skin care

SENSAI Summer Skin Care and Makeup Must-Haves

SENSAI Cellular Performance Hydrachange Tinted Gel Cream

By: Ariston Anderson

I've long been a fan of luxury beauty line SENSAI, the Japanese masters of skin care and cosmetics. The key ingredient to all of their products, from their Double Cleansing Program to their Sun Care line, is silk. The rare Koishimaru Silk holds 300 times its own weight in water, giving the products throughout their line a way of softening the skin that has never been achieved by regular skin care products. They've launched a brand new line, highlighting their ever-advancing science and exclusive ingredients ready to take you through summer.

Gallery: Sensai Summer Skin Care and Makeup Must-Haves

CELLULAR PERFORMANCE BODY COUNTOUR CONCENTRATE

Products are available for purchase on kanebo.com, bergdorfgoodman.com, NeimanMarcus.com, or by phone at 212.872.2537/800.588.1855 x2357.

Tags: cosmetics, Sensai, skin care, skin care products, summer

StriVectin-SD Launches Virtual Anti-Aging Tool

by Unknown (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cosmetics and Fragrance

By: Ariston Anderson

StriVectin is a brand that's all about results. To celebrate this brand legacy, they've launched a new product which has been on their wish list for a long time: a virtual tool that lets you instantly see results on your own face.

The skincare line has always promised high outcomes. The new StriVectin-SD Intensive Concentrate takes this even further, showing that test subjects demonstrated in just eight weeks, a 20 percent decrease in fine lines and wrinkles, 25 percent improvement in skin laxity, and nearly 100 percent improvement in texture, not to mention it increased skin barrier function by 40 percent for long-term skin health benefits. The secret weapon is a patented NIA-114™, niacin derived formula that works to strengthen the skin's barrier by 40 percent to protect it from environmental wear, as well as increasing peptide levels 4x to stimulate higher-quality collagen.

But what does this all mean for your face? After discovering incredible before-and-after photos in clinical trials, they were so impressed with the results that they wanted to give users a way to see how the products could change their own skin. Enter the first virtual, anti-aging results tool for the web, Facebook and iPad, a new product built by ModiFace that uses advanced facial recognition and HTML 5 to show users real results.

Tags: anti-aging, skin care, skin care products, Strivectin, StriVectin-SD Intensive Concentrate

Continue reading “StriVectin-SD Launches Virtual Anti-Aging Tool”

Benefit Launches High SPF Moisturizer

by Unknown (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cosmetics and Fragrance

By: Ariston Anderson

Every summer, I'm on a search for the perfect SPF day cream -- something light enough for my sensitive skin, yet provides both UVA and UVB protection.

San Francisco makeup giant Benefit recently launched a skin care line with promising products that work fast for brighter, younger, radiant skin. The collection is packaged in fun vintage bottles, inspired by the waters of San Francisco's gorgeous coastline. After sampling the line, I discovered a beauty must-have that I'm looking forward to wearing in the warm months ahead: Triple Performing Facial Emulsion.

The facial emulsion offers full SPF 15 PA++ sun protection, boosted by plant extracts, hyaluronic acid and vitamin E to provide maximum antioxidant advantages. With a light citrus scent, that's not too medicinal, it's the perfect lotion to wear under makeup or alone on a bare summer face. It also provides supreme hydration through Benefit's patented tri-radiance exclusive complex, designed to capture and maintain water to rebuild the skin's natural reservoir.

One hit of the emulsion on my face, I instantly felt refreshed. It provided a silky gloss that was neither greasy nor oily. In weeks, you will see a decrease in spots and fine lines and an increase in skin firmness. It's the one product to protect your skin against sun damage that no beach bag should be without.

Tags: Benefit, Benefit Triple Performing Facial Emulsion, cosmetics, moisturizer, skin care, skin care products, SPF

SkinMedica Launches New Anti-Aging and Redness Relief Skin Care Products

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cosmetics and Fragrance

SkinMedica TNS Essential Serum and Redness Relief CalmPlex

SkinMedica takes skin care seriously, in fact it's all they do. Created by dermatologist and renowned "beauty industry visionary" Dr. Richard Fitzpatrick, the brand has recently added two new products to their already impressive lineup: an anti-aging serum and a redness relief lotion.

