Vichy ‘Idealia’

French brand Vichy has  a new baby in their (large) selection of skin care. ‘Idealia’ aims to smoothen and illuminate skin and  erase wrinkles. Amongst the ingredients you’ll find AHA’s, kombucha, probiotics and polyphenols – all goodies that ideally should change the appearance of the skin for the better.

It’s a pink coloured, light formula, with a pleasant perfume. Application goes effortlessly and it’s rapidly absorbed by the skin, so easy to use. It indeed leaves the skin satiny soft – definitely lives up to the expectation there- with a light glow.

But…for anyone who has ever had a reaction  because of perfumed skincare: beware…

Although I like the texture and the overall presentation of the product, it causes me some redness –not terribly bad, but enough for me to stop using it. As it’s free of allergens, I assume that the perfume is the culprit.

If that’s no concern of yours, it’s absolutely a product to look into, but if you’re prone to perfume-related irritation, you might want to be very careful.

Sunscreen

Great selection of sunscreen by make up artist Lisa Eldridge:

http://www.lisaeldridge.com/blog/23214/lisa-loves-holiday-things/

 

 

Let’s talk about ZZZZ…

We all know ofcourse that skin regenerates at night, and we also know that having a certain number of hours of sleep is paramount to feel and function well.

But did you know that there is evidence that skin regeneration peaks between 23.00 and 04.00 h at night? I didn’t, I always thought sleep was just sleep. My attention was drawn to this by Sesame’s article: http://www.vivawoman.net/2010/07/01/5-things-to-know-about-your-skin-at-night/.

Now, I am not good at having sufficient sleep (life is just too interesting too sleep all that much!) but lately I’ve been noticing that I could do with some more. The prospect of feeling more rested and being more alert doesn’t cut it for me, for some reason. But! The promise of diminishing under eye bags and a fresher face…Vanity can be such a great motivator 🙂

So from tomorrow on- it’s Saturday today, chances that I’ll be in bed by 22.30 are pretty non-existent- I do the experiment. This blog will be my tool to keep me accountable, and I will report back on a regular basis.

Let’s see how this pans out…

Have a great weekend y’all!

Bisou,

Arielle

 

Niacinamide, ever heard of it?

…I hadn’t, actually, until a few weeks ago.  Niacinamide (a water-soluble vitamin B) has a few interesting qualities: it’s supposed to strengthen the barrier function of the skin, diminish discoloration, treat rosacea and protect the skin against sun damage. There are also indications that it ‘s an anti-aging agent.

With all this, you’d expect it to be easily available, but then I read this at http://jetskeultee.com/2009/08/04/niacinamide-nicotinamide/

“…Before everyone makes a mad dash for the shops to buy products containing Niacinamide: the effects of Niacinamide are only seen when concentrations of 4 to 5% are used. If ‘niacinamide’ is not shown in the first third of the ingredients list then it is almost certainly a lower concentration and you won’t really see any effects from this. Sadly a 4–5% concentration is far too expensive for many manufacturers and they prefer to advertise new “unique” ingredients with interesting names (whose effectiveness has not been established!). It remains complicated…”

Looks like the hunt for a good niacinamide cream has begun…

I’ll keep you posted 🙂

Bisou!

 

Avène – Eluage Eye Contour Care

Being  a big fan of Avène, I would like to share this little gem of their Eluage range.

It’s an anti-aging eye cream which contains Retinaldehyde (a form of Vitamin A, similar to retinoids like Retin A, but without the side effects that some people suffer from) and Hyaluronic Acid Fragments (HAF). The promise on the packaging?  Reducing lines and wrinkles, puffiness and dark under eye circles.

I’ve been using it for a while now, and am definitely happy with the results.

It’s a lightweight, non- greasy formula that gets absorbed easily, so totally users’ friendly. (During winter, I noticed it would tingle a bit on very dry days, but it didn’t aggravate my skin)

What I appreciate too is the fact that it comes in a tube, so you don’t have to dip into a pot (germs! :-))

I can’t speak about the effect on real wrinkles (yet), but I notice that fine lines are noticeably reduced when using it daily. (Vitamin A is broken down by sunlight, so best to apply it at night). I am less sure about the effect on signs of tiredness…I think you need a specific formula to tackle that one. (To be honest: in my case, it doesn’t do much for under eye bags)

Still: great stuff, another hit for Avène 🙂

4 stars

Skin Brighteners

From The New York Times:

Skin Brighteners Find a Welcome:

I say: bring it on!

Skin Analysis

If there is one thing I can recommend to all the skin care aficionados out there, it’s  having your skin professionally analyzed. A few months ago I succumbed to the temptation, and let my pharmacist probe my face with all kinds of tools, in order to find my personal Holy Grail products.

The machine she uses offers several options  but I chose to get my level of hydratation, sebum, elasticity, pigmentation and pH checked.

After each measurement the information is processed, analyzed and you get advice about the specific needs of your skin. In my case, the results were not really surprising, but I got some pointers that were very useful. (I have never been interested in using antioxidant serums, but now I’ve seen the difference they make, I will keep them in my routine. )

If you’re not quite sure about your skin type, this really can put you en route.

Knowing what your skin needs can save you some money, too (think about all the times you came home with creams and lotions that, after being used 3 times, ended up on a shelf, or in your mom’s bathroom).

5 stars

We’re all stars now…

…so we need the appropriate foundation to be ready for our close up:

Skin and Hormones

Coucou,

For those who suffer hyperpigmentation: I came across this article on http://www.vivawoman.net

http://www.vivawoman.net/2012/03/19/avoid-sun-exposure-one-week-before-your-menses/

Seems that PMS not only can wreck your mood, but your skin as well…

Another Day of Make Up Artist Training!

And a fun one!

Today was entirely focused on eye make up, more specifically: correcting features like droopy eyelids, protruding eyes etc.

It all sounds soo simple, and when watching the teacher apply the make up, it looks like a piece of cake, but it’s not! In a way, you need to learn to ‘see’ in a whole different way, and then try to remediate what seems disproportionate.

It’s remarkable to see how just a bit of paint can change the look of  a face entirely.

But for now: lots of practicing on the way…(my eyeliner technique is less than stellar and with these techniques, it’s a must)

Kisses,

 

Arielle