Skincare Ingredients Week Day Seven - Korres Wild Rose Face and Eye Serum

Today we one the last day of my Skincare Ingredients Theme Week, yesterday we looked at what might be one of my new favorite ingredients and today I have saved my favorite ingredient ever for the last day of the week.  I have loved Rose in all forms; skincare, perfume, and body products.  I have used rose in every single form that it is available in and I am also burning a rose candle made for me by a friend while I type this, I love rose fragrances and I also enjoy reaping the beneficial ingredients to the skin.  Rose is one of the oldest ingredients and one of the best soothing and hydrating ingredients that can be used in skincare, I need as much as soothing and hydrating as possible so I am all about roses.

Korres has one of the most popular wild rose skincare product lines and the company also provides lots of information about this ingredient on the Sephora website so I am just going to pull all my information from here rather than searching on botany and chemistry website as I was doing for entries earlier this week.  "Whether you covet long-lasting hydration, skin-perfecting makeup, or an intensive treatment product, Korres' Wild Rose Collection offers a complete regimen designed to brighten, revitalize, and protect your skin. As with all Korres' natural skincare and color products, the Wild Rose collection is formulated to achieve maximum, long-lasting results using highly effective, natural extracts. What you won't find: harsh chemicals and synthetic ingredients. What you will find: skin-friendly products loaded with wild rose oil. Rich in vitamin C, wild rose oil offers potent antioxidant protection and also works to fight fine lines and hyperpigmentation. It can even assist in cell regeneration and in improving skin texture. End result? Gorgeous skin with a natural glow."

To reap all the benefits of wild rose, I decided to purchase the serum that is packed full of this ingredient.  I have used the moisturizer in the past and loved it so I am more than happy to order more items from Korres.  "Rich in wild rose oil, Wild Rose skincare formulas form a protective barrier on the epidermis that improves the texture of the skin and, more importantly, allow cells to regenerate. That’s great news for those with fine lines and wrinkles; dark under-eye circles; a dull, uneven skintone; and hyperpigmentation.  An ultra-concentrated vitamin C face and eye serum that is clinically proven to brighten skin, smooth the look of fine lines, and improve skin texture.  Brighten skin, smooth fine lines, and even the skin texture with this potent natural serum. Ultra-concentrated vitamin C found in wild rose helps to repair skin discolorations while boosting skin’s brightness and radiance. Baobab tree extract, in combination with a wheat proteins agent, provides an instant firming and line-smoothing effect and has been clinically proven to considerably reduce the number, depth, and length of wrinkles. "

A few lab results from the testing phase...

Clinically proven results after 60 days:
- 100% of women showed improved skin brightness and radiance
- 100% of women showed improved skin smoothness

This serum is best when used twice a day, I started out with one usage a day and after two weeks, I saw absolutely no results.  I decided to change up my routine and begin using it both morning and night.  After two weeks using it in this method, I got much better results so I guess sometimes it pays to actually read the directions.  The serum has a thicker texture than most, I would say that this serum is best for normal to dry and sensitive skin types.  It absorbs in quickly and my skin seemed to simply love the texture of this serum. 

This serum mostly hydrated and brighten my complexion, it has Vitamin C in it to enhance the wild rose extract but I didn't reap any of the anti-aging benefits since I have no visible signs of aging.  My overall complexion looks much better than it did before and I would purchase another tube of this without hesitation, I know that I will buy another bottle of this before winter comes around next week since this is the time of the year when my skin gets really ugly.  I will also be ordering more from the Wild Rose collection over the next few months.

Well Skincare Ingredients Theme Week has ended and I hope that I have given you some new products to try and ingredients to look for.  Feel free to add any comments about your favorite products with these ingredients in and I will look for them.

photo courtesy of Sephora

Skincare Ingredients Week Day Six - Fresh Soy Face Cleanser

Yesterday we looked at a very effective treatment ingredient for oily and acne-prone skin and today we will look at an ingredient that is recommended for all skin types.  Soy foods and soy milk are fast becoming part of the mainstream and now soy-based skincare products are quickly beginning to catch up their fame.  Whenever you mention soy products to anyone beauty and skincare addict, the first line that will pop into their head is the best-selling and top-rated line of soy-based face products from Fresh.  Indeed, these are some of the best-selling products are from this collection but I don't believe that all their fans truly understand what makes this line so great.  I have just started using face care from Fresh slightly over a year ago, starting with a eye cream and now I have been branching out to the rest of their skin line.  I have had many people recommend the Fresh Soy Face Cleanser to me over the years and when I was listing ingredients that I wanted to look at, soy and Fresh seemed to be a very natural combination.  I know how much love this product gets and I wanted to look into the formula and learn why I love it so much.

