Space NK Sale

   

When I first started in cosmetics, they never went on sale, like ever.  With a change in the industry, consumers shopping differently and so many brands available, everyone can have the opportunity to buy luxury beauty products, you just have to know to buy.  Space NK is doing their annual clean out sale with mark downs up to 50% off.  You should check out all their offerings because they have a ton of amazing brands on sale in Haircare, Makeup, and Skincare.  Here are a few of my favorites on sale

Caudalie Premier Cru La Creme $79 down from $158 - In my top 5 favorite beauty products, this is my go to moisturizer when I am over trying new things and just want my skin to look good.I’ve been using it this winter and as always, my skins been looking phenomenal.If you haven’t tried it, how’s the time to grab one.

Caudalie Premier Cru Eye Cream  $49 down from $99 - Similar to the face cream this is also a favorite eye cream of mine.  Fine lines, dark circles, dryness, all taken care of in this kick ass eye cream.

African Botanic Neroli Infused Marula Oil $70 down from $140 - If you want supple hydrated skin, give this a try.I used it mixed with my face and body creams for 6 month (a couple years ago) and was completely obsessed.Easily absorbs for hydration and radiance.Definitely one of my favorite oils I’ve tried. 

Bakel Thio-C Serum $98 down from $196 - Even with the discount this ones a bit expensive, but I did try this a few years back and loved how much of a glow it gave my skin.The vials contain Vitamin C powder you mix into the vial and to use within 3 days while it remains active.I like to use my Vitamin C during the day, but this can be used AM and PM.You will definitely see a glow quickly with this active combination of Vitamin C + Glutathione. 

Natura Bisse Inhibit Tensolift $365 down from $730 -Now at the price of a car payment instead of a mortgage payment, you can try Inhibit Tensolift.Natura Bisse is, in my opinion, one of the best skincare brands on the market.This serum is designed to have a similar effect to injectables by relaxing facial contractions giving a smoother look to the skin.It’s pretty much the skincare product everyone wants, it just comes at a price.I honestly can’t believe they actually let it go on sale, Natura Bisse is one bougie prestige brand (I’m not mad about it though) 

There are a lot of other amazing brands and products on sale like Dr Dennis Gross, Revive, and Kevin Aucoin.  Head on over to Space NK and see what you can find.  Let me know what you get!

New Product Review

Been a bit crazy with the new job, but I’ve added some great new products to my skincare routine that I’m sure you’re just dying to hear about.

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Dior Capture Total Le Sérum $165-$225 4/5 Stars– Now I haven’t used Dior skincare since I used the No Age range 3,000 years ago (it smelled like nana and I loved it), and I was a little hesitate to use Dior skincare as they are known for using a lot of fragrance.  The active ingredient is Longozo of Madagascar Extract, the Dior Researchers have boosted the Longoza extract enhancing its properties, making is capable of synchronizing cells, including stem cells, in every layer of the skin. Dior reports say that when used twice a day for a month, 92% of users noticed fine lines and wrinkles smoothed, 88% noticed facial features were firmer, and 92% said their skin reflected light better.  Now I don’t know how a serum can turn my face into a light reflective prism, but I’m into it.  I’ve been using Le Sérum for 2 months now and while I thought I would hate it, I really really like it.  It absorbs easily after my essence and doesn’t have a strong fragrance.  My skin is noticeably smoother and is definitely glowing, so maybe it does turn skin into a prism…

Odacité Green Tea-Lemongrass Serum Concentrate $39 – I just started using this guy 2 weeks ago and I LOVE the smell!  I had previously used the Wild Carrot-Vital Glow which I really liked, so I’m just as excited about this one.  This serum only has 2 ingredients, Camellia seed oil (Green Tea) and Lemongrass oil.  Green Tea is a powerful anti-oxidant great for protection and adding radiance, Lemongrass has tightening properties and also helps refine sluggish, lackluster skin.  I mix 3 drops in with my moisturizer in the morning, now if you don’t like the smell of Lemongrass, you won’t like this, I however love the smell of Lemongrass.  I did lightly notice the smell throughout the day, which was invigorating.  I’ve definitely seen it perking up my skin as I’ve been crazy tired lately.

