TRANSDERMA is a beautiful line of highly potent serums that can be best described as scientifically advanced yet exceptionally pure.  The serums focus on vitamins and proven natural ingredients and feature patented delivery innovations that enable active ingredients to penetrate more deeply in the skin, where these actives can do the most good.  TRANSDERMA founder Graziella Gallelli is one of the most generous founders I have had the pleasure to meet.  She founded TRANSDERMA with her late husband, Dr. Alvin Ronlán, and the two of them built the company incorporating her skincare expertise and his experience of over 30 years of research on vitamins and their delivery systems.  Dr. Ronlán found a way to preserve vitamins’ potency without the use of preservatives, and TRANSDERMA Serums are unique in that they are water-free, preservative-free, and emulsifier-free.  The line focuses on high-impact formulations with only a handful of ingredients in each formulation.

TRANSDERMA Serums Review

I had the immense privilege of trying all five TRANSDERMA serums, and I can tell you quite honestly that this is highly effective skincare at its best.  Across the board, TRANSDERMA Serums are free of artificial colors, preservatives, fragrance, and other synthetic compounds.  TRANSDERMA offers truly pure skincare. The serums’ lack of preservatives is truly remarkable, especially when you consider the fact that these products all remained fresh and potent for a long duration of use!  Consider me impressed.  I am delighted to tell you a little about each formulation below.

TRANSDERMA C

Ingredients: Organic 1,2-Propanediol, L-Ascorbic Acid.

L-Ascorbic Acid is notoriously hard to keep fresh, but TRANSDERMA C has completely overcome this issue—without preservatives!  TRANSDERMA C uses a revolutionary technique for stabilization and improved absorption of this simple, potent formulation.  This serum goes on and sinks right in where it belongs.  Not only does it provide antioxidant protection, but it is also great for boosting collagen and elastin production.  I noticed brighter, smoother skin when using TRANSDERMA C regularly.

TRANSDERMA O

Ingredients: Organic 1,2-Propanediol, L-Ascorbic Acid, Niacinamide (Vitamin B3), Creatine, Pyridoxine Cyclic Phosphate (Vitamin B6), Kinetin, Pyrroloquinoline Quinone Disodium Salt (Bio-Pqq), Biotin (Vitamin B7).

TRANSDERMA O is the first formulation I ever encountered with the key active PQQ, which is known to reduce inflammation and revitalize mitochondria.  With this active and B vitamins, TRANSDERMA O is truly energizing for the skin.  I particularly loved to combine TRANSDERMA O with red light therapy for the ultimate skin rejuvenation!

TRANSDERMA R

Ingredients: Organic 1,2-Propanediol, L–Ascorbic Acid, Trans–Resveratrol, Piceid.

TRANSDERMA R is perhaps the best serum I have ever used for evening skin tone and reducing pigmentation.  The formulation is deceptively simple; every ingredient counts, and this one really delivers!  TRANSDERMA R is wonderful for leaving skin brighter and more luminous.

TRANSDERMA A

Ingredients: Squalane, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Alpha-Tocopherol Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate.

TRANSDERMA A is one of the best retinol products I have ever used.  I think the formulation is brilliant because the squalene balances out the retinol such that the serum is potent without ever being irritating or drying like so many retinol products tend to be.   TRANSDERMA A is excellent for stimulating skin cell renewal and rejuvenation.  I love TRANSDERMA A because it feels like a complete evening skincare routine (potent anti-aging actives and hydration) in one simple step.

TRANSDERMA M

Ingredients: Squalane, Isostearyl Isostearate, C10-30 Cholesterol / Lanosterol Esters, Alpha–Tocopherol, Ceramide Iii & Vi, Salicoyl Phytosphingosine.

Rather than a cream (which would require an emulsifier and preservatives—neither of which do the skin any favors), TRANSDERMA M is a moisturizing serum.  Formulated with skin-identical ceramides and lipids and using TRANSDERMA’s deep absorbing delivery system, TRANSDERMA M is great for providing deep, healing hydration.  I found TRANSDERMA M to be particularly calming for my skin.

Overall Conclusion:  The entire TRANSDERMA line is superb for maximum results with pure, deceptively simple formulations.  Each serum stands well on its own, but using them together makes for truly exceptional results:  smoother, more luminous, revitalized skin!  I give TRANSDERMA my highest recommendation.

