Avalon Organics has a line of CoQ10 products - the most useful of which I imagine is the Wrinkle Defense Serum ($22 from drugstore.com), at least that is the one I would try first (I love serums for some reason - they just sound more effective). There is also a firming cream, a cleanser, a toner and a night cream.

Nivea also has a CoQ10 based line, Visage, which includes the eyecream (under $10 at drugstore.com), and the rest of your regular skin care regime as well.  I have always liked Nivea products a lot, and I imagine this one is good as well.

I would love to hear from any of you who have tried either of these lines.  Did you see results?  Any sensitivites to the products?  Both of these products are available at your local drugstores and are linked through the images above to drugstore.com.

In most people over thirty, levels of CoQ10 in the skin are below optimum, resulting in lesser ability to produce collagen, elastin and other important skin molecules. Besides, CoQ10-depleted skin may be more prone to the damage by free radicals, which are particularly abundant in the skin since it is exposed to the elements. Thus, CoQ10 may boost skin repair and regeneration and reduce free radical damage. Furthermore, CoQ10 is a small molecule that can relatively easily penetrate into skin cells.

This is how I use CoQ10 - I bite open the top of the CoQ10 capsule, squeeze out a tiny, tiny bit of the cream (I think it is oil/liquid at room temperature, but I keep all of my supplements in the fridge), and put it around my eyes and on any other troublesome wrinkly areas, then swallow the rest of the capsule, once a day. Be warned though, the cream is a carrot yellow color and you need about 30 minutes for it to be absorbed so you don’t look jaundiced (or like an Oompa Loompa). You can also mix the drop of CoQ10 with your eye cream first, and you won’t be left with the yellow color at all. Try this at your own risk and it would always be wise to test it on the inside of your elbow first for senstitivities.

[Edit] I wanted to add this in, about Coenzyme Q10 from MayoClinic.com: “The facts. Two human (clinical) trials show significant reduction in fine wrinkles around the eyes with no side effects. Other studies show that application before sun exposure protects against sun damage. More research is needed to examine the long-term effects.” You know I am SO all about sun protection…

Well, what I learned from the last poll is that no one likes to talk about exercise! Ha! Me neither, really. LOL Of the whopping 17 people who answered it, 64% made an effort to get some exercise every day. Only 2 of you were fitness addicts, and several were very sedentary.

This weeks poll is about Green tea. Do you drink it, and why? Take a second and give your answer, and if you don’t drink it, give it a try. The worst thing that can happen is nothing, the best thing will be benefits to your heart, skin, teeth and overall health!

This is a new eye care product that I have heard much about recently. It is by Ole Henriksen and contains a big wallop of Red Tea extract. This is what Sephora says:

[...]it contains nature’s highest concentration of skin-saving antioxidants that repair collagen damage and strengthen the skin. Facialist to the stars, Ole Henriksen, loved the tea so much, he bottled it in his newest face and eye cream after clients raved about its skin-firming benefits, particularly around the eyes. “The great thing about African red tea is its ability to stimulate the cell turnover rate without causing any irritations. The result is firmer skin with a more refined texture and less visible pores,” says Henriksen. “It has an amazing ability to calm and soothe skin that’s prone to rashes and irritations, including rosacea, and really is a miracle ingredient for sensitive skin.”

In addition to calming irritated skin, it’s also said to be a wonder tonic for colicky babies and troubled tummies with its anti-spasmodic properties. From body aches to complexion pains, this wonder tea is sure to be your new health drink of choice. But thanks to Ole Henriksen, you won’t just be drinking it, you’ll be slathering it on like nobody’s business.

Ole Henriksen gives red tea a much bigger vote of confidence than Dr. Weil does, but again, Dr. Weil also said that there was not near the research on red tea as their has been on green tea. What we do know is that there isn’t much harm in giving it a try, and I am out of eye cream! You can buy Ole Henriksen Visual Truth Wrinkle Resistance Eye Creme at Sephora.com, for a pretty reasonable price of $45 for a .5 oz jar (I know, eye cream is expensive). Have any of you tried this?

African Red Tea (as opposed to black tea which is called red tea by the Chinese) is another tea that is rumored to have great health benefits, and is an ingredient in an eye cream that I will mention here in a bit. I wanted to do some research on it first, so here it is.

Dr. Weil says this:

Rooibos is being heavily hyped by producers and distributors as a new health beverage. Unlike true “tea,” it is caffeine-free and low in tannins. It contains minimal amounts of calcium, potassium, iron, zinc, magnesium and much less fluoride than found in real teas. Studies have shown that Rooibos does contain antioxidants and therefore might have some of the health benefits of green tea, but very little research has confirmed this. I found only 17 scientific studies of Rooibos compared to more than 1,000 on green tea. So far, none suggest that Rooibos is the health equivalent of green tea. Brewed, Rooibos looks red but doesn’t really taste like tea – it has a slightly sweet and fruity flavor. If you like the taste and color, and want a caffeine-free herbal beverage, by all means opt for Rooibos, but if you want the health benefits of tea, I recommend sticking with the real thing.

And this from AfricanTea.com:

This tea contains almost no oxalic acid, making it a good beverage for people prone to kidney stones. Rooibos contains the following minerals: copper, iron and potassium, calcium, fluoride, zinc, manganese, alpha- hydroxy ( for healthy skin ) and magnesium (for the nervous system) are also components of this tea. In South Africa pregnant women and nursing mothers drink Rooibos because it contains no caffeine.

And then finally this, from NutriIngredients.com:

Studies carried out in South Africa have showed that rooibos is rich in antioxidants and may help protect against free radical damage that can lead to varying types of cancer and heart problems.

