Where my 30-something girls at?? This month, our allies at Clarins are introducing a gang of new face creams and lotions for the over-30 set.

The line’s called Multi-Active Day, and Clarins designed the four products for busy women looking for a little help in the wrinkles and fine lines department. Stressed out and a touch wrinkly? Helloooo, that’s totally me.

The key phrase here is “active plant ingredients.” They’re what the line is all about. Among other plant-based ingredients, they contain ambiaty extract (a Madagascar plant related to sunflowers) and hesperidin (from citrus plants, it has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties), to moisturize, to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and to restore elasticity to skin.

I started using both the Day Cream for All Skin Types ($54) and SPF 15 Lotion ($54) about a month ago.

First, le good stuff:

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It’s called the Slendertone Face, and there’s a waiting list thousands of ladies long at Harrods in the UK today, despite the whopping £300 (about $500) price.

The headset device, compared to a natural facelift, uses electronic muscle stimulation to strengthen facial muscles. Clinical trials showed that regular use reversed some of the muscle weakening that comes with age.

“It’s very gentle and doesn’t hurt at all,” says Dr. Trish Smith, cardiologist and chief executive of Slendertone, “As it’s hands-free, you can wear it while you’re cooking or ironing.” Electronic panels sit directly over the cranial nerve (scary!), just in front of the ear from where all the facial nerves branch out, so the pulses gently stimulate every muscle in the face. source

Video interview with the developer of the Slendertone Face…

The trials, overseen by Dr. Michael Hennessy, head of neurology at the University of Galway, suggested that using Slendertone Face for 20 minutes five times a week for 12 weeks increases the volume of facial muscles by up to 46%, with the average improvement being 18.6%.

Not bad at all.

Electronic facial muscle stimulators manufactured by other companies have been used in salons for years — the CACI Non-Surgical Face Lift is one of them — but the Slendertone was the device examined in the latest trial.

What do you think, ladies? Electrifying new development or future class-action lawsuit?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Grab your favorite razor, girls, and skip with me down to the land of smooth, bump-free skin. Say hola to Bliss Ingrown Eliminating Pads ($38 for 50 pads).

It’s hard to believe how fast time flies, but ’round these parts Labor Day means we’ve reached the unofficial end of summer, and THAT means ye olde swimsuit will soon be retired.

Of course, just because the two-piece goes into hibernation for a while doesn’t mean I won’t want to shave and/or wax.

That’s where Bliss Ingrown Eliminating Pads come into play. They help treat and prevent the ingrown hairs and razor bumps that can result from shaving and waxing.

Ingrown hairs begone!

The geniuses at Bliss soak these disposable round pads (they’re about the size of my palm) with exfoliating salicylic and glycolic acids and pack them with oat extract, witch hazel and lavender oil to soothe freshly groomed parts.

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Earlier this summer I broke out somethin’ fierce. Eventually my skin cleared up, but many of the pimples left discolored post-acne scars, boo!

Then I got this email from reader Katie:

“Hey Karen,

I was wondering if you’ve tried any products to reduce or get rid of existing acne scars. I have a couple of acne scars that still look like pimples, and I would really like to reduce the look of them… Could you help a girl out???!

-Katie W.”

Hi Katie,

It’s kind of a cruel joke, isn’t it? Mother Nature, not content to merely dish out the pimples, follows suit by leaving behind a discolored mark or divot that can linger for months or even years. Talk about unwanted reminders!

Depending on your skin color and the severity of your scarring, the discolorations, called Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation (PIH), can be pink, red, purple, brown or black, and can take anywhere from three to 24 months to disappear.

PIH is a common occurrence among acne sufferers, but there are a slew of over-the-counter treatments on the market to help.

Many times they’re referred to as “brightening” or “skin tone correcting products” that very often contain AHAs, BHAs, retinoids or hydroquinone.

To diminish the appearance of my summer breakout scars, I’ve been using a product with AHA (salicylic acid) from Clinique called Even Better Skin Tone Corrector ($40), an unscented, invisible serum.

I’ve been using it for about six weeks now, twice a day, applying after toning and moisturizing but before sunscreen.

Clinique claims Even Better works to correct uneven skin tone by removing dark patches, age spots and the darkening often caused by breakouts.

The product’s been out for about a year now, but I didn’t think to try it until my skin trubs this summer.

Whenever I get a pimple, I’m pretty much guaranteed a lingering dark spot on my skin. They usually take from two to three months to fade, but Clinique Even Better, applied twice per day, seems to cut that down by half.

It’s now a permanent member of my skin care arsenal. Straight up, this stuff WORKS!

OF NOTE: Salicylic acid has been shown to help diminish the appearance of minor acne scarring, but it can also make skin more sensitive to sunlight and the dark spots common to it (photo aging). If you decide to give Even Better a try, sunscreen is an absolute must (I like Shiseido 55+).

If your scars are more along the lines of deeper skin indentations or pockmarks, you might want to ask your dermatologist about some of these treatments:

• Resurfacing the upper layers of the skin with dermabrasion or lasers
• Raising the surface of the skin and creating a smoother look with injectable dermal fillers
• Surgical treatments like punch excision, which fuses the edges of a scar together

For more information on acne scars and PIH, check out this page on About.com or this page.

Chicas, I’m putting this out there to you. Do you have any suggestions or product recommendations for our girl Katie? Have you ever dealt with acne scarring or hyperpigmentation?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

TGIF, lovelies! Celebrating payday today? Take a quick trip with me down indulgence lane to check out Chanel’s newest cleanser, Mousse Exfoliante Purete ($45), a gentle exfoliator for oily-to-combination skin.

Project TURN INTO A MORNING KAREN is still in full gear, and this little luxury jump starts my early day with a nice treat.

Tiny exfoliating beads in this creamy cleanser mildly slough off excess skin without rubbing me raw. After rinsing, my face and neck feel soft, clean and refreshed, not itchy or tight.

As the day wears on, Mousse Exfoliante continues working its mojo, reducing the greasy look and feel of Oil Slick City, aka my forehead and nose. Perhaps it’s the extract of meadowsweet (a fragrant herb containing chemicals used to make aspirin), a botanical ingredient Chanel added to control excess oil.

Mousse Exfoliante Purete isn’t cheap, but that’s bidness as usual for Chanel. One great upside, though, is that it’s very concentrated.

A teeny amount of product produces plenty of rich foam. To cleanse my face and neck thoroughly, I use a blueberry-sized pinch. I’m guessing this bottle could last at least eight months.

For drugstore divas desiring something similar, consider Clean & Clear’s Soft Purifying Cleanser Scrub, a mild exfoliating cleanser at the pocketbook-friendly price of $7.

Food for my soul

I needed some new running music last night, so I downloaded a couple of random songs from rapper Talib Kweli. Have you heard his music before? My hip-hop teacher played a few songs during earlier this week, and I was moved by his amazing lyrics. A few of my favorites so far are his songs Get By and I Try.

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