Kate Somerville CytoCell Dark Circle Eye Cream $75 3.5/5 Stars – This eye cream has a huge cult following and I had been hearing about it for so long I just hand to get some.  Its an all in one anti-aging eye cream with a focus on fighting dark circles.  It contains 2 peptides to refresh, hydrate, and smooth, plus Vitamin C and Light Diffusing Pearls to brighten the eye area.  I find it funny that on the Kate Somerville website they list 4 user studies, none of them mentioning dark circles (I mean, it’s a Dark Circle eye cream…) then I look to the Sephora website and see they do have a user result but its only 60% of users that said is dramatically reduced the appearance of dark circles under the eyes.  Dark Circles are one of the hardest concerns to treat, probably why there is such a low number.  I’ve been using this for just over a month, and I have noticed my eyes looking brighter, it definitely hydrates instantly and with the smallest amount.  I give it a 3.5 because I've noticed more of a difference in hydration and firmness than dark circles, and that's really what I wanted out of it.  I do really like it though.

Boscia Sake Balm $46 3/5 Stars– The texture on this one is just the coolest.  It’s this weird gel that bounces back into place like a memory foam mattress (If you ever used the Mizon Returning Starfish Cream, its similar to that).  This lightweight balm contains Sake, which is loaded with antioxidants to help with loss of water, radiance, hyper-pigmentation, and pretty much every other skin concern.  Glycolic Acid helps with texture, fine lines, and hyper-pigmentation.  Vitamin C to help brighten and protect the skin, as well as boosting collagen.  Lastly a botanical blend of Jojoba Leaf and Willowherb to fight free radicals and help with inflammation.  I’m on week 3 of using this every morning, I like that its so light weight, making it great for layer with other products, but I can’t help but feel it’s a bit too light weight for dry LA weather.  The texture definitely makes it ideal for combo to oily skin, but I feel drier skin types probably won’t love it.  To see results from the actives in this, it usually takes a little time, so I plan on finishing the jar to see if it can fade some of my sun damage.

Skin Medica Retinol 1.0 $93 – Retinol is one of the only ingredients proven to fight fine lines, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, and improve texture, so everyone needs one.  I recently finished a tube of my favorite A313 and decided to give the SkinMedica a try.  Going from using an Rx strength retinol to OTC strength, I’ve definitely noticed less irritation, but I’m still getting similar smoothing results.  Skin Medica makes their retinol in 3 strengths, .25, .5, and 1.0, so if you’re not use to using a retinol product, definitely start on the lower end; Start by using it every 3 nights working your way up to every night.  The nights I haven’t used this I see why I definitely need to keep using a retinol, its smoothes out the texture of the skin and helps sloth off the dead skin so my cleanser can remove it all in the AM.  If you’re in the market, I definitely recommend the SkinMedica Retinol range.

4 Week Before & After

4 Week Before & After

Elizabeth Arden-Prevage-Clinical Lash + Brow Serum $100 – So I may not be the best at taking before and afters (getting the same lighting is so hard!) but you can see by the photo of week 1 vs week 4 that there’s definitely an improvement in length of the lashes and thickness of the brows.  Being that I tweezed the fuck out of my brows as a young gay, they just don’t grow anymore, that arch is permanent.  I won’t say that I noticed a lot of new hairs in my brows, but they look MUCH thicker than they did before.  My brows normally disappear in photos with a flash, but now I can actually see them!  My lashes also are much fuller.  I’ll definitely continue to use it, I’m happy with the results.