“We concluded that rooibos extracts interfered with skin cancer in its promotion [later development] stage. This provides the first evidence of a protective effect for rooibos teas,” said Jeanine Marnewick, from the Medical Research Council of South Africa.

She added that: “Mouse skin that was topically treated with the rooibos extracts before cancer promotion showed a 75 percent decrease in the development of skin papillomas.” Marnewick and her team hopes now to carry out similar studies on human models.

This last excerpt talks about the benefits of extracts used topically, which is really my concern here. Sure you can reap the benefits taken internally, but what does it do used in skin care creams? I guess I will try it for myself and see. Next up, the next eye cream on my try-me list!

You have probably heard about Green Tea and how good it is for you. Believe it or not, I used to drink the better part of 2 pots of coffee every day, but now I finish about 3/4 of a pot, and then switch to green tea for the later afternoon (tea time - 4pm) and into the evening. Green and Black Tea (the classic tea) are made from the same leaves, but Green Tea is much less processed and not fermented, like Black Tea, which saves lots of the beneficial compounds. This is from the Celestial Seasonings website, and is about the compounds found in green tea:

Flavonoids are nutrient antioxidants found in most plants and many foods common in the human diet. There are 12 types of flavonoids, and one plant species may contain hundreds of different flavonoids. Polyphenol is a broad class of antioxidants including flavonoids and catechins. Catechins are a type of flavonoid contained in the leaves of tea. Catechins are very strong antioxidants, even more powerful than vitamins A, C, E and beta-carotene at combating harmful free radicals and protecting fragile DNA.

If you remember, antioxidants combat those free radicals, oxygen molecules that are floating around breaking apart your cells and causing problems from wrinkles to cancer. Green tea is also purported to help with things like cavities, weight loss and arthritis.
I have been drinking this super-yummy Moroccan Mint green tea from Teavana lately and it beats all the other green teas I have tried by a long shot!

Jay Manuel, from America’s Next Top Model, and iVillage have come up with a list of beauty trends for Spring 2006:

1. Colorful smoky eyes are in. Plain black smoky eyes are out.

2. Lush, but natural-looking lashes are in. Visibly false lashes are out.

3. Naturally matted skin is in. Dewy, shiny, cakey and overly powdered skin is out.

4. Bronzer is in. Blush is out.

5. Nude shades and shimmery glosses are in. Matte pink, rubies and browns are out.

6. Groomed and styled romantic hair and daring modern takes on the ’60s mod style are in. The verging on unkempt style of 2005 is out.

Ok, I can do all of that. Hasn’t heavily powdered skin been out for quite some time now?

Charu at WomenLifestyle has found some nifty beauty gadgets this week, the Manicure Pen and the Cosmetics Cooler!  That cosmetics cooler is a great idea, I think.  Elke has a good review of Clairol’s Shine Happy, which is a shine enhancing  peroxide-based hair product.  If you have tried this, I would love to know what you think about it!

Agathe at StyleBytes has a great review of Milan’s fashion week, always pointing out the good, the bad and the downright hideous.  The DeLush gals have given drugstore-brand Prestige eyeshadows a glowing review and have some fabulous tips on wearing blue eyeshadow without looking like a 70’s reject.

Here at the b5 Women’s Channel, SP at AgingFabulous has seen the dark side of whirlpool tubs,  and she is loving her 3x makeup mirror (I wouldn’t do without mine either!).  I am looking for one now that attaches to the wall, and has a light.  If anyone knows where to find one, please send me the info!!

Badger at Lipstick is my Crack is getting ready to try Neutrogena’s Mineral makeup, I will be anxious to hear what she thinks about those.

I hope you all have a great weekend, I was going to spend my day today frantically getting ready for our interview with PBS this weekend (for an MRSA show), but thank goodness, they moved it til next weekend, so I can spend my day relaxed, rather than freaking out and making sure my hair is colored (would have been a week too early, but I will not have gray roots for the interview) and my nails are done, and then there are the horses to groom.  Not to mention the house and yard looking like messy kids don’t hang out here.  Did I mention I don’t like being on TV?  Especially when the studio is my house.  Marshall, however, is exactly the opposite, loves the attention, probably because he is out of town during the weeks and doesn’t have to worry about all of the preparations.  The things we do for our family.  Ugh.  LOL

Since busting out of my one fragrance mode last year, I realized that I don’t “have” to stick with one or two fragrances.  I don’t know what it is about me that gets in such a rut with things, but I have realized lately that I am very much this way - I carry one purse til it dies, and wear one watch til it dies.  Crazy.  I am missing out on a lot here!

Anyway, I have been using Philosophy’s Amazing Grace for a couple of weeks now, and I really like it - it is very light, summery, floral based fragrance, which will be just exactly right for everyday wear in the spring and summer months.  Sometimes florals get a little “elderly” smelling, but this one is not that way at all, nor does it smell like a very young girl’s fragrance - it is very elegant.  I tried this Fragrance Purse, pictured above, that has .5 oz of spray fragrance as well as a little jar of solid fragrance (fabulous for carrying around in my purse).  You can get the purse from beauty.com, for $30.

Finally getting back with my opinion on LipFusion XL! I like it, I really do. As long as I am good and hydrated, I think it does what it says it does, especially when using it overnight, where it really stays on my lips. Also, I really feel like I can see the results for a day or two. Being good and hydrated is critical though.

However, with a $50 price tag on the LipFusion XL, I am going to try the regular LipFusion next, which sells for a much more reasonable price of $36. I will be sure to let you know how that goes when the time comes!

All product links to Sephora.