A few weeks ago, I was invited to a great afternoon among other beauty editors and beauty bloggers over lunch to talk about Olay’s new product launches!

The afternoon was made ever more enjoyable by the fact that we all met at the Jamie Kennedy restaurant located in the newly renovated Gardiner Museum.

International readers, if you do visit Toronto, you’ll want to make a stop at the Jamie Kennedy restaurant for lunch because the food is super delicious and the setting is so sleek. They have a patio that makes people watching a national sport. Trust me … you won’t be disappointed.

Obviously this afternoon wasn’t all about great food, we also had to talk about anti-aging skincare.

The mood was quite interesting at P & G because after quizzing a number of people working for the cosmetic giant about how the economy had affected their sales, I was told that consumers have flocked to P & G beauty products en masse (in great numbers) because consumers are now looking for anti-aging skincare that is more affordable that the $400 cream they might have been able to justify buying before the October 2008 market crash.

Again this morning, I got an industry report declaring that both Avon and Revlon (two other affordable skincare brands) have seen important decline in sales.

If you are trying to cut back on your beauty budget, then you’ll be excited about this new line of Olay products which are all quite reasonably priced.

Before I give you a list of products I’ve given Eleni and Daphne to review in the coming months, I wanted to point out that the special guest at the Olay lunch was dermatologist and frequent guest on the show Style by Jury Dr. Kucy Pon.

Dr. Pon did a presentation on the important of protecting the neck against sun damage (so many women forget to protect their neck and chest, aka décolleté area).

>>>> Here I am with Dr. Kucy Pon (I love that green on Dr. Pon!):

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Since there are so many great products to talk about with this new product launch, I wanted to give you a quick and dirty list, but I will let Eleni and Daphne’s reviews guide you better to determine which of the products Olay is launching you should consider buying for your anti-aging needs (let’s face it … winter is not that far for us living on the east coast)!

>>> Olay’s new anti-aging skincare products launching August 2009!

1) Olay Definity Neck & Chest Daily Restoration Treatment

2) Olay Regenerist SuperStructure Cream with SPF 25

3) Olay Sensitive Bar

4) Olay Purifying Mud Lathering Cleanser

5) Olay Quench Body Lotion Advanced Relief (fragrance-free with vitamin E & Vita-Niacin)

6) Olay Complete Ageless Rejuvenating Lathering Cleanser

7) Olay Complete Ageless Eye Brightening Cream

#8) Olay Complete Ageless Skin Renewing UV Lotion

>>> If you’ve had a chance of trying any of these products before we post the reviews, do come back and leave a comment to let us know what worked for you the best!

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The first 30 people to present this coupon at the Las Vegas International Esthetics, Cosmetics, and Spa Conference – booth 1910 will receive a free HydroPeptide Lash Revitalizer!

In a 56 day 34 woman independent consumer evaluation, 8 out of 10 users of HydroPeptide Lash felt their eyelashes looked fuller in just 4 weeks. 92 percent of women said their eyebrows appeared thicker and lusher, and 96 percent said their brows appeared fuller.

Just as impressive, 94 percent of participants said their eyelashes appeared to increase in length and 96 percent said their lashes appeared more thick, lush, and full.

Visual analog scores (VAS) demonstrated statistically significant increases after 4 weeks (46.05% and 45.68%), 6 weeks (93.42% and 90.12%) and 8 weeks (140.79% and 143.20%) in perceived eyelash/eyebrow thickness.

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Feature by our Editorial Assistant Colleen

It’s pretty annoying when I realize I don’t have any travel-sized toiletries before I leave for a trip.

Luckily, hotels usually have something that you can use but sometimes you have to go out and buy skincare products you like and know work for you.

I’ve just been introduced to Per-fékt Beauty and all of their skincare products are 3 oz or less!!!

There are three main gels that are part of this line: 1) skin perfection gel, 2) body perfection gel and 3) new eye perfection gel.

A detail that I really appreciate from this line that makes it a good candidate to bring on trips is that all their products are water, sweat and transfer resistant.

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The skin perfection gel comes out clear after a few seconds of blending it into your skin. Another bonus is that it feels super soft and you’ll notice how it evens your skin out. I would advise you not to put on too much because as my friend and I noticed, it starts to feel a little tight like your skin can’t breathe. So just put on a thin layer and you’ll notice the results almost instantly. There are vitamins A and E included in this product which also helps give your skin that ultra smooth feeling. There are four other colours if you don’t want to use the translucent one. The other colours are luminous (a light pink), radiant (more of a peach tone), rich (a light tan) and decadent (a browner tone). This gel goes for $57.50 USD/$65 CAD.

