Happy Holidays Everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful week and are resting after all of the running around and parties attended. To kick off the new year week I have a big surprise for everyone who has Aging fabulous on their beauty radar.

We are giving away, totally free, the New CLARISONIC® Skin Care System – The New Wave to Clear Skin, ( a $195 Value). This is such an amazing product! I have been using for almost two weeks now and my skin feels unbelievable! You all know what a fanatic I am about my skin, and I was so excited to get my hands on this cutting edge skin care device. I just love it!! For those of you who are familiar with the creators of the Sonicare Toothbrush that has kept millions of people’s teeth sparkling clean with their Sonic Oscillation Technology. Now they have applied the same technology into an At-Home and Professional Skin Care System.
The CLARISONIC Skin Care System has been used as a pre-treatment by top dermatologists and spas throughout the country, this patented sonic technology has proven to be instrumental in improving facial cleansing, the first and most important step in any beauty ritual.  Building from CLARISONIC’s tremendous in-office success, the makers of CLARISONIC have now started selling the device to the home through top retailers nationwide. I was in Nordstroms just last week and they were sold out.

CLARISONIC is the first sonic oscillation face brush that deeply cleanses, stimulates and clarifies the skin. Using any nonabrasive facial cleanser, CLARISONIC works with the skin’s natural elasticity to unclog pores for deeper cleansing without stripping the skin.  Safe for virtually all skin types and for daily use, CLARISONIC is clinically shown to be 2x more effective at cleansing the skin than manual cleansing with soap and water.  With its easy usage and waterproof design, no additional time is added to the beauty regimen and it can safely be used in the shower.

To enter and win this CLARISONIC Skin Care System you must leave a  comment telling us what you use on your skin, even if you do nothing, that’s okay. Just leave your comment and we’ll do the rest. One winner will be selected at random (random.org) on Saturday January 3, 2009 and will be contacted by email.

For anyone who can’t wait and wishes to just go ahead and purchase, Clarisonic has a holiday special going on through December where you can personalize your Clarisonic to fit your own needs.They are also offering to break their $195 payment into 4 easy payments to help with all of the holiday expenses. This is only good until the 31st. For anyone who pays in full you will receive a 1/2 oz renewal serum, and travel bag worth $55 dollars!

Good luck to everyone, and as always we thank you so much for keeping us on your beauty radar.

Have a wonderful new year and all the best in 2009!

xx,

beth

As I mentioned in one of my previous post on the benefits of Flaxseed in your diet . Studies have recently shown that taking flaxseed can really improve dry and sensitive skin. Researchers assigned 45 nonsmoking women with these skin issues to take 2.2 grams of flaxseed oil for 12 weeks.

After the initial 12 weeks all experienced improvements to their skin, including sensitivity, redness, hydration, scaling, and roughness. Flaxseed oil is rich in fatty acids which help to reduce inflammation to the skin. I continue to include flaxseed in my diet everyday and have already started to feel the benefits.

Here’s to beautiful skin in 2009!

xx,

Beth

Have you tried this newest powder from smashbox? A powder that reduces fine lines & wrinkles in 10 minutes? It’s the first anti-aging powder that has built in ingredients to care for your skin as well. Halo Hydrating Perfecting Powder uses an advanced formulation of pure gold, 48 minerals, 11 amino acids, and a powerful peptide to deliver powerful anti-aging benefits to your skin. The patented hydration system continuously revitalizes the skin for a brighter, more radiant complexion.

Clinical studies show that after just 10 minutes there is a 33% decrease in the appearance of wrinkles around the eyes. After six weeks of regular use that number goes up to 67% in a decrease of fine lines and wrinkles overall.

This sounds like something I definitely need to have and right away! Each powder comes with a custom designed Kabuki Brush for a perfect application every time, plus a sample of their award-winning Photo Finish Foundation Primer. This I have tried and it is fabulous! Perfect for those of us who tend to get a bit shiny, and it makes your foundation look flawless.

