Skin Care

With winter approaching, I’m in need of a heavy-duty hand cream that will keep chapping at bay.  Durance en Provence has launched a collection named "Around the Olive Tree".  This collection features bath and body products infused with the nurturing power of olive oil.  Durance’s Creme pour les Mains was specifically designed to relieve dry and cracked hands.  Naturally, I was intrigued.

Prior to sampling this product, I had been dreadful to my hands.  This neglect was two-pronged.  Partially laziness, and partially to fully test this product.

Upon applying this product to my hands, I immediately noticed how quickly it absorbed into the skin.  After hours of wear, I noticed this cream is long-lasting as well.  A few days of use, and my tattered hands looked moist and healthy again.  This winter, a tube of Durance’s hand cream will be perched in a spot of honor next to my powder-room sink.  How could I not share this wonderful hand-treat with visiting friends?

I’m a fan of Durance for more than its fantastic hand cream.  Durance is a family-owned company, located in a rural town in the Provence region of France.  Among other things, Durance is committed to environmental protection and social responsibility.  A great brand with a conscience! 

Durance en Provence Hand Cream retails for $20 via the Durance Website.  Want to give the gift of Durance to a friend?  Durance offers gift certificates in values from $5 up to $500!

Fall’s look for skin is perfection.  Flawless, matte and refined are the keywords describing the desired look of skin this season.  The products below will help you to achieve the perfect matte complexion!

	The product in my beloved Lola Oil-Free Foundation Compact has been used so heavily, it resembles a waning moon.  Victoria Jackson’s beloved Lola line contains this adorable red compact that wins points for not only perfecting the complexion with an oil-free and paraben-free formula, but for its easy to use sponge application method.  Score your own for $35 by visiting the Lola website or Makeup.com.
	When BECCA Stick Foundation comes in contact with the warmth of your skin, it melts right into it… providing impeccable streak-free coverage.  The BECCA formulation is suitable for most skin types (even sensitive skin!) and is available in 30 colors, so you’re sure to find the right shade.  An added bonus, this product contains an SPF 30!  Yes ladies, you still need an SPF in the winter…  BECCA Stick Foundation is available for $39 at Neiman Marcus or the Becca Cosmetics website.
	For a flawless complexion, proper skin care is a must.  Periodic exfoliation keeps skin looking young and refreshed, and helps rids you of nasty blackheads.  Benefit Cosmetics offers you "Honey… snap out of it" to add to your morning routine.  Designed for all skin types, this scrub even smells sweetly of honey.  "Honey… snap out of it" retails for $26 at Benefit Cosmetics, Macy’s and Sephora.
	A 2007 Best of Sephora winner, Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil is a loose-powder with just a hint of pink.  Mineral Veil plays tricks with the light, imparting the forgiving look of a soft-focus lens to its wearer.  I’m not only a big fan of this mineral-based powder, I’m a big fan of the price!  Mineral Veil retails for $19 at Sephora.
	I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.  Chanel Pro Lumiere Professional Finish Makeup is THE foundation when you absolutely, positively need a flawless complexion.  Chanel’s oil-free semi-matte formula retails for $52 at Macy’s, and it’s worth every cent.

My husband jokingly called me Hannibal Lecter, but I actually felt more like “Jason” from the Friday the 13th movies while wearing Dr. Bragi’s Marine Enzyme Intensive Treatment Mask.

Dr. Bragi’s Marine Enzyme mask makes masquing easy.  It’s a pre-saturated white cloth, complete with cutouts for the eyes, nose and lips (Friday the 13th Hockey Mask style).  Gently press it to the facial skin and relax for 15 minutes.  Remove and rub in the excess moisture.  That’s it!  I loved how easy this product made it for me to sneak in some “me” time.  No prep time needed, no rinsing needed! 

This mask moisturizes using a glycerol and sorbitol formula, locking water molecules inside the skin.  It also promotes collagen production to minimize fine lines.  The day after I used this mask, my skin looked more hydrated and more radiant.  That was after only one treatment!

Dr. Bragi products are available at Bliss Spas.  The Intensive Treatment Mask retails for $20.  For more information, be sure to head over to Dr. Bragi’s website!

As the evenings cool, the battle of my skin vs. forced air heat begins… and the heat is usually the favorite in this fight.  But this season I’m toting around a product I’d never owned before but now can’t live without.  Korres Natural Products Orange Face Water has an orange blossom base and helps to keep the skin hydrated for up to 6 hours.  I lug it in my diaper-bag for a playground refresher, on long walks, bike rides and even shopping trips.  A quick mist right over my makeup helps restore hydration caused by exposure to drying environments.  The fresh orange scent is truly a treat for the skin and the senses.

While this product would be amazing for flights, the size of the bottle is too large to carry onboard due to rigid FAA regulations.  Korres–I beg of you–make a travel sized version!

Korres Natural Products Orange Hydrating Face Water retails for $21 at Amazon.com.  Check out Korres.com to find stores near you!

Late in the evening, a PR professional at Skin MD Natural reads through the Raging Rouge Beauty Blog, catching up on the latest beauty product reviews.  Upon reading the umpteenth complaint about my dry skin, he becomes enraged!  His anger is so intense, he beats his computer with his keyboard… finally pushing the monitor off of his desk.  In fact, a surveillance camera in the offices of 21st Century Formulations–the makers of Skin MD Natural product–caught the entire event, and someone from their security department posted the clip on You Tube.  Click HERE to check it out.  What the security cameras didn’t catch is the poor man screaming "Will someone PLEASE send this woman some of our product?  I am so SICK of reading about her #$%$&@ dry skin!"

Maybe that isn’t exactly how it went down… but I did receive a sample of Skin MD Natural’s Shielding Lotion nonetheless.  This product is designed to act as a barrier to chemical irritants, while locking moisture deep within the layers of the dermis.  My poor, parched calves were the perfect canvas upon which to test their claims:  that this product has the ability to not only moisturize the skin superficially, but to cure the dry skin itself.

I was impressed that a small amount of product was able to cover a large expanse of skin.  A nickel-sized amount of lotion was more than enough to cover each calf.  The Shielding Lotion absorbed quickly, and immediately improved the appearance of the skin.  21st Century Formulations recommends that you initially use the product every 2-8 hours, depending on the severity of your dry skin.  I must admit, I never applied it that frequently.  I’m way too busy for that type of dedication, but after using the product twice a day for a short period of time, my dry, flaky skin looks… normal!  Can it be?  Best of all, if I forget to apply the lotion now and then, my skin does not immediately revert back to its dry state.  I love this moisturizer. 

The Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion formulation is hypoallergenic, fragrance and colorant free, paraben free and non-comedogenic.  No animal products are used, and no animals are tested.  This formula is the culmination of 5 years of R&D!  If the scientists at Skin MD Natural could develop a super-fast bruise healing lotion–to eliminate the telltale signs of frantically chasing a toddler up perilously high play-structures–perhaps I could actually show off my gams now and then.

A 4 oz. bottle of Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion can be purchased for $25 at their site, or at a retailer near you.  Shipping is free if you buy two… so think about stocking up on one for the bathroom and one to keep by the sink.  Want a sample before you commit?  Order a trial quantity for the cost of shipping alone.