Product Review: Bliss No 'Zit' Sherlock Purifying Cleanser + Toner

Have you heard of the Bliss Spas? A favorite high-end spa of the stars, Bliss has locations in New York, LA, and Hollywood- to name a few. Bliss' facials are notorious for making the celebs glow before big events, and you can often open up a magazine to find someone else raving about them.

Not only are their spas luxurious, but so are their products. Bliss sells their own line of skincare available at your nearest Sephora or Ulta, and product junkies across the country agree- it's some of the best stuff you can get your hands on.

Naturally, I was super excited to try some of their products, as I had heard great things about it. I don't usually get many breakouts, but my face had started acting up within the last few weeks, and I had recently purchased "No 'Zit' Sherlock", so this was a good time to give it a try.

The smell initially was a bit medicinal- kind of like Vick's Vapo-Rub or a Hall's Cough Drop, mixed with some citrus-y scent. To be honest, I was a bit put off at first, but it wasn't unbearable.

The cleanser lathers up nicely and worked beautifully with my Clarisonic. My skin is a little bit on the dry side, and the cleanser-and-toner aspect didn't but it a bit. I always added some moisturizer after so my skin didn't feel to "tight" after washing, but I think it would really balance out oily skin quite well.

As far as breakouts were concerned, I was pleasantly surprised that after washing before bed, I woke up with my blemishes completely deflated and nearly half their size and redness. It only took a couple of days before they were completely gone, and regular upkeep has kept them away.

Overall I am very satisfied with this product, and highly recommend it!

Product Review: Olay Regenerist Microdermabrasion & Peel kit

This is quite literally one of the best products I have when it comes to skincare. I've been using it for years and years, and as long as they keep selling it, it will never leave my skincare routine.

What it claims:

On their website, Olay says:
The Regenerist Microdermabrasion & Peel System combines the power of two treatments that actively work together to give you the benefits of microdermabrasion and a mini-peel treatment. Yet it’s gentle enough to use up to two times a week for continuous results.

Add it your skin care routine to:
• Visibly improve skin tone
• Diminish the look of fine lines and wrinkles

What is microdermabrasion, and what's so cool about it?
Microdermabrasion, also known as micro resurfacing or mechanical exfoliation, is a popular skincare procedure that exfoliates your skin. Regular exfoliators pale in comparison to the results you will see and feel in your own skin. Using tiny micro crystals, it effectively removes the outermost layer of your skin. The size and the composition of these crystals are what makes the exfoliation so much better than typical manual exfoliators.
Having this more effective and better removal of dead skin helps to not only stimulate collagen production, it also helps to correct and even skin tone, decrease the appearance of shallow acne scars, as well as significantly improve fine lines & wrinkles.
A typical professional microdermabrasion session costs up to $120, with a recommended full treatment of 5-10 sessions. This can cost thousands of dollars, but for some, the results are worth it.
At-home kits cost significantly less- the Olay one we're discussing here is around $25. While the immediate results are less dramatic than a professional session, you should be getting the same ultimate results with a little more diligence and time.

What I say about it:
They recommend you use it two times a week, however, since I now use my Clarisonic daily, I have cut down to using it once every week or two, as I haven't needed it quite as much.
Even with all the benefits I've seen and felt from using my Clarisonic, the effects are not quite as immediate and dramatic as this product. My skin feels so luscious and smooth after a treatment, and soaks in products so much better after using it. My makeup goes on so much smoother that I don't feel the need to use a primer beforehand. It's amazing!
I am not being paid for this review, I simply want to share my experience, as I am so pleased with the product, and am certain you will be too. It's most certainly money well spent.

Product Review: Clarisonic!

My all time favorite Christmas gift this year was my pink Clarisonic Pro from my husband. After bringing it to his attention earlier in the year, he spent some time looking into it. As an engineer, he was able to conclude that this was definitely something that could be just what it's cracked up to be. (He helps me weed through the products and lets me know what's just hype... a helpful quality AND money saver!)

If you haven't heard any of the hype yet, here's the claim about this system from Clarisonic.com:

"Clarisonic developed the sonic technology proven to gently yet effectively loosen dirt and oil to clear your pores. The Sonic Skin Cleansing System uses a patented sonic frequency of more than 300 movements per second to clean, soften and smooth your skin. In just 60 seconds a day, the micro-massage action cleans more than twice as effectively as manual cleansing.

Clarisonic Sonic Cleansing Benefits

-Removes 6x more makeup than manual cleansing

-Leaves skin feeling and looking smoother

-Cleanses so well that products absorb better

-Gentle enough for twice daily use

-Helps reduce oily areas, dry skin patches and blemishes

-Helps reduce the appearance of visible pores"

I was so excited to finally be able to try it out and see if what they say about it is really true. I kept track of my impression after the first 2+ weeks for you to share with me as well:

Day one-

My skin feels way smoother and very clean. No noticable difference in the look of my skin yet.

Day five-

My skin has never taken to daily exfoiliation well and it hasn't gotten red or irritated yet- it feels and looks great. Breakouts have subsided, possibly due to the Clarisonic, but partially due to the fact that I'm washing my face as often as I'm supposed to now :)

Day seven-

My skin maintains the smooth feeling all the time now. I've started noticing that the serum and moisturizer I put on my face after I wash gets soaked up really quickly now- there's not as much left on my face as there used to be. The products are really getting into my skin and doing what they're supposed to do!

Day fourteen-

Pores are looking smaller and less noticable. After extraction, they maintain cleaner and clearer for much longer than they used to. Overall I'm wearing less makeup- redness, spots, discoloration, and pores are all looking better as time goes on.

Conclusion-

I'm going to continue! Soo happy with this product, and for me, it was well worth the money. Regular cleansing just won't do it for me after this!

More helpful info on my experience with the Clarisonic-

the model we purchased was called the Pink Clarisonic Pro. On the Clarisonic site you will see that they also offer the Mia, the Classic, and the Plus. (They do not offer the Pro there yet; we found ours on Amazon). The Mia is the mini/travel version and has one speed, the Classic is the regular version with two speeds, the Plus is the advanced one with two speeds and a body brush head so you can use it in the shower, and finally, the Pro is the newest and most advanced version with four speeds and the body brush.

I have used the body brush and exfoliated with the Clarisonic in the shower, and have been just as happy with the results there as well! My skin is smoother and cleaner than it has been with just a regular scrub or loofah. If you have the choice, the Pro version is definitely the one I'd pick.

Since the price is a bit high, ($225 for the Plus on Clarisonic.com), there are cheaper at home versions that do similar job for a fraction of the cost. Although I haven't used them myself, I've heard great things about the Olay Professional Pro-X Advanced Cleansing System ($29.99) as well as the Pretika Sonic Dermabrasion Facial Brush ($41.50), as a wonderful alternative.

**In no way is my review or my recommendation associated with the products or brands mentioned, just a happy customer wanting to recommend some great products in hopes that they make you as happy as they made me!