September 26, 2019 at 08:58PM by CWC At age 28, I finally have my “skin-care wardrobe” down pat. Sandwiched in between my cleanser and moisturizer is my trifecta of serums, each of which help to target a different issue: hyaluronic acid twice a day for hydration, vitamin C in the morning in for brightening dark spots, and retinol at night for texture issues. But with the launch of its new Bright Boost Illuminating Serum ($20), Neutrogena just introduced a product that can replace my usual three steps with a single application. The brand just rolled out its Bright Boost line, which was created by millennial women for millennial women (aka me, aged 28) to target their initial signs of aging—like dullness, dark spots, dryness, and texture issues. The star ingredient is a molecule called NeoGlucosamine, an amino sugar that serves as one of the building blocks in oh-so-hydrating hyaluronic acid. And man oh man, does this thing put in work. When used on its own, it does a lot of the same things that I rely on in my three-ingredient combo. It helps to boost cell turnover—aka retinol’s claim to fame—to 10 times faster than usual, according to Neutrogena; reduces the appearance of dark spots by disrupting the skin pigmentation process, which we usually turn to vitamin C to do; and hydrates and plumps skin, à la hyaluronic acid. While there are no studies comparing the relative effectiveness of NeoGlucosamine to its counterparts, it certainly does give them a run
Tag: Facials
All of the reasons you should try this legendary lash-lengthening serum, stat
September 14, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC I like my eyelashes to feel like actual butterflies sitting on my eyeballs, protecting them from crap in the air while making my eyes look pretty and feminine. With lots and lots of length. Some people get annoyed by eyelashes that they can literally feel open and close and hit your under-eye area with every blink, but not me. While I’ve used everything from lash-lengthening mascaras to heated eyelash curlers (and hell, even a lash lift), my favorite lash booster is the cult-favorite Grandelash MD Lash Enhancing Serum ($65). It’s beloved by lash lovers everywhere (and has 60,000 loves on Sephora) for a reason. Nothing else has made such a visible change in my lashes as this serum. Shirley Chi, MD, a California-based dermatologist, isn’t surprised by the popularity of Grandelash serum. “It has a lot of amino acids and peptides in it, which creates a good environment for hair to grow,” she tells me. “If you have a good environment, then the hairs are more likely to grow longer.” Of course, this doesn’t actually mean you’ll have more hair follicles; she points out that it simply means your lash strands are going to be more nourished, so they’ll give you that fuller butterfly look. “Your lashes will look thicker, not only because of the conditioners that are in the product—which do make your hair look more voluminous—but because the proteins and plant extracts make a good ambiance for your hair to grow
This color-correcting serum nixes my rosacea redness better than any concealer
September 12, 2019 at 07:01PM by CWC Rosacea is an extremely rude and disrespectful skin condition. I say this with authority because my diagnosis last year cleared up any confusion about my skin. So that’s why I get weird whitehead-looking breakouts if I’m out in the sun for too long. (Fun fact: rosacea can manifest as tiny pimples.) It’s also the reason why I turn beet red after a workout class or getting a facial, and why my makeup-free skin resembles a ripened heirloom tomato. My dermatologist has helped me overhaul my skin-care routine to avoid certain problematic ingredients that cause irritation, adding in some topical prescription treatments that have majorly improved the overall quality and health of my skin. But when it inevitably flares up, I often feel powerless to do anything about it. I’ve historically had very little luck with nearly every so-called “redness-reducing” product on the planet. Yes, I know that green technically cancels out red on the color wheel, but green concealers and creams and serums just leave me looking like the Grinch mid-blush. Not cute. After listening to my struggles (and seeing them written in red all over my face), beauty editor Zoe Weiner handed me a bottle of the Dr. Jart Cicapair Tiger Grass Camo Drops ($46). It’s a hybrid between a color-corrector and a serum to help reduce redness and soothe angry skin. “My sister has rosacea, too, and she loves this whole line,” Weiner told me. But my built-in trust issues with
Skin-care ampoules are like the harder-working sister of serums
