Spring Break Ready Skin Tips

The weather is finally getting warmer! If you’re following me on Instagram, you’ll see that I just took my spring break trip to Jamaica. Yes, I did the whole Cancun thing in college. Don’t judge! Whether you’re taking a vacation or just in the mood to get ready to lose the tights, here are some tips on how to prep your skin for spring break.

Exfoliate Sure, you know you should exfoliate, but do you? Exfoliating gets rid of any dry, dead skin to reveal a fresh, soft layer. On your face, it helps to rid gunk like makeup and SPF. Think about that build up, people! Try exfoliating your body and face twice a week.

Rid Pimples Obviously, nobody likes to get breakouts on the beach but let’s face it, breakouts happen. Try using NEW AcneFree Drying Lotion (available for $5.99 at drugstores), and apply it directly onto your breakout. This new lotion from AcneFree starts to clear your acne overnight! All you have to do is, before bed (after cleansing, toning, and moisturizing), dip a cotton swab into the pink sediment at the bottom of the bottle. Apply a dab of this lotion directly on the whitehead and do not rub it in. AcneFree Drying Lotion treats a pimple using Salicylic Acid to unclog the pores, Calamine and Niacinamide to soothe the inflamed skin, and zinc oxide and titanium dioxide to dry excess oil in the affected area – all while you sleep. Perfect for travel, this great new product will help you look and feel your best.

Remove Unwanted Hair Of course I need to state the obvious, but here’s a tip. If you shave, wait until the end of your shower, because wet hair is easier to cut, and the warm water and steam soften the hair and open the pores which will makes shaving easier. Shaving down there? Here are more tips.

Self Tan Everyone looks better with a little bit of color. Don’t you agree? Want a flawless, long lasting self tan? Of course you do. If you’re traveling, I recommend bringing self tan towelettes along for the ride.

*This post is sponsored by the makers of AcneFree. Although my thoughts and actions are true, individual results may vary.

Dear Jeannine: How Should I Test My New Skincare?

So many people ask me this!  It's a great question.  How often do you eagerly purchase the latest skincare product that promises to diminish fine lines and wrinkles, rid discoloration and dare I say... make you look younger?  Or maybe you heard about an acne product that even takes care of the scarring.  When it comes to our skin, we jump at technology.  And often times, I find, our eager minds are often disappointed with the results.  What if I told you that most of the time, it's your fault.  Not the products.

How many products you’ve sent to your own skincare graveyard?  You know, the ones you bought, tried and put aside or tossed this year?  Ask yourself – did you really give them a chance?  When brands make claims such as "reduces crow’s feet" or "fades acne scars," those claims are able to be made after a series of clinical trials.  Trials are typically held for a minimum of eight weeks.  Some are even longer.

Truth is, in order to ensure that your skin is actually using ingredients properly, which is why you’re not seeing the results you’re looking for fast enough, it needs to be energized and you need to use the product for a minimum of eight weeks before you can expect to see real results.   As you may remember, I’ve been testing the newly reformulated Regenerist line, (see post here), which has been upgraded with technology that boosts my skins responsiveness to anti-aging ingredients.  So yes, I did notice results a bit sooner.

When I test new skincare products to review on BeautySweetSpot, I tend to test throughout the length of a clinical trial.  Sometimes I cheat and will post a review a week or two earlier, but results do show earlier, just not to their maximum potential.  For example, I've been talking about the Olay Regenerist Multi-Sculpting Cream for some time now, proving its benefits of energizing the skin, while hydrating it and decreasing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.  Personally, my skin is more hydrated overall making it look much healthier and the fine lines around my eyes are less noticeable. I'll always tell you what's out there, but it’s impossible for me to test every new skincare launch.

Next time you find a product that you believe is good for your skin.  Be patient!  Give it a shot for about two months and believe me, you'll start noticing some differences in your skin.  If by then you don't, it's time to toss it into your skincare graveyard!

*This post is sponsored by Olay Regenerist, but all of my thoughts and actions are true.

How to Plump & Firm Your Face Sans Injections

Yesterday on The Couch I joined Carolina Bermudez and Jill Nicolini to discuss plumping and firming must haves.  Since the FDA approved Juvederm's Voluma, plumper, more youthful cheeks are attainable through the injection, but with the right anti-aging skincare regimen you can have plumper and firmer skin sans the needles.  Check out the segment above and all product info is listed below. Serums:

Environ Ionzyme Focus Hydrating Serum, $98 at Dermaconcepts.com

Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Serum, $25.99 at drugstores

Moisturizers:

Peter Thomas Roth Neuroliquid™ Volufill Youth Hydra-Gel, $110, at PeterThomasRoth.com

Aveeno Positively Ageless Restructuring Treatment Cream, $19.99 at drugstore.com

Eye Creams:

Perricone MD Firming Eye Cream, $65 at dermstore.com

La Roche-Posay Redermic R Eyes, $47, drugstores

Neck Creams:

Dr. Brandt. Do Not Age Firming Neck Cream, $65, drbrandtskincare.com

Bare Minerals Extra Firming Neck Cream, $38 at ulta.com

Men's Eye Creams:

Kiehl’s Facial Fuel Eye De-Puffer, $20 at kiehls.com   

Nivea for Men Q10 Energy Eye Roll On, $8.99 at drugstore.com

Skincare Discovery: Rodin Olio Lusso, Reasons Why I'm Using Oil On My Face and You Should Too

