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THE COSMETIC REPORT
February 4, 2005

Greetings from the Cosmetic Report newsletter! We hope you enjoy our straightforward approach to beauty products and trends. If you've been searching for real women's experiences and advice on beauty and wellness, that's what Cosmetic Connection is all about. Our panel of reviewers are consumers just like you who face the same issues and challenges, and look to the beauty industry to help solve them. Thanks for reading!

Heather started Cosmetic Connection in 1996 from an idea that women would like to learn more about cosmetics and skin care than just what's on the product package. Heather, 32, lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband and their two kids. She has medium brown hair that is lightly highlighted and chin-length with long layers, blue eyes, and a fair, dehydrated complexion with slightly pink/neutral undertones (German and Scottish heritage).

Dermalogica Skin Care
It's time for another update of my previous reviews of Dermalogica (one from 1997 and one from 1999). This time I tried the products specified for sensitive skin.

Morning and night, the routine I used was pretty much the same. I would start by washing with Ultracalming Cleanser for face and eyes, a lotion cleanser with a consistency similar to Cetaphil. It does a fair job of removing minimal makeup, and it rinses off without too much work (I tend to use a warm washcloth, so that helps speed things along). I wouldn't say that I was "wow-ed" by this cleanser (it's pretty plain), but it does work fine and doesn't sting my eyes.

On occasion, when I felt like using something other than a lotion cleanser, I tried the Special Cleansing Gel. My skin is both dry and sensitive, and this cleanser didn't help either of those conditions. The balm mint irritated, the cleansing agents made my skin feel tight - not the experience I was hoping for. Moving on...

The next step is to spritz the face with Soothing Protection Spray. I found this to be neither soothing nor protective (that I could see or feel). All of the plant extracts - lavender, lemon, cucumber, green tea, licorice, sage, clover, chamomile, while they sound really lovely, were a bit irritating to my sensitive skin, and isn't the point of the spray to soothe sensitive skin? My skin didn't feel very soothed, and if the spray got anywhere near my eyes it was downright painful. I'm really not a big fan of toners or facial sprays, so this joins the ranks of countless others that I would not choose to use again.

During the course of trying these products for several weeks, I tried the Gentle Cream Exfoliant a few times, and was surprised at how gentle it is compared to some of the other Dermalogica products for sensitive skin. I don't exfoliate nearly as much as I used to because my skin gets much too red and irritated (one facialist said she wondered about maybe rosacea around my nose and mouth - not something I want to hear); thankfully my skin was actually pleased with this mask's blend of lactic and salicylic acids and fruit enzymes. The exfoliating power is very gentle and subtle, but my skin has a nice glow when I use this mask (only for about 5-7 minutes for me rather than the package directions of 10-15 minutes). I will continue to use this.

As for moisturizers, this was a mixed bag for me. I tried two different products, Gentle Soothing Booster and Barrier Repair. The first, one of several boosters in the Dermalogica line, is supposed to deliver extra benefits above and beyond what the other products offer. I would typically apply the Gentle Soothing Booster after cleansing and spritzing, before the moisturizer. The booster is an oil blend, so it has some moisturizing properties, but it's mainly supposed to soothe the skin. I'd say off all the products I tried, I applied this one the most frequently; I always seemed to be layering it with one or more of the others. Sometimes my skin looked less red after applying it, and sometimes it didn't; there wasn't really any rhyme or reason... I can't say I would run out and get it again, because I can't say for sure that is definitely worked reliably.

The Barrier Repair is an odd product, a waterless serum-y goo that is supposed to protect the natural moisture layer in the skin from stress and the environment. All I found was that I felt greasy with it on, and my face felt suffocated.

I come away from my re-reviewing of Dermalogica feeling underwhelmed but secure in the notion that this line is not necessarily the best fit for me. I like the gentle exfoliant mask, and the soothing booster has its moments, but for the most part I just didn't click with Dermalogica this time around.

You can see which Dermalogica products might work for you at Dermalogica.com.

Suki's Naturals I was flipping through my VegNews magazine a few weeks ago and spotted an article on new and notable products in which Suki's Naturals, a skincare company from Northfield, Massachusetts was mentioned. I was intrigued by the philosophy and vision of the company and the products: completely natural products using fresh, live ingredients made by hand in small batches ensuring the most potent and active results. Sounds good to me, so how would the products be? I got an 8-piece mini skin care kit ($20) to find out.

