RED DOOR SPA DEBUTS SKINCARE COLLECTION
Ever since it’s cameo appearance in George Cukor’s 1939 film The Women, the Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa has been a worldwide icon for the best in skincare. Now, under the guidance of Cornelia Zicu, global chief creative officer for Red Door Spas, the venerable brand is launching its first spa-based skin and body care collection.
Comprising 42 face and body items, the Red Door Spa Professional® formulas are conceived as an extension of the services offered at the spa’s 30 nationwide locations. The goal is to help consumers extend the results of their treatments at home.
Cornelia Zicu says that this line has been decades in the making, and involved culling information from the spa’s many experienced estheticians. The result is a comprehensive collection that features three categories: Intensive Solutions, Customized Daily Essentials, and Body Renewal.
Intensive Solutions:
This features 16 concentrated products that target specific skincare concerns from premature skin aging to redness and discoloration. One of the range’s stars is Age Defense Multi- Peptide Moisturizer, which contains peptides to help relax wrinkle formation and liphophlic vitamin C to moisturize, improve skin tone, and stimulate collagen production. One of my favorite products is the Age Defense Hyaluronic Intensive Serum, a veritable waterfall of moisture for thirsty skin. In addition to hyaluronic acid, the humectant or all humectants, the serum contains vitamins A, C, and E, as well as beta glucan, which stimulates the functioning of the immune system and acts as a UV protectant. The prices of the Intensive Solution products range from $26 to $120.
Customized Daily Essentials:
With targeted systems for sensitive, oily, normal, and dry skins, Customized Daily Essentials offer cleansers, toners, moisturizers, masks, and sun protection as the basic building blocks of a personalized skincare regimen. Each of the specialized systems contains a cleanser, toner, moisturizer and mask. The Sensitive Skin System draws on soothing botanicals like chamomile, willow extract, and kola nut extract to calm and restore. Prices for Customized Daily Essentials range from $26 to $120.
Body Renewal:
This is one of my favorite line-ups in the collection, with extremely luxurious products ranging from three different body creams (a must!) to body washes, scrubs, balms, gel, and sprays. There are 10 luxurious body care products in all, and actually are the exact products used in the Red Door Spa’s treatments and services, which means both luxury and professional expertise in a jar. The idea behind these products is a healthful, youthful and toned appearance. It is the most affordable of the Red Door Professional categories, with price ranges from $22 to $45.
The Red Door Spa Professional collection is available exclusively at Red Door Spa locations nationwide.
A BEAUTY GIFT GUIDE FOR MOTHER’S DAY
Mom. Maman. Mum. ‘Ma.
No matter which part of the world you come from, chances are that your word for your mother is something heartfelt and meaningful. Mothers deserve respect everyday (take it from a new mom) but especially on Mother’s Day. Luckily, the beauty sphere is filled with precious items to show mom a truly great time. Here are a few gems sure to make mom smile and possibly even forget all the late nights, temper tantrums, soccer games, school plays, science projects, wedding jitters, late night calls, term papers………….
Korres Japanese Rose Body Wash and Body Butter ($19/$29 )
Photo Credit: Amazon.com
The Korres Body Wash is silky and sumptuous, and creates s a creamy foam that oozes luxury. Natural antioxidants are an added plus. The Body Butter is on the richer end of the moisturizing spectrum, and is nourishing to the skin, while restoring elasticity with shea butter and quince extracts. Of course, the rose is a symbol of romance, and has been for generations: give mom a modern twist of the classic with the Japanese version.
Sonia Kashuk Beauty Organizers ($24.99)
Lipsticks, gloss, jewelry, makeup palettes. All these add up and the last thing mom wants to see is clutter (didn’t all her years of nagging you to do chores get that point across?). She will be so surprised when you help her on the road to order with a beauty organizer, theoretically speaking. And practically, Sonia Kashuk’s little gems found at Target will do the trick, and they come in beautiful floral and yarn print designs.
ZO® Skin Health Level 11: Anti-Aging Program ($230)
Photo Credit: zoskinhealth.com
Give mom the gift of youthful skin with this anti aging skincare kit from the skin health master Dr. Zein Obagi. The secret weapon behind this program is the high concentrations of active ingredients including growth factors, retinol and enzymes. of retinol. The five-product system includes everything mom will need to fight lines, uneven skin tone, and loss of firmness—day and night. An added bonus: once she tries the Oclipse® Sunscreen + Primer SPF 30, no other makeup prep will do.
NARS Hearts New York City Limited Edition Palette ($75)
Photo Credit: NARS Cosmetics
New York City’s best-selling hues are all packaged in this incredibly detailed, artistic limited edition box. The set contains four eyeshadows as well as NARS’ must have Laguna Bronzing Powder and Amour Blush in a svelte, purse-friendly compact. It also contains lip gloss (Dolce Vita, a sheer dusty rose), and a blood-red nail lacquer (Chinatown) that will make mom’s look complete. It’s classic and thoughtful, and so very elegant for a very deserving woman.
mē Smooth Hair Removal Device ($395)
If you want to give your mom a gift she may not buy herself, try the mē Smooth. This is the first and only at-home hair removal device that has been FDA cleared to use on ALL skin types, a very big deal. It combines Intense Pulse Light with Radiofrequency energy to heat the hair follicle and inhibit hair growth. A full leg treatment takes only 10 minutes. Repeat for seven weeks in a row and then follow up once a month for smooth, silky legs. mē Smooth can be used anywhere below the neck; just adjust the treatment times according to the size of the targeted area.