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A new launch from Okoko Cosmétiques is always a cause to rejoice.  Recently, I had the delightful opportunity to indulge in two new Okoko treasures, Diamant Bleu Clarifying Cream with Niacinamide and Blue Tansy as well as Les 16 Précieux Prestige Edition Next-Level, Age Defying Face Oil with Retinol Fusion. Let’s take these beauties one by one.

Okoko Cosmétiques Diamant Bleu: Clarifying Cream with Niacinamide and Blue Tansy

How can I put into words the pleasure of using Diamant Bleu?  A much-requested item from the Okoko line, this cream is utterly luxurious with a sumptuous buttery texture, the gorgeous color of the sky on a clear and bright day, and a natural fragrance (with key notes of sweet Blue Tansy) so delicious that applying it will lift your spirits and allow for a moment of truly regal indulgence even during an otherwise harried day.

Diamant Bleu is a sensory delight to use.  Sometimes “skincare as self-care” can feel like a marketing gimmick, but not in this case!  It is no exaggeration to say that applying Diamant Bleu offers a precious and enjoyable moment of calm in the storms of life.  I have never smelled any product with a fragrance this delicious, and based on its uplifting effects on me, I would say it is the best aromatherapeutic I have ever tried.  All this praise is simply about the joys of applying Diamant Bleu, but there is so much more to this blue beauty than just delivering an indulgent experience.  As with all Okoko Cosmétiques treasures, every precious ingredient in the formulation is truly performance-driven and based on exhaustive R&D by Okoko founder and Chief Formulator, Oyéta Kokoroko. The gorgeous blue color, for instance, is not just for show; it comes from the combination of natural actives Blue Tansy and Blue Spirulina extract, two incredible plant-based ingredients and potent antioxidants that also deliver skin-calming and detoxifying properties.

If you have a history of complexion woes like I do, then when you imagine a “clarifying cream” you may have visions of harsh dermatological prescriptions that leave skin angry and flaking, but this could not be further from the beautiful reality of Diamant Bleu’s skin-calming results.  I have lovingly nicknamed Diamant Bleu “my blue heaven” because of how dreamy it is in both its performance and use.  The texture is like perfect, freshly-churned butter, delivering an immediate wave of calming hydration.  Before you worry that such a rich, buttery cream might be too indulgent for persnickety, acne-prone skin, let me assure you that Diamant Bleu is formulated precisely for the very concerns of rebellious skin. The importance of hydration plays in optimal healing is often neglected in traditional clarifying formulations, but this is Okoko Cosmétiques, and  Oyéta never delivers less than perfection.  Not only does Diamant Bleu not break me out, it soothes and diminishes inflammation of any sort—whether that is acne, acne marks, or redness and irritation.  Anyone with acne-prone skin can tell you that the marks acne leaves behind are often more stubborn and frustrating than the acne itself was.  Here Diamant Bleu also excels beautifully, with encapsulated Niacinamide proven to rapidly diminish the look of post-acne spots and scarring.

The results of Diamant Bleu will surpass even the highest expectations. My complexion is so much calmer and clearer after regular use of this blue beauty.  This transformative cream is both elegant and high-performance, healing and gently hydrating, all without any harshness–a true feat in formulation!  Diamant Bleu is exceptional and has quickly become my favorite moisturizer of all time.  Of all the moisturizers I have ever tried, none have been as pleasurable and had such an incredible array of benefits as the truly heavenly Diamant Bleu.

Les 16 Précieux Prestige Edition Next-Level, Age Defying Face Oil with Retinol Fusion

Les 16 Précieux was already the best anti-aging face oil I had found, but with the new Prestige Edition, you get an entire anti-aging skincare routine all in a single product!  The R&D that went into this treasure is beyond impressive.  As in the White Label version of Les 16 Précieux , Bakuchiol is a key ingredient in the Prestige Edition, but here its effects are further boosted with two evidence-based anti-aging superstars, Encapsulated Retinol and Vitamin C.  The combination of Bakuchiol and Retinol is notable, as the two ingredients work synergistically together, such that their anti-aging and skin-clearing benefits are more than the sum of their individual parts.  Moreover, the Retinol in Les 16 Précieux Prestige Edition is encapsulated to improve its delivery and stability.  All this is further amplified by collagen-boosting  vitamin C in an oil-soluble form, L-ascorbyl Palmitate, that helps to brighten and smooth the complexion.

