.:: CybeleSays ::.

I was at a BBQ over the weekend and got to talking with a few girls about beauty (go figure) and face exoliants and what makes for a good one. One of the girls said all the ones she tried were much too harsh and irritating until she discovered the Daily Microfoliant from DERMALOGICA. This was odd timing as I had used it three times in the past few weeks and didn’t think it really did much for my skin but this girl swore up and down that it worked for her and that she has super sensitive skin.

It comes in a powder form you mix with water and uses a unique rice-base enzyme powder to exfoliate. It also has salicylic acid and a special skin brightening complex as well as a blend of green tea, ginkgo and Colloidal Oatmeal. So maybe that’s the secret with this one – since my skin is quite normal acting, it just doesn’t do much for me? Not sure but I'm going to keep on using it as she really was super into it. What about you? Have you tried this one? $50/2.6oz @ dermalogica.com.

If you are a regular reader of the site, you’ve heard me stress the importance of using a scrub that has round beads and not jagged ones. Thankfully there are a lot of them to choose from and I’m here to point  you in the right direction of another good one. SANITAS Lemon Cream Scrub not only uses teeny, tiny round silica crystals to exfoliate but it also has to good-for-skin ingredients inside it like jojoba oil, Hyaluronic Acid to soften and vitamins E and C.

What I am liking about this line, which means good health in Latin, is that they know balance is key, as in pH balance. And to do this, they use Biogenic ingredients, which are ones found in biology and naturally in the skin. So not only do they balance it out, but they are just enhancing what our body already makes. And the natural lemon oil inside is a nice way to help me welcome spring!

I’ll let you know if I try any other products from this line.

$32/5oz @ sanitas-skincare.com for purchase locations.

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided to Cybelesays.com for review purposes.

Who says that beauty products have to come in a liquid form? What about those that come in a powder and you add the water? There’s no need for preservatives, you will always be assured that it will be fresh, and they usually have a lot fewer ingredients. Enter new line ANTHROSPA LOGIC. The Founder is a Cultural Anthropologist and was inspired by traditional practices from around the world. And because she sources the organic ingredients in the powder form, there’s no need for nasty preservatives thus no expiration date!

And as I’ve said before, simpler is just better in most cases. Take their Cleansing Renewal Face Rub. The ingredients are: Oryza sativa (rice) bran, milk, Saponaria officinalis, Mentha viridis (spearmint), oil, pearl powder, guar gum (a natural thickener). The rice bran is an ingredient used by the Geishas and contains some major anti-oxidants and vitamins and the pearl powder was used by the Chinese as a major anti-aging ingredient. I’ve used it about 8 times now and I found it very easy on the skin and not drying at all and the spearmint oil is a nice antiseptic that makes me think of Doublemint Gum! $42.50/2.5oz @ anthrospa.com.

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided to Cybelesays.com for review purposes.

Isn’t it nice when you find a brand that not only makes a great product but it’s something you too can believe in it? The new-to-me line is called BY NIEVES and each handmade product is created in the San Francisco area. I tried the Face Fix ($32/4oz @ bynieves.com) and this is one that comes in the dry form, so no preservatives, and can be used as a face scrub or a face mask. And yes, I’m a fan of the ingredients: Organic White Willow, Licorice, Horsetail, Rose Petal, Comfrey, Chamomile, Orange Peel, Lavender, Grapefruit Peel, Lavender, Neem Leaf, Bladderwrack (of course I had to look this one up! It’s a seaweed found in the North Sea), Rosehip Powders, White Kaolin Clay and Jojoba Beads. Quite a few of these are really soothing to sensitive skin so if that’s you, you might want to consider this one. I can’t wait to try out other products in her line!

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided to Cybelesays.com for review purposes.

I know the date is only September 4 but for some reason I got really excited for fall the other day. I think it had something to do with QVC hocking Halloween candles because just last week I was so basking in the sweet smells and temps of summer. Ahh, to be female!

So why all this talk about fall? I recently tried CLIENTELE’s Elastology Thermal Pumpkin Facial Scrub and it understandably makes me think of cooler temps and seasonal scents! This is one of those heat-up masks that will warm as you rub your hands together under water. It’s made with natural pumpkin enzymes, a fruit extract called Lactobacillus to help with the exfoliation and it also contains apple and honey extracts and vitamin C. And it even has lycopene, which helps support the skin from the inside in the fight against aging. Will you be welcoming the new season with this one? $35/4oz @ clientelebeauty.com.

This product contains two preservatives, Propylparaben and Diazolindyl Urea, which are seen by some as ingredients of concern. Read more here and here.

Read my ingredient disclaimer here.

