Foaming Cleansers
11/4/13

The evolution of cleansers isn't surprising, as consumers expect a lot from products in an over saturated market. I use foaming cleansers on a twice-daily basis, with an exfoliant (review soon) three mornings a week after cleansing. I used cleansing milks and lotions for a long time, blindly assuming they were the most gentle. That said, I never felt like they got my face and neck completely clean - and I don't even wear foundation. I relied on toner to thoroughly clean any residue or film after cleansing. Now I use toner mainly to prepare my skin for treatments like serums and moisturizers. I've compared three different foaming cleansers at varying price points to find the best. I used each cleanser for a full month to test their efficacy, and I chose three brands whose products I use, since they've already established quality and trust. 

First up was Chantecaille, and I had high expectations given how many of their products I use and love. Chantecaille's Rice and Geranium Foaming Cleanser contains rice bran for gentle exfoliation, while geranium acts as an antibacterial. Seaweed regulates sebum production while soybean, green tea and olive leaves are supposed to naturally protect the skin from free radicals. I found that it only took a dime-sized amount to create a nice foaming lather when I rubbed my hands together and applied to a wet face. It does take awhile to fully rinse off, and my skin never felt fully "rinsed." That bugs me. It has the consistency of rice pudding, and it's hard to imagine that is sufficient exfoliation on its own. During that month I also used their Fruit & Flower Acids Mask for proper exfoliation. As far as any scent, there was none to speak of even though they mention a citrus scent. Hm. 

left to right: Chantecaille, La Prairie and NARS

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Next up was La Prairie, aka my holy grail of skincare at present. La Prairie's Foam Cleanser is true to its name. This water-activated foam in their signature light pink hue is mousse-like in texture until combined with water. It can range from near creamy to super foamy depending on how much water you mix it with. Like Chantecaille, I only need about a dime-sized amount to reach a full lather on my wet face. What I really like about this cleanser is that it doesn't take forever to rinse off, and my skin feels clean without feeling stripped of moisture. The fragrance is quite mild and pleasant. This is strictly a foaming cleanser without an exfoliation element, as La Prairie has two different products meant solely for exfoliation post cleansing. I've found this system incredibly effective, as I prefer a deep exfoliation a few times a week rather than a light daily exfoliation. 

Last but not least was NARS Purifying Foam Cleanser. NARSskin launched last year, completely revamping the brand's skincare line. NARSskin products are grounded in simplicity and are paraben-free, gluten-free, oil-free, alcohol-free and synthetic fragrance free. This cleanser gently exfoliates with botanical exfoliating spheres, while rose and peony extracts soothe skin and reduce shine. Like Chantecaille and La Prairie, a dime-sized amount lathers up a lovely foam which has a refreshing, natural orange scent and rinses off fairly easily. Formulated to prepare the face for makeup, this is a fantastic choice for women who wear foundation. 

My verdict? I bought full-sized bottles of both La Prairie and NARS, and passed on the Chantecaille cleanser. La Prairie is my runaway favorite, in conjunction with their Cellular Mineral Face Exfoliator. NARS is fantastic for travel when I want one product that does it all. Chantecaille missed the mark, but I still love many of their other products. 

La Prairie Foam Cleanser is $75 for a 4.2 oz. tube. 
NARS Purifying Foam Cleanser is $29 for a 4.9 oz. tube. 
Chantecaille Rice and Geranium Foaming Cleanser is $60 for a 2.46 oz. tube. 

All available at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Saks. 

NARS Concealer

NARS
Radiant Creamy Concealer
8/2/13

Just when I thought I'd settled on a favorite under-eye concealer, my NARS guru and skincare bestie insisted I try theirs. Needless to say, it doesn't take much arm twisting for me to try new, high-quality beauty products. I think most women over 30 are more aware of their eye area, particularly the under-eye area. The good old days of staying up all night and simply needing some mascara and lipstick to look refreshed are over. Our eye area is the first to show signs of aging and those telltale late nights, hence my lifelong obsession with eye treatments to keep wrinkles at bay. I've suffered from poor sleep for years, usually getting no more than 90 minutes of consecutive sleep at a time. It's recently had me up my game with both eye creams and concealers, one of which I'm sharing with you today. 

