Maracuja Oil Review: tarte Pure Maracuja Oil Review

It seems every time you turn around in the beauty aisle nowadays, there’s a new exotic oil popping up.  From argan oil to pequi oil, everyone is trying to come up with the next best treatment.  Maracujá oil, derived from a passion fruit native to Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, and Paraguay, features a high concentration of essential fatty acids (linoleic acid) and nutrients and phytochemicals including beta-carotene, flavonoids, xanthins, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin B6, vitamin A, and vitamin E  (Prescription for Dietary Wellness, 2003).... read more

The 3 Most Misunderstood Concepts in Skin Care

Confused by Growley-Ferret
Confused, a photo by Growley-Ferret on Flickr. It seems in every culture, from beauty to fashion to parenting, there are always prevalent misconceptions.  That belief about reading in the dark ruining your eyes? So not true. (Discovery Health, 2011) However, skin care has its own breed of rampant misconceptions, which I felt compelled to straighten out, once and for all: 1. “Putting an ingredient on your skin will make your skin produce more of that ingredient.” I hear all the time, “Oh, this skin care cream contains... read more

Algenist Review & Alguronic Acid Analysis

Of all the new skin care lines premiering at Sephora this summer, few are as popular as Algenist.  Sold exclusively at Sephora and on QVC, Algenist features the algae derivative alguronic acid to regenerate skin cells, boost UV protection, and smooth pigmentation.  The story behind it is lovely as well:  a lab physicist has scars on his skin, seeks to find a solution, discovers a microalgae that heals his skin, and forms a company (and a nice alliance with Sephora and QVC). In laboratory tests, alguronic acid-treated cells increased... read more

TODAY ONLY: Exclusive FutureDerm.com and John Frieda Giveaway!

In honor of the fastest-growing week ever on FutureDerm.com, we’ve teamed up with John Frieda to give FutureDerm.com readers receive free samples of the John Frieda Frizz-Ease Smooth Start Repairing Shampoo & Conditioner and the Frizz-Ease Original Strength Serum.  Just click to sign up, today only:  FutureDerm.com and John Frieda... read more

AmorePacific Product Review

  AmorePacific is a new brand to the Americas, having tremendous success in Asia (and amongst skin care connoisseurs who order products from Asia) for years.  Now available at numerous major retailers, AmorePacific receives a lot of publicity as one of the only skin care lines featuring eight-to-twelve hour time release formulations.  The secret?  AmorePacific contains minimized ingredients that are 1/100 the size of the particles in most other products (source: AmorePacific).  The result?  Skin care ingredients with increased... read more

Does the Oil Cleansing Method Work?: The Friendly Friday Q&A Post

Nicki - Hello! Let me first just say that I love your blog, so informative and well-researched (I have my PhD and am a researcher myself so I especially appreciate the scientific quality of it and I am always interested in reading about new products that come out …What do you think of the “oil cleansing method” for cleaning the face? From what I have read, it involves combining olive or safflower oil with castor oil (altering the ratio depending on how oily your skin is) – apparently this helps produce... read more

New REVALÉSKIN® Intense Recovery Treatment Review – New Formula with 1.5% CoffeeBerry® Extract!

There are just a few skin care lines from which you get great results within a week, and REVALÉSKIN® is one of them.  The line features CoffeeBerry®, an antioxidant that has been found to have a greater antioxidant capacity than any other on the market in the U.S. today (Skin and Aging, 2007), including ten times the antioxidant capacity of green tea.  The reason is two-fold:  One, CoffeeBerry® contains an extremely high concentration of polyphenols, particularly chlorogenic acid, which alone is a potent antioxidants, according to... read more

The Secret to Non-Brassy Summer Highlights: Ken Paves healthy hair™ Boost Up Color Drops Review

A couple of months ago, a PR agency sent me Ken Paves Color Drops, designed to “boost up” color, while humectants seal in moisture, and the plant product helicogenol protects from UV damage. At first, I was like, “Well, I have black hair, it’s winter,” and I honestly didn’t notice any difference after using it.  Fast-forward five months and seven very brassy highlights later, and I must say, Ken Paves Color Drops (in black) has restored my reddish highlights to teir original state.  While minimal UV... read more