anti-aging products - cutest labrat ever

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-22-2006
anti-aging products - cutest labrat ever
23
Thu, 03-20-2008 - 9:40am

Hi!! That's right - I am the labrat.
As you know I started seeing wrinkles and had to come to terms with some. um. weight gain lately. I am at the gym and getting sore all over so I suppose that is a goog sign for things to come. I am proud of myself for getting the gym thing going and hope to lose ten pounds by summer which seems like a reasonable goal. Turns out I have already lost 2 - YAY me. And I still am eating a cookie a day - that's right, you heard me - a cookie. HA.
OK so I also had to admit to myself that I just dont take care of my skin AT ALL. Or OK hardly at all. I kind of go in spurts but in the last year most of the spurt has been, well, a big long spurt in not taking care of my skin. Anyhow, this is very bad of me and I cant afford to treat my skin like that and then complain about wrinkles unless I have some sort of previously undisclosed deal with the devil about aging, right? So I did some research and spent some money and as of today, it will all be in my apartment. I had to order some of it so I have been waiting. It will be my experiment with anti aging stuff and I was planning on sharing it with you guys because I think it might be interesting.
Keep in mind I have been doing nothing really for my skin. Just a plain old cleanser once a day, Cetaphil, and Oil of Olay moisturizer with SPF. Luckily I am a bit of a violin hermit so I dont have a lot of sun in my past but still. I see wrinkles on the forehead and around the eyes when I smile. It is disturbing. I do however naturally have good skin ( thanks Mom) and I read this article the other day about how we tend to ignore our best qualities spending our energy criticizing our least favorites instead and how that ends up giving a bad result for most of us. We should be nurturing and taking preventative care of our best features. Makes sense. So skin care was something I decided I would drop some money on and see how it goes.
Dont lose your breakfast but some of this is expensive. It took me near three weeks to buy the most expensive item because I forced myself to read up on every article or review ever written about it in the last year just to make sure. I am still not positive I am not an idiot but here is the full disclosure on what I bought
Clarisonic Skin Care Brush System
http://www.blissworld.com/category/brands/clarisonic.do?code=028904&googlekwd=clarisonic&kwid=5041597
This is supposed to be kind of the holy grail of skin care right now. It was on Oprah's Fav Things and is getting impossibly great reviews all the way around. It is kind of like those electric toothbrushes but it is for your face. It has three brushes ( delicate, sensitive and regular) two speeds ( sensitive and regular) and it beeps as you are supposed to get done with each zone on your face. It is supposed to take 2 minutes and it times it for you so you dont overdo. It has a charger and it charges for 15 hours at a time and is waterproof so you can take it to the gym or in the shower and can leave the charger at home. It reduces fine lines and wrinkles, smooths the skin surface but gently and apparently just gets your face WAY cleaner than it would ever get. You can use it with other cleansers as long as they arent abrasive or too oily. This thing got ridiculously great reviews on every site I went to. It was kind of crazy and I am looking forward to using it. it is sitting in my bathroom right now. I looked at it this morning and realized I am kind of angry at it because of how much it cost me which is ( get ready) 195. It was a tough call and most of my money went on this so it left me with less for anything else but after what I read I ended up thinking it would be a wise investment. Many of the people reviewing have been using theirs for over a year now and claim to not want to live without one.
I bought two other things from bliss labs. Love this company and I have a few things from them in the past - mostly body washes - I love their lemon sage line. They are a great company IMO and fairly reasonable.
Bliss the Youth as we know it - moisturizer $79
http://www.blissworld.com/product/skin+care/bliss+the+youth+as+we+know+it.do
Bliss Sleeping Peel Serum $60
http://www.blissworld.com/product/bliss+sleeping+peel+serum.do?search=basic&keyword=sleeping+peel&sortby=all&asc=false&page=1
So apparently if I just use my clarisonic cleanser ( came with the brush) or any mild cleanser and the brush I then do the serum and then the moistruizer and I am done.
Three steps is something I can handle so I am feeling fairly confident about it being able to do it right and will of course keep you posted as to whether or not the stuff actually works... The two products from bliss were just simply more reasonably priced than other ones with the same key antiaging ingredients and fab reviews so thats why I chose them over other stuff. I also like the fact that I can click on it buy it and have it delivered. I dont like being at a makeup counter because I think they are going to convince me into something else and it is hard for me to get them to back off!

In addition to this ( and yes, I did just play three big concerts and get paid..lol) I changed my makeup which I havent done in literally a few years. I have always used liquid foundation but I had a friend of mine raving like a lunatic about bare minerals and so I am trying that and have been for the past few days. I had to watch the video to understand how to use it but let me tell you - I LOVE THIS STUFF. I have good skin naturally and this instantly makes me look more natural than liquid makeup and it still covers my tiny imperfections and under eye - it is light and doesnt feel like powder in the least bit to me. You cannot see it on. You just look better and ( I have to say it) younger. I got a starter kit of the stuff and it was 45 dollars. Not bad considering I got the brushes, the minerals in two shades and a bronzer and a finishing mineral veil thing that makes you kind of glow in this very dewy beautiful way - plus the cd showing me how. SYB even noticed something about my complexion yesterday and mentioned it. AHA, right?

