L'Occitane Immortelle Brightening

Immortelle Brightening Essence

Immortelle Brightening Moisture Cream

So, could L'Occitane have done something wrong?

I love the Immortelle Precious Cream & Eye Balm, was very skeptical that any reformulation could be good.

I tried the Brightening Essence (read: serum) and Moisture Cream, not expecting much.

I have rarely been so happy to be proved wrong!

This combo seriously worked on my parenthesis, those dark spots from my temples around the side & up onto my forehead.

My skin glowed, and not in that oily-sheen way.

Again, well done L'Occitane.

I <3 again="again" amp="amp" brilliance.="brilliance." div="div" doubt="doubt" efficiency="efficiency" in="in" never="never" will="will" you="you" your="your">

P.S. The milky glass containers? Love almost as much as the cobalt glass.

Continuous Results by Elayda Skin Care System

Elayda offers the Continuous Results System as a subscription-- each set is a 60-day supply, and the new shipments increase product strength.
The starter kit includes the Gentle Hydrating Cleanser, the Transforming Complex, and the Nourishing Hydrator SPF 29.
So, you have face wash, retinol night cream, and a day cream with SPF.
The face wash is gentle, yet effective.
The retinol cream is the first retinol product I have been able to use! No skin-burning pain!
The Hydrator was a nice moisturizer.
My problem-- the fragrance.
Scented products can be kryptonite for my skin, and this was the case here...
My cousin, who is more fragrance-resistant, tried the products & loves.
Very good products, but know your scent-sitivity before ordering!

Face Cream Ingredients Decoded

Wonder what all that stuff in your face cream is? YouBeauty Cosmetic Chemistry Expert, Ni’Kita Wilson, breaks down the hows and whys of that long, confusing ingredient list.

Humectants: Ingredients that draw in water from their surroundings. Humectants promote hydration because they create a moisture barrier on the surface of the skin. In high humidity areas, humectants draw water from the atmosphere but when the humidity is low, the humectant can pull water from within the skin increasing water loss leading to drier skin.

Common humectants: glycerin, sorbitol, hyaluronic acid, panthenol, butylene glycol

Occlusives: A term for ingredients that form a barrier (like a shield) on the surface of the skin to prevent moisture from escaping (the technical phrase is reducing transepidermal water loss, or TEWL). Essentially they trap water in the skin and work in tandem with humectants to increase improve skin moisturization.

Common occlusives: petrolatum, dimethicone, cocoa butter, beeswax, mineral oil, lanolin, squalene

Antioxidants: A group of ingredients that reduce free radicals and their damage on the skin. These ingredients can be natural or synthetic and work well when used in combination. There are also antioxidants that help protect the ingredients in the product from degrading. These offer no true skin benefits.

Common antioxidants for skin benefits: superoxide dismustase, tocopherol, glutathione, alpha lipoic acid, resveratrol, grapeseed extract, coenzyme Q10, green tea

Anti-inflammatory: Ingredients that reduce inflammation and mitigate the inflammatory responses (redness, swelling, pain, itching).

Common anti-inflammatories: bisabolol, allantoin, sea whip extract, aloe, dipotassium glycyrrhizinate, Beta glucan, calendula

Peptides: Chains of amino acids (less than 50) that help regulate many biological functions by interacting with cells. Synthetic peptides can mimic those naturally occurring in the body to assist with various functions like cell communications and hormone activity.

Common peptides: palmitoyl oligopeptide, palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7, hexapeptide-8, acteyl octapeptide-3

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L'Occitane Immortelle Precious Cream and Eye Balm

L'Occitane Immortelle Precious Face Cream & Eye Balm are amazing.
Thick enough to stand up to Michigan winters, but not at all greasy, even with my oily skin.
It has refined my skin, my face is happy!
The eye balm really reduced my dark circles, makes me look like I have slept.
It's a little pricey, but the you only need a little--the jars last.
Totally worth it.
And the jars themselves! Lovely cobalt glass and silver lids, so lovely.
Well done again, L'Occitane!

