Why I use retinol/retinoid treatments

Guys. I’m getting age spots on my hands. I’m getting old.

I have always looked younger than my age, whether or not I was into skincare and now I’m simply slowing the aging process with some beauty products. If in fact it works in the long run. Only time will tell. Since I’m in my thirties, I feel as if I know a lot about skincare than I ever did before. I’m forever researching the products I plan to buy to keep my skin looking youthful.

My biggest thing is, to always hydrate and drink as much water as you can in the run of a day. Water is my primary source of drink, and to keep me drinking it throughout the day, I keep 5+ water bottles in the fridge at all times. When one gets emptied, fill’er back up, place in the fridge and grab another cool one. It’s been working since we’ve moved to California. So that’s good, right?

 Philosophy is a trusted skin care brand that I keep going back to.

philosophyClearly.

I’ve been using Philosophy Retinoid pads and I have just started my second jar of it — the first one was complimentary thanks to Philosophy, but I’ve loved the product so much I bought it.

miracle workerPhilosophy Miracle Worker Anti-aging Retinoid Pads and solution:  $74USD / $98CDN

One side of the pad is more exfoliating than the other. I tend to use the rougher side on my face, and the other side the excess goes to the backs of my hands.  I was hesitant that the retinod pads would still be soaked by the end of the jar in 60 days, but they were.

philosophy with retinoid padsI use it at night after washing my face with Purity Made Simple cleanser. I apply a pad of the retinoid on right after using the cleanser before I put anything else on my skin so it’s the first thing to soak in.

This is a time in my blog-life that I wish I took before and after pictures. I didn’t know I’d enjoy the product so much. My skin feels rejuvenated, my cheeks are much less red, and I feel more comfortable wearing not a stitch of makeup, outside the house. As one should!

Benefits of using retinol/retinoid treatments:

  • To achieve radiant skin, use a product with retinoid in it as it will help get rid of any dry, dead skin cells on the surface
  • Retinoids also stimulates the skin to produce more collagen and hyaluronic acid, which prevents wrinkles or fine lines that haven’t appeared
  • Retinoid helps speed up the skin’s natural cell turnover. As it did with me, it helps fade pigmentation on the skin (my rosy cheeks)

Look at the packaging of your skin care products to make sure it has a retinoid in the product towards the beginning of the ingredient list. Over the counter, you will not receive more than 1% retinoid, as it’s pretty powerful. So look for something with 0.5% or higher of retinoid for best results.

 

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My Favourite Eye Creams

ikea working deskSkin care is an important daily activity of mine that I don’t like to skip. From applying sunscreen, facial moisturizers and eye creams. I’m a huge fan of taking care of my skin and by doing so I drink a ton of water throughout the day. Probably four water bottles. Which probably is just average. Whatever. That’s my Philosophy water bobble (that I scored from Blissdom).

I haven’t tried out too many eye creams, and lucked into a few that I’ve stuck with over the past 5 years or so. Probably because I went big and not home. #GoBigOrGoHome. Is hashtagging while blogging a thing? Is that fine, or weird? I can’t tell. Yet.

My-Favorite-Eye-CreamsLet’s get back to the subject of the day. My favourite eye creams I’ve tested, have and will still repurchase. These two? I’ll always repurchase.

Eye creams will last me anywhere from 6-8 months. I apply them definitely once a day, in the mornings and try to remember to use it at night too.

Miracle-Worker-Eye-CreamPhilosophy Miracle Worker retinoid eye repair ($66US / $78CDN) — it’s lightweight gentle eye cream that has HPR (retinoid) which supposedly targets fine lines and wrinkles. Gotta be honest, I don’t think any cream will cure skin problems. I just really want to keep my skin hydrated instead of sucked dry like it usually would be.

Miracle Worker sampleI use about 1/4 to 1/2 pump of this and recently opened a new bottle of it. It was hard to tell when I was getting low on product, but with the consistent half pump of product, it lasted me 11 months. I’m not sure how that’s possible, but I do recall opening it up last February and raving about it at Blissdom to the Philosophy crew, telling them how long it’s been going! Buy it at Sephora!

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Bobbi-Brown-Extra-Eye-RepairBobbi Brown Extra Eye Repair Cream ($69US / $80CDN). Not to be mistaken with the Hydrating Eye Cream that they sell at Sephora. I’ve had to buy this stuff at Holt Renfrew while living in Ontario, or at a Bobbi Brown counter in Macy’s from now on.

Bobbi-Brown-eye-cream-openThis is a bit on the thicker, and heavier side. Perfect for someone who wants to just use it as a night cream or has dry skin. This hydrates my eye area so intensely, I kind of want to open the new jar of it tonight. It feels much more luxurious but not as easy to use since you have to dip your finger into the glass pot. I haven’t used this since 2012 but I bought the Philosophy and the Bobbi Brown on the same day last February and I’ve just never really rotated for fear of one of the two drying out. So it’s still sittin’ pretty in its box. Patiently waiting for me to open it.

Do you use an eye cream?

What are your favourite eye creams?

Have you tried any of the eye creams I’ve listed?

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Wishlist: Bobbi Brown everything

 

One of my all time favorite high end products to use on my face is Bobbi Brown cosmetics. I blogged about their Holiday 2012 collection a few months ago, and now I’ve created a wish list for myself, of Bobbi Brown cosmetics. Hey, it’s getting close to Christmas. No harm in creating a list now is there? :)

Bobbi Brown Extra Eye Repair Cream ($68 USD/ $75 CAD). Huge fan of this thick, luxurious eye cream and I don’t mind spending the money on it. My jar of it ran out a few weeks ago and I just haven’t gone to Holt Renfrew in Toronto to pick another one up. My jar ended up lasting me seven months. A good investment I say, at just $10/month for it! They sell other Bobbi Brown cosmetics inside Sephora stores, but not the eye repair cream. I may not even wait for Christmas to get this, because it’s such a great moisturizer. I used it twice a day under and around my eyes. It’s a great base underneath under eye concealer as well since it doesn’t get my makeup crepey or flaky. Available at Holt Renfrew, or Bobbi Brown.com.

Bobbi Brown 24k Shimmer Brick. This product is limited edition, but Bobbi Brown always comes out with some great shimmer bricks. I’m always swatching them when I’m inside Holt Renfrew. It’s a lust-after product by yours truly. I’m a huge fan of skin care over makeup, but when it comes to makeup I’m all about foundations, and making your skin look the best possible. Having this shimmer brick adds a little glow to the cheeks. It’s perfect for all year round. Glowy skin doesn’t have to be just for the summer time! You can buy it on Sephora’s website for a limited time.

Bobbi Brown Extra Soothing Balm. I love diverse products and would love to give this product a try. I hadn’t heard of it until recently when I was on Bobbi Brown’s website and scoped out the Extra Skincare line. Love that you can use it on your cuticles (mine are always so gross looking, unfortunately and I literally need to put cuticle oil on them a few times per week), your heels (!!!), and even on your cheeks for a glow. Sign me up… I wonder if it’s available in Canada?

This is not a sponsored post.. psh, I wish it was. It’s just a wish list of mine!

 

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