Kisses from Hollywood,

B

image credit: smashbox.com

UPDATE: I was just notified by Nordstrom that they are low on inventory, so this offer will end tomorrow, January 23rd, 2008. 

Looking to try some of the best in anti-aging skin care? Right now it is pretty simple to do when you get deluxe sample sizes from some of the best in these anti-aging beauties when you spend $100 online on beauty at Nordstrom.com.

Anthony Logistics for Men Facial Scrub
Bare Escentuals® RareMinerals Skin Revival Treatment
Bvlgari ‘au thé vert’ Oshibori Refreshing Towel
Clarins Super Restorative Décolleté & Neck Concentrate
Clinique Turnaround Concentrate Visible Skin Renewer
Erno Laszlo Antioxidant Complex for Eyes
GoSmile Advanced Formula B1-Tooth Whitening On-the-Go
Guerlain ‘Success Future’ Wrinkle Minimizer Firming Day Care SPF 15
Issey Miyake ‘L’Eau d’Issey Pour Homme INTENSE’ Eau de Toilette Spray
Kinerase® C6 Peptide Intensive Treatment
Lab Series Skincare for Men Multi-Action Face Wash
Lab Series Skincare for Men Daily Moisture Defense Lotion SPF 15
Lancôme Définicils High Definition Mascara
Lancôme ‘Cils Booster XL’ Super-Enhancing Mascara Base
L’Occitane Verbena Body Lotion
MARC JACOBS Daisy Eau de Toilette
Origins (one of the following): A Perfect World Intensely Hydrating Body Cream, Modern Fusion, or
A Perfect World Antioxidant Moisturizer
philosophy ‘inner grace’ perfumed shower gel
Prescriptives Anti-AGE Advanced Protection Eye Cream SPF 25
Prevage® Anti-Aging Treatment
Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer SPF 15
Z. Bigatti Re-Storation Skin Treatment Cream

Gotta love these samples!

When I first saw this Stimulcell Regenerate and Renew, I immediately though of Boots No.7 Restore & Renew(or whatever it is called, frankly the name for the US product is escaping me at the moment). But this looks to be more. Much more. First off, it is from Dr. Perricone - one of my new found favorite leaders in anti-aging.

This is another so-called revolutionary anti-aging skin cream/serum.

StimulCell helps reverse visible signs of aging caused primarily by stress—irritating environmental pollutants, lifestyle factors, and the fatigue which accompanies the natural aging process. It regenerates with the delivery of stem cells that contain proteins, peptides and lipids to restore and renew the skin.

This unique cream-serum is instantly absorbed to immediately improve skin’s appearance. The result is smooth, supple, younger looking skin.

The price tag is $155 for 1.7 oz. I will let you know if I try it and see for myself if it is as revolutionary as it sounds.

I have a magnifying mirror. It is a must for perfect eyebrow tweezing and some tricky makeup application. But, how big is too big? As in, how much of a magnifier do you need?

I was at a display at Bed, Bath, and Beyond and looked into one of their (quite expensive) magnifying mirrors. It was a 15X mirror. What I saw - shocking!!!

I had hairs in places I never new. I could not believe the two small hairs that I had by my upper lip that I must have missed waxing. I really had some messy mascara marks under my eyes that were not noticeable in a standard mirror. And don’t get me started on my eyebrows - the eyebrows that I thought were finely tweezed. Ugh.

My dilemma. Do I buy one of these better magnifying mirrors to constantly scare myself and become obsessed with every little imperfection? Or move on and think that no one really sees me that close up, so who cares?

Oh, the technological advances in the beauty industry continue to amaze me. And combining nature as in natural elements and important anti aging technology make HydroPeptide a first.

HydroPeptide is a cosmeceutical line combining eleven collagen boosting peptides, ten super-antioxidants and an exclusive blend of anti-aging ingredients.

I am intrigued by the Cellular Transformation Growth Serum.

