your best face skincare

Your Best Face Skincare Refresh Review

~ Michele Raiyne ~ 1 Comment

Refresh from Your Best Face Skincare is their mid-range eye cream that is lightweight and claims to de-puff, brighten dark circles and reduce appearance of fatigued skin.

Ingredients: reverse osmosis water, ceteareth-6 olivate, ethylhexyl palmitate, REGU®-AGE (glycine soja (soybean) protein (and) hydrolyzed rice protein (and) superoxide dismutase), EYEDELINE™ (butylene glycol, water, plankton extract), Eyeseryl® (water (and) butylene glycol (and) acetyl tetrapeptide-5), Collageneer® (helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil and lupinus albus seed extract), Haloxyl® (hydroxysuccinimide, chrysin, palmitoyl oligopeptide, palmitoyl tetrapeptide-3), Leucidal® (leuconostoc/radish root ferment filtrate), cetearyl olivate (and) sorbitan olivate, chicory root extract (Ichorium intybus root oligosaccharides, caesalpinia spinosa gum, water, glycerin), caffeine, hydroxyethylcellulose, Sepilift DPHP (dipalmitoyl hydroxyproline)

Refresh contains a number of peptides and actives. Renu-Age is said to reduce puffiness and dark circles while protecting and strengthening the skin. Eyedeline is a marine ingredient that reduces extra fluid and boosts elastin and collagen synthesis. Eyeseryl is a tetrapeptide that reduces puffiness due to poor lymphatic circulation, and dark circles. Collageneer is an antiaging and firming ingredient. Haloxyl reduces under-eye circles. Caffeine is toward the end of the ingredient list and reduces under-eye bags. Chicory root increases collagen production and smooths fine lines. Sepilift DPHP smooths fine lines.

Directions: Apply a small amount and massage into entire eye area including eyelids.

I have dark circles, puffy eyes, some fine lines and generally look tired all the time. The ingredients and mechanism of ingredients sound promising. I’ve used this morning and evening for the last 5 months.

Refresh is a lightweight, serum-cream with no scent that applies easily and doesn’t leave a greasy or heavy feeling. It absorbs quickly and leaves the skin feeling immediately smoothed and moisturized. Makeup applies nicely over this.

Above, there might be a very slight reduction in puffiness and the dark circles look maybe a bit less blue, but I’m not sure if this is due to difference in lighting. This is a nice moisturizing cream and the eye area feels hydrated. On the side view photos, there is a reduction in fine lines and the skin has a generally smoothed appearance.

I think Refresh would make a nice preventative to target loss of elastin and collagen and is generally a nice moisturizer.

For me, I think I might need to make peace with the realization that my dark circles are genetic (so not much I can do about that), but I was hoping for more reduction in puffiness at least. I likely will not be buying the more expensive eye creams that claim to reduce dark circles, and should probably focus on hydration and prevention of fine lines and wrinkles (Refresh did a good job hydrating and reducing fine lines).

Thank you for reading.

Your Best Face Skincare Balance Review (reformulated)

~ Michele Raiyne ~ 3 Comments

I first used Balance by Your Best Face Skincare a few years ago when it was formulated as a product to absorb oil. Balance was reformulated to calm skin and combat redness. I had emailed the company to clarify if it still had the oil absorbing properties to which they responded that the nylon-12 ingredient, which absorbs oil, was discontinued, but other ingredients were added to retain and improve the oil absorbing and balancing capability (licorice extract, aspen bark extract, L-carnosine, niacinimide).

Ingredients: reverse osmosis water, Telangyn® (water, acetyl tetrapeptide-40, caprylyl glycol), ceteareth-6 olivate, olive squalane, Leucidal® (leuconostoc/radish root ferment filtrate), aspen bark extract, glycyrrhetinic acid (licorice extract), L-carnosine, niacinamide (vitamin B3), sorbitan olivate, hydroxyethylcellulose, ethylhexyl olivate, tetradecylthioacetic acid (TTA), dl-panthenol (vitamin B5), triethyl citrate, alpha bisabolol, lavender essential oil (lavendula angustifolia, Kashmir India), cedarwood essential oil (cedrus atlantica, Morocco), niaouli essential oil (melaleuca quinquinervia viridiflora, Madagascar), azulene (guaiazulene)

Telangyn is a peptide that claims to reduce redness caused by an exaggerated inflammatory response. Niacinamide can help reduce the appearance of blemishes, congestion, enlarged pores and uneven skin tone.

