Skin care - 2/12 - Café Makeup

Omorovicza Intensive Hydra-Lifting Cream Review

Feb 232013

Omorovicza Intensive Hydra Lifting 1

Omorovicza has just released a new moisturizer, the Omorovicza Intensive Hydra Lifting Cream ($225/1.7 oz.). This is a very rich, luxurious formula in a heavy, frosted beautiful glass container. This is the perfect time for this review, as we are in the February doldrums–with cold, dry air stressing out my skin I wanted an excellent quality moisturizer to get my skin ready for the Spring.

Omorovicza Intensive Hydra-Lifting Cream 4

I first tried this on a day where my skin was irritated, red, peeling and very unhappy. My instinct is to stay away from new products on such days, lest I risk more problems. As I’m becoming more accustomed with Omorovicza’s products, I proceeded nonetheless. In my experience, this line is extremely healing. Based on my past use of their products, I’m really gaining confidence that this line delivers. If my skin was going to recover, it was going to be with Omorovicza’s Intensive Hydra-Lifting Cream.

Omorovicza Intensive Hydra Lifting cream 3

As I was getting my errands and blogging done around the house that morning, I checked my skin every hour so. Gradually, over the course of a few hours, my skin started to lift, glow, and the dry patches were actually starting to heal. Although I had planned to wear a heavier foundation stick that day, I instead went with a light powder. That’s just priceless to me–visible results that shave off skin problems simply does not happen with every beauty product.

Omorovicza Intensive Hydra Lifting 5

With those results, I started to wear Omorovicza Intensive Hydra Lifting Cream day and night. This morning, after applying my concealer, I went to answer some email. When I was done and went back to my makeup area, it took me a minute to figure out whether or not I had already applied my foundation. My skin simply didn’t need much correction after a few days of wear. I applied a light layer of Omorovicza BB Perfecting Cream, some bronzer, and I was done.

Omorovoricza Intensive Hydra Lifting Cream

Omorovicza’s Intensive Hydra-Lifting Cream is a soft white cream that disappears when applied on the skin

I’d have to say that I concur with the company’s description:

A rich, yet easily absorbed, anti-aging moisturiser formulated for every day use, this Intensive Hydra-Lifting Cream delivers instant lifting, visible plumping and prolonged, sustained firming.

Hyaluronic acid, encapsulated and micro-injected, plumps and resurfaces lines and wrinkles; it also provides long-lasting hydration
Wheat polysaccharide tightens the skin’s surface to visibly reduce the appearance of wrinkles
Dipalmitoyl Hydroxyproline, an amino-acid, remodels the surface of the skin
Arabian Myrrh plumps and redensifies the skin
Bifida ferment strengthens the skin’s immune system
Vitamin C provides anti-oxidant defense against free radicals and brightens tone

Ingredient list:

Bottom line, I think Omorovicza is persuading that their products are exceeding the performance of my other high end moisturizers, some of which cost more. This is a good time to look at the Omorovicza line, because there is currently an offer for a Omorovicza Spring Beauty Kit $107 value free on orders over $175. The company sent me one of the gifts, the bag is a soft patent large enough for a month in Paris, or where ever your travels take you. The sample sizes are quite large and usable so that you can really test them out:

Omorovicza 3

The kit contains the following:

· Queen of Hungary Mist (30 ml)

· Copper Peel (2 tubes)

· Instant Plumping Cream (5 ml)

· Deep Cleansing Mask (15 ml)

Omorovicza gift

I haven’t tried these sample sized products out yet, but you can bet that these will keep me busy for a spa day at home very soon.

Bottom line: Omorovicza’s Intensive Hydra-Lifting Cream is an intensive moisture experience, for serious hydration, repair and noticeable results.

Omorovicza sent these products to Cafe Makeup without charge for consideration for review. This post contains affiliate links (for more information, see About Cafe Makeup)

Invisible Zinc UV Silk Shield Foundation Review

Foundation, Skin care 9 Responses »

Feb 192013

Invisible Zinc Foundation01

One of the best things that anyone can do to prevent aging is to wear sun protection. Invisible Zinc is a company that specializes in broad-spectrum physical sun protection using ingredients formulated to look invisible to the eye. According to the company, this formulation “uses Zinc Oxide which although invisible to the naked eye still provides outstanding broad spectrum protection against UVA and UVB rays.” An Australian company, these products are are rated at SPF 30+, the highest rating available to products in that country. This is available at Cult Beauty (use free ship code MAKEUP25 to standard shipping on all orders over £25 except for Escentric Molecules).