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This is a nice product to keep around or for when you’re travelling. There is nothing worse than having to stare in the mirror at dark circles. The Eye Perfection Gel claims that it will give you that coverage and at the same time it acts as a moisturizer. This gel also contains vitamins A and E and with ceramides (this an ingredient found in skin care that helps keep your skin’s natural water in) and cucumber extract (this is what actually helps take away the look of puffy eyes). For this product you have your choice between these four shades: clear (this is a good one when you normally find it hard to match your skin with colours), bright (a light natural shade, a good option for fair skin), refreshed (a medium beige tone) and vibrant (a darker tan shade). This is cheaper than the Skin Perfection Gel at $45USD (the product was out of stock at the Sephora boutique we consulted, but my guess is that it will be in the $50-$55 CAD range).

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This is an interesting one. Again, this Body Perfection Gel goes onto your body quite smoothly and leaves your skin feeling soft. The combination of many key ingredients are responsible for this effect: ceramides (like the Eye Perfection Gel) and shea butter that provide a slight glimmer. It gives a subtle airbrushed look that takes a little while to settle in. This product is a great substitute for bronzers and it comes in these three colours: brilliant (beige), golden (tan) and exotic (choclately brown). This is also a little less pricey than the Skin Perfection Gel at $48 USD/$52 CAD.

You can purchase all of these gels on their website or in Canada I’ve seen them available at Sephora.com.

The promise: “Breakthrough formula helps erase fine lines and wrinkles around eyes, mouth and neck – results can be seen immediately! Developed by plastic surgeon, Dr. Michelle Copeland, this intensive eye formula contains an exclusive anti-wrinkle complex for immediate results with continued improvement when used daily. Contains Argireline and Biopeptide (pentapeptide) for wrinkle reduction and firming. Also removes dark circles and puffiness around eyes.”

Really? If it works, I’m all for that!

Testing Dr. Michelle Copeland REWIND EYE FORMULA:

After cleansing my face, I applied a small amount of formula around my eyes and gently massaged it in. It can also be used on fine lines on the lips, and on the creases on the neck. I followed up with my regular eye cream and did this both morning and night.

The pump bottle forms a “plug” of dried formula each time I used this product and I had to wipe that away on a tissue every time I went to use the Rewind Eye Formula. As you might know from other reviews, I hate losing product because of bad design.

Did I see any results? I used this product morning and night for 4 weeks. Some of the fine lines around my eyes actually seemed less noticeable.

Would I buy it? I’d like to use it again, but feel that at $125 USD, it’s out of my budget range.

Would I replace my current eye product? Probably not, but I may have a weak moment and treat myself to the product again some time.

OVERALL REVIEW:

4-star15

Once those little, fine lines start settling in around the eyes, there’s NO turning back! Sun exposure, stress, diet, smoking, pollution and genetics all gang up on us. I don’t recall this ever being a topic of conversation while vacationing in the Caribbean sun many years ago, but I find myself having to deal with the outcome now…just like everyone else in my age group. If only there was no such thing as aging…

Thank goodness that so many beauty lines now offer full arrays of treatment products for the face, neck and eyes. I had the chance to try a really good eye cream recently – Elizabeth Grant Biocollasis Advanced Cellular Eye Cream.

Testing Elizabeth Grant – BioCollasis ADVANCED CELLULAR EYE CREAM:

It was very quick and easy to get noticeable results. Just scoop a very small amount of cream onto the spatula that’s included (to keep the cream clean and uncontaminated) and apply to the eye area using your ring finger from outer to inner corner underneath the eye. Gently massage around eye area twice daily. Even though the cream is thick and rich, it absorbed well and quickly so that I could get on with applying my make-up each morning.

Did I see any results? A softened, hydrated look around the eyes that lasts all day. It’s not greasy at all and leaves the eye area looking less lined. I thought it was great and it really worked for me as long as I applied it twice daily.

Would I buy it? YES

Would I replace my current eye cream? I THINK I JUST DID.

Price: $90.00 (at ElizabethGrant.com) or $59.99 (Shopping Channel)

OVERALL REVIEW:

4-star16

I have to admit that I have more of an issue with lines around my eyes than puffiness but I was interested in trying this nifty new product containing vitamin B and caffeine just to see what would happen. I wanted the “refreshed, awakened eyes” promised in the instructions on the side of the box.

Testing the Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew anti-puff eye roller:

I gently rolled this serum under my eyes from the inner to outer corner as instructed. It felt so cool and soothing that I kept doing it for longer than the one or two times recommended. There was no change in the look of my under eye area even after three days.

