Christine Chin Soothing Hydration Masque August 9, 2008

Soothing Hydration Masque

Christine’s Soothing Hydration Mask is a cooling gel of soothing herbs, hydrating panthenol and a calming licorice complex. It brings relief to sensitive, dehydrated or acne-prone skin within minutes. Fragrance-free. 2 OZ costs $34.

When applying this mask, it literally feels as though it has been refrigerated – it feels so so refreshing! And after 20 minutes, once you wash it off, any redness, irritation, flakiness, and dryness is gone from your skin. And it’s not temporary – use it once a week, and the results last that long!

Christine Chin Herbal Blemish Gel

Herbal Blemish Gel

This Herbal Blemish Gerl is fast-drying, invisible gel that helps clear breakouts quickly by forming a film to seal the skin’s surface. You can apply makeup over it within minutes, so your blemish can heal under the seal and be irritated by foundation, cover up and also dirt and environmental irritants. 1.2 FL OZ costs $35

Christine Chin Nourishing Toner August 8, 2008

Nourishing Toner

Christine’s Nourishing Toner is made of Vitamin C and plant bioflavonoids help reduce signs of redness in coupe rose skin. Soothing aloe and nourishing hydrators restore skins moisture balance after cleansing. It helps reduce redness and softens rough areas. 4.5 FL OZ costs $28.

I use this toner after every time I wash my face – and the hydrating, fresh feeling it leaves all day is amazing. It leaves my skin feeling fresh, dry, not oily but still moisturized. I never used a toner before this – and now I don’t think I could ever go without using it again!

And if this toner doesn’t sound right for your skin type, check out Christine Chin’s website for other toners and products made for all skin types! Click here.

Christine Chin Daily Renewal Refinishing Serum

Daily Renewal Refinishing Serum

This serum limits the signs of aging, reveals fresh skin, lightens away discolorations, and minimizes pore size. 1.7 FL OZ costs $69.

Christine advises me to apply this on a clean face, after toner, twice per day – in the morning and before bedtime.

Christine says that the combination of the Daily Renewal Refinishing Serum and the Retinol Smoothing Fluid, when used daily, has a similar effect on your skin as her micro treatments.

Try it! Tell me what you think!!

Christine Chin Products

Christine Chin is INCREDIBLE!

Her facials are the BEST in the business. She’s a cosmetologist – but I would (and I have) replaced every dermatologist I ever had in exchange for Christine’s services, i.e., facials, and now her products. She flaunts the longest list of celebrity clients I have ever seen – such as Hilary Swank, Penelope Cruz, Rachel Weisz, Mariska Hargitay,  Kate Moss, Gisele Bundchen, Helena Christensen, Kimora Lee Simons, Carmen Kass, and – if you can believe it -even more!

Christine is located in New York City (the lower east side – Orchard bw Grand and Broome) so unfortunately if you live outside the NY area she won’t be unclogging your pores anytime soon. And even if you’re in the city – the outrageous prices she charges ($250 per facial plus $250 per microdermabrasion – although well worth it – and she has packag plans for savings) and her months in advance overbooked schedule might stop you from making an appointment with her.

Here’s the good news:she recently launched her own product line, named after herself, so everyone can benefit from her skin expertise. There is a wide range for all skin types, and it’s priced fairly- compared to her in-office service costs and in comparison with other Sephora-worthy products).  I have exchanged every single fancy, brand name, high end, designer product I used to use – from Lancome to DDF to Murad to Chanel to La Mer to La Prairie, and so on – in exchange for a mirror vanity filled with Christine Chin! Why, you ask? Because THEY WORK!!!

Christine even says that the combination of the Daily Renewal Refinishing Serum and the Retinol Smoothing Fluid, when used daily, has a similar effect on your skin as her micro treatments. Try it! It works for me – I’ve never had more clear, radiant skin than since I’ve started using her products.

Here are my personal favorites from Christine:

• Daily Renewal Refinishing Serum

• Retinol Smoothing Fluid

• Nourishing Toner

• Resurface Exfoliating Scrub

• Herbal Blemish Gel

• Soothing Hydration Masque

• Perfect Hydrating Crème

These are just some of my favorite products for my skin type (I have oily/combination skin that’s acne prone) – but she carries products for all skin types so click here to check out her website for her full product line. The clearest way to judge is by looking at her client roster above! Check it out – and tell me what you think!

Glucosamine Supplements

Glucosamine is a natural compound found in healthy cartilage

Glucosamine studies were originally conducted for the benefits of patients suffering with arthritis. However, once the studies found that glucosamine can help increase hyaluronic acid (“HA”) in joints, dermatologists and rest of the beauty industry started to listen.

