Results tagged “Clarins” from Style Flavors

Good two-in-one products give you a bang for your buck. I am always keen on things that give me a bang for my buck. I mean, money's hard-earned so why shouldn't your products work hard for you too?

In this installment of Style Flavors' Skin Care Guide, I will be diving into targeted treatments from acne to oil control to whitening.

Using a specific product for your specific skin type and problem will help solve the skin issues you face quicker and more effectively.


Anti-Acne:

I used to have problematic skin in high school and all throughout junior and senior year, I was plagued with horrible teenage acne. I still have to deal with regular zits constantly and I have somehow accepted it as just one of the few bumps in my existence. Keeping your skin clean and balanced is all the more important if you're dealing with acne.

I especially like University Medical AcneFree Clear Skin System (US$19.49) - I first came across this at Costco 3 years ago and it just so happened I ran out of products and so I just threw it in the cart and didn't think much of it. After 2 weeks of daily use, I was hooked.

My skin was clearer and looked healthier and breakouts were reduced visibly. I especially love the University Medical AcneFree Sensitive Acne & Blackhead Terminator Medicated Spot Control Gel (1oz/28g) (US$5.99) [a combination of Salicylic Acid and Benzoyl Peroxide] - it dries up zits and peels the top layer of the inflamed skin off to quickly combat persistent zits. I brought a few kits back with me when I left the US and gave them to my brother and my brother-in-law who both now swear by it.

I also like Avene Cleanance K Oil-Control Lotion (1.35oz/41g) (US$18). This AHA & BHA (Alpha and Beta Hydroxy Acids) formula works to gently exfoliate skin daily while clearing up blemishes and blackheads. I love how the high concentration of Avene Spring Water as it helps soothe and hydrate my skin as it clears it up. I passed this product on to my sister and a few of my friends who now use this religiously.

 

I like Clearasil Ultra Rapid Action Treatment Cream, Vanishing (1oz/28g) (US$9.99). This maximum strength treatment cream works to quickly and effectively reduce spot size. This cream works and with regular use, my pesky zits become a thing of the past. The very affordable price tag makes this a winner.  

I like Neutrogena Advanced Solutions Acne Mark Fading Peel Acne Treatment(1.4oz/40g) (US$13.99). Acne and persistent zits leave behind physical reminders that they were once on our faces by means of dark post-inflammatory spots. This masks works to exfoliate dead skin cells while treating acne; removing signs that they were once there. My marks faded with regular use of this and breakouts appeared less frequent. And at such a great price, it's worth a shot.

 


Oil Control:

Oily skin individuals, like myself, are less prone to wrinkles and fine lines but enlarged pores, shiny skin and regular breakouts are just some of the main issues that we have to deal with. There is no physical way to alter the size of your pores; they are pretty much determined by genetics but you can improve the appearance of your pores by regulating oil production and regular exfoliation.

I like Clinique Pore Minimizer Instant Perfector #01 Invisible Light 15ml/0.5oz US$25 from Strawberrynet.com. This perfector works to deshines and mattify your skin while reducing the look of your pores. My complexion looked smoother with less visible pores, so much so that people actually think I use makeup. And this isn't makeup. What I like is how it helps resist humidity and sweat making this perfect for tropical climates.

I like Shiseido Men Anti Shine Refresher 30ml/1oz US$37 from Strawberrynet.com. This is one of my current skin staples and I have been using this for a long, long time. This cool gel works to refresh your skin while instantly mattifying it. This keeps my skin looking less shiny for hours. My pores looked smaller and my skin smoother and fresh. So much so that my brother's girlfriend demanded to know what I was using and then went to the store the next day to look for this.

I like Dr. Brandt Pores No More (1oz/30ml) (US$45). This oil absorber works to minimize the look of pores while keeping my skin less shiny for hours. Look forward to a matte, refined complexion.

Whitening:

Besides zits, dark spots are the other bane of my skin existence; especially the dark spots left behind by said inconvenient zits. Dark spots or hyperpigmentation are caused by various factors. The dark spots left behind by acne and pimples are known as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation that result from trauma to the skin - eg. acne.

UV light is a major cause of dark spots. The naturally occuring pigment in your skin is combination of sun damage and a decline in the hormones that regulate the production of melanin. When your skin is exposured to sun, the UV rays can easily break down the collagen and elastin and as a result the skin may become rougher and cause formation of brown, reddish spots due to the excess melanin.

