With today’s economic climate, many of us are watching our dollars more closely than ever. However, we still want to care for our skin, our appearance and have a positive outlook on how we look and feel. Here are seven proven tips to stretch your beauty budget even further. As a bonus, I have included a "splurge" item with each tip. If you have it in your budget to splurge a bit, these are the items that you can spend a little extra on to enjoy the added benefits!

1. Drink Water. Many doctors and dermatologists will tell you that drinking water is one of the best things you can do for your skin. It improves the clarity and texture of your skin and can even help you reduce cellulite. Cut out the costly sodas and expensive lattes and stick to good old fashioned H2O. You will not only see the impact in your skin and overall wellness, but you will see more money in your wallet!  

Splurge item: Borba has wonderful products that can truly impact your skin. They have both "Balance Waters" and "Crystalline" packets that you can add to your water bottle. These products can help you to improve your skin’s clarity, firmness and promotes anti-aging.

(Click on Borba image for more information or to purchase)

 2. Wear Sunglasses. While this seems very basic, or a tip to maintain eye health, wearing sunglasses, even when it is overcast, can help to mitigate the damage that squinting and frowning can do around your eyes and on your brow. Women and men alike spend a great deal on botox and other products to relax these lines or use products that claim to "fill" the fine lines. All of that time and energy could have been spent on a pair of sunglasses that over time will help to minimize the lines.

Splurge item: Invest in 100% UV Protection. Many less expensive sunglasses may be fun and fashionable and help you see a bit better in sunlight, but the best protection comes typically with premium sunglasses.

3. Wash your face. Yes, mom’s advice to wash your face is some of the best advice! Washing your skin helps to remove make up, environmental "yuk" and helps to keep your pores clear. Unfortunately, too many people think that they have to buy the expensive cleansing foams and gels as it cleans more thoroughly, or is more gentle, or they read about it in the latest magazine. In fact, there are fantastic face washes and gels that you can buy in any drug store that will do the exact same job.

Splurge item: Purchase a high quality exfoliation cream or gel. Exfoliation is a great way to improve your skin’s clarity and texture. I recommend Dr. Brandt’s "Dermabrasion in a Jar".

4. Wear sunscreen. This one cannot be stressed enough. This helps you to not only avoid serious issues with skin cancer, but a sunscreen works miracles on cutting down on the damage that sun does to your skin. So many of us have fine lines, brown spots and other skin damage that could have been minimized, and certainly delayed by religiously using sunscreen.

Splurge Item: Buy a sunscreen that is Dermatologist Grade or created specifically for the face. Many sunscreens can be a bit on the heavy/greasy side, and that can take its own toll on your skin. I recommend Murad’s "Oil-Free Sunblock SPF 30"for a wonderful sunscreen that is not at all greasy and can easily be worn every day under makeup.

5. Buy products that multi-task. There are many wonderful products that do more than one job for your beauty routine. There are eye creams that have a slight concealing tint. There are moisturizers that have a nice tint so you can skip foundation for daytime coverage. I love the tint products that can be used as blush and lip color. Multitask and save not only money, but time on your beauty routine.  

Splurge Item: Benefit’s "You Rebel". This is a moisturizer, tint AND sunscreen (SPF 15) all rolled into one!

(Click on "You Rebel" image for more information or to purchase)

6. Stick with what you know. I am the ideal beauty counter customer. I see new colors or a new product line, I sit down for a make over, I buy everything they put on me. Then, I get it all home, forget how to use some of it, realize that I kind of already have that eye color or that blush. Just say no to up-selling! Stick with what you know, avoid the temptation and focus solely on what you need and what you know works for you. Experimenting is fun, but it can come with a hefty price tag!

Splurge Item: Buy one of the multi-product and color kits that you see at Sephora, or another beauty counter. Typically, the kits are promotionally priced, and you can get a variety of lip, cheek and eye colors that are in smaller, almost "trial" amounts and still have plenty of fun with trying new colors, new looks.

7. Embrace your unique beauty. This tip is the best of the bunch! We all have a unique beauty that is truly ours, and that is so important to remember and enjoy. We spend huge sums to cover up freckles, this little red spot, that little scar. We get lost in just that one flaw, and forget that we are the stunning sum of many beautiful parts.

Splurge Item: Teeth-whitening strips or treatment in your dentist’s office. A beautiful smile is sexy, gorgeous, welcoming, and a lasting impact on everyone who you know and love. Make the most out of your smile with healthy white teeth!

