I am a huge fan of anything that helps the process of anti-aging. Recently, I tried out three products from the Age Miracle skincare range from Ponds. This range contains Intelligent Pro-cell Complex™, which is created by (and is a trade mark of) Ponds, after a decade of skin science research. I have been using these for more than a month now. Here are my thoughts on it: This is the first time I have come across an eye cream which targets specific problem areas around the eyes. That means, a cream each for upper eyes and lower eyes!. The pink cream, which is for upper eyes, is enriched with cell boosting Collagen, which helps reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and crow’s feet for a smooth and lifted look. The white cream, which is for under eyes, is powered by CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid), which helps stimulate skin to reduce puffiness and dark circles, thus instantly brightening up tired looking eyes. The packaging is really pretty. It’s a glass container with a lid that separates both the creams.
It contains 20 ml, which will last you a long while because a little goes a long way when it comes to eye creams. Within 2 weeks of it’s usage I noticed significant difference with my dark circles. I feel like my upper eye area is looking better too. It’s consistency is perfect enough that you can easily pat it around the eyes and it gets absorbed super fast. The white cream is slightly thicker than the pink one, but still easy to work with. I say this product really lives up to it’s claims and so, this is one eye cream you got to be checking out right now. Price : AED 44.95 for 20ml. Available at all local supermarkets. Cell ReGEN™ Day Cream SPF 15 The packaging of this day cream is elaborate and nice. It’s a gorgeous glass container which is packed in a square plastic covering. The red lid is pretty and the container has a very unique shape. When you open it, there is a white lid (which I never discard in any creams, because I love how hygienic it is when the product doesn’t get smeared all over the main lid).
It comes with a leaflet which shows all the products in this range (this comes along with the eye cream too). I love the fact that this day cream contains SPF. This particular cream is for normal/dry skin. It helps renew skin faster and intelligently targets fine lines, wrinkles and age spots, resulting in exceptionally smooth skin. The consistency is velvety and creamy. It has a pearlescent look. Being creamy, it gets absorbed fast. You need just the slightest amount to cover your entire face. It is pinkish white, with the slightest bit of shimmer in there, which leaves skin brightened up and looking youthful. It smells very pleasant and feels extremely light on the skin. The result is skin that is velvety soft to touch. One thing I really dislike about it, is that it leaves a whitish tint on the skin. It shows very well on me because I have a dark skin tone. It might be because of the SPF content but even if that’s the reason, for SPF 15, it’s too much of a tint.
I have got to say though that when my mom uses it (she has been using this range for some time now), the whitish tint doesn’t show really well because she has a fairer skin tone. Overall, I recommend this cream to all because it gives such a soft skin tone. But I personally won’t use it again, because even though it has it’s pros, the whitish tint is a bit too much for me to work with. Price: AED 52 for 50 gms. Available at all local supermarkets. Serums are crucial to the skincare regimen because of it’s power to penetrate and go deeper into the skin cells. I just love serums. This super serum from Ponds is intensive and highly potent, containing 20 times the concentration of CLA when compared to the day cream (reviewed above). It dramatically boosts skin’s capacity for young cell generation. It comes in a tall, metal like container, fitted with a pump. The serum has a pinkish hue and is absorbed by the skin extremely fast. I used three pumps of it on my face and two on my neck, both morning and night.
Dispensing the product is convenient and hygienic with the help of the pump. It has a very pleasant and soft smell that lingers on. This product lasts a month. I kind of expected it to last me a lot lesser time but 30 ml for a month is a good deal. The result from using this serum is instant youthful looking and rejuvenated skin. I am not kidding you when I say ‘instant’. It really does get to work as soon as you apply it. My skin feels extremely hydrated and soft. I can’t tell you enough how much I love this serum. This is a definite buy for me in all the years to come. Price: AED 49.50 for 30ml. Available at all local supermarkets. I highly recommend you try Ponds Age Miracle skincare products. Your skin will definitely thank you!. Have you ever tried Ponds?. Let me know in the comments below. Note: I was given these three products for review purpose. All opinions are 100% my own.It's reader question time! Today I've got some advice for reader Giselle, who is looking for a skincare regimen that treats oily skin, hormonal acne breakouts AND their pain-in-the-butt aftermath, post-acne marks.
She writes:"I'm having trouble finding a good skin care regimen. I have oily skin and seem to break out a lot at my time of month. A lot of SPF moisturizers cause breakouts. I also have brown spots on my face, from old breakouts and age I suppose." Now Giselle is in her early 50s, but what I'm going to recommend applies to pretty much everyone over age 25. I promise I WILL get to the product regimen part... but first things first: if you tend to break out at certain times of the month (join the club), it's worth a little effort to see if you can re-balance those hormones. Yes, medications like the birth control pill, spironolactone, Accutane and antibiotics can help, but I'm generally against them. They're short-term fixes with some serious side effects (some say even breast cancer, eeks). I'm also on the fence about laser treatments—they can work, but again, not necessarily permanently, and they can get REALLY expensive. Although it's undoubtedly more challenging, you can do a lot naturally through diet and lifestyle changes to at least lessen the severity of those monthly breakouts.
