I did a prior post about some products that use regularly and since I have purchased Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me, 7th Edition book by Paula Begoun and Bryan Barron (Publisher: Beginning Press) (www.cosmeticscop.com), I thought I’d share with you what she says about the products that I use.

 

Her book has definitely madeoa040.gif me rethink some of the products that I am spending a lot of money on. Luckily for me the majority of her reviews of MAC products (makeup and skin care) is in the “very good product” rating.

 

While I don’t agree with all of her reviews her book is very informative and I highly recommend it!

 

Paula’s Rating System

 

:) **=Excellent. The best of the best. Surpasses the criteria.

:) =Very Good. The product is worth checking into and potentially worth buying because of its performance or its impressive formulary characteristics. Great product that meets or surpasses the criteria.

:) $$$=Very Good, but overpriced. Great product that meets or surpasses the criteria but overpriced. Less expensive products delivery the same effect with less money.

:| =Average. It is OK, but unimpressive and can cause problems for certain skin types and possibly lacking in some newer non-irritating ingredients.

:| $$$=Average and overpriced, why bother.

:( =Poor (don’t buy). A product that is truly a poor choice for skin from almost every standpoint, including price, dated formula, performance, application and texture as well as potential for irritation, skin reactions and breakouts.

**PRIMERS**

The Present by Philosophy – $25.00
This is a clear cream. It’s a nice product. Make sure your skin is moisturized before you use it. I like to use it on my forehead before I put any makeup on.
PAULA BEGOUN’S REVIEW :( - This product is supposed to serve as second skin for those with acne, but the lavender oil in this product can cause skin-cell death. This product won’t net clear skin.

Photo Finish by Smashbox – $36.00
This is an oil control primer. I like this much better than The Present. It’s very silky and really can make you feel as it you have flawless skin. Make sure your skin is moisturized before you use it.
PAULA BEGOUN’S REVIEW   :| - Colorless, silicone-based serum that has little going for it other than being a decent lightweight moisturizer that makes your skin feel smooth, and that can help ensure a semi-matte finish when paired with a matte-finish liquid or powder foundation.

Prep + Prime by MAC – $22.00
I love MAC products. I always have. The Prep + Prime has a shimmer to it that is so subtle and just beautiful when you apply it. The only draw back is that the product runs out fast. Maybe I use too much of it!
PAULA BEGOUN’S REVIEW :) - Given the price tag, is disappointing due to the shortage of antioxidants. It is otherwise a very good in-part zinc oxide sunscreen in a silicone-enriched base that is ideal for use under makeup. The amount of zinc oxide leaves a slight white cast, but this is a non-issue if you’re going to follow with foundation. Unless you are prone to breakouts from zinc oxide, this is an excellent, fragrance-free daytime moisturizer (or primer, if you prefer) for normal to very oily skin.

**PUFFY EYES**

Hope in a Tube by Philosophy – $33.00
I didn’t see any results. It was moisturizing though.
PAULA BEGOUN’S REVIEW :) - High density eye and lip firming cream is a thick, emollient-rich, fragrance-free cream that will take excellent care of dry, dehydrated skin anywhere on the body, but it won’t firm skin one iota. Of course, given the small amount of product, this is best reserved for use on the face, and would work well around the eyes if that area is dry. Classic moisturizing standbys such as glycerin, petrolatum, and mineral oil comprise the bulk of the formula, and philosophy included a few antioxidants, too.

Depuffing Action Eye Gel by Benefit – $26.00
This stuff is great. It burns a little, better to put on skin that is moisturized. It works well.
PAULA BEGOUN’S REVIEW :) - Depuffing Action Eye Gel attempts to send under-eye bags packing, and is accompanied by a very cute description that makes it seem like a cure-all for puffy eyes. Not to burst anyone’s bubble, but your puffiness won’t recede one bit with this simple formulation that contains nothing unique or special. Given that the primary sources of puffiness and bags around the eye have to do with fat pads, muscles, and edema (swelling), there just isn’t a cosmetic that can affect those biological causes. This lightweight, water- and silicone-based gel feels soothing and contains good antioxidants and anti-irritants, and it comes in opaque tube packaging that will keep them stable during use. The hydrolyzed soy flour, which Benefit claims will firm and lift skin, is chiefly used as a thickening agent, and won’t lift skin anywhere. But if you think soy is the answer, Aveeno includes a better form of it in their products. As a lightweight gel moisturizer for around the eyes (it can be used on the rest of the face, too), this is an option. It does contain fragrance.

