July 2009 -

Bulgari has come out with a fill line of skin care products and they sent me a number of sample sizes to try. I plan to cover most of them but am starting with the two eye crams because I grabbed them first to try. Why? Because I am a sucker for a good eye cream! So those jumped out at me as what I wanted to test first.

The Bulgari skin care line contains Bulgari Gem Essence which is described by the company as follows:

Bulgari’s exclusive Bvlgari Gem Essence® formula contains four extracts of fine and precious stones chosen for their synergetic and beneficial effects on the skin. These include: sapphire, malachite, tourmaline, and citrine. In addition, the line includes a specific polypeptide III complex. Furthermore, the combination of the two should stimulate the production of collagen, elastin, hyaluronic acid, and fibronectin all of which can affect the skins tone, coloration, and elasticity etc.

There are two different eye cream formulations:

Regard De Lumiere is a day cream that absorbs quite quickly and feel very nice. There is no residual oiliness with it and it has a luxurious feel, which I would expect from a luxury line!

Regard Precieux is a bit heavier eye cream, suitable for dry skin or as a night cream. It too absorbed well and had a nice feel.

I didn’t have large enough samples to really state anything about the effects of these creams over a longer period of time, but both are nice in terms of feel and moisturizing ability. I particularly liked the light weight and quick absorption of the Lumiere cream. Being from Bulgari, they also have rather nice packaging.

the Bulgari skin care lines are available at Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus.

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About the Author: Carleen Pruess Coulter

Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Mascara is rather interesting. The brush is quite unique—one side has small rubber bristles in a comb shape, while the other side is essentially flat with tiny bristles. The idea is that you can use the flatter side to add product and the comb to lengthen and separate. I got best results using the comb first, then the flat to add a bit more product and then third swipe with the comb. For a bit less of a dramatic effect, use the flat side first, then the comb.

I like the formula on this one quite a bit. It didn’t clump and boy did I get some length out of it! It also lasted all day for me with no flaking. However it wasn’t the easiest to remove, and I tend to prefer mascaras that I can wipe off with a wet cloth. If you are used to waterproof mascaras or always use an eye makeup remover, then it shouldn’t be a problem for you. The comb also really takes some getting used to. It took me several tries before I learned how to keep the brush on the side that I wanted it on. Once I got past that though, I really liked this mascara.