Skin Care

Product Spotlight: Clinique Redness Solutions Soothing Cleanser

March 6th, 2019 by Karen 9 Comments

clinique redness solutions cleanser — And my skin goes “AHHHH!”

Quick take: Here’s a hidden Clinique gem for anyone with red, irritated skin, or for anyone who simply loves creamy, moisturizing cleansers.

Ugh. Red patches.

So not fun! I started using a retinol product about three months ago, which has also meant that my skin freaks out every so often and the aggressive exfoliation triggers these red patches to appear. And MAN, those spots hurt like a mutha.

Yesterday I took a walk around the neighborhood, and the red spots on my neck were so itchy and sensitive that I couldn’t even zip up my hoodie all the way. The fabric rubbing against my neck felt like straight-up FIRE on my skin.

Thank the beauty gods for Clinique Redness Solutions Soothing Cleanser, which is one of those cleansers that’ll have your skin sighing with relief — AHHH! — after you wash your face.

It’s from the Clinique Redness Solutions line, which is their calming and soothing skin care collection for people with Rosacea or “reactive redness,” which is when an event, like a sunburn, or certain medications or retinol, in my case, causes your skin to become red and inflamed.

From clinique.com…

Details:
For any skin with occasional or persistent redness.

What It Is:
Non-drying cream cleanser is the first step in our Redness Solutions Regimen. Use the entire regimen to see an immediate improvement in visible redness.

What It Does:
Melts away makeup and impurities. Helps calm redness and irritation while preserving skin’s moisture balance.

Key Ingredients/Technology:
Probiotic Technology includes our patented, skin-soothing lactobacillus extract.

Ingredients:
Water\Aqua\Eau, Cyclopentasiloxane, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Sucrose, Isostearyl Palmitate, Peg-100 Stearate, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Hordeum Vulgare (Barley) Extract\Extrait D’Orge, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Extract, Cetearyl Glucoside, Camellia Sinensis (Yellow Tea) Leaf Extract, Aspalathus Linearis (Red Tea) Leaf Extract Saccharomyces Lysate Extract, Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract, Asparagopsis Armata Extract, Camellia Sinensis (White Tea) Leaf Extract, Yeast Extract\Faex\Extrait De Levure, Algae Extract, Caffeine, Lactobacillus Ferment, Sodium Lauroyl Oat Amino Acids, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Polyethylene, Glyceryl Stearate, Salicylic Acid, Sorbitol, Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate, Cholesterol, Linoleic Acid, Acetyl Carnitine Hcl, Glycine, Inulin, Tromethamine, Decarboxy Carnosine Hcl, Phytosphingosine, Cetyl Alcohol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Bisabolol, Squalane, Hdi/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Behenyl Alcohol, Carbomer, Silica, Disodium Edta, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Blue 1 (Ci 42090), Yellow 5 (Ci 19140), Chromium Hydroxide Green (Ci 77289), Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Mica

It’s a gentle moisturizing cream cleanser, so no bubbles, and the moment that it hits my skin, my face and neck immediately feel better…less itchy and tight, and just generally less angry. The smoothing “ahh!” effect lasts for hours afterwards, too, which I love.

If you wear minimal makeup, Redness Solutions can also double as a makeup remover, but if you’re a “foundation, concealer and setting powder” kinda girl (or guy), I’d suggest using a separate makeup remover first (I like Fresh Seaberry), and then doing a second cleanse with Redness Solutions.

But even if you don’t have redness, and perhaps just have sensitive skin and/or you prefer gentle, creamy cleansers, I still think you’ll like this, just because it’s so, so agreeable.
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Crazy About Creams! Clarins Creams

January 30th, 2019 by Karen 17 Comments

This month I am CRAZY ABOUT CREAMS. Stay tuned for some of my favorite cream makeup products all throughout January.

Just to clarify, this is a joke:

And this is NOT a joke:

(Side note: Thank you, Internet, for making me 😂 laugh every single day.)

