Bare Escentuals RareMinerals Skin Revival Treatment, $60

As I mentioned in my last entry, I bought a kit from Bare Escentuals that included an array of their products. The RareMinerals Skin Revival Treatment that can be found at Sephora is bigger than the sample sized one pictured here (0.15oz vs. 0.05oz). The color I got is Clear, which is meant for all skin tones.

The treatment is a little canister filled with concentrated minerals that are deposited with a little pouf. The minerals are meant to transform your skin overnight, fixing wrinkles, sun damage, pore size, blemishes, skin texture . . . basically everything. That's a lot to promise, but hey, for $60 it better do a lot! To use, you click it to "open" and rub the pouf on your skin in a circular motion, buffing away imperfections. The minerals work on your skin while you sleep.

I've used it pretty consistently for about a week now. The pouf is really soft and gentle, and it feels nice on sensitive skin. However, it's honestly hard to tell anything is coming out--well, except that the top turned from white to beige. Sometimes I'll kind of tap it on my skin to make sure some powder puffs up. If anything, at least the pouf is increasing circulation and buffing away some dead skin cells.

After I put it on, my skin feels softer, smoother, and less oily. It doesn't do much to cover the blemishes, but I don't really care because I'm going to sleep! I think if you got one in a color closer to your skin tone it might make a more noticeable difference.

So, does it work? I don't really know. The first night I used it I had a huge zit on my chin. The next morning it was obviously much smaller. I got excited, but I don't know if it's done much since then. I've had some breakouts after that and it hasn't done much for them. Maybe I need to use it for a longer time to see more results?

Final verdict
Cost: $60. Ouch. You can find it on Amazon for around $45, or try it in a kit (they have new ones often).
Texture: Right after using it my skin does feel soft and velvety, but not miraculously so. It would probably be easy on sensitive skin.
Fix-all?: Sigh, I don't know. My main problem is breakouts, and while it did help a little, it wasn't perfect by any means. I wonder if I have to use it for a longer period of time, or if it's not really meant for my skin problems.
Repeat offender?: No, I wouldn't buy this again. I'll use this until it's gone (or until I think it's gone . . . it's hard to tell) and hopefully it will do a little something, but I kind of doubt it. Bummer!

Our giveaway is still going strong! Can't wait to announce the winner on Monday! We're so excited about it that we're extending the deadline--you now have until Sunday night at 11:59pm to enter.

<3,
-T

"Prepping Pretty Spring Skin," a guest post by Sarah Logan

When the sun finally begins to warm our faces again, and the world slowly looks a little greener, we always feel the need to freshen up our looks a bit. In an enthusiastic hurry to apply this season’s bright makeup colors, we may forget to stop and realize that the most important step is good skincare for a clean, smooth base. After the cold wind, dry heating systems, and dark days are done with our faces, most of us go into springtime looking a little dull.

To bring your face back to life, there are some basics that always help whether you’re at a spa or your bathroom sink. Firstly, be sure to exfoliate: it can be as simple as adding salt (for oily skin) or sugar (for dry skin) to your face wash or buying one with exfoliating beads in it. It always helps to add a product that exfoliates on the chemical level--with something like fruit enzymes or hydroxy acids--into your regimen for added results. Having microdermabrasion done at a medical or day spa is an option that will provide deep exfoliation beyond what you can do at home. Particles of usually either diamond or crystal are applied by a sand blasting technique or with a rotating wand textured with these particles. This treatment freshens and resurfaces with a more dramatic result than home treatments.(photo courtesy of internationalorange.com)
Second, you need to continuously moisturize to have skin perfect for makeup application. If you’re getting a facial at a spa, that’s great because they will both exfoliate and moisture your skin while you’re there. At home, be sure you’re using a formula appropriate for your skin type, like a gel for oily skin, a thicker cream for dry, or something in between. Some of the face lotions with radiance/skin brightening ingredients are perfect for dewy spring skin, and are a nice boost for any look.
(photo courtesy of fourseasonsdentalspa.com)
If we just take a little extra care in reviving skin at this time of year, the reward will be a complexion that’s more awake and well-textured. Your face will look flawless all season long!

