The Daily Beauty Break

Woo-wee! My skin has been SO angry at me. Fancy, very “active” skincare combined with all that dry, heated air makes for a very red, irritated face and neck. Even creams as innocuous as CETAPHIL sting when my skin gets this mad at me….sound familiar?

Luckily a few weeks ago I got a sample of Bioelements Moisture x10 ($39.99) from a New Beauty Test Tube. This super-hydrating serum contains a high level of hyaluronic acid (which binds 1000 times its weight in water into the surface of your skin). Trust me…your dry, angry skin will thank you!

Good news, too…You can buy Bioelements for under the advertised price at www.WhatGreatSkin.com! I’m waiting on mine right now…come ON Fex Ex!!!

What are your favorite winter skin survival techniques? Do tell…

Be Beautiful Y’all…

If you have it, you know what a bear it is staying on top of hormonally-induced melasma (hyper-pigmentation). I’ve adopted several battle tactics in the war on my own melasma over the years, with the latest being the prescription potion Triluma ($190). Well, after awhile I felt that my results from Triluma seemed to “plateau”….

Enter Lumixyl($120) . This skin brightening peptide became available at your dermatologists office only a few months ago and offers several advantages that Triluma doesn’t…like no hydroquinone (controversial) or negative side effects with long term use (like steroid-induced skin thinning).  But does it actually work?

YES, YES and YES…I’ve been slathering on a pump of this wonder potion twice a day for about two weeks now and the difference in my skin in AMAZING…My dark patches (mostly under my eyes and on my forehead) have really lightened up and (bonus) my lovely acne scars seem to be disappearing twice  as fast! Lumixyl does  a great job in combination with my prescription retinoids and caused absolutely NO irritation.

So if you were on the fence about this one, jump in with the both feet (heck, head first) and pick up a bottle at your next derm visit!

Be Beautiful Y’all…

Hello My Beauties….I know, I know…I intended on blogging at LEAST three times a week during the course of our kitchen being rebuilt (they haven’t even started yet) in the mornings after I dropped Kid #1 at school and before I dropped Kid #2 at her preschool but well, things don’t always go as planned…

But even with the chaos that is my life right now, how do I still find the time to obsess over my Grandma Hands you ask? I HAVE NO IDEA…call it my OCD kicking in, or just my own failed attempts to accept my own aging (or a combo of both)…but YOU KNOW the beauty biz has a product to solve it (or so they say…).

So ever since discovering Dr. Obagi and seeing the amazing results of his products first hand (and YES, pun TOTALLY intended), I’ve been dying to try his ZO Skin Health Oraser Anti-Aging Skincare Program ($50). Comprised of a hardcore hand scrub  (Oraser Microderm Hand Renewal) you use 1-2x’s a week, a nightly cream (Oraser Overnight Hand Repair) and then the daily defense cream (Oraser Daily Hand Repair SPF 20), “the Program” has got your digits covered.

So what did I think?

Well, the Microderm Hand Renewal left my hands feeling like SILK….totally moisturizing and retexturizing, my hands have never felt better…(and I think the pamper quotient it takes to give yourself the quick treatment is totally indulgent…I mean, sign me up for any indulgence in life that won’t kill me eventually or make me fat…again).

The Oraser Overnight Hand Repair has become a new staple on my nightstand…it smells delish, absorbs instantly and gives me that, oh-so-small yet relieving sense of control before I nod off into Never-Neverland….and The Oraser Daily Hand Repair  SPF20? Well, if I can keep it out of MY mothers hands (yes, mom I was kind of miffed that you stole my first tube)… is a staple in my purse….the sunscreen is so effective that I REALLY need to buy a body lotion with SPF…(my arms look like they went to Hawaii and left my hands at home..lol!).

But let’s get down to it….Do I still have Grandma Hands? Well, kind of…I mean, “the program” has totally helped..the dreaded paper-like texture has diminished and the tone of my hands is more consistent..I’m really happy to find a daily sunscreen that actually works…and all this after only 2 weeks….(now if I can get my whole body on “the program”).

But REALLY, I think the real cure for MY Grandma Hands is to accept and be grateful for all they have done for me in this lifetime…the countless diaper changes, loads of dishes and boo-boo fixes….And when I look at my aging body from this perspective, my obsession with all things “anti-aging” stays in its place…….

Be Beautiful Ya’ll…..

Dear Josi,

What is the best treatment to date for clearing melasma on sensitive skin?
thank you!
Lili

Dear Lili,

Sometimes it’s best to ask your dermatologist about beauty concerns like melasma (hyper pigmentation of the skin)….. a condition better off treated by doctor. Because of the difficulty in treating this tricky skin condition, I did what I do best…..asked my wonderful dermatologist Dr. Ellen Turner…owner and practitioner of Dermlaser Dallas

Here’s Dr. Turner’s answer, Lili….

First off, just so you are aware, Dr.Turner is not dispensing medical recommendations here on The Daily Beauty Break, but rather giving us her valuable information (for a medical recommendation please make an appt. with your local dermatologist).

Hello my beauties…First off, I want to thank ya’ll so much for taking the time to leave all the great comments  personally sharing your amazing “skin transformations”   with Dr. Obagi’s new ZO Skin Health Products! I first posted my successful review of Dr. Obagi’s products MONTHS ago and am still receiving new feedback from happy clients everyday.,,,,,WOW!

Well, nobody is more thrilled to hear of your successes than Dr. Obagi himself….I first heard of Dr. Obagi from a photographer friend who used his prescription products to beat her hyper pigmentation and adult acne (and boy did SHE EVER….Dixie, you look fabulous darling)…..In fact, Dr. Obagi is so thrilled that he is treating us here at The Daily Beauty Break with our own little Q & A…..I’m calling it “Ask Dr. Obagi”!

Dr. Zein E. Obagi is an “internationally renowned dermatologist, educator and innovator, Dr. Obagi, M.D. is an expert in skin care. He is a Board-Certified Diplomat of the American Board of Dermatology and a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology. As one of the best known skin health experts in the world, Dr. Obagi is esteemed for his work in correcting a wide range of skin conditions, including facial melasma, precancerous lesions, deep wrinkles, age spots, acne scars and sun-damaged skin.”

Just the kind of guy whose brain I’d like to pick!!! So bring on the questions beautiful people!!! What’s your skin care concern? Bring us your sunspots, your acne, your wrinkles……Let Dr. Obagi tell YOU PERSONALLY what path you need to take to look… (and most importantly), FEEL BETTER!

Feel free to leave your questions for Dr. Obagi below in the comments questions….or email me I will forward it on to Dr. Obagi personally….

So stay tuned.… Since you asked (and you know I’ll do anything for my readers..lol) I’ll be reviewing ZO Skin Health’s Olluminate Intense Eye Repair & the Oraser Anti-Aging Hand Care Program….( can’t wait to say goodbye to my grandma hands!)……

Be Beautiful…..