Skin Care | Beauty and Fashion Tech

Jun 5, 2013

Skinvel LED Facial Mask Review

June 5, 2013 By Carleenp Leave a Comment

The Skinvel LED Facial Mask is one of the more unique products I have tried (note, this was a press sample sent to me by the company). It also is a great concept and I’m a bit surprised that there are not more products like this!

LED light treatment is one of the newer and more popular anti-aging treatments. You can learn more about it in general in our past article here: Should You Try Home LED Therapy? Red light in particular is good for treating fine lines and wrinkles, as well as treating melasma and discoloration. I have melasma, so I have added red led light to my arsenal of treatment options. I tend to find that LED light makes my skin look brighter overall, but for melasma, I still need to use other products in conjunction with it. I consider it part of an overall treatment plan.

So, with that introduction, here is why I love the Skinvel mask. It treats your whole face at once! I love LED light devices, but I really lack patience when it comes to using them. Normally, they cover a small area at a time and so it takes quite awhile to treat a large area. The mask concept solves that problem.

Below is a photo. It looks rather odd, but it certainly is effective for full face treatment!

The mask is easy to use. Simply strap it on, turn it on, and sit and let it go to work. Safety goggles are included since you should avoid shining the light in your eyes. The light seems to be of a sufficient intensity both for good treatment and the mask reflects it around well enough to cover the entire face. My only complaint about it is that the mask had a strong plastic/chemical smell when first used. I did find, however, that the smell dissipated after a few uses and it really didn’t bother me all that much to begin with.

At $199, the mask is quite comparable in price to other LED devices. For those looking for a time saver for LED therapy, it can be a great choice.

Buy the Skinvel LED Mask

Disclosures: Beauty and Fashion Tech at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page

Filed Under: Beauty Tech, LED Light Therapy, Skin Care Tagged With: Beauty Tech, LED Light Therapy, Skin Care, Skinvel

May 28, 2013

Makeup Wars: Our Favorite Sunscreens

May 28, 2013 By Carleenp 13 Comments

Press SampleAffiliate Links

Summer is just around the corner, making sunscreen more important than ever! I have different favorites based on different uses. Here they are.

(1) For Daily Use: For daily use, I like to layer Estee Lauder Day Wear moisturizer, SPF 50, under a foundation that also has SPF. Since I often wear powder foundation, this gives me several layers of protection that often use different sunscreen ingredients. Plus Daywear is a nice light and fresh smelling daily moisturizer that works for most skin types.

(2) For Touch Ups Over Makeup: Many sunscreens break down quickly in sunlight, so they need to be reapplied fairly often. Doing that over makeup can be tricky, and that is where powder sunscreen comes in handy. Colorscience Sunforgettable comes in a tube with a built in brush for easy application over makeup. This is also a physical blocking sunscreen, so it won’t break down in sunlight the way chemical sunscreens do. I almost always have a tube of this in my purse in the summer. I originally got this as a press sample and have repurchased it multiple times.

(3) For Running: I am a distance runner and so I need a powerful sweatproof sunscreen when I am running. My favorite for this is Mission Sunscreen, which is designed with athletes in mind. It stays put and doesn't seem to cause breakouts for me, which some of the other waterproof/sweatproof sunscreens do. This is another item I first got as a press sample and then repurchased.

(4) For My Lips: Don’t forget your lips! They need sunscreen too! Just as I do for running, I also often lean to Mission for this. Mission Lip Balm is a great sport lip balm that wears long and has SPF 15 protection.

Click through the photos below to see more favorite sunscreens from the Makeup Wars beauty bloggers!

Filed Under: Makeup Wars, Skin Care, Sunscreens Tagged With: ColorScience, Estee Lauder, Makeup Wars, Mission Skin Care, Skin Care, Sunscreen

Apr 29, 2013

Makeup Wars, The Best Facial Masks

April 29, 2013 By Carleenp 14 Comments

This week the Makeup Wars group looks at the best facial masks. It is also an opportunity to see us in a different state (wearing masks instead of makeup)!

Yep, here I am just out of the shower, with wet hair and facial mask! I don’t plan to pin this photo, LOL!

I have three favorite masks, one of which is ultra affordable. Here they are:

(1) DDF Sulfur Therapeutic Mask , can substitute with Vibrant Skin Sulfur Clay Mask.

This is my go to mask for adult acne treatment. It is a quality clay mask for cleaning out pores and it contains 10% sulfur to kill acne causing bacteria. As long as I use this once per week, I tend to be able to keep a lot of my adult acne issues at bay. It also is great as a spot treatment. Put it on a blemish overnight and it will help dry it up and kill the bacteria from it. It is the mask that I am wearing in the photo.

Here is the sad thing though. When writing this, I discovered that DDF discontinued this item, despite it getting glowing reviews on most websites! However, Vibrant Skin Sulfur Clay Mask looks like a nearly identical product and I will be ordering it to try when my current tub of DDF runs out.

(2) Astara Green Papaya Mask

I hardly ever see anyone review Astara, which is too bad since it is a quality line of skin care products. Astara also makes particularly good masks, including my favorite mask for anti-aging and exfoliation, the Green Papaya Mask. This clay mask uses papaya enzymes to really work your skin and exfoliate. When you put this mask on you can feel it going to work. The results are also fabulous. It is kind of like getting a mini peel. I do one of these masks every couple of weeks or so.

(3) Queen Helene Mint Julep Mask

This is a super affordable quality clay mask for time when you just want a nice standard mask to help clean out the pores, absorb oil, and smooth your skin. You can find a good sized tube of it at any drugstore, usually for under $5. It has long been my fall back mask for when I don’t need the sulfur in the acne mask and don’t want the enzyme action from the Astara mask. If you like just plain old clay masks, there is no need to bother with high end brands, you can get the same results with Mint Julep for cheap!

Want to know the rest of the favorites? Click on through below to see what the other bloggers list as their favorite facial masks!