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided to Cybelesays.com for review purposes.

If you are feeling the need to shed your summer skin now that we are moving into fall, I have a suggestion when it comes to the face. J’AI OF BEVERLY HILLS Balancing Scrub ($40/2oz @ jaibeverlyhills.com) is short on ingredients and big on delivery. The ingredient list opens with Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, which I like and the formula also contains a pro Vitamin B5, avocado oil and in the middle of the list is their own Diamond Crystal Complex, which is the particles that are used to exfoliate. Upon further investigation, I found out that they are irregularly surfaced diamond crystals that roll over the skin. So in other words, the complex is safe to use on the delicate skin of the face and you know what a stickler I am about using round spheres if you are going to use a face exfoliator! And I’ve also been using it on the backs of my hands as they show age too.

So how does it work? Pretty well. The exfoliating particles are pretty dense and the fact that the emulsion  contains some good-for-skin-ingredients helps me give this one an overall grade of B+.

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided to Cybelesays.com for review purposes.

There are two types of exfoliators – manual with physical molecules and chemical like this next one. JURLIQUE Fruit Enzyme Exfoliator ($45/1.7oz @ jurlique.com) is fruit-based and uses a native Australian Desert Fruit Complex (you wouldn’t recognize the names of them if I listed them here as a few of them sound more like rare animals from the outback!), and pumpkin enzymes among others to clarify the skin and improve its texture. And because fruit contains natural alpha hydroxy enzymes and citric acid, it promotes cell turnover. Out with the old and in with the new!

And the absolute best part about this is that it doesn’t require any work on your part, as in, no scrubbing, which I always worry about over scrubbing. Just apply a thin layer on the face, neck and décolletage, avoiding the eyes, leave on for 5 minutes and rinse. On a whole, I seem to come across what I consider the manual ones than the chemical ones and this one was a nice change of pace.

And I got to pay attention to this line. Did you know that a lot of the ingredients that are in their products are harvested right on their Southern Australian farm? They grow over 35 different varieties of plants and flowers that they then use in the products. How often can a line say this?

Disclosure: The following item was provided to Cybelesays.com for review purposes.

At the end of the day, do you really pay attention to only wearing a collection’s products altogether? What I mean by that is, this eye shadow comes from the A/W ’09, can I only wear it with a lipstick from that same collection? Since the MAC line comes out with collections at lightning speed and we can barely keep up, see the below collage of our fave picks from the latest - Dazzleglass Crème, Style Black and Trend F/W ’09.

Dazzleglass Crème ($18) in Totally Fab (bright yellow red w/pearl), Amorous (deep brown red w/pearl), and My Favorite Pink (light blue pink w/pearl).

Tone: Grey Palette ($36) – Tone: Grey (pale green grey), A Warmer White (dirty grey), Waft (dark smokey blue grey), The Right Smoke (rich blue w/white pearl). Lipstick ($36) in Red Full Stop (bright neon coral).

Mattene Lipstick $14.50) in Midnight Media (dense matter black), Volcanic Ash Exfoliator ($19.50/3.4oz), Mineralize Eyeshadow ($19.50) in Young Punk (mineralize black w/pinkish purple pearl), Nail Lacquer ($12) in Seriously Hip (black w/gold particle pearl).

Wow, that was a lot. Ok, bring on the Holiday products!! All @ maccosmetics.com.

The words gentle and exfoliating seem at opposite sides of the spectrum. I’ve had a few readers tell me they can’t even consider exfoliating their face because their skin is so sensitive. But these two get married in a very gentle way in one you may want to consider if you are in the aforementioned category. The WEXLER line just came out with a whole line made for sensitive skin types and this Gentle Exfoliating Peel ($35/1oz @ bathandbodyworks.com) from it uses a blend of Salicylic and Lactic Acids to remove dead skin and their trademark anti-aging ingredient, MMPi20, among others.

This one is a little different than what you are used to. This is a work-a-pea-sized-amount-into-the-skin-no-rinsing. Apply before moisturizer.

Now I know what it feels like to be a man and shave my face! Well not actually shave, but at least go through the same motions with NEUTROGENA’s Wave Power-Cleanser and Deep Clean Foaming Pads ($11.99 for starter kit w/14 pads, $7.49/10-pack refill pads @ drugstore.com). It’s a waterproof colorful vibrating face cleansing gadget with cleansing pads that cleans and removes dead skin. So really, this should be put in the exfoliation category, as in, I wouldn’t use it everyday. On the other hand, after age 30, the skin’s process of shedding naturally slows down so maybe use this a few times a week and see how your face does with it. They also say it’s really gentle so again, test it and be your own judge of how often to use it. I just know how fun it is to use.