Are Eye Creams Really Necessary? Most women believe that eye creams are specially formulated for the skin around the eye area. Although the eye area does tend to be more prone to allergic or sensitizing reactions and often shows wrinkles before other areas of the face, it turns out that product formulations for eye creams don't differ from those for face products. There is no evidence, research, or documentation validating the claim that eye creams have special formulations setting them apart from other facial moisturizers. It only takes a quick look at the ingredient labels of any moisturizer or eye moisturizer to see that they don't differ except for the price and the tiny containers the eye creams come in. Eye creams are a whim of the cosmetics industry designed to evoke the sale of two products when only one is needed. The only time you might want to use a different product around the eyes is if the skin there happens to indeed be different from the skin on the rest of the face. For example, if your face is normal to oily and doesn't require a moisturizer except occasionally on the cheeks or around the eyes, then an emollient, well-formulated moisturizer of any kind will work beautifully. Ironically, one of the drawbacks of many so-called eye creams is that they rarely contain sunscreen. For daytime, that makes most eye creams a serious problem for the health of skin. You could believe that you were doing something special for your eyes, but you would actually be putting them at risk of sun damage and wrinkling by using an eye cream without sunscreen. This is another example of the way cosmetics marketing and misleading information can waste your money and hurt your skin.  M.A.C. Loud Lash Mascara ($11) has a strange name because mascara doesn’t make noise. So I at least expected the “loud” portion of the name to mean there would be some wild colors, but nope: only classic black or brown are available. This is primarily a lengthening mascara that, with some effort, does a beautiful job of making lashes fringed, separated, and long with no clumps or smears. The “extra-strength” claim is accurate, because this mascara wears and wears and wears. It is waterproof (it didn't budge on me after two showers) and as a result requires an oil- or silicone-based makeup remover (water-soluble cleansers are no match for this formula). It's definitely recommended if you need worry-free wear and don't care for much thickness.  LANCOME Bright Expert Intense Brightening Cleansing Foam ($30 for 3.4 ounces) is a creamy, pearlescent foaming cleanser that contains enough potassium hydroxide to make it too drying an option, except possibly for someone with oily skin. None of the many plant extracts in this cleanser have a proven track record for brightening skin, intensely or not, and most of them are listed after the preservatives and fragrance, meaning they can’t do much other than look enticing on the label. Besides, even if they could be helpful in some way, they would just be rinsed off the skin before they had a chance to have an effect. This is an OK cleanser for someone with oily skin but the price is unwarranted for what you get, and it's easily replaced by far less expensive and less drying options.  ORIGINS Youthtopia Skin Firming Lotion with Rhodiola ($47.50 for 1.7 ounces) I have to hand it to Origins for coming up with some of the most clever product names around, because they convey a sense of cuteness along with a benefit. I wish what was inside was just as clever, because despite some very good ingredients, Origins' penchant for potent, skin-sensitizing essential oils makes almost all of their products too irritating for skin, as is the case with this moisturizer. It contains sandalwood, geranium, orange, patchouli, cinnamon, nutmeg, and thyme oils, all of which present problems for skin and won’t do a thing to help it regain its youthful appearance. By the way, if you’re wondering what Rhodiola is, it’s a flowering plant that’s known as an adaptogen, a term referring to an ingredient that, when consumed orally, helps the body deal with stressors such as intense exercise or a compromised immune system. Although there is a small amount of research pertaining to Rhodiola’s benefit when consumed orally, information about its effect as a topical application is scant, though components of this plant do have antioxidant properties (Source: www.naturaldatabase.com). Origins uses the active (root) portion of this plant, but its benefit on skin, if any, is diminished by the inclusion of so many irritating essential oils. Dear Paula, I just wanted to commend you for your phenomenal report on Mineral Makeup. I personally work at the beauty superstore Ulta, and every day I encounter customers seeking to try out the “revolutionary, life changing” mineral makeups. I am thrilled that you have put out such an intensive, all-inclusive review of these products. I work with numerous mineral makeups every day, some of which include Bare Escentuals, Pür Minerals, Urban Decay, etc., and being the person who performs miniature makeovers on the customers, I must say that all the things you listed as pros and cons were absolutely true. Everyday I witness customers’ reactions to the mineral makeups, and regardless if the product truly looks good on them or not, they still want to believe that it will change their skin for the better and buy the product anyway. I can only hope that women out there are doing their homework on these products, and not just buying things based on what infomercials and magazines tell them. So, all being said, I truly must thank you, because not only have you helped educate me and thousands of others on these products, I can now speak confidently about mineral makeups to the customers at my job. Kristen, via email Dear Kristen, What can I say? Thank you so much for your kind words and support. It is great to hear this from women, but especially rewarding when acknowledgement comes from someone in the industry who deals with cosmetics consumers every day. Paula's Choice Skin Recovery Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum “I have dry/flaky skin and am amazed at how well the Skin Recovery Super Antioxidant Concentrate "normalizes" my skin; it sinks right in and leaves my skin perfectly balanced (neither overly dry nor overly moist). Another winning product!” —Jody, via email Remember to add the Beauty Bulletin (beautybulletin@cosmeticscop.com) to your Address Book to continue receiving our emails. How? PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL. This email address is used only to send the Bonus Beauty Bulletin and is not monitored. If you have questions for us, please email custserv@cosmeticscop.com. Thank you. SUBSCRIBE    Unsubscribe     Read Beauty Bulletin FAQs View our privacy policy. ©2007 Paula's Choice, Inc. 1030 SW 34th Street, Suite A, Renton, WA 98057. 1-800-831-4088. All rights reserved.