Beauty must-have: Skin-Absolute by Filorga

Filorga Skin-Absolute Night

I’m an avid fan of Filorga since 1997 I believe, when I discovered for the first time.
Filorga has the most amazing Mesotherapy Treatments which are now only offered by Medical Aesthetic Centres and the results truly speak for themselves.

The Filorga retail range has been just as impressive over the years, never disappointing and always making use of the cutting edge trends and technolgy. Based on an impressive history such as this, it is not surprising that they have just launched a product which is … well a first, as far as I know, in the world of cosmetics.

Once again, French beauty specialist Filorga has surprised me with their newly launched Skin-Absolute Night cream, an anti-ageing night cream. But not your average night cream, as it contains… Meteorite extracts!  And in this instance it is a black cream …yes, you heard me correctly it is black! This product is truly out of this world!

 

Giving it a black lacquered texture, which disappears like magic when the cream is applied, this ground breaking black galenic increases detoxification and restoration of the skin during sleep, yielding a morning appearance that is transformed, more rested, plumper and more luminous.

With Skin-Absolute Night, Filorga wanted to make a reference to night and darkness, essential to our bodies and faces: it is indeed at night that young skin makes use of darkness by activating its ‘internal clock’ genes to repair and regenerate. These genes are activated less easily as we age, and are unable to distinguish day from night, or carry out their restorative functions, this is when creams like Skin-Absolute Night become essential!

Why meteorites? Meteorites are essentially composed of silicon. Silicon reserves within the body begin to deplete with age, particularly in certain tissues such as the skin, arteries and cartilage. The silicon contained within the meteorite extract in Skin-Absolute Night is vital for the synthesis of collage, elastin and hyaluronic acid, which lends the skin its soft and elastic texture. The meteorite extract is also what gives the product it’s black lacquered textures which disappears upon application.

 

Filorga Skin-Absolute Night

Because the skin’s capacity to absorb greatly increases during the night, Skin-aBSolute® comprises an array of scientifically proven active ingredients to target the 4 most common ageing concerns: wrinkles, firmness, spots and radiance.

It’s texture:

This is a gel cream texture and although the product appears to be a rather ‘dense black’ in the jar , it is in actual fact a transparent, grainy and greyish black colour. It spreads over the skin easily, and a little goes a long way … no your skin does not go black, in fact it disappears into the skin without a trace. Ladies, you have hide your jar! Because of its wonderful texture its perfect for men and women!

It’s fragrance:

Due to the actives in Filorga which are common across the brand, many of the products have the fabulous soft fresh/lemony type smell which is divine. Skin Absolu Night shares this, but has the slightest mineral smell to it which I assume can only be attributed to the meteorite extract.

The  package:

Filorga’s packaging is always exceptional , high end and super luxe. This time the jar is a transparent square shaped jar showing the black cream contained within
The packaging is beautiful , elegant and sophisticated however not the most practical for travel in both weight and size.

It’s efficacy:

I have been using this product for nearing on  weeks now and my skin is loving it . I can see the benefits – especially in this season, coming with its share of bad skin effects. I am sure if we were genetically matched to a skin care brand mine would be Filorga. The Skin Absolu Night has helped to plump up lines and wrinkles and tightened the skin …  Meanwhile it’s soo busy lately, I am exhausted, and can’t wait for this year to come to an end. Tired on the inside, But hè…. you can’t see it on the outside.So I’m glad to have this Holy Grail.

 

Filorga’s Skin-Absolute Night should be applied at night, not to close around the eyes, after cleansing and the application of your Filorga serum,  a this layer.

Guerlain Abeille Royale Daily Repair Serum

In 1853, Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain dedicated the Eau de Cologne Impériale to Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III for whom the bee was the emblem of an empire, and thereby establishing Guerlain’s destiny.  For the past few centuries, the bee has been a symbol of the house of Guerlain, and its full power has been harnessed for the Abeille Royale skincare range, to fight the signs of aging.  And now, with the Abeille Royale Daily Repair Serum, every key level of the skin is continually reinvigorated.

Guerlain Abeille Royale Daily Repair Serum (Click photo to enlarge).