I’d be remiss to not include my favorite face creams in this series, and… —–> these babies by Clarins ARE NOT PLAYIN’. I always keep at least one jar around because whenever my combo skin starts feeling tight and dry and painful and just plain WEIRD, Clarins is there to rescue me, man. I dab a little on my skin (you don’t need a lot, thank goodness, because these jars, while decently sized, are still expensive), and my tight spots always feel instantly better.

French luxe line Clarins has been around forever, and while the brand may not be as buzzy as Drunk Elephant or Glossier at the moment, I know I can always count on their marvelously moisturizing creams to NOT break me out — and, seriously, EVERYTHING makes me break out.
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Fresh Friday: If Your Skin Needs Extra Moisture and TLC, This New Australian Brand Might Be Your New Go-To

January 25th, 2019 by Karen 7 Comments

go to skin care — Why dry skin goes AHHHHH

MBB’s “Fresh Friday” series takes a look at new beauty brands (and venerable O.G. brands that are new to me). Let’s discover new makeup!

After last week’s epic deluge, I’ve been basking in the glow of this week’s sunshine. Funny thing is…just because the sun has been out here doesn’t mean it’s actually been, ya know, warm. I swear, the sunny days are colder than the rainy days, which means that all the dry spots on my face and body hurt more than usual… I mean, really, smiling at strangers isn’t easy when the skin on your cheeks feels like it’s about to crack. 😐

A new skin care line at Sephora called Go-To has been saving me from walking around town with a perpetual RBF. It’s a dream for dry-skinned dames!

A non-fussy skin care line for all skin types

Hailing from Down Under, Go-To is the brainchild of Australian author and former Cosmopolitan beauty director Zoë Foster Blake. A scroll through her Instagram feed is like a visit to a glamorous land where everything’s beautiful and picture-perfect, and so I guess it’s fitting that her first beauty venture has that familiar “I’m doing it for the ‘gram” look — white and pastel packaging, fun names and playful fonts. Some might call it “millennial marketing.”

go to skin care useful face cream — Very Useful Face Cream ($31)

All of the products in the line are made for all skin types (even sensitive) and ages, but since so many of the cheeky and lighthearted skin care brands out there target 20- and 30-somethings, I mistakenly expected the products to be a better fit for someone who already has perfect skin and cherub cheeks and hasn’t been around the block as many times as I have, if you know what I mean… But once I got the cream on my face, the balm on my lips and the oil on my body, I was sold. This stuff means business. I’m talking majorly moisturizing KAPOW.

Some quick deets…

The products don’t contain parabens, PEGS, sulfates, GMOs, mineral oils, petrolatum or synthetic colors, and they aren’t tested on animals.

The number of products is on the smaller side for now, with items priced between $12 and $39.

You can find them in the US at Sephora and online.

There are more products available on the Go-To website, and they currently offer free shipping on US orders over $50.

Why dry cheeks go AHHH

Definitely peep the Very Useful Face Cream ($31). I started using a retinol cream by Kate Somerville a couple months ago, so my skin periodically freaks out and hurts as a result of the dryness that comes with the aggressive exfoliation. Very Useful Face Cream, which contains two powerhouse antixidants in coQ10 and amla berry (it’s also in IGK’s Bad & Bougie Shampoo and Conditioner), just makes everything feel better. Weirdly, it feels light and thin at first, but it starts to thicken up and feel more like a balm as you work it into your skin.

Once it’s absorbed…AHHH.

It’s supposed to be for all skin types, but if you happen to have dry skin that needs extra TLC, I think you’ll REALLY appreciate it.

go to skin care exception oil — Exception-oil ($39)

Exception-Oil body oil is another standout. It’s thick, creamy and smells like gardenia, and you only need a tiny bit. It’s so moisturizing that even my hella dry hands and feet are happy afterwards. I just put some on my paws, and now they feel like completely new hands, LOL!

