Face Serums VS. Moisturizers : What You Need To Know

September 12, 2018

I come from a family of physicians, so when it comes to products that I use – especially on my face – I have to understand some of the science behind it. My husband doesn’t show any empathy when I don’t think something is working AND when I don’t know anything about it. That being said, I am a lifelong Eucerin user when it comes to moisturizer on my face , but lately I have been trying out face serums. Naturally, I wanted to know what the heck they even are so I looked it up!

*Please note, the hydration body cream is NOT to be used on the face. Please use an alternate face moisturizer to layer over the face serum.*

Active Hydration Face Serum | Hydrating Body Cream | Micro-dermabrasion Paste| Lash Boost

What’s The Difference?

According to WebMD, moisturizers have ingredients like petroleum and mineral oil to give it more density and in many cases creaminess. With face serums, they have stripped out all the fluffing ingredients. In doing that, serums are left with high impact, active ingredients like antioxidants, peptides (proteins such as collagen), and in the case of this active hydrating serum, hyaluronic acid (aka the fountain of youth).

What is Hyaluronic Acid?

Aside from being skin care’s biggest star of the moment, it is something that we naturally make in our bodies (babies have a ton of it which is why they have the best skin). As we age we make less, which is why we use products infused with this molecule to help improve firmness and elasticity on our face. The science is clear, check out this study which observed women who used hyaluronic acid for 8 weeks.

I have received several face serums lately, but in looking at the ingredients they are NOT all the same and so understanding what is in these products is important. I was first introduced to Rodan and Fields a few years ago and have been a loyal Lash Boost user for years. I also have had a great experience with their Bright Eye Complex product in the past (see my before and after photos here). When I have had a good experience with a brand, I am more likely to consider other products in the collection. That being said, I recently had the opportunity to test out and use their new Active Hydration line of products and wanted to share with you why they are different, and in this case better!

The Science

By nature, human skin is ‘hydrophobic’ which means that our skin actually repels water which is why we don’t swell up when we go swimming. With the Active Hydration Face Serum, they have paired up the hyaluronic acid with glycerin to help penetrate the skin and allow for the hyaluronic acid molecule to bind to it and sit on top of the skin providing a seal for hydration. The science, down to the molecular level, is honestly downright amazing!

The Takeaway

I have used both the Active Hydration face serum and body cream religiously for two weeks and have loved my results so far. I still have some uneven skin coloration so I may be headed for their Reverse collection next.

I hope that this review was helpful in understanding things that separate products from others. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them below. Want 10% off…email Neela Metgud at [email protected].

Your Chick,

Rina

This post has been sponsored by an independent consultant for Rodan + Fields, but the opinions are all our own.

Beauty, Lifestyle

Mimosas and Makeup with Ricardo Costales

May 24, 2018

**Sale Alert: Friends And Family is happening NOW!! Use code: FRIENDS and stock up!**

When celebrity make up artist Ricardo Costales comes to your town, you find time to get there for the latest tips in skin care and make up. In my town in middle Georgia we don’t get opportunities like this often so I knew I had to make the best of it.

I rounded up my friends for this annual event at our Lancome counter located in our local Belk store and started off our day with mimosas and makeovers! There were nine make up artists that had come in from Atlanta to glam us all up! The team was as glamorous as the event space that they had carved out from the store.

Shop My Outfit:

I am already a Lancome customer, but there were some new products that I wanted to share with you that I scooped up.

My Lancome Faves:

If you have not tried micellar water as a makeup remover yet, you must! This water based product has the oils in it separated at the molecular level to attracts makeup and dirt to get it off your face. Its incredible! With very little scrubbing Bi Facil gets the job done – even my favorite waterproof mascara!

They have an amazing line of foundation sticks, but I went really dark on the color and use the foundation stick as a contour stick (the color I use is 555-Suede linked here) because its so silky smooth and easy to blend. I blend for ALL evening events that I attend – it makes my make up more ‘fierce.’

Lastly, speaking of foundations, if you use a liquid foundation consider using this foundation brush when you can’t grab for the beauty blender(or don’t have water to make it damp). This brush is so soft and spreads beautifully to get you the coverage you need.

Thank you so much to all my friends who came out to attend this event and a major shout out to the team at Belk for hosting events like this in communities all over the country!

Your Chick,

Rina Puri

Chick Picks:

Beauty, Fashion

Keep it simple this Summer with Sneakers, Bodysuits, and SPF!

May 17, 2018

Living in the South, the sun is strong and HOT! As someone who loves the outdoors and spending time doing stuff with my kids means getting a whole lot of fresh air. There was time where I would wear wedges to the zoo, but thankfully, sneakers are trending with dresses, skirts, and shorts. Now it’s so much easier to be trendy and cute with a cute pair of white kicks. I do wear different sneakers for the gym and for family outings so I am going to focus on the later. I personally have about four pairs ranging from Adidas to Gucci, it just depends on the occasion, but a zoo outing for example is perfect for my Adidas Rose Gold sneakers.

