May 28, 2010

If a product claimed to provide moisture, elasticity and firmness to your skin, as well as to reduce signs of fine lines and wrinkles, and then actually did that, what would you call it?  Would you call it fabulous?  I would call it a flippin’ fantabulous miracle!

Well, I’ve found this product, and it’s Borba Age Defying Concentrate/Acai Elastin Fiber Treatment Serum.  And yes, it does work!  I haven’t had great luck lately with new mascara and eye cream, but I hit the jackpot with this Concentrate.

I recently made a quick trip to Dillards to replenish my supply of the Borba Firming Diamond Shimmer Contour/Guanabana Spandex Fiber Body Moisturizer that I use for cellulite treatment.  The salesperson mentioned to me that she loved the Borba line, especially the Age Defying Concentrate.  Lucky for me, the Contour cream came with a sample of the Concentrate, so I gave it a try and was shocked to find that it worked!  I saw some results immediately!  So you know I ran (fast) right right back to Dillards and bought myself a tube ($45 for 1.7 oz).  It’s a pretty big tube for a decent price, I think.

The Concentrate has the consistency of a gel, and it goes on very smoothly and soaks in quickly.  I use one small drop morning and evening, and haven’t had any breakouts or other adverse reactions to the product.

I’ve been using the Concentrate for a couple of weeks now, and I have definitely noticed that my “jowls” are a bit tighter.  I also have a saggy little pooch between the corners of my mouth and my chin, and it’s a little firmer now.  It’s still there for sure, but it isn’t as droopy.

So far, I’ve used 4 Borba products – 3 for the body and 1 for the face – and I’ve loved every one of them.  What else can you do for me, Borba?  I’m sure I have some other trouble zones that you could work on!

~BigSis

March 11, 2010

LilSis has been talking about using more frugal beauty products, and I have one to tell you about.  How about a facial moisturizer that costs you $18 for 4 ounces?  Not bad, huh?  A while back, the folks at Skin MD sent LilSis and me a bottle of their Shielding Lotion.  I’ve been using it for a couple of months now, so I think I can give you a fair review of it.

What’s special about it?  The literature says this about Skin MD:

• It can replace traditional moisturizers which temporarily restore moisture to the skin.  It binds to the skin to create an invisible shield around the skin to maintain moisture and  protect it from environmental chemicals and pollution.

• It contains natural ingredients like aloe vera, arnica montana, chamomile, vitamin E, and a proprietary humectant ingredient that is supposed to be more effective than glycerin.

• It is non-greasy and non-comedogenic so it should not clog pores.

How did the product do?  Did it live up to the claims?

I can’t say if it shielded my skin from pollution and chemicals, but I liked that it was really lightweight and soaked into my skin quickly.  It created a nice smooth base for my foundation.  And, this is huge…it didn’t break my skin out!

Absolutely everything breaks me out, so I hold my breath when I try a new serum or moisturizing cream or lotion.  90% of the time, it does cause a breakout, even it it’s supposedly non-comedogenic.  So the fact that Skin MD didn’t cause a flare-up is pretty darn big.

So, Skin MD has earned two big gold stars from me:  for smooth texture and for not instigating a zit attack.  The big question though is whether my skin seemed hydrated.  I’m afraid I can’t give out a gold star for that.  This product just hasn’t been enough for me this winter, even when I applied it twice in the morning.  I’ve had some dry areas, and some little flakies here and there.

To be fair, this has been a super cold winter, plus my skin has been drier than usual because of a prescription I’m taking to help prevent hormonal breakouts.  Even so, most people are still drier than me.  Skin MD is recommended for body, hands and feet as well as face, but if it wasn’t enough for my face, it definitely wasn’t enough for the rest of me in the wintertime.

I still have lots of Skin MD left, and my plan is to give it another try as a facial moisturizer in the summer when I typically need a lighter product under my foundation.  Overall, I liked it and thought it was a quality product; it just wasn’t quite enough for me during the winter.

Skin MD is available in my area at CVS and Walgreen’s drugstores, as well as Tom Thumb and Minyard’s grocery stores.

~BigSis

January 18, 2010

Have you been really disciplined with your New Year’s resolutions and want to reward yourself?  Maybe you’ve already lost a couple of pounds and need a non-food treat?  How about getting yourself a Clarisonic Skin Cleansing System!

I’ve mentioned before that I’m not an early-adopter.  I’ve only had an iPod for a year, an iPhone for a few months, a Wii for a couple of weeks, and I’ve yet to buy a blu-ray player.  My television is over 20 years old and weighs as much as I do.  Oh yeah, and my car will be 10 years old in a couple of months.  With all that in mind, I’m sure it doesn’t surprise you that I’ve been hearing about the Clarisonic for over a year and just now got one.

