Garnier Ultra Lift Miracle Sleeping Cream Night & Miracle Sleeping Eye Cream

Our skin works to heal itself at night and to assist in this, more companies are doing products that are meant to be worn while we sleep .  Garnier 's new Ultra Lift Miracle Sleeping Cream  and Miracle Sleeping Cream Anti Age Anti Fatigue Eye Cream are two new entries. 

Ultra Lift Miracle Sleeping Cream is a thick gel/cream for the face to help moisturize  and decrease fatigue .  In the pot when you first touch it, it bounces back, jello like . A small amount goes a long way with this and as it blends into your skin it absorbs quickly with no greasy feel but skin  feels immediate hydrated and smoothed.  In the AM skin still feels moisturized as well as plumped and very smooth. I haven't used it long enough to speak of any anti- aging results but for skin in need of a moisture boost, I like this. 

Garnier means this to be almost a sleeping mask with technology that is said to help hold this onto skin so ingredients have time to work.  Active ingredients include : LHA, for radiance, Adenosine, to fight the signs of aging, extract of Albizia, to combat fatigue, hyaluronic acid for  extremely hydration , extract of Ruscus, which boosts skin’s micro circulation, jojoba and lavender essential oils.  There is a light floral fragrance . Stronger in the jar than on your skin. Once on I didn't notice  it.  

Ultra Lift Miracle Sleeping Anti Age Anti Fatigue Eye Cream is a mainly a gel. It has a lot of slip and good moisture in there as well. It smoothes easily on the eye area and has been doing a nice job of keeping my drier eyes hydrated. My one concern with this is the inclusion of denat. alcohol on the ingredients. It's there most likely to give this slip but it can be drying or irritation and not really something I like to see in eye creams.   Other ingredients include caffiene, adenonsine, glycerin albizia bark extract .
  

Garnier Ultra Lift Miracle Sleeping Cream & Eye Cream are available now.   Night Cream is  $ 16.99 and Eye Cream  is 14.99 ( prices approx.)

Garnier Shine Control Cleansing Gel

Always looking for a new cleanser to try , I checked one of the  new ones from Garnier. I've always loved their cleansers going back to  Nutri -Pure in 2007 ( whew old  blog post there). So it's good to see some new ones .

Shine Control is a good gel  cleanser meant for oilier skins. It has a slight smell of charcoal , not  too bad but it is there.  Charcoal is one of the ingredients and is well known to be beneficial to oily, clogged skin. Salicylic acid is in there as well.

The cleanser itself does  a nice job. It gets skin very clean and takes away the oil.  I like that is has a mattifying effect as well and did think it helped keep oil down a bit in the T Zone which is the only place I have oil this time of year.

For me this is exactly the kind of cleanser I love during warm weather when my skin really pumps the oil. If you are  a year round oily , like I used to be, then this would be a solid  cleanser choice.

If you have other skin types, Garnier has many new cleansers out including cream, foam and oil ones. Something for every skin .

Garnier Full Control Anti-Humidity Hairspray Non- Aerosol

In time for warm weather Garnier has released their new Anti-Humidity hairsprays in a non -aerosol form. Last year the regular aerosol form of Full Control got used at Alchemist HQ by several people and was well received. High end , strong sprays are used mostly here , but this did a good job. It's a solid drugstore option. ( And I live in a high humidity area, 90% or more in summer).

There is also a new version of Sleek and Shine Anti- Humidity hairspray. Both are Ultra Strong Hold , are in stores now and retail for $ 4.11 each

Partial ingredients:

-Natural Bamboo Extract – known for its strength & resilience, bamboo locks hair in place, while still preserving its natural movement
-Fruit Micro-Waxes – seals out humidity and combats frizz, keeping strands sleek and smooth without extra weight
-UV Filters – protects color and hair fibers from the harmful effects of the sun

Garnier Skin Renew Resurfacing 3 Way Cleanser

Garnier's newest cleanser is Skin Renew Resurfacing 3 Way Cleanser. I am forever in search of a better cleanser and I've had good luck in the past with both their cream and gel cleansers.

This new one has the same great green tea scent as the others, and has the added benefits of kaolin clay ( for the oilies) , small polishing "micro-beads" and Vitamin B5.

Having the clay in there is great and it seems a just right amount. Some clay cleansers have so much that they kind of stick to your face. This washes off easily but gets the job done. Skin feels very clean, but not dry and makeup gets removed.

It's gentle enough to use everyday. The scrub particles are not harsh and if you want/need more exfoliation, you simply scrub harder. You can also leave the cleanser on for a mask.

Since my skin has decided to go into a major oil phase despite the below freezing temps which usually normalizes it , this cleanser has been welcome.

In stores now at $ 6.99

Garnier Anti- Sun Damage SPF 15 Eye cream

Summer is here and when warmer weather kicked in, I realized that I needed to add an eye cream with SPF to the routine. Yes, we need SPF all the time, but lets face it, when the summer sun is blistering down, we need it even more.

Enter Garnier's Skin Renew Anti Sun Damage SPF 15 Eye Cream. Long name, nice product. I feel good knowing I've got extra sunscreen around the eye area, and this is light and sinks in fast. It makes applying makeup over it a breeze, but has a nice bit of moisture in there. I also had no irritation with it.

The cream is has ingredients to help reverse past sun damage as well as prevent any new damage. I can't say I've seen a huge difference but I do think the area below the eye has gotten a tiny bit brighter . (I've been using the cream now for about 2 weeks). The cream has a larger dose of Vitamin C, Lycopene, and Magnesium along with UVA& UVB protection.

