glowing vs. blotchy: walking a fine line[** written B.A. = before annabel! **]the other day in clinic at around 37 weeks, one of the immensely nice and flattering nurses told me that i looked like a “teen mom.” umm, what? come on, i’m less than 4 years away from the lovely advanced maternal age!
but i AM short. it’s amazing how being relatively petite can lead to comments like that one [and i am NOT complaining!], and i suppose maybe i could pass for a character in an MTV reality show — from about 50 feet away. but sadly, i’m pretty sure that my skin tells a markedly different story from up close.
pregnancy led to some interesting changes, too. i was incredibly lucky not to get any acne, which i had occasional issues with pre-gestation [i guess in that ONE respect, my skin has held on to some degree of teen status]. but the hormone surges brought plenty of redness, a few broken capillaries, and a more uneven tone than i’m used to.
i have to admit i am pretty lazy when it comes to my skincare routine. in 2010, i actually RESOLVED to do better [my 30th birthday was coming and i was scared!]. but the more involved regimen i chose ended up causing breakouts — and i decided i was better off doing less.
as in, nothing other than a daily face wash in the shower.
i am not makeup free by any means [i rarely leave the house without at least doing my eyes], but because of breakout fears, i don’t tend to wear foundation even though i’ve reached at the age where it probably would look nicer if i did. even worse, i don’t wear sunscreen on a routine basis [and i realize how bad that is!]. so when i was offered to review a product that was designed to correct tone, moisturize, protect against aging AND provide SPF, i was enticed.
the prouduct
here’s what i was sent for review:
total effects anti-aging tone corrector moisturizer
it comes in 3 shades, and i selected fair-to-light, because even with the added preggo GLOW my overall shade is still pretty pale. the information that came with the product made some impressive promises:
1. Line Minimization: Reduces the appearance of fine wrinkles
2. Nourishing Moisturization: For a radiant, healthy glow
3. Tone Enhancement: Balances color and reduces appearance of age spots
4. Gentle exfoliation: Smoothes and evens skin texture
5. Eye Puffiness Reduction: Massages to reduce the appearance of eye puffiness
6. Free Radical Defense: Helps prevent damage to skin’s surface
7. Dryness Defense: Reduces the appearance of dryness
i especially liked the idea of #5. a big thumbs-down to eye-puffiness! of note, it’s also SPF15, which is — well, at least 15 times better than my current routine.
my experience
i liked the idea this was not a full-coverage foundation, but more of a moisturizer + skintone-corrector in one.
see? sort of an ice cream swirl effect
you could see the products mixing as they are dispensed:
the product felt very light going on, and blended in very well with my skintone — probably because it really is a sheer formulation and is not meant to mimic foundation. my skin was left feeling soft and i didn’t really notice it was there later in the day — a problem i’ve had with other SPF/moisturizing products when greasiness sets in hours after the application.
as to the tone-correcting claims — i think it actually did help a little. it provided just a bit more evenness to my skin tone without the sensation or look of an opaque full-coverage foundation. and after several days of use, i haven’t had issues with any breakouts [though for whatever reason, the pregnancy may be protective to me in this regard!].
overall impressions
overall, i really do like this product and i plan on continuing to use it! i really like that it serves multiple purposes without looking or feeling heavy, and ESPECIALLY that it is SPF15 so that i can protect my skin like a responsible [and fine, moderately vain] adult.
post-AM routine snapshot by josh
spreading the love
i am happy to announce that this post is also a giveaway — featuring a $50 visa gift card courtesy of olay + blogher! one of you will get to spend it on a new skincare regimen . . . or anything you desire, really. in order to enter the drawing, just leave a comment with one way you make time to care for your skin.Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.This giveaway is open to U.S. Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by email. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.The Official Rules are available here. This sweepstakes runs from 4/9 – 5/16Be sure to visit the Olay TE page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win! While we’re on the subject of looking good, you might want to check out the “Looking Your Best” posts in the Life Well Lived section of BlogHer.com. There are some great tips and expert posts!I was compensated and provided free product for this post. The opinions expressed herein are my own.
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