Olay Regenerist Wrinkle Revolution Complex Review

New to Olay's anti-aging line is Regenerist Wrinkle Revolution Complex, which according to Olay, is an anti-aging moisturizer designed to instantly relax the appearance of wrinkles, and "reduce the appearance of even deep eye lines in 14 days." This product is formulated with biopeptides, micro-fillers and a B3 complex to hydrate. This product retails for approximately $32.99 CA and can be found at drugstores.

Ingredients:

water, cyclopentasiloxane, glycerin, polyethylene, niacinamide*, propylene glycol, aluminum starch octenylsuccinate, dimethicone crosspolymer, panthenol**,dimethicone, polymethylsilsesquioxane, palmitoyl pentapeptide-4***, carnosine***, tocopheryl acetate^, camellia sinensis leaf extract^^, yeast extract, allantoin, disodium edta, acrylamide/sodium acryloyldimethyltaurate copolymer, c13-14 isoparaffin, peg-100 stearate, dmdm hydantoin, iodopropynyl butylcarbamate, laureth-4, laureth-7, ammonium polyacrylate, citric acid, fragrance, titanium dioxide. *vitamin b3, **provitamin b5, ***amino-peptide, ^vitamin e, ^^green tea

I have been using this product throughout the late winter and into the spring as a night moisturizer, on top of my other skin treatment (Differin 3X Gel). The texture of this moisturizer is true to Olay's "cashmere soft" description, it's smooth, silky and non-greasy. It has a pleasant, mild, slightly fruity scent.

In winter I found this product to be a good, but not excellent moisturizer. The climate I live in is in general very dry and in the winter, extremely dry - dry to the point where you feel like you need to smear Vaseline on your face before you leave the house to protect your skin from the cold. While I found this moisturizer perfect for my t-zone, it did leave my cheeks wanting for more. However, when the weather warmed up this product gave my skin sufficient moisture in all areas of my face.

Although I do not suffer from significant wrinkles yet, I did find that this product gave my skin a very smooth appearance and surface texture. This moisturizer feels and applies very much like a foundation primer. Indeed, the ingredients list dimethicone twice as an ingredient. Dimethicone is a silicon- based polymer (a synthetic oil) which is used for its lubricating and conditioning properties, and is used heavily in most foundation primers. It's this ingredient that, like it's inclusion in many primers, gives the skin a very smooth, almost "air brushed" finished. It is no surprise then that this product acts as an excellent base for foundation and concealers.

Because of my relative lack of noticeable wrinkles, I do not feel I can truly judge Olay's anti-wrinkle claims associated with this product. I will say that this moisturizer makes my skin feel well hydrated in the warmer months, smooth and more radiant. I would recommend this moisturizer to people with normal or combination skin who want an affordable anti-aging moisturizer. The only people I would not recommend this product to would be anyone who reacts and breakouts in response to silicone, or for someone with very dry skin.

Grade: B+

Beauty Squared Round-Up - April 29, 2012

Beyonce has been named People Magazine's most beautiful woman, making her the (SAY WHAT?) first black woman to be honoured with the title. Come on now, People, for real?

In coincidental news, an 18 year-old, blonde, blue-eyed Brit named Florence was named the most naturally beautiful woman in Great Britain recently. Apparently her face is almost perfectly symmetrical, which is why she won. Now, she is very pretty, but since when is "almost perfection" beautiful?

Warning: this link is going to bring you somewhere quite creepy. Many little girls grow up wanting to be pretty like Barbie but how many would go this far?

Jezebel.com reviews Anastasia's Beauty Express for Brows and Eyes claiming they give her brows that would make Joan Crawford jealous. I don't know about you, but I'd be cautious making Joan jealous.

Glowy skin and sculpted cheeks with this bronzer x 2 tutorial from Refinery 29.

Lush's London Regent Street store staged some pretty extreme performance art recently to protest animal testing in cosmetics manufacturing. 

Olay was named the #1 cosmetics brand in the world recently, beating Avon, Dove and Estee Lauder.

In anticipation of the release of Baz Luhrmann's 'The Great Gatsby' later this year, here's a soft and romantic Gatsby make-up look.

November Luxe Box

My November Luxe Box arrived late last week. I think this one might be my favourite yet! Let's see what's inside...

A note from Loose Button, a Teaopia gift card and a note from Olay.

Personalized sticker

Luxe Box goodies - I spy Lise Watier, Teopia, Moroccan Oil and Benefit!

