Beauty Buzz: Guerlain Holiday Collection 2008

Guerlain’s Holiday Collection was inspired by the beauty and colors of a butterfly.

This collection includes the following:

Limited-Edition Kiss Kiss Lipstick Butterfly
Available in 2 shades:

• Dazzling Butterfly: Sophisticated pink
• Delicate Butterfly: A delicate pearly white

Limited-Edition Kiss Kiss Gloss Butterfly
Available in:
• Charming Butterfly: pink
• Intriging Butterfly: violet

Eyeshadow Palette Collector
This new palette contains four shades: white, mauve, soft pink and violet. I really like the shades. A silvery pearl impression of butterfly is embossed in the center of the palette.

Limited-Edition Le 2 de Guerlain Butterfly Sparkle
On one side it contains black mascara that promises to add volume, length and curl to your lashes. On the other end you'll find violet coloured mascara that you can apply with a mini brush.

Sublime Radiant Powder
This powder with silvery shimmer comes in a glamorous metallic glass bottle with a jeweled butterfly atomizer.

Meteorites Voyage
The iconic illuminating pressed powder come in refillable silver compact adorned with butterfly motif of Guerlain's holiday collection. It contains varying hues of pink, beige and white to accentuate the eyes, cheeks or the entire face.

Related Posts:

Beauty Buzz:Lancome Holiday Look 2008

Beauty Buzz:YSL Holiday Look 2008

Beauty Buzz:Estee Lauder Holiday Look 2008
Beauty Brand: Guerlain
Beauty Review: Happylogy Eye: Glowing Eye Care
Beauty Review: Guerlain Kiss Kiss Maxi Shine Lisptick
Guerlain's New Makeup Collection Autumn 2008
Beauty Shopping: Guerlain's Boutique in Paris, Champs Elyses


Get more information about Guerlain skin care and makeup or shop for Guerlain's products online

Beauty Review: Guerlain Kiss Kiss Maxi Shine Lipstick

Packaging:
Guerlain’s packaging is always beautiful. And Kiss Kiss Maxi Shine lipstick is not an exception. It comes is a glamorous golden lipstick case which is simply a pleasure to hold in your hands.

Shade:
I am using 2 shades:
Pastel Shine (#660)- baby pink with light blue shimmering particles
Chocolate Shine (#643)- plum brown with white shimmer

Kiss Kiss Pastel Shine
Experience:
I am prone to dry chapped lips. That is why when I am looking for a perfect lipstick I don’t only look for the right color but also for the right texture. I want it not to dry my lips. And in my experience so many lipsticks do feel drying and make lips flake. I also like not to feel the lipstick on my lips at all. It shouldn’t be sticky or have a very intensive smell. In my opinion, moisturizing lipstick with SPF protection is perfect!
Kiss Kiss Maxi Shine lives up to all of my expectations and is perfect for me even though it doesn’t have that SPF protection. I have been using 2 colors for quite a while already and I will be buying Maxi Shine again.

Scent:
Very light with violet accord.

Stay-on Power:
It does last long! But don’t expect it to be there after dinner.

Texture and finish:
Kiss Kisss Maxi Shine has light, smooth and creamy texture… I like the fact that with Maxi Shine I hardly feel I am wearing a lipstick. It just feels like balm on your lips… This lipstick doesn’t dry out my lips at all, on the contrary, they feel comfortable and moisturized. I looked briefly at the ingredients and among the first are two powerful emollients Lanolin Oil and Castor Seed oil. Both are used to treat and to soothe dry skin and chapped lips.

With one layer applied, the color looks quite sheer but the good news is - it is buildable. You can increase its intensity by applying several layers.

I chose Pastel Beige (see photo above) for its excellent ability to create an illusion of fuller lips. The effect is great! Of course your lips won’t look twice the size but they will definitely look bigger and more luscious. I love Pastel Beige for its tender pink color and the sparkle. Pastel Beige makes a perfect day time lipstick.

Kiss Kiss Chocolate Shine
More of an evening-out variant is Kiss Kiss Chocolate Shine. However, volumizing effect seems less prominent with this one. That’s due to a dark shade. Otherwise, the color looks rich, deep and beautiful!

