Search Results for: Dark spots

Derma Nu Anti-Aging Facial System

April 24, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Want an anti-aging program but don’t know where to start? Then this is a good kit because it has almost all of the heavy hitter anti-aging ingredients amongst the three products. These ingredients address puffiness and dryness immediately, lighten brown spots and acne scars quickly, and since topical Vitamin C increases collagen production, they reduce wrinkles and sagging over time (1-3 months). Sometimes wrinkles look worse due to lack of moisture or darkness within the wrinkle crevice, these issues may improve faster if these issues impact your wrinkles.

A veteran of anti-aging will also like the combination of ingredients that work in tandem to address multiple skincare issues.

This trio of anti-aging products is to be used together: a Vitamin C serum, the moisturizer that goes over the serum and an eye cream. I like that everything I need is together in one set since a good anti-aging program needs all three of these items.

NOTE: The moisturizer does have nut derivatives including Macadamia Oil, Coconut Oil, and Cocoa Butter

THE PRODUCTS IN THIS KIT
Vitamin C Serum: Hyaluronic Acid holds moisture so skin looks dewy and plump. It also helps the Vitamin C reach deeper into the skin. On application, skin feels tighter until it dries. Allow several minutes between applying the serum and the moisturizer to allow both to set properly. Does not sting, no real scent to it.

Youth Regenerating Moisturizing Cream
Vitamin C can be drying, so a good moisturizer on top is helpful, especially when Vitamin C is worn during the day. This moisturizer is semi-thick, (not liquid but not Nivea creme solid) and only a small amount with do the trick, I over-applied the first time. If you have ever used Creme de la Mer, you are familiar with the technique to hold the cream between the thumb and forefinger to allow it to warm up a bit and it will be easier to apply, I found this technique helpful in the application. There is cocoa butter in this and it has a semi-butter-like consistency. It took a while to dry down, so give it some time before applying your makeup. I generally apply it and do my hair, then my makeup to give it time to sink in and set.

Lots of good moisturizing ingredients packed into this including a Who’s Who of softening moisturizing oils including Grapeseed, Macadamia Nut, Flax Seed, Jojoba, Primrose, Rose Hip, Palm, Sunflower, Coconut, Avocado, and Borage Oils. Other ingredients include Co-Q-10 (Coenzyme Q-10), Vitamin B5 (a moisturizer and acne fighter), Aloe (to soothe redness), Arnica (for swelling and inflammation), and Cocoa Butter.

Youth Activating Eye Gel
Specifically addressing eye area needs including increased collagen production needs on the delicate undereye skin and the reduction of puffiness around the eye. This is via the Peptide Complex paired with Hyaluronic Acid to drive the Peptide Complex deeper into the skin. The Peptide Complex is a combination of proteins including MSM and L-arginine. MSM is used for connective tissue and collagen production which help the skin around the eye not sag. L-arginine is a reparative building block of skin that repairs burns and sun damage. There was no smell and it was not sticky to apply. Wait awhile before applying makeup on top of the gel. One pump should cover both eyes but you can apply it to the browbone as well.

SOMETHING I DON’T LIKE
Don’t like that the silver decorative line on the clear cap starts to wear off and ends up as little glitter sparkles that transfer onto my fingers and end up on my face when applying the product. To deal with this I just put some scotch tape on the silver ring.

And as much as I love a powerhouse of ingredients, I do have a some minor skin reaction to the daily use of the nut products, so I alternate this set off with other products during the week. If you don’t have this issue, then this is a great daily anti-aging set.

CONCLUSION
Good set with quality ingredients for both anti-aging beginners and veterans. It really hits all the anti-aging and moisturizing bases.

The only other thing you may wish to add to your regimen is a Retinol Serum at night, but using twice a day Vitamin C Serum is effective as well especially for jump-starting collagen production.

Find it at Amazon.com.

Derma Nu Anti-Aging Facial System

I received this kit for testing and review purposes. If you have any questions about my experience with the product, leave me a comment below and Iâ€™ll get back to you!

Trophy Skin RejuvadermMD Handheld Microdermabrasion System

December 16, 2015 · Leave a Comment

The amazing result I had with RejuvadermMD Microdermabrasion System by Trophy Skin surprised me since my skin is not flaky or rough, so I didn’t expect there would be much to exfoliate or buff. But I was wrong.