Soy is a calming and hydrating ingredient that also helps to deal with redness and pigmentation issues.  Soy can penetrate underneath the top layer of the epidermis and will help to correct signs of depigmentation on a deeper level by promoting healthy cell growth.  The presence of soy and the plant phytoestrogens contained in it will help to stimulate the production of collagen and elastin and help your skin cells regenerate.  This ingredient can be used for both correcting the visible signs of aging and helping to ward off some of the signs, this is an all-around hard working ingredient and can achieve results without a potentially irritating mix of ingredients.  In addition, soy hydrates below the skin's top layer and contains anti-oxidants yet too.  After learning all this, I decided that soy might be one of my new favorite skincare ingredients and one that I want to be purchasing more of in the future.

I have started my journey with soy skincare products with the Fresh Soy Face Cleanser and now I am very much looking forward to buy more products from this line.  "A multitasking gel that gently removes impurities and makeup.  The Soy Face Cleanser from Fresh instantly whisks away everyday impurities and makeup—even mascara—without stripping the skin of essential moisture. Rich in amino acids, soy proteins promote moisture retention, elasticity, and firmness. Rosewater balances and tones the skin. Fragrance-free and soap-free, calming cucumber extract and nourishing borage seed oil enriches its formula.  This product is extra gentle and ideal for all skin types. "In the early nineties, there was a buzz about the health benefits of soy, but no one was exploring its effects on the skin. We found that it is highly rich in amino acids, which help with cell turnover and introduced soy to the beauty market in 1999." —Lev Glazman and Alina Roytberg, Fresh Founders.

This face wash is technically a gel formula but I feel that it is best described as a cream-gel.  A dime-sized drop provides enough product to cover my entire face and it really foams up, in fact I was surprised at the foam level that it provided as it is creamy than your typical gel cleanser.  I didn't like the foam level the first time that I used it, I immediately assumed that it would dry my skin out and that this would be a product that I wouldn't like but I soon changed my opinion.  This product didn't dry out my skin or make my redness any worse, my skin actually felt better after using this product than it did before and I was very happy that I had decided to buy the largest size of this product at Sephora.  I did not even try to use this product to get my eye makeup off, there is simply no plain face wash that will get all of my eye makeup off and I always use a separate eye makeup remover, I will not comment on how well/not well this product gets eye makeup off.  It removed the rest of my makeup without an issue, an aspect that makes me very happy.


Based on the hydrating and anti-oxidant properties of this ingredient, I am very much looking forward to buying this ingredient in a day cream or perhaps a sunscreen.  Fresh has several products in the soy line and I will be checking them out the next time that I go to Sephora.

One more day and one more ingredient!

photo courtesy of Sephora

Skincare Ingredients Week Day Five - Dermalogica Dermal Clay Cleanser

Today we going to go away from the anti-oxidants and look at an ingredient that is not as much for protecting but made for correcting.  In addition to the fact that I have been looking at anti-oxidant ingredients, every single skincare ingredient that we have looked at this week is a form of hydrator.  Being that I have such dry and easily irritated skin, I am very concerned that certain ingredients will be effective in protecting my skin and reducing the redness but will make the dryness even worse than the before.  Today we are going to look at an ingredient that is very effective for oily and acne-prone skin that I have to use in only the smallest of doses, Kaolin Clay.  I first used this ingredient in the beloved (but sadly discontinued) DDF Sulfur Mask and lately I have tried it in the Dermalogica Dermal Clay Cleanser.