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Hydra-Firm Sleeping Cream $38 – I’m slowly becoming more and more obsessed with First Aid Beauty.  The brand is really clean, meaning no harsh chemicals, no parabens, colourants and the such.  I was always under the impression that the products were designed for the most sensitive of skin (which they are) and that they wouldn’t be active enough for someone wanting more.  This has definitely proved that theory wrong.  I’m so obsessed with this Sleeping Cream, and its only $38, seriously??  It has peptides to boost collagen, ingredients to firm and improve elasticity, as well as Hyaluronic Acid, Colloidal Oatmeal, plant butters, and waxes for tons of hydration.  The texture is creamy, but not heavy, and the hydrating and calming ingredients make it ideal for anyone using retinols, chemical peels, or with sensitive skin.  Give is a try, and experience some of the other products in their range (I’m loving the Vitamin Hydrating Mist right now as well!)

8 Bad Skin Habits

In my 15 years in the Cosmetics industry I've seen it all, the bad habits people have that don't know any better and the bad habits that they keep on doing even though they know they're bad.  Most the bad habits are ones I've personally had and over the years and regretted, but seen results from quitting.  Here are a few things that you should and shouldn't be doing

1.     I Don’t Wash My Face At Night
Oh you thought sleeping with a full face of makeup on was good for your skin?  So did Paris Hilton in her book Confessions of an Heiress, but I highly doubt she still is 11 years later.  I can't tell you how many girls sit in my chair, I'm removing their 17 layers of built up mascara and lash glue and all their lashes are falling out.  "Why do my lashes keep falling out"...  Um...  Well princess, the tar from your waterproof mascara and the lash glue you keep re-applying are clogging the hair follicles, making the hairs weak, and they're falling out.  Remove it every night.  Oh and those layers of foundation and colour you're wearing all day?  Pollution from the environment sits on top of their and when you sleep with it on, it all absorbs into your skin, leaving the skin red, blemish prone, and blotchy looking.  Even if you're not wearing makeup, remember that everywhere you've been during the day, a little bit of that is left on your face.  For those oh so lazy, buy some wipes (Ole Henrikson Makeup Removing Wipes are great and remove waterproof makeup) leave them by your bed and wipe away your sins before bed.

2.     I Don’t Use Eye Cream

So you wear eye makeup, tug and pull at the eyes applying and removing it eh?  Well that’s aging your eyes.  The skin around the eyes is super thin, which means it will age faster than the rest of your skin with no fat or collagen under it to make it look plump. I started using eye cream at 15, because I’m pretty neurotic about these things, but I recommend anyone over the age of 18 use an eye cream for preventative measures, day and night to help keep the skin hydrated and soft.   Try Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Eye Cream is a good starter

3.     I Go Tanning

Oh how I took advantage of my unlimited tanning membership at 23

Oh how I took advantage of my unlimited tanning membership at 23

We all know better than to go to tanning beds, but I know, they feel like happiness and dreams, I had a tanning membership off and on from ages 16-26 and I’m fully paying for it now.  In our younger years we don’t think about the consequences, but so maybe of out parents can attest to the fact that sun damage doesn’t rear its ugly face until much further down the road.  You may love that deep brown skin now, but the deep brown sunspots will be an evil reminder in 20 years.  Now I love the beach, and will not stop going out in the sun all summer, there are “safe” ways to tan, use sunscreen and reapply every 2 hours.  The quicker you burn without sunscreen, the high the sunscreen you should be wearing.  I have medium olive skin, and don’t really burn, so I start my summer off with SPF30 on my face and SPF15 on my body, as the summer goes on I move to SPF15 Face and SPF6 body (Lancaster Sun Tan Deepener SPF6 is my JAM).  Am I still getting some sun damage?  Of course, but Istvan likes his colour and will burn off the sun damage with lasers and retinoids all winter.

4.     I Don’t Wear Sunscreen

Did you know you get more sun damage in your daily activities than laying out by the pool all day?  When you’re in the sun for an extended period of time your skin puts up its natural defenses giving you some natural protection (especially if you have a good amount of Omegas in your diet), but intermittent sun exposure causes the skin to only take in the bad.  I recommend wearing an SPF30 daily.  Now I am definitely a culprit of this bad habit, at 12 years old I would wash, tone, and moisturize w/ SPF15 every day, as an adult I NEVER wore sunscreen.  Only until about 2 years ago did I start using a sunscreen regularly, and its made the biggest difference in my skin.  I hate the texture of most suncreens, they either burn or make my skin itch like fire ants are crawling all over.  Experiment, see which works better for you skin either mineral or chemical or a combo of both.  Mineral sunscreens reflect light (Titanium and Zinc) and last longer, but sometimes the small particles can irritate the skin.  Chemical sunscreens (Those crazy names you can’t pronounce) absorb light so it doesn’t hit your skin, and lose potency after 2 hours.  My skin reacts best with a combo heavy on the chemical side, I love the Tony Moly My Sunny Watery Sun Gel SPF30, it feels like water that goes on and disappears.

