Innie or an Outie? How Do Beauty Oils “Soak” In?

It follows that if a hole is too small, then nothin is going to get in right?

Last time I checked, when you put stuff on your face, most products sit on top of your face/skin and simply because the molecules are too big to get through the tiny little pukas to do anything- you know actually penetrate the surface.

So, I got my 12 skincare samples from Sephora the other day – and I have to say I am pleasantly pleased with the selection of:  Exfolikate, Korres Sleeping Facial and Cream, various eye creams, cleansers and oils.

Oils are the big thing right now.  Got one from Josie Maran for cleansing and one from NUDE for nourishing the skin.

I’ve tried Clarin’s oils to melt the make up so I’m willing to give Josie’s a try.

But I did have to laugh at the NUDE product.  What’s funny to me is we sort of know that we can ingest and otherwise eat things and they have benefit that shows up on the skin.  You know like eating salmon, blueberries, deep green leafs etc.

So the NUDE product states it is made up of omega 6-7 and 52 and together they will breathe new life into your skin.

Really now.

I think of oil on the skin much like the copper tone cocoa butter days of old – it stays on top your skin.

Kind of like eating a salad and the oil stays on top of the lettuce – technically it goes in side you too – but really, it just goes directly to your hips and gut.

Better to eat some potato chips with omega-three rich smoke salmon dip.  Or take some omega vitamins – just take the non-fishy smell kine tho.

k

 

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Skull Face – Lost Weight? or Just Old?

When I look at my face in the morning I usually can gauge if I got enough sleep or not pretty easily.  My right eye tends to sag a lot if I am tired and otherwise my skin texture looks kind of blah.

Or I feel if I lose a little too much weight, my face starts to look kind of skeleton-like – bony. Some people think this is a good look, but I just think I could eat more potato chips and slather on some butter.

After visiting Melanie Tantisira, a physician of ophthmalogy and aesthetic specialist – I now know some of blame can just be put on old age and aging and gravity.

And the fact that I sleep on my right-side and the tissue on the right temple is more flattened as a result.

Hmmmm.

But then, when my side of the bed was the left-side, I always slept on my left side – so does that mean I could even out eventually?

Knowing that most people are territorial about what side of the bed they claim–that ain’t gonna happen.

So – what’s the antidote?

Gain a pound or two?

Neh.

Look at those firming – volume enhancing products? Just can’t see how a product can plump up your face.

Next step would be to add a little dermal filler.

Getting old is a bitch. Can’t lose weight without looking older, can’t gain weight that doesn’t go to my gut.

Acckkk!

k

Carrot-Tin – Paul Mitchell’s Keratin Cream Rinse

You know when you’re reclined into the wash basin when you get your hair washed at the stylist –  and you never see what product they are using?

Over the years, I’ve been enticed by the wonderful scents – I’ve used S-Factor, Goldweil and Bedhead products only because they smelled so good!

The older I get the more I reminisce.

Back in the day when my hair was long and down to my jean’s pockets, I would swish around my hair just to smell the after affects of my shampoo.

Some people will remember that -when Clairol’s Herbal Essence first came out, the tv commercials featured a model swinging her head around in love with smelling her own hair.

Or, I used to really love to use Faberge Organic’s Honey Wheat Germ – still a fresh smell but not so spicy. I think their slogan was…if you tell two friends, and they tell two friends…and had a multiplier photo montage onscreen.

Or products like “Gee, Your Hair Smells Terrific” or Wella Balsam – I could go on.

But I won’t.

For holiday, my stylist Hillary J of Winan Studio gave me Paul Mitchell’s Keratin Cream Rinse.  I was having one of those days that I had to blast out of my ballet class, shower quickly and get on the road so I had washed my hair really good and put in the Keratin Cream Rinse in to rinse out later in the shower.

Well-my hair was so soft!  Hillary J had used the product on me before, but me in the chair I never knew what it was-but I recognized the scent.

