Ole Henriksen Mini Peel.

I was more than excited to try this three step peel as I read about it in a few magazines and saw it talked up on a recent Ole appearance over on HSN. The Ole Henriksen Micro/Mini Peel System lived up to the hype - and then some.

The kit contains three products plus measuring spoon and sponges to get the job done in three steps - Polish, Strip and Comfort.

You start by measuring out the Almond Polish and gently apply and rub over the face and neck. It is abrasive, so if you do not like the feeling of an abrasive scrub on your face, then this is not for you. It smells divine and feels a bit rough as it sloughs away skin. My skin burned just a bit as I came close to circling it over my skin for about two minutes, and my face was red when I removed it with water. I could already see a difference though, and went onto the peel.

The peel portion is called the Lemon Strip. Again, I used the spoon to scoop out this gel and applied over my face. It is thick and had a very fresh scent. It didn’t burn at all, which surprised me as it contains orange and lemon extracts along with lactic, glycolic and aspartic acid. I left it on for about three minutes and moved onto the final step.

For the last step, you leave on the Lemon Strip and then apply the Chamomile Comfort to make a mask. Scooping out the perfect amount with the spoon, I applied this very thick cream, which felt a bit clay based but with more of a mud mask feeling. I don’t know why this happened now, but my face really started to burn. Not too uncomfortable, but it did get very warm and more than tingly. I actually sat in front of a fan for a few minutes until it started to cool down. I honesty don’t know if this is supposed to happen at this point because I thought that the Chamomile was the soothing part of the treatment. Either way, it cooled down within the first five minutes as it began to tighten and dry for about thirty minutes.

Removing took a bit of effort but was easy nonetheless. A natural sponge is included (looks like paper, forms into a sponge when wet) to help remove. I had to rinse the sponge a lot to remove all of the mask. As I did remove it though, I could not believe my skin. It looked so even and refreshed and seriously - 100% better after the treatment. I waited a few hours before I did my night cream as my skin felt so smooth and moisturized.

This Micro/Mini Peel System is definitely making it’s way into my regular routine, as I plan to use it once a week. This kit costs $95, is available at sephora.com and on the Ole website as well. I would guess that there is enough in this kit to use a good 8 - 10 times.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

It is almost that time of year where Beautiful Makeup Search will be highlighting pink products. As October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and this is a cause that is very near and dear to my heart, I will be highlighting a new pink product (or two or three) each day out of the month. These "pink products" will be products that when sold will support a breast cancer charity - whether it is a charity for hope, help, resources, research or awareness.

I am also involved in a few different communities that will be supporting Breast Cancer Awareness in a few different ways, so be out on the look out for that too.

In an effort to collect donations myself, I have placed a widget over to the right in the right hand sidebar. By making a donation through this widget, the proceeds will go to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation through Network for Good - an organization started by the actor Kevin Bacon, that helps charities collect contributions. No matter how big or small you can donate, every little bit counts. If you are willing to contribute at least $10, please let me know and I will make a banner for you that will appear right on the top of my page. For more information on that and how my banner will work, please see this Charity page.

Power to the Pink!

DDF Protect and Correct Moisturizer.

No matter how hard I try to protect  my face from the sun, the freckles, age spots and sun damage are quite apparent during the Summer months. You have no idea how much I put on my face to not only protect it from the sun, but to hide the damage. Oy. And as I am getting older by the second, it is harder and harder to do.

When I got this product from DDF called Protect and Correct, I could not wait to give it a try. This is a moisturizing day cream that contains an SPF of 15.

This cream is full of potent ingredients such as Niacinamide to help even and correct the skins tone, while full spectrum UVA/UVB ingredients filter out the sun, preventing the damage from happening from the first place,. Don't let the rating of SPF 15 fool you. I like to use an SPF of 50 on my face for daytime use, but this one does an equally fantastic job guarding my face from the sun, as the sunscreens are broad spectrum, not letting any bit sunlight from further damaging my skin.

This moisturizer is perfect for my dry skin, as it is a bit on the thicker side, and makes it instantly feel more hydrated. After just a few weeks of use, I am totally noticing that my skin is more even, overall. I am still working o particular areas, which I will undoubtedly continue to do for a while. In the meantime, this is great for everyday.

DDF Protect and Correct UV Moisturizer SPF 15 is available right online, through the DDF website for $58.00.