Category — Brands

What’s a Spin Trap you say? It’s THE latest in anti-aging ingredients for skincare. ”Spin trap functions as an antioxidant, but not in the traditional manner. Instead of destroying free radicals, it restores balance to unstable molecules and does a better job of protecting our cells from damage.”

So now that we are on the same page, I’m going to tell you all about my spin trap experience. I got the chance to test YBF Skincare (Your Best Face = YBF) which is based right near my current residency in Central Florida.

YBF has a small range of products but they pretty much cover all your needs. I’m going to include my thoughts on the individual products below. Of course, the system will work best if you use the entire line, but since they are pricey, you might want to just start with one product.Pick the one that addresses your major skin issue and put it on your holiday wish list now. I honestly didn’t think high-priced skincare was worth it, but some of these YBF products just shine. Without further a due, my thoughts…

Control - Rejuvenating wrinkle management antioxidant protection, sun damage & correction, age control. This little gem helps reverse all those pesky things that happen when we age; plus those icky things we did to our skin when we were younger (like not wearing spf?). Control is hardly scented and is a yellow-ish thick serum. It spreads across the skin easily. In the photo below, the dot of product is pea-sized and works for my entire face and part of my neck. Control is a bit hydrating (but not enough on its own) and really seemed to make my skin luminous after about 4 weeks of treatment. Overall my dry and oily patches were much more even and normal. I didn’t have “desert zones” and “rainforest zones” on my face. My $160 for 1 ounce.

Defend - Oil control premium protection synergistic anti-aging (anti-shine). Defend is formulated with Vitamin E, Spin Trap and Hyaluronic acid. The Vitamin E moisturizes, soothes and prevents wrinkles, Spin Traps defend the skin against free radicals and other environmental damage. Hyaluronic acid keeps your facial skin cells plump and regenerating. There’s also some Titanium Dioxide (a barrier sunscreen) in Defend, but you will still need to use sunscreen since there’s not enough to “rate” the SPF.

Defend is a light-weight cream that is moisturizing upon application and sinks in amazingly quick! It smells a bit of maraschino cherries, I enjoyed the scent since it was naturally derived and faded fast. Defend is my go-to saviour during humid weather in Florida. I often end up with an oil slick on my face and this did a fab job of keeping the shine at bay without drying out my skin. $120 for 1 oz.

Restore - Brightens skin, soothes and hydrates, improves complexion. Restore is one of my two favorite products in this line. I REALLY LOVED using this product. It’s a very fluid, translucent serum. Since I have some uneven skin tone due to old acne scars, melasma and hormone changes in the past few years… I was excited to try this product. Initial application leaves you with a perfect glow over your skin. Again, I only used a pea size amount of product and it covered my entire face easily. Restore provided me with light moisture without the grease and “unbreathable” feeling. It’s perfect under makeup!! And really makes your products grab and set. After long term use, my skin seemed brighter and much more even. $120 for 0.5 oz.

Correct - Wrinkle correction, invigorates eye area, brightens dark circles. Correct is a dedicated eye-area serum and the other of my favorite YBF products. It’s a thick product and I found it best to use at night. While it’s not greasy, it does coat your eye skin with moisture, so eye makeup overtop could be a bit slippery. If I ever have baggies or puffy eyes, Correct handles them within a few hours. The product smells a little bit of nutmeg- slightly spicy but if you’re not much for scents it could take some time to get used to. Thankfully it fades *super* quickly! My eye circles were extremely improved after long term treatment; eye wrinkles were plumped and looked filled. There’s a very refreshing feel to this product. If you are looking for a great eye cream… this is my favorite by far (of all brands). Highly recommended even with the price being high (I know it’s tough to see that cost, but Correct really is effective.). $150 for 0.5 oz.

Further notes on the line in general: I loved the fact that the scents in YBF are naturally derived by nutmeg and other ingredients. There are no added perfumes (yah!). The packaging is lovely. All the products come in a super sanitary pump (airless) that doesn’t push out a ton of product. I hate when I’m using skincare pumps and out comes a huge dollop of product. Really ladies, you only need a pea size for your face (this goes for all skincare products- not just YBF). However, these same pumps since they are opaque don’t let you see how much product remains. Hence, it’s tough to know when you need to reorder.

While Defend contains some Titanium Dioxide (a chemical/barrier sunscreen) there’s no official SPF rating so you will need to apply sunscreen on top of your YBF products. I’d love it they could add sunscreen to one of their products.

One other note, even when I used them all together, during drier days (i.e. lower humidity) my skin was still thirsty. To resolve this, I applied all my YBF products and let them ‘marinate’ then put on my normal face lotion with sunscreen overtop. However, on more humid days, I could certainly skip this step… but if you have very dry skin, you may need additional moisture over & above what the YBF line provides. However, at the same time, since YBF is so light-weight, you can easily layer a few products (makeup, sunscreen, etc) without fear of being greasy or losing the “airy” feeling.

You can buy all the YBF Skincare products online at TheSkinCareShop.com.

Full ingredients listing is below…
[Read more →]

Smashbox has a brand new holiday set of lip glosses! If you’ve never tried Smashbox (this was my first foray into the brand), this is a nice introduction.

