The first time I tried iS Clinical Youth Eye Complex was from a small sample my dermatologist suggested I try.   Then about a week or so later I was contacted by the company’s rep to try it as well.   I liked the small sample my dermatologist had given me, but a few days worth of skin care product does not produce results, so I was anxious to give this a try.

Youth Eye Complex is a lightweight eye cream packed with heavy duty anti-aging goodness including peptides and growth factors that stimulate collagen production.   It’s also said to reduce puffiness and dark circles along with fine lines, hydrate the eye area and overall brightness of the eye area.  This is a powerful line of product carried by many dermatologists because of its proven results.

I’ve been using this for several weeks now and I am pleased with the results.   It’s not heavy in hydration, and if you are super dry under your eyes it may not be enough for you.  But, I am thrilled with my under eye darkness being significantly lighter. Generally I don’t have puffiness under my eyes, but some mornings when my allergies are really bad, my eyes are puffy – especially under the brow area.   I just dab a bit of Youth Eye Complex in that brow bone area and in less than an hour my puffiness is gone!  

If these are signs of aging you’d like to diminish around your eyes, this may be an eye cream for you.

Image from SkinCareRx. Results are my results and may not be the same results others have.

If you’re a regular reader of Fab Over Forty you know that I’m a huge fan of Kate Somerville skin care products.   I’ve been using them for years and a few are constant mainstays in my skin care routine, such as the ExfoliKate, Gentle Cleanser, Quench, Micro Lactic Polisher and more.   I was first introduced to the line nearly 3 years ago while in NYC and was thrilled when it finally came to Minnesota via Nordstrom Mall of America (MOA)

The other day while taking a whirl thru the Nordstrom cosmetic department I stopped to see what was new at Kate Somerville and sa Bryna Tally had just gotten in an amazing machine – the same machine that Kate Somerville herself uses in her clinic in LA.   Only a very select few retail outlets have this machine and luckily my local Nordstrom is one of them.   It’s a professional grade oxygen machine that is used for her DermalQuench Treatments.  Kate calls these treatments her “Red Carpet Treatment” as so many Hollywood stars have this done before walking the red carpet to keep their skin moisturized and plump and line free. 

The machine is similar to the one shown above.   A professional grade of Quench (a higher concentrated version of what is sold at the stores) is put into the air brush unit and and sprayed onto a specific area on the face and then oxygen is used to push the product deeper into the skin.   I had this treatment done and had some pretty amazing results! Bryna did half of my face first so I could see the results.  Immediately my lines were definitely lifted and smoothed out and the area that was most noticebly changed were those awful marionette lines, they were GONE!   She also treated the area above my lip and it pulled the lip up making it appear more plump.  My squint lines (what I call the lines across my forehead) were gone too!   The next day I was shocked to see the results were still noticeable. 

Here’s the fabulous part for you too!   If you live near or want to drive to Nordstrom Mall of America, they are having an event October 1st and 2nd called Beauty on Location.   If you purchase $150 in Kate Somerville products you get this treatment done for FREE!   At Kate’s clinic this is over $250 for the treatment alone!   Not only that, with that $150 purchase you get a FREE FULL SIZE CLEANSER!    Wait!  The fabulousness doesn’t end there – Bryna has agreed to give any of my readers that book an appointment for that weekend another special gift with purchase.   But, you must book with Bryna and you MUST mention Fab Over Forty in order to get the additional gift!  

Call Bryna at Nordstrom today to book your appointment.   Her number is 952-883-2121 ext 1421 

Happy Labor Day weekend to all my US readers!   Anyone have big plans?  I spent all day Friday babysitting my cutiepie (great) niece and nephew.  It’s been so many years since I’ve babysat a 3 year old and a 4 month old that I’m exhausted!   I think I’ll spend my weekend celebrating the unofficial opening of fall weekend resting and taking in some great beauty around the web.   Here are some of my favorite beauty and fashion blogs – enjoy!

Gaia took a short break from gorgeous new fall colors (and her incomparable fragrance reviews) to write about a concealer she loves. Gaia knows that we need to prepare our complexions for our beautiful new makeup. She shared her application tips at The Non-Blonde. While you’re there, read about “naked lashes.” Does this fall-winter trend have legs…or eyes?

Charlestongirl wrote a love letter to Edward Bess at Best Things in Beauty. Edward creates makeup with a sense of place, and his irresistible fall colors for cheeks are inspired – and inspiring.

Remember the old days of our “it” items and one of them being the Gunny Bracelets?   The Budget Fashionista shows us what’s old is new again. 

Anne is celebrating fall beauty with Shiseido! Check out BeautyXposé for a fab feature on Shiseido’s stunning fall collection from Dick Page. Who could resist those eye shadows?