At the heart of Guerlain’s Abeille Royale Daily Repair Serum is a very pure and powerful variety of honey produced by the Black Bees from the island of Ouessant, and exclusive Royal Jelly to rejuvenate and repair the skin continuously and on every key level. Designated a biosphere reserve by UNESCO, Ouessant is one of the purest ecosystems in the world, and the resultant honey is of an unrivalled purity with exceptional properties.

The other major component of the formula is a premium Royal Jelly which is extracted from 200 hives situated in La Ferté Saint-Aubin in Sologne, France, a region known for its wild fauna. These hives are exclusively hosted by Guerlain in a controlled environment, and are of 100% natural origins.

Guerlain Abeille Royale Daily Repair Serum (Click photo to enlarge).

In order to ensure optimal efficacy of the product, Guerlain has encapsulated the active ingredients in micro-spheres to maintain freshness, and are crushed only when dispensed to release the contents to the skin. Guerlain Abeille Royale Daily Repair Serum comes in a tall glass bottle with a golden cap.  At the very top is a bee embossed into the pump cap, and the product comes out from the nozzle at the top when the cap is pressed down. The serum is a light translucent fluid that applies easily and is instantly absorbed by the skin. It leaves no trace whatsoever, and allows for other serums and moisturisers to be layered over immediately.

It is nice to note from the ingredient list that Honey and Royal Jelly both rank high up, a good indication there is significant concentrations in the Abeille Royale Daily Repair Serum.  Both Honey and Royal Jelly are known for their healing properties, both the visible signs of aging on the surface of the skin as well as micro-damages deep within the epidermis.  As a result, one can expect to see firmer, tauter, plumper skin and a reduced appearance of wrinkles.  Both Honey and Royal Jelly have antibacterial and microbial properties, and they are also able to combat oxidative stress that eventually results in aging.

Guerlain Abeille Royale Daily Repair Serum. Starting from the cutaneous tissue and all the way up to the surface of the skin, it becomes plumper, smoother, firmer and refined (Click photos to enlarge).

I love Guerlain Abeille Royale Daily Repair Serum, I found it to leave my skin looking clearer, smoother and plumper, but most important: vèry comfortable. I’ve been using Guerlain Abeille Royale Daily Repair Serum daily for the past 2 months now, and my skin has never been healthier! I’m not sure if the purity of the ingredients is what made the difference, and I would still advice those who have known sensitivities to bees and pollen to first start with a patch test. As for me, I love it, and will recommend this to those who love light-textured, easily absorbed serums!

For more information visit their beautiful website:

http://www.abeille-royale.com/en_ww/index.html

by Jean Amr

Tom Ford: Male Grooming Done Right

2013 was a Great year for Tom Ford. The time had come; the hotly anticipated Tom Ford for Men grooming, or beauty, range was dropped both in the UK and USA, with all eight products ready to buy from Harvey Nichols in the UK and Bergdorff Goodmann in the USA. This month, exactly 2 years ago the line has proven to be a true ‘future’ classic.

With many a man spluttering at a range that has a massive emphasis on cosmetics, you do have to stop and think that one in ten guys now openly admit to some facial enhancement through make-up, whilst this figure in some Asian countries is about 21 percent. However, this range from Tom Ford is not about short term fixes, bar a couple of items, but long term skin care that is beneficial for many years to come. Knowing that the man himself looks many years younger than he is, this range, in partnership with Estee Lauder, reflects his own regime; cleansing and moisturising twice a day.

Tom Ford for Men Skincare and Grooming, fall-winter 2013-14 ad campaign featuring Tom Ford’s  favourite model Yuan Betancourt. Tom Ford once again photographed the campaign himself. (Click photo to enlarge). 

The packaging is as decadent as you would expect from Tom Ford, and the adverts as hormonaly appealing, featuring his favourite model Yuan Betancourt, as usual from the man who could sell sex to a madam of the night. But what makes up the range? As you can see, the prices are not expensive but these are investment pieces however they do have a expertise and technology from the afore mentioned Estee Lauder who holds the lisence for the Tom Ford fragrances. I will indeed be putting these on my Christmas list…and I expect most of you will be too. 

Lòng gone are the days when men relied on just soap and water. The new grooming regimens designed for the discerning gentleman are easy to use and oh-so-effective.

Juan Betancourt by Tom Ford (Click photo to enlarge).