Inside the kit are tiny, about-3-days-worth-of-product versions of Suki's full-sized product line. I incorporated all of the products into my daily routine until they were gone, starting with Exfoliating Lemongrass Cleanser ($22.50 for 5.7 oz full-sized jar). This is a citrusy rice powder, sugar and olive oil scrub with botanicals like chamomile, lavender, sage, calendula, rose hips, lemongrass, orange, and seaweed. You gently massage the scrub on the skin until the sugar breaks down and the olive oil lathers up a bit. I really liked this cleanser and used it every morning in the shower until it was gone (the 1.7 oz mini jar lasted me about 3 days); I noticed my skin looked smoother and more awake, and was not irritated by the ingredients or the manual exfoliation (just be gentle).

At night I used the Cleansing Lotion ($20.75 for 5.7oz full-sized bottle) to both remove my makeup and cleanse my face. The tiny vial was only enough for two applications (I apply my lotion cleansers generously), and I think it felt like a cross between a cleansing oil and a lotion. There are all kinds of fresh, organic goodies in here: sage, thyme, organic oat milk, organic sunflower and grapeseed oils, organic chamomile, sage, thyme, rosemary, fennel, witch hazel, kaolin, cocoa butter, organic coconut oil, lemon oil. I found it removed makeup very easily and didn't sting or irritate my skin at all. I would definitely consider the larger size of this cleanser in the future.

Following cleansing, I carefully rationed from the tiny vial some concentrated White Willow Facial Toner ($21.25 for 5.1oz full-sized spray bottle) on a cotton pad. I was skeptical about how my skin would react to this particular toner (versus the shitake one that Suki makes for dry skin), because of the astringent properties of white willow, tea tree, and witch hazel. I was pleasantly surprised at how well my skin took to it, with no dryness or irritation. I think this toner combined with the lemongrass cleanser helped to make my skin smoother and less flaky. This toner also contains rose petals, chamomile, calendula, comfrey, aloe vera, natural vitamin C, retinol liposomes, seaweed extracts, and steam distilled essential oils.

I have used blended essential oils on my face for a long time now, either for added moisture, to reduce inflammation, or help knock out breakout bacteria, and I find they can be really useful in combination with my regular skin care routine. In my mini kit I tried the Blue Chamomile Facial Serum ($23 for .75oz full-sized bottle), targeted at oily, blemished, or combination skin. Because you don't need much, this mini vial lasted me the longest of any product in the kit; after using it twice a day for four days, I still have probably one application left. I found it helped with both some flaky, red patches on my face, and reducing inflammation on a small pimple I had during the trial period. I was pleased with the chamomile oil and would be interested in trying the carrot version for dry skin next time (in the winter I tend to get very dry).

Even though the facial oil often felt like enough moisture, I still followed every application with the Velvet Facial Creme ($24.50 for 1.7oz full-sized bottle), and I think they are a good pair. The velvet cream is very light, absorbs quickly, and leaves a natural, rather than oily, finish, so I could use it with my makeup and not feel like I was covering an oil slick. The skin type chart in the kit box that has information on which products are best for each skin type indicates that this cream is not necessary for blemished skin or skin that is inflammed, but I applied it to areas of my face that had some blemishes and redness, and I found it really helped. The formula has organic chamomile, calendula, green tea, jojoba, hazelnut, rice germ, borage, evening primrose, apricot oil, standardized white willow, organic rose hip, comfrey, vitamin c, retinol liposomes, shea butter, beeswax, aloe, lecithin and pure, steam distilled essential oils.

The kit also includes vials of Hand & Body Velvet Creme ($21.25 for 5.7oz full-sized bottle) and Delicate Moisture Body Oil ($18.25 for 5.1oz full-sized bottle), and a small jar of Hand & Body Butter Cream ($15 for 1.7oz full-sized jar). The hand and body cream has a nice light texture but also moisturizes very well, and the butter cream was a favorite for me for the very dry, rough areas of my hands. I was not crazy about the body oil simply because it smells to woodsy for me. All in all I was very pleased with my Suki's Naturals experience. I hope they are able to expand to a store in my area. You can find out more about Suki's Naturals at sukisnaturals.com.

We hope you enjoyed this issue of The Cosmetic Report!


 

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