Prolonged sun exposure causes the skin cells to produce more melanin and cause surface pigment changes. Melanin is a pigment that gives color to the skin and hair. It helps protect the skin from the harmful sun's rays but increased amount of melanin pigment often result in formation of dark, brown spots.

I like Shiseido Bio Performance Advanced Super Revitalizer (Cream) Whitening Formula 50ml/1.7oz US$98 from Strawberrynet.com. This rich, luxourious cream reverses the signs of past damage done by the sun. My uneven and dull skin looked brighter and more radiant after only a few days of usage. The extra smooth slate that my skin attainted was a wonderful bonus. Sure, it's a tad costly but it's worth the price tag.

Part 1 of Style Flavors' Skin Care Guide covered cleansing, exfoliation and toning. Part 2 will cover eye care and serums.

Eyes take the hit of late nights, stress and the lack of sleep. As such, it's always better late than never to start taking care of the skin around your eyes.

Eye-Care:

Your eyes show the first signs of aging and tiredness. The delicate eye area is thin and fragile hence it does help to take extra care of this specific area. Dark eye circles are caused by various factors like heredity, allergies, age and fatigue.

Dark circles are an inherited trait - when blood passes through the veins under the eye area, a dark tint is produced and the transparency of the skin around your eye determines how visible the dark tint appears.

Constant rubbing and scratching your eyes will cause dilation of blood vessels and will lead to more visible dark circles. So refrain from rubbing your eyes just like you would refrain from touching your face or popping your zits.

Although there aren't any permanent solution to reducing and removing dark circles, there are products that will help improve the appearance of dark eye circles.caused by burst blood vessels and thin, worn out skin. Fine lines are caused by various factors like dehydration and sun exposure. Using a eye cream/gel twice a day will help reduce fine lines, puffiness and the appearance of dark circles.

I like Patricia Wexler's Instant De-Puff Eye Gel (0.5oz/ US$19.50). This works best cold so I store this in the fridge for a hit of refreshment. This reduces puffiness visibly while reducing the appearance of fine lines.

I like SK II Signs Eye Cream 15g/0.5oz US$99 at Strawberrynet.com. This rich cream works to combat the signs of aging - lines, wrinkles and bags. Its rich formula ensures optimal hydration throughout the day; great for winter vacations. The area around my eyes look brighter, softer and healthier. I take this whenever I travel.

I like Nuxe Contour des Yeux Prodigieux Anti-Aging Eye Cream (US$27). This anti-aging eye cream provides optimal moisturization and works to reduce puffiness and signs of aging. I like how this easily absorbs to soothe and protect the delicate eye area. 

 

I also like Lancome Blanc Expert NeuroWhite X3 Anti-Dark Circle Eye Treatment 15ml/0.5oz US$60.50 at Strawberrynet.com. This rich yet lightweight whitening treatment works deep to lighten eye bags and dark circles while promoting hydration and soothing the thin skin around your eyes. The lightening effect can be seen in 2 weeks of usage and a smoother, healthier eye area is your outcome.

I like Kiehls' Abyssine Eye Cream (0.5oz/14ml) (US$32). This marine extract eye cream helps to reduce fine lines and prevent the signs of aging. I like how easy this goes into my skin to hydrate and encourage healthier, fresher looking eyes.  

  


Serums:

Serums pack a higher dose of nutrients, antioxidants and vitamins as compared to day/night moisturizers. Hence, serums are skin-savers that work effectively to regenerate skin cells, promote healthy skin growth, even out skin tone, banish zits and blackheads, intensively hydrate and prevent signs of aging. They go after your toner and before your moisturizer. 

Ingredients such as stabilized Vitamin C work to prevent and combat free radical damage. Salicylic Acid works deep into pores to prevent breakouts and blackheads. Potent exfoliators like Glycolic Acid work to reveal fresh, radiant skin while you sleep.

  I like DERMAdoctor Ain't Misbehavin' Intensive Medicated Blackhead Treatment(1oz/30ml) (US$42). This serum penetrates the pores to remove clogging blackheads, kills bacteria and trapped dirt all while minimizing the appearance of pores. Blackheads appeared less frequently and my skin looked cleared and my pores more refined. I also like how this keeps zits at bay. 

 

I like Clinique Turnaround Concentrate Visible Skin Renewer 30ml/1oz US$54 from Straweberrynet.com. This time-released serum works to gently exfoliate and speeds up the cell renewal process revealing a brighter, fresher complexion with an even glow. I like how radiant my skin looks after this and how it evens out my complexion to remove traces of dullness.