Baggage Handler by Bliss – $28.00
Cucumber and cornflower extracts and fine line-whittling wheat proteins. I like this products, but results were not as good as the Depuffing by Benefit.
PAULA BEGOUN’S REVIEW :) - Baggage Handler deserves an accolade for its eminently clever name, but it’s clear more thought went into what to call the product than what to put in it. In short, Baggage Handler cannot keep under-eye bags (or dark circles or puffiness) in check. This fragrance-free, water-based gel contains a slip agent, several skin-identical ingredients, soothing plant extracts, film-forming agents, thickener, and preservatives. It’s not a bad combination, at least if your only goal is to lightly moisturize the under-eye area without causing irritation. However, that’s not how this product is sold, and if you were banking on the claims about reducing the appearance of drooping or baggy areas around the eyes, this won’t impress, and your money would be better spent elsewhere. Therefore, the smiling face rating pertains to this gel’s ability to hydrate and soften normal to slightly dry skin, not for performing as claimed.

No Puffery, 30-Day Solution by Origins – $20.00
This is my favorite product for depuffing. Contains Yeast Extract and it brightens and lightens dark circles and Hoelen Mushroom Extract calms surrounding skin to help keep redness from settling in. The directions say to wipe off after 10 mins, but I left on all day and let it soak in.
PAULA BEGOUN’S REVIEW :| - No Puffery, 30-Day Solution for Puffy Eyes cannot reduce puffiness by releasing “trapped fluids and toxins.” What toxins are lurking under your eyes anyway? No one at Origins could explain this to me logically. Regardless, this water-based gel has a good plant extract for every bad one, essentially canceling out the effect of either and making this product a genuine “Why bother?”

**EYE CREAMS**

Night A Mins by Origins – 28.50
I didn’t see great results. It was moisturizing but that’s it.
PAULA BEGOUN’S REVIEW :( - High Potency Night-A-Mins, Mineral-Enriched Eye Cream has an emollient, silky formula, but it has no business being used around the sensitive eye area due to the many fragrant oils it contains. Without them (and in better packaging), this would have been a Paula’s Pick as an outstanding, thoughtfully formulated moisturizer for dry to very dry skin.

High Resolution Eye with Fibrelastine by Lancome – $52.00
This stuff if great. The company says immediately your eye area appears brighter. I didn’t really see that, but after a few weeks, I really could see a reduction in fine lines around my eyes. I’ll use this stuff forever.
PAULA BEGOUN’S REVIEW :| - The backbone of the formula is a standard but good mix of water, glycerin, silicone, and emollients. The excitement both starts and stops there, however. As far as the rest of the formula goes, despite all manner of wrinkle-smoothing and elastin-boosting claims, there are more cosmetic gimmicks than real state-of-the-art ingredients. For example, the talc, titanium dioxide, and mica leave a slightly reflective finish, but that’s a cosmetic effect, not a skin-care benefit. And the manganese gluconate—which Lancome maintains has a relaxing effect on expression lines despite the lack of any research showing that to be the case—is a waste! Other than that, there is nothing else in this product worth mentioning or worthy of purchasing.

**FACIAL MOISTURIZERS & WRINKER FIGHTERS**

Hope in a Jar by Philosophy – $38.00
This is a good moisturizer. Sometimes I think it is a little too heavy or it doesn’t soak in enough for me.
PAULA BEGOUN’S REVIEW :( - This product is completely inappropriate for any skin type because it contains lavender and sage oils, both of which have components that are irritating to the skin and destructive to cells.

