Beauty | Mommies With Style

Artistry Skincare Set ($680 value!) Review & Giveaway #AmwayArtistry

October 18, 2011 By Whitney 129 Comments

Designed to make your skin look and feel younger, Amway’s Artisty Skincare line is a skin care line I hadn’t heard of before but have been recently checking out. Of course I had heard of Amway but didn’t know that they are one of the top five largest selling skincare brands. They are dedicated to making sure their products take care of your skin and let’s face it ladies, we aren’t getting any younger and can use all the help we can get!

Not sure what you need skincare wise, they have a Skincare Recommender on their website where you can answer questions to find out what products might be best for you! I also love the Virtual Makeover which is a little addicting. Pick a model’s face whose skin is similar to yours and you can play around with the different products online to see how they will look on you – check it out, it’s actually kind of fun!

My favorite product thus far has been the Artistry Creme LuXury. Here’s a bit of info about it: Creme LuXury gives women the power of CellEffect, re-energizing skin for optimum performance and a revitalized appearance. Look forward to firmer, softer, smoother and more radiant skin that acts up to 15 years younger.

Giveaway: One Lucky Mommies with Style Reader will win The Amway Artistry Skincare Package, worth more than $680. It includes the following products:

o Polishing Scrub

o Intensive Skincare Renewing Peel

o Microdermabrasion System

o Skin Refinishing Lotion

o MicroExfoliation Cloth

Time Defiance System:

o Cleansing Treatment

o Conditioning Toner

o Night Recovery Cream

o Day Protect Cream

o Creme LuXury

To Enter:

Comment to enter.

For additional entries, tweet about this giveaway. Please @WhitneyMWS and follow me so I know you have tweeted, and use #amwayartistry in your tweet.

Filed Under: Coupons & Freebies, Giveaways, Make-up & Beauty Products, Mommy Time Tagged With: beauty, giveaway, skincare

Look Like New With DermaNew

September 12, 2010 By kate Leave a Comment

While pregnancy may give you a glow, having a newborn certainly does not. And a lack of sleep and poor eating had definitely taken a toll on my skin. I was just about to make an appointment for a facial when I got a chance to try the Facial Rejuvenation System from DermanNew. Wow. I review a lot of products and get a little skeptical about product claims, but this one has lived up to its namesake.

While many beauty products understandably take a few days, weeks even months to see results, I saw a change immediately with using the Facial Rejuvenation System. I tried it for the first time at night and immediately noticed that my skin looked smoother, plumper and fresher – like a good run or a romp in the hay would do. I usually use a cream cleanser with little exfoliating micro-beads in it and twice a week use a microdermabrasion stick product, so my skin is used to exfoliation and I didn’t imagine would see that big of an impact. But I did.

I was even more impressed the next morning after using it. Though my newborn tends to sleep pretty well, the night after I used the system for the first time was a doozey. He was up, I was up and the next morning I tentatively looked in the mirror to gauge the under-eye bags and sallow skin, when – lo and behold! – I looked fresh! Downright radiant! I was completely exhausted, but my skin looked great. Better than it had looked in weeks.

How it works: The products comes with a dual-sided, vibrating resurfacing tool. One side has a brush for deep cleansing with your favorite cleaner, the other side a foam pad for the microdermabrasion. Dot on the included microdermabrasion creme on your face, turn the tool on, and buff and polish your way to gorgeous skin. Two minutes, twice a week.

If you have acne-prone skin (like I have post pregnancy), you might also like the Acne & Oil Clarifying System which comes with the same resurfacing tool but a different creme with salicylic acid. It’s easy on the skin, but again, produces great results.

I’ve now used the Facial Rejuvenation System four times and continued to be thrilled. My skin is smoother, I have fewer breakouts, my makeup goes on easier and I have a glow! And a newborn! Those things don’t usually go hand in hand.

For about the price of one facial, you can own the Facial Rejuvenation System or the Acne & Oil Clarifying System and give yourself skin that will say, “What sleepless night?” Welcomed news to any new mom.

