your best face define & quench duo

Our Rating: 2 stars

Reviewed by Reader on August 4, 2014

1 Comment

by Diane

I was thrilled to be selected to try the Your Best Face Define & Quench Duo ($70 and $15 in the shop). Yee haw! I’m in the 50-plus age range, and I have mature skin; it's not terribly dry, but vertical lines above my upper lip are a particular source of consternation that my usual skin care regimen hasn’t been able to combat. I was hoping YBF Define could help. This time of year (winter in the southern hemisphere), my lips tend to dry out, and I’m constantly using lip balm to keep them hydrated, so I looked forward to finding out what Quench could do.

After using both products daily — morning and evening — for the last five weeks, I’m not seeing the results that are as dramatic as those reported by other reviewers. YBF Define coupled with Quench did result in a smoother appearance to my lips, and the color seems a bit more even now. The effect on the fine vertical lines around my lips (especially above my upper lip) is very subtle — I do think there has been a slight reduction in the depth of these lines, making them a little less noticeable.

I like that Define is packaged in an airless pump so it’ll stay good to the last drop. I have yet to see that last drop. It takes only the smallest amount to spread generously over my lips, even when I use it liberally as a mask before bed. After five weeks, there still seems to be plenty left in the pump.

Quench is a serviceable lip moisturizer full of great stuff not found in the usual lip balms: meadowfoam oil and spin trap, for example. But like other lip balms that I’ve used, it doesn’t last all that long during the day. It has greater staying power overnight. My lips did feel good the next morning.

There was sometimes a mild stinging sensation after applying Define that I didn’t particularly care for, although it never lasted long and didn’t seem to otherwise bother my skin. I didn’t see anything on the ingredients list for either product that has led to an adverse reaction in the past (to the best of my knowledge).

Oddly, often within a few minutes of applying Define there would be a pronounced yellow hue to the skin around my lips (but not the lips themselves), despite the fact that Define is a pale beige color. It meant that I had to completely remove any Define on the skin around my lips, at least when I used the product during the daytime — the yellow was just too pronounced. Not a big deal before bed, although I do wonder why I’m getting this color. I haven’t yet discovered which substance(s) or product(s) is reacting or interacting with Define to produce this effect. I’ve subsequently taken great care to avoid getting any Define on the skin around my lips during the daytime.

As for the verdict? I’m ambivalent about both products. I’ve seen some subtle improvement, but I’m not sure that I’ll be buying replacements once both products are used up (which may take a while). In the meantime, I am continuing to use both Define and Quench twice daily and will update this review if there’s anything new to report.