Cleanser : Beauty and Fashion Tech

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: 19% [?]

Paula Dorf Simple Skin, Lemon Verbena Face Bath

Paula Dorf Simple Skin Lemon Verbena Face Bath is a lovely cleansing milk for all skin types. The feel of this one is simply wonderful. If you are a fan of Clarins Cleansing Milk, it reminds me quite a bit of that.

Paula Dorf Simple Skin Lemon Verbena Face Wash Cleanser

The cleanser removes makeup quite well, while adding a bit of moisture. There is nothing drying abut this one, yet it won’t leave you feeling oily either. I love the stuff! Its principle ingredients are:

Lemon Verbena: PH balances, antioxidant, astringent
Vitamin C: antioxidant, rebuilds
Vitamin E: antioxidant, protects
Coconut Oil: cleanses, softens, moisturizes
Jojoba Oil: PH Balances, protects

A similar product for normal to oily skin is Paula Dorf Simple Skin Soy + Nettle Lotion

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Popularity: 8% [?]

Cetaphil Cleansers and Moisturizer: Top Quality and at Bargin Price

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser is a cult favorite cleanser and an Allure Magazine Best of Beauty award winner for a good reason: It is one of the best cleansers out there, yet comes at an incredibly affordable price.

A container of Cetaphil is usually several times the size of other cleansers and makeup removers, but at $10-12, it sells at a fraction of the price. I love Cetaphil, and tend to alternate between it and DHC’s Olive Oil Cleanser as my daily facial cleanser. The cleanser is gentle and provides a soothing and slightly moisturizing wash. It removes makeup well and does not dry the skin. For anyone with sensitive skin, this is the perfect cleanser. It is also great for anyone who wants an affordable, effective, and comfortable cleanser.

Cetephil also makes a version for normal to oily skin:Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser, Normal to Oily Skin, but I tend to get the sensitive skin formula, even though I do not have sensitive skin. There are fragrance free and bar formulations as well.

Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream is another great, yet affordable product. This moisturizer is a great all purpose product that like the cleanser, comes in a generous size for the price. I tend to get dry spots on my legs as soon as the weather turns in the fall. I tried some of the Cetaphil moisturizer for that and it worked quite nicely. It was non-irritating and heavy on the moisture. It too is sold at a great price.

It is always nice when top products are easily to afford, so if in the market for a good cleanser of moisturizer, give Cetaphil some consideration!

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Popularity: 6% [?]

Bioelements Moisture Positive Cleanser

Every time I try something from Bioelements I am left impressed. My recent experience with the Bioelements Moisture Positive Cleanser was no different.

This is a rich and milky cleanser that leaves the skin feeling moisturized instead of dried out from soap. The Bioelements cleanser has no scent, removes makeup and dirt quite well, and rinses clean. I really love the feel of this one and I might add it to my winter dry skin routine. I do still love my DHC Olive Oil Cleanser, which is my daily cleanser when I have dry skin, but the milky/creamy feel of the Bioelements cleanser is pretty darn hard to beat!

I also have previously reviewed Bioelements Pumice Peel, which continues to impress me and has become my favorite daily use scrub.

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Popularity: 4% [?]

Neutrogena Illuminating Microderm Cleaning Pads and Pond’s Exfoliating Clean Sweep Toweletts

I had high hopes for Neutrogena Illuminating Microderm Cleansing Pads, but merely found them to be OK.

These cleansing pads are little round cases that you hold by slipping your fingers inside. One side is textured for exfoliating and the other is a plain cleansing pad. The pad also contains a bit of soapy cleanser. I really didn’t find the exfoliating side to be very effective. It felt a bit like it was scrubbing, but not much. I admit though that I like a pretty strong scrub. Regardless I can exfoliate much better than the neutogena microderm pads by using a scrub or simply with a rough washcloth (which is a great trick for cheap exfoliation). The cleansing side was too small for makeup removal and I found the whole thing to be a bit too soapy for my tastes. There wasn’t a ton of soap, but with such a small pad, I had to use quite a bit of water and a separate washcloth to wipe it all off.

Ponds Exfoliating Clean Sweep Cleansing Towelettes

I much prefer the Pond’s Exfoliating Clean Sweep, Cucumber Cleansing Towelettes. The Pond’s Towellettes are large enough to provide decent makeup removal. I also like that while they contain some cleanser, it isn’t too much. I would much rather add my own than have too much to begin with. The exfoliating side of the Pond’s towelettes is rough enough that you can feel it scrubbing, yet also pretty gentle. So between these two products, Pond’s definitely wins!

Popularity: 4% [?]

Review of Lumene Skin Care Products: Firming Creams, Cleansing Wipes, Vitamin C Cream, and Lip Treatment Lotion

Over the past week I tried a number of Lumene skin care products with great enjoyment. I also tried a foundation, which I will rave about in its own separate post. Lumene Products originate in Finland and are available in the United States at CVS pharmacies. They also sell some of their products in small trial sizes, so if you have a CVS near you, it is worth checking there in person for trial sizes and various local sales.