5.     I Don’t Moisturize

I can’t tell you how many people I have told me “Oh I have oily skin, I don’t need to moisturize” um yeah you do.  Remember me talking about all the pollutants in the air?  They all sit on your skin throughout the day causing free radical damage, aging, acne, redness, and irritation, basically jacking up your skin.  If you balance out your oily skin by adding a little water based moisture (Dr Jart+ Water-Sure Gel is great) it won’t produce so much oil and your skin will feel balanced.  I’ve also heard a lot of people saying nothing has worked for them and they’re using coconut oil as their moisturizer, all the people who have said this to me have the worst black heads I’ve ever seen, like black black black blackheads, its gross.  If you’re going to use coconut oil, don’t skimp; buy that $30 bottle from Whole Foods.

6.     I Eat Like Crap

When I was 19 I moved out on my own, and like every child on their own I ate exactly how I wanted, McDonalds, Pizza Rolls w/ Ranch, and Haagen-Dazs.  Now I did know to get a bottled water with my McDonalds order, I quit soda at 15 and the small amount of acne I had immediately went away.  The saying “You are what you eat” does have a lot of merit.  A diet rich in Omegas (salmon), Good Fats (olive oil, avocado), lots of water, and Anti-Oxidants (think of eating an entire rainbow of colourful fruits and vegetables) helps keep your body happy and your skin glowing from within.  I completely understand that this isn’t so easy to do every day, especially if you travel a lot and have a busy schedule.  I make sure to get all my missed nutrients in pill form, having a mother who’s a Naturopathic Doctor has definitely helped with this!  I take vitamins, omegas, an ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity aka anti-oxidants), minerals, herbal supplements, and probiotics every day to keep my health up and my skin refreshed.  If you’re interested in a supplement regime I’m more than happy to help you out, shoot me an email at ihrichak1@gmail.com or visit my Natures Sunshine page to scout out the supplement brand I’ve been taking for almost 20 years.

7.     I Don’t Exfoliate

You can have the most expensive face cream in the world, but if you have a bunch of dead skin piling up, the moisturizer won’t make it past the first layer of your skin.  It’s important to sloth off those dead layer 2-3 times a week, this stimulates the skin and reveals a brighter more radiant complexion, and also allows for your products to work so much better!  I’m personally a fan of enzymatic and chemical exfoliates vs. a physical/granular exfoliatant.  The Amore Pacific Enzyme Peel is my favorite exfoliator, the $60 bottle will last at least a year, I had a bottle for 2 years once, I swear it replenishes itself.

8.     I Don’t Get Facial

Sometimes all the steps you’re doing at home just don’t cut it and you need to boost up your routine.  A visit to the estheticians office can help you get your skincare routine back on track!  I love to go get a facial massage, chemical peel, and micro current facials.  These are great supplements to your routine, if you can afford them, go once a month, if its something you can’t do all the time, save up and go twice a year, your skin will thank you. 

If you’re in SoCal go visit my girlfriend Jessica at Definitions Salon and Spa 951-371-3410 she’s taught me so much about skincare and tools I can’t even begin to explain

If you’re in the DC Area, my girlfriend Laura at Green Revolution Skin Studio 301-656-2000 will hook your skin up with the best natural and organic products out there

9.     I Overdraw My Lip Liner

So this doesn’t have to do with skincare, it’s just a faux pas that annoys the shit out of me.  When you overdraw your lip liner the only person you’re fooling is yourself, save some time (and embarrassment) and go get some filler.