This age-defying elixir encourages natural cellular activity to renew the skin. Hydropeptide Serum promotes natural collagen and elastin production, leaving your complexion looking and feeling younger and healthier. It diminishes wrinkle production to keep your skin as vibrant and healthy for as long as possible.

In independent studies, tests have shown a 119% increase in collagen-I synthesis production and a 350% decrease in wrinkles compared to placebo after just 84 days. This healing serum can also be used to speed repair of wounds and burns.

HydroPeptide Serum, along with it’s other products formulated with the same technology, are available at their website.

Please let me know if you have used any HydroPeptide products. I would love to hear your results.

Shower for the Cure is Philosophy’s Pink-Ribbon Shower Gel, specially formulated for Breast Cancer Awareness month.

You know the famous creamy all-in-one formula that can be used as a shampoo, bath or shower gel, right? Well, this one is lightly scented with a clean tangerine scent with a touch of millk. Yum!

100% of the Philosophy proceeds from the Shower for the Cure Pink Ribbon Shower Gel are donated to the Women’s Cancer Research Fund.

You can grab this wherever Philosophy is sold.

So, I started using the RejuvaWand about a week ago, and as I promised I would update you on my progress. Here are some of my initial thoughts.

First thing is first. If you keep this out on your kitchen counter or in your office, you will get a lot of questions. It does look like possibly a vibrator or fancy toothbrush. Needless to say, my RejuvaWand is now charging in my bathroom.

I was confused by the charger at first. There are not outer contacts on the wand or in the base charger either. I didn’t quite know how it would work. But it does. Just by simply placing the wand in the base, contact is somehow made and charging begins. It did need to charge for almost 24 hours before the light indicated it was ready for use. You can tell that the wand is charging from a slow flashing yellow light. When the light becomes steady, you know that the charging is complete.

The first time I used this, I went a bit overboard on the gel. I used way too much and it was dripping down my face. Now I know to just gently rub the bottle over the area I will be treating, and it will be slippery enough to smooth over gently and easily.

Be warned, this is a very bright light. Very bright! Don’t be fooled by the video in my initial post. You will not be able to type on the computer or even read it for that matter, unless you want to possibly damage your eyes. The light really is extremely bright - I cannot stress this enough. You can easily use the wand while talking on the phone though, and I have used it while chatting it up a few times.

My favorite way to use the wand is on my freshly cleansed skin right before bed time. I like to jump under the covers, close my eyes, and smooth the RejuvaWand around my eyes, on my forehead, and on my neck right before I go to sleep. Each area takes 4 minutes, and the wand automatically turns off when the four minutes is done. So, my total treatment is 16 minutes right now, and I must say the slight heat and massaging action is quite relaxing.

Stay tuned for more on my experience with the RejuvaWand and my before pictures.

When putting together my Luxury Skin Care posts in August, I remember that one of the most expensive items was from La Mer. La Mer Essence sells for $2,100 for a 1.5 oz. jar. Whoa! Thank goodness La Mer also caters to us real women with real wallets, and their latest addition is a fine example of that.

Based on Dr. Max Huber’s (the founder of La Mer) legacy, La Mer has become an expert at combining both sea ingredients and the magnetic energies of minerals to achieve amazing results. Recently, The Max Huber Research Labs have created this new eye treatment that builds on this heritage - The Eye Concentrate. With two new forms of La Mer’s signature “Miracle Broth”, this concentrated, luxurious treatment does a lot. It deeply conditions, smoothes and hydrates the eye area - just what we need as we age. La Mer’s The Eye Concentrate significantly reduces the appearance of dark circles and puffiness, lines and wrinkles, improves clarity and tone making the entire eye are look more healthy and awake.

Even the applicator has a purpose. It is specifically designed to pick up the precise amount of product needed for each application, as its silver tip helps to cool the skin, thus improving microcirculation.

The Eye Concentrate is available for $160 and just arrived on counters select Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and lamer.com.

This is definitely in the top ten of my Christmas list.