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My Dry, Sensitive Skin Says ‘Oui’ to La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermo Cleanser

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la roche posay toleriane dermo cleanser

Dude, I don’t know when it happened, but somehow, somewhere, I turned into a 30-something chick. In my teens and through my 20s, I thought I looked young for my age, but at some point over this past year, I started feeling like I look, well, my age. I decided to step up my anti-aging game with the help of Retin-A.

I’ve been using it for about a month so far, and overall I like the results, but in that time my face has been flakier, drier and moodier than it was when I was 14. Even skin care products I’ve known and loved for years have started giving me grief, like my usual go-to face wash, Philosophy Purity Made Simple. When it left my cheeks dry and tight one day, I knew something had to change.

I scanned through reviews online and came across La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermo-Cleanser ($22 for a 6.76-oz. bottle), which I remembered reading about on Dr. Cynthia Bailey’s skin care blog (which I found via the fabulous 15 Minute Beauty).

Dr. Bailey recommends La Roche-Posay to help mitigate the drying effects of Retin-A, and after reading more glowing reviews on Dermstore.com, I took the plunge.

First, a little background about La Roche-Posay: The company hails from France and boasts a bevy of face and skin care products, but the thing they’re probably best known for in beauty circles is their Anthelios Sunscreen, which many of my beauty friends consider the crème de la crème of sun protecting products.

But back to the cleanser! 🙂 La Roche-Posay designed it to gently cleanse and remove makeup from dry, sensitive and/or delicate skin. It’s unscented, non-foaming and feels to me like a thicker, richer version of Cetaphil.

la roche posay toleriane dermo cleanser

la roche posay toleriane dermo cleanser
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Nuance Salma Hayek Cucumber & Rosewater (and Agave) Dual Phase Makeup Remover Isn’t Afraid to Face Anything

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These days, the only resident of Casa de MBB who regularly parties like a rock star is Tabs, but back in the day, gurl, my middle name was margarita (on the rocks with salt, please!).

Kidding, of course (sort of). 🙂

Interestingly enough, the new Nuance Salma Hayek Cucumber & Rosewater Dual Phase Makeup Remover ($7.99) contains two ingredients that also appear in my former favorite drink.

No, not cucumber and rose water, although I bet those could make a tasty drink. I’m referring to aqua (water) and agave.

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclohexasiloxane, Isohexadecane, Butylene Glycol, Albizia Julibrissin Bark Extract, Opuntia Ficus Indica Stem Extract, Physalis Angulata Extract, Agave Tequilana Leaf Extract, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Extract, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Glycerin, Benzophenone Centrimonium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Red 40 (CI 16035), Blue 1 (CI 42090)

Listed above both rose water and cucumber in the list of ingredients, agave, the botanical du jour, has been quite the trendy ingredient lately, popping up in numerous skin care products for its alleged hydrating properties (I haven’t seen any clinical evidence to show what it supposedly does), but it’s not the star of this show.

That honor goes to cucumber and rose water, the two botanicals that get top billing here.

Cucumber & Rosewater Dual Phase Makeup Remover is, as the name implies, a dual-phase remover. Phase One: shake well (like it’s a bottle of salad dressing). Phase Two: remove.

It cuts through even long-wearing stuff in a flash, probably due to the solvents, silicones and alcohol it contains. I tested it against the big guns — NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base, MAC Paint Pot, MAC Fluidline, YSL Crayon Yeux Haute Intense Long-Lasting Eye Pencil, Urban Decay Cannonball Waterproof Mascara and MAC Pro Longwear Concealer — and it whisked all of them away in about two minutes.


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A Brief Encounter with Burberry Beauty’s New Nude Cashmere Lipstick Left Me Feeling Undressed

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burberry beauty fall 2011

It’s true — nude lipsticks might not drive makeup lovers into frenzies like a brilliant fuchsia lipstick or a cobalt blue nail polish can, but lip looks featuring nudes are still among my favorites, just the same.

Nude lips are always in style and look great with almost anything. Unfortunately, finding a good nude lipstick can be tougher than finding a good man.

If I had a nickle for every time I tried a new nude lipstick, only to look up at myself in the mirror at something totally and completely wrong, I’d probably have between 80 cents and $1. 🙂 But seriously, the truly great ones are few and very far between.

New for fall, Burberry’s Lip Cover in Nude Cashmere ($30) passes the mirror test with flying colors (or lack thereof).

Actually — it does contain pigment. It’s a beautiful brownish beige (reminds me of raw almond skin), and it’s one of the most wearable nudes I’ve met in a while.

Since launching last fall, the Burberry Beauty makeup line has stayed pretty true to the brand’s fashion aesthetic with seasonal collections of mostly understated, neutral, classic shades and designs. I think of their pieces as luxurious basics with a timeless appeal, and I’ll reach for them when I want to look polished, put together and professional.

Nude Cashmere, one of two new Burberry Lip Covers for fall (part of the Autumn Winter 2011/12 collection), saunters onto Burberry Beauty counters next month with seven other pieces for eyes, lips and face.

burberry beauty fall 2011
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I’m Feeling the Sting from Burt’s Bees Facial Cleansing Towelettes

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Burts Bees Facial Cleansing Towelettes

A Burt's BeeIf there were an award for Best Bees in the Beauty Biz, it would have to go to Burt. Those benevolent little bees of his have been cranking out some really fantastic products lately, so when I spotted something from the line I hadn’t seen before at Target, I reached for it quicker than you can say “bzz!”

Burt’s Bees Facial Cleansing Towelettes with White Tea Extract ($6 for 30), pre-moistened wipes designed to remove dirt, makeup and oil in a single step (no rinsing required), boast being made from 99.1% natural ingredients. The all natural cloths also carry an FSC certification, meaning that the ingredients used to make them come from a well-managed forest (as certified by the Forest Stewardship Council).

The moment the first cloth touched my skin I thought, These are so soft that I’ll go through 30 of them quickly. One wipe easily removes whatever foundation, powder, lipstick, blush, eye primer, eyeshadow and non-waterproof mascara I might be wearing (waterproof and long-wearing eye makeup, however, require something stronger, like a dedicated eye makeup remover).

Two big considerations for me when it comes to wipes like these are the scent, if they have one, and whether they leave behind a film on my skin. I think these are great on both fronts; I love the white jasmine and citrus scent, and I don’t detect any residue or film.

burts bees facial cleansing towelettes
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