Invisible Zinc Foundation04

Living in California, and sometimes traveling to sunny, humid climates, I’m quite interested in sunscreen-intensive makeup products. I prefer physical sun protection, as more stable and less irritating solution compared to chemical sunscreens (although I’ll take a product with a mix of physical and chemical.

Invisible Zinc Foundation08

In the past, I’ve used Elta MD Physical SPF 41 as a tinted physical sunscreen that can be worn instead of foundation as well as Shiseido Sun Protection SPF 42 PA+++ Liquid Foundation. Invisible Zinc is sold in a stick form in three shades: light, medium and tan (I tested the lightest shade).

Invisible Zinc Foundation05

Invisible Zinc is a creamy, medium-to-full coverage foundation that feels pleasant on the skin. Some of my efforts to try a high-SPF foundations have not been successful–as one example, I washed off Smashbox BB Cream SPF 35 before an hour because of the heavy sunscreen scent and heavy feeling on my skin. By comparison, Invisible Zinc UV Silk Shield gives serious coverage but feels light. The scent is very subtle (you have to get close the tube to pick any scent up) and fades very quickly. It feels very pleasant, and allows my skin to breathe.

Keeping in mind that this is a functional foundation, I planned to use this for trips to the pool, beach, or outdoors for long walks. For that format, nothing beats a stick format (no shaking required!). In the convenience department, Invisible Zinc wins out over Shiseido’s liquid. I found it held up well for a good 7-8 hours before I started to feel a need to touch up on my combination skin. It’s pretty easy to pull a stick foundation out and blend in some coverage (adding my Nars 413 Blkr Street Multiple completes the look). My testing days (which were mostly in-office days) led me to conclude that Invisible Zinc UV Silk Shield gave me a pretty finish that was far better than the rougher-textured Elta MD Physical SPF 41.

The ingredient list for the Invisible Zinc UV Silk Shield is above (click to enlarge). For a workhorse sunscreen, I was very impressed by Invisible Zinc. I’d love to test it the next time that I go to a very humid climate, but I did find that the foundation held up beautifully in the more temperate, sunny Northern California testing ground. With the addition of some Guerlain finishing powder, I found that Invisible Zinc gave me a great look that I’d be pleased to wear any day of the week. As an aside, the three finishing powders that I tried (on three different days) were the Geurlain Illuminating and Mattifying, Guerlain Meteorites, and the Guerlain Voyage Meteorites.

Here are a few quick swipes to show how the Invisible Zinc UV Silk Shield in Light compares to Chanel Lift Lumiere in Ivoire and MAC Pro Longwear in NC15. To my eye, it’s close to the MAC NC15 shade:

Invisible Zinc Foundation10

Bottom line: For anyone interested in a great, stable foundation this is well worth it. This foundation is available in the US from Cult Beauty, which also sells several additional products from the line. (use free ship code MAKEUP25 to standard shipping on all orders over £25 except for Escentric Molecules).

Invisible Zinc was sent to Cafe Makeup by Cult Beauty without charge for consideration for review. This post contains affiliate links (for more information, see About Cafe Makeup)

Le Metier de Beaute Ultra Hydration Eye Mask Duo Review

Le Metier de Beaute, Skin care 6 Responses »

Feb 122013

Le Metier eye mask 6

Le Metier de Beaute is releasing the Ultra Hydration Eye Mask Duo ($150/pack of 8). For northern California buyers, Jennifer at Neiman Marcus can help you with these (415-362-3900).

Le Metier’s Ultra Hydration Masks include eight envelopes, each of which contain two patches applied to the eye area to provide an instant moisture infusion into the skin. These are wet to the touch with a seaweed-based patch, and are intended to hydrate, soothe, and provide these other skin benefits:

- Reduce undereye redness and soothe

- Diminish puffiness

- Provide a smoother undereye area

These jelly-like mask are housed in a foil envelope to keep them fresh. When you open the pouch, you can see these two bean-shaped patches are ready to go:

Le metier eye mask 2

One of the features that makes the Le Metier Ultra Hydration Duo unique is the translucent aspect of the mask. On Liz:

Le Metier eye mask 3

I think we’ve all surprised our friends and families with our all-white paper masks, or green concoctions that we’ve worn during our at-home spa days. Le Metier’s eye mask has a high-techie coolness that will far less startling for those who share our home because these little masks are transparent. They would be awesome for a spa party, of course. For the brave, they would be nice for all-night flight (once the cabin lights are down), or maybe even a late-night commute alone in a car. I used to have to drive two hours, these masks certainly would have made the ride more enjoyable. They feel like a luxurious treat, and something that will undoubtedly make the toll-booth operator look twice.