Shimmer:
Maxi Shine has beautiful shimmer but I know there are people who are not so fond of shimmer. (I, on the contrary, love it!) In my opinion, Maxi Shine is not too shimmery. The particles are really tiny and they don’t stand out. They just create this sparkling jewel effect. Love it!

Flash here makes the shimmer particles stand out. But in real life it doesn't look so shimmery

Related Posts:
Beauty Brand: Guerlain
Beauty Review: Happylogy Eye: Glowing Eye Care
Beauty Review: Guerlain Kiss Kiss Maxi Shine Lisptick
Guerlain's New Makeup Collection Autumn 2008
Beauty Shopping: Guerlain's Boutique in Paris, Champs Elyses


Get more information about Guerlain skin care and makeup or shop for Guerlain's products online

Beauty Talk: Sensitive Skin Products

As mentioned in the previous post. Correct selection of skin care products is very important for balancing your sensitive skin. Make sure the products you use do not contain the following:
1.fragrances
2.colorants
3.retinol
4.acids
5.alcohol
6.harsh ingredients (such as Alkyl/ Lauryl sulfates in cleansers)
7.common allergens, for example honey (unless you are sure you are not sensitive to this one)

Emulsifiers and chemical sunscreens are also sometimes mentioned among the sensitizing ingredients.

Nowadays most cosmetic brands offer special ranges for sensitive skin.

Keep in mind the following when choosing a product:

1.Look for products marked “sensitive skin” or read the description and see if it mentions if the product is suitable for sensitive skin.

2.Be careful with products containing aroma-oils or based on several plant extracts. In fact, the more active ingredients there are in a product, the more chances you have to develop sensitivity towards one of them.

3.It is definitely a plus if the product has been dermatologically tested but it does not guarantee that you won’t develop sensitivity to it.

4.Do not trust such words as “soothing” and “calming”. If the product is not marked “for sensitive skin”, such adjectives are used in relation to normal balanced skin. What is soothing for normal skin, may be not at all calming for sensitive. The most ridiculous thing I have come across is a “soothing scrub”. In my opinion, “Scrubbing” and “soothing” are antonyms. How can they be in one word combination.

5.Always ask for a sample before buying. Explain to the sales person that you have sensitive skin and you should have no problem getting one.
There are some products that cannot be sampled. For example, they come in ampoules. Inform sales representative that you have sensitive skin and inquire about a return policy on this product. Save the receipt! I had to return a product once. I first contacted the manufacturer who confirmed there would be no problem. With the note from manufacturer and the receipt I had no problem returning the product and getting reimbursed.

What ingredients to look for:

1.Choose SPF products based on mineral filters over chemical ones as the latter can cause redness/irritation.
2.For the daytime, choose moisturizers with non-irritating anti-oxidants, hyaluronic acid, collagen, squalen.
3.At night, use soothing and regenerating products. Look for such ingredients as allantoin, panthenol, calendula oil, bisabol, hydrolyzed wheat germ, Vitamin E.

And, remember, chemical composition of each person’s skin is very individual. That is why you may find that you are sensitive to some products developed specially for sensitive skin. So be prepared that you may have to try several skin care lines before you find the one that’s right for you.

Related posts:

Sensitive Skin

Sensitive Skin: Triggers and Causes

Sensitive Skin: Soothing Ingredients

Sensitive Skin and Makeup

Beauty Review: Verite line by Estee Lauder

Read More:

Sensitive Skin

Sensitive Skin Care

Feel like shopping? You can buy sensitive skin products online.

Beauty Buzz: My Blend Anti-Jet Lag Relief Emergency Booster

Photo: MarieClair.com
You like traveling to far away places for vacation, or you often travel for business? Good news for you! You know how your skin turns pale, gray and lifeless after a long flight. Yes, it is partly due to the dry airplane air. However, Mark R. Rosekind, PhD, former head of NASA’a Fatigue Countermeasures Program, says the major reason for all the skin stress is that due to long-distance flights we get less deep delta sleep. This cuts down on the body’s repair time, as a result skin suffers and it immediately shows. Dr.Rosekind worked together with MyBlend to develop Anti-Jet Lag Relief Emergency Booster. This cream supplement contains two types of hyaluronic acid for maximum hydration and green coffee to improve circulation.