Several areas of our face can show our age.  One such area?  Our lips.  And, our lips are a focal point of our face…people gaze upon them when we are talking, admire them when we smile and of course appreciate them when we give big smooches!

As we age, our lips begin to thin, and over time fine lines appear around our mouth.   Environmental factors (like too much sun), bad habits (like smoking) and even stress can age our lips, and consequently, add years to our appearance. 

However, there are very easy steps that we can take to make our lips look sexy, healthy, youthful and turn back the hands of time if we incorporate the following tips into our daily beauty routine.  In fact, if you follow the next seven steps that I present, you will be sure to have luscious lips in time for your Valentine’s Day celebrations!

(image from www.dreamstime.com)

Luscious Lip Tips: This next tip is third in a series of tips to keep your lips luscious and healthy. Our lips lack the ability to produce natural oils like our skin can. This makes our lips more vulnerable to the harsher elements of weather and even to changes in our health and diet routines.

Luscious Lip Tip #3: Watch your diet. Often, overly spicy foods can irritate your lips and cause short term drying and chapping. Furthermore, doctors and dermatologists will tell you that we know that a healthy diet can impact healthy skin. This also goes for your lip tissue. Eating a balanced diet, full of vitamins such as C, D and E will help make your skin look great, and keep your lips looking luscious! I know some gals who even use a capsule of vitamin E and apply that directly onto their lips. While they swear by it (and they do have great looking lips!) one word of caution is that this can be irritating for other lips.

One great resource that I look to for all kinds of wonderful beauty products, especially products to keep my lips looking their very best, is SpaLook. SpaLook has all of the top beauty brands imaginable, as well as amazing discounts, free offers and samples that stretch your beauty dollars further! Click on the image for more information or to start shopping!

With the current economy, we are all looking to stretch our budget as far as it can go. However, many of us still want to look and feel good about our appearance. Beauty products can be something that we simply do not, or cannot, include in our budget. This list of beauty basics helps you to prioritize what you should have in your makeup bag, purse, tote, or office desk drawer at all times. You can keep up your gorgeous appearance while still meeting your budget!

1. Mascara. Great mascara can open up your eyes, give you a look of being awake and alert and is an easy way to look a bit more polished and professional.

Beauty Basic Tip: Stick to basic brown or black for work, try a colored mascara to take your look from day to evening!

2. Concealer. Concealer is a must-have for any make up bag! Brighten up dark circles under your eyes, cover up a blemish, or help even out some ruddiness in your skin tone.

Beauty Basic Tip: Many beauty lines now have a variety of shades of concealers in one compact, and this can be great to have different options.

3. Eye Brightener. Find a product that has a yellow tint (sounds odd, but wait until you try it!) and apply to eyelids if they are dark and dot and blend in the very inner corner of your eyes. I guarantee it will take 5 years off of your appearance, or at least make you look like you got an extra 5 hours of sleep!

Beauty Basic Tip: Eye brighteners can double as a nice base upon which to apply eye shadow. You will get the best color effect from your shadow, and they will wear longer with less "creasing".

4. Eyeliner. A great eyeliner can accent your eyes in a number of ways and make your eyes "pop", help you look more polished and take a day look into evening when you don’t have time to go home. Many are intimidated to use liners, but there are now amazing liquid liners on the market that make it incredibly easy to apply and create a nice, even line.

Beauty Basic Tip: You can line your eyes and smudge it to give the look of eye shadow, or leave the line more defined for a more polished look.

5. Lip liner. A perfect lip liner should not really show, but enhance the shape of your lip. When you utilize lip liner, you will find your lipstick wears longer and you find that your lip stick or lip gloss does not "feather". Typically a neutral color will do the trick with almost any skin tone, or lipstick color.

Beauty Basic Tip: Use a neutral lip liner on your bottom lip and a a bit of your eye brightener in to accent the bow of your top lip to make your lips look fuller and enhance the natural shape of your lips.

6. Lip gloss. A lip gloss can be worn in a variety of ways, so it should be your lips’ best friend! Wear it to moisturize your lips and for a light daytime look. Wear it with liner for a light glow to your lips. Layer it over your lipstick to lighten it up.

Beauty Basic Tip: Dot a bit of your favorite lip gloss in the middle of your bottom lip after apply lipstick to make your lips look fuller.

7. One "Signature" lipstick. Find one color that works for you perfectly. Having a signature color helps you to always have the right look for any occasion. For some who prefer lip gloss, a lovely lipstick color can take your look from day to evening.

