tolerate Retinols. It is unscented/fragrance-free.

Caudalie Vinosource Moisturizing Cream is deeply hydrating and absorbs well. It sacks redness, tightness and flaky skin with nourishing Grape Seed oil and soothing Squalene. There is a very light pleasant scent.

To make sure that your skin is more dewy that flakey the next day, really slather on the moisturizer. Leave it on overnight, and wash it off in the morning (try using a Clarisonic for extra smoothness). Your skin will be glowing and bright all weekend long!

Now, obviously retinols are a long-term skincare commitment, but if your skin needs a little extra boost after a long week, this mask does the trick!

Can’t tolerate daily Retinol use? Try this retinol and cream mask trick once a week to buffer and build a retinol skin tolerance.

Product Review: Classic Beauty Skin Care Line

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We recently checked out the Classic Beauty Skin Care Line. Ever since we tried Perricone’s products that contained Alpha Lipoic Acid way back when, we’ve always been excited when we see ALA in an ingredient list. Classic Beauty’s products not only have Alpha Lipoic Acid, but Ester-C (a patented neutral pH Vitamin C, so it doesn’t cause irritation), a litany of vitamins including Vitamin E, and calming natural ingredients. It also contains LaraCare, a non-irritating alternative to AHAs. The whole line used together produces smooth skin with definitively reduced appearance of pores. Let’s take a look at each of the products:

Step 1: Classic Beauty Comforting Cleanser – This is the standout product of the line for me. The cleanser is uber gentle, oil free, fragrance free, and gives skin an amazingly clean feel and look. It cleanses without stripping the skin of moisture, which is impressive for an ALA cleanser. It also contains Ester-C, Aloe Vera, Cucumber, Chamomile and other botanicals to soothe skin while you wash off the day (or start your day off right). There is an amazing brush that is available on the site to use with Comforting Cleanser, which feels great on the skin. I also tried it with my Clarisonic, and it was the best, most luxurious feeling facial cleansing I’ve had in recent memory. The gel cleanser washes off easily with a few splashes of water – no abrasive rubbing required. I have a business trip next week to an area where the water always leaves my skin raw, and I’m going to be taking Comforting Cleanser along to try to stave off irritation.

Step 2: Soothing and Protecting Day Cream– The silky gel-cream glides onto damp skin and leaves behind no trace of stickiness – it just absorbs into the skin. It has LaraCare to encourage a gentle cell turnover but I didn’t get any irritation from the cream, in fact it was pretty soothing. Skin is left soft and silky, which is really the only sign that you have applied it, since it absorbs so thoroughly. I really love the texture of this cream, and it is quite effective at smoothing those tiny little lines in just a few uses. The goal of the product is to protect against pollutants, and it does it’s job well.

Step 3: Nourishing Night Cream– This is an ever so slightly thicker cream, but along the same line as the Day Cream as far as texture. Like the Day Cream, you apply it to the skin while damp, and let it soak in. It also absorbs quite fast and leaves skin looking tight and firm upon application. By morning, your skin will look dewy, vibrant, and glowing. I was really pleased with the results. Nourishing Night Cream is absolutely amazing on hands. The skin on your knuckles smoothes out to a hand model like softness instantly on application.

As I mentioned before, the products are indeed fragrance free, and Alpha Lipoic Acid does have a natural scent to it. However, the smell is far more subtle than other ALA containing products I’ve used, so I wouldn’t let that put you off from trying the line, and once the product absorbs you can’t smell it at all.

I really am impressed with the Classic Beauty Skin Care Line. Both moisturizers work quickly and are incredibly soothing while providing gentle exfoliating and cellular renewal, and the cleanser provides an incredible, decadent cleansing experience. Find the Classic Beauty line of skincare at ClassicBeauty.com.

Caudalie Week Product Review: Caudalie Vinexpert Firming Serum

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During our incredibly fun week testing out a few Caudalie products, I’ve been using Caudalie Vinexpert Firming Serum in the morning and Caudalie Vinoperfect Complexion Correcting Radiance Serum in the evening for the past few days, as recommended on the Caudalie website. Style Chick Lee will be following up in the next few weeks with a Baby Boomer’s take on the product, but I’m really pleased with the results, and a little surprised that there was as much to be firmed up on my face!

The Caudalie Vinexpert Firming Serum Experience

Like the rest of the Caudalie line, Vinexpert Firming Serum has a luxurious, smooth consistency. It glides over the skin with ease. With some firming serums, I find it hard to actually glide it on the skin in the correct motion (up and out), which seems counterintuitive for the purpose. Firming Serum feels like a treat when it is being applied, not like you have to do work to get it on!

I’m quite impressed with how the Firming Serum works in two specific areas, First, it smoothes and plumps my nose to mouth lines. I’m not terribly lined in the area, but I do look older when the area is dry or my skin is not at it’s perkiest. By the second day of application, the area looked smooth and soft. The second area with which I’m quite impressed with Firming Serum is on the cupid’s bow of my lips – the area is more defined, contoured, and plump than it’s been in about five years.

The Ingredients

The ingredient list includes pretty much everything I look for in a firming product:

  • firming and anti-wrinkle Resveratrol titrated at 1000 ppm
  • immediate tightening effect lucerne, fern, soy
  • radiance boosting grape
  • draining red vine and witch hazel
  • energizing ginseng
  • soothing B-5 pro-vitamin, oats, and orange flower
  • moisturizing olive squalene, sodium hyaluronate, plant glycerine, rose, and ceramide-3

The ingredients provide a great combination of firming, toning, and soothing. Not only does it provide long-term care, it provides immediate benefits upon application – no waiting six weeks to see the first signs of results!

Why We Love It

I noticed today that I ended up applying far less makeup (and skipped my luminizer) after a week of regular use of Caudalie’s Firming Serum, Radiance Serum, and Premier Cru. If you are a retinol user like me, it is easy and non-irritating to combine the three Caudalie products with your Retin-A or other retinol product routine, and best of all, it calms any irritation from the retinol. It’s hard to find products that don’t cause irritation when used in conjunction with retinols, but I’m finding that all the Caudalie products are incredibly soothing and compliment most skincare routines beautifully.

Where to Find It

Find Caudalie Vinexpert Firming Serum at Caudalie-USA.com for $79.00.

More Caudalie Week Posts

We’ll be updating you on our thoughts about the products we’ve talked about during Caudalie week in the upcoming weeks and we’ll get the take of the other Style Chicks so you can get a sense of how the products respond to the skin care concerns of those of different ages. In addition in the next couple of days we’ll be sharing some of our general observations of the line. Stay tuned!

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