This product is a day cream for combination and oily skin that claims to
combat redness and irritation, similar in function to NIOD’s Modulating Glucosides. Balance also claims to encourage clearer pores, improve smoothness of skin for better makeup application, brighten skin, mattify skin, reduce appearance of new damage and soften fine lines.

Directions state to apply anytime but particularly after treatments that leave the skin irritated, sensitive or breakout-prone.

Comparing the updated Balance to the previous formula, the lavender scent is quite strong, its consistency is thinner and spreadability is better.

While I purchased this for the oil absorbing and mattifying capability, I also used while on retinol and Retin-A to see if Balance mitigated any irritation. I have oily, breakout-prone skin, large pores and redness.

I’ve used Balance for about 5 months in the morning. It does absorb oil, but not as much as the previous version. On the YBF Skincare website, they now sell Matte Face Serum to reduce oiliness and shine. I haven’t tried this product yet, but if looking for oil reduction and matte skin, this would probably be the product to use rather than Balance.

Upon application, Balance gives a bit of a cooling effect to the skin for a couple seconds. This isn’t a moisturizer and doesn’t feel like one, so doesn’t really seem to absorb fully, but provides a sort of smoothing layer over the skin. It certainly doesn’t feel heavy and while it’s not felt on the skin, it is felt to touch.

While using Balance the small breakouts around my jawline were reduced. I still got the odd, larger pimple, but it seemed to heal a bit faster. This product did smooth the skin and makeup went over it quite nicely (application was even nicer when Balance is mixed with an ascorbic acid powder – I use the vitamin C from The Ordinary). I didn’t notice reduction in fine lines or increased brightness.

The redness in my cheeks was a bit reduced (though not as much as I had hoped). When using retinol and Retin-A, Balance seemed to reduce and soothe the irritation. When using retinol and Retin-A I find that cleansing and using products cause stinging and irritation, which settles after a minute – so how much Balance soothed this irritation as opposed to the normal reduction in irritation after the skin gets used to product application, I’m not certain. I’ll also note that a new issue with my skin is inflammation, redness and white, raised bumps when tweezing and waxing my eyebrows. This product provided relief to the swelling and soreness when applied to those areas around my eyebrows. Balance reduced the redness caused by my glycolic acid toner and some, but not all of the irritation.

I had stopped using Balance for about 3 weeks (changing nothing else in my routine) and without use, I got more and bigger breakouts along my jawline and larger pores and oiliness on my forehead.

While Balance didn’t reduce fine lines or increase brightness, it absorbed a bit of oiliness (though didn’t mattify the skin much), reduced inflammation and overall reduced congestion and enlarged pores. I might consider repurchasing particularly if getting something like a chemical peel, microdermabrasion or other similar procedure that causes an exaggerated inflammatory response.

Thank you for reading.

Your Best Face Skincare Restore Review

~ Michele Raiyne ~ Leave a comment

Restore, by Your Best Face Skincare, is a nighttime cream serum for face, hands and neck. This product claims to increase elasticity and thus reduce saggy and crepey skin, brighten and even complexion, reduce dull-looking skin, soften fine lines and hydrate dry and damaged skin. Directions say to apply a small amount to clean, damp skin and massage in.

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Ingredients: reverse osmosis water, Leucidal® (leuconostoc/radish root ferment filtrate), SYN®-TC (glycerin, aqua, tetradecyl aminobutyroylvalylaminobutyric urea trifluoroacetate, palmitoyl tripeptide-5, palmitoyl dipeptide-5 diaminobutyroyl hydroxythreonine), ethylhexyl palmitate, Uplevity™ (water, acetyl tetrapeptide-2, caprylyl glycol), TEGO® Pep 4-Even (tetrapeptide-30 (and) glycerin (and) water), Elhibin® (glycine soja (soybean) protein), cetearyl olivate (and) sorbitan olivate, sorbitan olivate, ceteareth-6 olivate, meadowfoam seed oil, vitamin E succinate, cupuacu butter, hydroxyethylcellulose 

SYN-TC uses tri and tetrapeptide technology focusing on collagen for smooth, plump skin with improved elasticity. Uplevity is a combination of peptides and actives that apparently enhances the expression of genes involved in the organization of elastic fibers and dermal cohesion to combat sagging skin. TEGO Pep 4-Even diminishes pigmentation spots and brightens the skin. Elhibin comes from soybean protein and is a proteinase inhibitor. Proteinase plays a role in irritation and accelerated skin aging.