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I loathe showing my "before" photos (the scary one on the left). My blonde lashes are nearly invisible sans mascara and it's rather embarrassing to reveal my under eye circles, but I felt it necessary to show how well the product works. Clearly I'm quite excited about my new concealer, and you can see why. My goal using under-eye concealer is to hide those dreaded dark circles from lack of sleep, and to even out and brighten up my eye area. I used exactly one dot of this concealer under each eye. That's right - one little dot. The wand is simply an applicator; a means to deliver those small dots of product to your skin. Many concealers have a brush or require a separate concealer brush for application, which takes a fair amount of time and skill. It also seems more sanitary since I'm not sweeping the applicator around my skin, and makes it less abrasive on our thinnest, most delicate skin. I simply used my ring finger to blend the concealer around my entire under-eye area. It spread and blended incredibly easily, and I still can't believe I only needed one small dot per eye. 

As you can see from the "after" photo on the right, my dark circles have vanished, my skin tone is evened out, and my entire eye area is brightened, thanks to the concealer's light-reflecting properties. It actually feels more like an extension of my skincare rather than makeup. I made it through the day without any creases or need for reapplication. Better still? It's Paraben-free, alcohol-free and fragrance-free. 

My verdict? I've found my new under-eye concealer. I still use YSL Touche Éclat to highlight certain facial contours around the nose and mouth, but nothing else I've tried has made my eyes look brighter and more refreshed than this product. Sold!

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer is $28 per tube. 

Available at Nordstrom, Sephora, & Neiman Marcus.

note: The shade I'm wearing is Vanilla, for fair complexions with a tiny cast of pink (i.e. Irish redheads). This is 1 of 10 shades offered by NARS. You'll definitely find a match for your skin tone.

Travel-size Beauty

Travel-size Beauty
7/24/13

Whether it's a summer vacation or business travel, mini toiletries can be a woman's best friend- or a space-consuming, leaky nightmare. After many years of travel for both business and pleasure, I've learned a lot of tricks as well as some lessons the hard way. I've already revealed my quart-size Ziploc carry-on bag, which contains several items I don't need duplicates of, like rollerball perfume, eye cream, and lip balm. But what about all the other items, from the shower to styling your hair? I've had one too many mishaps with generic toiletry containers, so they're dead to me. 

Stores like Sephora make a killing off of travel-size items, with little value. It's taken me years to figure out the beauty of store samples, and which stores and brands offer the types of items I like to use. Kiehl's is incredibly generous with samples, particularly if you make a purchase (even small). I live for their deluxe-size shampoo, conditioner, and body wash samples. Many higher-end beauty brands like La Mer and La Prairie are quick to offer samples, since testing pricey products can eventually lead to a purchase of full-size items. Never order higher-end brands online, or you'll miss out on all the potential samples. They'll even make samples for you if they're out of what you want, and trust me when I tell you that their containers are far better than generic drugstore ones.

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One commonly overlooked travel savior is the Gift With Purchase or GWP. Half the reason I love the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is for the beauty sets, often complete with deluxe size GWPs. Both facial cleansers (Chantecaille and La Prairie), the La Prairie toner, and my La Mer samples (half of them, anyway) shown in the photo above were all GWPs that came with their respective beauty sets. It's a win/win if you already use the brands. Another place to score travel-size or deluxe size toiletries is hotels, of course. Heck yeah I take my daily Kiehl's supply when I stay at the Soho Grand, for instance. High-end hotels have high-end amenities, and you're paying a premium to stay there. Even mid-range hotels are offering nicer toiletries these days like Molton Brown and L'Occitane. If you're paying, it's hardly stealing. I've often had housekeeping leave extras in my room without asking for them. A tip helps!

I always like to bring a facial mask with me to rehydrate my skin after a long flight, and NARS Aqua Gel Luminous Mask is a reasonable size with a trusty closure. For my locks, I rely on my mini bottle of Moroccanoil that I refill from my full-size bottle, and blow dry shampoo to get the most out of my blowouts. Pretty much everything else is in my carry-on Ziploc. Then there's makeup, of course...but that's an entirely different bag. ;)

My verdict? You can never have too many travel-size favorites, no matter what the brand. And never, ever trust those empty plastic bottles they sell at drugstores or pack nail polish in your suitcase. Yes, that happened. 

Safe travels!

Hydrating Mask

NARS Aqua Gel Luminous Mask
7/9/13

I know many women don't wear masks, and I'm hoping this easy and super hydrating mask will encourage even one woman to give it a try. I personally love masks, and experience many positive results after use - not to mention that I find them to be very relaxing and a nice way to wind down after a hectic day. I've tried enough to distinguish the good from the bad, so any mask I blog about is something I've used repeatedly. I use masks that brighten, refine pores, exfoliate, lift/firm, soothe/calm and hydrate. That's a lot to sort through! I'm happily working my way through them all and sharing my experiences. 

