Facial Cleansers and the Fountain of Youth???

I tried this amazing and completely unexpected product that I have never even heard of. I received a sample package of Dermatologic Cosmetic Laboratories (DCL) Anti-Aging System. It's basically non-prescription skin and hair formulations for physicians to dispense to their clients. I am really happy that I have some more samples because the results were AMAZING! The anti-aging system (which was a super duper small samples set) comes with Step 1: Balancing Cleanser ($28); Step 2 Eye-Refining Matrix ($31); Step 3 (AM) ($53): Skin Renewal Complexion (which I didn't yet use because that is a day cream); Step 3 (PM) ($53): Vitamin Infusion Nighttime Triple Anti-Oxidant Complex and Step 4 ($41): Hydrating Serum. I did the whole 4-step process last night and I swear to you on whatever it is that I could swear on to convince you that my face looked instantly younger. I mean, I even went back to the mirror two times to try and figure out what it was that made my face look so good. To be honest, I don't really know, but the wrinkles seemed diminished, my dark circles were lighter, my features were soft and silky smooth and it was very radiant. It looks like some of the products are available at DermStore.com and they really aren't that pricey. I'm going to use a few more of the samples and see what I think. But wow! What a great experience! ($180 for the set at eskinstore.com - be sure to enter promo code BEAUTYGIFT to receive a free set of three deluxe skincare samples, two of which are Dermalogica).

I've also been using a sample of Murad Acne Clarifying Cleanser. Again, not too satisfied with the Murad. I really feel like it did nothing for the acne issues I was experiencing. It also took a lot of the product to cleanse my face and didn't really do that good of a job. Again, a Murad Must Miss.


Also, in the past few weeks, I was blessed to obtain a sample of Chanel Aquamousse Foaming Cream Face Wash. What a lovely face wash! It foamed beautifully, felt spectacular, smelled lovely and also did a great job removing the makeup. Very soft. At only $24, it's cheaper than the terrible Murad noted above. I find no reason as to why I can't have this product to wash my face with every morning. Once I'm done sampling (I still have tons of Philosophy and other products for face wash), I will probably be getting this one.

Also, since I finally purchased the Anthony Self Tanner Moisturizer for men (I ran out of my samples), I was happily surprised to see a large free sample of Anthony Logistics for Men Facial Scrub. It was, again, a pretty fruity scent for men, but quite a gentle scrubbing exfoliant. I would recommend a face wash before it, actually, though, because it didn't take the eye makeup off very well. I'll see how Kirt likes it, since it is supposed to help men with ingrown hairs. It felt nice and I wouldn't turn it away, for sure.

I've also tried the updated Avon products known as Mark. I used the facial cleanser and moisturizer cutely named "For Behaving Skin". It separates their other products, I assume, for skin that is not behaving - like dry, oily or acne prone. Since I wasn't having any of those issues during the week I tried it, I thought it would be fun to see how it felt. I'm not really a fan of Mark, but I won't turn away a free sample either. What I found, though, is that they have moved to the whole idea of "super fruits" and "super foods" and "minerals". So, my products (cleanser and moisturizer) weren't even there. It was a good basic cleanser. But, seriously, what's the difference between that and something you can buy at Target? Not interesting to me.

And lastly, I've been using H20 Sea Results Line Mender under my moisturizer and I've been enjoying it. The product is light enough to wear under your moisturizer, even during the day, without making things feel sticky. I got a great big deluxe sample, so I have plenty of time to continue to use it. I have to say that I think it is actually a little bit like primer, which also helps soften the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. My skin did feel soft, but the lines didn't really improve (despite the claim of the $54 product that improvement was 22%). Not worth the money, but good from Ulta for the free deluxe sample.

More reports to come and more samples to test! My face is still alive with the myriad of products, which is an amazing feat all its own. A few things I am looking forward to are products for dark spots. I have two that are very noticeable (to me) and I'm going to start hitting those hard and seeing if Chanel works to truly resolve that problem, as well.