Hands are one of the first areas to show signs of aging; they are always exposed to the environment and I rarely remember to put sunscreen on my hands.  I decided to try Restore on my hands; the skin is thinning (I didn’t really realize how thin until my daughter compared her hands to mine and said “oh my god, your skin is so thin” after pinching my skin), I have increased fine lines and my hands go through cycles of dryness every couple months (if you are looking for relief of dry skin, I love this product). I have no hyperpigmentation on my hands.incollage_20180628_0947416065175794106863496094.jpg

YBF Skincare products work well together and layer beautifully with no pilling. Restore can be mixed with the Private Reserve oils, the Antioxidants Concentrate or the Advanced CE Concentrate for customized benefit. I used Restore on its own.

I used this in the evening about 5 times a week for 4-1/2 months on clean, damp skin. The product has better spreadability and faster, easier absorption when the skin is damp.  Restore is a lightweight, white, thick serum/thin cream that is unscented, but has its own somewhat medicinal smell that only lasts for seconds. On application this has an amazing silky feeling on the skin that immediately has a softening, slightly plumping effect. This is such a different feeling than any other product I’ve used. This feeling lasts for about 30 minutes.

In touching and looking at my hands after 4-1/4 months of use and looking at close up views of the photos above, while this product gave immediate very short term results, I don’t think I really see the longer term results I would need to continue purchasing. My hands feel a bit softer and some dryness on my knuckles has improved (but this could also be achieved by using an oil on the hands; vitamin C also works for brightening ). The finer lines around my knuckles and those due to the thinning skin look the same, so I can’t imagine this product helping deeper wrinkles on the neck or fine lines on my forehead (though to be fair, the skin is thinner on the neck and face than it is on the hands). I don’t have pigmentation issues on my hands, but I know these spots are very hard to get rid of as I have hyperpigmentation due to sun damage, and consistent use of a product for months, if not upwards of a year, especially products without containing something like hydroquinone or kojic acid.

I tried Restore a few times on my face just to get a sense for texture and this would make a nice lightweight moisturizer for the face (I don’t like using heavier moisturizers as I have oily skin). It absorbs after about 20 seconds and there is the immediate softening plump on the face, but it didn’t seem as silky as when used on the hands. This would make a nice treatment for the lips.

I will not be repurchasing Restore.

Thanks for reading.

Your Best Face Skincare Hydrate B Concentrate Review

~ Michele Raiyne ~ Leave a comment

YBF Hydrate B Concentrate

I received a sample of Hydrate B Concentrate with an order of other YBF Skincare products I purchased. This was a good size for a sample and I got a couple weeks’ use. This product only has a few ingredients. It can be used morning or night and helps other products work better. You can blend it or layer it with other products.

Ingredients: reverse osmosis water, vitamin B5 (dl-Panthenol), Syn®-Hycan (tetradecyl aminobutyroylvalylaminobutyric urea trifluoroacetate, magnesium chloride, glycerin), sodium hyaluronate, vitamin B3 (niacinamide), vitamin B8 (inositol), sodium PCA, Leucidal® (leuconostoc/radish root ferment filtrate) 

 This contains vitamin B5, B3 and B8. Vitamin B5 is used to moisturize, soothe, regenerate and heal the skin. Vitamin B5 is known as a humectant, a water-binding substance that can attract and bind water.  Vitamin B3 supports the skin’s barrier from pollutants and irritants and can help keep the skin hydrated. Vitamin B8 (inositol) is a humectant and can help skin and hair feel healthier and better moisturized. Syn-Hycan is a tetrapeptide aimed at lifting sagging skin and stimulates hyaluronan synthesis. Hydrate B contains sodium hyaluronate that can hold up to 1000 times its weight in water and when put on the skin can maintain and attract water. This results in smoother and softer skin that can temporarily reduce the appearance of wrinkles by providing a fuller appearance. The intense moisturizing helps the skin be able to provide a better defense against environmental factors and aging. Sodium PCA is a humectant with the ability to absorb moisture from the air. The preservative here is leucidal.

