This Week's Sales: Jemma Kidd, Kinerase, Mario Badescu and more!!!

This week is second chance week in Salesville! We've seen most of these around (some just last week) but if you've been lemming something you let go last time, you may just be in luck!

HauteLook starts us off on Tuesday, August 18th with Perricone MD skincare. I'm in the market for a good night cream, so I'll be on the look out for a good deal! And if you missed it on Gilt Groupe last week, check out Rock & Republic Cosmetics on Wednesday, August 19th. I personally consider $135 (on SALE) a bit out of my price range for a bronzer, but if the refillable Swarovski encrusted compact sweetens the deal enough for you, don't miss this sale! Both sales start at 11am EDT.

Midweek over at Billion Dollar Babes, check out Kinerase skincare and Amazing Cosmetics. I'll be hoping to check out Amazing Concealer from (who else?) Amazing Cosmetics, a 2005 Allure Editor's Choice winner. And, though I'll admit I wasn't fond of Kinerase's SPF 30 Cream, I could be tempted to try their Ultimate Night Moisturizer if the deal is hot enough. Both sales start Wednesday, August 19th.

Gilt Groupe also waits until Wednesday this week to tempt us beauty addicts, bringing in Brit offering Jemma Kidd Makeup School on the 19th followed by D.L.& Co. on Thursday, August 20th. If you're into romantic Gothic images ala Burton or Gaiman, D.L.& Co.'s gloriously dark fragrances, candles and other home goods will be perfect for your aesthetic; what else would you expect from the company that refers to themselves as "modern alchemists and purveyors of curious goods"? Also on Thursday, don't miss star-touted skincare line Mario Badescu. If you keep up with my blog, you're already familiar with this line, which uses age-old, proven remedies in their no-nonsense approach to skin care and treatment. I'll, of course, be looking for my favorites: Glycolic Acid Toner, Drying Creme and Drying Lotion.

Finally, if you're new to my site, here's the deal: these sales are by invitation only. If you don't have an account yet, this is your personal invite! It's totally free, and totally easy- just follow the link to the sale by clicking on the name of the site that's hosting the sale! I do my best to write up all of the sales that are listed ahead of time, but since they are subject to change at any time, make sure you're following me on Twitter for the most up to date info!

Product Review: Freeze 24-7 Instant Targeted Wrinkle Treatment

A few years back, a store I was working at started to carry Freeze 24-7, an anti-wrinkle line that supposedly boasted Botox-like wrinkle freezing properties. Freeze 24-7's miracle ingredient, GABA (short for Gamma Aminobutyric Acid) is naturally occurring in our bodies, and in conjunction with other chemicals, it inhibits the speed at which nerves fire. When applied topically, Freeze 24-7 claims its products can relax the facial muscles that cause lines. The key demo product in the line, the Instant Targeted Wrinkle Treatment (which I hereby dub "ITWT") caught my eye, so I thought I'd look a bit deeper.

At $65 for a 10g jar (that's about $186 per ounce, if anyone is counting) Freeze 24-7 Wrinkle Treatment is not exactly a bargain, but honestly, I'd pay much more than that for a viable alternative to sticking a needle full of botulism in my face. Unfortunately, after a quick review of the training materials provided by Freeze 24-7, I decided to pass on this miracle product. Why?

According to the company, the ITWT's benefits last up to 24 hours, and only while the product is on the skin. Frankly, there was no way I was going to pay that much money for something that washed away at the end of the day, especially when there are proven, effective treatments that cost the same or even less. Prescription Renova, for instance, runs about $100 per ounce and provides actual, measurable reduction of lines.

Still, I was curious about Freeze 24-7's claims, so when I came across a jar of ITWT for a whopping 75% off, I grabbed it and headed home to experiment. I also decided to do a bit more research.