The lip gloss gift set has 6 sparkly glosses (from left to right in the photo above):

• Illume (perfect nude to add shimmer & shine)
• Radiant (a grape/wine)
• Candid (this is almost a duo-chrome- a deep pink base with gold and peach shimmer. My favorite!)
• Lovely (a gorgeous peach)
• Stunning (deep jelly pink)
• Ravishing (a brown shimmer, very wearable!)

All taste a bit like vanilla (yummy!) and wear well. I love that all the colors really enhance your lips regardless of skin tone (I had a few friends try the shades as well). Lovely gift pack!

This is me wearing Candid.

The Rapture lip gloss set is only $29 (value of $90!) and available at Smashbox.com.

Every winter, nail polish deepens up and I’ve got to admit… I *love* it! Essie’s new Winter 2008 collection includes gilt gold, dark reds, rich purples. I know I’ll be rocking the Rock Star Skinny and Sexy Divide. I’m sitting here imagining my nails decked out in these colors with a little black dress and silver clutch. Hmmm… now I need some holiday parties to attend!

Essie’s winter 2008 nail color collection includes:
Bold & Beautiful – Rich, ruby garnet
Damsel in a Dress – Oh-so-deep currant
It’s Genius – A violet quartz shimmer
Rock Star Skinny – Glamorous crimson red
Sexy Divide – Electric Violet Temptation
Shifting Power – Sizzling molten gold

Burt’s Bees is wildly popular with many consumers. From it’s small start to it’s now, large corporate presence, they offer a little more natural alternative to some skincare needs.

If you’re like me, winter sucks all the moisture out of your hands. The Healthy Hands gift set would be a great way to help alleviate the cracks, flakes and itchies.

You can pick up your Healthy Hands gift set at Drugstore.com for $12.99. Shop early and you’ll get a free Burt’s Bees lip shimmer when you purchase over $25 in Burt’s Bees products.

If you’ve been hanging around Bionic Beauty through this fall, you’ve seen my articles on all the makeup releases with matte coloring.

Continuing in line with this trend, Clinique’s new Blushwear Cream Stick in Very Blush is a rosy brown hue, with a slight violet undertone, perfect for highlighting the cheek apples or sculpting your hollows.

This color is much deeper and more pigmented than many cream blushes. While the stick is a familiar format (think of NARS’ the Multiple), this color is deep, deep, deep and true to the color the stick looks. I recommend going very lightly with your first application. Blend well, then add a bit more if necessary. Pale skinned women will need only a teensy amount of this blush. Yes, it’s that potent. I only used one “dot” (just pushed the circle of the stick to my cheek) on each side of my face.

The formula is a bit “thicker” than I usually prefer; this reminds me of a lipstick type consistency. However, the wonderful color payoff and incredible amount of packaged product totally make up for that.

As always, the Blushwear sticks are wrapped in Clinique’s classic bright silver packaging. If you’re into blush colors, this is certainly worth checking out!

Swatch them at your local Clinique counters or purchase them online at Clinique.com for $18.50 per stick (available in 5 shades).

Shower stalls have all sorts of shelves, hanging ability, nooks and crannies to stow body care goodies.
Shampoos, conditioners, body washes, soap bars… oh my!

Wanna peak in Bionic’s shower? Here’s my stash…

• Dove Cream Oil Body Wash (very moisturizing shower gel which I use in the winter to prevent dry skin. Get a free sample from Dove!)
• International Orange “Cleanse” body wash (yummy! my review)
• Body poufs for all over exfoliation
• Body brush for skin brushing and scrubbing my back
• Jojoba shampoo bar by Herbaria Soaps (Y’all know I seriously heart Herbaria. I use it for my body, face and occasionally my hair. I love the soft bubbles and that it’s all-natural, baby!)
• Y-Y Ocean: Exfoliating body scrub (this is an amazing body polish. I use it when I’m going to wear a dress, sleeveless shirt, or a swimsuit. Smooth skin instantly!)
• Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut shampoo and conditioner (great scent for a winter pick-me-up! Did you read my shampoo classified ad?)
  
• AG Hair Cosmetics Colour Savour shampoo and conditioner (it’s sulfate free & gentle so perfect for my colored hair. Read my previous review. )
• Davine’s Alchemic shampoo and conditioner for brown hair (nicely moisturizing and natural. It’s great to help make my color last longer! But be careful cause it’s packed in glass bottles…here’s my review.)
• ER Fusion reconstructing hair treatment by White Sands (I use this at least once a week for a deep conditioning treatment. It works fab!)
• Noxema face wash
• Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash cream cleanser
• Venus Vibrance razor in pink
• Skintimate Energizing Citrus shave cream

So hop on over to your shower with a note pad, jot down your findings and report back with what you’re using during shower time.

You know I’m a total fan of Purely Cosmetics (here’s my recent review). The customer service is perfect, the mineral makeup is my holy-grail of makeup, so it made sense for me to try out the eyeshadows.
Here’s a look I created using three of the Purely Cosmetics “Versatile Powder” loose shadow pigments.

Read on for colors, details and such…

[Read more →]