THE BEST FACE THIRST QUENCHERS, PERIOD
You could call 2014 the year of the prolonged winter, and baby it’s still so cold outside that it’s hard not to stop slathering facial reams, oils, and serums to retain a sense of balance. To help you get through these last dregs of winter, we tested lotions, potions, masks, and gels to come up with our hot list for cold weather hydration—which will hopefully put the cold’s lingering dry spell to rest. Here are our top picks.
Chanel Hydra Beauty Creme Riche ($87)
Made from the Camellia flower, which is known for its rare ability to bloom even in the winter, Chanel Hydra Beauty Creme Riche is one of the best versatile (day and night) creams you can buy for cold weather. The sumptuously textured cream is also formulated with blue ginger, which is known for its nutritive benefits. Camellia Oil makes its way into the cream as well. While the cream is intensely hydrating, the texture is light and non greasy, which means sensitive skins and those prone to breakouts will do well with this.
Erno Laszlo Hydra Therapy Skin Vitality Mask ($65)
You’ll have to play mixologist with this one (there is an Activator packet and four vials of fluid that you have to mix together to get a salmon-colored cooling gel) but this hydrating mask instantly cools and plumps the skin. The mask lowers skin temperature to reduce stress from pollution, travel, and the elements. It’s worth the extra time and effort and the results are immediate; your skin will feel as though a fresh water lake washed over your face—in the best way possible. One mask is sold every five minutes somewhere in the world.
Tip: Use this mask at nighttime and use a thick moisturizing cream afterwards for best results.
Guerlain Orchidee Imperiale Rich Cream ($450)
The most hydrating rich cream from the Guerlain family is an ivory cream that promises—and delivers —penthouse standards of hydration with every rub. It features Guerlain’s Gold Orchid Technology, which creates a texture so rich (think, the consistency of finely whipped milk) that you will wonder if this is what Snow White rubbed on her skin to make it so soft. Formulated with gold orchid, which is quite rare and native to higher altitudes (mostly in Nepal, India and China), the cream immediately nourishes and hydrates even the most parched of skins. In all honesty, this rich investment could create initial sticker shock but what you receive is a hydrating cream that truly works for a substantial portion of the day (reapplications are unnecessary) and a rich, hefty gold-lidded jar that will last you for months.
Tip: Marcus Monson, Guerlain National Celebrity Artist advises that you exfoliate the skin before application, and to wash hands and face in warm water before application. He says “apply the cream in large circular motions and work out to the cheeks concentrating more time on the cheeks as they always seem to be the driest areas of the complexion.”
Zelens Transformer Instant Renewal Mask and Z-22 Face Oil ($195, $109)
Both of these creations by Dr. Marko Lens are excellent thirst quenchers and the Transformer Instant Renewal Mask is even used in his “Red Carpet” facials. In just 15 minutes, this light mask hydrates and helps your skin turn back the clock to a more hydrated former self. The Transformer Mask uses a bio-energizing and oxygen complex, as well as high potency enzymes. It also contains lower molecular weight hyaluronic acid that provides needed moisture. The Z-22 is a bouquet of 22 essential oils specifically chosen by Dr. Lens; I use this at night when my skin needs an additional softer hydrating layer and wake up with my face feeling completely nourished rather than dry and taut.
Sarah McNamara Miracle Balm ($36)
Miracle Skin Transformer’s latest product is a blend of 30 moisturizers: the Miracle Balm heals, repairs and of course, hydrates. It contains exotic ingredients as well, including organic Tamanu Oil, Blue Mountain Sage Oil, and palm, monoi, and moringa butters. Believe it or not, the combination includes Manuka honey, which is native to New Zealand, and used to fight off infection and help with healing. I use this almost daily, and especially when my skin needs a quick quench fix.
Neova DNA Barrier Accelerator ($105)
Vitamins are important to bolster your immune system but your skin could use a little more TLC than that. Enter Neova, a hyperactive serum that protects your skin from the harmful damage caused by UV rays, preserving moisture, and repairing and protecting skin. The hydrating component comes from four key ingredients: DNA CoFactor, Merospheres, Lactomide, and Linoleic Acid, which work overtime by shielding skin from enemy aggressors. The result is not just increased hydration, it’s moisture preservation (and if you don’t believe me, perhaps you’ll believe the TEWL score or Trans Epidermal Water Loss, the standard diagnostic method for measuring moisture, which went down by 12.6% in those who used Neova).
While it is marketed as a serum, it’s quite a heavy creamy consistency as far as serums go, so I use it as a daily moisturizer to find moisture’s sugar mommy.
