I absolutely love, love, love Clinique’s Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel! It’s definitely one of my all-time cult favorites, but there is nothing more that I love than trying new things.

Estée Lauder Advanced Time Zone Age Reversing Line/Wrinkle Hydrating Gel is the latest oil-free hydrating gel to hit the market. It’s very similar to Clinique’s moisturizing gel, but with a few added extras. It has anti-aging benefits such as their new Tri-HA Cell Signaling Complex. It’s their latest breakthrough in the hunt for the fountain of youth. Basically what it does is helps your cells communicate with each other to help boost the natural production of hyaluronic acid in your skin. Okay so enough of the fancy scientific stuff – I love the lightweight oi-free texture, it’s lightly scented and cool to the touch. The only added ingredient I wished it had was SPF, but it works as a perfect nigh time moisturizer for oil-skinned girls!

Estée Lauder Advanced Time Zone Age Reversing Line/Wrinkle Hydrating Gel 1.7 oz. $65

(Photo courtesy of Estée Lauder)

Here it is – my last and final peel on The Skin Regime: Boot Camp for Beautiful Skin. For my grand finale, I decided to use the 70% glycolic solution. I was worried about how my skin would react to such a strong concentration of glycolic acid, but I’m glad to report that I didn’t end up like Nicolas Cage in Face/Off! I seriously recommend building your tolerance up before using the 70%. I feel like my first peel (30%) was more irritating than my last peel (70%) – go figure!

I removed all my makeup with a makeup removing wipe (I like to use the Biore wipes), then I thoroughly washed my face with a washcloth and Cetaphil cleanser. I dried my face and swiped my face with a cotton round dipped in rubbing alcohol.

Next I applied the medicated numbing spray; I made sure to cover every inch of my face and neck. I was so scared that it would burn! Finally I soaked another cotton round with 70% glycolic acid and went to work. I left the solution on for a full five minutes. It was not as bad as I thought it would be. It never got uncomfortable and I only felt a slight itching sensation after three minutes.

Once time was up, I rinsed and washed my face. I patted it dry and immediately applied my moisturizer. Two days have passed, and I only had a small amount of peeling in my chin and nose. I’ve been washing my face morning and night, so I think that’s helping remove the flakes.

I really enjoyed The Skin Regime: Boot Camp for Beautiful Skin. It was simple to do and very effective. My skin looks so much better now that when I first started. My skin is smoother, clearer, and more even-toned. It has helped keep my blemishes at bay and with the help from Cetaphil’s DermaControl line – my excess oil is also gone. I am visiting my parents for the holidays, and the first thing my mom said to me was how great my skin looked! I plan to do a maintenance peel ever so often to keep my skin looking and feeling great. I recommend this peel to anyone who wants beautiful skin!

For more information on The Skin Regime: Boot Camp to Beautiful Skin and on products I used please visit TheSkinRegime.com – there you can order the book and get product recommendations.

Click here to read the first 30 pages of The Skin Regime for free!

Hey guys, sorry it took so long for an update on The Skin Regime: Boot Camp For Beautiful Skin Challenge. In the past two weeks  I’ve dealt with a cold and then Hurricane Sandy decided to hit the northeast! Things are slowly getting back to normal and I am happy to say that I my home didn’t suffer any damage.

Since I took a week off from the regime; I was worried that the 50% glycolic peel would be too much for my skin to handle. With that said, I decided to only keep the solution on for four minutes.

I prepped my skin as I always do – read about the first peel here – I also made sure to use the medicated spray to help numb my skin.  I applied the 50% glycolic acid to my entire face and neck area. With a cotton swab, I applied extra solution to my trouble spots.

My skin was not as irritated as I thought it might be. I did have extra peeling around my chin and upper lip area. For my next peel, I might apply a 50% glycolic acid solution to my entire face and then apply a 70% solution to my trouble spots. I think this would speed up the spot clearing process.

