Romy Raves

I just had to throw that in for you Sound of Music fans Being a beauty blogger, I am constantly asked about which products are my favorite, that’s like asking a mother which of her children she loves best. It’s impossible and unfair to choose, yet I often find certain products that stand out above the rest, ones that I find myself addicted to, love at first trial, can’t get enough of, etc. So following is Part One of a list of new products that I currently adore:

It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye This is an amazing full coverage, waterproof, highly pigmented concealer that offers insane coverage (it even conceals bruising and swelling!), won’t cling to fine lines and wrinkles and it stays put. It also contains high concentrations of Vitamins K, A, C, E and collagen which reduces under eye puffiness and discoloration while strengthening the delicate skin of the under eye area. This concealer is genius, works wonders on my bags and dark circles, and I am totally obsessed with it!!

Golden Door Eye Gel with Vitamin K This is a wonderfully hydrating, skin-firming eye treatment gel that helps reduce the appearance of dark circles, fine lines, and puffiness. It contains peptides, amino acids, and plant extracts such as Vitamin K, Spirulina, and Aloe Vera Extract which together deliver instant and visibly noticeable results. I have recently dabbled into the world of fillers, and am especially loving how this product accelerates the healing of the swelling and bruising under my eyes after my injections.

Repechage Eye Rescue Pads If you haven’t noticed by now, I am obsessed with eye products because in all honesty this is my most problematic area. These fabulous eye freshening pads instantly cool and offer soothing relief for my tired, puffy, irritated eyes. The pads contain seaweed and four types of natural teas which work together to hydrate, replenish, refresh and deliver anti-aging ingredients that rejuvenate the eyes in just ten minutes. I use these pads every Sunday along with my facial mask du jour and adore how refreshed and supple my undereye area looks.

Kaplan MD Sheer Berry Lip 20 Moisture Therapy + SPF This is a dermatologist formulated lip treatment that moisturizes, contours, plumps, and protects all-in-one. LIP 20 contains 10 active ingredients to help prevent aging, including: SPF 20 sunburn protection, highly moisturizing seabuckthorn berry extract,  hyaluronic filling spheres which immediately smooth fine lines and wrinkles, and patented peptides and marine collagen to contour and redefine the lip line. I love the sheer color, fullness, moisturizing, and how this product makes my lips feel. I also adore the super cool high tech James Bond looking packaging.

Buddha Balm in Crushed Mint Pineapple Buddha Balm is a yummy flavorful soy based lip balm that contains vitamins, nutrients and essential fatty acids. These yummy balms come in a variety of hip trendy flavors like Crushed Mint Pineapple, Lychee Pomegranate, Mandarin Orange Ginger and Burnt Sugar Fig which are all designed to awaken (Buddha translated means “awaken”) the senses and promote awareness. I love the tasty sweet flavors of these balms and especially adore that they are handmade locally in Los Angeles-I love supporting local businesses!

Even though I am California girl and am blessed with living in this beautiful mild climate, winter time still wreaks havoc on my skin. I tend towards normal to dry during most of the year, but during winter and I am even drier and my skin gets flaky and a bit sensitive–and it is buggy and annoying. So now more than ever I need effective yet gentle exfoliating products and great hydrating products to keep my skin smooth, moist, supple and well hydrated–and a couple of Kate Somerville’s fabulous products are really doing the trick right now and I’d like to share them with you.

 Mirco Glycolic Polisher ($90)

This is a professional-strength treatment peel (this is used on celebs in the KS Clinic BTW) that contains a wonderful combo of glycolic and lactic acid which gently exfoliates, resurfaces and restores the skins texture. It also contains blue lotus extract which has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant benefits to calm the skin and fight against free-radical damage.

The reason I am loving this product so much is because it does a wonderful job of exfoliating my skin in a very gentle yet effective way.You can put this peel on your skin for a few minutes (no scrubbing necessary this is a non-abrasive exfoliator) and instantly see a smoother texture–however a KS insider recommended leaving this product on overnight and the results in the AM are AMAZING. After a night time application of the Micro Glycolic Polisher, my skin is soft, smooth, even toned and free of my pesky dry winter skin. Genius!

Quench Hydrating Face Serum ($65)

This is a Kate Somerville cult favorite product because it has a superior hydrating complex that locks in water so your skin stays quenched 24/7. It also contains the most advanced form of Vitamin A which counteracts aging for a more youthful appearance. This magical product gives your skin continuous hydration and a gorgeous, glowing dewy complexion.

This is my all time fav KS product because it truly delivers constant moisture to the skin. I especially love this product in winter because my skin is starved for hydration and this really does the trick. I use it immediately after cleansing and then apply my moisturizer on top which results in luminous, happy, hydrated and healthy looking skin. This product ROCKS! You can find all of these wonderful Kate Somerville products HERE. Got winter skin fixes? Please share and post here.

Several months ago at the LA Make-Up Show, I got turned on to a wonderful line of professional quality make-up products developed by Alison Raffaele (a celebrity make-up artist who worked and trained under Bobbi Brown.) What I love about her products are that they are environmentally friendly, paraben free, and most exciting to me is that they contain anti aging ingredients (its like getting two products in one!)

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My favorite product in her line is the Age Response Primer with SPF 15 which contains Frutta di Vita, a proprietary blend of time released antioxidants that shelters the skin from damaging free radicals, promotes collagen production, increases skin elasticity, visibly reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles AND it also provides both UVA/UVB protection–pretty amazing for a primer, right? Well, I must say that while I am not a cosmetic chemist, whatever additional active ingredients she is putting in her primer seems to make all the difference in the world in terms of how my skin feels and how my make-up wears over time. And for all of you girls that are prone to being shiny, she also has an Acne Response version of this primer that has additional ingredients that controls oil and fights blemishes too.

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What I love about this primer is how it feels silky smooth and moisturizing as soon as it touches my skin, my foundation applies beautifully over it and the staying power and look of my make-up throughout the day (or night) is truly amazing. I love the way it warms with my skin and makes my face look even better as time marches forward (could this be the 12+ hour time released antioxidants? Who knows, but I look damn good!).

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In all honesty, I have never really been a big fan of primers, often feeling like they are a waste of time and money, but after being ‘wowed’ by Alison Raffaele’s primer I think I am a new convert. What about you?

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Why not give it a try because Romy’s Raves readers get 20% off any purchase at http://www.alisonraffaele.com/ when you enter ‘ARC20′ at checkout in the coupon code area (the code is case sensitive and must be in all caps FYI). And let me know what you think and how your skin feels, and post your pics too!