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Retinol
Showing posts with label Retinol. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Retinol. Show all posts
October 31, 2016

What The Heck Is Retinol And Why Should I Add It To My Fall Skincare Routine?


why you should add retinol to your fall skincare routine by barbies beauty bits

Crisp autumn air, shorter nights, changing leaves is in the midst right now and with this also comes a change of clothes.  But what some people seem to neglect is the change in their skincare products as well. I mean who wants their skin as dry as leaves?  Plus, a lot of us have done some serious damage to our skin in the summer, so introducing a skincare product that can help with sun damage, sunspots, anti-aging, as well as dry, flaky skin is a must!


So, if you want to find out to get your Autumn skincare on with Retinol continue reading!

For this post, I have partnered up with Valentia Skincare. This company has amazing products formulated with natural and organic cosmetic ingredients that will repair and protect the skin. One of their products, the Night Revive Retinol Serum, is an ideal product to add to get your face, fall ready.

A review on Valentia Night Revive Retinol Serum by barbies beauty bits
SPONSORED POST: I was given this product to review. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own. 
I only share reviews with you that I feel will be beneficial or informative in some way.
Adding In A Retinol Serum
As the temperature drops, we end up spending less time outside, which means less exposure to the sun.  That is why Autumn is a great time to add a retinol serum to your skincare regimen as when you’re using retinol you want to avoid prolonged sun exposure.  Additionally, the cool air can also leave our skin less hydrated, so having a product that can provide hydration as well, is the key to smoother, rejuvenated skin.

In addition to smoother skin, the Valentia Night Revive Retinol Serum helps to …
  • Reduce the appearance of brown spots caused by the sun
  • Stimulate collagen
  • Improve skin tone
  • Manage breakouts
  • Condition the skin

What The Heck Is Retinol
Retinol is the principle Vitamin A and can fill some of the roles that Vitamin A plays metabolically. Many Vitamin A effects are hormone-like, influencing the growth and differential of cells.

You see, there are tons of damaging elements that are skin is exposed to every day, like dust, pollutants, sweat, even makeup, all of which can age the skin. Retinol (Vitamin A) is a useful product that helps diminish these signs of aging and visibly contribute to improving the appearance of your skin

Retinol works by speeding up the cellular turnover rate, which allows the healthier cells to work their way up to the surface faster and decreasing the activity of the destructive enzyme collagens.

Therefore, having a retinol like the Valentia Night Revive Retinol Serum in your fall skincare regimen is a necessity.  I mean anything that can help with cellular turnover, lines and wrinkles are a must have on my list of fall skincare products!

help reduce signs of aging with a retinol serum by barbies beauty bits

Look At The Ingredients
Ingredients are what makes one product’s success stand out from another. And Valentia has specially selected ingredients that work together to achieve optimum results.

KEY INGREDIENTS:
  • Retinol (Vitamin A): Works at the cellular level to stop wrinkles, manage breakouts, and evens out skin discoloration.
  • Vitamin C: Guards skin against environmental free radicals to prevent premature aging.
  • Vitamin E: Provides intense hydration to diminish the drying effects of retinol.
  • Squalene: Derived for pure olive oil to soften and condition delicate skin.

What To Avoid
In addition to looking at the ingredients that are in a product you also want to look at the what is not in it, thus natural, and organic products are essential in my book.   You want to stay away from synthetic fragrances and dyes, as they are two additives known to cause irritation.  Plus, with the change of humidity in the fall months, the last thing you want to do is to apply something on your skin that could be potentially irritating!

On the other hand, natural ingredients with an organic base have proven most effective at repairing skin damaged by the sun or the wind, preventing signs of aging such as wrinkles, dark spots, and reversing the effects of oxidative stress on the skin.

Lastly, you want to make sure that you look at the packaging as vitamin A can break down when it is overly exposed to light. Hence you want to purchase a retinol that is bottled in a darker container that minimizes the exposure to light and air.