I like Patricia Wexler's MMPi.20™ Skin Regenerating Serum (3.4oz/150ml) (US$150). This pink gel instantly hydrates while soothing fine lines and reversing the signs of aging to give you a healthy, glowing complexion. This also helps tame unruly brows so if you have them, just sweep a little over your brows and this serum will work like hair gel to keep your brows in place.

 

I like Clarins Double Serum Generation 6 Extra-Firming Botanical Intensive Care 2x15ml US$92 from Strawberrynet.com. This plant based serum is chock full of botanical benefits. The unique formula contains an oil and a water based serum that works together to bind essential moisture to hydrate and repair skin. Fine lines, wrinkles and dullness are erased. With regular use, my skin became softer, firmer and looked healthier. I take this to beach vacations where I slater this on twice daily after time spent in the sun. I know it sounds a tad passive-aggressive but this does help.

I also like Lancome High Resolution Collaser-48 Deep Collagen Anti-Wrinkle Serum 30ml/1oz US$45 from Strawberrynet.com. This rich anti-aging serum works to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles while plumping up skin to reveal younger, fuller looking skin. By stimulating collagen synthesis, this serum actively repairs and restores firmness and tone. I like how this instantly smoothes and hydrates, giving a healthy sheen. With regular use, my skin is firmer and healthier with reduction in lines.


I like Biotherm Line Peel Crystalescent Bio-Cellular Serum 30ml/1oz US$59 at Strawberrynet.com. This serum works to gently peel off surface layers of skin, promoting renewal and an even, healthier slate without fine lines and wrinkles. I like the glow I get from using this and the overall freshness and radiance this leaves me. 

 

Keep checking back for the next installment of Style Flavors' Skin Care Guide where we'll dive into moisturizers.  

I am guilty of occasionally putting my skin to the test. Especially when it comes to treating the zits that so often pop up at the most inconvenient of times. My exceptionally oily skin also gets dehydrated and flaky with the once/twice monthly traveling I do and the stress that comes with everyday life.

For those trying skin moments, it is still important to follow a regular exfoliation routine. Exfoliation helps with slogging off dead skin cells while paving the way for fresher cells, refined pores and an overall even complexion.

I turn to this gentle exfoliating scrub for the periods when my skin needs a softer slogging action after all the rough handling. I like this cream scrub because it sloughs off dead skin cells effectively and yet very gently. Its microspheres speeds up cell renewal while removing impurities.

My skin feels fresher, smoother and softer after every use while looking cleaner and less dull. There is no tight feeling or dryness. Just comfort and a sense of well-being that comes with having healthy skin. Or healthy anything for that matter.

Get the Clarins Gentle Exfoliating Refiner 50ml/1.7oz for US$30 at Strawberry.net.

Years spent sun bathing and recklessly working on a golden tan without much protection has left my skin a bit damaged - uneven tone, age spots and fine lines. Now that I am older and wiser, I am trying very hard to reverse all these signs of premature aging.

I recently was on the market for a new day moisturizer - something that would even out my skin tone and fade those dark pesky brown spots. I picked a couple of my usual Clarins products and decided to pick this one up too.

One thing I like about this moisturizer is its oil-free formula which makes it quite compatible with my oily skin. It provides optimal hydration which is something I appreciate as my skin does get dry and flaky from all the acne treatments despite its oiliness.

This botanical formula works to slow down melanin production (the colored pigment that is produced when UV rays react with your skin cells) responsible for sun spots while fading existing ones to give you a fresher, brighter complexion.

My complexion was looked more even and there was a glow to my skin. My spots became lighter and appeared less visible. I like how this kept my skin hydrated all day which makes this a good companion during my winter travels. Plus, the nice, light scent doesn't hurt either.

Get the Clarins White Plus HP Protective Whitening Day Lotion SPF20 50ml/1.7oz for US$57.  

When I was younger, I've always envied models. You know those fortunate ones with razor cheekbones and defined faces. I wanted to be one of them. So I would try to suck in my cheeks to see how model-esque I would look. I didn't get far at all, obviously, but I remember thinking about how cool it would be if I had those facial definitions and enviable bone structure.