Le Metier eye mask 4

I’ve used a similar product from Chanel, the Ultra Correction Total Eye Revitalizer ($125/10 pieces). The Chanel is a two-piece system, with a separate tube of product that is applied to the eye prior to placing the mask on the eye. The Chanel system, which uses a separate applicator for the hydrating serum, has a metal ball that must be run over the eye area. In contrast, the Le Metier system is a single-use all-in-one solution. For Le Metier, one simply opens the pouch, place these on the eye area, and leave on for a cooling, calming, hydrating 15 minutes.

Chanel eye mask

Of course, with the Chanel system one is wearing a white paper under the eye with “Chanel Chanel Chanel” printed all over it. It’s not a bad look (Chanel never is, in my book), but it’s certainly extremely noticeable if one is answering the door.

Overall, Chanel has a less expensive system, as it sells for a lower price for more applications (never thought I’d say that). Note that the Chanel system’s separate serum can continue to be used after all of the eye masks are gone (in my experience, there is more than ten applications in the serum tube, so you can whisk it over your eye before applying your makeup for the day even if you aren’t wearing the masks anymore).However, the Chanel lacks the convenience compared to Le Metier (never thought I’d say that either). If one is crashing at home for some quality time with an at-home mani/pedi, there’s something quite luxurious about opening up the Le Metier system and being ready to go. If you enlarge this image, you can see the ingredients for Le Metier Ultra Hydration Mask at the bottom of the pouch:

I have to give Le Metier points for innovation on this one. Overall, Le Metier’s Ultra Hydration Eye Mask Duo is a luxurious at-home spa treat. I wish the price were a bit lower for these as single-use products, but we are discussing the high end of the ranges for skincare. According to Le Metier, these are gentle enough to use everyday and should be left on for 15 minutes.

For northern California buyers, Jennifer at Neiman Marcus can help you with these (415-362-3900). Tell her Cafe Makeup sent you!

Cafe Makeup was provided with with one foil pouch without charge for consideration for review.

Nars Gentle Cream Cleanser Review and Nars Skincare Travel Sets

NARS, Skin care 5 Responses »

Jan 032013

Nars Skincare 15

Nars Gentle Cream Cleanser ($29/ available here) has been a lifesaver on my winter-stressed skin. This is a lightweight but very thorough cleanser that is extremely pleasant to use. It allows me to cleanse my skin, leaving it feeling clean but without feeling stripped of moisture.

According to Nars:

A gentle, creamy cleanser that helps to maintain skin’s moisture balance while removing makeup and impurities. Infused with Monoï Oil, Wild Rose Extract, and Chamomile, it leaves skin feeling soft and looking radiant.

Contains the NARS exclusive Light Reflecting Complex™ designed to restore skin’s youthful radiance and reflect light like a prism.

Ideal for normal, dry and seasonally dry skin.
Dermatologist Tested & Non-Comedogenic
Synthetic Fragrance Free, Paraben Free, Alcohol Free

There is a slight, pleasant fragrance which I find mildly addictive because it is both comforting and fresh. I love this stuff (and, yes, it also works well on a Clarisonic).

If you are checking into this product, you will find it is part of Nars Moisture Travel Set ($140/ available here). This contains a mix of Nars skincare products that were reformulated during Fall 2012. This is a very lightweight line, designed to improve the skin’s luminousity and youthfulness. The set includes:

Full sized 15ml Total Replenishing Eye Cream
30 ml Optimal Brightening Concentrate
50ml Multi-Action Hydrating Toner
30ml Gentle Cream Cleanser
15ml Luminous Moisture Cream
Deluxe NARSskin Travel Bag

This set is designed for normal to dry skin:

NARSskin Luminous Moisture Travel set-1

For those with oily/combination skin, look for the Nars Luminous Aqua Travel set ($140/available here). This includes a different cleanser (a gel), and the very lightweight Aqua Gel Luminous Oil-Free Moisturizer (reviewed here), which is one of the most effective lightweight moisturizers I’ve experienced. The full details of this set are:

Full sized 15ml Total Replenishing Eye Cream
30 ml Optimal Brightening Concentrate
50ml Multi-Action Hydrating Toner
30ml Purifying Foam Cleanser
15ml Aqua Gel Luminous Oil-Free Moisturizer
Deluxe NARSskin Travel Bag

Both sets include the Optimal Brightening Complex, a lightweight pearly primer/skincare solution designed to fade dark spots and repair skin.