The RejuvadermMD Microdermabrasion System is an impressive tool. It diminishes the appearance of wrinkles and leaves skin brighter – that pinkish sort of awake, peppy younger, and SO very smooth and glowing. I keep touching my face to feel how soft with each use. I knew immediately it was a good purchase.

Trophy Skin RejuvadermMD Handheld Microdermabrasion System

My exfoliating routine was gentle, but lacking, as my skin can get lackluster: soft washcloths, at-home use of glycolic acid pads or Brazilian Peel AHA, gentle fruit acid washes, and on rare occasion, Clinique Seven Day Scrub, especially around the mouth. I moisturize well and of course, use sunscreen.

Here is an overview of the Microdermabrasion Tool and its’ different functions and a review with tips and tricks of each of the included heads and tips.

THE WAND TOOL

It is powerful for an at-home tool that comes with three heads: a diamond tip dermabrasion head, an extractor tip, and an infuser head to help serums penetrate the skin.

HOW TO USE THE WAND: The wand comes with four speed settings, one lit up dot being the gentlest suction and speed. Press the button continuously until the first green light appears.

The tricky part is keeping constant contact of the suction wand on the skin, or else you skip sections. It is a balance between not pulling on delicate areas of skin too much while still getting benefit from the product, so people with less resilient, more mature skin might want to limit where they use the wand to avoid more delicate areas.

DIAMOND TIP:

Trophy Skin RejuvadermMD Microdermabrasion System Diamond Wand Tip

The circular diamond tip sands and buffs the skin while suction pulls away the resulting dead skin debris that become fine powdery debris whisked away by the suction. Brown spots look lighter and smoother. Surface gunk clogging pores and dry skin slough off so skin is less clogged. Wrinkles diminish when the dark impurities are sucked off it leaves the area smoother and able to better reflect light, making a wrinkle appear less deep and less noticeable. It also gives a smoother surface to apply makeup.

That was the stuff on my face. Ew.

Want to see the gunk that comes out of a face, the face you think has been scrubbed clean? Yeah, it’s not pretty.

Yep, this is the gunk sitting on your face right now.

Like a facial, don’t do dermabrasion right before an event, as tempting as it might be once you feel how soft and glowing skin is after the treatment. But you also can get red and irritated for a bit. I do it at least one to two days before to allow myself time to moisturize and hydrate. Microdermabrasion + NuFace Trinity leaves skin SO glowing and youthful. There are four settings on the tool. Start at one and work up, it is doing more than you may realize at first. Delicate areas of skin will be red after, but not too irritated and the redness diminishes quickly once you practice technique.Try to avoid using the wand directly on active blemishes (more on that later) but blackheads and whiteheads will be much less noticeable.

I especially like how the microdermabrasion addresses eleven lines and the lines near the mouth. It is also great when directed at neck wrinkles and areas of the chest and de’colletage that get less-than-dewy looking and need a bit of attention, especially when dehydrated.

OK, I assume you have seen enough of this.

You can use it almost anywhere, including shoulders and upper back; two areas I didn’t realize were a little neglected despite using body scrubs on those areas. Moisturize after use.

Once you get the hang of it, advance to higher and more powerful settings on the tool, especially around the forehead and sides of your neck, shoulders, and chest. I also have been using it on an old shaving scrape that left a light scar on my legs, and on my hands, but it is a challenge to maintain the suction on an uneven surface.

TIP: When using the diamond tip, ALWAYS make sure one of the little black pads the size of the pencil eraser top are in the wand to prevent the tool from getting all that gunk on your face embedded into the tool. The diamond tip buffs skin so that a fine powder of debris comes off and lands on these black pads and looks like the photo seen above right.

EXTRACTOR HEAD
Don’t use the extractor attachment on the same location on the same day as the dermabrasion diamond head. The extractor pulls sebum and blackheads out of your skin. I didn’t expect much since I don’t have many blackheads, just some in the nostril curl. At first glance, the extractor doesn’t seem to have done much, and then I took a peek inside, and well, EWW.

I am a dainty skin-obsessed lady, I (judiciously) use one of those metal black head extractor tools, and I exfoliate and ALWAYS remove my makeup at night. So the fact that this much blackhead and sebum-y gunk was just sitting

These pictures are disgusting. You’ve been warned.

Trophy Skin RejuvadermMD Handheld Microdermabrasion System Extraction Head.