Benefit Moisture Prep Toning Lotion

The Benefit Moisture Prep Toning Lotion is part of Benefit's new b.right skincare line. The sample bottle looks just like the full-size bottle too. Love Benefit!

Moroccan Oil Hydrating Styling Cream

Lise Watier Plumpissimo Le Gloss in Nude

Lise Watier Plumpissimo Le Gloss in Nude, swatched

Two Paco Rabonne fragrance samples - Black Xs and Black Xs For Her

Olay Regenerist Wrinkle Revolution Complex

Cactus Fig tea from Teaopia

Tea! Loose Button knows the way to my heart! I'm sipping it right now - it's lovely. Sencha green tea , fig pieces, aloe vera, sandalwood and orange flowers. Loose Button included some loose tea bags in the box as well, very thoughtful!

Cactus Fig tea from Teaopia

I love this month's Luxe Box. It's stuffed with goodies and there's not a dud in the bunch. 


To subscribe to get your own Luxe Box, check out Loose Button here.  To see what my other Luxe Boxes were like, here are the links to my June, July, August, September and October posts.


What did you get in your November Luxe Box?


C.

Olay Smooth Finish Facial Hair Removal Duo Review

Olay recently launched their first depilatory, a hair removal system called Olay Smooth Finish Facial Hair Removal Duo. It's a two-step hair removal system for fine to medium facial hair. What makes the Olay Smooth Finish Hair Removal system different from others is that this depilatory has the Olay touch. It doesn't irritate the skin like other hair removal products can and it contains ingredients, such as beeswax, canola extract and soy, which are great for the skin. The Olay Smooth Finish Facial Hair Removal Duo retails for approximately $29.99 CDN. 

One of my biggest issues with facial hair removal at home is that it can be irritating to the skin and/or that it doesn't remove all the hair completely. Having your unwanted facial hair removed by a professional at a spa or salon through waxing, threading or sugaring is equally irritating and/or expensive and time-consuming. I'm very much a do-it-myself-type gal.

Here's what's inside the box. An instruction booklet, a tube of hair removal cream and a wand of skin guarding balm.

Skin Guarding Balm on the left and Hair Removal Cream on the right. 

The two-step process is simple, I swiped the skin guarding balm onto my skin and rubbed it out slightly over where I was going to use the hair removal cream. The rubbing also helps to remove the balm from the hair so it doesn't interfere with the cream. It is designed to keep the hair removal cream from irritating the skin.

The hair removal cream goes on next and you'll need to apply a good layer to the area of hair you wish to remove. The instruction booklet shows the product being used on the upper lip and if that's the only area you need to remove hair from, you'll be fine. If you require hair removal on a larger area or multiple areas, this tube will not last you very long. Leave it on for 6-8 minutes (the instructions warn to not leave it on longer than 10 minutes) and remove with a cloth, tissue or cotton ball (damp clothes may work better than dry). 

I found the hair removal quite effective. Any lingering hairs were likely due to being too thick or heavy for the cream to work on it but those can be tackled with tweezers. As for my skin, it felt different in a way I would call irritated but not at all like it feels after waxing or with other cream depilatories. It wasn't pink or red and didn't feel dry or itchy but it did feel like I'd had something irritating on it. Perhaps I didn't apply enough of the balm. There was also a peeling effect on parts of my face but I'm not sure if it's from skin irritation or leftover residue from the balm or the cream. I noticed this immediately after using the depilatory and after I washed my face with cleanser at the end of the night. 

The next morning though, my skin simply felt smooth and non-irritated. There were no little bumps or pimples and none occurred in the days that followed.

If you're wondering about the scent of the hair removal cream, it's much milder than other depilatory creams but still smells like one. 

Cost-wise, it's pricey for a depilatory and you don't get a lot of product for the price but it is effective and it doesn't cause irritation.

Overall I was impressed with the effects of the Olay Smooth Finish Facial Hair Removal Duo. My skin felt smooth and soft and I didn't have to deal with redness, rash or pimples from irritation. I could use this before I went out and not have to worry about a rosy upper lip.

Have you tried the Olay Smooth Finish Facial Hair Removal Duo? What do you think of it?

C.

Olay's Redesigned Cleansing Line Review

This Spring, Olay introduced a completely redesigned line of facial cleansing products which address multiple skin concerns such as blemish control, pore minimization and cleansing options for sensitive, dry and oily/combination skin types.

BeautySquared was sent a selection of these new products to try. 