Exfoliation
Although I think skin exfoliation is important all the time, adding it to your fall regimen is a must.  While there are plenty of beauty tools out there that can help with skin exfoliation, retinol's can also act as an exfoliator by sweeping and removing your dead summer skin cells.  As mentioned above retinol's also help with enhanced collagen production, so combine that with the fact it can also act as an exfoliant, you will be well on your way to a fantastic fall face!

How to properly use a retinol serum by Barbie's Beauty Bits

How To Use
It is important that you are using this product correctly to get the best results.  See below some of my guidelines
  • If this is your first time using a retinol, I always suggest adding it slowly to your NIGHTTIME skincare routine.
  • If you are in your 30, using it three times a week can help slow the aging process.
  • For those in their 40+ using the Retinol ever other night, or every night if your skin can tolerate it.
  • Apply in a circular motion using your ring finger as pulling and tugging on the skin can age you quicker.
  • Use an SPF of 20 or higher during the day to protect your skin.

Want To Try Some For Yourself
Well, Valentia has given my readers 20% off, so go to Amazon and get your skin fall ready with Valentia Night Revive Retinol Serum.   
Use Code: YJ7CWBI7 to get 20% off your order.

Oh one last thing, make sure to stay social by following Valentia on Facebook & Instagram!

Until next time, beauties!
November 2, 2015

5 Ways To Repair Damaged Skin And Reduce Facial Redness- A Paula’s Choice Review

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of  Paula's Choice Skincare. The opinions are mine.

5 Ways To Repair Damage Skin And Reduce Facial Redness- A Paula’s Choice Review, By Barbie's Beauty Bits.

If you follow my blog regularly, you know how adamant I am about skincare.  Although, I do have my favorites, trying and testing out other products opens an opportunity for me to step up my skincare regimen!  This is why I was so excited to be able to Partner up with Paula’s Choice and PRIMP (Pretty In My Pocket) an awesome beauty app. for who I am one of their expert beauty bloggers.

Pretty in my pocket expert blogger, barbies beauty bits

The journey started with a personal consultation with a skincare specialist from Paula’s Choice.  Way to go Paula’s Choice, that really gave me a great first impression, as they understand that not everyone's skin and more important skincare needs, are not all the same. Their product line includes something for everyone, acne, rosacea, aging, pores. They treat it all.  

While, I don’t have a lot of blemishes, I do have some redness in my cheeks due to sun damage from my younger sun goddess years, so my consultant recommended a skin care regimen to help with the redness, as well as some anti-aging products. 

The Importance Of Layering Your Skincare Products


Before I get into the products they sent me,  I think it is essential for you to be aware that in order for you to get the best results from your skincare products, you need to understand the significance of layering them.  This means applying them in the correct order.

The information that I will be sharing with you will be in the order in which you need to apply them.  So please keep this order in mind, when using your own skincare products.

So What Did I Get?

As you can see from the picture, they sent me a lot of products, needless to say, I was excited!  The products included items from the HydraLight and Resist line.

The importance of layering your skincare products, by Barbie's Beauty Bits

Hydralight Advanced Kit


This Hydralight kit included everything that I needed to calm the redness I have on my face as well as helping to reduce signs of aging.  And for those who have oily skin, which I do not, it helps to reduce that oily shine.  (Keep in mind I am listing these in the order in which they need to be used).

PRODUCTS: 

 

Hydralight One Step FaceCleanser


Skin type: Normal to Oily/Combination Skin

Cleansing your face is the first step in your skincare regimen.  Seems a bit obvious to me, but for those of you who may have just used water or any ole soap in the past, DON’T!  The reason being is a facial cleanser is designed to prep your face so to speak, for the other skincare products that follow. 

So how to use this bad boy?  Get your face wet and then apply a small about to your face in circular motion, rinse when finished.

 

Skin type: Normal to Oily/Combination Skin

This is the second product you apply to your face as toners help to hydrate, replenish, restore and repair the skin's surface when used right after cleansing.