$70 at www.DermaNew.com

Filed Under: Make-up & Beauty Products, Mommy Time Tagged With: beauty, DermaNew, new mom, skin

Sunless Summer Glow with Sun Labs Self-Tanner

June 15, 2010 By kate Leave a Comment

Love that summer glow. Hate the skin damage. Sun Labs to the rescue! I recently had the chance to try out this Sun Labs gift pack which includes the Tan Overnight self-tanning lotion, Exfoliant Body Scrub and Hand and Body Tan-Extending moisturizer. (The gift pack comes in various sizes ($21-$51) and products can also be purchased separately.)

The Exfoliant – this gentle, green exfoliant relies on apricot kernels to remove dead skin and moisturize to prep your skin for the tanning lotion. The smell is invigorating, vaguely minty/eucalyptusy. It feels great on the skin, but use it with the included shower puff to make sure you get thoroughly exfoliated.

The Self-Tanner: I’ve tried a handful of self-tanners of the years, from drugstore bottle brands to celebrity-endorsed body sprays, and Sun Labs self-tanner is currently my top pick. Why it’s great:

• Lotion formula – I’ve always had better luck with lotions than sprays since I feel more in control of where I’m applying and rubbing in. Plus there’s no residual spray floating around my bathroom.

• Tinted lotion - so you can immediately see where you’ve applied. (See additional info about color below.)

• Quick drying – a huge bonus since moms have limited time to take a shower much less hang out naked waiting for tanning lotion to dry.

• Smell-free – old-school self-tanners left you surrounded with an cloud of stink, feeling like a walking billboard shouting “Hi everyone! I just self-tanned!” With this Sun Labs lotion, the smell is undetectable.

• Realistic color – Let me warn you that the initial color is not super flattering. The “tint” in the lotion seemed to have a hint of an ashy-greyish-orangey-brown color that was not complimentary. Not horrible, but it had me a little worried. So don’t judge the product immediately after you apply. This particular Sun Labs product develops its true color over three hours and is meant to be put on at night or whenever you have at least 2 hours to spare before you need to go out. And the end result is gorgeous – I’ll even agree with the website’s description that it gives you a “super hot golden brown tan.” It was good enough to fool my So-Cal raised husband who asked if I spent the day at the beach. I have medium-light skin, but wondered how the product would work on someone with fairer skin. So I gave this to a fair-skinned friend to try for a week and she liked the end result too. Maybe liked it a little too much since she hasn’t returned the bottle yet….

• Lasting – I applied the tanning lotion every 3 or 4 days and have been impressed with its staying power.

• Face-friendly - Sun Labs makes products specifically formulate for your face, but I mixed a drop or two of this with my daily moisturizer and was happy with the results. It blended nicely, absorbed quickly and didn’t make me breakout. I know of someone who uses this full-strength on her face…I just wasn’t brave enough to try. Yet.

The Moisturizer – This is a general moisturizer and the least interesting of the pack. The directions instruct you to apply the tanning lotion at night and the moisturizer in the morning to help preserve your tan. It was moisturizing, but no better than my normal daily moisturizer. It smelled tropical, a bit like bananas. And as much as I love bananas, I wasn’t thrilled about slathering my body with the smell.

Some application tips….

• Apply with gloves. The first time I didn’t and while I scrubbed with soap immediately after applying, my hands still had a slight tinge to them. The next times I used gloves and was much happier – I know all the product is getting rubbed into the intended area and not absorbing into my hands.

• Don’t judge based on your first application. As with any new product, you have to get the hang of how much lotion you need to cover an area, how it spreads, how to blend, etc. My first application was so-so. My next dozen have been great.

• Don’t apply right before you’re going out. The color in this lotion develops over the course of three hours so make sure to apply before bed or with a few hours before you’re heading out.

So slather on that SPF and protect your skin this summer (your future self will thank you!) and still sport a summer glow! Visit www.sunlabsonline.com or your local beauty salon or spa to purchase.

Filed Under: Bath & Body, Make-up & Beauty Products, Mommy Time Tagged With: beauty, self-tanner, Sun Labs

Speed Up My Morning: Face

October 1, 2009 By kate Leave a Comment

With the start of school, I’ve been reminded of how little time there is in the morning and how much there is to get done. This is part one in a series of three posts called “Speed Up My Morning” where I’ll be sharing with you a few products I’ve come across that will shave time off your morning routine. First up – the face.

