November 19, 2009
Posted by copley
Regardless of age or climate, all skin types can be afflicted with particularly visible pores. Some causes of pore enlargement include hereditary factors, pollution, exposure to sun, bad eating habits (consumption of sugar and fat), smoking (which increases sebum secretion), and poor skin hygiene. The accumulation of sebum and impurities around the edges of pores makes them more conspicuous. And improper exfoliation of skin cells lets pores get plugged up. As sebum is produced by the skin’s oil glands, it cannot reach the surface and starts accumulating inside the pore, expanding its diameter. Dead skin cells, oils, and bacteria pool in this follicular opening, often leading to the formation of blackheads (medically termed “open comedones”) owing to oxygenation. Read more...
October 19, 2009
Posted by marta
My skin has been sore and inflamed with a Mrs Angry flush to my cheeks for the last couple of days due to testing a cleanser that didn’t suit me at all. I don’t know what made me turn to Chella Enzyme Formula Exfoliating Crema Mask ($60) – if anything, an exfoliator could make things worse – but I am very glad that I did. Ten minutes or so later, Chella’s mask (billed for sensitive skins and rosacea) had calmed my skin down significantly and half an hour later it was soft, clear and no longer red. The effect lasted for at least another day.
Chella’s exfoliating mask has both alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) and enzyme. AHAs and enzymes perform different functions to achieve exfoliation; that is, to remove dead cells on the skin’s outer layer. AHAs loosen and lift the top layer of dead cells, primarily composed of keratin (a protein), while proteolyitc enzymes dissolve it. Read more...
September 26, 2009
Posted by marta
Preservatives have always seemed to be a necessary evil. They protect products from developing harmful bacteria, but they are oftentimes irritants or even potentially carcinogenic as well (see the post on why products need preservatives). So I was intrigued by Avène’s Tolérance Extreme range, proclaiming that it is preservative, fragrance and surfactant free line of skin care products for very sensitive skins.
So how is Avène able to say look Ma no preservatives and still produce a safe product. It turns out that a packaging company called Promens has developed a sterile closure system for cosmetics products that allows preservatives to be cut out altogether.Called the DEFI system, the tubes somehow stay intact to protect the formula from bacteria that could enter after the product has been opened by the consumer. Read more...
August 25, 2009
Posted by marta
OK, so the name is unpronounceable and the Iron Cream Mask facial – an extraordinary cleansing procedure that uses magnets – looks kind of scary, the brand is impossible to find this side of the Adriatic and the product names look as if they were made up by someone who was confused between Klingon and Esperanto, but Dermophisiologique, an Italian skincare brand that is unisex, is worth getting to know. I was impressed enough with the Optyma eye cream for it to have made it to the most recent Five Best and Copley loves the Polivalente Hydraviso. Read more...
July 23, 2009
Posted by marta
It was borage that made me swoop on Dr Hauschka’s Rhythmic Conditioner with unseemly haste and hand over my credit card trying not to think too hard about the price tag of $89.95. This potion is designed for sensitive skins, prone to react unhappily to chemicals, break out with rosacea or couperose, or get red and irritated. It had my name on it. Plus, Dr Hauschka uses organic botanicals and, of course, there is borage.
I’ll come back to borage in a moment. First, I should mention that my fleeting misgivings for making this purchase went beyond the price. I’ve just never been very wowed by Dr Hauschka. I’ve used his marshmallow hair conditioner, which is OK but didn’t become a repeat buy and his neem oil for nails is basically useless. The thing that almost put me off Rhythmic Conditioner is that it comes in plastic ampoules. And I kind of object to ampoules. They are fiddly, force me to use a specific amount of product, make me think that my money is going into the manufacturing process rather than the potion, and the world does not need more discarded bits of plastic. On the other hand, Dr Hauschka’s products tend to be preservative free so the ampoules might be a sensible way of keeping each dose fresh. Read more...