How To Use: You can apply with a cotton ball or pad.  Do not rinse off.

Benefits: This antioxidant-rich formula helps to improve the skins function and reduces cellular damage and inflammation.

Bonuses: This toner is 100% fragrance- and colorant-free, and helps to remove any left over makeup you may have missed with the cleanser. 

Paula's Choice Hydralight Advanced Kit review, By Barbie's Beauty Bits

Skin type: All Skin Types

An exfoliant is one of my favorite skincare products especially if you have any sun damage. Why? Because an exfoliant will remove the built up layers on the outside of the skin, it ends up revealing that younger looking skin beneath.  Removing these dead skin cells can also improve any dull, uneven skin, you may have, as well as minimizing the appearance of fine lines.

I also liked that this BHA exfoliant has some anti-bacterial properties that helped when I started to get a blemish.  For the anti-aging lover in me, it is supposed to increase my collagen production, obviously it is too earlier to see these types of results yet, but I‘m excited to find out.

Bonuses: The unique formula is a LEAVE ON exfoliant that works instantly to remove dead skin cells, now how cool is that?

Important: This BHA lotion (beta hydroxy acid), the same thing found in aspirin, so if you are allergic to aspirin, you won’t be able to use this product.

Skin type: All Skin Types

Treatment is the next step in your skin care routine and in my case it is an anti-aging product.   In the kit I received I was given two products from their resist line, which are to be combined with your moisturizer. While I know there is no magic potion that will erase my wrinkles, a retinol can sure aid in diminishing them!

By combing this retinol concentrate product into my moisturizer, I was able to customize the strength, creating my own Retinol cream!  LOVE THIS IDEA!

Retinols are another fav. of mine because they are great at stimulating collagen production & repairing past skin damage!

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised that this product did not irritate my skin, as some retinol's strength can give you that burning sensation.  This one didn’t which is a plus for those that have sensitive skin or redness, like me. THUMBS UP!

Here are some other pointers that I got from Paula’s Choice website on the 
Resist 1% Retinol Booster
 (Their website has a full encyclopedia of advice for every type of skin care concern. Paula Begoun, the founder of Paula's Choice, is all about truth in beauty, skin care, ingredients and proven research.)

The dispenser that this product comes in allows you to measure out by the drop! Just press lightly on the top until one drop dispenses and tailor your moisturizer or serum to your desired strength.
  •     One Drop: A mild anytime anti-aging boost (AM and/or PM).
  •     Two Drops: The perfect moderate-strength PM treatment.
  •     Three Drops: Prescription-strength power for extra stubborn concerns.     
Paula's Choice Resist 1% Retinol Booster review by Barbie's Beauty Bits

Skin type: Normal to Oily/Combination Skin

The last step is a moisturizer & an SPF.  While,  I did use this moisturizer in combination with the retinol, I would like to let you know a bit about the product. 

If you don’t do anything to your skin, at least apply an SPF moisturizer.  Protecting your skin from the sun is SO IMPORTANT! Hydration is also essential, aiding to repair and strengthen your skin, so it looks and acts younger! And who doesn’t want younger looking skin?

So there you have it beauties, 5 Ways To Repair Damage Skin And Reduce Facial Redness with the help of Paula's Choice.  Make sure to keep checking back to see my followup on this skincare line, as I've only been using this for a few weeks.

And yes I know this was a long one, but for those of you who stuck around all the way to the end of this post, 
I do have a goodie for you! See offer below.
Click Here to get your 20% Off
Expires: Dec 31, 2015

20% off Paula's choice by barbies beauty bits


PLUS...Keep in mind Paula’s Choice is committed to customer advocacy, education and helping people find the best products for their skin. In fact, everyone can receive a FREE personal skincare consultation by calling this number: 1-800-831-4088! 

Until next time!  
Top Beauty Blogger Barbie's Beauty Bits