Dolce & Gabbana’s makeup is hard to find. See what Sabrina selected (with help from Nikki at Saks Houston) from the fall collection at The Beauty Look Book. Don’t you love it when you find a great phone friend to help you select the perfect shades? You have to stop by to see Sabrina’s selections.

Kelly has been showing us the best of summer at Gouldylox Reviews. Both of her favorite discoveries for cheeks will take you right into fall! See if you can read about H2 Glow Natural Highlighter Cream without placing an order.

M∙A∙C’s new Fabulous Felines Collection for fall has been a blogger darling for weeks, particularly among cat lovers. Get the full scoop on the Superslick Liquid Eye Liners from Marcia at Beauty Info Zone Blog.

Super-shopper Laurie at Product Girl found a darling Clinique gift with purchase at Bloomingdale’s. Clinique has some great looks for fall, including new shades of Vitamin C Lip Smoothies. Why not get a gift when you pick up your favorites? The GWP includes an Allure favorite paring for fall – pink and chocolate.

How are we going to organize all our new purchases? Our pro, Vicki, let us in on her new “secret” at Makeup Artist Backstage.

Heather from 365 Days of Style asked several of us “What does style mean to you?”  Check out the fun and different answers!

And don’t forget to sign up for my Apothica gift card giveaway! 

Happy Labor Day my beauty friends!

I have been anxiously awaiting for Nordstrom in Chicago to get their Burberry product in.  Finally it’s here along with their testers.   I asked Julianna when the Sheer Luminous Foundation came in if she could be so kind to send me a sample.   I told her which other brand of foundation(s) I use and the shade(s) so she could send me a sample that was close to those.   Julianna and Burberry did not disappoint!

I received a few small tester samples and gave #5 and #6 a test run as one of those looked the closest.   #6 matched the best.   In fact, it matched perfectly!  I usually have issues with the redness on my face in comparison to the yellow on my neck.  It’s difficult to find a foundation that has sheer to medium coverage that hides the redness, still looks light on my face and blends in beautifully to my neck.  I may have found the perfect foundation!

Burberry’s Sheer Luminous Foundation had me ooohing and aaahhhing all day today.   I kept waiting for it to oxidize (another issue I have with foundations) but it didn’t.  My face redness was covered and my skin looked like smooth, fabulous… skin!   It had a soft glow without looking greasy, no separation, no settling into pores, and my favorite thing about this foundation is it made my skin look like nothing was on it – only better!

I’ll definitely be calling Julianna to order this foundation!

Image Nordstrom

The latest Fall 2010 Collection from American Beauty (available at Kohl’s) is the Youthful Bronze Look Kit.  

The kit has two eye shadows, one in a gold shimmer the other in a green shimmer and a warm toned bronzer.   $30 for the kit.   Beautiful fall colors at an affordable price.  As you know, Kohls continually has cosmetics on sale – making  this a Beauty on a Budget! 

 Julia Louis-Dreyfus, dressed in a gown by her favorite designer Narcisco Rodriguez, it showed off her smokin’ hot body.   I loved her smoky eye with muted makeup elsewhere, and the pop of color on the earrings kept it from looking boring.

 Jane Lynch had a beautiful purple gown and she just looked so fresh and happy.   Her makeup was soft and glowy and she showed us she can rock a gown and not just those Glee sweats!

 Lauren Graham, loved the hair and makeup, not so much the gown.  She too looked fresh and glowy.  I can’t wait for the return of Parenthood – love that show ( my 21 year old son got me hooked!) 

 Mariska Hargitay is always a vision, this time in white.   Her makeup and hair was simple and I loved the addition of the flower.  She can wear a gunny sack and still look gorgeous!

Tina Fey at times has been criticized for her red carpet looks.  This time, I loved her look!   A fabulous, simple ponytail with perfectly done makeup – smoky eye, pronounced eye brows and a simple lip.  My husband and I were in debate about her dress.   Him no, me yes.  

 Glenn Close looked so fresh-faced and lovely.   The new hairstyle with the flip opens up her face and gives her a youthful glow.  The athletic Glenn would never look apropriate in heavy makeup, so this is the right amount of glam for her. 

 Julia Ormond is one we don’t see too often on the red carpet.  I liked her dress, and the double cuffs were gorgeous.   Her hair was simple and soft, and the only thing I didn’t like about her makeup was that the cheeks were a bit too orange.  But, I loved her eyes and lips. 

  I loved Kyra Sedgwick’s dress.  The color was amazing and looked beautiful on Kyra.   However, her lips were too harsh for her small features, and we have a debate in our office about her hair.  The younger set liked it, I found it too fly-away messy.     

Edie Falco looked fabulous as a winner!  A simple black dress that showed off her buff arms.  Her hair and makeup were simple, but lovely.   Her eye liner and lashes were the focus and blush and lips were soft.  Another beauty that would have looked out of place with a lot of makeup and a fussy dress.

