Skin
Beauty Product of the Week: Specific Beauty Skin Brightening Serum
I feel like I’m constantly discovering amazing products that I need some sort of new ongoing series to feature them. Hence, Beauty Product of the Week (Let’s call it BPW for short going forward, k? 
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Specific Beauty Skin Brightening Serum
I’ve been freelancing at Allure, and just as you’d imagine, it’s quite the beauty product heaven. During a recent beauty sale, I picked up a few products from Specific Beauty. If you remember, I had a giveaway with them a few months ago. That was actually the first time I was introduced the brand myself, which is formulated to serve the needs particular to people of medium-to-dark skin tones (particularly, to even out your complexion).
I started using their Skin Brightening Serum and Professional Moisture Complex sparingly every AM and PM. I’m always really critical of serums and skin brighteners in general because the ones I’ve used in the past either feel sticky and gross or they dry out my skin. Surprisingly though, these were neither. The serum was more creamy and combining it with the moisturizer kept my skin from drying out.
Serum and Professional Moisture Complex
Physicians Formula new skincare line!
The more I use Physicians Formula’s products, the more in love I fall. They’re multi-tasking quality products that keep price point in mind. This past year has found me fawning over their Shimmer Strips bronzer-blush-shadow palette (it’s amazing for sculpting and adding a little depth — their makeup artist Joanna Schlip says she can’t live without it!), their talc-free Mineral Wear pink correcting primer, and Eye Booster 2-in-1 boosting eyeliner + serum. Now, for the first time, the 74-year-old company is diving right into cosmecetical skincare which I’m predicting will be a game-changer in the “affordable skincare” category. Keeping their mantra to non-irritating, derm-tested products close, they’re come out with three mini-collections that address specific concerns: Aging, Moisture Balance, and Sensitivity & Redness.
MOISTURE BALANCE LINE:
*A panel of women saw a 52% increase in skin hydration in 2 weeks
*100% showed increased skin hydration instantly
*81% saw more radiant skin in two weeks
*88% saw younger-looking, firmer, more balanced skin instantly
Physicians Formula Moisture Balancing line
OVERVIEW OF THE PRODUCTS:
Hydrating & Balancing Cleanser – a foaming cleanser that removes oil and pore-clogging impurities
Hydrating & Balancing Moisturizer with SPF 15 – an oil-free moisturizer that replenishes skin hydration and eliminates flakiness and tightness instantly. Lightweight, non-greasy formula helps repair skin’s natural moisture barrier for more balanced skin long-term.
Hydrating Eye Cream: Nutrient rich eye cream provides instant moisture, in a lightweight gel-cream formula. Diminishes the appearance of dark circles, fine lines, and puffiness.
Ultra-Hydrating Day & Night Cream - Replenishes skin’s moisture balance and provides an extra boost of moisture day or night. Soothes even the driest skin to improve tone and texture leaving skin soft, smooth and hydrating.
Just a note, I have been using the Day & Night Cream, and I wake up with my skin feeling like silk. I couldn’t stop feeling my face the next day! I’ve never been a huge fan of foaming washes, just because my skin needs a little more give (like gel or cream based cleansers), but the cream here is probably my favorite of the bunch.
REDNESS RELIEF LINE:
*100% felt their skin was soothed and more comfortable instantly
*100% saw healthier skin instantly
*92% felt less irritation instantly
*92% saw a reduction in inflammation, dryness and flakiness in 2 weeks
Physicians Formula Redness Relief line
OVERVIEW OF THE PRODUCTS:
Redness Relief Cleanser - Ultra-gentle, lightweight cream cleanser melts away impurities without stripped skin of its essential moisture. Provides immediate relief to red and irritated skin, leaving it clean and comforted.
Instant Skin Calming Spray - Lightweight mist provides instant soothing relief to dehydrated skin while reducing irritation on contact.
Redness Relief Moisturizer – Extra-gentle, oil-free lightweight moisturizer instantly helps relieve redness and irritation, while providing all-day hydration. Restorative moisturizer soothes dry, itchy and flakey skin, while helping to strengthen and recondition it.
Redness Correcting Moisturizer – Extra-gentle, oil-free lightweight moisturizer instantly relieve redness and irritation, while providing all day hydration. Correcting green tint delivers a sheer wash of color to instantly neutralize redness.
ANTI-AGING LINE:
*100% felt skin looked firmer, smoother and more radiant instantly and long-term
*89% saw less fine lines instantly
*89% saw an improvement in their skin texture after 2 weeks
*71% saw less deep wrinkles in 4 weeks
Physicians Formula Anti-Aging line
OVERVIEW OF THE PRODUCTS:
Wrinkle Corrector & Firming Cleanser - Rich cream cleanser effectively removes makeup and impurities while smoothing, firming and protecting skin’s moisture barrier. Leaves complexion clean, smooth and moisturized
Wrinkle Correcting & Firming Moisturizer - (with Alpha Hydroxy Acid, Hydrolyzed Pea Peptide Blend, and Lifting Fruit Acid Blend) Potent moisturizer instantly enhances skin’s firmness, hydration and radiance. SPF 15 protects against UVA/UVB rays. Improves the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles for an overall smoothing effect.
Firming & Lifting Booster - Skin firming serum improves the appearance of fine lines and medium to deep wrinkles.
Dark Spot Corrector & Skin Brightener -(with Phytonutrient and Soy Isoflavone Complex to reduce the appearance of dark spots without affecting the surrounding skin) Potent serum targets signs of uneven skin tone and helps address evident sun damage, dark spots, and dark patches and skin stresses. Antioxidant formula can inhibit the appearance of uneven pigment formation, keeping skin looking brighter and more uniform in tone.
Deep Wrinkle Corrector Day & Night Cream - (with Laminaria Algae Complex) Ultra-rich cream enhances skin’s cycle of repair, encouraging healthy cell renewal to reveal younger looking skin. Helps improve moisture barrier, strengthen skin and protect collagen.
Intensive Wrinkle Corrector Eye Cream - Potent cream targets the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles in the eye area. Moisturizing formula boosts elasticity and firmness to improve the appearance of crow’s feet and puffiness. Illuminating properties improve the appearance of dark circles.
Summer skin tips from dermatologist Dr. Ellen Gendler
Summer is in full-swing, so I thought it would be nice to talk with Venus dermatologist, Dr. Ellen Gendler, and get her professional advice about how to keep your skin glowing through the (sometimes berating) heat:
Summer skin care tips from Dr. Ellen Gendler
BATF: How many times a week do you recommend exfoliating during the summer?
Dr. Ellen Gendler: Shaving is a great, non-abrasive way of exfoliating, especially in the summer. If you’re looking for a little extra, I’d recommend no more than once a week and with a soft washcloth, not a loofah. Daily exfoliating is too harsh for skin!
BATF: My biggest issue with shaving is itchy skin. What are the best ways to minimize that?
Dr. Gendler: There could be many causes to skin itchiness after shaving. Some people get itchy hives when anything is rubbed onto their skin, or if skin is really dry, it can lead to more cuts during shaving, which can itch. Try moisturizing immediately after towel drying, or try an over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream.
Dr. Ronald Moy at the Four Seasons Hotel in Westlake Village
I'm hungry
New York may be the fashion capital of the US, but when it comes to beauty, Los Angeles reigns supreme. Those of you who don’t believe me should watch an episode of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. These ladies have been nipped, tucked, tucked again, lasered, lifted, Botoxed, and Juvedermed–all in the name of beauty.
Poolside at the Four Seasons Westlake Village
The great thing about being a native Angeleno is knowing where the movie stars, trophy wives, and reality queens go to get these procedures done–especially when they want to keep it on the down low. Though Bev Hills may be “Mecca” to L.A. beauty junkies, the Four Seasons Hotel in Westlake Village is the secret hideaway to where the elite flock when they must recuperate from plastic surgery.
Cosmopolitan’s Practice Safe Sun Awards (plus 5 sunscreens to try this summer)
Cosmo's team with the honorees showing off their Cosmo/MRF bracelets
Cosmopolitan hosted their annual Practice Safe Sun Awards last week with honorees Laura Linney, Giada de Laurentiis, Sean Avery, Dr. Jennifer Stein, Cara Biggane. The five award-recipients demonstrated an active role in spreading skin cancer awareness. They also awarded their very first Cosmopolitan/Melanoma Research Foundation’s Practice Safe Sun Research Grant to Cynthia Cooper, PhD, of Washington State University. Over a lunch of grilled-watermelon salad and salmon, we heard everyone speak about why the cause was so close to their hearts.
Me with fellow blogger, Jill Seiman of Glamamom.com
Cosmo EIC, Kate White
Cosmo Publishing Director, Donna Kalajian Lagani
Giada de Laurentiis talks about losing her brother Dino to skin cancer at the age of 29
NY Rangers Sean Avery. His short and sweet speech: Asking for someone to help apply sunscreen is a good way to pick up girls
I imagine most of you will be outdoors grilling or poolside for the long weekend, so the Awards ceremony (hosted at the Hearst Tower) was a good reminder to layer up on sunscreen. Especially considering the facts:
* 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime.
* Melanoma is the fastest growing cancer in America
* Melanoma is the #2 killer of women in their 20s and the #1 cancer.
* Tanning beds increase your risk of skin cancer by 75%.
* If caught in the earliest stages, melanoma is entirely treatable with a survival rate of nearly 100%. If untreated and allowed to spread, there is no known treatment or cure.
What’s in my MAC bag
MAC Skincare travel-sized products
I have so much to tell you guys about this IIFA trip so far with M.A.C., and it’s only Day 1! One of you asked me to give you details on what was in the bag waiting for me in my hotel room on my first post. I was starting to write that post but am so tired (my eyes are shutting as I write this actually), so I got through one picture and decided to do a video blog. Here’s a quick product round up of the skincare travel-sized goodies I found inside:
Product Details:
1. M.A.C. Green Gel Cleanser, $10
2. M.A.C. Strobe Cream, $15
3. M.A.C. Cleanse-Off Oil, $10
4. M.A.C. Fix +, $10
5. M.A.C. Wipes, $15
6. M.A.C. Eye Makeup Remover, $10 {Ok, for some reason, I totally forgot to mention/take a picture of this last product — but it’s supposed to be uniquely effective but gentle so no irritation or burning…also made with soothing cucumber extract}
Anyway, I was literally getting ready for bed when I did this video, so please excuse the awesome tired eyes/sleepy voice/matted hair combo. I promise to try to look more refreshed if I do this again. Will write more details about the yummy food at my dinner with Mickey in my next post! 