(The payoff is that it's going to make much more of a difference than any product you put on your skin topically, plus you can improve your overall health at the same time.) I advocate cutting out processed foods (including soy—a major baddie) and upping your quantities of healthy saturated fats like butter and coconut oil. Yep, you read that right. Fat is not the enemy—unless it's hydrogenated vegetable or soybean oils. I've eliminated those (along with the vast quantities of nuts and seeds I used to eat) and started using tons of butter and coconut oil. I know it sounds strange, but it's made a difference in my skin. It's also important to eat enough protein (animal protein is the highest quality), which most of us females don't get enough of. And you probably already know that sugar and white flour are the absolute worst, so avoid them like the plague.UPDATE (2013): Some other things I now think are important when "eating for acne" are: Many natural health practitioners also say that acne is connected to a sluggish liver—our livers process our hormones.
If you're feeling very brave, you could try a liver and gallbladder flush, which can remove blockages (intrahepatic stones) in the area that may be contributing to hormonal breakouts. This site is a good resource on how to do the flush. Warning: it's not for the faint of heart! There are two schools of thought on whether this works, however. While some people think you need to flush to get rid of the stones, others say they're a side effect of not consuming enough healthy fats, and once you change your diet they will dissolve.Start with a basic gel cleanser (nothing creamy). The foaming cleansers I really like include the Instant Foaming Cleanser from Caudalie: The Organic Foaming Face Wash from Consonant: And the Outer Peace Foaming Cleanser from Aveda: At the drugstore, try Olay Foaming Face Wash: Or Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser:Unless your skin is very oily, be careful with cleansers labelled for acne-prone or oily skin—many of them can be too drying. Also be cautious with cleansers that have added exfoliating properties, which can be too irritating.
I prefer exfoliating with hydroxy acid toners (more on that in a second). Then apply a serum. I'm a huge fan of serums because they're more powerful than moisturizers; due to their liquidy format, formulators can infuse them with higher proportions of active ingredients. This is where you can treat both the pigmentation issues and the signs of aging. I use La Roche-Posay Mela-D, which specifically targets dark spots. Clinique also has a new product out for dark spots called Even Better. Don't be afraid to use more than one serum though. You can layer on an anti-aging one as well. I've also been using the new Prevage Anti-Aging Serum, which is pricey but super-effective on both pigmentation and fine lines. (It's just a little silicone-y, so see if you can get a sample first to make sure it doesn't break you out.) If you've got oily skin, you don't really need to layer on moisturizer and then sunscreen—it will just make you too greasy. Just put on your sunscreen (and maybe some eye cream, if you need it).
Sunscreen is really important to protect any areas of pigmentation from getting darker. Sometimes breakouts can arise from chemical sunscreens, so I'd use a natural sunscreen with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. One of my favourite facial sunscreens is Lavanila The Healthy Sunscreen. Remember to apply sunscreen all over your face, neck and chest. Finally, use a mattifying or oil-control lotion or primer. This step will help absorb oil throughout the day so your skin doesn't look as shiny. I've had good luck with OC8 Mattifying Gel: And Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer: NeoStrata also has a new Oil-Free Mattifying Fluid that you may want to check out. After this, go ahead and apply your makeup. Note that a mineral powder foundation like Jane Iredale PurePressed Base is going to be much better for acneic skin than an oily, potentially clogging liquid foundation. Cleanse your skin again. A few times a week, use a gentle exfoliating toner. I prefer hydroxy acid toners instead of actual scrubs with beads.
They will not only remove dead skin build-up that can clog pores, but will also help fade the post-acne marks. The very best one I've tried is fromBiologique Recherche(Lotion P50), although it's hard to find. Mario Badescu makes a Glycolic Acid Toner: And Kiehl's has a salicylic acid version: I also like the Clarisonic a few times a week for some extra buffing power. After exfoliating, apply your serum again. Then, use a treatment product. Depending on which issue is bothering you most, this could be something for the pigmentation issues or breakouts, or both. For pigmentation, if you want to call in the big guns, I'd go with Lumixyl, a hydroquinone-free brightening cream that one dermatologist I've spoken to really likes. I've used it for short time and I think I can already see a slight difference. For acne, you want a product that won't dry you out too much (flaky, crusty skin is much worse than a pimple). If your breakouts are mild, you can spot-treat them by dabbing on a clay mask.