Kaolin Clay is most often used in skincare products that are targeted toward oily and acne-prone skin types, I have neither of these types but I still find it be a very beneficial ingredient for any type of skin.  Kaolin Clay is most often found in treatment masks, this is one of the few times that I have seen it in a cleanser form.  This ingredient is used to draw oil out of the pores and then to absorb the excess oil that it sitting on top of the skin. Once the oil is absorbed, acne is prevented.  Oil moves the bacteria around the face and will cause the acne breakouts, if the oil is removed, the problem is headed off.  People with oily and acne-prone skin can use this ingredient two or three times a week however I am only able to use this ingredient once a month.  I will use this ingredient once a month to make sure that i am getting any excess oil out of my pores before they can become breakouts.

"A skin-perfecting formula that provides deep-cleansing to oily, congested skin. Water-soluble Kaolin and Green Clays combine with purifying extracts of Sambucus, Ivy and Lemon to remove excess oils and refine the skin's texture. Anti-inflammatory Cucumber and healing Sage soothe irritation, while refreshing Menthol revitalizes even the most tired skin." 

This cleanser is designed for oily skin and that is the only type of skin that should use this product on a daily basis.  This product is best used at night, it will clean all of the day's oil and debris and allow the skin to be completely free of debris before a treatment product is applied.  I would not recommend use more than once a day, it has the potential to over dry and then the skin will only react by producing even more oil and the cycle will only worsen.  I recommend using this product sparingly and then working up to using it once a day is the best method of use.  Personally, even if I had oily and congested skin, I would alternate this with another cleanser to make sure that I didn't over dry my skin.  This is a gel-based cleanser and it is very effective is cleaning off the skin and preventing acne blemishes but it has the potential to be drying (if used too much).

Kaolin is a very effective ingredient for oily and acne-prone skin though I cannot say that I get very much use from it.  I do like to use this cleanser once a month just to ward off skin issues.  If I had oilier skin, than I bet that I would rely on cleansers and treatments with this ingredient in it but it is not the best for skin type...

photo courtesy of Dermalogica

Skincare Ingredients Week Day Four - C. O. Bigelow Acai Repair Night Cream

Anti-oxidants have a big part in Skincare Ingredients Theme Week, my skin is young enough that I want to protect it from future signs of aging and I prefer to avoid having to go to the plastic surgeon for as long as possible.  Therefore, anti-oxidants and their role in protecting my skin are of huge interest to me and I will always try a new product that has anti-oxidant active ingredients and promises to help protect my skin from the environment.  Today we are going to look at another fruit anti-oxidant ingredient, acai berry.  Acai berry is very similar to pomegranate in its ability to protect and help the skin.

Acai berry targets the protection of both collagen and elastin, other anti-oxidant ingredients tend to target only one of these essential skin proteins.  The acai berry produces extract that contains more anti-oxidant power than most fruit, including the blueberry.  This ingredient is mostly used to protect skin, it helps to neutralize free radicals by binding to them before they bind to the skin and begin the breakdown of the essential proteins in the epidermis.  Acai can help to reduce the visible signs of again however this is not where it excels, I would recommend products spiked with this active ingredient mostly for younger skin that is free of signs of aging.  Given the power of the acai berry, I do not understand why it is not used in as many skincare products as pomegranate or Vitamin C.  I wonder how hard this product is to find or if it is more difficult to stabilize and add into a formula.

I have only seen this ingredients used alone in one product, the C.O. Bigelow Acai Repair Night Cream.  This product is getting harder and harder to find, it used to be carried in all Bath and Body Works and now it can only be ordered from the C.O. Bigelow website.  This is a shame since I love this night cream and I have used it for about a year now, I have alternated it with other products but i have come back to it time after time, I really wish it was much easier to find than it currently is.

"Rebalance and nourish sleepy skin with this dream cream formula. this cream is made with two exclusive complexes packed with powerful levels of super-antioxidants, multi-vitamans and multi-minerals. Formulated to mend signs of past damage and replace lost nutrients while moisturizing skin all night while you sleep.  Healthy Skin Complex 1.3%; Skin-Renewal Complex 10.3 %; Acai Berry Extract 2%."

