BellaSugar

Reader Review of the Day: Murad Skin Perfecting Lotion

BellaSugar — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 08:02:56 -0700

Murad Skin Perfecting Lotion ($33) promises to hydrate and protect blemish-prone and oily skin without breaking you out, and reader nursesarah can't get enough of the stuff. She says:

"This is my favorite moisturizer by far. I've tried a lot of them, and this is the lightest, airiest lotion, but it still does its job and makes your skin feel silky smooth and quenched. I worry about occasional zits and oil, and since using this lotion, my skin has been almost blemish free. Being without it for even a few days, I can feel and see a difference in the smoothness of my skin."

Absolutely love something you just tried (or absolutely hate it)? Want to know what people who've tried the newest makeup and hair products think about them? Head over to our Product Reviews section to write reviews of your own, and see how other people rate the beauty goodies you're interested in.

Five Complexion Tips From Dr. Murad

BellaSugar — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 07:00:51 -0700

Last year, I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Howard Murad, who shared his advice on achieving healthy skin. And now, through his Inclusive Health Center, he has more sage words about the correlation between how your health and appearance are affected by your emotional state. Here are some of my favorites:

Breakfast: Don't skimp on the most important meal of the day. Eat a metabolism- and appearance-boosting balanced breakfast of grains, whole oats, eggs, and fresh fruit.
Sleep: Get your eight hours in, and "use topical and internal products with ingredients such as melatonin and GABA that add depth to your sleep and your skin’s sleep repair cycle," says Dr. Murad.
Flax seed and fish oil: Not only should you moisturize your skin in the AM and the PM, but take supplements with hydrating essential fatty acids, like flaxseed and fish oil, too.
Three good things: At the end of the day, write down three good things that happened that day. "This is my #1 recommendation to improve emotional self-care," he adds.
Supplements: Take glucosamine, which helps to increase the water content in your body. For production of collagen and elastin, look to amino acids. "Think of your daily supplements as insurance that guarantees you’ll maintain the nutrient levels you need to look and live your best," advises Dr. Murad.

Which of these tips do you use?

Source

Bella Bargain: Free Sample of Murad Sleep Reform Serum

BellaSugar — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 09:00:33 -0800

There's no way about it, the recession is depressing. If you need a bit of good news to combat the doom and gloom, here you go: Murad is giving away free samples of its Sleep Reform Serum. The anti-aging treatment promises to moisturize and firm skin while you sleep, using topical melatonin to calm your complexion while you snooze. I haven't tried it, but my mom and I are both fans of Murad's Intensive Wrinkle Eraser - and really, if it's free to try out, why not do it?

Dr. Murad vs L'Oreal: Who Gives Good Glycolic?

BellaSugar — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 08:00:24 -0700

One of the best ways to brighten your skin is to incorporate a product with glycolic acid into your skin care regimen. You're probably tired of hearing about my Jan Marini cleanser, but its pH-balanced, 12% glycolic formula has done wonders for me. But even if you don't want to use a glycolic product every day, the occasional one-off treatment can exfoliate dead skin and produce a healthier glow.

After my dinner with Dr. Murad, I went home with a sample of his Intensive Resurfacing Peel ($165). The pricey product contains glycolic and salicylic acids to reveal smoother skin; the formula is contained in 16 separate ampoules to use over a four-week period. But I found that after leaving it on my face for about 10 minutes, I already saw smoother, softer, glowier skin; to make the product last, I get two uses out of each ampoule, which makes the hefty cost a little more justifiable.

Of course, a drugstore version promises to deliver amazing results, too. To find out whether it lives up to the marvy Murad product, read more.

Because it gives me a perverse thrill to find inexpensive products that do the work of pricier ones, I gave L'Oréal's Dermo-Expertise Advanced Revitalift Anti-aging Glycolic Mini Peel Kit ($24.99) a whirl, too. It follows the same concept as the Murad product: Apply the solution to your face, wait about 10 minutes, and rinse. The difference is that L'Oréal's version comes with a neutralizing solution that you pour on a cotton pad, and then you follow it with an included moisturizer.

Really, though, you don't need a special solution to neutralize the glycolic acid in the kit; water works just fine. And when I looked at the ingredient list on that and the moisturizer, I found a lot of water, glycerin, and mineral oil - no great shakes there. All of this wouldn't matter if the glycolic acid improved the look of my skin, but unfortunately, it didn't happen. Although it's a 10% solution, it just doesn't give much exfoliation. For first-time glycolic peelers, this is a gentle introduction to the concept; if you seek a more powerful peel, though, you're bound to be disappointed.

Final verdict: Despite the high price, the Murad peel is a better investment for anyone who's experienced a peel before. L'Oréal's version is a gentle introduction into the world of glycolic peels, but past the first time or two, it won't produce the kind of results you'd hope for.

Tour of Beauty: Los Angeles Primping Spots

BellaSugar — Tue, 20 May 2008 07:00:44 -0700

This weekend, I joined dozens of lovely ladies in LA for Total Beauty's beauty blog summit. One of the highlights was a day-long tour of some of the city's poshest primping places, including the top places where the A-list get gorgeous. Read on to see some of the best sites from the day.

View Slideshow ›

My Dinner with Dr. Murad

BellaSugar — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:27:33 -0700

Sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure I'm not having some sort of fantastical beauty dream. Last night was one of those times, as I was invited to a dinner with Dr. Howard Murad. Yes, that Dr. Murad. He was in town to fete the opening of the spa at the InterContinental Hotel, where his products and techniques are incorporated into skin-care treatments. (Never have I sat at a table among people with skin that beautiful. Never, ever.)