So when I lost my baby fat and started having some new definition to my face, I was pretty thrilled. And then I soon realized just how much everyone else wanted fuller faces because a fuller face gives a more youthful, younger appearance and as we age, we lose the tenacity of our skin (which accounts for sunken cheeks and loose skin).

The serum from Clarins claims to firms and treat wrinkles with antioxidants and powerful botanicals. I got a bottle and put it to the test. This dual serum contains an oil based serum and a water based serum; the way to properly apply this is to pump a dollop onto your palms and mix the two serums together on your palms before massaging the mixture onto your face.

The first thing that hits you is its nice floral scent. It did feel a tad sticky but I quickly got used to it. The next thing I noticed was how hydrated my skin became. I used this once after a prolonged time spent by the pool and my parched skin soaked this up and it helped my skin regained a balance.

With daily use, I noticed a glow and a radiance which is always a welcomed sight every morning. My skin felt firmer, especially at the cheek area, and it looked healthier. I, thankfully, do not have to deal with wrinkles as yet but I noticed the tiny fine lines I have improved with regular use of this.

I will bring this to every beach vacation and store it in the hotel fridge and apply it after every day spent in the sun. I did see an improvement in my skin's texture and tone and if anything, I should get another bottle for the coming Summer months.

Get the Clarins Double Serum Generation 6 Extra-Firming Botanical Intensive Care 2x15ml for US$82 at Strawberry.net.  

Vacations do come with their own stress and these stresses can manifest themselves into zits that will require stronger, dryer potions which in turn add to the dryness of your skin winter. I had to deal with this while in Italy along with flaking and tightness that just took its own sweet time to get better.

This cream turned out to a real skin-saver. My parched, flaky skin immediately became hydrated and with regular use, softer and healthier. Gone was the tightness and the discomfort.

With potent extracts of peanut oil to restore the hydrolipidic layer, hyarulonic acid to increase moisture retention and alfafa to stimulate collagen production while firming and regenerating.

Slap this on day and night or anything your skin needs an extra boost of moisture. A great travel companion.

Get this for US$48 (1.70z/50ml) at Sephora.

Plane rides and winters can cause even the oiliest skin to dry up and fake. This was what happened during the past 2.5 weeks in Italy. My skin was dehydrated and looking tired. I picked this up at the airport and it really came in handy.

The light texture goes on smoothly, easily and doesn't leave you with a sticky feeling which is a good quality because I tend to slap on another layer of moisturizer during the winter months and having my pores clogged is not something else I need to deal with.

With extracts of sugar cane to regulate moisture, shea butter to lock in moisture, ginseng to stimulate and refresh, olive and chestnut tree to nourish; this cream will ensure day long comfort.

The time release formula gives you protection from pre-mature aging day long. My skin felt better within the first two applications and looked better within days. This is also good for night use when you need another layer of protective care.

Get this for US$66.50 at Strawberry.Net.  

Pores become looser and more evident as you age; sun exposure, collagen depletion and environmental stresses are main contributors to enlarged pores. Although it is impossible to alter the physical shape of your pores; it is all dependent on genetics and your individual skin type, it is possible to maintain and keep your pores healthy and by doing so, reduce their appearance.

I've been using this serum for 2 weeks now and I am liking its lightweight texture which absorbs easily into your skin; so this is friendly for those of you living in humid climates. Its oil-controlling properties ensure your skin stays matt longer while providing a smoother, more refined skin texture.

My skin tone became more even and my pores looked more compact even up close. With regular use, this serum will help strengthen the walls of your pores and keep sebum production in check.  

Use this after your toner and before your daily moisturizer. Get this for US$46 (1.07oz/31ml)  at Nordstrom.

 

I picked this up when I was breaking out in Paris partly because of its handy travel friendly properties. The roll-on applicator ensures you don't have to apply it with your fingers - because one of the most common cause of zits is from touching your skin with dirty hands throughout the day. So even if you're stuck in traffic or in a situation where water and soap isn't readily available, you can still treat your zits.

The small lightweight size means you can throw this into your day bag or slip it into your pocket for on-the-go zit control. How great is that?

With extracts of zinc, vitamin B6 and white nettle to dry, clam and reduce redness from imperfections, you can make sure that that zit doesn't steal all the attention. While witch hazel and allantonin provides antioxidant and softening properties.

My zits were smaller after regular application; thanks in part to the salicylic acid present and were gone quicker that they would have without this. Gotta love convenience!

Get this for US$22 (0.17oz/5mlx2) at Nordstrom.