Serum

Review: Moncarlino Rejuvenating Serum

November 7, 2010

Moncarlino Rejuvenating Serum is formulated with a unique blend of apple, olive and grape extracts to give this serum powerful antioxidant properties. All ingredients in this formula are sourced from Italy. In addition to these fruit extracts GABA amino acid was added to reduce fine lines, Co-Q 10 was added to protect skins’ moisture and Ceramide III to improve tone. This anti-aging skincare cocktail promises to reduce the appearance of fine lines, dry skin and wrinkles with natural ingredients.

“Moncarlino Rejuvenating Serum is made of fruits extracts purely harvested from our Moncarlino farm in Italy’s wine region.”

Moncarlino serum is more of a light lotion than a serum. The serum is so light that it is quickly absorbed into the skin moments after application. The scent is faint and fades relatively quickly. The light emulsion moisturizes well without being greasy but not too light where you need a heavy moisturizer.

I used this moisturizer for about a week right after cleansing and toning my face. The serum absorbed quickly and did not leave a greasy residue behind. My skin felt renewed and supple to the touch. The product suggests that for best results you should try it for at least 21 days to see a difference in fine lines, dry skin and skin tone. My initial thoughts are that this is a nice light serum if you have dry skin and you are looking for a product that light with great moisturizing properties.

Moncarlino Rejuvenating Serum, $59.99

Disclosure: The products featured in this review were provided for editorial consideration. Receipt of this product did not guarantee review and all opinions are my own. For further information, please see my disclosure policy.

Review: Aqua Veil Pure Hydration Serum by Amarté

May 13, 2010

I recently purchased a beauty kit that included an Amarté skincare product. I was not at all familiar with the brand so with a little research I learned that Amarté creates products based on ancient Korean medicinal principles. The brand is also well known and respected in South Korea, so why not give it a try?

Plus, my dermatologist recommended that I use serums as part of my skin care regime which I have incorporated into my routine with great results. This specific hydrating serum is a humectant which basically means that it attracts water and keeps it in and this is very important not only for dry skin but also for oily skin (and I have sensitive/combination skin).

Although there are several ingredients listed on the front of the box, the most noticeable scent is the cucumber which you immediately smell when you open the tube. The scent is extremely light and not at all overwhelming – in fact it’s very pleasant.

The serum is water based and feels amazingly cool upon application. I truly loved how it felt on my skin, it’s light, refreshing and left my skin soft and not sticky. This product is meant to use under a moisturizer and it’s certainly light enough to do that. I often hesitate to layer products because I don’t want to clog my pores but with this formula being as light as it is I was not at all concerned.

Amarté Aqua Veil, $44 for 2.2 fl. oz. Is it worth the price? I would say absolutely.

Is Jonathan a Smooth Operator ?

May 9, 2010

Like many women humidity is not my friend. I wish that I could say that a day at the beach is just that but I can’t because at the end of the day my hair falls short. Even when I wore my hair naturally curly it still got frizzy. With that being said, I’ve tried several anti-frizz serums and often found that many of them were sticky and my hair felt coated and heavy. Recently I purchased Jonathan Create Smooth Anti-Frizz Volumizing Serum. This product was a bit different because I noticed right away that it was 100% vegan and I thought “wow, that’s different”. Some of the main ingredients are aloe, white Ginger, lemongrass water, almond extract and basil. The scent is very light and disappears within a few minutes of application.

I liked that the serum was not at as heavy as some of the other anti-frizz products that I tried. My hair did not feel sticky or tacky after I dried it so that was a plus. I tried the product with my hair wet and then let it dry naturally and then I tried it in my hair wet and blow dried it and the latter worked better for me. My hair gets quite frizzy so I try not to blow dry and let it dry naturally but without the blow dryer my hair was still a bit frizzy. I like this serum for the times that I need to blow dry my hair because it helps to smooth it out, for the times that I let my hair dry naturally I’d probably have to pass. The directions state that you need to apply a small amount in your hair and style as usual but I had to use at least 3 dime sized amounts in my shoulder length hair.

This product retails for $26 and is available at Sephora or online on sites such as Amazon.com.

Plump Up Fine Lines with Kinerase!

December 28, 2009

I have been a fanatic about my skin care ever since I can remember, so when I spotted my first laugh line believe me it was no laughing matter. I was showing signs of aging! Honestly I was really surprised that at my age my skin was showing signs of damage (but being a former smoker I’m sure that didn’t help). I considered getting cosmetic fillers like Juvederm to help recover some of the smoothness that I was losing but that’s an investment that I was not quite ready to make. Besides I was a little terrified that it would hurt too much!

I’d tried a multitude of products but none of them seemed to reverse the damage…that is until I tried Kinerase Advanced Repair Serum. This product states that it will dramatically reduce the depth of wrinkles in 30-days – well ladies I started seeing results within a week! I am usually skeptical about products that make such dramatic claims but I am happy to say this anti-aging product DOES deliver.

The serum also claims to help reduce blotchiness and discoloration but I have not yet seen results in those two areas. I mainly started using the serum around my “parentheses” so that’s where my focus was, the fine lines that I was starting to develop.

Kinerase is known to use plant extracts; this particular product uses Zeatin (a powerful plant-derived antioxidant). Studies have shown that Zeatin has helped to improve skin roughness, texture and reduce the appearance of fine lines.

The cost of this product certainly ain’t cheap, for a .5 fl oz bottle it’s going to cost you around $115. But I’ve seen this product on Amazon for approximately $80 but on most skin care sites its in the $100+ price range. Even though this product is very expensive, it’s certainly less expensive than getting a cosmetic filler. So would I recommend this product Absolutely…great skin is no luxury!

Have you tried any Kinerase products?