TNS Essential Serum

Description: An all-in-one anti-aging product that combines antioxidants, peptides, and plumping ingredients with SkinMedica's patented growth factor serum, TNS Recovery Complex.

What we think: The formulas are clearly separated in a dual-chamber pump that simultaneously dispenses a bright red gel and a creamy white lotion. The product has no noticeable fragrance, is not oily or greasy, and skin feels and goes on silky smooth after application. And it might just be wishful thinking but after about two weeks of use wrinkles do appear less obvious, plus I think my face looks smoother and fresher even at the end of the day. The directions state to apply it morning and night but be warned it's not a super-fast process -- the instructions call for dispensing the product onto the back of the hand and blending before applying, which isn't a big deal unless you're trying to speed through an already rushed morning routine.

Price: $260

Redness Relief CalmPlex

Description: "Save the red for your soles" by soothing redness at the source: the underlying inflammation. Key ingredients include CalmPlex, which works to inhibit vasodilation, and Vitamin B-3 (Niacinamide), which increases moisture retention and improves the skin's functioning as a barrier.

What we think: The largely glycerin based lotion is heavier than expected, although not greasy. The first application tingled quite a bit, but according to the website that's normal and should lessen with continued use. It leaves skin feeling soft and moisturized, and although I don't have any particular issue with inflammation, my face does feel soothed as well.

Price: $80

SkinMedica is available through a network of licensed physicians and medically supervised spas. Visit skinmedica.com for locations.

Source

Tags: anti-aging, Dr. Richard Fitzpatrick, redness, serum, skin care, skin care products, skincare products, skinmedica

Luxist Giveaway: 3 TwinLuxe Men's Skin Care Products $100 Giftcards

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cosmetics and Fragrance, Men's Style

Luxist Giveaway: 3 TwinLuxe Men's Skin Care Products $100 Giftcards

Thanks to TwinLuxe, we have three $100 giftcards for any of their products (including high-end shaving kits, shaving creams, and other men's skin care products). TwinLuxe is a newer brand offering luxury shaving products for men, and the accessories to go with them. I initially announced and reviewed one of their shaving kits here. TwinLuxe offers seven skin care products, each having been specially formulated for the brand. The skin care products range from shaving cream, to post-shave creams, as well as moisturizers. To enter for a chance to win a gift card, all you need to do is visit TwinLuxe's website and choose what your most desired skin care product the offer is - and then comment below with your choice. You can see the full range of TwinLuxe skin care products here. Good luck and follow TwinLuxe on Facebook here.

THANKS TO ALL WHO ENTERED. THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW OVER.

To enter, leave a comment on this post sharing which TwinLuxe skin care product you like most. The giveaway ends on February 11th at 8:00pm PST. See additional rules below.

* To enter, leave a confirmed comment below.
* The comment must be left and confirmed before February 11th, 2011 at 8:00PM Pacific Time.
* You may only enter once.
* Three winners will be selected in a random drawing.
* Three winners will each receive one $100 TwinLuxe giftcard that can only be used once, subject to products availability, valued at $100, for full details and restrictions please contact TwinLuxe.
* Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, and the District of Columbia, who are 18 and older.

See full giveaway rules here.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: giveaway, luxist giveaway, men, shaving, skin care, skincare, twinluxe

Beauty By Clinica Ivo Pitanguy Expands Line, Gets New Look

by Michael B. Dougherty (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cosmetics and Fragrance

For over forty years, Brazil's Dr. Ivo Pitanguy has been responsible for movie stars, royalty and politicians' new looks. Now his expanded skin care line get a face-lift of its own, just in time for New York's Fashion's Night Out.

Developed by Pitanguy at his Rio clinic and produced in Switzerland, Beauty by Clinica Ivo Pitanguy comprises a line of serums, creams and treatments meant to replicate the procedures performed at his South American headquarters. Products like the moisture imparting PreVious Rebalancing Formula and cleansing Dermomask employ natural extracts, were tested under rigid dermatologic and ophthalmologic controls, and contain no coloring or artificial scents. Starting this Friday, during the second Fashion's Night Out event, Beauty by Clinica Ivo Pitanguy will launch a new "Specifics" line, beginning with their Ultimate Eye Cream. Available exclusively at Bergdorf Goodman (and later at select Neiman Marcus stores), the cream boasts an innovative ceramide-peptide combination and white lupine extract to ameliorate the appearance of fine lines and sagging skin. As for the packaging, the Specifics line will be differentiated by its luxury inspired gold wrapping.