The first thing I learned about GABA is that the topical benefits are completely unsubstantiated; there are NO studies that support the idea that topically applied GABA (or anything else applied to the surface of the skin for that matter) can do anything to affect muscle actions. There's also the fact that in the body, GABA does not act alone. It takes a host of other chemicals to help GABA produce it's inhibiting effects, chemicals that skin care products do not contain.

Then, of course there's the big catch 22- if putting GABA in skincare really relaxed muscles enough to eliminate wrinkles, what would stop it from doing the same thing to other muscles it comes into contact with? The muscles in your hands would be subject, since you likely use your fingers to apply the product. Potentially, even airway passages you use to breathe could be affected if you used the creme around your nose, mouth or throat. Curiously, there are no warnings about this on Freeze 24-7's product packaging.

It would seem GABA's effect in skin care is a bit iffy at best, so I turned to the product's other ingredients. Since the first three to five ingredients comprise the bulk of a product, it's usually there that you will see a product's true nature revealed. Here's a breakdown of ITWT's first five ingredients:

- Aqua (Water)
- Glyceryl Stearate (an emollient and thickening agent)
- Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil (this mimics the skin's own natural moisture barrier)
- Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (another emollient/thickener)
- PEG-150 Distearate (this basically binds the mixture together and keeps it from separating.)

A few more binders and one antioxidant later, we find a middling amount of the highly touted ingredient, GABA. What didn't I find? Anything that would get rid of wrinkles or help to rebuild collagen. What I did find? Eugenol- a potent irritant that can act as a mild anesthetic on the skin. I'm guessing that this explains the tightening feeling I got when I tried it. Sadly, the product was only tricking my mind into thinking my skin was tighter, while at the same time putting my skin at major risk for contact dermatitis. Luckily, I didn't react, but I also saw absolutely no difference in the appearance of wrinkles on my skin.

When it comes down to it, I'd have to say this product is pretty useless. Though it holds a decent concentration of emollients, the texture is rather filmy, almost waxy, on the skin, and did not work underneath my makeup- it made my foundation look cakey and dry in the areas I had applied it. Considering the fact that it has an ingredient that carries a high risk of irritation, I wouldn't even say this is a viable moisturizer for non-makeup days (granted, it is not marketed as a moisturizer).

I give this product 0 out of 5 stars.

I'm not even going to bother listing the pros and cons as I usually do, because in this case, I honestly can't see any pros- the product's claims are misleading, and there really is no alternative use for it (maybe it would dull the itch of a mosquito bite? I'm really reaching here...) If you want to spend an exorbitant amount of money on something to pamper your skin, there are tons of options out there, but I say skip this one for sure!

This Week's Sales:New Additions: Clarisonic and Thierry Mugler!

This week on Gilt Groupe we see Freeze 24-7 again, this time on Monday, August 10th. Then on Thursday August 13th, Rock & Republic Cosmetics makes their sale debut, I can't wait to see what goodies they have to offer. I'd buy almost anything that comes in such an awesomely designed compact! Wrapping up the week, if you've been waiting to try cult favorite Clarisonic, this could be the chance we've all been waiting for when the beauty brush to beat all beauty brushes hits the sale site on Friday, August 14th. All Gilt sales start at noon, EDT.

Haute Look starts their week in beauty with Laura Mercier on Tuesday, August 11, at 11am. And since I missed a great deal on their 24/7 eyeliner sets, I'm hoping to find them again when Haute Look features Urban Decay on August 13th.

New to the rotation (thanks for the invite, Adina!) Editor's Closet will be featuring Thierry Mugler on Thursday, August 14th. Of course, I would have been remiss to not mention this, as Mugler's Angel is one of my all-time favorite fragrances!

You guys know the drill; these sales are by invitation only, if you don't have an account yet, here's your personal invite! It's totally free, and you can join now- for Editor's closet, CLICK HERE for a personal invite from me, for all of the other sales, you can just follow the link by clicking on the from name of the site! As always, I do my best to list all of the sales that I know of, but since they are subject to change at any time, make sure you're following me on Twitter for the most up to date info!

