The last emperor

I recently read that the average woman sees her first wrinkle aged nineteen.

Then I was browsing WWD and found this ...

Image via WWD

I can only conclude that no matter how many birthdays you have, faux tan is no substitute for the power of sunscreen, skincare and (kabbalah) water.

Eeek!

About face.

I've noticed a lot of women spend an endless amount of time and money on products based on which celeb is spruiking it, the hype, and the shiny packaging.

I don't claim to be immune to this - certainly not, because nothing gets my attention like a bit of carefully placed bling, or a shiny haired, poreless spokesmodel.

But I've come to realise that over time I keep going back to a group of go-to products which has withstood the test of time.

These are the goods (IMHO), and are worthy of your attention.

Click for product information!

Here's some of my picks ...

• Neutrogena cleansers - I like to rotate within the range. A personal favourite is the Deep Clean Cream Cleanser. I think I love it more cos you can buy it in the supermarket!
  
• Neostrata Ultra Smoothing Lotion - An absolute winner. No nonsense. All action. I like it!
  
• Paula's Choice BHA liquid - I've tried numerous other "skin smoothers" of this ilk, and The Paula's is still the best, naff packaging and all.
  
• Kiehl's Microderm scrub - I'm sounding like an exfoliant addict now... But it's really good. And I use it (only) once a month.
  
• Neutrogena sunscreen - See my review for Primped here
  
• Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Gold Capsules - I apply one of these maybe once a week before bed, and awaken with amazingly soft skin. And they come in delightful capsules you can stash in your travel kit! A great choice for in-flight hydration.

It should be noted here that I have combination skin. This list makes my skin sound schizophrenic. And most days it is - so there's a little something in this list for everyone!

Primped VIP: Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunscreen Lotion

For the purposes of this Primped VIP review I had the the boy J, test this out on his weekend squidding jaunt.



It was a bit of a struggle to get some feedback but I think J made some great points:

• It's not greasy at all (J is a regular user of "man product" and grease is enemy number one)
  
• It smells like sunscreen (translation: It doesn't have a strong frangrance, and is suitable for men and women, even those of us who find strong scents overpowering)
• It lasted a really long time (we were out from 11am to 2 pm, after having applied it at 10.30am before leaving the house)
• I didn't burn (which is ultimately what we're trying to avoid!)

I used it too - and though I wasn't actively fishing or squidding, another delightful plus side of this particular product is that sand doesn't stick to the powder dry finish!

Primped VIP: Nelsons Pure & Clear

The lovely ladies at Primped sent out a care package to me, laden with loot for review as part of their Primped VIP club.

In my test batch is Nelsons Pure & Clear Purifying Daily Facial Wash (aka zingy fresh face gel) and Acne Pimple Gel (aka cream that takes away the ouch).

I do wish I was blessed with perfect skin that didn't require all of this, but alas...

I tested out the Purifying Daily Facial Wash, after removing my make up with my trusty Neutrogena Make up Remover.

Ingredients: aqua, polysorbate 20, disodium laureth sulfosuccinate (vegetable source), cocamidopropyl betaine (coconut source), chondrus crispus (carrageenan seaweed) extract, phenoxyethanol, arnica montana extract, benzyl alcohol, calendula extract, hypericum extract, xantum gum, tea tree oil, lavender oil, limonene (essential oil source), grapefruit oil, linalool (essential oil source), petigrain oil.

• This stuff feels and smells remarkably fresh like I just washed my face in a garden bed of herbs. But in a good way.
• It made my skin feel squeaky clean - it was satisfying to see the dirt wash away, but didn't leave my skin dry.
• The light foaming action was probably what they were aiming for when they made this range sodium lauryl sulphate free. It also has a cool jelly texture from the addition of seaweed as the base ingredient.
• Tea tree oil, Arnica and Calendula are the "active" ingredients. I normally find Tea tree oil products way too drying, but this seems to be doing the trick.
• Arnica is an old-school remedy for bruises - having used it in creams for that purpose before, I'm interested to see if the addition to this range improves the overall ickiness of blemishes.

To follow up, I used the Acne and pimple gel post-cleanse on top of my usual Neostrata Ultra Smoothing Lotion.