"Healthy Skin Complex: This complex is packed and super-boosted with vitamins, minerals (zinc, copper, iron, magnesium) and antioxidant-rich berries that deliver essential nutrients to the skin to keep it looking healthy, strong, and youthful.  Skin-Renewal Complex: Formulated to combat visible signs of aging and skin dehydration. It contains a unique blend of vital elements for skin to look its best. Reparative ingredients along with moisture-replenishing and retaining lipids give skin a renewing boost to prevent depletion of skin's natural moisture."

I have used this face cream at night and during the day, I actually preferred to use it during the day instead of at night.  During the testing phase for this Theme Week, I alternated this product with the Philosophy Hope in a Jar Cream.  Originally, I used this product at night and the other one during the day but found that the opposite use of these two products gave me the best results.  This product is a thicker so I would only recommend day use of this product if you skin is dry, otherwise this texture will be too much for you to layer on primer and foundation.  The acai berry in this product will be best used during the day in order for skin to fight the free radicals in the air while helping to treat some of the visible signs of aging.  As I stated earlier, this cream is on the thicker side so I could only recommend it for people with normal to dry skin, I wish that this company offered the acai berry ingredient in a lighter lotion too as it is a great ingredient.

This is one of the strongest anti-oxidant ingredients on the market and I am really hoping that I will begin to find this in more products over the next few years.

photo courtesy of C.O. Bigelow

Skincare Ingredients Week Day Three - Philosophy Hope in a Jar Face Cream

So far this week, we have been looking at anti-oxidant ingredients in skincare and how they protect the skin from future signs of aging.  Today we are going to move away from this category of ingredients and look at another type of ingredient that protects the skin from environmental damage.  Lactic acid is a milk-based ingredient that both promotes hydration, soothes skin, promotes healthy exfoliation, and protect the skin.  This ingredient is very old and was first used by Cleopatra, it amazes me how lactic acid has endured through the years and makes me think that sometimes natural ingredients are better than those that have been cooked up in a chemistry lab.

I hestitated in choosing lactic acid for one reason, I am considering going from vegetarian to vegan and if I would go into veganism, then I could never use any type of product with milk proteins or lactic acid in.  This may be how I go in a few years but for now I will keep using product with milk in.  Lactic acid is a form of AHA and is derived from sour milk.  AHAs are used to exfoliate and tighten skin and this is a more gentle form than many of the others on the market.  Products that are spiked with this ingredient with help increase exfoliation and therefore will improved the overall complexion and texture of the skin.  Milk fats help to increase hydration levels in the skin and is soothing enough to calm redness and easily irritated skin, it is an ingredient that is often used in skincare products targeted for sensitive and red skin.  Being that this ingredient can both increase exfoliation but is used in products for sensitive skin, the active levels of this ingredients are very important as to much of a good thing can actually make skin worse.  Excess exfoliation of skin that is easily irritated can make the redness and irritation much worse so if this is your skin (and it is mine) then you will need to choose a gentle formula that is well trusted and respected.

I decided to try this ingredient for the first time in the Philosophy Hope in a Jar Face Cream, one of the best selling skin creams at Sephora and one of the overall best selling skin creams on the market.  What started out as one kind of face cream has now bloomed into a line of these creams for every skin type and I am getting hints that a special night cream with this formula is coming out very soon. This is a very simple formula that is also very effective at the same time. 

"A cult-favorite moisturizer that gently hydrates, exfoliates, and protects the skin.  Philosophy Hope in a Jar is a 99.9% oil-free, deeply hydrating, lightweight wonder designed to smooth the complexion while reducing the appearance of wrinkles and discoloration. Originally created for the medical market, this expert essential delivers soft, healthy, glowing results.  This beloved formula contains antioxidants that protect skin against environmental damage and provides continuous exfoliation to keep roughness at bay. An infusion of yeast-derived beta glucan supports the skin's natural defense system and improves repair capabilities."

This face cream is made for use any time of the day however I preferred to use it at night instead of during the day.  The simple formula hydrated my skin very quickly and absorbed into the skin.  With the lactic acid in the formula, I found that this cream made my skin a bit red in the cheek area, this is not a look that I want to wear during the daylight hours as I needed extra makeup to cover up the problem areas.  My skin is fine when I use it at night and then use a different face cream in the morning.  I know that the redness is caused by the extra exfoliation of the lactic acid and overall my complexion is better than before use of it.  After two weeks of using this product once a day, I could see an improvment in my complexion and I really started to like this product.  Initially I was disappointed by it since it seemed to make the red in cheek area worsen but using it at a different time in the day made the redness less visible. 