Quick Tip: Where to Apply Eye Cream

If you read my previous post, you now know that you don't necessarily need to run out and purchase a special eye cream just to hydrate the area. However, since the skin around the eyes is thinner, it absorbs product more readily. As Mariella commented on my last post, using a product on the eyes that is too rich can cause tiny white bumps, called milia, to form. It should be noted that even eye creams can cause this if they're not designed for your skin type.

You can reduce the chances of this happening with this simple application method. Moisturizer, whether you're using eye cream or just your daily facial lotion, should not be placed any closer to the eye than the orbital bone- the circular bone that makes up your eye socket. A fool proof way of doing this is to apply the moisturizer in a triangle pattern to the bone around the eye- use no more than a small, pea-sized dab for BOTH eyes. Apply one dot to the brow-bone above the pupil, one on the bone below the pupil, and one on the outer corner, again, on the actual bone. Use your ring finger to gently pat the product into place, and that's it! Since the skin on your eyes is paper thin, it will literally pull the moisture into the areas that need it.

As an added bonus, you may notice less eyeshadow creasing and mascara smudging, since too much eye cream and incorrect placement are often culprits that cause these isses!

Beauty Revelation: Eye Creams

Recently, while having a discussion on the merits of eye creams, something occurred to me that had never crossed my mind. Well, perhaps it did flicker in every once and again, but my years of training shut it out. I had asked Cora (YouTube's VintageorTacky) why she didn't mention using an eye cream in a video she did on her skin care routine. As we all know, the skin around the eye area is thinner than the skin elsewhere on the face, making it more sensitive. This is why the skin around your eyes is usually first to show signs of stress, sun damage and age. Cora's answer: "I've read a lot of info saying that there is noting innately special about eye cream..."

This got me thinking, and reviewing ingredient lists in my head. I did some quick research and discovered something that I should have noticed a long time ago: most of the ingredients in my eye creams were the same type of ingredients as those in my facial moisturizer! Now, I've been trying to get myself in the habit of using an eye cream for the past 7 or 8 years, and for some reason, it's part of my routine that never sticks. I can use 3 treatment serums and 2 moisturizers during one application, but for some reason I can not remember to put on one of the 10 eye creams I own. Now, I know why. My mind was secretly rebelling against the establishment that has been selling us 1/2 ounce sized jars of moisturizer, telling us that it's special for the eye area, and charging the same price as they do for a 1.7 ounce jar of face cream!

I thought that I had to be missing something, and I needed expert back up, so I wrote a quick e-mail to renowned dermatologist Dr. Jeffrey Benabio. I explained my question, posited my hypothesis, and hit send, only half expecting a reply. Dr. Benabio has been featured in Allure, Glamour, and O, The Oprah Magazine; to expect that he would reply to a lone little beauty blogger would have been silly. The very next morning, however, I got my reply. It was simple and concise, and I will reprint the good doctor's answer here, in it's entirety so that there is no mistake:

Jessica:
The difference between eye cream and a facial moisturizer are insignificant. The only real difference is the label.

-J

There you have it folks. Don't waste your money. Use whatever the hell you want on your eyes, it makes no difference. OK, so maybe that's taking it too far, but I do feel I owe an apology to the hundreds, nay, thousands of women I've sold eye cream to. If there's one thing that makes me feel a bit better, it's this: the concerns a woman has about her eye area may not be the same concerns she has about the rest of her face. In other words, don't expect your facial moisturizer to get rid of under eye puffiness or wrinkles unless it is designed to do those things for your face.

So what have we learned today? If your skin care concerns are consistent from your eyes to the rest of your face, save yourself a wad of cash and let your facial moisturizer pull double duty. If, on the other hand, you have separate concerns for your face and eyes, you may want to stick to your tiny-weeny little jar of eye goodness. Better yet, find a big old jar of facial moisturizer that treats your eye area concerns, and pick it up instead- the price per ounce will be a much better deal- just think of it as buying in bulk!