First up are the Lumene Cleaning Express Touch Cleansing Wipes. These worked quite well at removing dirt, oil, and makeup, including eye makeup. The wipes contain oat milk, which helps keep the cleanser from drying the skin. I liked these cleansing pads and will likely purchase more. I had been using Garnier Nutritioniste Cleansing Wipes, but those tend to be a bit dry. I like the Lumene better because they are not too soapy, yet have a bit more moisture than the Garnier wipes.

I also really liked a pair of products from the Lumene Time Freeze line. Lumene puts age ranges on their lines, with age 40 plus listed for the time freeze line. Although it might be good for the company’s marketing, I don’t find the age ranges particularly useful or necessary, because in many cases the products may be very appropriate for people outside of the provided age range. The day and night creams that I tried from the Time Freeze line are perfect examples. These products would be useful for anyone with somewhat dry skin and/or fine lines or wrinkles.

The Lumene Lifting Skin Supporter, Firming Day Cream is a medium weight moisturizer that provides a decent amount of moisture combined with SPF protection. I liked it just as well as a number of other good day creams, yet it is a bit cheaper than some of the equivalent higher end products.

What really shined for me though was the Lumene Lifting Skin Supporter, Firming Night Cream. Although I have other products that I like better, such as Vita Amazonia’s Revitalizing Cream with 5 percent DMAE which also has better documented active ingredients, I found this creme to be particularly pleasant to use and a great value as well. The cream is fairly thick and provides enough moisture for dry skin without being too heavy for skin that is only a bit on the dry side. It absorbs quickly and provides moisture for the entire night. It might not have DMAE and other such ingredients that would make me declare it the perfect cream, but it does a pretty bang up job for its price. At around $20 for a decent size jar, this is a good value general use night cream.

Another product I tried and liked was Vitamin C+ Radiant C Energy, Age Defying Intensive Care Cream. This cream contains multiple forms of vitamin C and felt great when I put it on. It also smells quite nice with its light citrus scent. I could feel the tingle that comes with the use of vitamin C, so it must have a decent concentration. It also absorbed well and my skin was looking quite good after a week of use (although I do use other products). With a decent price at around $15-20, this is another good value product. So if you are looking for an affordable vitamin C cream, this one is worth a look.

My favorite of the products overall was the Lumene Premium Beauty Rejuvenating Lip Care Lotion. This product has an interesting mix of ingredients. From the description:

“The products’ precious natural sea buckthorn oil contains omega fatty acids, antioxidants and vitamins that strengthen and renew skin. The Tri-peptides™–compound helps restore the skin’s elasticity and youthful glow. A-and E-vitamines stimulates cellular renovation.”

Adding peptides to a lip product greatly interested me since there is a decent amount of ancedotal evidence about the anti-aging, particularly anti-wrinkle, benefits of various types and combinations of peptides. However, whether the combination in this product comes from one of the better documented combinations is unknown (Update: I found that Lumene uses two documented combinations, see my comment). The lip care lotion is a light treatment balm/lotion. It has a nice moisturizing quality and it keeps the lips moist for some time. It has quickly become my favorite lip product for use at night when I want long lasting moisture, but don’t need SPF added. The treatment elements of the product also make it very attractive for night use. It has bit of a taste that is not unpleasant, but not pleasant either. But I would like to see it either entirely devoid of flavor or with something a bit more pleasing. Aside form that, I highly recommend this product.

Overall, I was impressed with everything I tried from Lumene. The company makes numerous products aimed at a wide range of skin types and treatment needs, so I really just got to scratch the surface. If you have a CVS nearby, stop in and take a look!

Popularity: 45% [?]

Great New Item! Revlon Makeup Eraser Pen

I picked up a Revlon Makeup Eraser Pen at CVS the other day. After just a few uses, this brand new product is a must have item for me.

I’m pretty klutzy with the eyeliner and such, and this product is wonderful at fixing those mistakes. Just as the name says, it is a makeup eraser. The soft tip removes smudges quickly and easily. Aside from using it on some actual eyeliner and mascara smudges, I tried it out on some fabricated ones that were larger (hopefully!) than people would encounter during normal use. It did just fine removing a chunk of black eyeliner from my cheek and removed big mascara smudges as well. After those bigger cleanups, I had to wipe off the pen a bit as well, but it came clean for reuse with no problems.

With this thing around, I might wear eyeliner much more often, since mistakes are now easier to handle. Nobody wants to have to wash off all of their makeup and start over because of a small mistake. Now you don’t have to. Just erase and retouch up the area. This is the best product purchase I have made all year! Seriously!

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Popularity: 5% [?]