Acne Products : Beauty and Fashion Tech

Exuviance Matte Perfection

I am in love with this mattifier! Exuviance Matte Perfection is a light, oil-free gel primer. Aside from acting as a mattifier, it also contains Mandelic Acid, a naturally occurring Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) found in almonds, and Gluconolactone to improve uneven pigmentation and roughness. Mandelic Acid can also help a bit with acne.

The primer feels like most silicone primers and absorbs quickly. It can be worn alone as a mattifier and treatment product, but it also provides a nice base for makeup by filling in fine lines and smoothing the skin. When I use it I find that I tend to stay shine free for most of the day with it.

Exuviance has a real winner with this one!

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Popularity: 1% [?]

Bliss Spa Peeling Groovy

Bliss Peeling Groovy Facial Serum is a basic light AHA serum that is perfect for easy and effective light exfoliation. I gave it a try over a period of a month and found that I got effective exfoliation with no irritation. I also found that it prevented blackheads for me quite nicely.

This one is a bit on the light side though. I did see a nice increase in general brightness of my skin, but it really had no effect at all on my areas of melasma or other discoloration. So those with more serious skin issues will likely want a stronger product or will want to add an additional item, such as a more powerful lightener or wrinkle treatment, to the mix.

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Popularity: 1% [?]

PCA Skin Care Purifying Mask

Every time that I try a PCA Skin product I end up impressed. So of course I loved PCA Skin (pHaze 9) Purifying Mask when I gave it a try. This came in my first edition of Beauty Fix (read review), and is one of just many products in the kit that I love, proving once again that the editors there have great taste.

What is great about the PCA Purifying Mask is that it really does double duty as an acne treatment, pore cleansing type of mask, and as a scrub. This fascinating mask (yes, fascinating!) has general the texture of a clay mask, but it contains pumice as a scrub. So when you apply it, it does all those great things that a purifying mask should do, and then when you wash it off, you get a nice little exfoliating scrub as well. I truly love the concept!

The active ingredient list is quite nice, with treatments for acne and ingredients for general brightening and protection:

Algae
Pumice
Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil
Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Oil
Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Peel Oil
Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E)
Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A)
Wine Extract
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein Olivate

When I used this mask, it left my face bright, and between the active ingredients and the scrubbing action, it left my skin quite ready for serums and moisturizers. One item of note: The pumice in this gives a medium to slightly heavy scrub, so sensitive skin types might was to rinse the product off without rubbing. Those who like a heavier scrub can get one by firmly removing the mask with circular motions. So it is rather flexible in that aspect.

This one very well might make the best of 2009 list in December (yeesh that is a long way off, I just finished the 2008 one!) along with another product or two from the Beauty Fix kit. They sure can pick em!

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Popularity: 2% [?]

Starlite In-Home Laser Skin Care

The Starlite in-home laser skin care device is an at home light treatment product used for anti-aging and acne treatment. Known as a “soft laser,” it works by using the power of a specific wavelength of light to heal. According to the product’s website, that wavelength tends to be effective for superficial skin use without penetrating to deeper tissue and has been shown to be best for wound healing and skin conditions. The company lists the following as conditions that the starlite laser can treat:

•Wrinkles and Fine Lines

•Age Spots

•Blemishes

•Scars

•Stretch Marks

•Collagen Stimulation

•Cuts and Bruises

•Chapped Skin

•Sun Damaged Skin

I gave the Starlite a try for a period of 4-6 weeks. The “laser” is hand held and easy to use. Simply turn it on and massage it over your skin. If it is taken away fro the skin, the light automatically goes off to avoid accidentally shining it in the eyes. Treatment times vary from six minutes to upwards of fifteen, with multiple session per day recommended.

After a couple of weeks, I saw some effect on my adult acne and perhaps a tiny bit on some of my areas of minor hyperpigmentation when I used the Starlite with two 15 minute daily treatments. I was particularly happy with how it worked for acne, because the results were certainly noticeable after 4 weeks of regular use. I also detected some overall skin brightening. But I did not see any effect on the areas of dark melasma. I think that to have success there, the device would need to be used more than twice daily and for a longer period of time.

If you have the patience to use the Starlite enough to see results, it is a fairly decent product– it really does require regular and lengthy use. At a retail price of around $160, it is certainly cheaper than full blown pulsed light or laser treatments.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Contest! Win a set of Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control Products and the Book Confidence is Queen-the Four Keys to Ultimate Beauty Through Positive Thinking

Congrats to Kandice, comment number 19, on winning this contest! An email is on the way to you!

Everyone could use a bit of stress control, so Beauty and Fashion Tech is happy to hold a reader giveaway for the items described below:

A Confidence Inspiring Book: Neutrogena spokesperson and former Miss USA, Susie Castillo, recently published Confidence is Queen: The Four Keys to Ultimate Beauty Through Positive Thinking. In the book, Casillo writes about her experiences growing up and shares the lessons she has learned about positive thinking. I flipped through it and it looks like a pretty good motivational read. It also is getting good reviews on Amazon.com.

Products from the Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control Line: This line aims to help you gain confidence by making acne one less stress. The items in this giveaway are:

· Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control 3-in-1 Hydrating Acne Treatment: A water-based acne treatment, with an ultra light formula that it is absorbed quickly and without a greasy residue, while also absorbing excess surface oil. The treatment contains MicroClear™ to boost the delivery of 2% salicylic acid to reach the source of acne. The treatment is infused with a cucumber scent.

· Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control Power-Clear Scrub: This scrub softens skin, while microbeads massage and exfoliate. Containing the new MicroClear™ technology, it dissolves oil to reduce shine and utilizes 2% salicylic acid to fight breakouts. It is scented with green tea and cucumber.

· Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control Triple-Action Toner: This multi-tasking toner is formulated with MicroClear™ technology and has a cucumber scent.

To enter, leave a comment before the beginning of Thursday, September 11 (midnight between Wed. and Thur.), stating why you would like to read Susie Castillo’s book and/or why you would like to try any of the items from the Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne stress Control line. You must answer one of those questions in order to be entered. Just saying “hi” won’t cut it! One entry per household please. Duplicate entries will be disqualified. On September 11, I will randomly select a winner, who will be notified here and by email. Failure to respond within 7 days will result in the prize being redrawn.

Promotional/spam comments entries will be deleted per the comment policy. Please don’t use your website as your user name or include promotional or commercial links in the text, it violates the comment policy.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Remergent Skin Care

A couple of weeks ago I reviewed the wonderful book The New Science of Perfect Skin: Understanding Skin Care Myths and Miracles For Radiant Skin at Any Age by Daniel Yarosh PH.D (read review). Yarosh also has a skin care line through his company AGI Dermatics. If you are a retinol fan, or have been considering trying retinol products, this is great line to look at. If you are not familiar with retinol, it is one of the most effective, if not the absolute best, anti-aging, anti-wrinkle treatment actives available.

I tried four products from the line, and today will focus on the Complete Cleanser and two retinol products, the Progressive Retinol Complex and Advanced Retinol Therapy. Watch in a few weeks for a look at the Clarifying Concentrate, aimed at treating melasma and similar types of hyperpigmentation.

The Complete Cleanser provides pH-correction to condition and prepare the skin for optimum delivery of treatment actives. This is a generally non-drying lotion type of cleanser that does a sufficient job of cleaning and removing makeup. Mostly, it is aimed at helping the treatment actives absorb the best.

The two retinol products are what really shine. The Remergent Progressive Retinol complex contains .4% retinol and serves as a good beginner product in order to acclimate the skin to retinol. It is also formulated to minimize irritation from the active ingredient. If you have not used retinol before or are sensitive to it—something that is common and is entirely normal—this is a great place to start. From there, the next step is a move up to Advanced Retinol Therapy, which has 1% retinol, the highest concentration available over the counter. Finding a product with a full 1% over the counter can be a bit difficult, and many products never tell you the concentration, so it is nice to know that you are getting the full amount with one.

I found that the Advanced Retinol Therapy was a bit more gentle than some other retinol products I have used, although I still did get a bit of redness from it, likely from a bit of overuse. Remember that a little goes a long way with this stuff! The container actually puts out pre-measured doses for your entire face and one is enough! I had no issues with breakouts using it (retinol can also help treat acne in some people, but it doesn’t seem to work well on acne for me). I also saw nicely bright and good looking skin after 4 weeks of use. I have particularly been using retinol in conjunction with various skin lighteners to treat melasma and pigmented areas.

Overall, the Remergent line is a nice option for anyone wanting to try retinol or who wants to know that they are getting the full over the counter amount. It is available online from various sources and through some dermatologists. See remergentskin.com for locations.

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Popularity: 2% [?]

Bioelements and DDF: Two Good Acne Masks

I’m starting to get fed up with my adult acne, so I made a dermatologist appointment. In the meantime, I am trying out some treatment masks, both as spot treatments and as all over masks. There are two that I highly recommend: Bioelements Amino Mask and DDF Sulfur Therapeutic Mask. Each are good, but also slightly different. Notably, the Biolelements mask includes Salicylic Acid and less Sulfur, while DDF is a higher concentration Sulfur Mask

The Bioelements mask is described as follows:

For All Skin Types Medicated facial mask helps prevent and clear acne blemishes. Draws-out pore-clogging debris, soaks up excess oils, calms inflammation and promotes fast healing of existing breakouts. - Medicated acne treatment mask - Contains 3% anti-bacterial sulphur and 2% salicylic acid - Unclogs pores, destroys acne bacteria, controls excess oils and helps heal existing blemishes No artificial colorants, synthetic fragrance or animal by-products. Not tested on animals.

When I used Biolements Amino Mask, I found that it worked well– both as an all over mask, and as a spot treatment. It feels like any other clay type mask and does a good job at absorbing oil and removing the gunk in your pores. But I particularly like this one as a spot treatment. Put a bit on a blemish and leave it on overnight. The Salicylic Acid helps dissolve the gunk, while the Sulfur provides good anti-bacterial acne treatment. Meanwhile, the mask as a whole absorbs oil had helps draw everything out.

DDF’s mask contains 10% Sulfur. For those who want maximum anti-bacterial agents, this one is great. I tend to use it more as an overall face mask once each week, although it will also work as a spot treatment.

One thing to note. Sulfur doesn’t smell really good, and because these masks contain it, they obviously have an odor. I don’t mind it at all, but if you are sensitive to sulfur smell, you might not care for these.

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Popularity: 2% [?]