Anti-Aging Products

When asked to choose a sample at Sephora recently, I selected Korres' Quercetin & Oak Antiwrinkle Night Cream.

I have to admit, when I first got my hands on Olay Regenerist Night Resurfacing Elixir, I was a little hesitant — and, yes, scared. "Resurfacing" sounded like such an intense word for my sensitive skin. But then I realized I was overreacting, because nothing from Olay has ever been, or will ever be, harsh on any skin type!

So I got over my fears and slathered this leave-on nighttime moisturizer all over my skin. Skin, I'll have you know, that was dry, breaking out and far from its beautiful best.

Well, imagine my surprise and delight when, in just one treatment, my skin already looked a MILLION times better. When I woke up the next morning, the dryness was gone and the pimples were fading. I felt like I was looking at a different face from the night before - and the results have only improved in the few weeks I've been testing it out. I'm glowing, radiant and look as if I've gotten a facial or (gasp!) had work done.

Not to mention, I absolutely love the formula. The gel-like consistency has a touch of shimmer to it, so it's like there's a party in my apartment every night before bed. Thanks to glycolic acid that permeates the upper layers of the skin's surface and increases natural exfoliation, it works with the body's nightly changes to smooth skin in just one week. This moisturizer actually works as well as a professional light chemical peel.

You'll also find humectants like glycerin and glycol, Pal-KTTKS (Regenerist's proprietary, signature anti-aging penta-peptide) and skin soothers like pro-vitamin B5 and allantoin within the formula.

What all this boils down to? At the end of the day, I'm reaching for my Olay.

Olay Regenerist Night Resurfacing Elixir retails for $24.99. Check olay.com for retail information.

During fashion week, there are so many mixers, events, parties...it's easy to get lost in the swag. Some of us still have freebies sitting around from LAST season (eek!), so when approached at a mixer about a new eye cream by the creator herself, we kept one ear on the party and didn't expect much.

Lisa Ashley, the creator, approached a group of us and asked for a few minutes to tell us about her Ultimate Eye Cream. She told us briefly about its features and benefits, demonstrated the product for us on our hands, and asked us for business cards before leaving us to enjoy the mixer. Impressed by her soft yet professional pitch, genuine passion for her product, and ok....curiosity about the wild claims (eliminates need for concealer! covers imperfections without color! masks redness and dark circles! smooths wrinkles and fine lines!), the cream stayed fresh in mind all night, and was begging to be tested the very next day.

First, we did some more research. From the site:

After years in the laboratory, combining the most advanced ingredients to create a multi-functioning product that delivers ultimate and immediate results, Lisa Ashley introduces The Ultimate Eyecream. A truly groundbreaking beauty product with some of the most advanced and innovative features in the cosmetics industry.

"Lisa Ashley, The Ultimate Eyecream" uniquely integrates six different benefits into one eyecream:

1. helps to firm skin, reduces puffiness, and inflammation.
2. special light diffusing properties gives the illusion of instantly neutralizing dark circles, brightening eye area while leaving a luminous glow.
3. increases blood circulation and helps to improve lightness of dark circles.
4. unique blend of ingredients gives the appearance of significantly softening lines.
5. a natural alternative to silicone, rejuvenates and hydrates skin while also providing strong antioxidant protection.
6. distinctive steel roller ball application helps soothe and minimizes inflammation.

Tall order, huh?

We weren't expecting much - generic white packaging, sticker label, "illuminating" roller ball design seen on many a trendy eye product - but let us say: WOW.

The product did exactly as it claimed, and then some- brightened, smoothed, soothed, and we barely had to touch our concealer (For the record, this is after years of piling on heavy duty concealers to mask our hereditary dark circles).

A complete winner in our book. We'd gladly pay double the cost.

$55, LisaAshleyBeauty.com

For a long time I was afraid to get on the Retinol train because I thought it would be too harsh for my skin, but it's definitely one of those ingredients that skincare experts agree plays a role in anti-aging. So I finally took the plunge and have added a Retinol product into my skin-care routine. Right now, I'm using philosophy booster caps. It took me a little bit to figure out how frequent to use, but I really am liking the results. I use once a week—I'm incorporating this in with my regular exfoliating products and face masks too; it's a whole process—and I'm noticing a difference with regular use.

Available at Sephora (60 capsules for $50).  

There are some days when we just love our jobs, and yesterday was certainly one of them. On one of the most gorgeous and warm April days in memory, we were treated to a delicious rooftop lunch at the Gramercy Park Hotel by the folks at Aveeno. We spent a few hours soaking up the fresh air, chatting with friends, sipping cocktails and testing out beauty products. If only every work day were this glamourous...

Everyone loves a multi-tasking beauty product, especially as we start to age. Who has time for millions of products, or an hour-long bedtime routine? A serum here, line filler there, it's enough to make your head spin.

Enter Stila's new Yumberry Crush Lip & Cheek Stain.

Yumberry Crush is a sheer, mid-tone pink hue that boosts your pout with a hint of natural color, while at the same time boasts the anti-aging benefits of yumberry. 

You're probably wondering...Yum-WHAT? Yumberry is an antioxidant superfruit from China, said to be FIFTY times stronger than vitamin E, and twenty times stronger than vitamin C. Research also shows that Yumberry may help slow the break down of collagen, therefore slowing premature aging.The gorgeous pearlized pink shade comes in Stila's trademark travel-friendly lip pen, and can be worn as a sheer cheek color or a "just bit my lips" stain

A pretty pout that also helps fight fine lines? Sign us up.

$24 at Sephora.

We like to save money in every way possible these days, but don't want to skimp on results. Thankfully, drugstore brands have been stepping up their game and we are more than willing to give these products their fair chance. Neutrogena Ageless Restoratives 5 Minute Facial is a product we had to try as soon as we discovered it. This at-home peel is formulated with exclusive enzymes and micro-exfoliants to gently stimulate surface skin, improving cell renewal. Over the course of a few weeks, this 1-step wonder delivered the improvement to our skin's texture and clarity, at a fraction of the cost of a visit to a professional's chair. $25, cvs.com