I do really like this product since it helped to improve the eveness and tone of my complexion and I will be purchasing the new version of this cream as soon as it is released.  I am really excited to see how a night version of this product works and I will be reading up on it as soon I can get more information on it.  Will the lactic acid percentage be higher and will my complexion improve even more?  Or might an enhanced version be too much?  One thign is for sure, I will keep looking for great products with lactic acid in them.

photo courtesy of Sephora

Skincare Ingredients Week Day Two - Korres Pomegranate Mattifying Primer

Yesterday we started the Skincare Ingredients Week off with anti-oxidant Vitamin C and today we are going to look at another top quality anti-oxidant ingredient.  I am all about anti-oxidants since I am trying to protect my skin from the elements and try to prevent signs of aging before I have to spend time at the dermatologist to correct them.  The second anti-oxidant ingredient that we are looking at this week is the Pomegranate fruit, a fruit widely used in both beauty products and all kinds of foods and beverages.  Pomegranates are one of the hottest ingredients in skincare and the extract is popping up in every single type of skincare product on the market.  I have explored pomegranate in many skincare entries before, this ingredient effectively protects the skin but often does not irritate the skin in the way that Vitamin C can.

Pomegranate fruits have their roots in the Middle East and had been part of their culture for many years before the trend began in the United States and Europe.  Pomegranate has been proven to mostly protect the skin but has also been shown to help reduce some of the visible signs of aging.  The pomegranate fruit extract is mostly effective in helping to restore elastin and making the skin more resilient.  Elastin keeps the wrinkles from forming and the skin from sagging, protecting the elastin fibers will help to slow down the signs of visible aging.  This fruit is most effective at protecting the skin from free radicals, using anti-oxidants will form a protective layer over the skin and bind to the free radicals in the air.

I have used pomegranate-based skincare products many times before so when I thought about this ingredient and what it is used in, I decided that I wanted to try it in a completely different form from what I have used in years previously.  Korres is a company that I have used for many years previously and last spring, they introduced a primer that is spiked with the anti-oxidant ingredient.  I ordered this primer last year and this Sephora order contained both this primer and then so many other skincare products that it is was inspired me to write an entire Theme Week on Skincare Ingredients.  I used this primer all through the spring and summer and then well into before I switched over to a more hydrating formula, I will be picking it up again within the next month and squeezing every last drop out of the tube before I order another.  I once read in an issue of Allure that certain sunscreen ingredients can age the skin so it was important to provide your skin with some type of barrier between the outer layers of the epidermis and the product itself.  A primer will be the perfect product to form that barrier...

"A water-based mattifying, pore minimizing, and skin-perfecting primer.  If your symptoms are visible pores, unwanted shine, and an overall makeup meltdown, then Korres has the remedy for you. This clinically proven, universally nude Pomegranate Mattifying Primer blends to an invisible matte finish while minimizing the appearance of pores, balancing skintone and texture, and preparing skin for smooth makeup application and long-lasting wear. The 94% natural, non-comedogenic formula is water-based so it allows skin to breathe and never clogs pores. The formula is loaded with antioxidant-rich pomegranate extract to help tighten pores, willow bark extract to balance skin, witch hazel water to mattify and tighten while removing excess oil and dirt, and rice starch to absorb excess surface oil and soften skin."

This formula is perfect for the spring and summer, it absorbs excess oil and really helped my makeup to stay in place during the higher temperature days.  I am not the person that really needs a lot of mattifying and pore reduction but I love the improved tone and texture of skin when using this product.  This primer has a much thinner texture than most of the ones that I have used, the texture is that of a very thin lotion and a small amount very quickly absorbs into the skin.  Any skin type will benefit from the use of this primer and it is a great product to have in my spring and summer makeup arsenal.