Source: Elle US, Dec. 2008

Beauty Talk: Sensitive Skin - Triggers and Causes

Sensitive skin needs special care. If you neglect it, the recurrent or on-going inflammation will result either in a more serious condition like eczema/rosacea or age you at a much quicker pace. Besides all the redness, irritation and blotchiness associated with sensitive skin can be quite uncomfortable and embarrassing.

Your first step towards balancing your skin is to avoid or minimize sensitizing factors - things that trigger and aggravate sensitivity.

Avoid extreme temperatures or rapid temperature changes, as well as extreme weather conditions. Very hot or very cold temperature stresses and sensitizes skin. For example, it is recommended to avoid having long hot baths, saunas, solarium etc. Example at the other end of temperature gradient is winter sport such as skiing. This will also cause sensitive skin stress and damage to the protective barrier due to the cold and wind.

Due to the impaired barrier function UV light is especially damaging to sensitive skin. Avoid direct and long sun exposure and protect skin from UV light at every season.

Bring down your stress level. When you are stressed, your body releases hormones that accelerate inflammation and aging.

Minimize chemicals and allergens you come into contact with. Stop using fabric conditioners and softeners, air and closet fresheners. Always wash dishes in gloves. Make sure your house is well aired and clean: dust can cause allergies and related skin reactions.

Forget about cigarettes. Smoking not only dehydrates your skin, it also constricts capillaries, and limits oxygen and nutrients flow to the skin.

Skin’s beauty comes from within. That is why one of the key steps towards stabilizing your skin is reviewing and improving your diet. Exclude or at least minimize salty and spicy foods as well as alcohol and caffeine. These cause dilation and constriction of the capillary walls and will worsen sensitivity.
However, in case with coffee, quite the opposite effect is achieved by topical application of caffeine. It produces anti-inflammatory effect and was found to actually relieve skin redness.
Drink more water, eat more fruit and vegetables – vitamins and fiber will help to keep your skin healthy. There is no need to go into extremes, but if your sensitivity is really bad, you may consider excluding histamine containing foods: such as bananas, spinach, peas, cheese, shellfish, tinned tuna, chocolate, wine, cheese, citrus fruits, strawberries, tomatoes etc. Histamine containing foods trigger allergic reactions. Here is more information on histamine restricted diet.

Finally, what comes into direct contact with your skin daily is, of course, crucially important. Review your skin care products. They should not contain sensitizing ingredients such as fragrances, colorants, retinol, alcohol etc.

Details on ingredients to avoid and the ones to look for are coming in the next post.

Related posts:

Sensitive Skin

Sensitive Skin: Triggers and Causes

Sensitive Skin: Soothing Ingredients

Sensitive Skin and Makeup

Beauty Review: Verite line by Estee Lauder

Read More:

Sensitive Skin

Sensitive Skin Care

Feel like shopping? You can buy sensitive skin products online.

Beauty Buzz: Customizable Lip Gloss

Another customizable product on the market was recently launched by Prescriptives! I do like the idea of customizable beauty products. I have already posted about Avon’s customizable dermabrasion, MyBlend skin care and Maybelline’s Custom Creations Foundation. Welcome this new idea: Custom Blend Lip Gloss.

Go to Prescriptives site to mix your very own lip gloss step by step.

First you choose a base shade. I went with Dark Coral


Proceed to step 2 and choose finish: glitter, chrome, gelly etc. I went with sheer sparkle... (Doesn't my dark coral look kinda pink?)


At step 3 you have 9 options of a flavor and the 10th of no flavor. Melon was my choice.


Review your creation at step 4 and pay 26$ (My coral lip gloss definitely looks pink to me!)

Beauty Review: Guerlain’s Happylogy Eye: Glowing Eye Care

Product Tag Line:

The eyes sparkle of youth.

