Month: August 2015

Your Best Face Skincare Prep Review

~ Michele Raiyne ~ 2 Comments
YBF Prep
YBF Prep

YBF Prep is a microdermabrasion scrub from Your Best Face (YBF) Skincare (not to be confused with YBF Beauty). This is a physical exfoliant that claims to brighten skin, fight free radicals, smooth and prevent wrinkles and heal and protect with vitamins and antioxidants for a smooth complexion. This can also be used on the hands.

Directions state to use at night one to three times a week on clean damp skin. Apply in a thin layer with small circular motions and rinse with cool water followed by a moisturizer. This can also be left on as a mask for 15 minutes to get more benefit from the botanicals and antioxidants. I like to follow this with the YBF Clarity mask.

Ingredients: aluminum oxide crystals, reverse osmosis water, cetearyl olivate (and) sorbitan olivate, meadowfoam seed oil, hydrogenated olive oil (and) olive oil (olea europaea) (and) olive oil unsaponifiables, TEGO® Pep 4-Even (tetrapeptide-30 (and) glycerin (and) water), Leucidal® (leuconostoc/radish root ferment filtrate), ethoxydiglycol, edelweiss extract, Relistase™ (glycerin, acetylarginyltryptophyl diphenylglycine), glucono delta lactone, olive leaf extract, licorice root extract, Matrixyl™ 3000 (glycerin (and) water (and) butylene glycol (and) carbomer (and) polysorbate 20 (and) palmitoyl oligopeptide (and) palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7), TEGO® Pep 4-17 (tetrapeptide-21 (and) glycerin (and) butylene glycol (and) water), dl-panthenol(vitamin B5), kojic acid, aspen bark extract, coenzyme Q10, hydroxyethylcellulose, spin trap (phenyl butyl nitrone),tetrahydrodiferyloylmethane (turmeric root extract), vitamin E succinate, niacin, allantoin, ferulic acid, lipochroman-6 (dimethylmethoxy chromanol), tetrahydropiperine, vitamin B6 (coenzyme B6 as pyridoxal-5-phosphate). 

There is no added color or fragrance.

Like most of the at-home microdermabrasion scrubs, this contains aluminum oxide crystals. Meadowfoam seed oil comes from the seeds of the limnanthes alba that has antioxidant properties and skin softening benefits. TEGO Pep 4-Even (tetrapeptide-30) reduces hyperpigmentation. Leucidal (radish root ferment filtrate) is used as a natural preservative instead of something like phenoxyethanol. Relistase (glycerin, acetylarginyltryptophyl diphenylglycine) is a tetrapeptide used to treat sagging skin and lack of firmness. Licorice root extract is a salt derived from the licorice plant and can improve the appearance of dry skin by restoring suppleness and also acts as an anti-inflammatory. Matrixyl 3000 reduces wrinkles by stimulating collagen production. TEGO Pep 4-17 is a peptide that boosts collagen and minimizes the appearance of wrinkles. Kojic acid inhibits the skin pigment melanin and is used as a skin whitener. It is, however, a known skin irritant. Aspen bark extract is derived from the bark of the American Aspen. It contains  salycin, an aspirin-like substance, that has calming and anti-inflammatory effects. It has also been shown to inhibit the growth of molds, yeasts and E. coli. Hydroxyethylcellulose is a gelling and thickening agent. Spin trap (phenyl butyl nitrone) is still a pretty rare ingredient in skincare that YBF uses in most of its products. It is an antioxidant that works by stabilizing free radicals that are spinning out of control. Turmeric root extract is an anti-inflammatory and helps with acne and hyperpigmentation. Allantoin is a naturally occurring nitrogenous compound used as a skin conditioning agent. Ferulic acid is an antioxidant that prevents wrinkles and sun damage. Lipochromin-6 (dimethylmethoxy chromanol) is an antioxidant. Tetrahydropiperine is derived from black pepper and helps to increase dermal absorption therefore enhancing the performance of other active ingredients.

I have used a couple other microdermabrasion scrubs including ZO Skin Health Offects Exfoliating Polish, Susan Lucci’s Youthful Essence Micodermabrasion System (this was about 8 years ago) and Astara Daily Refining scrub.