After meeting Dr. Murad, it's easy to understand why he's such a popular dermatologist. He's a gentleman, he's friendly, and he sincerely loves talking about skin. While enjoying beet salad, I asked him what we can do to have healthier skin. For a few of his tips for a beautiful complexion, read more.

Some of Dr. Murad's advice for healthy skin:

Deliver water to your skin from the inside and out. Using a moisturizer is just part of hydrating your skin; you need to deliver water to your skin cells, whose membranes weaken with age. Drinking water is good, but juicing your own juices is even better. Dr. Murad recommends "eating your water" by consuming raw fruits and vegetables, whose vitamins and antioxidants support your skin from the inside. Healthy fats such as olive oil are better for your skin than butter, but here's something I didn't expect to learn: Eggs are rich in lecithin, which helps repair cell walls.
Wear sunblock. Daily, consistent application of sunblock helps to prevent environmental damage, which in turn prevents photoaging and skin cancer.
Repair damaged skin. "You can't treat the skin cells you had yesterday," Dr. Murad explained. "But you can treat the developing ones." He recommends topical vitamin C treatments, and he's just released Intensive Wrinkle Reducer for Eyes, which contains extracts from the antioxidant-rich durian fruit.
Stop the stress. "Being isolated isn't good for you," Dr. Murad said. (I hope that he meant "you" in the abstract sense and that he hadn't overheard me talking about how I watch a lot of Smiths videos at home.) He went on to say that emotional self-care is essential to overall health - and that when you're not emotionally healthy, your skin cells suffer, too.

Fantastic Firming Creams, Part V: Body

BellaSugar — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 13:00:07 -0800

Welcome back to my series on firming beauty products. Today's topic is body creams. Before we go any further, you need to know that no cream can actually remove cellulite. By following a healthy lifestyle you can shrink lipids, but topical creams will only work to stimulate your skin and temporarily help smooth the appearance of cellulite. Below are three that I've tried.

Benefit Jiggle Gel ($26) is a toning, firming, and hydrating moisturizer for your hips, thighs, tummy, arms, and booty. It claims to act as an "invisible girdle." I can't attest to it being quite that effective, but the mental image definitely worked to help me feel firmer. Simply smooth it onto your body and allow it to dry. I just read that it's also recommended to help reduce swelling after long flights, so it might be good for frequent fliers.

For two more body firming creams, read more.

Liz Earle Hip and Thigh Gel ($33) is another toning and moisturizing clear gel designed especially for your hips and thighs. It's made from herbs, essential oils, and has an overriding eucalyptus scent. I like how my skin felt soft after I used it, and of course, massaging it in feels wonderful. For optimal results, apply at least once daily under your usual moisturizer.

Murad Firming Body Cream ($42.50) is a thick, smooth, and creamy body lotion made with soy, oat protein, vitamin C, and shea butter. It was designed to hydrate, tone, and smooth away visible wrinkles. While I didn't see much of a difference in the firmness of my body, it does serve as a great moisturizer.

Cleanse Your Way to a Clearer Face

BellaSugar — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 09:58:33 -0800

The Murad name is synonymous with clear skin, and for good reason: Not only has Murad's Acne Complex Kit proven to decrease breakouts of more than 90 percent of the participants in an independent study, but more than two million have been sold. The proof, as they say, is in the pudding (if the pudding looked like your flawlessly clear face)! Luckily for you, fair reader, Murad is giving you an opportunity to try the first step in the regimen, the Clarifying Cleanser, for free.

The Clarifying Cleanser is a gentle, cooling cleanser that is especially good at calming irritated skin. It does this with the help of salicylic acid, which is a known acne fighter, triclosan which removes surface bacteria, and menthol which is both cooling and antiseptic. It also happens to be Murad's best-selling cleanser.

If you want to try a travel-size sample, click here, but hurry supplies are limited.

Thanks to Murad for sponsoring this post.

Bellissima! Murad Vitamin C Infusion Home Facial Kit

BellaSugar — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 14:00:24 -0700

This Murad Vitamin C Infusion Home Facial Kit ($70) is a weekly treatment that helps fight sun damage, dehydration, dull skin and signs of aging. I think this is a really great, complete DIY kit that can improve the condition of your skin. Also, it so happens to fit in fabulously as an addition to last week's series on vitamin C beauty products!

The kit comes with enough product to last you for four weeks. And after each treatment, you should see a healthier, brighter and firmer complexion. Everything is made from pure vitamin C, retinyl palmitate (to help with increased skin cell regeneration) as well as glycerin and beta carotene (to condition skin).

Inside the kit you'll find:

Four Pure Vitamin C Treatment Powder Packets
Four Pure Vitamin C Treatment Gel Packets
Cellular Replenishing Serum
Mixing Tray
Fan Brush for easy and even application

Must-Have Of The Moment: Murad Clarifying Body Spray

BellaSugar — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 10:59:44 -0700

The new Murad Clarifying Body Spray ($35) is a fantastic product for summer, since you are constantly exposing your skin to the world. Bouts of body acne can be embarrassing and make you feel self-conscious- but worry no more, now you can bare it all.

This spray contains salicylic acid, retinol, allantoin and triclosan, which all work together to combat bothersome body acne. Not only will it prevent new breakouts from forming but it will also heal, treat and soothe-all the while maintaining the clarity of your skin. Also, the spray bottle is a simple but smart idea because it helps you make contact with those hard-to-reach areas. What else can I say? Gimme-gimme spot treatment!