OK this is the longest post ever. I just wanted to make sure you all knew I was doing this and hopefully I can give some good info on this stuff. No need for us to ALL go broke to look good, right??

Anyone else have some products they cant live without?

Lilypie - Personal picture

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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-11-2007
Thu, 03-20-2008 - 9:58am

I started using Bare Minerals about 6 weeks ago.

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-01-2006
Thu, 03-20-2008 - 10:19am

Great Post!

Rosecolouredspecs
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-14-2007
Thu, 03-20-2008 - 10:36am

I have been using bare minerals for about a year now and love it.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-17-2003
Thu, 03-20-2008 - 11:24am
I have been thinking about changing my skin care routine. I love my Mary Kay Timewise moisturizer. However, I am not crazy about their makeup. I have found I can usually find it for a good price on Ebay. I use Beauticontrol foundation and love it. I have thought about trying Bare Essentials. Wonder if they have a sample size?
I was thinking about trying Oil of Olay Regenerist when I run out of my Mary Kay.
Stephanie
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-13-2005
Thu, 03-20-2008 - 12:12pm

Sunscreen.

I once read a book by a dermatologist and she said there is really nothing you can do to reverse what has already happened - but you can prevent it to get worse.

I don't really wear makeup - just eye liner and lip gloss. I have a wonderful honey moisturizer that I got from L'Occitane.

I think a healthy lifestyle - plenty of exercise, good food, not too much alcohol, can go a long way in looking/keeping young. I have noticed that with the other athletes. I have a friend who is 73 and he looks like he is in his 50s.

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-22-2006
Thu, 03-20-2008 - 12:20pm
That's so cool that a few of us have already been enjoying this bare minerals stuff. I was pretty skeptical just because I have always believed that powder was something that cakes and makes us look older but this isnt powder at all now that I use it and know what it is. I think it is great and I do think you automatically look younger when you where less foundation as long as your skin tone is evened out which is what this stuff does so well and just like Moon since I started it a few days ago, I swear my skin looks clearer.
So today I am going to be trying to Clarisonic for the very first time. Kind of exciting and nervewracking to use a machine on my face but I have read the instructions and it doesnt seem too complicated so I am going to give it a whirl in a little while. I had to let it charge for 24 hours so it has just be sitting there waiting for me in there for the last day:)
I dont think I could do the botox route either because the needles on my face? Well, lets just say I would have to be put out first and I dont know whether they do such things for wussies like me!
I just got back from working out and let me tell you, I am bushed. I am going to eat lunch and then get to work but will post later about how the clarisonic works and what I think of my first time with it. I caught SYB looking at it like it might be a new sex toy a little while ago. I just said "um, NO" as I was walking by him....lol
Lilypie - Personal picture
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-10-2007
Thu, 03-20-2008 - 2:13pm

I tried Bare Minerals last year at a women's expo--it is very nice and I did buy some there but I can't afford it now--I just bought Physicians Formula when I ran out--it

April

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-10-2007
Thu, 03-20-2008 - 2:17pm

I could never do Botox!

April

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-22-2006
Thu, 03-20-2008 - 4:43pm
OK - UPDATE!
I tried the clarisonic before I picked my kid up from school. I read the directions again so that I didnt miss anything. I used the sensitive brush which is the one that comes with it and put it on medium power rather than low. I did that because I dont have super sensitive skin and I havent exfoliated at all this week because ....well, I have been waiting for the machine to do it for me! It was easy to control and it has this timer on it so that you spend 20 seconds on forehead and chin and then 10 seconds on each cheek - it beeps to let you know when to move to the next area. I might disable the beeping because I think I can control myself ( HA) but for now it is good because it gets me used to the timing of it. I might take it in the shower with me tomorrow. It took no time flat to use this and here is the real scoop.
I looked at my t zone after and I swear to God I can see that it cleaned my pores out around my nose and around my chin. And my face didnt feel dry at all afterwards - just super clean. Also my moisturizer went on and sunk in much faster. So far I like this thing and it will be interesting to see how my skin reacts to it as the days progress.
Also, a bit of bad news. I thought the bliss stuff had already arrived today because there was a package delivered but in fact, it is something else. So I am still waiting on the serum and the moisturizer. I will continue using my other moisturizer until I get it.
That's all for now....
oh and still wearing the bare minerals and LOVING it. It really does have a very youthful effect in my opinion and you use so little of it to get the job done I imagine it goes a long way. It isnt cheap but it isnt that much either considering how long the stuff must last.
Lilypie - Personal picture
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-25-2004
Thu, 03-20-2008 - 6:24pm

Hi City,


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