Gawd, I hate to admit this out loud, like you don’t even know.  I turn 40 here in, uh, a week and a half or so.  *sob*  And I’m thinking about Botox (thanks Lianne – you look amazing, gf - and *you know who* that I won’t mention ;).     It seems like everyone I know is talking Botox these days.  *sigh*

So my friend Nancy, at Beauty411, has done a wonderful 101 guide to all of the injectables available at your dermatologist/plastic surgeon’s office.   See?  She’s thinking about it too. 

I’ve been watching all of these things, new and old, with much interest lately, both from my aging *issue* and because I have been to Los Angeles twice this year, and both times I am astounded and horrified at all the women walking around with what they think look like Angelina Jolie lips, but actually look just disgusting.  There is no other word really.  Well, maybe cheesy porn star.  I also picked up the National Enquirer last week – the cover story was on plastic surgery nightmares – and that’s always good stuff.  Did you see it?  You might remember that I ranted a little while back on poor Priscilla Presley and Lara Flynn Boyle – they, of course, were the headliners in the issue.  It is just really sad.  I sure don’t want to do something to permanently disfigure myself.  A few wrinkles aren’t *that* bad.

So getting over the hurdle of being afraid of turning out looking like a cheesy porn star (I wish..lol), the next hurdle is my husband.  While it’s definitely precious that he thinks I am beautiful, he sure likes to knock down the botox thing whenever I *casually* mention it.  So how to jump that hurdle?  Not sure.  Got any ideas?  Id love to hear your experiences with Botox if you have them.  Is it a good idea?  Anyone have a bad experience?  Thankfully, I really haven’t run across any Botox nightmare stories - but I haven’t gone looking either.  Not sure I want to.

Vichy Laboratories, which is currently a division of L’Oreal, has been around since 1931 and have had a strong foothold in Europe.  Up until recently I hadn’t been very familiar with their line, not for any particular reason other than I just hadn’t made it around to check them out.  But I have now a little, and I do like very much what I’ve seen.  All of their products contain Vichy Thermal Spa Water (with the one exception of their Nutrilogie Lip product), a mineral filled spring water from Vichy, France,water which has been recognized by the French Academy of Medicine and recommended for sensitive skin.

Their skin care line is broken down into skin types: 

• Purite Thermale - for sensitive skin
• Nutrilogie - for dry skin
• Thermal Fix - for dehydrated skin
• NormaDerm - for acne prone skin
• Oligo 25 - for dull skin
• Meokine - for signs of aging
• LiftactivPRO - for skin that has aged
• NeOVADIAL - for hormonal related aging - saggy skin structure
• Reti-C  for wrinkles and uneven complexion
• Dermablend - makeup for skin imperfections
• Capitol  Soleil 15 - sun protection
• Lipo-metric - body care for cellulite
• Lipidose - for dry body skin

Each of these lines have specific products geared towards a particular skin type/problem.  While the huge list above might be a little confusing, Vichy has covered nearly every issue that you might need covered.  For me, I would probably jump back and forth between the NormaDerm and the Purite Thermale for my cleansing regimen and use the LiftactivPRO for moisturization, as I have discovered that only using acne products is causing my aging (aged?  ugh.) skin even more problems. 

Right now I am using one of Vichy’s best sellers, the Detoxifying Rinse-off Foam Cleanser (from the Purite Thermale collection - $15).  To me, this feels more like a cream cleanser, is super easy to use and does a fantastic job dissolving makeup.  I alternate this with their NormaDerm Deep Cleansing Gel ($14), because I have all of those acne issues to contend with.  So far, this program is working really nicely for me - my skin is looking better and better every day.  We will see what happens when “that time” of the month rolls around where the pimples roam free.

My next purchase will be the NeOvadiol - as sagginess is something I have really been noticing lately.  Thankfully, Vichy Laboratories skin care products are really priced reasonably, making finding what is just right for your skin a little easier on the wallet.  A little more expensive than your general drug store brand but nowhere near some of the more luxe brands.  Vichy has a long and great history, and I am happy to see them showing up more prominently in the U.S.

Have you had experience with Vichy Laboratories products?  How did they work for you?

All images:  Vichy Laboratories

Ok, I admit it.  Sometimes I get sucked in by great sales pitches on HSN (and QVC, and my alma mater JTV).  Such a thing happened a few days before I left for SXSW.  I was having a sleepless night and watching M. Asam present on HSN.  They have a line of anti-aging face care that really, compared to what I spend on my skin care normally, is quite a reasonable price.  I was doing well resisting until they pulled out the Perfect Teint.  I wish I had a clip of the video, because MAN was it convincing.  What this product essentially is is a primer.  A wonderful, amazing primer.  A primer that you can smooth over your wrinkles and see them disappear.  Yep, disappear.  Right before your very eyes. 

To me, Perfect Teint feels like Smashbox’s Photo Finish primer, but thicker - it is more of a cream than a liquid, whereas Smashbox is closer to a liquid.  Perfect Teint has the same silicon-y texture as Photo Finish as well.  This was something that had to grow on me with Smashbox, but I loved the way that it smoothed over my imperfections so much that it was worth getting used to.  This product is exactly the same.  The biggest difference that I can see between Perfect Teint and Smashbox is that the PT really will cover deeper wrinkles, pores and imperfections than the Photo Finish will.  Really, you can see your wrinkles leave your face as you smooth it on.  My mother used it while we were in San Antonio over the weekend and inquired how we could buy this by the gallon.  It really is quite good.  The effect lasts through the day, and I have been using it for about 2 weeks now, and have no signs of breaking out, clogged pores or anything untoward at all.  The only place I can really find this is through HSN - this is supposed to be a product that has gained some popularity in Europe - if there are any folks reading that have any sort of history with this product, I would LOVE to hear from you. 

Check it out at HSN, where you can get Perfect Teint by itself for $29.95 (with an autoship option that I think I WILL be taking upon my next order), or as a part of a kit.  I bought the kit, and the other products seem to be quite nice too, but will reserve judgement until I have really given it a full run.  But the Perfect Teint is too good to hold off on.  Check it out if you haven’t - really.  Man I love home shopping.

Image source - HSN.com

I have been trying a new skin care line created by Dr. Gary Goldfaden, Cosmesis - and although I haven’t given it nearly enough time to give an opinion on some of the other items in the line, I will say that I used the Cleansing Scrub (made for acne-prone skin) for the first time last night and, boy, did I love it!! The Cosmesis products are formulated with Red Tea extracts which, as you may have read here before, was something I was very interested in trying.

I love a scrub that SCRUBS, and this one sure does. No cleanser with a few grains in it so it can be called a scrub here! From the pamphlet:

This extremely effective foaming cleanser with antioxidants, moisturizers and rejuvenators is used to improve the appearance of the skin. It is an exfoliating scrub made with natural antioxidants, specifically red tea.

Through the use of Corundum or Ruby Crystals, the product rejuvenates the skin by removing dead skin cells and allowing the natural anti-oxidants to come into direct contact with the freshly exposed skin.

When you put it on and start moving it around on your face it has a little foaming effect to it, and the scent is very nice - sort of mild lavendar-y. You can see the sparkly crystals on your face - this was just one step up from being a microdermabrasion scrub. With the Red Tea antioxidants included in the scrub, this product is made for my strangely acne-prone AND beginning-to-show-signs-of-aging skin. I am loving it!

I will report back in a couple weeks on the rest of the products that I am trying - most specifically the Red Tea Rejuvenator serum. I love serums, they just feel really good, like pure nutrients going into my skin!

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…