Since hyaluronic acid is one of the components of your dermis (one of the deeper layers of your skin beneath your epidermis), then increasing hyaluronic acid in your dermis with glucosamine supplements could improve absorption of moisture in the skin and body, resulting in smoother, more radiant skin.

In 2003, the FDA approved hyaluronan injections (made from hyaluronic acid) for filling soft tissue defects such as facial wrinkles – and Restylane and Juvederm were born (both are dermal filler injected into wrinkles to plump [or fill] the soft tissue thereby erasing the wrinkle).

A recommended dosage of 1500 mg of glucosamine in the form of a supplement may potentially give you results in the form of decreased wrinkles or increased fullness in your skin.

Products lines like Murad are marketing their glucosamine supplements claiming that the supplements will “reduce lines and wrinkles by 34% in five weeks while increasing elasticity with this clinically proven complex. Glucosamine, amino acid complex and Vitamin A work to boost collagen production and stimulate healthy cell function while promoting skin clarity and tone.”

Do you believe it? Will you try it? Have you tried it??? I haven’t tried it. But I’d love to hear about your experiences with it! Please share your thoughts…

Take a BeautyPill for Acne

Tip of the Day

Everyone hates getting pimples! And while practically every beauty product line out there has some “quick fix” for acne, we all know that even while some may work better than others, none of them work as quickly as we would like.

And while my tip is no permanent “fix,” it’s a great temporary concealer! And it’s cheap, quick and easy and you probably already have it in your home.

Just use visine! It gets the red out!

If you have a pimple, picked a pimple, popped a pimple, squeezed a pimple (you get the drift) – drop some VISINE on it – under your makeup – and it will “get the red out” – and take your (and anyone’s elses) focus off the pimple – and back onto your beautiful face ;)*

Antioxidants August 7, 2008

I know, I said the magic word!

There’s so much buzz about antioxidants everywhere – and lots of claims as to what they do for your skin, wrinkles, fat, and so on. I have examined these miracle workers – and I give you the scientific scoop – different types of antioxidants and how they function – and the real deal – how to get antioxidants functioning for your body and your skin (and your wrinkles and your fat – the elimination of it!).

Antioxidants are substances that neutralize potentially harmful chemicals called “free radicals.” Some of these free radicals arise normally during metabolic processes in your body. Sometimes your body’s immune system cells purposefully create free radicals to neutralize viruses and bacteria. Environmental factors, too, such as pollution, radiation, cigarette smoke and herbicides can spawn free radicals.
Usually, your body is able to handle free radicals. However, if antioxidants are not available in your system, or if the free-radical production becomes excessive, damage can occur. Of particular importance is that free radical damage accumulates with age. This damage manifests itself in your skin – as in the wrinkles on your skin.

Antioxidants are believed to help protect the body from free-radical damage. But before you stock your vitamin drawer with mega-doses of these vitamins, be warned: more is not always better. The long-term effect of large doses of these nutrients has not been proven. Other chemicals and substances found in natural sources of antioxidants may also be responsible for the beneficial effects. The best way to ensure adequate intake of antioxidant nutrients is through a balanced diet consisting of 5-8 servings of fruits and vegetables per day (as I discuss each of the antioxidant nutrients, I’ll list the best, most potent naturally occurring food sources that contain them). However, if your diet is lacking in these foods, supplements are available (and I’ll discuss your options under each of the following antioxidant nutrients:

• Alpha Lipoic Acid (“ALA”)
• Vitamin A and Carotenoids
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E
• Selenium

Alpha Lipoic Acid (“ALA”) August 5, 2008

Alpha lipoic acid is a fatty acid naturally manufactured by your body; it is also an antioxidant.

Here’s the scientific scoop on ALA:

ALA is a unique antioxidant because it functions in both water and fat (unlike antioxidants vitamin C – only water-soluble; and vitamin E – only fat-soluble).

It also seems to recycle antioxidants such as vitamin C and glutathione (an antioxidant that helps the body eliminate potentially harmful substances after they have been used up), as well as increasing the formation of glutathione.

Here’s the real deal:

ALA also occurs in very small amounts in foods such as:

• Spinach

• Broccoli

• Peas

• Brewer’s yeast

• Brussel sprouts

• Rice bran

• Organ meats such as

– liver (finally a reason to order foie gras)

– kidney

– heart

ALA is also available in capsule form in supplements. Take the supplements on an empty stomach for maximum absorption.