Beauty Basic Tip: For those who do not like highly pigmented lipsticks and prefer a more natural look, "nude" or neutral shades are very popular and are typically pretty easy for women of a variety of skin tones to wear well.

8. Powder. Many of us now use mineral powders for foundation-style coverage, which can provide wonderful coverage and often is easier to use for sensitive skin. Carrying a loose or compact powder can help eliminate shine throughout the day, give you a nice, matte finish and extend the coverage of your mineral powder or foundation.

Beauty Basic Tip: Your powder can even provide light daytime coverage for your skin.

9. Bronzer powder or cream. I personally love the look of a touch of sun; I think that it looks healthy and natural. A great bronzer gives a nice sun-kissed glow to the skin without any potential skin damage from the real thing!

Beauty Basic Tip: Apply bronzer with a light hand! Cream bronzers often give the most natural appearance as they are easier to apply and control.

10. Tweezers. You should definitely have a great pair of tweezers. A nicely groomed brow can make an incredible difference in your appearance. Keeping a pair of tweezers handy helps you catch any stray hairs that could be embarrassing.

Beauty Basic Tip: Tweeze in daylight, often the lights in our bathrooms or powder rooms are not sufficient to catch the potential stray hairs that you will see in the "light of day"!

With these ten beauty basics you can create a multitude of looks for day, for work, for dinner out, or for dancing the night away! Best of all, these beauty basics can be found in any drug store or mass retailer and need not be a burden on your budget.

Several areas of our face can show our age.  One such area?  Our lips.  And, our lips are a focal point of our face…people gaze upon them when we are talking, admire them when we smile and of course appreciate them when we give big smooches!

As we age, our lips begin to thin, and over time fine lines appear around our mouth.   Environmental factors (like too much sun), bad habits (like smoking) and even stress can age our lips, and consequently, add years to our appearance. 

However, there are very easy steps that we can take to make our lips look sexy, healthy, youthful and turn back the hands of time if we incorporate the following tips into our daily beauty routine.  In fact, if you follow the next seven steps that I present, you will be sure to have luscious lips in time for your Valentine’s Day celebrations!

(image from lips.busythumbs.com)

Luscious Lip Tips: This is the second tip in a series of tips to keep your lips luscious and healthy. Our lips lack the ability to produce natural oils like our skin can. This makes our lips more vulnerable to the harsher elements of weather and even to changes in our health and diet routines.

Luscious Lip Tip #2: Do not lick your lips. This becomes a counter-productive habit as the more you lick them, the more you can irritate them. Then when you try to soothe them by licking them further, it only deepens the irritation! OUCH!

Instead, use an emollient balm to keep your lips moisturized and avoid the vicious lip-licking cycle! I keep one handy in my car, keep on in my purse and even keep one on my desk. While it sounds like an awful lot of lip balm to have on hand, it keeps my lips soft, moisturized and luscious!

Speaking of using an emollient balm, it is ideal to also use one right before going to bed. This gives your lips the opportunity to be moisturized all night long! Keep a balm by your bedside and make this one of the last steps of your nightly beauty routine.

One great resource that I look to for all kinds of wonderful beauty products, especially products to keep my lips looking their very best, is SpaLook. SpaLook has all of the top beauty brands imaginable, as well as amazing discounts, free offers and samples that stretch your beauty dollars further! Click on the image for more information or to start shopping

!

Winter weather can be a real challenge to keeping skin hydrated and looking healthy. The harsh outdoor elements take their toll, along with indoor heat and other factors. Skin can easily become chapped, dry, and stripped of its natural beauty and luster. Here are five simple tips to keeping your skin looking fantastic despite the weather outside! And the real beauty of these beauty insider tips? They won’t break your beauty bank!

(image from www.graphics8.nytimes.com)

1. Drink lots of water. At this time of the year, especially in colder climates, we often look to our beverages to bring us some warmth. Thus, we are less likely to drink water and more likely to drink hot tea, coffee or cocoa. Do not forget to drink water, and plenty of it during cold weather! In door heating and the elements can dehydrate us, keeping hydrated will not only keep you healthier, but keep your skin looking great.

Winterizing Tip: Furthermore, with more holiday events and parties, we may be more likely to indulge in drinks containing alcohol. This, too, can dehydrate us and our skin, so a great tip is to drink one glass of water for every cocktail you savor at your holiday bashes!

