Christmas came early, ya’ll
Feast your eyes upon the early Miracle that is Boots No. 7 Restore and Review Beauty Serum!
For the last four months I’ve been scouring Target (“Tar-ghay”) for this alleged miracle cream from across the pond. And every time I go it’s always out of stock, boo! But yesterday the stars were aligned and for the first time ever I was finally able to get a tube, yay.
Blind me with science, please
Women all over the UK went buck wild after a program on BBC, Professor Regan’s Beauty Handbook, showed scientifically that No. 7 Restore and Renew (known as “Protect & Perfect in the UK) repaired photo-aged skin and improved the fine wrinkles associated with photo aging. After the show aired, sales increased by nearly 2000%, with 13 bottles being sold every minute.
I’ve only used it one night so I can’t give a thorough review quite yet, but I was so happy to finally get a tube that I thought it was worth a big fat shout out of blogger joy. I have high hopes for this one. $21.99 for a 1 fl oz tube.
Danger and Ecstasy: A visit to Sephora
Right next door to Target is a Sephora, which is a recipe for both danger and ecstasy. I picked up two goodies from Philosophy, Purity Made Simple One Step Facial Cleanser and Kiss Me Very Emollient Lip Balm in Clear.
I have adult acne that’s mostly cured, but lately my skin has been acting a little nuts. I’m breaking out on my cheeks and on my forehead. In addition to the breakout, my skin has also been tight and dry. Everything I’ve been using to wash it with lately has been leaving my face feeling tight, even my good ole’ standby Cetaphil.
I read an article on Jeni’s blog over at Savvyskin.com on how she cured her adult acne and one of the products she raved about was Purity Made Simple cleanser.
This is a no-foaming cleanser that:
– deep cleanser pores and eliminates makeup build-up
– hydrates
– contains mild cleansing agents and natural oil extracts to help condition skin
– has a light, slightly herbal/lemon scent
I used it for the first time last night and this morning. It doesn’t leave my skin feeling tight and cleanses thoroughly. The only negative so far is that it did not remove waterproof mascara. Other than that I’m liking it so far. I hope it doesn’t break me out! $10 for a 3.5 fl oz large sample tube.
Kiss me!
The change in season is also wrecking havoc on my lips, which are flaky and dry OVERDRIVE. Ugh. It seems like every three or four days I end up peeling half my lip skin off (gross, I know). I’m glad I picked up this tube of Kiss Me Very Emollient Lip Balm, does a fantastic job of moisturizing my lips.
Kiss Me also comes in Red (sheer berry) and Pink (sheer rose-pink). I love the Red, which smells and tastes like oranges, but can’t stand the Pink. Pink has a weird, pepperminty taste and gives my lips an uncomfortable tingle.
I keep a tube on my nightstand and slap on a thick layer before I go to bed. In the morning my lips feel super soft! $10 for a 0.5 oz tube.
This weekend went by so fast! It was beautiful here in the north bay. I went running yesterday and went for a long walk today around my neighborhood. I know these sunny days are numbered, so I feel like I have to spend as much time as I can outside before it starts to really get rainy and cold.
I hope you had a great weekend and that it was both relaxing and productive.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Christine says
October 21st, 2007 at 8:51 pmI didn’t know we could get Boots here! Good to know. I feel so out of the loop for not knowing.
Renee Rouleau makes such a fab cleanser – I really loved it when I was testing it for a week. I loved that it had the jojoba beads or whatever so it made me feel extra cleanly!
jeni says
October 22nd, 2007 at 12:52 amI hope you end up liking the Philosophy Purity Made Simple! Yeah it doesn’t take off my mascara either:( I don’t like the scent of it, but it works great, and it doesn’t break me out at all!! If you end up not liking it, you could probably return it.
kia says
October 22nd, 2007 at 7:52 ami love purity made simple!
Vanessa says
October 22nd, 2007 at 9:16 amHaha I saw that in the paper this morning the restore and renew, let me know how you like it, as I heard people were going nuts over it and was thinking about purchasing it, but thought id wait since it’s $22…and wanted to get the MAC Strobe Cream instead…lol.
Karen says
October 22nd, 2007 at 9:45 amYeah, I like exfoliating cleansers in the summer time but not so much in the fall. My skin has really been changing and everything seems to dry it out.