If you can't make it to Rio, or Pitanguy's private island, the new line will provide all of the good doctor's fabled benefits along with his most cherished product: discretion.

Tags: beauty, Bergdorf Goodman, brazil, clinica, fashions night out, ivo pitanguy, neiman marcus, new york, skin care

La Prairie's $410 Platinum Facial

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Services, Spas, Cosmetics and Fragrance

You can get a facial at almost any spa, and even in some nail and hair salons. But will it be platinum?

If you visit the spa at the Ritz-Carlton in NYC, it can be. Since the spring, the spa has been offering The Platinum Rare Facial, a 90-minute treatment that is priced at $410, typically including product samples. Add a 20% tip and you're at $500.

According to the "Vain Glorious" department in The New York Times's T Magazine, "This ultra-pampering facial is more like a spa manicure and pedicure, massage and facial in one. It's performed by both a nail technician and an aesthetician -- the former soaks, scrubs and swathes the extremities in the brand's lavish products while the latter massages the neck and shoulders in between steps of the main event: a customized facial using La Prairie's Platinum Collection (including Cellular Cream Platinum Rare, which retails for $650 per ounce)."

Before the treatment, guests are invited to relax in the upscale locker room and lounge, outfitted with cool and soothing marble, a steam room with a tub of ice and cucumbers waiting outside, and a corner with chairs, fresh fruit, and dried snacks. Then guests select the music they wish to be played during the treatment. The signature seems to be the application of Cellular Cream Platinum Rare at the end of what the the Ritz calls "an experience that transcends the ordinary in every way with age-defying benefits."

Tags: facial, La Prairie, New York, platinum, Ritz-Carlton, skin care

La Vie Celeste Goes to the Golden Globes

by Bobbie Leigh (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cosmetics and Fragrance

Next January's Golden Globe celebrity gift bags will have something new and special ---La Vie Celeste Day and Night Restorative Face Cream. Teri Dourmashkin, who created La Vie Celeste, a new skin care company, which makes face cream, eye cream, cleanser, toner, and a lightweight exfoliating mask, doesn't make foolish promises. Unlike so many new start ups cosmetic industry heads, she is low-key, stressing results but not the flawless skin of a Stepford wife, Instead, she talks about ingredients like R-Lipoic Acid, which she says has superior anti-aging benefits and is more effective than the more commonly used Alpha Lipoic Acid. All of her company's products are gentle, well-tested, and totally non-toxic. "I am a big believer in a simple regime," says Dourmashkin who has a doctorate in health education from Columbia University. "The more ingredients you add to a product, the greater the risk of irritation or a possible allergic reaction. Our products are fragrance free and unlike many brands, we don't load up with essential oils which can be irritating for some women," she says.

Although they will be introduced to retail outlets in the fall, currently you can order La Vie Celeste products online at www.laviecelesteskincare.com. The entire range of products from eye cream to an exfoliating mask are made in Loveland, Colorado in small batches. As one of Dourmashkin's goals is to keep things simple, affordable, yet elegant, her prices are realistic considering their ingredients and effectiveness. A three-piece kit with cleanser, toner, and face cream will set you back only $85 with free shipping, a $20 saving over ordering each item individually. The face cream alone, $45, can be used morning and night, even under the eyes. All of Dourmashkin's products are made for sensitive skin and are not guaranteed to eliminate imperfections, but they can surely lighten, brighten and reduce some of those irritating signs of aging,

Tags: beauty, beauty products, Dr. Teri Dourmashkin, face cream, La Vie Celeste, skin care, SkinCare, skincare products, SkinCareProducts

Clinique Skin Supplies for Men Wins Readers' Choice Award for Best Men's Skin Care Line

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cosmetics and Fragrance

Backed by Estée Lauder, cosmetics powerhouse Clinique has both the resources and the pedigree to create some of the world's most popular skin care products. Little wonder that Clinique Skin Supplies for Men is the Luxist Awards' Readers' Choice Winner in the best men's skin care line category.

Clinique has seemed destined to succeed ever since its auspicious beginnings in 1968. In the prior year, as the legend goes, Estée Lauder's daughter-in-law read an article in Vogue that suggested great skin could be created simply by maintaining a proper daily skin care routine. She showed the piece to her mother-in-law, who quickly recruited authors Carol Phillips and Dr. Norman Orentreich. By the end of the following summer, the Clinique brand was born, debuting at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Gallery: Clinique for Men

Today, Clinique's offerings encompass skin care, fragrances and other cosmetics for men and women. The company's men's line is among the most extensive in the world, boasting a staggering array of grooming products including shampoo, shower gel, lip balm, deodorant, cologne, and an expansive skin care line.

Clinique Skin Supplies for Men includes concoctions for general skin health and for very specific situations. For men who eschew disposable razors in favor of their modern counterpart, there's the electric shave primer (3.4 oz: $15.50). For those who prefer the more traditional method of removing facial hair, there's the post shave smoother (2.5 oz: $17). As ever, all are still available at Saks Fifth Avenue and other fine retailers.

Tags: awards-main, Clinique, Clinique Skin Supplies for Men, Estee Lauder, Estee Lauder Companies, luxist-awards, skin care, skin care for men, skin care products, winners-beauty

The Best (and Worst) Anti-Aging Foods

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Everybody wants to look and feel young, healthy, and vibrant, but unfortunately our lives don't always make achieving that goal easy. Stress, pollution, activities, and even the food we eat can affect how fast and how gracefully we age. Are you making diet choices that will keep you looking young?

The best anti-aging foods:

Berries like blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries are especially high in Vitamin C that helps to reduce wrinkles and age-related skin dryness, fiber that boosts heart health and helps maintain a healthy weight, antioxidants that fight against environmental and dietary toxins, and polyphenols that are thoughts to battle age-related mental decline.
Green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, and swiss chard have high levels of Vitamin K that helps keep bones strong and lutein and zeaxanthin that together keep vision sharp by protecting eyes from the harmful effects of ultraviolet light.
Whole grains such as whole wheat, brown rice, and oats are full of a wide variety of nutrients and minerals that help prevent heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, and even gum disease. Whole grains are also full of appetite-curbing fiber for help maintaining a healthy weight.
Low-fat dairy because its protein can help maintain healthy strong muscles (age-related muscle loss makes you look and feel older) while its minerals can help keep bones strong and blood pressure within healthy limits.
Water helps all of the functions in your body, including waste and toxin removal and skin rejuvenation, work better and faster. Dehydration strains body systems but is especially bad for the skin, making it appear dull, less supple, and wrinkles more pronounced.

Tags: anti-aging, antiaging, beauty, beauty-pedia, dining, food, skin, skin care, skincare

Continue reading “The Best (and Worst) Anti-Aging Foods”

The Right Way to Get Your Beauty Sleep

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spas

Beauty sleep is very real. It's during sleep that skin damage from daily stress and pollution is repaired, dermal layers are rejuvenated, and even facial muscles are relaxed and gravity is shifted so wrinkles become less pronounced. Without enough sleep skin can look sallow and dry with uneven skin tone and more defined wrinkles. Wake up looking your best with these basic tips.

Get a head start Make a habit of washing your face and getting the rest of your nighttime beauty routine out of the way well before you're actually ready to go to bed, like a couple of hours ahead of time, so when you're really tired later you won't be tempted to blow it off.
Sleep on your back because laying on your side or stomach can literally press wrinkles into your face as you sleep.

Source

Tags: beauty sleep, beauty-pedia, BeautySleep, skin care, SkinCare, sleep

Continue reading “The Right Way to Get Your Beauty Sleep”

Baby Quasar, Lighting The Way To Better Skin?

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets, Cosmetics and Fragrance

The latest skincare craze has hit Neiman Marcus. Quasar Bio-Tech Inc. has announced that Neiman Marcus is sellingthe Baby Quasar. What's the Baby Quasar? It's a skincare device that uses red and infrared light to stimulate the human skin at the cellular level. The treatment is said to build new capillaries and improve the lymphatic system leading to younger, healthier looking skin. Promises include increased circulation, diminished age spots and acne reduction. The Baby Quasar uses four different wavelengths, between 600 and 1200 nm, both red and infrared, to stimulate maximum cellular activity.