Why did I wait so long!  My skin is already dramatically different in only two weeks of using the Clarisonic:

• It feels much much cleaner deep down, and clogged pores are becoming clearer

• It’s radically smoother in texture

• The color is healthy

• Pores look smaller

• It feels firmer!

I noticed some of these benefits immediately, and I continue to be pleased with the cumulative improvement I see in my skin, which is a pretty big deal for me.  I’ve never had pretty skin in my life.  I started making weekly trips to the dermatologist when my skin started breaking out at age 12.  In my early 20s, I was one of the first people to use Accutane, but by then I had scarring that really bothered me.  In late 2007, I had 6 Fraxel laser treatments at a cost of well over $5000.  By the way, I have a high tolerance to pain, but that was the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced.  Thankfully, I did see substantial improvement in my skin’s texture and scarring was reduced somewhat.

But even so, I’m still not happy with my skin and I’ll always be looking for ways to improve it.  The Clarisonic is an excellent tool, and it cost much less than $5000!  I got mine for $225 through QVC because their deal came with some extra goodies like cleansers and additional brush heads.  The model I got comes with a brush for your body, as well as 3 facial brushes.  You can also buy the Clarisonic through Amazon, Ulta, Sephora, and probably lots of other retailers.

I highly recommend the Clarisonic…don’t wait forever like I did!

~BigSis

November 20, 2009

You’re right, LilSis; I do have something to say about great body creams that don’t give you a financial guilt attack!  I love everything about L’Occitane, but their shea butter products are a bit of a splurge.  There are times for splurging, but there are also times for being a little more frugal (like now).

Let me give you the scoop on an AWESOME inexpensive cream that you can get at pretty much any drugstore or discount store.  It’s Gold Bond Ultimate Cream.  I’ve tried both formulas: Ultimate Healing has aloe, and Ultimate Softening has shea butter among other ingredients.  My favorite is the shea butter formula since it’s even richer.  You can get the cream in a pump bottle or in a tube.  I prefer it in the tube because it’s SO ding dang thick and rich that it’s hard to get all of it out of a bottle.

I love the Gold Bond cream year-round for arms, legs, feet and hands.  It’s heavy-duty enough for winter dry skin, but it soaks in quickly and isn’t greasy so it’s great for summer too.

The bonus?  You can frequently find a coupon in the Sunday paper for $1 or $2 off this great cream.  It’s a touch more expensive than Jergens or Vaseline Intensive Care, but I think it’s much more effective.

But wait!  There’s more!  I have an incredible foot cream for you too.  It’s Burt’s Bees Coconut Foot Creme.

Wowie!  This creme smells beyond scrumptious, and will moisturize your dry feet beyond belief.  This is an extremely thick creme; I would even say it’s goopy.  Deliciously goopy!  If you need a thick creme to slather on your feet overnight, this is the one!  Rub it into your feet and cover with socks, and you’ll wake up to super smooth soft tootsies!  Plus it’s pretty cheap…only $9 retail.

When I think of this coconut creme, I always remember how I used to rub it on HayHay’s Fred Flintstone feet when he was a little guy.  That may embarrass him, but it’s a happy little memory for me.

There you have it, LilSis, my favorite inexpensive but uber-effective creams that will obliterate your dry winter skin!

~BigSis

October 4, 2009

Summer is gone for most of us, and has taken swimsuit season away with it for a few months.  However, being the well-groomed, sophisticated women that we are, we still have to shave our legs, right?  We can’t let a ding dang forest grow on our legs just because we aren’t going to the pool, or running around in shorts.

I do it every morning whether I’m wearing a skirt or not; it’s just part of the daily routine.  Over the years, I’ve tried bunches of different shave creams and gels, and have a real favorite line that  you might not know about since I find it frequently in the men’s shaving section.

The best shave gels on the market, in my opinion, are made by Aveeno.  I like two of them equally well.  The Positively Smooth Shave Gel has soy and emollients, and is supposed to help you shave less often and get fewer nicks, cuts and razor bumps.  It has a very light and pleasant fragrance.

The other gel I like is the Therapeutic Shave Gel.  It contains oats and allantoin, and is formulated for sensitive skin and is supposed to soothe and moisturize easily-irritated skin.  It is fragrance-free.

You can find these at most discount stores and drug stores for under $5 usually.  I find them both to work extremely well at what they claim to do.  They are both moisturizing, and provide a close irritation-free shave without the red bumps. I don’t know if the Positively Smooth Shave Gel does reduce hair growth or not, and it doesn’t really matter to me.  It’s an excellent gel and smells great.

Since I’ve found these two shave gels, I’ll never go back to the strawberry-kiwi or peach-mango scented gels…you know the ones I mean!  They aren’t nearly as nourishing to the skin as the Aveeno line, and don’t cost much less.

Shave on, girls!  If you use these gels, let me know what you think about them!

~BigSis