Yves Rocher Anti-Age Global Review and Photos

Yves Rocher kindly sent Beauty Squared it's new Anti-Age Global skincare line for review.

I have only tried Yves Rocher products once before when I received a sample of moisturizer in a Luxe Box. I remember really liking the texture and effect of it, so I was excited to receive some more to try.

I received the Anti-Age Global Night cream, the Anti-Age Global Day cream and the Anti-Age Global Eye Care cream.

Here's what Yves Rocher has to say about the Anti-Age Global Complete Anti-aging Night Care. It claims to repair and nourish the skin while you sleep. This anti-aging night skincare is designed for women in their 30s and 40s who are concerned about the appearance of aging on their skin. Skin appears visibly firmer and radiant with use.

It comes in a 50 mL/1.6 fl. oz. container and retails for $64 CDN but at the time of writing this review, it is available online for $35 CDN.

Ingredients list

Review: I really like this cream and have been wearing it every night. It's got a wonderful rich, non-oily texture and absorbs very quickly into the skin, leaving it feeling smooth and soft, not greasy or heavy like so many night moisturizers can. I don't have to do much massaging at all to get it absorbed. My skin feels firmer almost immediately. In the morning my skin feels just as smooth and soft as it did when I first applied the moisturizer and after washing, it feels less tight and dry. Appearance-wise, my skintone is more even. 

The fragrance is floral but not overpowering and I don't notice it after applying it. 

Grade: A+

Anti-Age Global Complete Anti-aging Day Care claims to protect, smooth wrinkles and regenerate the skin's appearance. This anti-aging day skincare provides protection, visibly firmer and denser skin and perfectly moisturizes the skin. 

Anti-Age Global Complete Anti-aging Day Care comes in the same size as the night cream, 50 mL/1.6 fl.oz and retails for $64 CDN, although at the time of this review, it was for sale online for $34 CDN.  

ingredient list

Review: I don't tend to wear a daytime moisturizer these days and opt for a BB cream. My skin is pretty oily in the t-zone so wearing a daytime moisturizer is largely unnecessary and a recipe for a shine disaster. I did test this cream on the rare days I do not wear makeup. It should be noted that there is no SPF to this day cream, which automatically gets it a thumbs down in my book.

Texture-wise this was lighter than the night cream which can be expected of a day cream. But just like the night cream, it absorbs like a dream, with barely any effort on my part to massage it in. Simply glide it across your skin with your fingers and it melts right in, leaving the skin feeling smooth, silky and hydrated. There's a slight cooling effect too which is very pleasant. There's no residual shine to the skin since the product absorbs so readily. Instead, my skin had a healthy glow.

It wore well enough on me, though on my t-zone, it made my skin shinier and oilier after a few hours. But that happens with all moisturizers.

The fragrance is the same as with the night cream, floral but not overpowering. 

Grade: B- (because of the lack of sun protection)

The Anti-Age Global Complete Anti-aging Eye Care provides moisture, smooths wrinkles and fine liner, deflates under-eye bags and fades dark circles. 

It comes in a 15 mL/0.5 fl.oz tube and retails for $46 CDN, although at the time of writing this review, it's available online for $25 CDN. 

ingredients list

Part of the efficacy of this product comes from it's application. The metal tip is curved with a hole in it for the cream to come out. You rub this gently along the eye socket to apply. 

Review: I love an eye cream that has its own applicator. I think having an applicator with a metal ball or something like this is fantastic for soothing the undereye area. The cold of the metal also works to get ride of puffiness. You do really need to have enough cream on the applicator though so you don't pull and drag the skin too much. The curve of the applicator is perfect for gliding gently along the socket bone. Any excess cream that doesn't get absorbed can be gently patted into the skin with your finger.

I wish this eye cream absorbed as easily as the night and day creams do. I wonder why it doesn't. However, it isn't a thick cream and it absorbs well enough. 

I use this in the morning and at night before bed and the skin around my eye is looking and feeling smoother and tighter than before. I've seen no change in my dark circles. They're still there, a thorn in my side, day-in and day-out. Nothing will ever make them go away. I think it's silly for products to claim that they can make them go away. 