Olay Wet Cleansing Cloths: Pre-moistened cleansing cloths that cleanse in one easy step. Available for normal and sensitive skin.  Note: This product replaces the Olay Daily Facials Express.

These cloths are handy for travel, taking to the gym, to the park, camping, wherever you might need to refresh your skin. They can be used on your face, neck, hands or wherever else you need a bit of cleansing and freshening. They work well at taking off daily makeup although I still prefer using a cleanser rather than a cloth to minimize pulling at my skin too much.

Olay 2-In-1 Daily Facial Cloths: Cleansing cloths that deliver cleaning in one easy step. Available for normal, sensitive and combination/oily skin.  Note: This product replaces the Olay Daily Facials Cleansing Cloths.

The 2-In-1 Daily Facial Cloths are textured cloths with built-in cleanser. Simply wet them and scrunch to create lather. One side has a rougher texture than the other and is good for deep cleaning but should not be used on your eye area. I like these cloths for freshening up in the morning and if I need to redo my make-up. They can also be used on your hands and elsewhere (I like them for washing off sunscreen and the day's grime).

Olay Foaming Face Wash: A daily cleanser that gently removes dirt, oil and make-up without over-drying skin. Available in a tube and pump for normal, sensitive and combination/oily skin.

The Foaming Face Wash is a milder cleanser than I prefer but it's good for morning cleanse. Using this with a rotating brush cleanser, such as the Olay Professional Pro X Advanced Cleansing Three-Speed Brush increases the effectiveness if your skin is oily. For more sensitive skin, this is a good cleanser.

Olay Pore Minimizing Cleanser + Scrub: A 2-in-1 daily foaming cleanser that combines cleansing and exfoliation in one simple step to help minimize the appearance of pores.  Note: This product replaces the Olay Dual Action Cleanser + Pore Scrub.

This is a foaming cleanser with tiny beads in it for exfoliating that leaves your skin feeling smooth and soft. Exfoliating doesn't minimize the appearance of pores however, so don't expect this to do that. This is a good cleanser for skin that's a combination skin or needs a bit of exfoliation (which is most skin types). 

Olay Oil Minimizing Toner: A dermatologist-tested formula with aloe and witch hazel that cleans and refreshes.  Note: This product replaces the Olay Refreshing Toner.

The Oil Minimizing Toner is a refreshing, astringent toner best for oily skin and skin prone to breakouts. I like this particularly on my upper back, shoulders and chest, which can get dirty and oily in the summer (sunscreen, sweat and dirt, etc) and can break out. It's refreshing to splash on your skin as well. It's likely too astringent for sensitive and dry skin. 

Olay Acne Control Face Wash: A lathering face wash that cleanses skin. It contains salicylic acid to help fights blemishes. Note: This product replaces the Olay Blemish Control Lathering Cleanser. 

The Acne Control Face Wash is a liquid, deep-cleansing face wash for oily, blemish and acne-prone skin. It's useful for breakouts and for summertime skin that needs some deep-cleansing. 

Olay Blackhead Clearing Scrub:  A daily scrub that cleans away dirt and oil, while exfoliating the surface skin.  Note: This product replaces the Olay Clarify & Cleanse Scrub.

Olay Shine Control Lathering Cleanser: A daily face wash that combines the down-to-the-pores surface cleansing of a mud mask.

I love this cleanser. It contains clay and leaves my skin feeling smooth and clean, almost as if I've used a deep-cleansing mask. It does well to remove makeup, sweat, oil, grime and sunscreen. 

Do you love Olay like BeautySquared does? Tell us!

C.

Olay Line and Dark Circle Minimizing Brush Review

This product was initially reviewed by Cath here.

Here are my (Jill's) thoughts on this product. First to recap:

According to Olay, their Total Effects Line and Dark Circles Minimizing Brush features a smooth brush applicator that instantly provides tinted coverage and continues working to fight seven signs of aging for younger, brighter-looking eyes. It immediately reduces the appearance of dark circles, look of wrinkles and combined with massage, instantly reduces the look of puffiness. It hydrates for firmer skin appearance, visibly renews skin texture, evens skin tone and provides nourishing moisture.

The pen has a long, flat brush on one end and the product is released through clicking the button at the other end of the pen. The product comes up into the center of the brush for application.

The Olay Line and Dark Circle Minimizing Brush retails for just over $20 CDN.