This a clear gel, not too runny, that absorbs fast with no stickiness after a couple seconds. This has no smell. It seems like it would be very moisturizing considering the moisturizing and humectant ingredients, but according to the YBF Skincare website, it works best with other moisturizers and products; however, if the climate is humid, this may be sufficient as a moisturizer. I was a little hesitant to use this on my oily skin, but since the weather is colder and my skin isn’t as oily as usual, I thought I’d give it a go. Oily skin needs moisture and nourishment too (especially if you go through cycles of chemical and physical exfoliation) and this was perfect for my skin; not too moisturizing and didn’t feel like it sat on my skin making it feel heavy like I’ve experienced with other moisturizers. During the time I used Hydrate B my skin didn’t break out, which is pretty unusual when I use a moisturizer. I also tried blending this with Retin-A to make the Retin-A more easily spreadable which worked quite nicely, and didn’t seem to negate the effects of the Retin-A. I used this on my neck layered with a skin cream and think this would really benefit the thinner more sensitive skin on the neck as it ages. I bet this would also provide a healing effect after a skincare treatment like a chemical peel, microdermabrasion or IPL (photofacial), and could be used on the hands as well.

I can’t comment on long term effects as I only had a sample, but my skin started to feel softer and look better overall. This seems like a promising moisturizer for oily skin. When I make my next purchase at YBF Skincare, Hydrate B Concentrate will be on my list.

Your Best Face Skincare Quench Lip Treatment Review

~ Michele Raiyne ~ 7 Comments

Quench Lip Treatment by YBF Skincare is an antioxidant lip balm that claims to soothe dry chapped lips and provide anti-aging benefits.

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Your Best Face Skincare Quench Lip Treatment

Ingredients for (clementine mint): beeswax, cupuacu butter, ethylhexyl palmitate, meadowfoam seed oil, triglyceride, ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate/tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate (vitamin C), vitamin e, blueberry seed oil, spin trap (phenyl butyl nitrone), peppermint oil, clementine oil, Lipochroman-6 (dimethylmethoxy chromanol)

Beeswax seals in moisture. Cupuacu butter is moisturizing and deeply penetrating. Ethylhexyl palmitate is a derivative of palm oil often used as an organic replacement to silicone and provides a slip feel. Meadowfoam seed oil has antioxidant properties and skin softening benefits. This has vitamin C as ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate/tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, derived from vitamin C and isopalmitic acid. This acts as an antioxidant, protecting the skin from cell damage after exposure to the sun. This has vitamin E and blueberry seed oil, which are antioxidants and provide hydration. Blueberry seed oil is high in omega 3 fatty acids. Like most other YBF products, Quench contains spin trap and Lipochroman-6, two potent antioxidants. Peppermint and clementine oils provide a nice fragrance, taste and a slight tingle to the lips.

I’ve been using this lip balm for a couple years now. Previous to this I had been using an oil based lip balm, so when using Quench for the first couple times it seemed rather waxy and heavy. Once I had gotten used to this feeling, I found this lip balm not heavy, but moisturizing. It penetrates the skin but the lips still feel moisturized a few hours after application. It doesn’t feel greasy or like it’s just sitting on top the skin, and provides a nice finish to the lips. Lipstick goes on over this quite nicely. In the cold winter weather it has prevented and healed dry, cracked lips. When my lips get chapped or dry it only takes a couple applications of Quench to heal the lips. Once or twice a week before bed I’ll gently exfoliate my lips with a toothbrush and put this balm on immediately after. This takes off dead skin and the lips feel quite soft in the morning. I haven’t found many “must-have” products, but Quench Lip Treatment is one of them, and I will continue to purchase.

Thank you for reading.