$$$ M.A.C. Prep+Prime Skin Brightening Serum ($40 for 1 ounce). This thin-textured, lightweight serum is an excellent choice for those with normal to oily skin. It provides a good complement of ingredients all skin types need to look and feel healthy, but without any heavy or occlusive ingredients oily skin doesn't need. The brightening aspect comes from the form of vitamin C (ascorbyl glucoside) this serum contains. Although "brightening" isn't the same as "lightening" (the latter being a term associated with active skin lightening ingredients such as hydroquinone), you may see discolorations improve due to the amount of vitamin C this contains. Even if your discolorations don't budge, the vitamin C offers multiple benefits for skin, and it is joined by several other antioxidants. Ignore the "charged water" claim; there's no proof that charging water with minerals makes water more hydrating. Besides, skin needs much more than water to be hydrated; for example, it needs barrier repair ingredients to help maintain its water balance (and too much water is detrimental for skin). The only drawback this serum has is the inclusion of fragrant tuberose extract; however, it's not a deal-breaker unless you have sensitive skin.

 Arbonne RE9 Advanced Night Repair Crème ($85 for 1 ounce). It isn't good news that lemon verbena is one of the main ingredient in this moisturizer. The oil from this plant, which naturally occurs in the parts Arbonne uses, contains volatile ingredients known as terpenes. Terpenes are skin irritants and known to cause contact dermatitis (Source: www.naturaldatabase.com). This also contains the rose geranium plant, which has no benefit for skin but is definitely an irritant. Both of these ingredients will quickly be made less potent thanks to jar packaging, as will all of the other plant extracts and antioxidants this faulty moisturizer contains. All told, this has far too many problems to be helpful for aging skin, and the inclusion of toxic lavender oil is a step in the wrong direction. Consider this enthusiastically not recommended!