Treatments take under a half an hour and the machine can be used three times a week in the beginning. The company says that acne and fine lines start to improve after an average of three to five treatments, with monthly to bi-monthly maintenance treatments thereafter. Many people have seen positive results. The red light for anti-aging is $399 while the blue light for acne sells for $349 at Neiman Marcus.

Tags: baby quasar, BabyQuasar, light therapy, LightTherapy, skin care, SkinCare

Chanel's New Lifting/Firming Skincare Line

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cosmetics and Fragrance

Chanel's New Lifting/Firming Skincare Line

The four products in Chanel's new Ultra Correction Lift Collection contain a resin from the Manila elemi tree, often used to heal skin in traditional Chinese medicine. The Lifting Firming Day Cream SPF 15, for example, is described as "lush cream, luxuriously textured and delicately scented, delivers a very soft, matte finish, with ultimate comfort, for a visible lifting effect." So, does the line deliver? I can't say (way out of my price range!), but according to O the Oprah Magazine beauty editor Jenny Bailly, "Don't expect gravity-defying results, but the Lifting Firming Day Cream SPF 15 and the Lifting Firming Night Cream will leave your skin temporarily plumper and firmer." The total of six products range from $85 - $225, including the four Lift Collection items as well a Lifting Firming Day Fluid SPF 15 and a Sculpting Firming Concentrate.

Tags: beauty, Chanel, cosmetics, creams, skin care, skincare

Luxist Giveaway: Philosophy Beauty Box

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cosmetics and Fragrance

Philosophy has teamed up with The Knot to create an ultimate bridal beauty box set called tying the Knot (above). The box, worth $100, is a lovely gift for a bride to be -- but we can't think of a woman who wouldn't love to receive this any day.

The set includes:

amazing grace firming body emulsion, bath gel and spray fragrance
purity one-step facial cleanser
hope in a jar moisturizer (Oprah's fave)
micro-delivery peel pads
kiss me clear lip balm, spf 20
kiss me exfoliating lip scrub
eye hope deluxe sample

Who needs a wedding when you have all that fun loot? Brides aren't the only ladies who want to be beautiful. This would even make a nice thank you gift to send to a holiday party hostess or your boyfriend's mother. No need to tell her it was free.
To enter to win the tying the Knot bag, leave a comment on this post sharing why you'd like it. The giveaway ends on Monday, December 21, 5 p.m. EST. See additional rules below.

* To enter, leave a confirmed comment below.
* The comment must be left and confirmed before Monday, December 21, 2009 at 5 p.m. EST.
* You may only enter once.
* One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
* One winner will receive one tying the Knot beauty bag by Philosophy, valued at $100.
* Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, and the District of Columbia, who are 18 and older.

***This Giveaway is now closed. The winner will be notified 12/22.***

See full giveaway rules here.

Tags: bride, cleanser, giveaway, philosophy, skin care, SkinCare, the knot, TheKnot

Luxist Gift Guide 09: Sensai Holiday Gift Sets

by Ariston Anderson (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cosmetics and Fragrance, Holiday Guides

If only Pamela Anderson had discovered the new SENSAI Platinum Edition Coffret Gift Set, before she let her platinum addiction drive her into bankruptcy. The new luxury gift set out just in time for the holidays offers for the first time ever, platinum, in a soft pearl powder and highlighting platinum body lotion. If that sounds decadent to you, it is. Forget the latest diamond cremes, platinum is the new luxury ingredient, straight from the renowned Japanese beauty line, which counts Scarlett Johansson and Jennifer Aniston as fans. The Platinum Gift Set, which includes the powder, flawless brush, and body lotion packaged in a velvet clutch is available exclusively at Bergdorf Goodman, and retails for $80. It's literally all you need to take to any party this season. But use sparingly. A brush of powder is all you need to make your whole face glow.

Tags: cosmetics, holiday gift guide, holiday gifts, HolidayGiftGuide, HolidayGifts, sensai, skin care, SkinCare

Continue reading “Luxist Gift Guide 09: Sensai Holiday Gift Sets”