For many years, women dominated the skincare market, apart from barber-approved unguents and robust colognes, men of our fathers’ and grandfathers’ vintage typically steered clear of so-called ‘beauty’ products in fear of emasculation. But, in recent years, things have deviated from the norm and we males have begun to care a little more (again) about the condition of our skin. The question now isn’t why we should start but why we didn’t start sooner.

Tom Ford range of male grooming products is just what the doctor ordered. Built on the ideal that men’s grooming should be straightforward and effective, Tom Ford for Men is a range of essentials every appearance-conscious gentleman requires to put his best foot (and face) forward.

Juan Betancourt by Tom Ford (Click photo to enlarge).

This eight-piece collection consists of six multi-functional products and two grooming solutions. The former were formulated to improve skin texture and counter the effects of a man’s hectic lifestyle of late nights and sun exposure on the skin. The two grooming products in the same line were designed to correct flaws and improve skin’s appearance.

The secret behind the effectiveness of these products is the use of three specially formulated Tom Ford complexes, created by combining Eastern and Western practices. Using plant extracts, botanical agents, ingredients with soothing qualities and antioxidants, these complexes help in skin cleansing and rejuvenation. The first is the Tom Ford Purifying Complex, which promotes skin purification by removing toxins in the dermis. Second, the Tom Ford Skin Calming Complex helps reduce skin irritation and protects against environmental pollutants. Last, the Tom Ford Infusing Complex introduces nutrients to stimulate skin cell regeneration. All this culminates in a skincare range that is extremely easy to use and, yet, immensely effective The foundation of any skincare line is its cleanser and moisturiser.

Purifying Face Cleanser,

This cleanser features the Tom Ford Purifying and Skin Calming Complexes to leave skin exceptionally clean without tightness or dryness. It’s no lightweight when it comes to cleansing the skin of the impurities a life of whisky-imbibing, stogie-smoking, and smoggy city-dwelling can bring. A foaming gel cleanser, wich lightweight formula conditions and hydrates the skin as it unclogs pores and prepares skin for a smooth shave. It rinses beautifully without drying, so your face looks and feels smooth, refreshed and energized.

Tom Ford for Men: Purifying Face Cleanser (Click photo to enlarge).

Tom Ford for Men: Purifying Face Cleanser (Click photo to enlarge).

Intensive Purifying Mud Mask,

Then, there is the Tom Ford for Men Purifying Mud Mask. A weekly clay mask treatment is integral to your personal grooming routine. Tom Ford developed this time-signaling Mud Mask to counter the dulling and irritating effects of a busy lifestyle on the skin. As the mask turns light gray, it draws out oil, dirt and toxins and diminishes tension lines. When you rinse it off, your skin feels clean, hydrated and conditioned, and reveals a cleaner and more youthful-looking skin.

Tom Ford for Men: Purifying Mud Mask (Click photo to enlarge).

Tom Ford for Men: Purifying Mud Mask (Click photo to enlarge).

Oil-Free Daily Moisturizer,

The Tom Ford for Men Oil-Free Daily Moisturizer is a vèry fast-absorbing, but comfortable moisturiser. A hydrating and conditioning moisturizer is essential to achieving well-kept skin. This lightweight, quick-absorbing, skin-mattifying moisturizer uses the Tom Ford Skin Calming and Infusing Complexes with a combination of luxurious butters to hydrate your skin, help reverse dullness and help reduce the look of fine lines and pores. It leaves your face looking toned, polished and reenergized.

Tom Ford for Men: Oil-Free Daily Moisturizer (Click photo to enlarge).

Skin Revitalizing Concentrate,

When your skin is depleted or dry, adding a multifunctional treatment oil into your regimen before moisturizing is one of the simplest ways to energize and regenerate it. This concentrate contains the highest concentration of the Tom Ford Skin Calming and Infusing Complexes, plus essential oils and other enriching natural ingredients. Lightly scented with vanilla, patchouli and bergamot, this treatment oil helps fight the effects of fatigue on the skin and also promotes skin repair as you sleep. It deeply hydrates and nourishes the skin and it conditions it before shaving and soothes it afterwards. Your skin has fewer fine lines and greater resilience against damage. An amazing product. Call it a Holy Grail!

