This Charming Face

I am a little bit hesitant to recommend beauty products here, because everyone is different.  But I thought it might be good to go ahead and mention this - for what it's worth.

I think that moisturizers are hard.  I have combination skin that tends toward the dry side (especially in the winter) and it's also super sensitive.  And once you hit 40 everything changes and all bets are off. 

When I went looking for a new night time moisturizer, I had already run through every over the counter thing out there -without success - but I still didn't want to pay an arm and a leg. 

I found the Silkcoat Balm by PCA Skin while comparing moisturizers on SkinCare RX and since this had a pretty low price point (by comparison) and good reviews,  I gave it a try. 

This stuff goes on thick and then sinks in  - but not completely.  It leaves sort of a film on your face but not in a gross way.  It's not greasy or sticky.

It doesn't smell bad, cause my eyes to swell shut, clog my pores or stain my pillow cases.  And it hydrates my skin wonderfully.  One jar lasted about 3 months and I found it especially nice after my facials or on particularly frigid days when I thought my skin needed a little more.

I have been really thrilled with it and I think its really worth the $36.  Before I started using this, my facialist (Hi! LA) told me my skin was dry when I showed up to have her work her magic.   But she's been much more pleased with it lately.

You may want to check it out if you think you need a heavier moisturizer at night.

Skinmedica TNS Recovery Complex

I just have to tell y'all that I love this stuff.

I have only been using it for two weeks or so, but my skin looks amazing.  It feels amazing.  I hope that the improvements continue.

Two drawbacks:  First, it's expensive.  I shopped around and still paid more for it than I would have liked,  but then you know I'm over 40 and childless - what else do I have to spend my money on?

Second, it stinks.  As in it smells like feet or moldy socks or a combination thereof.  It's just putrid.  It seems to dissipate pretty fast, but you should prepare yourselves for it if you try it.  Then again nobody ever said that looking good was pretty or smelled good. 

But I wear it at night, underneath the retinol complex and the hydrating B5 gel and the moisturizer and my skin just looks amazing.  I can't get over it.  Here's hoping it continues to improve, as I have read good reviews to that affect.  Or is it effect?  Hmmm.....

Eye Cream and other Necessities

When I was in law school, I was driving around in the car one day and I looked in the rearview mirror and for the first time, noticed all the lines around my eyes.  My God!  I was horrified.  A lifetime of squinting was already catching up with me.

Since then, I have been all about the eye cream but as I've gotten older the issues surrounding all my skin, including my eyes, have gotten more complicated.  When you're 25 skin care is a luxury.  After 35 it becomes an absolute necessity. 

Generally speaking, I use Skinceuticals products because they were recommended to me by my dermatologist's office and I find them very effective.  About six months ago I reordered the Skinceuticals eye cream that I wear during the day and the nice people at SkinCare RX sent me a sample of the Skinmedica TNS Night Eye Repair Creme.  I said "cool" and gave it a shot.

I really like it.

First and foremost, it doesn't irritate my eyes, which is huge.  In addition to being prone to puffiness and fine lines and wrinkles, they are also incredibly sensitive to irritations.  This stuff didn't make them swell shut, so it passed that test.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have to tell you that this cream contains "human fibroblast conditioned media".  This means that it makes use of the same technology that is used to grow new skin for burn victims and that at some point, was developed from human tissue cells, most likely from the skin of donated foreskins.

The use of this technology may be morally offensive to some, or at least icky.  It is neither to me.  I think that if parents want to donate their children's foreskins to research, we should accept the outcome of that research.  There are a lot of people on the web screaming that Skinmedica is packing it's products full of dead babies and that is just not so.  If you really believe that, please do not buy Skinmedica products and go read someone else's blog, because I think you are hysterical and reactionary.  I think that this type of research is really exciting, both for burn victims and for women over 40 who are just trying to hold it together.  Let's face it ladies, beauty is not cheap and it isn't pretty.  We need to take our help where we can get it.

Ultimately, this stuff makes my eyes look better and feel better.  It is great with lines and puffiness and I've noticed a real improvement.  Also, as an extra added super bonus, it appears to be making my eyelashes grow longer and thicker.  I thought it was just me but then my facialist noticed it, too. 

The price is a little bit steep, but a little goes a long way, and more importantly, it works.  If you're looking for a good night eye cream, you may want to check this out.