I like to use conditioners as leave-on treatments on some days – or days I’ve been out in the sun-though rare -it helps to have a little help in the hair department.

k

PS

Winam Studio has moved to Kaimuki on Kokohead if you haven’t heard–

Fresh Body Wash – Milky Milky

Oh-it comes in other flavors as well!  Not really flavors, Fresh’s body gels and creams for bathing and showering smell heavenly and are very moisturizing.

My friend and follower had a high recommend-(I’ve removed the name references and replaced them with “Fresh Fan”).

I have fallen in love with Fresh’s milk body wash.  Yes, the original milk scent.  The others are good but the smell of this one is so clean and soothing.  I give it as gifts and gave a bottle to Fresh Fan and she keeps telling me how much she loves it.  My best friend, Fresh Fan, told me she loves it too and to not ever give her anything different.  I use it after my long Saturdays at the Fresh Fan since it is a stressful day and jump into bed to relax.  I have to limit my use of it since it is $18.00 for a small bottle at NM.  I have always been in love with the Fresh milk body lotion and used it when I used to fly but since my body became sensitive to perfumes in creams, I have had to switch to Cerave lotion.  

I bought the Nectarine Milk fragrance, for years I have given them as gifts, but actually never gave one to myself.  Since I have been hard at work the last 3 months – I rewarded myself.

Fresh offers Sugar Lemon, and Sugar Lychee and Grapefruit scents too–but -I dunno the nectarine smell is something to rave about when I live in Hawaii and only have memories of summer fruit stands in S. California and beautiful nectarines ripening in the baskets.  Lucky we live Hawaii, but we can never buys pounds of anything fresh for a dollar.

Anyway.

The true test for a moisturizing shower gel or soap is whether I dry off and immediately feel like I need to apply lotion.  In the case of the Fresh product – I don’t!

Hey-I guess it saves a little money on the back end if you don’t have to buy lotion!

k

Customer Participation or Ignoration?

I like making up new morphy-words.

I really like Nordstrom’s a lot – the clothing selections are good for my age (early 50-s) and they aren’t stuffed on racks that I have to shove around to look at, or compete with the other lady who wears the same size like at Macy’s.

But what bugs me about Nords is-and I’ve written about this before, is the serious lack of  make up department salespeople in our Honolulu store.

I have the luxury of going during the day before or after lunchtime – but when I go at lunchtime – everyone that’s supposed to be working there has also taken lunch! That so does not make sense to me since a lot of people run to the mall during lunch and pick up stuff.

So, more and more, I’ve noticed that there are plentiful samples of new products like Kiehl’s new copper peptide cream Power Wrinkle Reducer w spf 30.

Prior to that Shiseido had samples of their foundation, as well as Estee Lauder.

So, my question is, is this to help the customers who don’t like to chit chat with the beauty salespeople? Or is it to save money on personnel–kind of like the auto-self-checkout counters at Home Depot and Safeway?

In an economic time where repeat business is key–why would Nords not provide the customer service of interaction with a consultant?  Did they do the math and figure that to pay someone commission on sales, or an hourly wage, pays less in revenues than to just leave self-serve samples?

Don’t get me wrong – I actually love samples and it’s easy to just cruise by and pick them up, but….

Hmmmm.

Yesterday, I was cruising NM to pre-shop for their Beauty Event on Feb 21. And I ending up buying some Fresh Body Wash in Nectarine Milk, recommended by a friend and follower.  She prefers the original Milk fragrance.  More on that later.

What impressed me, is the salesperson was very helpful, offered me a few other items, and once she had my credit card to refer to, spoke to me using my first name!

What a turn-around for NM!

When our local NM and Nords have beauty events nearly back to back-it’s hard to choose what to get, or save up a few items to reach the goal of the samples w the obligatory tote bag. If you really love it (I do) you end up with oodles of bags and a bunch of totebags that I use to tote stuff back and forth from town to ww side.

So, in the beauty race for dollars – is NM in the left-hand fast lane back to the top on the race for beauty dollars in Honolulu?

Something to think about.

If you want to that is.

k

Laura Mercier Eye Shadow Primer

I’m not sure why, or maybe it’s just genetics, but I see more and more small veins on my eyelids.  I’ve read as skin gets older the skin thins, and eyelids are skin, so…

I like to wear a Guava eye shadow from Laura Mercier.  It’s a sheer, peachy kind of color that brightens my lids without a lot of color.