And then there’s the Face Hero Oil, which I’ve used on my neck a few times… I like it just fine for moisture, but I’m still deeply committed to Fresh Seaberry Oil (THE BEST). Face Hero smells like green tea ice cream, though, which is a plus in my book.

go to skin care face hero — Face Hero Oil ($34)

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November 2018 Favorites

December 10th, 2018 by Karen 19 Comments

Because it’s cold, I’m already getting nostalgic for November! Here are some things I loved the heck out of last month…

1. Onomie Boosting Lip + Cheek Sticks ($30 each)

These are super sheer compared to some other creams products out there, like the MAC Cream Colour Bases, but don’t walk away just yet. I don’t really use them when I’m gonna be taking pics for MBB, because they’re too subtle for photography, but for regular life, like when I’m wearing the most minimal of minimal makeup (a recurring theme when you live with a demanding tabby and a toddler), they’re B-O-M-B. They add just enough color to cheeks and lips to liven things up so I don’t look totally dead, ha ha.

I blend concealer under my eyes and skip the tinted moisturizer/foundation completely, then plop on a coat of mascara, and dab and blend one of these tints on my cheeks and lips.

It’s a very Megan Markle makeup look, and I’m into it.

Comes in six shades. I wear the Berry the most.

2. Juno & Co Microfiber Velvet Sponge ($6 each, or four for $20)

You can use this soft and squishy makeup blending sponge wet or dry to apply or set foundation, powder and/or concealer. The surface of the sponge feels velvety, similar to velvet fabric, which makes a big difference in the finished look. It’s a more airbrushed and polished look than you get with the beautyblender-y makeup sponges out there.

3. R+Co Television Perfect Hair Shampoo and Conditioner ($30 each)

You know when your hair feels coated, weighed down and heavy? UGH, I hate that feeling. It’s like living with a family of filthy forest animals on your head 24/7. Anyway, with this shampoo and conditioner, you can completely avoid that issue. They’re for smoothing, moisturizing *and* volume, and they’re made for all hair types, from fine to thick and wavy like mine, and everything in between. When I use this set, my hair is what I call, “light and fluffy.” My only wish is that they came in bigger bottles!

The scent is lovely, too. I detect lavender, pineapple, tangerines and warm, white musk.

4. R+Co Waterfall Moisture + Shine Lotion ($29)

Again for the girls and guys who like hair that isn’t coated with a thick layer of goo. (R+Co is good at that.) This intense leave-in conditioner and frizz-fighter is just as moisturizing as their High Dive Moisture + Shine Cream (don’t even ask me how many bottles of that I’ve gone through), but it retains more volume in your strands, so it flattens the hair less than High Dive.

Both are brilliant, but if you have long or medium-length hair, and you’re all about floofy marshmallow volume, this is the one you’ll want, especially if you like violets, oranges and caramel, which is how it smells.

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Have You Tried the $7 Trader Joe’s Facial Cleansing Oil With Argan & Coconut Oils?

November 29th, 2018 by Karen 8 Comments

The Trader Joe’s beauty section should have a big-@ss warning sign above the aisle — something akin to “BEWARE! YOU’RE ENTERING SPUR-OF-THE-MOMENT SPENDING TERRITORY!”

That would work, or better yet a huge LCD screen with winged dollar bills floating away, since we’re moving toward a world where we will soon be communicating solely through emojis. ? ? ? ? ?

I’ve always had trouble saying “no” to anything having to do with makeup removal, especially face oils, because what goes on, must come off, so grabbing this facial cleansing oil was a no-brainer. Somehow, TJ’s found a way to make it smell like the most heavenly mix of eucalyptus, lemon verbena and roses, although, from a quick scan of the ingredients, it doesn’t appear to have any of those things in it!

And speaking of the ingredient list, it contains different types of oils, too, not just argan and coconut. I also see sunflower, crambe abyssinica seed (which is new to me) and capyrylic/capric triglyceride.

It doesn’t look like this will replace my beloved DHC Deep Cleansing Oil anytime soon. I mean, it’s fine for removing mellower makeup — basically anything non-waterproof is fine — but it can’t handle heavy-duty, long-wearing stuff on its own. It’s $7 for a 4-oz. bottle, though, so the price is right, and it doesn’t break me out or make my combo skin feel dry, so I’m not too crabby about it not being all that effective on long-wearing makeup. But still…I’m not about to go into hoarder mode for it. I’ll save that for when the Rose Hand Cream comes back!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen