Jan 10, 2013

Shelley W.

Ok, here goes. Its gonna be a bit long so please forgive me. I had to go thru my notes and also make sure the products are still around and that they didn't change any formulas on some because this is what personally worked for me in the past. I also included a few maintence items as well. Dark areas around my mouth and chin were a big deal for me as well. :)

Cleansers: Gentle is best....you don't want to use anything that is going to be drying to skin which will only further highlight the hyperpigmentation that you are trying to rid yourself of.
Stay away from anything that contains sodium sulfates.

Gel cleansers used best in the AM: Renee Rouleau Luxe Mint Gel Cleanser $35.50 8oz
I use this from time to time and I love it. Gives a nice tingle without the burn and feels so good on the skin.

Cream cleansers: Works well as a PM cleanser to remove make-up and environmental yuckiness. I always remove with a soaking wet warm baby wash cloth....Renee Rouleau Aloe Cleansing Milk $31.50 8oz. Something comparable and cheaper would be from Mario Badescu Cream Soap $20 16oz.

Toner: A must in my book because it removes what is missed from the cleanser and it takes away the nasty minerals left behind from our tap water. No alcohol formula is a must since alcohol only dries out our skin. Simple Soothing Facial Toner $6-7 bucks 6.7oz (can be found at Target or Walmart), Mario Badescu Aloe Vera Toner $15 8oz., Renee Rouleau Elderberry Toner $31.50 8oz.

Serums: This is the nitty gritty right here. This is where the magic lays in correcting the problem. Estee Lauder Idealist Even Skintone Illuminator $90 1.7 oz, $145 3.4 oz., $60 1.0oz. This actually replaced my beloved Estee Lauder Fruition from back in the day and I was so upset but after the birth of my youngest son I was desperate and picked up the 1.7 oz bottle. At first I was not impressed by its claims of being able to improve my issues in two weeks. After my first month Estee Lauder had the last laugh. It did exactly what it claimed. The key is using it religiously twice a day, AM & PM. For AM you want to apply it before using a moisturizer containing at least an SPF of 15. And for evening you want to use it under a non-active moisturizer. I used this for the first 30 days and then afterwards I switched to using a Renee Rouleau Glycolic Serum 17% $42.50 0.5oz for three nights a week under a non-active moisturizer. On the nights I wasn't using the Glycolic serum I used Renee Rouleau Skin Drink $37.50 0.5oz which is hyaluronic acid that attracts moisture to the skin. A cheaper version of this can be found at Passport Organics for $30 2oz.

Once I grew tired of the glycolic serum 17% I started using Cane+Austin Retexturizing Pads $75 for 60 pads three nights a week. This contains 10% glycolic acid followed by the application of a non-active moisturizer.

After about three months of time I started to see a definite change around the chin and mouth area. My face didn't have that dreaded two-toned look before or after make-up application. Another thing I forgot to mention is the use of some sort of antioxident serum that contains vitamin c (or a combination of C and E vitamins) because this actually helps with warding off the hyperpigmentation issue. My beloved Boscia Antioxident Recovery Treatment C has been discontinued so I'm hanging on to my very last bottle but that stuff has been very kind to me. In its place my wallet literally took a bullet and I started using ReVive Defensif Renewal Serum $195 1oz. Yep, you read correct...not $1.95 but $195. This line is no joke. I now use the ReVive Sensitif Oil Free Lotion SPF 15 and the Moisture Renewal Cream for PM just by itself without any serum. This line has performed serious miracles on my skin and is keeping my hyperpigmentation at bay.

I try to keep my exfoilation at a bare minimum and only reach for it maybe twice a month. And I use Renee Rouleau Mint Buffing Beads $41.50 2.5 oz because it contains round beads as oppossed to jagged little grains that can actually make skin react in a negative way (hyperpigmentation, further enlarging pores and nasty injustices to the skin). I also use her Vitamin C Mask $37.50 1.7 oz. because it actually contains some skin lightening ingredients and when used on a once a week basis actually produces some great results. I also like the fact that it isn't drying to the skin.

As far as the under eye circles I rotate with several products depending on how they look on any given night or day. My husband is a cosmetic chemist and came up with come eye cream for me to try out that contains caffeine....so far so good but I haven't used it long enough to know if its a benefit to use ( I'm a horrible lab candidate). But I do love Mario Badescu Dermonectin Eye Cream, its super rich and should only be used at night. My hubby says my undereye circles are heritary and that the best way to diffuse it is to just stay well hydrated and depend on correctors. There are a few eye creams on the market that have bleaching agents in them but I'm scared to try those out. I've been told to try Vitamin E oil but have yet to find a formula that I'm willing to purchase.

As with trying to straighten out your issue I cannot stress the importance of using a moisturizing sunscreen every single day or else your results will go right out the window in a matter of days. I've slipped up a few times and it was not a pretty sight. I'm sorry that had to be so super long but I wanted to give you the full details on the products.

www.reneerouleau.com Great website with a wealth of information and awesome products.

www.mariobadescu.com If you take his online survey they will send you out some generous product samples to try out.