Beauty And The Blog

Archive for the ‘Wrinkle Reducing Ingredients’ Category

Have you already discovered the wonders of retinol? If you are using a product containing this anti-aging ingredient, smart woman. For those of you who aren’t yet using retinol, you are about to be enlightened. And yes, you are smart, too. Because you have come looking for the info.

Retinol is two things to our skin. 1)  A cell communicating ingredient. Retinol tells your skin to start behaving as if it had younger, healthier skin cells. Yessss! (meaning smoother, glowing, radiant skin) And, 2) Retinol is a potent antioxidant that fights free radicals resulting from exposure to UVA and UVB rays (sun) and pollutants. Read the rest of this entry »

When you look for anti-aging products, what do you look for? It’s important to know the components of a good anti-aging product, whether it is a serum or a moisturizer.  If you have read any of my earlier posts you already know that I am not all that enthusiastic about cleansers that contain anti-aging ingredients, why pay the extra money for something that is on your skin such a short time and rinsed away? Active ingredients need to stay on your skin a while to do their work. And that just doesn’t happen with a cleanser. Off it all goes down the drain….

So, 5 things. 5 things that are not negotiable when it comes to ingredients in your anti-aging routine. This is important stuff, because each of these 5 things does a different job. And we need all those jobs done to maintain the complexion we all strive for. Read the rest of this entry »

By now most of you know that vitamin C is an antioxidant and a great anti-aging ingredient. It pops up in products and formulations of all types. Personally I feel C does it’s best work in serums. Facial washes contain C but I am of the belief that a facial wash isn’t on your skin long enough to allow the vitamin C to do much of anything, you rinse it off, right? So, maybe you want to rethink how you are applying vitamin C.

As I said, my favorite is in a serum. But many moisturizers contain vitamin C as well. The most important thing to remember about vitamin C when making your choice is packaging. Yes, that might be a really pretty jar to put on your vanity but, what about the light and oxygen it is exposed to every single time you use it? The vitamin C can degrade and/or lose potency in as little as a week. And that is money not well spent. Degraded vitamin C won’t do a thing for anti-aging your face. Sorry, but true. So look for pump bottles and tubes…. OK? Read the rest of this entry »

I want to share with you the best AHA and BHA exfoliating product I have found. I have tried just about every way there is to exfoliate my skin, different scrubs, microdermabrasion,  a mask/masque with papaya enzymes, another containing pomegranate and one that peels off after setting up on the skin.

They were all OK. And even though I have performed many microdermabrasion services, I never really liked it for my own skin. Plus, I am always wanting something quick and easy. What I finally found was perfect. Paula’s Choice Exfoliating AHA and BHA Gels. I use them in the morning, right after cleansing and then layer my serum and moisturizer on top. Quick, easy and very effective!

As I mentioned in a previous post AHA is best suited for dryer or mature skin, that’s me. It will exfoliate and impart a new radiance to the skin with regular use. I use the gel version in an 8% strength and my skin handles that percentage well with no redness or flaking. It absorbs right into my skin and I can apply any other products over it including makeup.

I do have a bit of oiliness on my nose so I chose to use a BHA there and on my forehead as well which tends to be slightly oily on occasion. BHA cleans inside the pore as well as exfoliating the surface skin. Very good for blemish prone and/or oily skin. Again, I use the gel, in a 2% concentration. This is the higher of the concentrations offered but my skin tolerates it well. I may switch to a lotion or lower concentration if I experience unwanted dryness or irritation over winter.

Now, I am telling you about these products because I have used them and feel that they are the best formulations I have found to date for AHA and BHA. The Paula’s Choice website offers extensive information that can be mind boggling! Tons of reviews. I have no idea how the site keeps up with it all! But they do and there is a lot of great info.

So, check it out if you need a really good AHA or BHA (and by the way we ALL do). Paula’s Choice Best Sellers

You might also like to check out my post on AHA, BHA and PHA

I am a Paula’s Choice Affiliate, please see “Disclosure”.

Like to get out when the weather is warm? Ever thought about how the sun and warm weather, at home or on vacation, can affect how you age?

Sunscreen can slow the aging of your skin. By now pretty much everyone should know that. And those of you who are over 30 will be seeing pretty obvious changes in your skin if you have neglected the use of a good sunscreen.

Sunscreen is an anti-aging treatment! It is your first line of defense for anti-aging. Even if you are young you should be thinking about anti-aging and the role sunscreen plays in it. If you are over 30 and didn’t use sunscreen as a younger woman, you may well be wishing you did! If that is the case, start using sunscreen now if you haven’t already. And for any damage that you are seeing as a result of not using sunscreen, fine lines, wrinkles, discoloration, etc., there are products available to start you on your way back to more youthful skin. Read the rest of this entry »