2. Exfoliate. During the winter months and cold weather our skin can begin to look a bit dull. Many of us do not think of exfoliating as we do during the warm weather months as we may (and should!) be using safe self-tanning products that require exfoliation and shaving more often during that time of the year. It is important to still exfoliate, from head to toe to keep skin looking clean, clear and energized.  

Winterizing Tip: When it comes to exfoliation (especially with salt scrubs!) make sure that you do that prior to shaving. Not only do you avoid any stinging sensation from the salt on newly shaved skin, you also avoid any irritation from the scrubbing and exfoliation elements on freshly shaved areas. Best of all, you get a better shave when you exfoliate first!

3. Moisturize. The winter months can be tough on skin, and sometimes we need to look at our moisturizer to ensure that it is up to cold weather duty. Most moisturizers do the job year around, but for some of us, our skin requires more moisture, especially when our heaters are running day and night! Many dermatologists recommend applying your moisturizer while your skin is still a bit moist.

Winterizing Tip: A great way to keeping skin moist is to use a humidifier during the months that you are running your heat in your home, especially in your room while you sleep at night.

4. Avoid hot water. I am the first to want to warm up the Jacuzzi or take long, hot showers and baths to "thaw out" at this time of the year. Unfortunately, prolonged exposure to hot water is not good for your skin. That hot water can strip your skin of necessary and natural oils and rob your skin of its natural ability to keep your skin moisturized. While it feels great to soak in a tub with oils and other soothing ingredients added, most of that is simply drained away when you drain your tub. It is better to shower in lukewarm water and avoid excessive exposure to spas and hot tubs that are excessively hot.

Winterizing Tip: A great rule of thumb here is that if you skin turns red in a jacuzzi or shower, it is truly too hot. Cool it down a bit to help maintain the natural and necessary oils your body produces to protect your skin .

5. Still use your sunscreen! You may think that when you see less sun in the winter months, you do not need to apply sunscreen everyday as you do during warm weather months. You are still being exposed to the sun and its potentially damaging rays in the winter. Apply sunscreen to your face and other exposed areas (for some of us, not much else in exposed in this cold weather!) and ensure that you stay on a routine to keep your skin healthy year around.

Winterizing tip: A great product is to find a multi-tasking product that provides sunscreen and powder or foundation style coverage for your skin. This makes applying sunscreen on a daily basis a "no-brainer" and a simple routine!

How do I know all of these amazing tips? I am a retail industry insider with over 15years of retail management experience. My background includes extensive experience in health and beauty products, including managing large volume health and beauty departments and staffing and training beauty consultants. I have been awarded both regional and company-wide awards driving beauty counter sales with one national retailer.

Furthermore, I am an admitted beauty product junkie. I have worked with at least one major beauty company to test products prior to market launch. If you would like me to test your products, or you would like me to blog about your beauty products, please feel free to contact me! I love to try new things and help give exposure to new products and new product companies.

Several areas of our face can show our age.  One such area?  Our lips.  And, our lips are a focal point of our face…people gaze upon them when we are talking, admire them when we smile and of course appreciate them when we give big smooches!

As we age, our lips begin to thin, and over time fine lines appear around our mouth.   Environmental factors (like too much sun), bad habits (like smoking) and even stress can age our lips, and consequently, add years to our appearance. 

However, there are very easy steps that we can take to make our lips look sexy, healthy, youthful and turn back the hands of time if we incorporate the following tips into our daily beauty routine.  In fact, if you follow the next seven steps that I present, you will be sure to have luscious lips in time for your Valentine’s Day celebrations!

Luscious Lip Tips: My first tip is in a series of tips to keep your lips luscious and healthy. Our lips lack the ability to produce natural oils like our skin can. This makes our lips more vulnerable to the harsher elements of weather and even to changes in our health and diet routines.

Luscious Lip Tip #1: Use lip balms that have sunscreen. Don’t forget that sunscreen is vital to keeping your skin healthy in protecing your skin from the harsh rays that can lead to cancer as well as keeping the skin from premature aging. Your lips need to be protected from the sun as well, year around as even in the winter months you can still get plenty of sun exposure!

One great resource that I look to for all kinds of wonderful beauty products, especially products to keep my lips looking their very best, is SpaLook. SpaLook has all of the top beauty brands imaginable, as well as amazing discounts, free offers and samples that stretch your beauty dollars further! Click on the image for more information or to start shopping today!   

The Basics of Anti-Aging Skin Care

Learn the basics of facial rejuvenation and which active anti-aging skin care ingredients have been proven to be effective in rejuvenating aging skin.