As a denim junkie, I almost always wear high waisted jeans – I need the pockets and love the way this pair make me feel! But cami’s that are bodysuits (like the one I am wearing here) are going to be my best friends this summer. There are so many designs that have merged the comfort of a loose cami with the stay power of a bodysuit. With young children I love being able to bend over and pick them up without showing too much in the front and back (if you know what I mean!). Here are a few of my picks for this summer like the one I am wearing here.

Bodysuit Picks:

Now that I have got my #OOTD together, my next thought goes to skin care. Neutrogena’s line of Healthy Skin Make Up has SPF 55 in it! It’s a great drugstore find that takes all skin colors into consideration and the fact that you plan to enjoy the sun. The liquid foundation has SPF 20 ( I am wearing color 100 Natural Tan) in and the pressed foundation has SPF 55 in it ( I use color 60 Natural Beige) !! It’s perfect for a family outing to the zoo! I almost always lather up with Neutrogena’s water resistant sunscreen lotion before applying makeup on days that I will be in the sun all day.

Plan on seeing variations of this look over and over again this summer, check out more beauty and fashion from the chicks here!

The countdown to summer starts now!

Your Chick,

Rina

Beauty, Lifestyle

Night-time Beauty Maintenance: An Essential Routine for Women in their 30’s

March 21, 2018

I don’t recall ever being as tired as I am most days after work, school pick ups and drop offs, homework, extracurricular activities, going to the gym, and managing my household. Taking care of me and making time for myself comes only after all of that is done an settled. I like to call the hour of 8:30pm to 9:30pm the “golden hour”.

During this time, I am truly off duty. I am not worried about tomorrow, I am not worried about what is not done from today, but I take this time to just appreciate the end of yet another day with my family. I use the golden hour for leisurely multitasking: TV time and skin care. While watching Green Arrow on Netflix (OMG – I love Stephen Amell!), I apply a half a dozen or so products to my face nightly. If I keep these at my bedside I am 100% more likely to use them regularly. Here is the step-by-step night time regimen I use.

Makeup Remover Wipes

I know I could just wash my face, but I have never been in the routine of doing this. I usually brush my teeth and hop into bed. But more than ever I need my skin to breathe at night. I keep face wipes at arms length to guarantee that I don’t skip giving my face a chance to breathe at night. Although I do not have sensitive skin or any true allergy to common ingredients, I love these make up removing wipes because they are inexpensive, or do not leave a soapy or filmy feeling on my skin after I have used them. Even baby wipes work well and are cost effective. I have tried a bunch of different make up remover wipes but have yet to determine if one actually works better than the other, so I usually grab whatever is economical. Night time skin cleaning is paramount for brighter skin.

Lash Boost by Rodan and Fields

My sisters and I swear by this amazing product by Rodan and Fields. As former Latisee users, we loved that we were able to get Lash Boost without a prescription. The product works similarly and have therefore has similar results- fuller appearing, more dramatic and appealing eye lashes. As a wearer of ‘falsies’ I love the ‘pop’ that your eyes get from having enhanced lashes. For the days I am not wearing my go to wispies, Lash Boost has my back. This is an expensive product, but fellow chicks get an exclusive discount or gift with purchase if you contact Dr. Erica Bennett at drericabennett@gmail.com. Trust me, this works. You’re so close to gorgeous natural lashes.

Under Eye Serum

I have cycled through several of these, most recently I used Advanced Night Repair from Estee Lauder which I had received as a gift. This product is intended to help with fine lines, puffiness, and dark circles. The serum has great reviews, and in my personal experience it seemed to hydrate well which helped with fine lines, but when it came to covering up my dark circles, I am not so sure. Once I finished up that little bottle I switched to a product from Rodan and Fields called the Bright Eye Complex and with a water base it promises hydration for the bags under your eyes. After using this for 10 days, you can see the before and after below, this product is a keeper and can be purchased a la carte from their list of products.

Castor Oil

Like many other children of the 80’s and 90’s I totally trashed my eyebrows trying to keep up with the thin eyebrow trends. The beauty gurus that I follow have given me hope to regain what is lost of my eyebrows with Castor oil. Castor oil has natural antibacterial and antifungal properties and is high in Vitamin E, minerals, proteins, and Omega 6 and 9 beneficial fatty acids. Its unusually high ricinoleic acid ratio which is what makes it beneficial to skin and hair. I am going to try this on my eyebrows as part of my nightly routine, I will keep you all updated on Instastories.

Lip Therapy

With winter almost behind us, I could not have survived without all the lip balms that I have scattered all over the house and in all my purses. My lips chap easily and require frequent hydration. Currently by my bedside is an argan oil-based balm that is unscented, organic, and simply divine. In my opinion, truly any balm is a good balm if you ask me. Just layering some hydration before bed can fix all types of cracked lips.

Hopefully you are already using some of these in your daily skin care routine. If you are not, consider this post a life hack to place beauty items by your bedside. Ladies, it is NEVER too late to take care of your skin. This is also a great way to use products that are cluttering up your counters — place them on your end table (NOT in the drawers). Believe me, seeing them will make you use them. What fun products do you use as part of your daily skincare routine?

Your Chick,

Rina

**Complimentary Rodan and Fields products were received in exchange for this honest review. Thank you to Dr. Erica Bennett for her generosity and engagement. **