High Resolution with Fibrelastine by Lancome  – $74.00 (1.7 oz)
This is wonderful stuff. I can see a different in my skin after a few weeks. I use it morning and night. It can be pricey, I always buy it at the Lancome counter when they are having a special so you can get a whole gift set. It will last several months. Order some smaller sizes on EBay to try it out.
PAULA BEGOUN’S REVIEW :| - Has a base formula that’s similar to most of Lancome’s emollient formulas for dry skin. Isn’t it funny how this option claims to renew elastin and reduce deep wrinkles, while similar formulas with similar ingredients in Lancome’s Renergie and Primordiale lines claim to act on different facets of aging, such as sagging and skin tone improvement? In any event, the jar packaging won’t keep the vitamin E or tiny amounts of other antioxidants stable, and this cannot reduce forehead wrinkles even close to the manner in which Botox does.

High Resolution with Collaster-48 by Lancome – $62.00 (1.0 oz)
This product is also wonderful. It’s called 48 hr because the company says you can see results in just 48 hours. I can see a difference. I use this around my eyes and forehead and use the Fibrelastine everywhere else (my cheeks and neck). This is a thicker formula. Order some smaller sizes on EBay to try it out.
PAULA BEGOUN’S REVIEW :| - Makes much ado about the fact that it is the only Lancome eye treatment that can “accelerate the production of collagen in just 48 hours.” This begs the question of why Lancome would keep selling its myriad other eye-area products if they don’t work as well. After all, if this one works so expediently to push up and plump wrinkles, why bother with anything else? But Lancome doesn’t have to worry, because there’s nothing special or unique in this product to put their other options to shame. This ends up being a decent, though mundane, water- and silicone-based serum that contains a lot of film-forming agents. It also includes titanium dioxide and mica to make the under-eye area look brighter and shimmery. In fact, these pigments make up a much larger part of the formula than the caffeine and other ingredients Lancome claims are responsible for this product’s ability to diminish dark circles and puffiness. Without question this serum-type moisturizer will smooth the appearance of wrinkles, but on dry skin it will look just like any other moisturizer. Accelerating the production of collagen is an easy claim for any moisturizer because skin that isn’t dry or irritated does make collagen, so this and lots of other moisturizers would net the same result, depending on how you made the measurements or controlled the testing. And the Collaser part of this product, which is there to make you think this is replacing laser resurfacing that you’d get at a doctor’s office—well, just to be clear, and I’m sure this won’t surprise you, it doesn’t.

LaMer Moisturizing Cream by LaMer – $125.00 (1 oz)
Yes, this is super pricey, but I swear it is some amazing stuff. I cannot describe it. My skin is just glowing now. My husband even loves it which makes it easier when I tell him I spent $125 on some ‘cream’. The website offers free 2nd day shipping on all orders and includes a free samples.
PAULA BEGOUN’S REVIEW :( - Creme De La Mer is the original product created by Max Huber, as described in the introduction to La Mer. As enticing as this dramatic story sounds, the reality is that this very basic cream doesn’t contain anything particularly extraordinary or unique, unless you want to believe that seaweed extract (sort of like seaweed tea) can in some way heal burns and scars. Even if it could, burns and scars don’t have much to do with wrinkling, and this product is now being sold as a wrinkle cream. According to Susan Brawley, professor of plant biology at the University of Maine, “Seaweed extract isn’t a rare, exotic, or expensive ingredient. Seaweed extract is readily available and [is] used in everything from cosmetics to food products and medical applications.” Creme de la Mer contains mostly seaweed extract, mineral oil, Vaseline, glycerin, waxlike thickening agents, lime extract, plant oils, plant seeds, minerals, vitamins, more thickeners, and preservatives. This rather standard moisturizer also contains some good antioxidants, but the jar packaging won’t keep them stable during use. This also contains a skin-stressing amount of eucalyptus oil, as well as Kathon CG, a preservative that is recommended for use only in rinse-off products. Consumers who have a “steadfast devotion” to this product are not only wasting their money but also hurting their skin. 

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