NARS Multi-action Hydrating Toner ($32)
A toner that can hydrate? Finally, yes. After years of putting toners that sap every ounce of moisture on my face, I am thankful for this product, which is gentle and an excellent addition to my skincare routine. Best of all, it can be used with any moisturizer, and is free from alcohol and also exfoliates skin. It is formulated with NARS exclusive Light Reflecting Complex™ and wild rose extract. The result is refreshed skin that feels it has woken from a sound night’s sleep, all with a splash.
Kinara Nighttime Skin Quencher ($75)
Nighttime Skin Quencher from Kinara also provides non irritating exfoliation, which makes it a valuable multifunctional addition to your beauty cabinet. Several ingredients make this rich cream what it is: a deep, deep hydrator. It contains anti-oxidants, natural extracts including green tea, sugar cane, rice bran, soy protein, and Multifruit BSC, specifically included for nighttime benefits. The cream plumps and helps reduce wrinkles and truly comforts skin better than a facial. It also combats uneven pigmentation, making this skin quencher a win win win.
Sulwhasoo Overnight Vitalizing Mask ($50)
This light overnight mask is formulated with Korean medicinal herbs and also with walnut extract, which can create another layer of welcome moisture for your skin. It also contains hyaluronic acid to promote long-term hydration. Overnight masks are such a treat because you wake up feeling doubly rested: first from your natural sleep and second from the beauty products absorbed into your skin throughout the night. I also use this mask during flights, especially when I have to sleep and get back on pace through red eye itineraries etc. Plus, it’s gentle enough for all skin types.
DOVE RETHINKS ARMPITS
First Dove challenged stereotypes with its Campaign for Real Beauty, advertisements that featured real women with real curves and celebrated attainable beauty. Now, the Unilever brand wants you to think differently about your armpits. The New Dove Advanced Care Anti-Perspirant/Deodorant is specially formulated to fight odor and wetness but also reverse the discoloration and dryness associated with regular shaving.
“Shaving, as we know can be irritating to skin even with the best of razors,” said New York dermatologist Ellen Marmur, MD, at a Dove press event in New York City. “Fifty percent of moisture is lost when we shave the skin in our armpit, which can lead to dryness and sensitivity.”
The new Dove deodorant comes in two varieties, regular and clear, and neither leave residue or white marks on the skin or clothes. Dove Advanced Care Anti-Perspirant/Dodorant ($4.99 to $6.49) offers eight different scents to choose from ranging from a traditional floral powdery scent to a plum sakura blossom and an unscented hypo-allergenic option. Dove Advanced Care Clear Tone Anti-Perspirant/Deodorant comes in two floral scents and one citrus.
Each variety promises 48-hour odor and wetness protection—good to know in case you forget to bring your deo to the gym before going to work one day. They are formulated with calendula, a flower in the daisy family, which helps keep underarm skin from turning dark because of shaving. Moisturizing benefits derive from ingredients borrowed from Unilever’s skincare library and include hydroxyethylurea, an efficacious moisturizer, and polyuethylene glycol, which helps deliver ingredients to the skin.
Armpits—you may not devote much time thinking about them, and thanks to Dove even less time now.
Photo Credit: The Charu Polish
NAILS INC. INTRODUCES COUTURE PERSONALIZED NAIL POLISH
More than ever, customizable bespoke items are taking center stage in beauty from hair color to nail polish.
British brands have taken nail couture up a notch (we’ve always loved Ciate) and now Nails Inc. presents a luxury nail must have in the form of its Couture range. It’s bespoke at its finest, just like the suits you’ll find at the British Saville Row. It’s also affordable.
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Basically the Couture by Nails Inc. allows you to pick your color, packaging, and label for a personalized presentation, all for $20!!. Just think of the possibilities in terms of shower gifts, hostess gifts, or holiday presents.
Just go to the Nails Inc. website to design your polish, using the following step:
1. Choose your personal color from the brand’s shade collection—from best-selling nudes (subtle beiges to sweet nothings akin to Essie’s Ballet Slippers; I like Pall Mall ) to the full-throttled blues and purples;
2. Choose your nail polish lid: you can adorn your polish with pearls, crystals, plain and shiny kinds in all sorts of colors. It’s wonderful when nail lacquers become jewelry on your vanity;
3. Create the label and name your polish;
4. Design your own personalized gift box complete with sticker logos.
The polishes themselves go on well, and two coats (sometimes three, with the paler ones) lasts a week with no chips provided you put a good base and top coat on. But because this is so unusual, the results (the hefty bottle, the sparkling cap, the personal shade you pick out) are a bit like you shopped with a good nail stylist. It obviously also makes for a great gift, particular for the younger set who wants a one of a kind item.
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