September 09, 2019 at 06:06PM by CWC These days, beauty counters are piled high with stacks and stacks of the latest creams, serums, and SPFs that all promise to whisk skin concerns and prevent new ones from coming on. In no surprise to anyone, super-concentrated active ingredients are highly covetable, and that’s why ampoules, a Korean beauty staple, are now making their way to the United States. Ampoules are highly concentrated active serums that are specifically designed for one-time use. “The amount and container size are strategically for preserving the pureness of the product,” explains Julie E. Russak, MD, a New York City dermatologist. “There are no added fillers, the product often features one main star ingredient, and, because of the way it’s packaged—it’s usually for one single use—so it isn’t compromised by the effects of being exposed to the environment.” This is especially important for ingredients like retinol and vitamin C, which David Lortscher, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and CEO of Curology, says are unstable and easily degrade when exposed to light and air. Howard Sobel, MD, a New York dermatologist adds that ampoules, such as Dr. Barbara Sturm Hyaluronic Ampoules ($145) and Natura Bisse Diamond Instant Glow ($90), are of particularly high quality given not only their small, air-tight vials or capsules, but also the fact that they ensure that you’re applying the right amount of product to your face. What do ampoules do? Beyond the ingenious packaging, let’s talk about the benefits of actually adding them into
Skin Care For The Neck Down: This Clean Oil Is like A High-Tech Serum
September 02, 2019 at 12:00PM You’re really going to want to check out the ingredient label. Continue Reading… Author Alexandra Engler | Life by Daily Burn Selected by CWC
This $15 vitamin C serum sells every 4 minutes, so I tried it to see what all the fuss is about
August 12, 2019 at 07:50AM by CWC Beneath the foundation I’ve been dutifully applying for many years lies a map of my past: acne scars from the time before my college best friend told me she’d stop hanging out with me unless I went on Accutane (yes, I did regretfully go on Accutane, and no, the friendship did not make it very far into adulthood); sun spots from the carefree days of a childhood spent under the not-so-watchful eye of a hippie mother who did not “believe” in sunscreen; and now, wrinkles that even the foundation can not cover from lots of subsequent sun, so many smiles, and a smattering of super aggressive sobs. I don’t dislike this map; however, I’m not evolved enough to display it for all the world to see on a regular basis and yet I do dislike being enslaved by foundation. So, I’ve been working hard to even out my skin tone in pursuit of the glow-y complexion mere non-model mortals like myself find it difficult to achieve. This endeavor led me to a serum which, according to the brand that makes it, sells every four minutes on Amazon. InstaNatural Vitamin C Serum (currently on sale for $15) includes hero ingredients like hyaluronic acid, ferulic acid, and sea buckthorn oil, alongside its star component. It promises to brighten the skin (yes, please), lighten dark spots (good luck), and reduce the appearance of fine lines (okay, show-off!). ad_intervals[‘414309_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘414309_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’);});
This $15 drugstore buy is the closest thing you’ll find to Sephora’s most expensive serum
July 31, 2019 at 08:05AM by CWC There are few things in this world that I am willing to shell out $495 on. A flight to California, maybe. A portion of my rent, for sure. But a skin-care product? I’d have to take major pause (and calculate whether or not I’d be okay to go an entire month eating canned chickpeas) before swiping my credit card. That said, Sephora sells a $495 serum—Perricone MD Neuropeptide Smoothing Facial Conformer—that’s renowned for using proprietary neuropeptide technology to activate the renewal of the surface of your skin, making it a game changer for things like dullness, discoloration, under-eye circles, fine lines, sagging skin and wrinkles. And if the reviews on the product are to be believed, it’s the real deal. “Within one day I began to see positive changes in my skin—not just in toning, but it really does peel off the years,” wrote one fan. “I’ve used this for 10 days every night and morning and my skin is tighter, velvety smooth, and so bright,” echoed another. ad_intervals[‘412064_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘412064_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’);}); } }, 100); While the reviews are overwhelmingly positive, if you’re not able to shell out that much cash, you don’t have to feel left out. We scoured the Internet to find the closest thing possible to a drugstore dupe. Our pick? Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Serum, which retails for only $15. Photo: Olay Like the Perricone MD serum, the Olay version utilizes peptides. “Peptides are made of