Jojoba beads sound nice though, like it would be very soothing.
Karen says
October 22nd, 2007 at 9:46 amHi Jeni,
It does have an usual smell, kinda like lemon pledge meets herbs from the garden. I bought the smaller bottle just in case I didn’t like it.
Next on my list? Clinique Moisture On-Line!
Karen says
October 22nd, 2007 at 9:47 amHi Kia! 🙂
Karen says
October 22nd, 2007 at 9:50 amha ha ha, Vanessa! I’ve been wanting to try Strobe cream, too! Let me know how the glitter is…I’m too old for disco glitter, lol.
jeni says
October 22nd, 2007 at 1:37 pmAhhh Clinique Moisture On-Line is the best if you have dry skin!!!
Kathryn says
October 22nd, 2007 at 7:57 pmI really want a tube of the Boots stuff because it’s so popular, but I don’t know if I need it. Even if it works well, does it do anything for younger skin?
Karen says
October 23rd, 2007 at 6:01 pmI couldn’t find it at my local counter, boo. 🙁 I think I’ll order it On-Line (pardon the pun!) when there’s a bonus or something.
Instead of the moisturizer I picked up the Mild Toner. It gets lots of raves on makeupalley.com so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
Karen says
October 23rd, 2007 at 6:03 pmHi Kathryn,
Hmmm, I dunno yet. If you are young, seriously, the best anti-aging advice I can give you is to start wearing sunscreen now. Don’t skimp on it, either! And don’t forget to put it on your neck…
I’ve been slathering the Boots on for the past few nights and can’t tell if there’s any difference yet. It’s supposed to take four weeks though. We’ll see! Keep your fingers crossed for me (and for the rest of womankind! We all need a miracle cream!)
Christine says
October 24th, 2007 at 12:33 pmI’ve really found the Renee Rouleau cleanser to not give me that tight feeling or dry out my skin. Sometimes after I wash my face, it feels immediately like it needs moisturizer. Ugh, thanks a lot winter.
BTW, make sure you remind me about our AM date on the 10th. I keep randomly remembering it, “Oh yeah!” moments.
Karen says
October 24th, 2007 at 3:30 pmYah girl! I’ll have you know that I’m NOT a morning person, ha!
Christine says
October 24th, 2007 at 3:31 pmI’m a morning person, but not THAT morning. I consider that still night 😉
Both the boy and I were wide awake come 7am today, it was awful. I was like, I WANT TO SLEEEEEP. We were bemoaning our inability to sleep and eventually crawled out at 7:30 after thoroughly trying and failing!
Karen says
October 24th, 2007 at 4:04 pmAww, poor thing! I FEEL YOUR PAIN!
I’ve resorted to taking sleep supplements, like stinky Valerian Root, yech!
Sarah says
December 20th, 2010 at 11:24 am1. Mood: Tired but I feel really relaxed…no anxiety like I normally feel on a Monday
2. What’s your favorite winter comfort food? Baked potatoes with all the fixings!
3. One small thing that always makes you happy? My kitties!
4. Three beauty products that changed your life? omg… um… eye cream for sure! They are stopping my fine lines in their tracks. MAC studio fix…just a tiny bit covers all my flaws and I love it! Also….Avons Vibes power cleaner. I didn’t realize how much dirt I was missing when I washed my face until I bought one of these http://shop.avon.com/shop/product.aspx?pf_id=39905
5. Khaki cargo pants: fashionable or faux pas? they look horrible on me.. I have a flat butt
6. Favorite lip balm? Carmex baby!
7. How do you sign off on your emails? I’m so bland.. I just write Sincerely or sometimes Best Regards
8. Your purse: messy or organized? MESSY!
9. Today’s outfit? work logo shirt, work logo vest, yoga pants (hope no one notices) and cute shoes at least
10. Weekly goals: Get rid of all the clothes i went through and don’t need anymore
Sarah recently posted … This Is Where Chicken Nuggets Come From
Sarah says
December 20th, 2010 at 11:25 amOMG! Karen I’m a doofus I posted my survey in the wrong post
Michele DiCola says
December 31st, 2010 at 1:48 pmFunny you should ask: I was just going to buy the Philosophy line with the Ulta on line coupon !
Michele
Happy New Year!