In the beauty industry, word gets around.  If there's a true, must-have product, it's discussed.  Over dinner one night with my friend Amber of BeautyBloggingJunkie I couldn't help but notice how radiant her skin looked so of course I asked her what she was using.  Rodin Olio Lusso was her skin-changing answer.  Of course, she got the tip from our mutual beauty editor friend Andrea who works at People.com.  So it continues, and now I too, am rubbing oil on my face.  I know, it sounds scary at first, but trust me and my colleagues, it works miracles. First of all let me explain exactly what this magical oil is.  Rodin Olio Lusso is a face oil made up of 11 essential oils that brightens your skin and leaves it with a dewy glow.  Created by former Harper's Bazaar Fashion Editor, Linda Rodin, it's now sold in Barneys for $150 a pop.  But don't let the price tag scare you, because it lasts forever and the results prove its worth.  Here's why face oil is beneficial and why I especially love this one:

• It looks, feels and smells luxurious.  Most of my skincare products aren't scented and I prefer them that way, but I apply this at nighttime, the aroma instantly calms me and takes me to a place of ease.  I almost feel like a sophisticated French woman.
• With Rodin Olio Lusso you're supposed to apply the tiniest amount to cleansed skin in the morning and evening for added moisture.  I actually like using the oil as a pre-cleanse at night.  I take a little bit and gently massage it into my face before I wash it with a gentle cleanser.  Some of the oil is left behind and my skin feels super soft.  Plus, it acts as a makeup remover.
• I don't normally wear a ton of makeup, but when doing on camera work, the foundation gets piled on and I also use the oil to break down my makeup quickly incase I need to refresh it without washing my face or simple to take it off.
• Face oils help to calm the skin and regulate oil production.  Yes, even if you have oily skin it will help regulate it.  If you have really dry skin, apply moisturizer on top of it.

Rodin Olio Lusso can be found at Barneys for $150.

The Results Are In! The Skincare Products I'm Loving Right Now

Back in February I posted about taking a trip to Sephora to have my skin analyzed by DDF's Skin Evaluation System.  Of course I knew I was fighting fine lines and had some discoloration, but what I found out was that my main concern should be my pores!  Since then, I've been testing a variety of DDF skincare products (never mind being super self conscious about my ugly pores) and had to share the results. By far the one that's been making the most difference for my skin is the Wrinkle Resist Plus Pore Minimizer Moisturizing Serum.  As soon as I put it on it was like the Angels came down and sang from Heaven.  Thanks to the silicone, my pores were instantly non-existant.  Granted, it rids pores just for the time being, but for that I apply it daily after I wash my face and before I put on my moisturizer.  It's really light weight and it also has a cocktail of Vitamins to help reduce fine lines and wrinkles over time.

Another product I'm really impressed with is their Revolve 400x.  As an avid Clarisonic user, I was skeptical to use something else, but hey, that's my job.  It comes with two different brush heads.  One to act as a microdermabrasion treatment and the other is for deep cleansing, which I use almost every day.  I like that it has two different strengths and feel so fresh faced after doing an at-home microdermabrasion.  When I met with Giulianna Rancic in February this was her favorite DDF product and she has awesome skin.

*This is a sponsored post, but my opinions and actions are honest.

Exploring Cosmetic Injectables with Dr. Bracci

I have a confession to make and it's only right I share it with you since it's beauty related, but being that it's also anti-aging related most would consider it a hush-hush situations.  In my case though, it's show and tell.  With my career heading towards on camera work things are starting to bother me that I never really paid attention to before – lines and wrinkles. Of course I use a slew of anti-aging products, but have recently been considering Botox and fillers. I do believe that taking care of your skin daily and using cosmetic enhancers in moderation is OK.  What I'm struggling with is am I ready to start?  Should I wait until I'm at least 30?  I'm just not ready to take the plunge.  This week my mother and I visited Dr. Stephen Bracci at Verve Medical Cosmetics in NYC and I picked his brain on my dilemma as my mom tried a filler.

"The right time to start doing fillers depends on your lifestyle," commented Dr. Bracci.  "There's no appropriate age, but if you start when fine lines and wrinkles begin to appear, you're not trying to fill resting lines (deep ones) so it's easier to soften them."

Overall, people who are thinner start to see lines earlier due to having low body fat and as you age, it's not about having excess skin, it's about lacking volume where you once had it.  Fillers like Restylane and Juvederm last about a year and replace the volume in your skin to give you plump, supple skin in a nautral way while helping your own body rebuild natural collagen.  They also work instantly.  Since they're thick, they're best used for smile lines, the cheeks and areas of the face that tend to have more fat.

Botox on the other hand is a thinner formula and used around the eyes and the forehead.  It takes three to four days for results to show and lasts about three months.  Most people could use a bit of both, but as Dr. Bracci told me, start small until you get comfortable with it.  The beauty of injectables is that they just add volume back to areas that are lacking it.  They're not meant to warp your face and change it's structure.

Dr. Bracci has a true passion for the art of using cosmetic injectables and looked at my mothers face the way I never would have.  Of course I would notice the typical fine lines and wrinkles, but as an artist, he explained certain areas that need to be filled in order to bring out others.  I do appreciate the art and everything in moderation, but for now, will stick with chemical peels and my skincare regimen.  One day, I'll be visiting Dr. Bracci when I'm ready to take the leap.

Dr. Bracci is located at Verve Medical Cosmetics, 216 E. 50th St. NY, NY 10022.