Anti-Aging and Acne offers the following article regarding anti-aging products and skin rejuvenation options for your skin care concerns.

The very first question most people have when exploring the realm of anti-aging skin care is, "What skin rejuvenation products have been proven to be effective"?

Accurate information regarding the multitude of anti-aging treatments flooding the marketplace is the best way to make informed decisions for developing your own skin rejuvenation regime which incorporates the anti-aging skin care techniques, strategies and treatments that best address your personal aging skin issues.

The basics of effective skin rejuvenation begin with the facts on anti-aging treatments. There are several active ingredients that have been clinically proven to be effective skin rejuvenators. One of the most effective treatments is vitamin A derivatives such a retinol or retinyl palmitate.

The Retin A or Renova vitamin A treatments are the strongest although the most irritating treatments of the vitamin A options and are only available by prescription. If your skin needs major rejuvenation attention, ask your Doctor if you are a candidate for the prescription vitamin A treatment of Retin A or Renova.

If not, including one of the other retinol alternatives in your skin care routine is an excellent strategy. The concentration of over-the-counter retinol products can range up to 1%. The basic rule of thumb is, the higher the concentration, the stronger the treatment. Be forewarned though, read the directions carefully because the stronger retinol products can be quite irritating to the skin. Starting slow and gradually working your way up to higher concentrations will allow your skin to adjust to the treatments better. The vitamin A derivative, Retinyl Palmitate, is the less irritating of the Vitamin A options and is considered to have quite effective rejuvenating qualities.

The next most beneficial anti-aging skin rejuvenation treatment is a chemical exfoliant such as an alpha hydroxyl acid (AHA) or beta hydroxyl acid (BHA) product. The most popular of these acids is an AHA glycolic acid. Glycolic acid should be use in concentrations of 8% to 15% depending on your skin’s sensitivity. Start out with a lower concentration and gradually move up to a 10% then 15% concentration depending on your skin’s tolerance in order to avoid irritation.

The last consideration is including an antioxidant to contain the skin damaging free radicals as well as to encourage overall skin repair. Products containing Vitamin C Ester, Spin Trap, or CoQ10 are all good options to explore. Then, of course, there are other viable anti-aging treatments which can be incorporated into your regime depending on your particular skin rejuvenation needs which include DMAE, Kinerase or Kinetin, and GHK Copper Peptides.

Finally, the most critical and essential aspect to any successful skin rejuvenation regime is sunscreen, at least once a day, each and every day!

Learn all about Anti-Aging Skin Care and Facial Rejuvenation at the Skin Care e-Learning and Resource Center which provides education on anti-aging skin care while focusing on skin rejuvenation strategies, techniques, treatment options and resources for aging skin care issues.

By Sue Dolan Published: 7/24/2007

I love gadgets of all kinds, always want to get the latest cell phone, the little Flip video…but most of all, I love beauty gadgets! And, SpaLook never ceases to amaze me with their beauty gadget offerings! Here are two that I really want to try…The Baby Quasar and the Baby Quasar Baby Blue! Here is what SpaLook has to say about the Baby Quasar: Baby Quasar is an advanced light-therapy tool built on the belief that beautiful skin begins within. An effective treatment for visible signs of aging (wrinkles and lack of firmness), acne, discoloration, inflammation and other skin problems on the face and body, it uses four different red and infrared wavelengths and patent-pending SequePulse technology to stimulate cellular activity, circulation and collagen and effectively address skin concerns.

With over 90% of light-therapy, or photo-rejuventation, clients seeing immediate results, this safe and painless treatment is a truly remarkable answer to some of life’s most common skin care problems. Used by aestheticians, cosmetologists, spas and salons to correct the effects of sun damage, age spots, acne, rosacea, eczema and psoriasis, this miniature version of professional models is easy to use, painless and free of negative side effects.

Current price is $359.00 (includes 20% discount, $449.00 original price) And, here is what SpaLook has to say about the Baby Quasar Baby Blue: Designed to complement the Baby Quasar and provide additional benefits to acne-prone skin, Baby Blue uses blue light to kill acne-causing bacteria. Like the original Baby Quasar, Baby Blue uses SequePulse, a patent-pending technology, to effectively address moderate to extreme acne on the face and body.

Baby Blue gently works to control bacteria a sebum production without the side effects commonly seen with Accutane, Retin-A or Proactive, helping to provide dramatic results without the cost and inconvenience of other anti-acne choices.