 

I Heard It Through The Grapevine

Some of my favorite skincare products come from the French brand Caudalie, so when I heard they were joining forces with Harvard to bring new advancements from their already potent resveratrol, I said "put it all over my body".   The line contains their signature Vine Resveratrol and combines it with Micro Hyaluronic Acid to boost firmness, elasticity, and help your skin to boost its own Hyaluronic Acid levels.  I started using the entire line October 1st and continued through November 1st, here's what I thought.

Let's see how many products I can hold in one hand

Let's see how many products I can hold in one hand

The Firming Serum is the key formula in the 4 product line up.  It's also the product I finished first.  Consumer studies on the serum boast denser skin in 7 days, firmer And lifted skin in 28 days, and smoothed wrinkles in 56 days.  Well, after using it twice a day, I only made it to day 28 before I ran out of product.  I'm typically not heavy handed with my skincare, but the serum is thicker than most and I spread all my skincare down my neck, I found I needed quiet a bit of it.  The dropper style dispenser also leads you to believe you can use a full droppers worth.  Last complaint is that the dropper isn't long enough to get out all the product, so I was q-tipping the rest out to get to 28 days.  Despite it only lasting 28 days, I love the results from this serum, my skin was so plump and hydrated and definitely looked firmer.  Great for all skin types who need a boost in hydration and some help with fine lines.  I would recommend it for late 20s and up.  4/5 Stars $82.

I typically hate having sunscreen in my moisturizer because so many irritate my skin.  The Face Lifting Moisturizer SPF 20 was a nice exception to this.  I do wear 30+ SPF so I would still prefer not to have it added in, but on my days running out the door this is a great option.  Its lightweight fluid texture provided a great deal of hydration without being greasy.  I switched to a different moisturizer after November 1st, but now I'm thinking to switch back, I miss how soft it made my skin! 3.8/5 Stars $66

My favorite time for skincare in evening, mostly because I can layer on as many products as I want.  The Resveratrol Lift Night Infusion was a nice addition.  It has a lightweight whipped creamy texture, almost mouse like.  In Caudalie's studies they found 93% of users noticed smoother wrinkles and 90% noticed their skin was more relaxed in 28 days.  Well this is one of the products I kept using after 11/1.  I've been loving how my skin looks in the morning, so refreshed like I actually slept 8 hours (I usually get 4-6).  As its been getting really dry in LA I've found myself needing to add some more oil or alternating with heavier creams, but I keep going back to it.  It's spreads really far, feels like it will last me a long time. I would recommend this to anyone 30+ with Combo-Dry skin in need of a solid great night cream 4.2/5 Stars $76.

Lastly we have the Eye Balm.  Now I'm a bit of an eye cream snob, I've used nearly every one on the market, so I'm quiet particular.  Caudalie reports that 80% of users noticed less puffiness in 28 days.  I don't get puffy, so I can't really talk to that.  It's very lightweight, I felt that it did help my skin stay hydrated, however I like my eye creams a lot thicker.  I felt like I needed an eye cream on top, so I used an Amore Pacific one on top.  I keep grabbing it every morning and night, so I must not hate it, but I wouldn't say it's one of my favorites.  Would be a great starter eye cream for someone, or apparently anyone with puffiness.  3/5 Stars $62

All in all the Resveratrol Lift line has been enjoyable to use, the textures have been different from the rest of their products, and I've enjoyed that.  I still prefer the Premier Cru Face Cream and Eye Cream but this is definitely a nice more affordable option.

UPDATE

Just finished using the Resveratrol Lift Face Lifting Soft Cream after 3 months of use.  It was what I loved about the SPF Moisturizer, and without the sunscreen that I didn't.  This kept my skin hydrated when it was dry, but wasn't so heavy that I ever felt greasy.  My skin glowed every morning I wore it, and stayed super soft and plump.  It even helped when my red was peeling from too much retinol/peels.  I would 100% use this again, the texture was amazing, and I knew my skin was going to always look smooth.  5/5 Stars 😉 $76