Here is a slideshow of some more pictures and how to use the device, and because there are more gross pictures of things you really don’t want to think are in your skin, I added some classy music to the background.

QUESTION: CAN THE EXTRACTOR HEAD SUCTION OUT THE CONTENTS OF A PUSTULE PIMPLE?

Friendly advice: I was tempted to see if the extractor head could just pull the contents of an active, noticeable pimple that had formed a head and looked ready to be extracted with a gentle nudge from my handy metal blackhead extractor. The suction extractor tip is powerful, but not the tool for this kind of acne, because the suction held on one spot too long leaves an angry red mark on the surrounding skin leaves too much of an angry red, for lack of a better word, hickey-like mark, at least it did on me. Leave it to the Dermatologists, a trusty blemish extractor tool, apply a hot compress, or zap it with a good topical blemish cream. This is more a tool for blackheads and whiteheads and pre-emptive skin care that removes the oil and debris trapping dead skin layers, leading to a less pimple-friendly environment in the long run.

Trophy Skin RejuvadermMD Handheld Microdermabrasion System Infusion Tip

THE INFUSER TIP HEAD
I am underwhelmed on the infuser head; it is just not doing it for me, which is a disappointment because I was excited about that feature. This company has made a solid quality product in the RejuvadermMD, so I would be excited to try their Labelle Ultrasonic Skin Spatula for product infusion.

VERDICT

This is a good tool especially for clogged or flaking skin, skin with brown spots and fine wrinkles, blackheads, and skin that could be smoother. Be careful around delicate areas, but it is very useful on skin on the neck and shoulders that should be treated like facial skin but often is subject to body skin exfoliating measures. Even if you don’t feel much need to exfoliate, this tool leaves skin with a fresh, youthful glow.

Where to Buy It

Find the Trophy Skin RejuvadermMD Handheld Microdermabrasion System at Bergdorf Goodman or at Amazon for $199.

New Product: Dr. LeWinn by Kinerase Skin Tone Perfecting Serum XK

March 18, 2011 · 2 Comments

I’m a pale skinned gal. There is no debating this point, it is just an absolute truth. And if you are practically transluscent like me, no matter how careful one is with sunscreen, it’s pretty likely that sun damage will crop up at some point. And it isn’t limited to us pale chicks either – Allure magazine has a several page article this month on various techniques to get rid of uneven skintone.

And if, like me, you are a long-term retinol user, it can be a double-edged sword: retinols lighten age spots, but they also increase photosensitivity. So, it’s possible to end up with some skin tone variance that you’d prefer to get rid of regardless of whether you use retinols or not.

There are several excellent products on the market right now to combat hyperpigmentation. I was thrilled to try out Dr. LeWinn by Kinerase Skin Tone Perfecting Serum XK, another great product in the Dr. LeWinn by Kinerase line. This is a reasonably priced serum that produced jaw-dropping results.

When I first starting testing Skin Tone Perfecting Serum out, I put it on and a few hours passed. When I went by a mirror, I noticed my skin was tighter and more dewy. On the third night, I noticed an ever so slight lightening of a dark spot on my cheekbone. I thought I was imaginging things – it just seemed far too soon to have any effect. But sure enough, over the course of the next two weeks, the spot continued to lighten (I’d estimate about 10% in the 14 days) and is progressively lightening still. I’m really excited to see over time how much change occurs. On the whole, my skin seems far more even, including in spots where I don’t have obvious hyperpigmentation issues – my skin looks a bit airbrushed before I even put a speck of makeup on!

Skin Tone Perfecting Serum has great ingredients: Kinetin, the staple of the Kinerase and Dr. LeWinn by Kinerase line, the oh so hydrating hyaluronic acid, Sepiwhite MSH, which is a pigmentation inhibitor, Sepivinol, a potent anti-oxidant, and SymWhite, an effective skin lightener that targets UV-induced skin pigmentation. That’s a great lineup for a great price.

Skin Tone Perfecting Serum XK has made it into my daily routine. I think I”ve found the perfect non-irritating hyperpigmentation sacking combon: I use Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum in the morning under makeup, Dr. LeWinn by Kinerase Skin Tone Perfecting Serum XK at night under moisturizer, and Retin-A a few nights a week (right now my skin gets irritated if I use Retin-A more than that), and my skin is getting all the more even day by day.

Find Dr. LeWinn by Kinerase Skin Tone Perfecting Serum XK at Walgreens.com.