Product Profile in short:
(as described on Guerlain Website)
• Action on 1st wrinkles/dark circles/puffiness
• Signs of fatigue reduced
• Eyes sparkle with special glow

Promise:
“Makes first wrinkles, dark circles and puffiness fade away”

What’s Inside:
• Extract of ruscus (Ruscus aculeatus ) – helps to stimulate microcirculation of the skin and helps to alleviate the dark circles.
• Flavonoid - to help diminish puffiness around the eyes
• Lipopeptide – to tighten and tone the skin
• Dipeptide – to help avoid recurrence of puffiness


Close-up on Active Ingredients:
Water
Ethylene/Acrylic Acid Copolymer- emulsion stabiliser
Butylene Glycol – humectant (attracts moisture to the skin)
Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate – emollient, hydrating agent
Squalane - natural organic compound used in cosmetics as a natural moisturizer, emollient (mostly comes from shark liver oil)
Glyceryl - emollient (softens, lubricates skin, helps to prevent loss of moisture)
Polymethacrylate - salt or ester of polymethacrylic acid (seems to be used for lubricating purposes)
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride – emollient from the mixed triester of glycerol, caprylic and capric acid, used for its excellent skin conditioning abilities; also used as a dispersing agent and solvent for actives
Glycerin - humectant
Steareth-21 - emulsifier
Linum Usitatissium seed extract – linseed extract, effective emollient, extremely rich in fatty acids, has soothing, anti-inflammatory properties and believed to produce rejuvenating effect
Hexyldecanol - skin-conditioning agent
Stearalcomium Hectorite - suspending agent used for dispersion of solids in liquids
Cetyl Alcohol - emollient and emulsion stabilizer, gives skin a velvety feel
Stearyl Alcohol – emollient and emulsifier
Althaea Officinalis root extract – Marshmellow root extract’, has antioxidant, soothing and calming properties. According to some sources, it is used to reduce pigmentation
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis fruit extract - sweet almond, rich in fatty acids and acts as an effective emollient, protects the skin from drying and improves its barrier function
Hesperidin Methyl Chalcone - Citrus bioflavonoid. Hesperidin helps to reduce dark circles by preventing the blood vessels in the skin around the eyes from leaking. However, there are some doubts if it can be effective when applied topically.
Triticum Vulgare germ protein- wheat germ protein, emollient and antioxidant
Avena sativa kernel protein – oat kernel protein, emulsifier, anti-irritant, has soothing, antioxidant properties
Theobroma cacao extract - cocoa extract, antioxidant
Sanguisorba officinalis root extract – skin conditioning, anti-oxidant
Pyrus malus fruit extract -apple fruit extract, astrigent, Skin conditioning agent, so-called “Cell-Communicating ingredient” see this article
Eriobotriya japonica leaf extract – loquat leaf extract, effective antioxidant
There are about 20 more ingredients following the list above. Among them 2 parabens towards the very end, a bit lower one more ingredient of interest - plankton extract.

As you can see there are a lot of humectants and emollients to keep the thin eye skin hydrated and prevent loss of moisture (provide certain level of occlusion) There are no pure occlusives which makes this product light and comfortable. There are also several potent anti-oxidants to fight free-radicals and soothing ingredients to prevent inflammation/irritation. There are also some advanced ingredients such as apple fruit extract which improves cell communication.

Experience

Texture: creamy but not rich and not at all oily, light pink color
Smell: no smell and no perfume/fragrance mention among ingredients

Guerlain’s Happylogy line has a far-reaching goal. It aims at making your skin happier by stimulating release of endorphins. This way it aims to “recreate the effects of happiness deep within the skin” and “a woman never looks so glowing as when she is happy”. And even though, I have to admit, this claim seems too incredible to be realizable, Happylogy Eye works miracles and I love love love this product!

