It’s impossible to open up most magazines these days without being bombarded with advertisements for beauty products that promise to make you and your skin look more youthful or in better condition then it was when you were in your early 20’s. There are so many products that promise you a “quick fix”, yet fail to deliver. Even celebrities endorse and promote products that swear you’ll look just as beautiful as the celebrity endorsing it – if you shell out $$$$ to buy their product or buy into their beauty system.
I admit it. I have fallen for a lot of these false claims. My bathroom closet is filled with products I bought on a whim because I saw it in an ad or on TV and thought “why not give it a try”, only to realize that I spend money I really couldn’t afford on one more empty promise.
I have had the discussion with friends and family members in the past about those pricey department store cosmetics and beauty products compared to something you can pick up at your local drug store. One lady I know sells cosmetics and skin care products from a popular brand name company. She has been pushing her products on me for years and tells me all the time that my skin would look and feel better if I use her company’s products. I just can fathom spending $40 on a small jar of moisturizer when I can stop by my local Walgreens and buy a similar product for $10. She tells me that the store bought products cannot compare to her company’s products, but I beg to differ.
I’m sure most people have come to realize that often generic or store brand products are just as good and their pricier counterparts. My husband used to be dead set against buying generic products until he tried a few and realized they are often just as good. The same can be applied to beauty products. You don’t have to spend a fortune to have better skin.
I recently finished a book called The Skin Regime: Boot Camp For Beautiful Skin, written by Dana Ramos. The book addresses beauty from head to toe and guides you to take better care of your skin.
In The Skin Regime Dana talks a lot about fancy department store and pricey skin care products and how they are just a bunch of “smoke and mirrors”. I’m glad that the book points that out because honestly, I have felt that way for a long time. I can’t see how something is so much better just because it costs $100. When you take one of these overpriced products and compare the ingredients to a drug store product they are almost always identical to some degree. They might have an extra ingredient or two thrown in, but the basic ingredients are the same. Just because expensive product “A” has Açai and Acacia Farnesiana extracts doesn’t make it a better product, nor does it mean it’s going to work better then product “B” with identical ingredients but missing Açai and Acacia Farnesiana. I think sometimes companies toss in ingredients that have no benefit whatsoever just to make a product appear to be the better one because it has more fancy ingredients. If they added Eye of Newt and crushed Unicorn horn, then I might be interested. 🙂 LOL!
In addition to helping readers to realize that just because something costs more, or is endorsed by a celebrity, doesn’t make it better. Dana also shares with readers what products they should consider using for their skin regime that are budget friendly and found in your local department store.
The Skin Regime: Boot Camp For Beautiful Skin does talk a lot about cosmetic peels. Those have always scared the heebie jeebies out of me. I have seen pictures of people whose faces look like they were in a fire because they are red, inflamed and peeling. I know that can happen with peels. After all a peel is suppose to remove the dead skin from your face (usually the top layer). That is why its called a peel – because you are peeling off a layer of dead skin cells.
I have seen people do peels with fabulous results. I have also heard horror stories of people seriously burning and damaging their skin from a peel. That is why I have always been afraid of them. I would never think to do one at home either. I would prefer to go to a Dermatologist that I trust 100%.
My skin is “OK”. I didn’t think it really needed a peel, at least for now. It is a bit dull and not as youthful as I’d like it to be, but it’s not that bad. My main issues with my skin is the deep wrinkles around my mouth (laugh lines?) and the saggy skin under my neck.
Along with the review copy of the book I received a peel to try at home. I can’t tell you how concerned I was to try the peel. For starters I have sensitive skin. I’m also very fair skinned. Just the mere thought of the sun makes me get a sunburn (I’m kidding but you get the idea). I was concerned about trying it but thankfully I also received detailed step-by-step instructions on how to do the peel (before, during and after), so it’s not like I was left to figure it out on my own. After about a week or so of debating on whether or not I wanted to try it, I finally gave in and took the plunge.
The peel was easy enough to use. My skin did burn a bit afterwards, and it was lobster read for quite a while afterwards, but eventually my skin calmed down and I looked normal again. Thankfully I work from home and I did it early in the AM after my family was off to work and school so no one was home to see me except my pets. By early afternoon my skin had a normal appearance again (it wasn’t bright red), although it still had a bit of a stinging feeling to it.
I only wear a minimum amount of make up, and I’m comfortable with going out without make up. For a few days after the peel I didn’t put any make up on my skin. I could have, I just chose not to.
My skin feels “cleaner” after the peel (for lack of a better description). I liken it to the facial brush that I use in the shower. When I wash my face with just a cleanser it feels OK. When I use the cleaners with the facial brush my face feels so incredibly clean that I don’t want to put anything on it. That is the same feeling I had from the peel. My face just felt very clean. It also doesn’t seem as dull. I don’t think my skin looks 20, or even 10 years younger, but it does look and feel better. I am happy with my decision to try the peel and I would be willing to do another at home peel again.
The Skin Regime: Boot Camp For Beautiful Skin book goes into a lot of detail about at home peels. If this is something that you have always been curious about, pick up the book because Dana gives you a lot of information about peels.
Some might argue that much of the information found in the book is common sense stuff, however sometimes people need a “slap in the face” with reality, which is what this book does. Whether or not you already knew some of this information, the book refreshes your memory.
My mom and grandmother had beautiful skin. They didn’t fall for false advertising. They included simple things into their beauty routine and always looked fabulous. That is what this book is all about – getting back to the basics and having the beautiful skin you deserve.
I have since given my copy to my teenage daughter who suffers from acne breakouts. I also like that the book emphasises the importance of sunscreen. My kids know they need to wear sunscreen when they go out, but my daughter usually fights me on in because she wants to tan. I refuse to cave in. I rather she uses a tanning lotion then fry her skin in the sun. The book also talks about the importance of sunscreen so I hope when she reads it the information will sink into her some more.
My daughter is also easily swayed by what her friends tell her. If her friends told her she could get rid of acne by drinking a gallon of lemonade (as an example) every day she would do it. I hope the book will make my daughter realize that “less is more” and that she doesn’t have to believe all the things she reads in magazines or sees on TV.
Over all I enjoyed the book. I have created my own regime that so far I am pleased with the results. My skin does look better then it has been. I’m especially thrilled that my skin is not dried out like it normally is this time of year. Usually by now I’d have a lot of dry patches on my face. That has not happened yet and I attribute that to what I learned from the book.
For more information visit www.TheSkinRegime.com. You can also read more about the author, Dana Ramos, at www.DanaRamos.com.
You can also follow The Skin Regime on Facebook and Twitter.
Kimberly
*I received a sample copy of the book and a sample peel to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and were not influenced in any way.