Tom Ford For Men Skin Revitalizing Concentrate (Click photo to enlarge).

Anti-Fatigue Eye Treatment,

The eyes are the first place people look when they meet you. They are also the first part of your face to show signs of aging and fatigue. The bane of most professionals (hunched, as we so often are for hours at a time, over blinking digital screens) is tired eyes and Tom Ford for Men Anti-Fatigue Eye Treatment helps tackle this. It lifts and firms the skin around the eyes, thus reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. This multi-beneficial, restorative eye treatment is infused with the Tom Ford Skin Calming and Infusing Complexes, to lift and firm the look of the skin around the eyes, helping to diminish the look of lines and wrinkles. The silver-tip applicator helps to cool your skin to help reduce visible puffiness, leaving your eyes looking refreshed and awake. Like the Skin Revitalizing Concentrate, a Holy Grail.

Tip: The Anti-Fatigue Eye Treatment , when possible, keep it in your fridge. It’s more refreshing and works even better against puffy eyes, and relief to tired eyes. It may be applied more often per day.

Tom Ford For Men Anti-Fatigue Eye Treatment (Click photo to enlarge)

Hydrating Lip Balm,

One side effect of living in a place with erratic weather is chapped lips. Tom Ford for Men Hydrating Lip Balm is a sure way to prevent that from happening. One of the simplest things a man can do to improve his looks is to combat dry lips and improve their smoothness and texture. The Tom Ford ultra-emollient lip balm contains a unique blend of natural oils (like almond), avocado extract, vitamins and butters to soothe and condition. The balm seals in moisture, helping to protect lips from the effects of any kind of weather so they look and feel comfortable.

For those who are more willing to take a walk on the wild side, there are two flaw-correcting products: Tom Ford for Men Concealer and the Tom Ford for Men Bronzing Gel. The former perfectly blends and hides skin imperfections, while the latter adds that after-sun glow to your skin, perfect for preventing your skin from looking too pasty outside of summer.

Tom Ford For Men Hydrating Lip Balm (Click photo to enlarge).

Concealer for Men,

Every man’s face occasionally suffers from redness, blemishes, under-eye circles or razor nicks. These things can be swiftly camouflaged with concealer in a natural-looking way. Tom Ford For Men Concealer is a practical, simple tool: a twist-up stick that is offered in three shades. It can be applied with your fingers after your moisturizer or eye treatment, and it will seamlessly blend into the skin as it hides imperfections.

Tom Ford for Men: Concealer (Click photo to enlarge).

Tom Ford for Men: Concealer (Click photo to enlarge).

Bronzing Gel,

Developed to mimic the look of a few minutes of sun on the skin and lift the complexion with a healthy-looking touch of color, the Tom Ford Bronzing Gel is made with a water-based, oil-free formula that blends in easily without masking your skin’s natural features. It features the Tom Ford Skin Calming and Infusing Complexes to calm and comfort the skin. The Bronzing Gel can be used all over the face, or simply swiped onto the places the sun would naturally hit you harder: the cheekbones, the bridge of the nose and the top of the forehead.

Tom Ford for Men: Bronzing Gel (Click photo to enlarge).

Tom Ford for Men: Bronzing Gel (Click photo to enlarge).

For more information: http://www.tomford.com

 

by Jean Amr

Beauty is in the EYE of the Beholder, Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv Ultimate Diamond Transformative Energy Eye Crème

The NEW Re-Nutriv Ultimate Diamond Transformative Energy Eye Crème is joining Estée Lauder’s famous Re-Nutriv range this fall. Earlier this year, the brand has broadcasted the launch of its Re-Nutriv Ultimate Diamond Transformative Energy Crème, and now, the range has been extended to include a targeted Eye Cream. Same as all other products from the Re-Nutriv range, the new Crème is formulated with rare and precious Black Diamond Truffle Extract, which promises to deliver next-generation sculpting results, and transform your skin into radiant, more contoured, and visibly younger. The extract is made from one of nature’s rarest ingredients, which has been transformed through a secret process into a pure, precious extract. The only thing that we know about the process is that it involves no less than 10,000 (!!) hours of work…

Estee Lauder Re-Nutriv Ultimate Diamond Transformative Energy Cream and it’s new Eye Creme (Click photo to enlarge).

