Dermalogica on Twitter

Though Supertramp may not have written any lyrics to this tune, both you and your skin will thank you for tuning in. Don’t worry if you’re new to the brand , or aren’t sure which products are best suited to your own individual needs: never fear, speed mapping is here! (N.B. As handy and informative as this tool is, Dermalogica also recommends paying a visit to an authorized skin center and consulting with an esthetician. I plan to do just that: I’ll let you know how everything goes after my appointment with Carolyn at Miracles Hair Studio next weekend.)

Of course, being the overly-enthusiastic beauty junkie and blogger that I am, I couldn’t stand to wait until then to try some of their products. My Beauty Bunny’s loyal followers know how much I love spreading the word about the ones I adore–and naturally I adore those which have had yielded the most promising results! However, because I am so impressed with the plethora of editorial and educational content featured on Dermalogica’s site, I want to share a bit of company information I’ve picked up first:

We’re Not Pretty (Or beautiful. Or pampering. Or luxury.)
We’re far too interested in guiding you to a new level of skin health fitness! So, while our packaging may not be designed to color-coordinate with your bathroom, you can always be sure that we’ve spent our time on delivering your skin the high-performance formulas it needs. Plus, we’ll never use common “beauty” ingredients like mineral oil, lanolin, artificial colors and fragrances or other cheap fillers. Sure, it’s easier to formulate with them–but the bottom line is–they’re just bad for your skin. Instead, we use ingredients that we know will work…for over 25 years we’ve been dedicated to delivering skin health results through education, innovation, and professional recommendation–not through advertising, frilly packaging, promises of miracle cures, or over-blown hype.

Sounds good to me; I would definitely rather use a product that works, as opposed to one that doesn’t, but is made to look otherwise. Also, in my opinion the so-called “nondescript” packaging stands out because it bears some resemblance to that which is used by fellow cruelty-free visionary Paul Mitchell.  But I digress…now, back to my regularly scheduled product review.

After mapping my complexion twice I decided to try the oily skin kit , as I’m new to the brand myself. For $35 (a great value!)you get 5 travel-sized bottles (1 each) of the recommended skin care regimen:

• dermal clay cleanser

• skin prep scrub

• muti-active toner

• oil control lotion

• climate control lip treatment

Also included are 2 additional samples:

• precleanse

• skin refining masque

Oily Skin Kit

Each product has been formulated to help clear, control oil production, hydrate (sounds counter-intuitive but as Jen mentions in pamper-yourself-at-home, even oily skin must maintain homeostasis), and restore one’s overall complexion to a healthier state–none of which require over-zealous scrubbing and exfoliating with harsh alcohol-based cleansers/toners etc. After all, Dermalogica would like to remind us that there’s nothing unclean about oily skin: it is simply an effect of hyper-active sebaceous (oil) glands producing excess sebum. Scouring the face as if it was a frying pan only causes the already over-wrought glands to think they’re not doing their job well enough, and that more surface oil is needed on the skin–when, in fact, the opposite is true!

For best results,  the directions listed on the packaged insert recommend beginning the twice-daily routine by prepping with Precleanse (be sure to rinse thoroughly in between the first two steps), followed by Dermal Clay cleanser, Multi-Active toner and Oil Control lotion.  Use the exfoliating Skin Prep scrub  and Skin Refining Masque once or twice a week–not concurrently–after regular cleansing; individual skin sensitivity should determine the frequency.  Since both treatments are pretty intense, you would probably want to only apply them at night.

Having read everything thus far, you may feel taken aback by the routine number of products involved and/or steps suggested for a full Dermalogica daily double-cleanse (a term coined by the brand), or worry that cutting corners might have an adverse effect on the end result.  If so, don’t feel bad–I will be the first to admit I don’t have time (nor am I willing to sacrifice the additional zzzzs required) to add extra steps to my morning regimen.  Moreover, I actually ran out of the Precleanse on the third day and still have noticed an overall improvement; I will be sure to ask my esthetician at Miracles for her expert advice about this concern when I meet with Carolyn on Saturday.

]]> http://www.mybeautybunny.com/2010/how-do-you-cure-those-mundane-skincare-blues-sing-the-dermalogical-song/feed/ 9 http://www.mybeautybunny.com/2009/luvalla-cruelty-free-favorite/ http://www.mybeautybunny.com/2009/luvalla-cruelty-free-favorite/#comments Sat, 26 Sep 2009 15:37:57 +0000 chiefbunny http://www.mybeautybunny.com/?p=2503 Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for another My Beauty Bunny Cruelty-Free Favorite!