I have used Prep on and off for about 2 years. It has YBF’s, what I will call, signature scent as many of their products I have used have the same smell – kind of a mixture of almond and nutmeg (I think from the meadowfoam seed oil); they use similar ingredients in their line. The aluminum oxide crystals are very fine. You can add more water if your skin is more sensitive or dry. I like using this as a mask as well, as there are so many beneficial ingredients that I don’t want to wash off right away, but if you are short on time, this can be used as just a scrub. The crystals are in a creamy base that rinse very well. After rinsing my skin is not irritated or red and doesn’t feel stripped of moisture. After a couple months of twice-a-week use my skin is much smoother, and I always get whitish bumps and congestion on my forehead which disappear when I use this. Over time fine lines on my forehead are reduced as well.

This has great ingredients and peptides and it lasts a very long time, as you only need a bit of product for each use.

Thanks for visiting.

ZO Skin Health Olluminate Intense Eye Repair Review

~ Michele Raiyne ~ 1 Comment
ZO Skin Health Olluminate Intense Eye Repair
ZO Skin Health Olluminate Intense Eye Repair

This product claims to strengthen skin and minimize fine lines and wrinkles by using stabilized retinol and peptides. It also claims to reduce puffiness and dark circles with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory ingredients. This also contains diffusers to highlight the eye area to reduce the appearance of dark circles.

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Butylene Glycol, Nylon-12 Fluorescent Brightener 230 Salt, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Stearic Acid, Hydrogenated Olive Oil Caprylyl Esters, Glycerin, Glycosaminoglycans, Retinol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Lecithin, Lavandula Stoechas Extract, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Carbomer, Cetearyl Glucoside, Linoleic Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Mica, Polyvinylalcohol Crosspolymer, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Hydroxide, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891).

Just to go through some ingredients – cetearyl alcohol is used as an emolliant, thickener and carrying agent for other ingredients. Unlike denatured alcohol or ethanol, this is not drying. The nylon-12 fluorescent brightener 230 salt emits and diffuses light to reduce the appearance of skin imperfections. Glycosaminogycans is a family of carbohydrates that maintain and support collagen and elastin. Retinol is the thirteenth ingredient. I couldn’t find the actual percentage of retinol in this product. I believe my skin specialist said it was 3%; maybe 4%. Lavandula stoechas extract is lavender. While this can be an irritant to some, especially in larger amounts, it can be beneficial as an antimicrobial and helping heal skin infections. Palmitoyl oligopeptide and palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7 are the active ingredients in Matrixyl 3000 which mimic the skin’s broken down collagen, causing the skin to produce more collagen and elastin. Mica gives products shine. Polyvinyl alcohol crosspolymer  is polyvinyl alcohol linked with glyoxal. Looking at these ingredients separately, polyvinyl alcohol is a gel based thickener, film-forming and binding agent. According to EWG, “Glyoxal is an antimicrobial preservative that works by forming formaldehyde in cosmetic products. People exposed to such formaldehyde-releasing ingredients may develop a formaldehyde allergy or an allergy to the ingredient itself.” Glyoxal is restricted to use in cosmetics at certain concentrations. Looking at these ingredients together as they are, I couldn’t find any warnings, but using a formaldehyde-releasing ingredient on my skin, by my eyes, makes me a little worried. Phenoxyethanol worries some people. It is used as a preservative as alternative to parabens. In high concentrations it can be everything from an allergen, skin irritant (even at low doses), damaging to the brain and nervous system and a carcinogen. In skincare this is generally used at 0.5-1% concentration.

As for how it worked for me – My eyes are pretty good for my age I have been told. Unfortunately, I didn’t take before and after pictures. I have a couple fine lines on the lower lids, no crow’s feet, but I do have dark circles. This eye cream felt nice to apply, thicker than some eye creams I’ve seen, but went on smoothly and absorbed nicely. I used this on my lower lids, my upper lids and to the brow bone. Hours later I still felt the eye cream on my eyelids with my fingers. It wasn’t an annoying feeling though and it didn’t feel heavy on my eyelids; they felt moisturized. The fine lines on my lower lids were reduced, not gone, and after applying, my eyes did appear brighter. It also probably helped prevent further fine lines to my eyelids. I thought a retinol product might be irritating so close to the eyes, but it wasn’t. I’m a couple weeks  away from finishing this product and likely won’t buy it again. While it does have some good repairing and active ingredients including retinol, Matrixyl 3000 and glycosaminogycans, some ingredients I could do without. I have seen other retinol eye creams with better ingredients that are less expensive. This product comes in a jar and it can be difficult to keep bacteria out of a jar. After I’m done with this eye cream, I will be moving onto Your Best Face Correct from YBF Skincare.