My first impression of this product is that I think the packaging and applicator design is very smart. The brush does indeed provide a nice, firm and yet gentle massaging action to the eye area. I'm not a huge fan of "click brush" applicators (because of hygiene concerns) but since the only time you would apply this is after washing your face I think in terms of cleanliness it's fine.  

The formula of the product itself is nice - the cream has a good body and feels moist but not greasy on. I do find that it helps with puffiness, and the moisturizing properties in turn help with fine lines. In agreement with Cath, I do not think this is anywhere near comparable to YSL Touche Eclat. This product is neither a concealer, highlighter or combination of the two. It is a ever so slightly tinted eye cream with some reflective pigments.

I am skeptical if this product could take the place of concealer for anyone. Case in point, when I first broke out this item for testing, my boyfriend, in an unexpected fit of skincare enthusiasm (he curiously has them every once in a while) applied some to his eyes (actually grabbing it out of my hands and testing it before I could). He is probably NW 15 in MAC's foundation spectrum. It didn't seem to cover his dark circles, but it did make his eyes look dewier.

The fact that this product does not significantly reduce the look of dark circles is not a major drawback for me. Quite frankly, the only thing that can do that for me is medium to full coverage concealer. And as Cath mentioned in her review, this cream does provide a nice base for makeup. Overall, I think this product works nicely and is worth a try if even for the nifty massaging effects of the applicator.

The product was supplied to us for review.

J

Olay Total Effects Line and Dark Circle Minimizing Brush Review

It's Monday morning and I bet many of you woke up a little groggy this morning with dark circles under your eyes. Well, here's a new Olay product that might come in handy if your undereyes need a little help.

According to Olay, their Total Effects Line and Dark Circles Minimizing Brush features a smooth brush applicator that instantly provides tinted coverage and continues working to fight seven signs of aging for younger, brighter-looking eyes. It immediately reduces the appearance of dark circles, look of wrinkles and combined with massage, instantly reduces the look of puffiness. It hydrates for firmer skin appearance, visibly renews skin texture, evens skin tone and provides nourishing moisture.

An eye cream/concealer pen that you don't have to dip into with your finger to apply? Thumbs up! (Beauty products that you dip your fingers into get contaminated more readily than ones that you apply directly to your skin.) 


The pen has a long, flat brush on one end and the product is released through clicking the button at the other end of the pen. The product comes up into the center of the brush for application.


The Olay Line and Dark Circle Minimizing Brush retails for just over $20 CDN.

What did I think of it? Well, as a morning eye cream it is effective but likely more so with the application of it. The massaging effect of brushing the product into your skin does more to reduce any puffiness than the product itself. The appearance of fine lines is reduced and there is a moderate amount of concealing capabilities. For my dark circles, it's barely a drop in the bucket, however. I require much more concealer to even begin to cover-up my dark circles. However, this product doesn't affect the application of concealer on top so it's a good product for moisturizing, reducing puffiness and minimizing fine lines. For anyone with minor dark circles or dark circles only from poor sleep this may be an effective enough concealer. 

The application is easy, one or two clicks gives you plenty of product for both eyes and the brush works well to apply it. Any excess can be patted into the skin. 

Comparing it to YSL's Touche Eclat is misleading. While the concealer component does have brightening properties, it is very light and will only thoroughly conceal the most minor of dark circles.

One pet peeve of this pen (and of the other Olay pens I've tried) is storage. I prefer to have this standing vertically in my bathroom cabinet as I have a lot of beauty products sharing space. The pens have a small bump at the bottom which makes it difficult to stand these on end. The cap is also not flat so these often fall over and roll around or out of the cabinet. Storage is a bit of a bother with these.

Have you tried the Olay Line and Dark Circle Minimizing Brush? What are your thoughts?

Tell us!

C.

Olay Professional ProX Advanced Cleansing System 3-speed Brush Review

I was sent the Olay Professional ProX Advanced Cleansing System 3-speed Brush to try out recently. It's in stores now and is retailing for approximately $34.99 CDN.

The Advanced Cleansing System 3-speed Brush is basically a much less-expensive version of the popular Clarisonic Skin Cleansing System and it claims to do the same job as it's pricier competitor.

I've never tried the Clarisonic brush but I'm impressed with the results of the Olay Skin Cleansing System. It's meant to be used with the Olay Exfoliating Renewal Cleanser which Beauty Squared reviewed last year here. 