Toss the brow pencil, these growth serums will give you the arches of your dreams
July 29, 2019 at 06:38AM by CWC I’ve been diligently applying eyelash serums for some time now, taking my average-length fringe to va-va-voom to lengths. And while I’ve been spreading the good word about the fluttery effects to anyone who’ll listen, I’ve been sleeping on the fact that growth serums are also purported to help stimulate growth on brows. When it comes to my arches, my personal opinion is: the bushier the better. Every morning, I swipe on some brow gel, but would love if I even had more strands to brush up (and I’m not quite ready for microblading… yet). This is where brow serums come in—they work to bestow you with even fuller, bushier brows, thanks to nourishing ingredients that boost the hair above your eyeballs. “Brow serums are great for helping to achieve fuller-looking brows,” says Ywe Kvist, senior brand manager for Skin Research Laboratories. “Whether you over-plucked or have naturally sparse-looking brows, brow serums offer the thicker-looking appearance we’re all after.” ad_intervals[‘410852_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘410852_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’);}); } }, 100); Besides that, Joey Healy, celebrity stylist and eyebrow specialist, says serums are great for adding volume density. “Brow serums are for people who have overworked their brows, people who are not satisfied with their brows as they age, or people who feel their brows aren’t living up to their full potential,” he says. You just have to look for serums with the right hair-boosting ingredients. “Peptides are the active ingredient you should look
Cancel your facial, these serums are like a laser treatment in a bottle
July 24, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC My feelings about laser treatments are bittersweet. I love them because they’re a speedy way to brighten, tighten, and lift my face. But this time of year, with UV indexes soaring through the roof, some derms have told me that it’s smart to pass on lasers because of sun sensitivity, meaning that derm-office radiance flashes before my eyes and inevitably fades. With all of the innovations in skin care these days, though, we’re actually able to tap the potency of professional-grade treatments via beauty products that you can find on the shelves of your local drugstore or find a click away on Amazon. Within certain serum droppers or oil pumps or dabs of a cream, active ingredients join together to emulate what a laser can do to your skin, all without a dermatologist appointment or downtime. It’s particularly a perk, because not all laser treatments are the best option for every skin tone or skin type. “People with darker skin tones can run the risk of some lasers, such as Fraxel, CO-2, and Erbium, causing increased or decreased patches of pigment, leaving them with uneven skin tones,” says Dennis Gross, MD, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare. In addition, he adds that people with super sensitive skin are also not good candidates for lasers because they’re prone to irritation, which can show up in the form of redness, dryness, or pigmentation from the treatments. “I recommend active serums instead—firmer skin
The under-$15 drugstore eyelash serums that are better than falsies
June 20, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC The pursuit of your dream lashes has traditionally felt like a pricey endeavor. You can spend a few hundred dollars to get them lifted or tinted, or invest in a luxury serum that promises some sort of miracle result. And then there’s always the option of slapping on some falsies or mascara, but those aren’t exactly perfect, either, considering they need to come off before bed. But recently, a crop of lash serums have been popping up at—wait for it—the drugstore, making longer lashes an accessible option for anyone. Yes, drugstore eyelash serums are a thing, and yes, they really do work on par with some of the pricier options on the market. Even if you aren’t looking to up the oomph factor on your lashes, adding a serum into your routine may still be a good idea. Considering you condition the hair on your head on a regular basis, shouldn’t your lashes get the same treatment? Serums can help nourish the hair and prevent fallout, and though making wishes on lost lashes is admittedly a fun activity, most of us are looking to hold onto as many of them as possible for the long haul. Here, five options to help you do it—all for under $15. ad_intervals[‘392597_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘392597_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’);}); } }, 100); L’Oréal Paris Eyelash Serum with Lash Caring Complex ($15) Women who tested L’Oréal’s (brand new!) eyelash serum reported seeing longer, thicker lashes in