I have to be honest. When French company, L’uvalla, contacted me about reviewing their products, I wasn’t expecting much. I had never heard of them, and we literally get hundreds of products to review, many of which don’t cut the mustard. (Why would you want to cut mustard? Oh, nevermind…)

I was so happy to find out that these are amazing products that work! I tried the Foaming Facial Cleanser, Eucalyptus Toner (comes in a gorgeous bottle), Balancing Day/Night Cream, Age Defying Day/Night Cream, Hydrating Milk Cleanser and Eye/Lip Anti-Wrinkle Cream.

My favorites are the day/night creams, and I am awarding the coveted My Beauty Bunny Cruelty-Free Favorite status to these products!

The Balancing Day/Night Cream is a fairly thick cream that manages to go on smooth and leave NO greasy residue! It’s perfect for my combination skin. It has essential oils (lotus flower, thyme, rosemary, clove, etc.) to treat acne and natural oils (such as argan oil and hazel seed oil) to nourish skin and heal acne wounds (don’t act like you don’t pick your zits – you know you do!).

A note on argan oil (perhaps you’ve heard of Kiehl’s new argan oil products): Argan oil was named by the NY Times as the next miracle ingredient in skincare. It contains twice the vitamin E as olive oil, 80% fatty acids (omega 6 and 9) and contains a high amount of squalene which helps the skin produce collagen.

It also smells wonderful – I like to inhale deeply while I’m putting it on – it relaxes me and makes me feel like I’m in a spa.

I also tried the Age-Defying Day/Night Cream. I was expecting this to be way too rich for my combination skin, but it actually makes a great night cream for me.

It’s wonderfully rich and creamy but not greasy at all. It also has the wonderful essential oil scent and DOES NOT MAKE ME BREAK OUT at all! Wow. This would be great for any skin type as a night cream, and for dry skin as a day cream. Because there’s no greasy residue, you can easily use this under makeup.

A few things you should know about L’uvalla – they are dedicated to using 100% natural and organic ingredients, they use no preservatives, they are vegan and 100% cruelty-free! I also love that they list all the ingredients on the packaging and on their website – something department store brands often don’t do.

Do not walk – run to get these products. Seriously – they are worth it!

What else? Oh yes – must wash the face.  Don’t want makeup and dirt seeping into my pores. But, should I put moisturizer on?  Will that clog my pores even more?  But, I don’t want that tight, dry feeling and I don’t want my face to be naked…

I have just the solution! A company called Violetta’s Garden makes the PERFECT pre-workout (or pre-sauna and pre-jacuzzi if you prefer) moisturizer. Their Rosehip Moisturizing Gel and Echinacea Hydrating Gel are made for combination to oily skin types. They don’t feel heavy or greasy at all – they just give you a thin veil of moisture, leaving you feeling fresh and toned.

Of course, you can use these any time, but I find them to be perfect before working out. Those of you who have oily skin will especially LOVE these products because they actually keep you from producing too much sebum (oil). I also recommend using Smashbox’s primer over the gel if you have SUPER oily skin.

The Rosehip gel smells wonderful – so the rest of you can be sweaty and stinky, but at least your face will smell good! It’s got essential oils and B vitamins to promote skin cell growth.

The Echinacea gel has anti-aging ingredients and natural sun protection (titanium dioxide) added to the mix.

Violetta’s Garden also makes their products by hand – in small batches to ensure freshness.

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I really wanted to find a moisturizer with sun protection, so when I found Peter Thomas Roth’s Max All Day Moisture Defense Cream with SPF 30 I was excited to try it.

The formula is lightweight and oil-free, yet it was moisturizing enough to keep my combination skin (with at times super dry cheeks) hydrated all day. The moisturizer immediately absorbs into the skin and also contains Vitamins A & E, which help fight the signs of aging.

I am really impressed with everything about this moisturizer. Not only does it give me the moisture, sun protection, and antioxidants my skin needs, but it does so without clogging a single pore. I’m pretty sure I can declare this mission accomplished.

Guest blogger Ella is a makeup artist, former cosmetic counter maven, and lover of all things beauty. She loves trying new products and can’t resist a great deal. She prides herself in her closet full of beauty supplies, which is bound to make even the most obsessed beauty junkie jealous.

Now, I have to tell you about their Chamomile & Grapefruit Moisturizer.  I love the zesty (yes, I said zesty), fresh scent and the germ-killing and toning properties of the grapefruit, witch hazel and neem oil.  It’s also got organic aloe, honey and coconut oil to retain moisture, and black willowbark to reduce inflammation.

It doesn’t make my sensitive skin freak out, which is a major plus in and of itself.  I really like that it’s a light moisturizer – not greasy at all and works well with my combination skin.  But, it’s not so light that you feel like it’s not doing anything.

It’s also relatively inexpensive – $20 for a product with this many great, organic ingredients is pretty darn good.  I also like the pretty cobalt glass pump (recyclable) and the classy label.  I like products that look good on my shelf – it makes me happy!

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