For more information on The Skin Regime: Boot Camp to Beautiful Skin and on products I used please visit TheSkinRegime.com – there you can order the book and get product recommendations.

Click here to read the first 30 pages of The Skin Regime for free!

Ahh beautiful flawless skin, we all dream of it – don’t we? We spend tons of time and money trying to get that perfect pore-less complexion. But sometimes, even with the best fool-proof regime; we still get that occasional breakout. Skin is unpredictable, and largely non-cooperative, and when it’s good it’s great but when it’s not? You dread leaving the house! And we always seem to get the worst pimple ever when we have important things to do – like an interview or the first day of school!

So I’m super excited that the writers behind the new eBook ACNE: A comprehensive guide on identifying, treating and generally showing blemishes who the boss is saw this blog, and recognized that my readers – you  - are exactly the kind of women who understand what it is to not only look their best, but also feel their best.

The writers asked me to ask you to get involved. They are working with the doctors from Court House Clinics to assemble a free online eBook that covers the biology behind why we get spots and acne, how to control it, things we think we know about skin but might have actually gotten wrong, and  – this is why I want to get involved – how to feel good about the skin you’ve got.

So, what do you want to know about skin? Maybe:

What’s the difference between a spot and acne?

Does eating chocolate really make you break out?

I get acne on my shoulders and chest, how can I fix it?

I’ve always had perfect skin, but then I got pregnant. What happened?

Whatever your thoughts, questions, or ideas, stick ‘em in the comments box (or email me directly) and I’ll send them over to the writers, who will ask the experts, who will give intelligent answers and help everybody involved (yay free advice!) Once the ebook comes out, I’ll have a bunch of copies to give out (yay freebies!)

(Photo courtesy of © Krasphoto | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos)

It’s week three of The Skin Regime: Boot Camp for Beautiful Skin Challenge and I already see results. My skin is much smoother and  even-toned. For my third peel I decided to do another 50% glycolic acid. I prepped my skin as I normally do and this time I made sure to apply to medicated spray properly. I sprayed it directly onto my skin and waited about a minute until it dried completely. I was able to feel the numbing sensation from the spray, especially above my lip.

During the six minutes, the skin under my eyes and on my cheekbones showed the most irritation. My skin was red afterwards and slightly itchy. The next day I woke up with a small scab on my right cheekbone. At least I know it’s working! Bye-bye sunspots!

Next week I’m taking a break because I have an event to attend and I don’t want to go with red flakey skin! I’ve  upped my moisturization to three times a day and I have been using a BB cream  instead of regular foundation.

My skin really started to peel on the third day. To remove the flakes, I made sure to wash my face with my washcloth using a gentle circular motion. I noticed I shed a lot more skin this time around. I’m excited to see more results!

For more information on The Skin Regime: Boot Camp to Beautiful Skin and on products I used please visit TheSkinRegime.com – there you can order the book and get product recommendations.

Click here to read the first 30 pages of The Skin Regime for free!

It’s Spa Week! Yay!

Check out my latest Fitness Magazine Beauty on the Go Blog Post

Treat Yourself: Your Guide to Some of Spa Week’s Hottest Deals!

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Hey Beauties! Please check out my new Fitness Magazine Beauty on the Go Blog Post - Favorite Find Friday: Revision Retinol Facial Repair

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(Photo courtesy of Revision Skincare)

So here goes, week 2 of The Skin Regime: Boot Camp For Beautiful Skin Challenge. I started off with a 30% glycolic peel, but this week I decided to up it up a notch and do a 50% glycolic peel. Yikes! I’ll admit, I was a little scared to try a stronger formulation – but I know I needed to in order to see results.

I prepped my skin the same way as I did before. You can read about my first peel here and read my interview with the author here.

Since this peel would be stronger, I added an extra step to my prep. After prepping my skin with the alcohol, I sprayed Harmon First Aid Medicated Spray ($4.49, harmondiscount.com) on a cotton round and applied it to my face. Benzocaine is the active ingredient that helps numb the skin.