Illamasqua Store List

We've all waited long enough, so here it is: the full list (for now...) of US Sephora stores that will be carrying the Illamasqua line. The roll-outs will begin in mid September and will take no more than a month to complete. So without further ado (though just saying that is further ado, isn't it?) here's the list:

34TH STREET, NYC

5TH AVENUE, NYC
711 LEXINGTON, NYC
76TH & BROADWAY, NYC
ALA MOANA, Honolulu
DADELAND, Miami

DOWNTOWN SEATTLE NW, Seattle
FASHION VALLEY, San Diego
FLORIDA MALL, Florida
HOLLYWOOD & HIGHLAND, California
LENOX SQUARE, Atlanta
MANHATTAN VILLAGE, California
POWELL STREET , California
PRUDENTIAL CENTER, Boston
SANTA MONICA, California
SOHO, NYC
SOUTH BEACH, Miami Beach
SOUTH COAST PLAZA , California
TIMES SQUARE, New York
UNION SQUARE, New York
VENETIAN , Las Vegas
WESTCHESTER , New York
BOCA RATON, Florida
GEORGETOWN , Washington DC
ROOSEVELT FIELD, NYC

ROSEVILLE, California (added 9/9)

Hopefully you live near one one of these stores. As for me, it looks like a road trip will be necessary, but what a great excuse! Thanks to Alex from Illamasqua for the info- it sounds like the brand had a phenominal launch in Times Square, they were the the second highest selling brand throughout the whole store that weekend!

BTW, for all of the latest news from the brand, as well as tips, tricks, artist advice and even product swatches, check out their official blog. Happy shopping!

Also, Thanks to my fiance Brad for taking the picture (above) of the brand new Sephora at 5 Times Square, the day before it's grand opening! He actually stopped to swatch some things for me (and therefore, you) but they were closed for their private launch party! Thanks for trying, Brad!

Beauty Buzz Words: Fragrance Concentrations

The forms fragrances come in are various, here's an easy guide to the most common types that you'll see. These terms refer to the concentration of the oils that compose the fragrance. The more oil a scent contains, the less you need and the longer it will last on your body.

When fragrance shopping, take into account that while a mist may be less expensive than a perfume, you're more likely to spray more mist, and you'll have to touch up more often throughout the day. The average body mist user goes through a bottle every 3 months. The same scent in perfume form is likely to last over a year, simply because it is not being reapplied as often.

In order of lightest (least concentrated) to heaviest (most concentrated):

Body Mist or Splash has the lightest concentration of oil (anywhere from about 1-3%) Mists are comprised of about mostly of the carrier base, usually alcohol. (Eau Fraiche is a mist that is generally alcohol free, but contains a similar amount of fragrance oils.)

Cologne More common to men's fragrance terminology, a cologne (or Eau de Cologne) is only slightly more concentrated than a mist, having around 5% fragrance oil. Though women's fragrances aren't generally marketed as colognes, many fragrance houses make lighter (usually limited edition) "summer" versions of their popular permanent fragrances that would fit into this category.

Eau de Toilette (EdT) Typically the lightest version of a scent that a fine house of fragrance will produce, an EdT has anywhere from 5-15% aromatic compounds. If you like to layer your fragrance by using scented shower gels and lotions, then an EdT is a good way to ensure you don't overload, especially if your favorite is on the bolder side.

Eau de Parfum (EdP) is one of the most concentrated forms of a fragrance that you can buy, with oil concentrations up to around 20%. Because of variations in the formulation from one brand to another, the difference between Eau de Parfum and Parfum may be negligible; indeed, an EdP from one line may actually be more potent than a perfume from another.

Parfum or Perfume is the most concentrated version of a fragrance. Parfums usually contain around 20% aromatics, but can contain upwards of 40%. As I mentioned above, many modern parfums are essentially the same as their Eau de Parfum counterparts. Those that do have a higher oil concentration are usually sold in a stopper bottle (not a spray) and should feel slightly oily on the skin.