Of late, I’ve noticed that the veins are getting harder to cover, so I decided to revisit eye shadow primer.  I had purchased “Linen” from LM, but I decided it made my eyelids too white pinkish and instead used it for my Halloween Zombie make up on my face!  It was pretty scary!

Consulting another makeup artist at NM, she suggested I used the Wheat color-totally makes sense because it matches my complexion and covers the veins but doesn’t change the color of my lids. So, my eye shadow has a truer base to start from.

The older I get the less makeup I use on my eyes-seems like I spend more time camouflaging   .

Maybe I should check out Dr. Tantisira’s fractional laser – I’ve talked to her before and her skin is flawless-no foundation whatsoever.  She does a pre-regimen of sunscreen applied 3-times daily a month prior to procedure and in some cases a melanin-prohibiting cream.

I’m a late adopter in most things – I’m still using an iPhone 3GS – am I sliding into the future?

I wish I may, I wish I might, see flawless skin, smooth and tight!

Oh well.

k

Smoothe Me Over Baby!

Just when I was going to ride my bike it has started to pour rain again!

Oh well.

I take great pride in having soft skin with regular morning and evening slatherings of lotion of the moment.

Anyone who reads me knows I love the smell of baby lotion….and the baby cream formula really is great, but…

For grownups-a little glycolic acid goes a long way.

Okay-don’t get scared, this stuff won’t burn your skin like a scary movie.

Rather, it accelerates exfoliation of the skin’s upper layer.  You know the crusty one exposed to the harsh elements everyday.

I’ve been using it for a few days now, and I feel a difference already.  I think I’ll try it on my feet!

k

 

New Girl in Town

Uh-or at least new cream in town!

Kiehl’s shared a sample of their new peptide reach, spf30 facial and eye cream recently.  The new line replaces the Abyssine line-that’s the one in the red packages, with the Powerful Wrinkle Reducing Cream for eye and face.

I am skeptical as I am in love with my Rosa Artica cream which I started using last year.  It’s amazing!

But I have to say, this new kid on the block gives Rosa a run for the money.  Smooth, silky and with spf 30, the product moisturizes nicely all day without a need to dab on a little more.

I will say, that the product does burn the eyes a little bit.  Not like you’re supposed to put it around your eyes, but when showering, it does sting a little.

Now if they only added spf to Rosa Artica life would be complete.

Sigh.

k

 

Can’t Believe My Eyes

Through my marketing agency, I used to work with an ophthalmologist and oculoplastic surgeon where my fascination with all things beauty really took off.

Yeh, I always liked to pat my face cream on, slather the sunscreen and use nice product, but when I started actually marketing the client as product…well, that kicked my obsession up a notch.

Then we parted ways…leaving a void.

Until recently, when I observed my new client, Melanie Tantisira MD, perform a “Madonna Lift”, a newer fractional eye lift procedure on a client.

The client has had a long term relationship of maintenance with Dr. Tantisira, starting with botox injections almost 8 years ago. Over the years she added dermal fillers to plump up areas and then….the new procedure became available.

The client previously had 3 treatments where the eye area around, under and slightly above the brows were treated with Dr. Tantisira’s fractional laser.  She has it fine tuned so she can go around the contours of the brow hairs for a complete treatment of the area.

Nadine Kam of the Honolulu Star Advertiser wrote a great story with the client’s experience if you’re a Star Advertiser subscriber the full story is available online, or signup.

The patient inserts special titanium inserts in their eyes which cover the surface of the eye and protects the eye when the eyelids are treated.  Prior to treatment, a numbing cream is applied to minimize and manage pain.

The whole reason for this post is–the patient shared her pre-Madonna Lift photos which showed she had significant bags under her eyes.

When you look at her now–it’s like she has no bags!

A couple of my friends have had traditional under-eye surgery and look fantastic- but why go under the laser scalpel if you don’t have to?

I, a serious pain-panty, am seriously considering the procedure.

k