Sothys New Cleansing Cream

Cleansing cream - radiance / brightness action
> This cleansing cream with [W.]™+ complex gently removes make-up and eliminates impurities leaving the skin radiant and luminous.

8 Ways to Make Your Skin-Care Products More Effective

EXFOLIATE FIRST
"Think of the surface of the epidermis—those dead cells—as a barrier," says dermatologist Amy Wechsler. "You have to remove it for products to get in." This particular barrier is more like a gossamer curtain than a brick wall, however, so go easy.

Basic cleansers free up pores by removing dirt and oil, but to truly increase absorption, you'll need an enzyme– or acid–based cleanser.


GO IN ORDER
Like South­west Airlines, your skin has a firm first-come-first-serve policy. "Whatever goes on first penetrates best," says dermatologist Jeannette Graf. So whether you're fighting wrinkles, zits, or sun spots, the most active ingredients should be applied first. If you're using two products for two different problems, apply one to bare skin in the morning and the other to bare skin at night so you're guaranteed 100 percent efficacy from both. After treatments are in place, smooth on other items in order of density, from thinnest (antioxidant serum) to thickest (sunscreen or night cream). The exception is retinoids, which could irritate those with sensitive skin if applied first.


APPLY TO JUST-WASHED SKIN
Damp skin acts like a sponge, quickly absorbing whatever comes its way. (That's damp, not wet.) This rule applies to almost every product—even retinoids. The only exception? Mineral-based sunscreen. "It's not absorbed," says dermatologist David Bank. "It's designed to sit on the surface of the skin and reflect the sun's rays. On damp skin, mineral blocks tend to run, give uneven coverage, and look chalky."


WARM IT UP
When you wash your face with lukewarm water instead of cold, you raise the skin's temperature slightly, causing blood vessels and pores to dilate in an effort to cool you down. "Space between the cells means there's a greater surface area for absorption, which helps product get in," says dermatologist Heidi Waldorf. Plus, ingredients move through skin and interact with cells more quickly when the skin is warm, says Bank.


TOP IT OFF
"One of the best ways to boost absorption is to top ingredients with heavy, occlusive ointments," says Waldorf. Thick ointments and creams with large amounts of petrolatum, natural butters, oils, and waxes make the best occlusive agents, says cosmetic chemist Jim Hammer. But don't start slapping Vaseline over every product from your medicine cabinet. "I'd never do it with retinoids, acids, vitamin C, or hydroquinone," Wechsler says. "You can essentially double their strength and create lots of irritation." Also, skip this entirely if you're prone to acne.


SAVE RETINOIDS FOR NIGHTTIME
These line-fighting superheroes do their best work under cover of darkness, because both prescription and over-the-counter versions degrade and weaken in the sun.

Another distinct advantage night has over day: Skin temperature rises by about half a degree while we sleep, because more blood is shunted to the skin, away from internal organs. And with greater warmth and blood-vessel dilation comes better penetration. Says Bank, "Though it's not an enormous difference, your skin does absorb more overnight." This pertains to any ingredient you apply before bed, not just retinoids.


TRY SERUMS
When you want maximum impact from a fragrance, you buy the parfum, not the scented body wash. Similarly, you'll find the strongest dose of active ingredients in serums—not, say, cleansers. "A serum is a concentrated source of an active ingredient in a simple form that penetrates very quickly and completely, unhindered by lotion-type emollients that make it difficult for actives to sink in," Hammer says.


COMBINE RIGHT
Like Beyoncé and Jay-Z, some ingredients are notable power couples. "Sunscreen and antioxidants were born to be married," says dermatologist Ranella Hirsch. As the former absorbs UV rays, the latter neutralizes the free radicals created by those rays before they can do damage. If your SPF doesn't include them, layer an antioxidant serum underneath. Many antioxidants also complement peptides: "They bolster the skin's ability to protect and heal itself, allowing collagen-building peptides to work better," says Bank. Retinoids and hydroquinone are another dynamic duo—one typically prescribed for the dark splotches of melasma. "They get out pigment in different ways," says Waldorf. Other smart combos exist in the prescription realm—"benzoyl peroxide may enhance the bacteria-killing powers of the topical antibiotic clindamycin," Wechsler says—but this is a tricky topic, so talk to your dermatologist before mixing and matching.