You can use the Skin Cleansing System daily and the brush has three speeds so you can alternate the speed of the rotation. The Skin Cleansing System allows whatever cleanser to work more effectively and it turns every skin cleaning into an exfoliation. I've been using the Skin Cleansing System almost daily, sometimes in the morning but mostly in the evening and I've noticed smoother, cleaner skin. I've also noticed an increase in blemishes but that's to do with the fact my skin is being renewed more quickly with daily exfoliation. The toxins are surfacing more readily but overall my skin is brighter and clearer.

If you've been eying the Clarisonic Skin Cleansing System but balk at the pricetag, this is a great option. Each Clarisonic Skin Cleansing System comes with a brush, a brush head and a tube of the Olay ProX Exfoliating Renewal Cleanser. 

C.

Olay ProX Intensive Firming Treatment Review

Olay's ProX Intensive Firming Treatment is a set of five pre-packaged, intensive treatment masks and a skin tightening serum that you use consecutively for five days in order to give your skin intense moisture and firming. 

Here's what Olay has to say: 

Pro-X Intensive Firming Treatment is a highly effective way to hydrate skin and improve elasticity for skin that looks significantly younger in five days.

Each Intensive Treatment Mask contains as much moisturizer as a full-size bottle of product. The mask is made of a flexible material that stretches to fit the unique contours of your face. It delivers volume-boosting hydration to improve skin's elasticity. After five days, your skin looks significantly younger.

Skin Tightening Serum immediately tightens skin and reduces the look of expression lines. Then, this unique formula hydrates to help increase skin's natural fullness for firmer skin.

We each used the masks and serum and here are our impressions.


Jill: Generally, I liked this product. I live in an excessively dry, cold climate and I did find that the mask helped alleviate the dry, wind burned skin on my cheeks. I did find that there was a firming feeling,  upon using th serum, and especially after directly after removing the mask. However, I can't say whether that effect is in part due to the evaporation of the water from the product on the skin, or  the actual product itself. I don't really suffer from fine lines yet (keep your fingers crossed), so I don't think I'm the best judge for the firming aspect of this product.


I did find the mask very moisturizing. According to the information sent to us with the product, each individual mask contains the equivalent of a whole bottle of moisturizer! And while I did find this effective, I also feel that this is overkill. Simply put, your skin can only absorb so much product at one time, so I don't believe that this amount of product is necessary.


My biggest complaint about the system, and this says more about my schedule than anything else - is I find the timeline of the regimen unrealistic. I managed to follow it for three consecutive days, but as the week wore on and I got busier, I felt I just didn't have the time to devote to wearing the mask, especially when I only remembered at midnight. It didn't help that upon seeing me in the mask, my boyfriend exclaimed "Wow, that's INTENSE", intense meaning I looked like someone out of Silence of the Lambs. Was that fear I saw flash over his eyes?


Seriously though, this is a good product. Both the serum and the mask deliver on their promise of moisturizing and firming, although I can't say how dramatic the firming effects are given my skin type. I wish I had a another pack of it now, so I could use it to combat the endless winter I am experiencing out here in Edmonton.




Catherine: I applied the serum day and night and the masks nightly for four days. I found it all a bit too intensive for my skin. I began to break out so I stopped using the treatment. It could have been something else causing me to break out, so I also stopped using the moisturizer and cleanser I was using as well. I did go back and use the last mask about a week later, so I think this treatment doesn't necessarily have to be used as instructed - five days in a row. That can be difficult to schedule in on a busy schedule and may not be good for some skin types.


My skin felt very, very smooth and toned after each mask and the serum helped to extend that feeling. The next day, that feeling was diminished slightly but there was still a moisturized feeling that wouldn't have been there without the mask.


Wearing the masks was odd. Each one is pre-moistened and comes in foil pack. When the mask is taken out of the packet, it's cold and dripping with white goop. If you can get past that and get it on your face (shiver) then you leave it on for ten minutes or so. There are adjustable flaps to help it fit to your face, but the eye holes are TINY and considering you're supposed to avoid getting the goop into your eyes, that's difficult. I took a photo of myself in the mask, for your entertainment. I look like a serial killer. But you can also see how the mask doesn't go all the way up my forehead, has tiny eye holes, and large nose and mouth holes. I would've smiled, but the mask would've slipped if my face had moved at all. It was difficult to keep the chin flaps in place, as gravity kept causing them to slide off.

Anyway, if you've stopped laughing, here's me after removing the mask. See? My skin looked so nice I even took a photo of myself without a stitch of makeup on for you.

So there you have it, our review of the Olay ProX Intensive Firming Treatment. Have you tried this? What did you think? Tell us!

C&J