Content provided by Sarah Logan on behalf of Aesthetic Science Institute (ASI). ASI is a beauty school for new students interested in a career in aesthetics and licensed aestheticians interested in advanced aesthetics training and certification.

Do you have some great beauty advice or an awesome product you'd like to share? Email us at sweetglowbeauty (at) gmail(dot)com and we'd love to feature you!

Benefit "Honey...Snap Out of It!" Scrub, $28

I was in the market for a new exfoliating scrub so I decided to try Benefit's "Honey...Snap Out of It!" Scrub, a "morning exfoliating facial cleanser " that "exfoliates and vacuum cleans your skin with soft almonds." The scrub is thick and creamy with (what I assume to be) bits of almond for exfoliating. The smell is really nice, very much like the Burt's Bees almond cream but slightly subdued. I was surprised at the size--5 oz. is actually kind of a lot for something you use 2-3 times a week.

The cool thing about this is that you can use it as an exfoliating scrub (obvs) or you can leave it on and use it as a mask:

1. Smooth the product onto your (dry) skin, avoiding the eye area.
2. Chill out, read a book, watch TV, and let your face dry up (Benefit says for 3 minutes, I left it on for, like, 10 minutes).
3. When you're ready to rinse, first moisten your fingers and use them to work the scrub into your skin, moving in little circles. (Note: This part feels awesome--your skin's all tight from the mask and then with the water the scrub gets all creamy. It feels like it's really getting into your pores.)
4. Use a warm, wet washcloth to remove the mask.
5. Rinse with a little warm water to remove any residue.
6. Rinse with a splash of cool water to close your pores.

I can see why they suggest using it in the morning! After using this my skin feels tight, clean, glowing, and not too dry (definitely not irritated). I don't even want to moisturize because it feels all nice and balanced.

Final Verdict
Cost: $28 is a normal price for Benefit products and a pretty mid-range price for higher end skincare. I don't normally spend this much for skincare but maybe I'll think of it as a nice little treat. At-home facials make it worth it! :)
Product: Thick, creamy, smells nice (mmm almonds), and good sized scrubbing pieces.
Versatility: Can be used as a scrub or a mask, and is made for all skin types.
Repeat offender: I would buy this again. It feels really nice while it's on and leaves my skin feeling super clean and fresh. I would buy more products from Benefit--have had good luck so far!

-T

Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask, $52 (3.4 oz bottle)

I received a sample bottle of this from one of my many online Sephora purchases and I kind of threw it to the side until now. I finally decided to try the Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask by Bliss because my skin felt like it needed some serious TLC. First off let me begin by saying this is the first Bliss product I’ve ever tried on my skin and I definitely didn’t hate it. The smell of this stuff is fantastic, it is a combination of citrus (a strong grapefruit) and super freshness—the mask smells so clean.


The product comes out of a pump top as a gel and the idea is to massage the gel onto your damp skin and the gel foams and continues to froth as you let it stand on your skin for about 5 minutes. I like the idea of a gel/foam mask because those sticky pealing masks always freak me out. The foam washes off leaving your skin soft, glowing, and refreshed. Like any facial does, if you have any dirt or potential blackheads, whiteheads, or zits the mask might bring them up.

Final verdict:
Cost: $52 for a full size bottle (3.4 oz). The bottle in the pictures is only .34 oz so the full bottle is way larger and will lost a lot longer. A little bit of the mask still foams up significantly.
Does it work?: The product claims to deliver oxygen to the skin and brighten the actual tone. I only used it a handful of time and my skin definitely felt and looked like it had been treated to some fancy stuff.
Skin types: I have normal to dry skin so for me this worked well and did not try out my skin.
Repeat offender?: To be honest I don’t usually spend this much on a facial cleanser but if I felt like splurging I’d probably jump the gun and get this mask again.
-M