Wei East Firming

Okay, so China-made products have gotten a bit of a bad rep lately.
Wei East could change quite a few minds!
I've been using their Chestnut Refirming Eye Treatment, Chestnut & Black Soy Firming & Contouring Pads, & Chestnut & Black Soy Extra Firming Cream for about a month now.

I wanted to wait at least a month to make sure the results weren't some sort of allergic reaction or fluke. It's the real deal!
The first use, I looked in the mirror afterwards & thought "I have teenage skin!" Not in the acne way, just in the resilient & bouncy aspects. I want to test the products on someone in their 70's to see if the effect is as noticeable, but I hate to share!

Orlane, Paris~ Un journal de 14 jours

I will be keeping a 14 day diary of my experience with 3 time fighting

products by Orlane, Paris.

Ooh la la!

Day 1: I used Orlane's First Time-Fighting Care after my before-bed face cleansing. I wasn't expecting any miracles of course, but my husband did comment "Honey, your face looks really shiny..like, good shiny!" Hey, I'll take it!!

Day 2: This morning I again used the First Time-Fighting Care cream and also took a try at the Morning Recovery Concentrate and Eye Contour serums. Neither products felt heavy nor had a bold scent.

Day 3: Today I started to see a little breakout, so I called my dermo. She recommended using the First Time-Fighting Care  cream at night only, not during the day, under make-up. A word to the wise with sensitive skin like myself!

Day 4:  I fell in love today. Orlane's Morning Recovery Concentrate is no joke!! It really gives my skin an instant, brightening, boost!

Day 5: Breakout butt has been kicked. Crisis averted.

Day 6: Call me a placebo princess, but I definitely started seeing a difference in my under-eye discoloration today! Welcome to my heart Eye Contour Serum!!

Days 7,8,9: I truly am seeing a difference in my wake-up-face, since lathering up with  the First Time-Fighting Care cream each night! I'm hooked!

Days 10-12: I stayed the weekend away and neglected to pack my Orlane products!! My skin is definitely feeling and looking a bit malnourished from only 3 days away!

Day 13: Ahhh...back to the routine. What a difference a day makes! My face feels replenished and instantly brightened.

Day 14: I must say, Merci beaucoup, Orlane, Paris!!

Scientific by Kenneth Beer, MD

I recently gave the Scientific skin care line a 2 month trial (shhh! Please, don't tell my mother-in-law! If she asks, I am using 100% of her Mary Kay products!), including Scientific White Bamboo Exfoliator, PH Balancing Cleanser, Daily Hydrating Cream, Brightening Serum, and Intensive Repair Serum.

Scientific PH Balancing Cleanser was light and airy, but with gentle beads to massage and nourish the skin. I found that this cleanser really did balance my skin-I tend to get oily in the summer months and most cleansers that attack oil end up leaving me dry. This cleanser really did have a nice affect on my oily patches, without drying me out.

Scientific White Bamboo Exfoliator was a nice once-a-week treat. This microderm abraision type treatment heats when it meets water and then aggressively, yet gently exfoliates and cleanses. Although I did feel like dead cells were scrubbed away, I did not see patches of red skin or feel areas of irritation, like with other masks.

Scientific Daily Hydrating Cream was magnificent. Very lightly scented and the perfect balance of moisture without oil or shine. One downfall-this product does not play well with others-if you ever blend your face lotion with foundation to create a thinner tinted lotion, this is not an ideal playmate for your cosmetics. I found that this lotion needed to be completely absorbed into the skin before applying anything else, or it would create a delicious soup on my skin.

Scientific Brightening Serum was again, free of scent and light, but did not necessarily prove any results in my discolored or dull skin areas.

Scientific Intensive Repair Serum was a bit oily for regular use, but I would totally add this product to my winter skin care regimen, as it really does seem to give dry patches of skin some tough love. Although it is like an oil to the touch, it creates magic in the skin, acting like a dryness barrier, without shine or overwhelming moisture.