   Susan Sarandon looked lovely in figure hugging dress.   Her hair and makeup both classically done.    I want to be her when I grow up!

  Julianna Margulies looked fit and fabulous in her L’Wren Scott dress.   It was nice to see her on stage with George Clooney.  Ahhh, remember the days of ER when they were so good together?!  

Breast cancer survivor, Maura Tierney looked fabulous in her reddish orange lace overlay dress.   With the bold gem drop earrings and her pixie style hair, it was smart to keep the makeup simple.    It’s great to see Maura back!
 

With the kids back to school (or almost) and the changing seasons creeping upon us, it’s time to think about our beauty routines and changes in products.   But, the warm temperatures outside don’t suit wearing heavy wool sweaters, cashmere scarves and the like.   So keep some of those summer things out just for now, and your transition will look fabulous!

BECCA Luminous Skin Colour – A lightweight tinted moisturizer that gives you a beautiful, fresh glow.

Jo Malone fragrance in Orange Blossom – the fresh scent keeps it light when the temperatures are still high.

Chanel Particulierenail polish – Tired of the pale pinks or vibrant oranges, but not quite ready for the deep purples?  Particuliere is that great mushroomy transition shade.

Chantecaille Protection Naturelle – Don’t forget the sunscreen!   Nothing ages you more than the sun and whether the temps are soaring or heading down, keep your skin protected.

Estee Lauder Pure Color Gloss - Caught in between using lip balm or lipstick?   Give one of these Estee Lauder Pure Color lip glosses a try.  With numerous shades to choose from, one will certainly help you transition into fall. 

The great people at Apothica are offering one reader of Fab Over Forty a $25 gift certificate for a purchase of their choice at Apothica.com!  (Or one of their other sites SkinCareRx.com and SkinBotanica.com)   How fabulous is that!

Apothica carries so many beauty lines that I’ve talked about at Fab Over Forty through the years.  From makeup, to fragrance, skin care, hair care and so much more!   One of the lines they carry is Smashbox Cosmetics.  I have several Smashbox products, from the primer to some brushes, lips and they even have that great Fall 2010 palette called Masquerade Eye Palette that I mentioned a week ago about one of the Purple Pride items for fall.   Check out the site for the amazing selection of beauty brands. 

Here’s how you can enter to win – there are a few ways to increase your chances!

• Enter your name in the comments and tell me what you would buy if you won the gift certificate.  Click above to see all the brands and items they carry
• Contest Ends Sept. 12th at 11:59 PM CST

Extra ways to up your chances of winning:

• Go to Apothica’s Facebook page and “Like” them
• Follow them on Twitter
• Mention this post on Twitter by using @faboverforty so I know you tweeted
• Sign up for their newsletter at the bottom of their page

Good Luck!

Hourglass Cosmetics has created a new lipstick and mascara for Fall 2010, which was created in collaboration with Gina Brooks.  Gina is a well known celebrity makeup artist with clients such as Madonna, Anne Hathaway and Naomi Campbell.

Shown above is the new Femme Rouge lipstick in color Fresco.   The case is a solid feeling metal case in Hourglass’ signature bronze tone metal and the Hourglass logo is imprinted into the the tube of lipstick.  Personally, I love this particular shade on me.   It’s a beautiful rosy brown shade that goes on fairly sheer and is buildable in color.  

Besides the beautiful color and case, this lipstick is guaranteed to be one of my all-time favorites!   The texture is so incredible!   It’s soft and creamy, not a heavy creamy, but a soft silk velvet feeling.   Pure luxury in a tube.

Femme Rouge is moisturizing with Vitamin E and has protecting anti-oxidants.  You won’t find parabens in this lipstick either.  Surprisingly, this lipstick is refillable too!  $30 and available at Barney’s and Sephora and Sephora.com.

The other piece in the Fall 2010 Collection is Film Noir Full Spectrum Mascara.   The brush is an hourglass shape with “pinwheel” bristles and gives me “wow” lashes.   Very full, voluminous lashes that do not clump, flake or dry.  Created with Pro-Vitamin B5 for conditioning and hydrating and is paraben, sulfate and phthalate free.  This too, is in the signature bronze shade metal tube like the lipstick.  

On Friday, September 10^th, Hourglass will host a “Runway to Realway” Fashion’s Night Out event at the Sephora store in New York City’s Union Square. Artistic Director Gina Brooke (shown above) and a team of makeup artists will create a performance art, avant-garde makeup show featuring the Fall 2010 collection, followed by consultations and Q&A. The event will take place from 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm, with Gina’s performance at 7:00 pm.

Images:  Hourglass Cosmetics, Sephora and mine