The formula of Estée Lauder’s new Re-Nutriv Ultimate Diamond Transformative Energy Eye Crème is described as a breakthrough fusion of repair serum and moisturizer. It promises to re-awaken your eyes and make their contour appear brighter, firmer, and more lifted. The cream also boosts natural collagen production, while restructuring your eye region so it looks more radiant, more even-toned, and visibly tightened.

Quest for rare beauty.

As any other high-end skin care product, the new Re-Nutriv Ultimate Diamond Transformative Energy Eye Crème features a luxurious, sensual texture, which feels both plush and velvety. The product is delivered in a luxurious glass bottle with gold-colored interior and high-polish gold-colored lid. The brand has also designed a special diamond-cut applicator wand, which delivers a refreshing, cooling sensation.

Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv Ultimate Diamond Transformative Energy Eye Crème (Click photo to enlarge).

You’ve tried everything from whole sticks of concealer, to cucumber eye patches, to tear trough treatments (Google it), to getting a little more sleep, albeit tough considering you work till stupid o’clock every day. And sadly, you’re still rising from your bed like a sleepless zombie, confronted by the same eye-bag look you’ve been trying to expunge for the last few months (or years … you’ve lost track). But what if there were something better; something simpler, easier, and faster to apply that’ll guarantee to turn your eye droop upside down? Something that, on top of the defibrillating buzz it’ll give to your eyes, could make them look ten years younger again? That thing, FYI, would be Estée Lauder’s Re-Nutriv Ultimate Diamond Transformative Energy Eye Crème. So ditch everything you’ve ever known about eliminating eye-bags, because it clearly hasn’t worked for you anyway, and get a load of this: the Re-Nutriv formula has youth-sustaining technologies that have been proven to increase skin’s natural collagen production by 215% after 73 hours;  consists of Black Diamond Truffle extract that stimulates natural skin vitality (to keep you looking bright and healthy); and has Refined 24K Gold traces and anti-irritants that mean it’ll feel light as cotton to apply. What could be better?

Rating: 10/10 despite it’s price, a true Holy Grail

Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv Ultimate Diamond Transformative Energy Eye Crème is priced at $250.00 for 15 mL / 0.5 fl. oz. Available at selected stores, Estée Lauder online, Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdales.

by Jean Amr

La Prairie Anti-Aging Rapid Booster

La Prairie has launching its most advanced anti-aging product yet in the name of: ‘Anti-Aging Rapid Reponse Booster’ .Formulated with a target delivery system, it releases next generation ingredients  where your skin needs it the most, the cells responsible for the production of collagen and elastin from day one.
In just two weeks of treatment deep lines and wrinkles are visibly reduced and the appearance of skin is visibly improved.

La Prairie Anti-Aging  Rapid Reponse Booster (Click photo to enlarge).

The Serum is part of La Prairie’s Anti-aging collection and as all the other products in the collection the ‘Anti-Aging Rapid Booster’ is not a superficial treatment as it goes to work in the deep layers of the skin to fight wrinkles and lines but also smoothes skin’s surface and protects it against external aggressions.
La Prairie Anti-Aging Collection really goes to work on deep wrinkles deep down and tries to fight them at their source.
La Prairie scientists having in mind that 80% of signs of aging come from environmental factors, have developed a formula which fights against every aspect of lines and wrinkles by filling and plumbing skin’s surface and  smoothing it.

La Prairie Anti-Aging  Rapid Reponse Booster in front of its famous Ant-Aging family (Click photo to enlarge).

La Prairie ‘Anti-Aging  Rapid Reponse Booster’ thanks to its neuro-calming natural peptide it helps in controling skin aging and ehnancing the protective barrier of the skin to retain its moisture.

The serum cointains La Prairie’s Exclusive Cellular Complex combined with plankton extract which provides an exfoliating action and a herbal brightening complex with Silver vine extract to support tone and translucency.
It has a light, silky smooth formula which penetrates quickly into skin and you really feel an immediate response, skin appears immediately more tonic and healthier.
Every day counts in the fight against wrinkles, now La Prairie ‘Anti-Aging Rapid Reponse Booster’ offers a new dimension in terms of timeless beauty….even sensitive skin.

by Jean Amr