Then I came to the realization that I’d have to make my eyes actually puffy and tired looking in order to give this product a fair chance. What better way to do that than a whole night of drinking wine, listening to loud DJ music and chasing down model/waiters for hors d’oeuvres at The Gap’s VIP shopping event a few weeks ago (readers – please know that I will always sacrifice myself and take one for the team when it comes to testing new products and writing up an honest review).

That did it – I had the required bags and puffiness the next morning. The roller ball felt so good when I used it to smooth down the puffiness and my make-up went on neatly after that.

Did I see any results?

I did see a subtle improvement in the puffiness. It seemed to really work. The dark circles weren’t totally gone, but they looked somewhat better after a few days and my concealer did a great job on that as well.

Would I buy it? I would use it during the party season in November and December or if puffiness became a full time issue.

Would I replace my current eye product? No – I really need something more hydrating at this stage in my life, but this is certainly a good little fix to use as needed.

The Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew anti-puff eye roller retails for $18.99 CAD/$12.99 USD

OVERALL REVIEW:

3-star1

As, I was flipping the pages of a British magazine, I noticed another Boots product that was creating quite a stir: Boots Botanics Moisturising Eye Cream.

Boots Botanics Moisturising Eye Cream’s grape-rich formula addresses the three major pet peeves of many women when it comes to aging and eye care: dark circles, morning puffiness, and the beginnings of fine lines. Boots Botanics Moisturising Eye Cream not only addresses those issues, it also adds a hint of light-reflecting sparkle to keep the area looking bright throughout the day.

You can use Boots Botanics Moisturising Eye Cream during the day as a way to keep the skin around your eyes well hydrated and you can also use it at night as way of diminishing swollen and puffy eyes in the morning.

Boots Botanics Moisturising Eye Cream is obviously available in the U.K., it’s also now available in the US at Target stores and many online beauty shops for a meager $13.99, but it’s not yet available at the Canadian Boots central: Shopper’s Drug Mart. For now, Canadians will either have to shop online to their hands on Boots Botanics Moisturising Eye Cream or wait for a trip to the US.

He was horrified by how old he seemed to look because he had not been able to sleep properly. Andrew is most likely in his mid-forties (I never asked, but I’m guessing) and has a body of a demi-Greek God. Regardless of how much of a toned and shapely body Andrew possesses, his eyes told a whole different story when we chatted.

The sad truth is that your eyes are most likely one of the first features that get noticed by other people. So if they look tired, then you’ll tend to look a bit older (and drained out) than you actually are.

Trust me, even as a beauty editor, I sometimes wake up and look at myself in the mirror and think: God I look 15 years older this morning and I urgently need an ice bath to get rid of those bags.

As you age, if you’re not well rested, your eyes will be the first dead giveaway of your nocturnal tossing and turning or your wild party nights.

Now, it’s true that for some people having puffy eyes, bags, dark circles are more genetic than a sign of cutting out on your sleep.

So why does aging shows so vividly around your eyes?

That tired look may sometimes be more than just insufficient sleep, for so many people, eight hours of sleep is still not enough to correct the look of aging around the eyes because the combination of loose skin, weakened muscle and tendons, and bags around the eyes can make you look tired, sad or older than your age.

Now, just like everything else, lifestyle can greatly increase the rate at which aging shows around the eyes: excessive exposure to the sun, alcohol, smoking, poor nutrition, lack of use of sunscreen can accelerate these signs of aging.

There are a number of non-invasive cosmetic treatments that can be use to correct the signs of aging around the eyes, but in some cases, the only effective solution to reducing that constant look of tiredness is to consult a plastic surgeon for a blepharoplasty (eye surgery).

A blepharoplasty can take 5 to 10 years off of your look. The key element is to make sure you have a good discussion with your plastic surgeon to ensure that not too much skin is removed around the eyes because as you age you lose fat tissue all over your face and if the doctor removes too much tissue you might end up with that look of constant surprise — a bit like country super star singer Kenny Rodgers after his blepharoplasty (he has reportedly openly said that he was not that happy with his eyelid surgery).

If you’re not yet ready to consult a plastic surgeon, there are some eye creams and gels that will greatly help keep the skin around your eyes moisturized:

Eye mask to remove puffiness around your eyes

Guerlain’s Orchidée Impériale anti-aging line

Yves St Laurent’s Temps Majeur

Garnier Ultra Lift eye cream: #1 seller in the U.K.

Kinerase: A skin care line with high levels of Kinetin

Reducing dark circles around the eyes

A serum that reduces fine lines and dark circles?

Jurlique Eye Gel

Photo by Pσrcelαΐηgΐrl°

When you are looking into new products, one of the easiest ways of narrowing down your options is to see which the most popular sellers are. It doesn’t automatically mean they’ll be the right ones for your skin and aging concerns, but it’s certainly a good starting point. From there you’ll have to deal with a few trials and errors before finding the perfect products that best suit your needs.