There's a bit of fragrance to this eye cream, the same one as in the day and night creams, but it's much much less. I had to go and have a sniff to see if there was a fragrance because I haven't noticed it while applying it. 

This isn't the best eye cream I've ever tried, and I think I like the applicator more than the cream itself, but it's a reasonably priced (if you get it on sale) product and a decent one too.

Grade: B

Your turn! Have you ever tried Yves Rocher products? What do you think of them? What are your favourites?

C.

Vichy Lift Activ UV SPF 15 Review and Photos

Vichy Lift Activ UV SPF 15 (50 mL)

What is new about the LiftActiv UV?

To combat the two key causes of aging (sun and internal aging), Vichy created Liftactiv UV. It’s the 1^st product to associate the power of 5% Rhamnose, with UVA and UVB filters. Thanks to Rhamnose, which stimulates the Derm Source and thus all 3 layers of the skin, it rejuvenates and protects the skin from the negative effects of the UVA and UVB rays.

What are the key ingredients and how do they work?

H.E.P.E.S. has hydrating and exfoliating properties, which are patented by Vichy.  To give you an idea of its strength, just 5% H.E.P.E.S is as effective as 10% of Glycolic Acid’s exfoliating action.  Additionally, LiftActiv UV contains Rhamnose, Vitamin Cp, Cg, and Vitamin E, which as we discussed have anti-aging and antioxidant properties. It also contains two highly effective UVB filters: Octocrylene and Octisalate.  Additionally it contains long UVA filters Avobenzone / parsol 1789 which are photostabalized by the Octocrylene.  This daily moisturizer has it all – the anti-aging properties one desires and the protection that is essential. 

Jill:

I always wear a day moisturizer that contains sunscreen (my standby is Lancome Bienfait Multi-Vital SPF 30), and like Catherine I find it difficult to find a moisturizer with SPF that doesn't make my combination skin extremely greasy. My first impressions of this cream were not good. It had that weird dry-greasy-slick texture that so many SPF products have. I did find that after massaging the cream in the strange texture abated a bit and my skin felt firmer and very well moisturized. However it did leave my skin, especially my t-zone looking shinier than normal.

My normal post moisturizer routine is to blot my face with a tissue, then apply a mattifier (the now Dc'd Clinique Pore Minimizer T-Zone Shine Control), followed by makeup and then MAC Blot Powder. After this routine my skin looked as matte as usual, although I did find my t-zone looking shinier than it usually does by midday.

The cons of this product is the shiny finish, but the pros are very good moisturization and a firm, smooth feeling to the skin. I am very impressed by the moisturizing properties - usually in the winter I have to layer a heavier cream on top of my usual Lancome day moisturizer. Much to my satisfaction I found this cream kept my skin feeling soft and moist throughout the day, even in -20 C weather!

The other con of this product for me is the lower SPF level. While SPF 15 is better than nothing, I have long read that 30 is the new standard level of protection. In the end, I thought this product was decent despite it's cons. I would recommend this product for the winter, drier climates and to people who aren't put off by shinier than normal skin.

Grade: B

Catherine: 

I won't wear a day moisturizer without sunscreen and know how hard it is to find one that isn't greasy or heavy, can be worn under makeup and keeps the skin feeling hydrated. Unfortunately, I didn't find that Vichy Lift Activ UV ticked all of those boxes. The texture of the moisturizer is a strange thick and dry texture and it sits rather heavily on my skin. My skin felt soothed and moisturized but face was very, very shiny after application. Compared to other moisturizers that contain SPF, this one felt more like a sunscreen than a moisturizer. Trying to apply makeup on top was a struggle as no products would adhere to the skin and everything ended up looking streaky. And shiny, oh so shiny. Even after blotting it! 

But on the plus side, Vichy Life Activ UV protected my skin from the sun and did keep it hydrated well. It has a light, pleasant fragrance. But I just could not get past how shiny it made my skin. Another thing that I have to be critical about is that Lift Activ UV on has an SPF of 15. That is the absolute minimum everyone should be wearing daily and we really should be wearing SPF 30 daily.

If you have dry or aging skin this perhaps will be a good moisturizer for you. Anyone else, I'd recommend staying away from it. 

Grade: C

*This product was supplied to us from PR for consideration.