Ingredients: aqua, alcohol, tea tree oil, arnica montana extract, calendula extract, hypericum extract, triethanolamine, carbomer, limonene (tea tree oil source), linalool (tea tree oil source)

• Great texture. Maybe it's just me, but treatment creams always seem to be a bit too runny to truly stay where I put them. This has a thick gel consistency which certainly met it's mark (the horrible blind mofo on the tip of my lip).
• Smells strongly of Tea tree oil. This doesn't bother me too much, but might be an issue if you're sensitive to that kind of thing.
• It absorbs quickly and dries to a matt finish - see great potential for this as a pre-makeup fix.
• Also contains Arnica - in this case, intended to calm and soothe red spots. I think this actually worked in this instance.
  
• Only gripe is the ethanol base. This is probably acting as a preservative, and also speeds up evaporation of excess moisture (from the product), but sensitive skinned folk beware - this could dry you out. So use with care.

All in all I found these products nice to use - good packaging, reasonably priced - about $20 clams retail, and seemingly chockers with good natural ingredients.

I am impressed with the no-nonsense very clear ingredient listing, which is often my major gripe with "natural" skincare brands. Most consumers don't know what Melaleuca alternifolia oil is, and Nelsons have (kindly) remedied that by putting the conventional names clearly in brackets next to each botanical listed.

Props Nelsons! The Beauty Brains would be pleased, regardless of how efficacious your product is.

Loving

L'oreal paris Derma Genesis
Pore Minimising Smoothing Serum

Kiehls: now in bulk, and other recent discoveries...

Am very excited to note that Kiehls has just unveiled a 1 litre pump pack size of Creme de Corps for a limited time!

Now, if I could just convince the folks in Kiehls land to package the Epidermal Retexturising Micro-Dermabrasion scrub in a giant tube...I've kept my tube in the shower, and use it mixed with body wash and face wash - just the most gentle scrub sloughs off any skin past it's use by in a flash. (And it works wonders on my often neglected feet and hands)

Both available from Mecca Cosmetica and Kiehls freestanding stores.

My recession-friendly find of the week is Neutrogena's Pore Refining Cleanser.
Contains alpha and beta hydroxy acids and microbeads for thorough cleansing with a gentle exfoliating effect. It's halfway between a cream and a foaming cleanser and has proven to be great vaule for money, for a 200ml tube at under $15.And while I'm recommending two exfoliantastic products here today ... don't get all crazy and start exfoliating twice a day every day. I hear skin cells do stop regenerating after a while.

Take note. According to the dermatologists quoted in every chick-mag I've read, it's the sure fire way to age prematurely. And we wouldn't want that now, would we?

Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream

Claiming to beat rival anti-ageing creams on the market with $350 price tags*, Olay has launched their new Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream in Australia.

This is the very same cream which sold out within hours in the US and UK, and left others on waiting lists a mile long. Sounds like a winner. Or like I'm describing a new Hermes Birkin.

All the same, after reading about this online for the last few months, and quizzing the staff at my favourite Priceline for two weeks, I finally purchased this on Tuesday last week, from a Priceline salesperson who gave me a knowing smile. I hear the "official" launch is actually today, which makes me quite pleased to be ahead of the pack without even trying.

So, what's in it for me?

'Get beautifully fresh, younger-looking skin around the 3 hardest to treat areas - the eyes, jaw line and neck - with Olay's most concentrated amino-peptide formula ever. It helps you achieve dramatically younger-looking skin.'

More specifically, Hyaluronic acid (seen more recently in the L'Oreal Dermagenesis range) and peptides to keep things smooth, plump and generally good looking. Noteworthy is the addition of Mica (which you may be familiar with from most mineral make up lines), which acts as a complexion enhancer.

I personally enjoy the fresh apple scent, and the smooth non-greasy texture. It's moisturising, but not heavy, which is a big plus for oily-combination skin like mine.

I'm still waiting for a miracle, but in the interim this is doing well. Particularly when you consider the price tag $49.99 (I got it for $39.99 on sale). Worth checking out.


* Based on a Good Housekeeping Magazine study from 2007, which put this cream up against it's much exxier counterparts, including La Mer and La Prairie.