1) ROC Multi Correxion Skin Perfecting System – My skin is pretty tempermental and so I’m always a bit nervous trying out a new skincare line. But I’m happy to say that both my skin and I have become big fans of this new trio from ROC – and it’s definitely saved me some minutes on my morning and night skin routine. The Multi Correxion Skin Perfecting System comes with three roc-multicorrexion time-saving products – the Daily Perfecting Cleanser, Daily Perfecting Creme SPF 30, and the Intensive Night Concentrate for Face and Eyes. The Perfecting Cleanser removes make-up easily and includes gentle exfoliators that help smooth rough skin (cleanser + exfoliator = time saved). The Daily Perfecting Creme is one of my favorites of the set. Although it includes a broad spectrum SPF 30, it isn’t greasy and doesn’t leave me shiny. It provides good moisturizing and is a good base for makeup (moisturizer + SPF 30 = time saved). Finally, the Intensive Night Concentrate works for both face and eyes (no separate product needed) and includes antioxidants, retinol and Vitamin C to help skin look younger, smooth wrinkles and improve tone – basically a do-it-all night cream. Click here to get a $10 off coupon for this system and find a list of locations to buy.

lipnouveau-main 2) Ame Cosmetics Lip Nouveau – Ame Cosmetics was a new line to me, but I’ve been excited about their Lip Nouveau product – a 2-in-1 lip liner and lip creme. There are actually two separate products here – a color-packed lip creme and a coordinating liner in the lid of the the lip creme – brilliant! No more searching and digging for matching liner and lip color. Lip Nouveau is currently available in 13 shades ranging from peachy Cozumel to shimmery pink Beverly Hills. The creamy liner goes on easily and lasts for hours, and the lip creme provides highly pigmented color without the weight of lipstick. Kudos to Ame Cosmestics for their great time-saver and their commitment to provide cosmetics for women of all skin tones.

glowbzedlg 3.) Revolution Organics Freedom Glow – Every mom, heck, every woman needs one of these do-it-all color sticks in her purse or desk. In just seconds you can add a fresh glow of color to your lips, cheeks and lids with a few swipes. Talk about a time-saver. Freedom Glow is available in three colors (Blushed, Sunkissed and Bronzed) and provides great color with just the right amount of dewiness to liven up the skin. Almost as good as what Freedom Glow brings, is what it’s lacking – chemicals, synthetics, and artificial ingredients as this Revolution Organic product is made with only 100% natural and organic ingredients.

p1010472 4) Lauren Hutton All Natural Face Palette – You know her signature tooth gap, but Lauren Hutton has made a name for herself in the make-up world too. Her face palettes have been around for a while, but this new All Natural Face Palette is made from 95% natural ingredients and bears the Natural Products Association seal of approval. Hutton has created these goof-proof palattes that are color-coded to match up to an included face map as well as to her 7-piece brush set (not included). The palette (which is bigger than it looks – about the size of your outstretched hand) includes 1 sheer concealer, 4 shades of spot concealer, 1 pooch/nose shader, 1 contour shadow, 1 eyebrow color, 1 wet/dry liner, 1 blush/lip tint and a lip balm. The palette comes in 4 skin tones – yellow, pink, olive and brown (click here to determine which shade you are). The yellow palette was the best fit for me and I’ve loved the convenience of having just about everything I need to put a face on in one palette. For special occasions it doesn’t offer enough variety, but for a daily go-to look, it’s been the perfect fit. Right now on the website, when you buy the palatte, you also get a free lipstick, mascara, dual-sided eye pencil, loose powder and a quilted cosmetic case for $49! And there’s free shipping!

And finally….

derm101n I can’t truly say that this next product has proven itself a time-saver, but every night I use the Reversital 3-in-1 Microdermabrasion Stick my skin looks better in the morning. It claims to save time by cleansing, resurfacing and moisturizing, but you wouldn’t want to use it on your eyes to get off eye make-up and while it is moisturizing, most people would still require an additional moisturizer after using it. But I’m still a fan. Plus, it comes in a solid, roll-up stick. You wet the surface of the stick, wet your face and gently massage your face with the stick for about 10 seconds. This packaging makes it super convenient to take traveling, and the company claims it’s better for your skin to have the resurfacing crystals embedded instead of free-flowing. At $80-$90 a stick it’s definitely pricier than your drugstore exfoliator, but I’ve been using it 3-4 times a week for the last month and have barely made a dent in it. Plus, you can’t argue with results.