Via Allure

When Your Skin-Care Products Expire

It's easy to forget that many active ingredients—found in anti-aging creams, acne treatments, peels, and more—are surprisingly fragile. It's only a matter of time until oxygen and heat render them useless.


ANYTHING IN AN AMPOULE
Toss after: One day, since formulas packaged in these single-use tubes typically contain vitamin C or E or other ingredients that oxidize upon exposure to air.

HYDROQUINONE CREAMS
Toss after: They turn brown (usually around the two-month mark). Choose products in an airtight pump and store them in the fridge, which will add another month to their life span.

SWIPE-ON PADS (GLYCOLIC PEELS, ACNE TREATMENTS)
Toss after: Two months, unless they're packaged individually—by then most will start drying out.

PEELS AND MASKS
Toss after: Three months. At that point their buffering agents can start to evaporate, making active ingredients such as glycolic and fruit acids more potent (and irritating).

ACNE PRODUCTS
Toss after: Four to six months. Benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid, two of the most common pimple fighters, decay quickly. Keep them in the refrigerator for maximum potency.

RETINOID CREAMS
Toss after: Nine to 11 months, when their collagen-producing power starts to conk out.

SUNSCREENS
Toss after: One to two years—it varies, so check the expiration date on your tube. Wechsler suggests keeping sunscreen in a cooler when at the beach and trashing any tube that's been left sitting in a hot car.

MOISTURIZING CREAMS
Toss after: One year. Though a plain moisturizer without anti-aging ingredients will last well past this mark, you can contaminate it by dipping repeatedly into the jar.

GRAINY SCRUBS
Toss after: Two years. These hearty exfoliants are made of virtually indestructible materials, but an open tub will still become a breeding ground for bacteria over time.

Via Allure

Pump Up Your Beauty Routine

Add these tweaks (including exercises!) to your beauty routine for volumized hair, stronger nails, longer lashes and firmer skin.

The Hair Volumizer

"Hair that has movement and doesn't fall flat doesn't just look sexy," says Rodney Cutler, owner of Cutler/Redken salon in New York City. "It makes you look younger, too, because it creates the illusion of high cheekbones and eyes that are awake." When hair is damp, flip your head upside down, spray a texturizer on palms, and rake fingers through roots, lifting hair away from your scalp as you blow-dry. When only your roots are dry, flip upright and you'll see instant volume. Then, as you dry the rest of your hair, stretch out strands with a nylon-bristle brush—follow through from root to tip, flicking ends upward to add subtle curve. (Yes, your biceps will be burning by the time you're done.)

Extra tip: Like isolating muscles during strength training, blow-drying small sections of hair lets you extend strands more efficiently.

Cheek Lifter



You sculpt sexy arms with strength training. To define your features, try flexing your facial muscles, says Carole Maggio, an aesthetician and author of Ultimate Facercise. Over time, frowning, smiling, squinting and other exaggerated expressions can cause wrinkles, but by exercising muscles perpendicular to specific lines, these moves may soften creases temporarily, says Macrene Alexiades-Armenakas, Ph.D., a dermatologist in NYC. Do this move and the Eye Energizer, two skin-smoothing maneuvers that Maggio created, twice a day.

Make a long, narrow O with your mouth, pulling lips inward. Jut your neck forward, and push your shoulders back. Place index fingers on top of cheeks (nails facing your nose). Next, press lips firmly against teeth and smile with your upper lip only so cheek muscles lift. (It may feel awkward for a few tries, but you'll get the hang of it.) Do 20 reps.

Muscles worked: The buccinators, which form the rounded part of cheeks, and the orbicularis oris, circular muscles around the mouth. Toning cheek muscles makes them more defined and elevates the hollows under eyes, Maggio says.