Now that I've finished my ode to why I love masks, I'm excited to talk about one of my new favorites. NARS has always been known for their fabulous makeup, but they recently reformulated their skincare line and relaunched it last year. Practice makes perfect, and I immediately fell in love with this intensive hydrating mask that smoothes and softens the skin while natural botanicals enhance collagen production. Youthful glow? Yes please! It's also Synthetic Fragrance-Free, Paraben-Free, Alcohol-Free and Gluten-Free. This is good stuff, my friends. Great for all skin types, including sensitive skin.

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The mask super simple to use and remove. For a quick burst of hydration and a dewy refreshed glow in a hurry, cleanse skin and massage a generous amount on face and neck, avoiding the eye area, and leave on for 5-10 minutes. The texture is incredibly soft, smooth and soothing. Then simply tissue off remaining product (your skin will drink up most of the mask) and follow with a toner. You won't need moisturizer after this ultra hydrating treatment. My favorite way to use the mask is to massage a super generous amount on my face and neck about an hour before bedtime, and allow the mask to work its magic while I sleep. If you follow my blog regularly, you already know how strongly I feel about using the right products at night when the body is in healing mode. This product is gentle and effective, leaving your skin radiant, silky smooth and hydrated come morning. What a nice way to start the day! 

My verdict? By far the best hydrating mask I've tried, bar none. The radiance and youthful glow are welcome bonuses. I highly recommend using it overnight to reap the most benefits. But starting slowly with a 10 minute trial run will win you over as well. A must-have.

I order my NARS products directly from my NARS and beauty guru in LA via phone and email. He's the skincare god who taught me the overnight method. They offer free shipping and generous samples to boot. Here's his contact info:

Michael Duquette | Award Winning, NARS-Certified Resident Artist

Nordstrom at The Grove 

323.900.1417

Michael.Duquette@nordstrom.com

NARS Aqua Gel Luminous Mask is $39 for a 2.6 oz. bottle. 

Or order from Nordstrom online, but you won't get extra, fun NARS samples. 

NARS Lip Pencils
5/23/13

After my recent foray into lipstick land, I began to notice NARS lip pencils popping up in various magazines, posts from beauty bloggers I trust, and my favorite stores. So of course I immediately wanted them and bought two. The pencils (not to be confused with lip liner) come in three formulations. There's the Velvet Matte Lipstick Pencil, Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil, and Satin Lip Pencil. I immediately disregarded the Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil, as it contains "hydraulic spheres," aka sparkle/shimmer/frost. I like my lips sans frost, so I quickly moved along to the other formulas. 

The Satin Lip Pencil was first on my mind due in large part to the newest "must have" shade, Yu. Yu is a highly pigmented, bright pink color that lights up my face. While it's very bright, it's surprisingly wearable and looks great with many skin tones. The formula is glossy and application is a breeze. They're designed to build up color depending on your preference, which is nice. I was nonplussed by most of the other colors, many of which were rather neutral with the exception of a couple. Jardin de Plantes caught my fancy, but it's a NARS exclusive, meaning you'll need to buy it through them directly. Done deal. 

Next I hit the Velvet Matte Lipstick Pencil. I'm generally not a fan of matte lipsticks, as they tend to be drying. Matte lips are on trend this season, so in the spirit of branching out I selected Damned, a nice deep red. I applied my beloved By Terry Baume de Rose underneath both formulas, and still found this pencil to be a tad drying. The real draw here (no pun intended) is the staying power of matte formulas. Less applications throughout the day, and it sure makes eating and drinking far easier. That said, it comes in a broader range of colors than the Satin Lip Pencil. I'll certainly use these when I need real staying power. Tasting menu and wine pairing, anyone?

One downside is the need to purchase a NARS sharpener. Trust me on this; other sharpeners don't work. The upside is that it's a mere $6, with the pencils costing $25 each. These are great for travel since they're a lip liner and lipstick in one tiny pencil. 

The verdict? Love the Satin Lip Pencils, & the Velvet Matte Lipstick Pencils are the optimal choice for staying power on the go. Just be sure to moisturize first!

Available at: NARS, Barneys, and Nordstrom.