Eight Great Skincare Products for the Face
Lotions, cremes, cleansers, spot correctors and more
Those of us in the Northern Hemisphere know that the winter months are when you need to take extra special care of your skin. From the harsh outdoor elements to the dry heat indoors, it's non-stop trauma for your delicate face. There is so much hype and silly press claiming one product does this and the other does that. If caring for your skin is a lifelong mission (as it is for me), you'll love my collection—all personally tried and tested by me and my girlfriends—of these top-tier skincare products that really deliver.
Dr. Hauschka Rose Day Cream
A great pick for anyone with dry or sensitive skin, this smells gorgeous. The brand has been around since the ‘60s, and evolved when, in the 1920s, medical chemist Dr. Rudolf Hauschka decided that we should live in harmony with the earth, and developed a unique process to extract holistic remedies from herbs. Hauschka's philosophy still surrounds the products today; this day cream is packed with moisturizing rose oil and wild rose hip extract—there are over 1,075 petals in each tube! It forms a protective film over your skin, helping to guard against the elements. Skin prone to redness or thread veins will see an improvement, and everyone will find their face newly supple all day—even with the central heating on. Its quite a rich cream so might feel a bit heavy for some people; try the ‘light' version if this is the case.
Environ Skin Care
It was expert facialist Linda at Paul Edmonds in London who tipped me off about the South African skincare geniuses at Environ, as well as a good friend from New York who's 15 years my senior but has glowing, rosy skin. (You know who you are!) What can I say? The product line gets results. Dr. Des Fernandes, a leading Cape Town plastic surgeon and expert in treating sun damaged skin, developed the line and cast nourishing vitamin A in the starring role. The active ingredient puts on a brilliant performance as miracle worker with anti-aging, anti-radiation and soothing abilities. Most of the formulas are entirely free of preservatives, fragrances and animal extracts. Try the Evenescence Clarifying Lotion as a remedy for irritated or blemished skin; it boasts an acid-balanced formula that maintains the natural acids in your skin and controls the diffusion of melanin, the sneaky culprit that causes dark spots. The brand's non-greasy moisturizers help protect skin against free-radicals, and repair damage caused by time and exposure to the elements. Their new AVST1 line, is as vitamin enriched as their original line, but with a new molecular complex. I noticed results right away, and am now devoted to these effective, first-rate products, and naturally I've turned several friends on to the line as well. Just take note: these are potent potions, so you'll need to speak to a specialist before use. Once you start, go for the products with lower doses of vitamin A first, and then build up to the stronger formulations.
Murad
The doctor behind Murad (Howard Murad), is a board certified dermatologist with a patient base of over 50,000. That's quite enough to give him insight on every conceivable skin malady and to create a line that gets results. His longtime brand continues to receive accolades for it's non surgical solutions that make skin look and feel younger. After sampling the products on a recent trip to Boston and ordering the range to try at home, I am now a believer. The Age-Balancing Night Cream—rich & delish and the Renewing Eye Cream—kept my under-eye concealer from caking all day long—are just the thing to combat environmental damage and those scary premature wrinkles! They felt great on my skin and even smell effective.
Skyn Iceland
This is a relatively new and very niche brand, now one of my fave finds in facial skincare! Iceland is renowned for its holistic spas and hot spring therapies, but being we don't all have the resources to hop a plane to rejuvenate our skin... you can now bring Iceland's ingredients to your home. The range is specifically tailored for stressed skin—something that we city dwellers know a thing or two about! Living in big cities with exposure to the elements of heating and air conditioning systems can wreck havoc on your skin. Skin Iceland uses advanced technology to harness the most effective and potent ingredients to soothe your skin. I particularly love the Antidote, a quenching daily lotion. When I put it on, I can actually feel the active ingredients tingling on my skin and getting to work. The Arctic Mist is a refreshing burst of beneficial mineral water (which I also love to use in warm climes as it refreshes), and the Oxygen Infusion Night Cream is super rich, a wonder at banishing yucky dryness. NB: Their travel pack is the perfect size for a two week trip, conveniently zipped up in a cool blue plastic carrying case.
Mario Badescu Seaweed Night Cream
This has been a favorite of mine for over ten years, it's oil free, keeping skin soft and supple without clogging pores. The active ingredients of collagen and hyaluronic acid are both substances that occur in the body, naturally giving fullness to the skin. Here, they're whipped up into a clean smelling thick cream that soaks into your skin overnight. Just be aware that a little goes a long way, and as with any moisturizer, if you slap on too much, you might hydrate skin too much and get the dreaded spots…
Valmont Elixirs des Glaciers Votre Visage
Head facialist at the Four Seasons NYC, Suk Manicelli, recommended this wrinkle-killer to me. Created with natural ingredients from Switzerland, the mix of HP DNA, RNA, plant extracts and Glacial spring water makes for a luscious cream that lifts troublesome lines and add a youthful glow to your skin. They also have a rather sumptuous eye regenerating cream as well, packed with green tea and arnica to reduce dark circles and puffiness.
Stella McCartney CARE Gentle Cleansing Milk
A champion of the eco movement, Stella McCartney is the first luxury brand to branch out into skin care—hats off to her! Now you can have a birthday suit to rival any couture tailoring: “a responsible, natural product, with a sexiness in its packaging, smell and texture,” they claim. And they're right—100% effective, 100% organic (certified by independent body ECOCERT), it leaves you feeling as good on the inside as you look on the out. There are no petrochemicals, no animal derivatives and no genetically modified ingredients. I love the Gentle Cleansing Milk, which soothes skin while removing all traces of make-up, dirt and impurities. The Lemon Balm and Apricot oil are rich in carbohydrates, while antioxidants E and A protect the skin, giving it a chance to revive itself. And don't forget these essential fatty acids—fab for rebuilding and plumping. The sleek and chic simple packaging is just as stylish as McCartney's clothing range—a good addition to any cabinet.
Decleor Skin Care
My one unhealthy vice... the sun. I recently became less enchanted and much more careful when I saw the makings of some sun spots (pigmentation) on my forehead. In South Africa, a facialist told me about Decleor's Aroma White Collection. Their White-Bright complex, combined with their famous essential oils (Roman Chamomile and Vitamin C in this line) is dedicated to preventing and correcting the pigmentation marks that are caused by over-exposure to the sun. You know, those dreaded brown-freckly splotches you have on your forehead or near your hairline? I'm a new fan of the Brightening Spot Corrector—it neutralizes the skin's pigmentation process and delivers pinpointed treatment to erase those scary marks. I can see the difference in just the three weeks I've been applying the corrector day and night.
For more great skincare products, see Suzanne's top picks on ...
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