Allover Skin Smoother


Surprise! Your favorite workout can help your skin, too. "Exercise gets blood pumping to your tissues, and as a result, skin takes up nutrients, removes waste faster and repairs itself more efficiently," says Nicholas Perricone, M.D., a dermatologist in NYC. "It also triggers production of growth hormones that help skin stay firm." Dr. Perricone suggests fitting in 30 to 45 minutes of cardio or resistance training five days a week.

Eye Energizer



Sit up straight, and push your chin forward and shoulders back, elongating your neck. Bending your index fingers, press both knuckles together, automatically forming a heart shape with your hands. Put index fingers between your brows, letting fingertips rest on the bridge of your nose. Curve thumbs in a C shape around the outer corners of both eyes as if you were creating a pair of glasses with your fingers. Squeeze eyes tightly shut, then pull your index fingers slightly upward between brows and thumbs, back toward ears (but keep both fingers gliding along skin). Squeeze eyes even tighter. Hold this position; breathe normally; count to 40. Repeat.

Muscles worked: The orbicularis oculi, the muscles that surround the eyes and make it possible for you to open and close them. As with all physical exercise, engaging muscles sends circulation soaring. The rush of blood in this fatigue-prone zone helps lessen inflammation—and with it, undereye puffiness, Maggio explains.

Lash Stretch



Get heated: First, blast your eyelash curler with hot air from your blow-dryer for a few seconds. (Test its temp on your wrist before you curl.) "The heat helps alter your lashes' shape from stick-straight to curved," says Kevin Mendelson, international educator for Jane Iredale-The Skincare Makeup.

Create definition: Next, place one side of a business card against your eyelid, letting the edge rest near your lash line. "This allows you to push lashes up and out, making it easier to coat their entire length," Mendelson says.

Keep moving: Now pick up your mascara wand and, starting at the root, wiggle it back and forth while pulling it to the tip of lashes, suggests Carol Shaw, a celebrity makeup artist in Los Angeles and founder of Lorac Cosmetics. Apply a second coat before the first dries. With some formulas, if you wait too long between coats, the layers dry separately and could cause flaking during the day.

Body Builder



Ever wonder why eyelashes are so short and the hair on your head is so long? The time it takes for lashes to grow, stop and finally fall out is only about a month—the same cycle for hair lasts about a year, Dr. Perricone says. Stimulate a growth spurt by applying an OTC lash-enhancing serum to clean lashes before you hit the sheets; doing this extends their growth cycle (translation: longer lashes). Try Priori Lash Recovery Serum, $99, which has a peptide trio, conditioning glycerin, and aloe and chamomile extracts. The protective coating also keeps lashes glossy and flexible, so they're less likely to fall out prematurely. Unless you're gentle, day after day of wiping eye makeup off can dry out lashes, making them susceptible to breakage. You wouldn't shampoo your hair without conditioning it, so why treat your lashes differently?

Manicure Maximizer



Watch your form: The oval shape is hands down the best way to get a mani with marathon endurance. "There aren't any rigid corners like with a square nail that can smack against stuff, keeping nails healthier and polish on for longer," says Dennis Gross, M.D., a dermatologist in NYC.

Get buff: Filing in a back-and-forth motion is a tempting shortcut—the girly push-up of nail maintenance. The problem is, you'll end up with rough edges, making nails prone to chips, says Susan Nam, owner of Polished Beauty Bar in NYC, who tends the nails of Charlize Theron and Leighton Meester. Put in the extra effort: Use a file with medium grittiness, and move in one direction—left to right—and repeat.

Nail Strengthener



The more your hands are engaged—even typing a gazillion emails counts—the faster nails grow. "Movement increases blood flow to muscle and tissues in that area," Dr. Gross explains. The downside? Utilizing nails as tools can cause them to break. Enhance their natural growth factor with a strengthening treatment laced with proteins or keratin instead of a regular base coat. Repeat every other day.

Read more:http://www.self.com/