Next, I swiped the 50% glycolic acid with a cotton round all over my face, neck, under eye and left it on for six minutes.

This peel burned more than the first  and I’m so glad I used the spray. I experienced a burning and tingling sensation and this time around it was more intense. I was still able to handle it, it was not as bad as I thought it would be. No telling if the benzocaine really helped or not, but I think it did.

After rinsing my face and applying my moisturizer I noticed reddish patches on my face. This time the tingling/ irritation lasted longer. I applied it about one hour before heading to bed and my face was still itchy by bedtime.

The next morning, I had red spots on my cheekbones and forehead. The itching was gone and my cheeks were slightly sensitive. By midday my chin had started peeling and I had applied moisturizer at least twice by then. I’ve noticed that the solution is most active on my trouble spots which is a huge plus for me. I’m excited to see this working, can’t wait for next week’s peel!

For more information on The Skin Regime: Boot Camp to Beautiful Skin and on products I used please visit TheSkinRegime.com – there you can order the book and get product recommendations.

Click here to read the first 30 pages of The Skin Regime for free!

(Photos courtesy of The Skin Regime and Harmon Face Values)

For a limited time, Macy’s and Clinique are offering a free gift with a minimum purchase of $23.50. The free gift is valued at $65.00 and it includes:

◙  Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel or Lotion

◙  High Impact Mascara in Black

◙  Pink or Nude Eye Shadow Duo and Blush in one go-anywhere compact + Almost Lipstick

All these free goodies come in a colorful Cosmetics Bag set.

Starting today, in stores and on-line at Macy’s while supplies last or until October 20th!

(photo courtesy of Clinique)

After reading The Skin Regime: Boot Camp for Beautiful Skin, I accepted the challenge to whip my skin into to shape. As I embark on this six-week skin boot camp challenge, I can’t help but wonder what my results will be and if I will finally get rid of the small sun spot on my cheek that started developing a few years ago.

The Skin Regime is a series of weekly/bi-weekly glycolic acid peels. The book recommends what products to use, and when and how to use them according to your unique skin type.

My first glycolic acid peel – ever! I didn’t know what to expect so I wanted to start with a milder peel, I decided to begin with a 30% glycolic acid solution.

My Skin Regime Boot Camp Kit

First I cleaned my face with Cetaphil DermaControl Oil Control Foam Wash ($11.99, drugstore.com) and a washcloth. I made sure to really get in there and remove all the makeup and dirt from my face. The washcloth helped work the product in and exfoliate my skin. Click here to get a $1.00 Cetaphil coupon just by liking their Facebook page!

After cleaning my face, I prepped my skin with a some rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball. This step ensures that your skin is completely disinfected and ready. Just like an aesthetician would do at a medispa.

Next I applied the 30% glycolic peel. I used  a cotton round soaked in the solution and swiped it all over my face, under eye area and neck. I left it on for six minutes.

During the six minutes, I felt a slight tingling sensation around my eyebrows, cheeks, and above my lips. The tingling eventually turned into a slight itching sensation. I was relieved to find out that it was a very mild sensation – nothing I couldn’t handle!

Once the six minutes were up, I rinsed my face and washed the solution of with the Cetaphil face wash. Then I moisturized my face with Cetaphil DermaControl Oil Control Moisturizer SPF 30. ($16.99, drugstore.com)

After the peel, my skin felt and looked normal. The 30% glycolic peel was very mild for me. Next week I think I’ll take it to the next level and do a 50% glycolic peel.

For more information on The Skin Regime: Boot Camp to Beautiful Skin and on products I used please visit TheSkinRegime.com – there you can order the book and get product recommendations.

Click here to read the first 30 pages of The Skin Regime for free!

Here’s to new skin! Follow me as I take The Skin Regime Boot Camp Challenge.

(photo courtesy of TheSkinRegime.com)