Tag: skincare product review

FUN

Beauty biz – testing, testing

A new APP 

Mirror, mirror on the phones...who’s the fairest of us clones?

Photo credit: iStock
Photo credit: iStock

‘Makeup Genius’ is L’Oreal’s new (and the first ever) interactive makeover APP – the answer to our makeup testing prayers.  Virtually it’s a …..well just that – a virtual mirror, giving a larger purpose to our front-facing phone cameras.

No more will you have to wait until you get home to test a product and realize the color isn’t quite right for your complexion.

Make-up testing is moving into the future with the popular global beauty brand making history with the introduction of Makeup Genius. The new app uses facial mapping technology to turn the front-facing iPhone and iPad camera into a virtual mirror that allows women to try on products in real-time. ‘Makeup Genius’ scans L’Oreal Paris products or advertisements, matches the color and allows users to try the shade out on themselves. Created in Clark, New Jersey at L’Oreal’s Research & Innovation labs, the makeup testing app also enables users to try complete makeup looks put together by L’Oreal makeup artists and share their looks on Facebook.

Based on technology previously only used in Hollywood and the gaming industry, Makeup Genius allows consumers to scan a L’Oreal Paris product or advertisement to detect a color match, virtually try on individual products or test out curated looks from expert makeup artists, and share with friends and family on Facebook.

‘Makeup Genius’ is already available for free at the iTunes App Store for iPhone and iPad and is expected to launch for Android users in 2015.

L’Oreal Paris is no newcomer to beauty apps. They already have ‘Color Genius,’ an app that matches your makeup to your outfit and ‘Hair Genius,’ that allows users to create a customized hair regimen and get expert tips and tricks.

My only question: as amazing as this is, can we have an APP that lets us test every other brand of makeup products on the market? Because we’re worth it!

Source: Layla A. Jones, Philly.com & theslanted.com

FUN

beauty biz – RETINOL really!

Getting older is natural, looking older is not!

cream1So you want to delay getting a facelift for as long as possible or even avoid it (like me) entirely.  So here’s what you need to do – use retinol.  Here’s why: this one ingredient boosts collagen, softens skin, evens texture, and fades dark spots.  The data is clear (we hope whoever is controlling the data is clear on this) that women who regularly use retinoids age better than women who don’t.  Here are a few key things to know before getting started:

You don’t have to use it every night.  Start with twice weekly and follow up immediately with you regular moisturizer or face oil.  After a few weeks, step it up to three times a week.

It should be an “at bedtime-only” thing.  Retinoids are photolabile, meaning they break down in the presence of sunlight.

A little irritation is OK.  Redness and flaking are signs that the active form of retinol, a compound called retinoic acid, is working in the skin to make more collagen.  Just give your skin a few days to recover between applications.  I recommend trying RoC Retinol Correxion Sensitive Night Cream if you’re not sure or you experience burning or stinging.  Fyi – I have sensitive skin and I was using the regular Roc with retinol night cream, then followed up with face oil after waiting a few minutes for it to sink in. cream2 I took a long break so I’ll have to start using it again.

Have patience – it takes at least a few months to work.  Your patience will be rewarded.  I just found out that even if it doesn’t look like the retinol is doing anything, it’s building collagen stores in the skin that will help as you get older.

TIP: do an at-home peel a few days before starting retinol.  This will get rid of dead skin cells allowing the retinol to penetrate faster and the fresh, new cells to benefit most from the ingredient.  I like the Vica-C exfoliating peel by Mica Beauty.

What you don’t know about Retinol:

It doesn’t work by exfoliating.  Even though they can make skin flaky (at first) they work by increasing the activity of enzymes in the skin that make more collagen.

It doesn’t make skin more sun-sensitive.  Your skin might become more heat-sensitive, but that means it may feel hotter and look a bit redder if you go outside on a hot day, but that’s not burning.  That said, don’t forget to apply sun protection for the obvious reasons.  cream4My favourite sunscreen is La Roche Posay Anthelios Mineral Tinted SPF 50.  It does the trick and gives a healthy glow.

You can use it around your eyes.  This is where your skin really needs the collagen boost.  Try not to get it in your eyes but if you do, don’t freak out.  It won’t do any harm, just rinse your eyes with water. RoC makes a specific one for eyes.


cream1 (2)Mica Beauty Vita-C Exfoliating Peel 
available at:

http://www.intrigueimports.com/product_info.php?products_id=132

There are other skin creams available with Retinol.  Go to the beauty counter or do some research yourself.  Maybe you can pick up a few samples somewhere like “Sephora” to try out a few and decide which works best for you.

Have you tried any?  What do you recommend?