NARSskin Luminous Aqua Travel Set

Both sets come in a travel bag, which is opaque (and therefore should go in luggage on flights, not carry on):

NARSskin Travel Bag

The sizes are pretty generous on these–the toner (which feels like a micellaire toner but without leaving as much residue) is 1.6 ounces. The gel moisturizer size is 30 ml., which translates to over an ounce. Based on my average use, I could see taking one of these on a month-long trip (or several shorter ones) and having plenty of product to use. The sets are available online at Nars Cosmetics online.

Nars PR sent the Nars Gentle Cream Cleanser to Cafe Makeup without charge for consideration for review. This post includes affiliate links. For more information, please see About Cafe Makeup.

Perricone MD Hair & Nails Formula Supplement Review

Perricone MD, Skin care 3 Responses »

Dec 242012

Perricone Hair and Nail1

As you likely know, Perricone MD offers a line of health and beauty supplements, including the Perricone MD Hair and Nails Formula ($95/ 30 day supply). Inside, the supplements are packaged in individual sleeves that ensure that you take them in the correct order.

Perricone Vitamins1a

The supplements are designed to offer high-quality, effective ingredients. Perricone MD outlines the benefits as offering “the essential building blocks for hair and nail health,” namely:

- Biotin, an essential nutrient that plays an important role in the formation of keratin to support healthy, strong nails
- High levels of antioxidants to protect hair and nails from environmental damage
- Dr. Perricone’s exclusive Forever Young blend of extracts (watercress, dark cocoa, chili pepper, turmeric, and more) with a high level of antioxidant protection
- Omega 3’s sourced from wild Alaskan sockeye salmon for overall health and radiance

I have to admit that I’m a strong believer that beauty starts from the inside. When I’m eating correctly, exercising, hydrating properly, everything else falls into place. There are a thousand different reasons that I start a supplement regimen and then stop. My main goal is overall health, but of course some beauty benefits are a nice plus!

Perricone Hair and Nail4a

In the past, I’ve taken biotin and omega 3 supplements, but I’m never quite sure that I’m taking the correct amount, or whether the quality of the supplements that I’ve purchased is adequate. Also, if I suffer a breakout or an upset tummy, I’m never certain whether to blame the supplements. I’ve wandered a few health food store aisles wondering if I should buy the refrigerated Omega 3′s, or the shelf brands are perfectly fine. Basically, there are very few ways for me to tell which ones are worth taking.

To me, the best features of Perricone MD vitamins is the trust factor, the lack of any noticeable adverse side effects (no breakouts, no upset tummy at all), and the convenience factor that facilitates following the program. The trust factor is the most important to me–I’ve been reading Dr. Perricone’s Forever Young: The Science of Nutrigenomics for Glowing, Wrinkle-Free Skin and Radiant Health at Every Age, and his email advice (also reproduced here on his blog) and his advice is really spot-on for me. He holds several patents, and has a scientific justification for his products. The passion for the science of beauty wins me over every time.

I finished my 30 day supply without skipping a day despite racking up over 10,000 airline miles during the same period. I was able to place enough of these sleeves in a carry-on pocket for the lengths of my journey, which took minimal space and eliminated any bulky bottle-rattling and without any need for refrigeration.

I usually took these after a meal, with a glass of water as suggested by Dr. Perricone on the packaging. As an aside, the packages are marked “1,” “2,” and “3″ to designed the suggested order that you take them. On my crises days, sometimes I realized that I was taking them out of order (oops!) but didn’t notice any difference. Here are the product details (click to enlarge):

Supplements are a long-term commitment, and I didn’t expect miracles in 30 days. I notice that my nails are softer and moisturized, and my skin is looking vibrant. I’m not sure how much is attributable to the supplements, as I’m testing out skincare frequently these days. As I finished this box, I contemplated a replacement. Because I loved the convenience factor and because my goal is overall health, I’ve purchased Perricone MD Skin and Total Body Supplements which appears to be a more comprehensive program. I purchased it during a Friends and Family promotion on the site–you might wish to register your email with the site, because there are large samples and auto-ship discounts that pop up with some regularity.

Overall, I was pleased and impressed with the ease, convenience, and overall quality of Perricone MD Hair & Nails Formula, so much so that I’m excited to try other supplements in the line. If you are thinking of starting a New Year’s regimen, these are definitely worth a look.

Perricone MD sent these supplements to Cafe Makeup without charge for consideration for review.

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