The .5 oz pump bottle is available at all mass market outlets for approx. $ 12.00

Read more at http://www.garnierusa.com/

The Sunscreen Roundup

I have no idea why, but I find trying and looking for the best sunscreens , fun. Maybe it's because there's so many great ones out there incl. more high end ones that appeal to the luxist in me. For whatever reason, it means I use sunscreen more, so thats a good thing.

Now I have only touched the surface here. There's a lot of sunscreens out there, I am finding new ones I want to try every day. Hopefully this primer will help you either find one you love, or get you started on a search of your own.

Things to remember:
-According to a news report last week all sunscreens need re-appying after 40-60 mins., no matter what the bottle says. The government has been planning to regulate sunblock claims for years, but as they will, haven't gotten around to it. None are so waterproof as to last hours.

-Any SPF higher than 30 is not really needed. Ones with higher numbers only provide little more protection. However, it can't hurt either. Just know that if your favorite is 15 or 30, you're good.

-Lastly Mexoryl is the best protectant out there. Only one type is approved for use here sadly, but companies are making various antioxidant cocktails and mineral blocks to up the ante in protection and make up for lack of Mexoryl. Think Helioplex from Neutrogena among others.

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- Ambre Solaire by Garnier- The best with BOTH Mexoryls. But only available outside the US. I grabbed this in Paris 2 yrs. ago and wish I had bought more. If you or anyone you know is going to Europe, get 1 or 10. ( In US there are several with one Mexoryl -SX. Lancome, La Roche Posay and Skinceuticals (highlighted further down).

-Cosmedicine Medi Matte Tint SPF- One of my favorite products now comes in a tinted version with SPF 20. Fabulous. This mattifier really works, and it's rare to see a mattifier( or tinted cream) for us oily gals with SPF. $ 42.50 ( Murad has a great looking non- tinted version as well, but haven't tried it yet)

Skinceuticals Active UV Defense SPF 15- One of the Mexoryl SX sunblocks. This is light but strong. Has a very light scent, but it's a nice enough one. One of my new favs. $ 29.00

being TRUE Essential SPF 30 gel- a gel/cream thats great for oily skins. Light , sinks right in . Ingredients incl. phytomelanin ,white and green tea . Can be used on face/body and under makeup. Oil free and oil absorbing. $ 35.00

Shiseido Sun Protection Lip Treatment SPF 36- yes it's expensive for a lip product, but you're worth it. It comes from a great suncare line and looks very chic. Some complain of a white tint. If that happens, just blend. $ 20.00

Clinique SPF 25 Body Spray- I am loving the new Clinique suncare. Reviewed in detail Here this spray is easy , has their new Solar Smart technology and a high SPF. $ 20.00

Peter Thomas Roth Mineral Powder Suncare- There is a new oily/problem skin version with 4% Salicyclic Acid & Willow Bark ( This sounds awesome. Must Try) and an Unwrinkle version with their Syn-Ake wrinkle relaxing ingredient, a neuropeptide and Matrixl 3000.
The Unwrinkle one I have tried and it's a smooth powder that evens skin . Feels very light. Their Unwrinkle powder compact is great , now you can have a lighter sunblock version. These are perfect for mid- day touch ups or those who want no SPF cream on their face. $ 30-35.00

Hawaiian Tropic Aloha Kiss SPF 20 Lip Gloss- an older Hawaiian Tropic lip balm was all I used a few summers back poolside. Smelled so good. Now we have this yummy berry lipgloss version. I have Cat Marnell at Lucky mag and her column to thank for finding this. $ 5.99 approx.

Mission Skincare Fast Drying Spray- Yesterday I mentioned how Mission is now at CVS. One new item is the Quick Drying Mist in a pump spray. Especially good for the athelete, outdoorsy or men. $ 6.99

Neutogena Pure & Free Baby SPF 60- New formula made extra gentle for babies and acc. to Neutogena , made with PureScreen technology, a more natural mineral physical block. Has " a separate layer that sits on top of the skin. This layer reflects and refracts the dangerous UVA/UVB rays of the sun before they have a chance to touch your baby"
Plus if it's gentle enough for babies, then it's great for those with sensitive skin .

Sephora's Sun Safety Kit- remember I said discovering new sunscreens can be fun ? Well this kit gives you a chance to try a gazillion of them . There's some great stuff in here like Clarins, DDF, andSmashbox plus a bag. $ 22.50

My new favorite cleanser

Garnier's cleanser line came out here in January. I had looked at them a lot but never tried any.

I finally tried the Nutri Pure Detoxifying Cream Cleanser this week. I love it. I am often searching for a great cleanser, and not finding them . I try a lot, and then try more.

The Garnier cream cleanser really gets the makeup off. It is very thick and you only need a little. It is very soft and it smells great. Really great, like Elizabeth Arden's Green Tea Fragrance.

The cleanser does have Green leaf extract, as well as Vitamins E, B5, and Grape Extract. All to help the skin.

Skin feels very soft after cleansing and in this weather, I need no moisturizer after. In winter, this would be even better.

I have my eye on the gel version of this, and may try that, but I will return to this cleanser. I am as impressed with a cleanser as I have been in a while. The last was DDF Glycolic cleanser, which I loved, but I really didn't like the 25.00 price tag. I prefer to spend less on cleanser if I can.

The Garnier Cleansers retail at 5.99 and CVS will have them next week at 4.99