LUSH Cosmetics Bath Bomb ($6.95)
Mom deserves a (cruelty-free) bath, so run to the store or order Lush Cosmetics’ Bath Bombs online. The Mumkin bubble bar is adorable and available exclusively for Mother’s Day: it features a fruity, raspberry fragrance, which crumbles under running water and is perfect for soothing away the day’s woes. There are also Cream of the Crop reusable bubble bath bar wands for mom, which are easy to swirl around the tub or in running water for scented bubbles. Group together a handful of the floral shaped wands for a lovely bouquet.
Atelier Cologne Rose Anonyme Coffret Baguette ($95)
Right in time for Mother’s Day comes an elegant, refined yet edgy coffret from the Atelier. Rose Anonyme is all about being a seductress, with sparkling tones. In this beautiful fragrance, Turkish rose absolute sparkles beneath notes of ginger, velvet oud, Indonesian patchouli, mystic papyrus, and Somalian incense. The result is zesty sensuousness. The coffret comes with a scented soap, as well as liner notes, all packaged in a beautiful giftable box.
Ralph Lauren Big Pink Pony with Essie Set ($45)
Photo Credit: macys.com
This is one of the most fun beauty partnerships we’ve seen this year: a colorful kit by Ralph Lauren Fragrances and Essie means mom can look good and smell heavenly. There are four distinctive and colorful kits, each with its own coordinated drawstring pouch. Each kit has a unique fragrance and personality: Sporty (#1), Sensual (#2), Free-Spirited (#3) and Stylish (#4). The drawstring bags contain a Big Pony EDT (30 ml), a Perfuming Body Mist (50g) and a corresponding Essie polish. In-store nail specialists will be offering manicures with the Big Pony colors at select Macy’s and Belk stores.
Spa Sonic System Face and Body Polisher ($65)
An at-home, affordable spa set that gives mom a polished, exfoliated look? Sign us up! The new Color Collection from Spa Sonic is brand new and makes for a chic gift. The Face and Body Polisher is a waterproof device that is designed to work in the shower. But unlike similar systems, it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. The kit comes with all the attachments you need to get the job done: a small brush for the face, a larger one for the body, pumice head for rough areas like elbows and heels, and a facial sponge for microdermabrasion. I’ve not seen a kit for this price give so much, and work so well. I’ve used both the Clarisonic and Spa Sonic and while the look of both is different, there’s no doubt that the Spa Sonic can perform comparably. The new colors are made for gifting!
Photo Credit: cremedelamer.com
LA MER JUMPS INTO SUMMER: SOLEIL DE LA MER REVIEW
Soleil de la Mer, the first sun care line from La Mer is bound to be ultra reparative and moisturizing, and I could not wait to try it before summer sets in. The collection includes everything you need to protect your skin while in the sun, and also to get a safe fake tan, including SPF 30 face lotion, SPF 30 body lotion, self-tanning lotion, and SPF 18 tinted fluid. Like all La Mer treatments, this line builds on the brand’s heritage. To boost the power of La Mer’s famous Miracle Broth, which was invented by creator Max Huber to heal serious skin burns, the sun range turns to algae to give it the nourishment and deep care needed for in-sun and post-sun skin repair.
Golden Algae Ferment is the star ingredient of the Soleil de la Mer products, and the idea behind this is to repair skin after time spent in the sun. The ferment is created with Laminaria Ochroleuca ( the official name for Golden Algae) as well as marine peptides and a blend of sea botanicals in a nod to Huber’s deep love of the ocean and its reparative properties. This type of algae is not your every day seaweed; it is found off France’s Brittany coast, and has the amazing characteristic of thriving in harsh conditions including intense sun and salty waters. By harnessing the resiliency of this ingredient, the Soleil de la Mer collection gives you not only sun protection, but anti-aging skin benefits as well, with the goal of reducing irritation, preventing moisture loss, and balancing pH.
Golden Algae actually works during and after UV exposure—think of it as an active ingredient triggered by sunlight exposure. In addition to providing protection powers, it is also a fabulous anti-aging ingredient and works to diminish fine lines and increase collagen production, which is a fab bonus in an SPF. La Mer has also infused the Soleil formulations with a blend of sea botanicals including red algae, and Restorative Waters, a mixture of leafy brown algae, lime tea extract, and other anti-oxidants including vitamin E.
How It Worked
For this review, I tried the Reparative Face Sun Lotion SPF 30 ($120). La Mer typically never disappoints and I loved the creamy texture of the lotion, and also its subtle fragrance, which is crisp and rich without being cloying. It goes on very easily, and sinks into the skin in an instant, with little rubbing. But as with any SPF, you need to massage it in gently. Use on the neck and ears, it has a cooling effect. The instant hydration and boost of moisture was hard not to notice, and it wore well throughout the day, including the peak hours in the punishing sun. Other products in the line include the Reparative Body Sun Lotion SPF 30 ($85), Face and Body Gradual Tan ($85), and SPF 18 Fluid Tint Broad Spectrum .
What I absolutely love about this line is the commitment to La Mer’s original standards, along with the generous anti-aging benefits. There are so many sunscreens available on the market today, in all sorts of strengths and application vehicles. While the aerosol spray option is very popular, many dermatologists still believe there is nothing like a lotion, especially for the face.
Few sunscreens provide the hydration level that Soleil de la Mer gives you, and for this and this alone it’s worth purchasing, and the anti-aging benefits are a superb bonus.
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