I have been faithful to Happylogy eye cream for at least 4 years. When I turned 24, I started noticing these thin lines around my eyes. It was time I switched from my light Vichy Thermal Fix Eye Gel to something stronger. After asking around, considering several options, I decided to go for Lancome’s Primordiale. I liked the results so I bought it again. However, it just seemed to have stopped working. Lines were there and seemed to get worse and worse. So I kept trying out other products and tested Dior’s and Channel’s eye creams for first signs of aging. None of them would take my lines away. I went on a search party for the best eye cream out there! And then it happened… Finally hours spent reading and searching online yielded a result…Many good reviews and some articles pointed to one product – Guerlain’s Issima Happylogy Eye: Glowing Eye Care. I made the final choice. I bought it. Used it only a couple days and couldn’t believe the result. In two days there was almost no lines anymore. In a week the skin around the eyes was smooth, looked fresh and glowing just as promised. Dark circles didn’t disappear but did improve. I have been using Guerlain’s Happylogy Eye ever since!

Want to mention one more great feature of this product… As you can see from the ingredients analysis above, this product has a lot of emollient ingredients and several humectants but no occlusives. I think it is thanks to this that it doesn’t roll off or turn into these terrible crumbs when you apply makeup over it. It feels very comfortable upon application and gets quickly absorbed.

Price Tag:
$ 60-65, EURO 50-55

Related Posts:
Beauty Brand: Guerlain
Guerlain's New Makeup Collection Autumn 2008
Beauty Shopping: Guerlain's Boutique in Paris, Champs Elyses


Get more information about Guerlain skin care and makeup or shop for Guerlain's products online

Beauty Talk: Sensitive Skin

Photo by obo-bobolina at Flickr.com Does you skin react with redness and itchiness to skincare or physical manipulation? Or do you suffer from tightness and irritation during certain seasons? Does makeup give you rash outbreaks? In all of these cases you are dealing with skin sensitivity. Sensitive skin is characterized by hyper-reactivity to external stimuli. Such external factors include: sun, cold, wind, cosmetics, fragrances, makeup, rubbing etc. Sensitive skin can be a permanent skin characteristic or temporary condition. In any case it has to be treated with special care.

I developed skin sensitivity about 1.5 years ago. It all started with a feeling of dryness, tightness, burning. I thought my skin type is changing… dramatically changing… turning from mixed/oily to a dry one. And, sure enough, it did become somewhat dryer but the major problem causing the symptoms was sensitive skin.

Symptoms of Sensitive Skin

So when do you know you may be dealing with sensitive skin? Here are the symptoms:

irritation in reaction to external stimuli

persistent/recurrent redness

recurrent irritation, rash or/and scaling

persistent feeling of tightness, stinging, burning and discomfort

Why sensitive skin occurs?

In most cases the reason for sensitive skin is a lowered skin barrier. Stratum corneum of epidermis is responsible for keeping our skin protected from “invaders”. Skin’s lipids are particularly important here. Due to the content and structure of the skin lipid mantle, bacteria cannot penetrate into the skin. In fact, our skin is almost a 100% waterproof! However, if there is a defect in this protective barrier, bacteria, allergens and irritants can penetrate into deeper skin layers and cause irritation and inflammation.


Causes of Sensitive Skin:

Reasons why we have/develop sensitive skin include:
1. Incorrect use of skin care products
2. Use of certain medications
3. Hereditary
4. Hormonal and immune dysfunctions
5. Chronic or intense stress
6. Allergies
7. Environment (pollution, hot/cold weather etc.)
8. Life style involving smoking, alcohol, unbalanced diet

In my case it was a combination of several factors: incorrect use of skin care products, stress and cold weather. I have to admit to one bad indulgence which is kind of a side-effect of beauty blogging – I love to try out new products! If I lay my hands on a sample of an interesting product, I just immediately turn into a guinea pig and start testing it on myself. Eventually my skin had enough of this. Now I am very selective and I am not going from one sample to another anymore…

Diseases Associated with Sensitive Skin

One more bad news for those who suffer from sensitive skin. There are several serious skin disorders associated with this condition. For example, people who have sensitive skin are more prone to developing rosacea and eczema. So, the bottom line is that you should not ignore sensitive skin but should take proper care of it!

Related posts:

Sensitive Skin

Sensitive Skin: Triggers and Causes

Sensitive Skin: Soothing Ingredients

Sensitive Skin and Makeup

Beauty Review: Verite line by Estee Lauder

Read More:

Sensitive Skin

Sensitive Skin Care

Feel like shopping? You can buy sensitive skin products online.