I decided to see what French women were doing and which products where their favourites. I consulted Elle France … which is like a beauty bible to see what French women were buying to deal with aging skin.
Most of the products below are readily available in North American department stores and at Sephora … some like Helena Rubinstein are only available in Europe and Asia. That said, most of these are available from reputable online skin care stores.

So which products made the grade?

France’s most popular anti-aging creams

1. Clarins ‘Contouring Facial Lift/Lift Minceur Visage’

2. Helena Rubinstein ‘Hydra Genius’ (Until 2004, you could find Helena Rubinstein skin care products in North American, but they no longer sell on this side of the Atlantic. Their new spokesperson is the beautiful Demi Moore)

3. Guerlain ‘Super Aqua Day’

4. Lancôme ‘Bienfait Multi-Vital’

5. Payot ‘Crème De Choc/Skin Booster with Cacao extract and Royal Jelly’

6. Biotherm ‘Age Fitness Power Z’

7. Nuxe ‘First Wrinkle Face Cream/Crème Nirvanesque’

8. Elizabeth Arden ‘Ceramide Plump Perfect’

9. Shiseido ‘Bio-Performance’

10. Lierac ‘Hydra-Chrono Anti-Aging Hydration’

11. Caudalie ‘Fluide IP8 Hydratant Bonne Mine’

12. Estée Lauder ‘DayWear Plus’

13. Yves Saint Laurent ‘Comfort Hydrating Water Creme/Hydra Feel Créme d’eau Hydratante Confort’

France’s most popular eye cream

When it came to eye creams, there were a couple that could only be found in France … so we featured the ones that could be easily found in North America and those you can easily find if you’re travelling to Europe any time soon.

1. Clarins ‘Super Lift eye Serum/Serum Lift Contour des yeux’

2. Christian Dior ‘Capture R60/80’ eye cream

3. Guerlain ‘Super Aqua’

France’s most popular serums

French women are not skimping when it comes to serums. They are fully aware of the rejuvenating properties of a good night’s rest combined with a powerful night-time facial serum.

Here are their picks:

1. Lierac ‘Deridium Serum Concentrate/Deridium Concentré Végéta’

2. Helena Rubinstein ‘C Genius Serum’

3. Darphin ‘Stimulskin Plus’

4. Cinq Mondes ‘Elixir Précieux Éclat’

This is the season of late nights, early mornings and maybe one of two extra drinks than usual. All elements to ensure that you’ll wake up the next morning with the tell-tale signs of a wild night. If you want to keep the parties going while never letting anyone know that you’ve been living off of a few hours of sleep each night, you might want to consider adding the Talika Eye Decompress patch to your beauty regime.

Talika Eye Decompress refreshes, soothes, relieves congestion and revitalizes tired eyes.
Another great advantage to Talika Eye Decompress is that it’s easy and quick to use. You simply need to place a cotton capsule into a tiny pool of Talika’s blue miracle agent, and it instantly expands into an eye mask. You place the mask on your eye lids for about 5 minutes and voila – you’ve concealed the evidence of some good-time partying until the next party!

To find locations in the United States, Canada and U.K., simple check their “selling-point” page. You’ll have to put in the country and it will give you a long list of options.

If you are an international reader, you can also find some relief from puffy eyes, by simply choosing your location to find the nearest distributor to where you live or travel.

The nine-pack treatment retails for about $34. Do keep in mind that prices will vary depending on where you buy them.

It a well known fact that the skin around the eyes deserves special attention because it’s so much thinner and so much more delicate than the skin on the rest of the face.

British women are getting that message loud and clear and that’s why in 2006, Garnier’s Ultra Lift eye cream became the anti-aging treatment most British women turned to than anything else to fight the signs of aging around their eyes.

Garnier’s formula uses pure essence of ginger to leave the skin around the eyes devoid of creases in about 30 days. Firmer and smoother looking, all the while significantly reducing the appearance of deeper wrinkles.

Britain might be flocking to Garnier’s Ultra Lift eye cream because it’s readily available in most drugstores/pharmacies and in the cosmetic section of many supermarkets and the price is quite affordable compared to eye creams and eye gels than can run in the order of several hundreds of dollars.

Until you try it, you won’t know if it works well at addressing your anti-aging concerns. That said, the low entry cost makes it easy and painless on the wallet.

The 15 ml/0.5oz tube retails for ₤8.99 in London. In America, you’ll find the tube for less than $15; in Canada, you’ll find it at less than $17 at pharmacies like Shoppers Drug Mart.