This product makes me much more interested in what types of skincare benefits can be found in makeup products.  I will keep looking for beneficial ingredients in my primers and foundation along with looking for them in my skincare products.  I hope that this type of primer formula will be the norm very soon and that I will have even more choices like this.

photo courtesy of Sephora

Skincare Ingredients Week Day One - Murad Essential C Day Moisture

One of the most popular ingredients in skincare is Vitamin C and therefore this is where I decided to start off the Theme Week.  Vitamin C has been used by more brands than I can count and is used in products designed to reduce and prevent the signs of aging, along with products that help to protect the skin from free radical damage and improve the overall complexion.  This ingredient has potential benefits for all types of skin but can also irritate or be completely ineffective if not at the correct concentration and stabilization.  A bit of extra research is worth it before purchasing any type of product with this active ingredient.  When shopping for products with this active ingredient, I recommend shopping only from brands with a very reputable following and not trying to buy cheap skincare products.  Quality Vitamin C products will cost extra to ensure that the active ingredient is in the correct concentration and the correct level of stabilization.

A bit of background on Vitamin C itself will be first.  When I took Organic Chemistry in college, Vitamin C was considered too complex and large to be studied in the first two semesters of this topic.  Therefore I have really never done any formal study of this exact complex and this post is my first time going into the complex chemistry behind the Vitamin C molecule.  Vitamin C as contained in skincare products could also be listed under the name of L-ascorbic Acid, this is the only form that is effective for the face and if the "L" is not present in the complex, there will be no benefits to use of this product.  This is the main reason that it is worth the extra time and effort to check out the products before you make the purchase.  L-ascorbic Acid helps to stimulate collagen production and this is why is used very heavily in anti-aging products.  Collagen production is the major goal of most anti-aging products and finding an effective Vitamin C product is worth the search.  L-ascorbic Acid is also heavily used in products that promise anti-oxidant benefits, this complex also helps to fight free radical damage by binding to the particles before they attract themselves to the skin and begin do damage to the upper layers of the epidermis.  This complex will neutralize the charged free radicals and prevent the damage to the epidermis.  A good Vitamin C product is worth its weight in gold.

What the drawbacks to this ingredient?  No skincare ingredient (at least ones that work) are without some drawbacks/side effects.  L-ascorbic Acid can be irritating to sensitive skin types and sensitivity to this ingredient can come out if if you don't have "sensitive" skin.  At effective levels, this ingredient can cause redness, dryness, and overall irritation.  At very high levels, this ingredient is most effective when used under a doctor's care.  I have had a hard time in the past trying to find a product with the effective levels of Vitamin C that doesn't harm my skin more than help it.

The best line of Vitamin C products that I have used is the Essential C line of products from Dr. Murad's skincare line.  I have used several products from this line over the years and today we will look at the Day Cream that is offered with this line.  This line is also known as the Environmental Shield, "Daily exposure to sunlight, smog, pollution and stress is the number one cause of premature aging. Murad's Environmental Shield® product line will help to restore, renew, and protect your skin against sun damage, preventing and reversing environmental damage through the Science of Cellular Water™."

Essential-C Day Moisture is the SPF-enriched day cream from this line, using Vitamin C during the day will help to fight off the free radicals that attach to your skin all throughout the day.  This type of cream is especially valuable if you live or work in the city, smog throws off some of the worst free radicals and assaults your skin throughout the whole day.  "A powerful, antioxidant-rich sunscreen that shields and restores environmentally stressed skin.  Block UVA and UVB while preventing free-radical damage with this complexion-protecting essential. The advanced formula multitasks, improving the skin's barrier function to maintain optimal hydration."

This formula is best for normal to slightly dry skin and gave me the best results when used in the spring and summer months, I did not find it hydrating enough for winter skin issues.  A dime-sized drop was all that I needed to cover my whole face and the product absorbed in quickly and didn't leave a residue (I have found that some products with a higher SPF will leave a film on the skin).  This product is hydrating enough to keep my skin soft throughout the day and is smooth enough that I can still apply primer and all the needed face makeup over it.  This is the best Vitamin C cream for that I have found for skin that doesn't always like Vitamin C. 

The Murad collection of Vitamin C products is one of the few that I truly trust to be effective yet not cause more harm than good to sensitive skin.  If you really want to reap the benefits of this ingredient than I do recommend using this day cream and then matching night cream.  I am most interested in this ingredient to help protect my skin and I love how effective it is.

photo courtesy of Sephora