Very compact and easy to use, store and transport.

Clinical studies have shown that a combination of blue and red/infrared light provides the maximum benefit to treat inflammatory acne, so Baby Blue is most effective when use with Baby Quasar to shrink pores, diminish post-acne scarring and control oil production.

Current price is $279.00 (includes 20% discount, $349.00 original price)

SpaLook is offering some great promotions for these products as well! You will get 20% off AND a FREE Pure Silk Daily Anti-Aging Hyaluronic Formula ($60 value!) when you purchase the Baby Quasar, the Baby Blue or the "Baby Power Pack"! The power pack includes BOTH Quasar products for only $599.00 PLUS Free Shipping!

If you would like to learn more about the anti-aging and acne solutions from Baby Quasar, or about additional products from SpaLook, click on this image for  more more  information, or to start shopping today!

I adore SpaLook. I confess to spending hours finding the most amazing products on their site, and have discovered some beauty products that I can no longer live without (love, love, LOVE my ColoreScience Line Tamer – Smoothing, Soothing Skin Brightener…AMAZING product!). This recently caught my eye: From SpaLook: NuFace is a petite, portable device to lift and firm your face and neck, lessen the look of lines and wrinkles, and boost production of collagen and elastin. The first and only hand-held device FDA-approved for facial toning and stimulation, NuFace delivers a safe, painless, gentle microcurrent, rehabilitating and firming the facial muscles. This soothing stimulus increases cellular blood flow and cell turnover, restoring natural balance, tone, and a more youthful, rejuvenated appearance in the privacy of your home.

With a frequency range between 0-500 MicroAmps for optimal effectiveness, NuFace gives you flexibility in customizing the settings to each area of the face or body being treated. A simple knob allows you to turn the equipment on and off and adjust settings.

About the creator behind NuFace: NuFace creator Carol Cole is a visionary and expert in at home technology and a pioneer in the evolution of the aesthetic industry. As a well-known and highly experienced cosmetologist, Carol has had a successful aesthetic practice located in San Diego, California, a mecca for health and beauty.

When Carol became immersed in microcurrent technology and its holistic, non-invasive benefits to the skin, it became her mission to make a true visible difference in the skin of all her clients. She recognized the powerful results and started promoting the impact it had on facial muscles and skin. With the launch of NuFace, the first and only hand-held microcurrent device FDA-approved for home use, Carol has been able to extend her microcurrent mission to the masses.

The price is definitely something to consider, but once you factor in what the average facial costs and how many facials you get a year, this might actually be a deal! And, you could even tip yourself after your treatment! Anyone have any NuFace experiences that you would be willing to share? They sweeten the deal with this offer, as well:

So, you will receive a free Optimizing Mist with a purchase of a NuFace device. If you would like to learn more about this item, or about SpaLook, click on this image for more information, or to start shopping today!

So, I get a fantastic Beauty Insider email today from Sephora…which I cannot click fast enough to open…and Givenchy Le Soin Noir is the items featured and titled "Black Magic". Of course, I am intrigued… Here is what Sephora has to say about this product: What it does: Givenchy Le Soin Noir contains an extremely precious, natural age-defying ingredient that will secure its status in you’re anti-aging routine. Used for the first time in cosmetics, Vital Black Algae Sap Concentrate restores communication between the skin’s cells. Givenchy’s researchers have developed a method to infuse this potion with a rare black algae extract to help maintain and prolong cellular longevity. Parched skin drinks in the hydration it needs—leaving your complexion firm, glowing, and even-toned.

What else you need to know: Vital Black Algae Sap Concentrate is found in the depths of the ocean and reconstructs a catalyst in the skin to counteract the signs of aging. Only Vital Black Algae Sap Concentrate contains these precious black molecules that are extremely rich in vital fatty acids. The result is skin that draws new strength to protect the cells’ DNA from light-induced aging and wrinkles as it becomes firmer and restores itself. Smooth it on morning and night to form an invisible barrier that protects against the signs of aging caused by environmental and internal assaults.

Le Soin Noir retails for $360, so this is skincare for the serious beauty addict! Currently, Sephora is offering the product online only, and at Sephora 5th Avenue in New York City. I admit to a certain amount of skepticism when such claims are made, but from what I can tell, the initial reviews are quite supportive of this product being wonderfully hydrating and effective.

What is your experience with this product, or any other products containing Black Algae? Would love to hear your input and have you share your experiences with consumers trying to sort through so many products and product claims.