Other incredible ingredients in this luxury cocktail that is Les 16 Précieux Prestige Edition include powerhouse antioxidants Astaxanthin, skin-smoothing Ceramides, Fermented Willow Bark to help keep skin clear and bright, White Lupin extract for firming sagging skin, and CoQ10 to help protect skin from environmental stress, and Seabuckthorn and Rosehip Oils to help reduce the appearance of scars.  These are just some of the highlights in this truly divine oil serum!  With all the precious actives featured in Les 16 Précieux Prestige Edition, it is noteworthy that the formulation also includes Acai Goji Dehydrasome, an advanced natural ingredient that is not only highly antioxidant and hydrating, but also boosts the delivery and absorption of all the formulation’s beneficial ingredients, of which there are many.

Despite all the potent actives and their enhanced delivery, Les 16 Précieux Prestige Edition is incredibly gentle in its power, never causing even the slightest hint of a reaction even on my sensitive skin.  This rich oil is luxurious, hydrating, anti-aging and yet still a perfect choice for those of us dealing with aging and acne simultaneously, as it addresses both concerns and is non-comedogenic.  Les 16 Précieux Prestige Edition is by far the most advanced and effective oil treatment serum I have ever used.  Once again, Okoko Cosmétiques has surpassed my high expectations and delivered a product that truly elevates the entire category of facial oils.

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True Botanicals is an uncompromising, highly effective clean skincare line that combines the best natural ingredients with the latest scientific advances in formulation.  Their motto is “pure, potent, proven,” and they live up to it, backing up product efficacy with actual research that demonstrates their products outperform some of the most iconic skincare on the market!  Additionally, their results-driven formulations truly are kind to skin and to the planet.  For example, the US bans only 11 ingredients in beauty products; Europe bans 1,328.  True Botanicals holds itself to a higher, safer standard, banning over 5,000 chemicals known to hurt human or environmental health.  True Botanicals appeals to me because they prove that natural and sustainable skincare can be luxurious and effective.  Today I am going to tell you about an incredible holiday gift set, True Botanicals You Make Me Glow Face Care Kit!

As True Botanicals has been on my wishlist for a few years, I was thrilled to have the chance to try a PR sample of a special holiday gift set, the True Botanicals You Make Me Glow Face Care Kit.  This set offers a lit-from-within glow with True Botanicals iconic Clear Nourishing Cleanser (4 fl oz), Clear Pure Radiance Oil (1 fl oz), Radiance Facial Roller, and a reusable True Botanicals Essentials Bag perfect to use as environmentally-friendly gift wrapping.  The set I tested is focused on giving clear, bright skin, but the “You Make Me Glow” set is also available featuring the Renew line for those who want to focus on anti-aging.  Having enjoyed the Kit for a couple of weeks, I have already seen improvements in my skin in terms of more even tone, less inflammation, and fewer blemishes.  I credit the Clear Nourishing Cleanser and Clear Pure Radiance Oil used with the Radiance Facial Roller for these visible benefits!

How to Use True Botanicals You Make Me Glow Face Care Kit

Here is how I have used the “You Make Me Glow” Face Care Kit to such great effects.  First, I cleanse my face with Clear Nourishing Cleanser.  Next, I apply about 7 drops of Clear Pure Radiance Oil to my skin while it was still moist.  I use the Radiance Facial Roller in short, gentle strokes starting at the center of the jawline and moving up and out towards the hairline. The smaller roller offers gentle precision, and I use it to roll up and out under the eyes and over my temples.  Finally, I roll above my eyebrows up and out on my forehead toward the hairline. I repeat each of the strokes 3-5 5imes until one side of my face was complete and then move to the other side, repeating these steps.

The Clear products themselves are great and truly encourage clear skin while also leaving skin pleasantly hydrated and supporting the skin barrier. Clear Nourishing Cleanser is a creamy, non-foaming cleanser that strikes the perfect balance between sloughing away dead skin and providing healing hydration.  Almost every acne-fighting cleanser I have ever used has been somewhat harsh or drying, but not True Botanicals Clear Nourishing Cleanser!  The base ingredient is not water as you would commonly see, but instead nutrient- and polyphenol-rich green and white tea!  The tea is not only highly antioxidant, but also very restorative.  It is complemented by nature’s salicylic acid, black willow bark, which exfoliates and smoothes skin without irritation. Another star ingredient of many is helichrysum, a soothing antibacterial and antifungal botanical renowned for its wound-healing and scar-minimizing benefits.  Rather than drying out the skin (which can exacerbate breakouts and worsen scarring), Clear Nourishing Cleanser is hydrating and offers truly the perfect balancing cleanse!

Clear Pure Radiance Oil is a plumping moisturizer that simultaneously prevents pesky breakouts and helps minimize signs of aging. It serves these dual purposes beautifully with healing , antibacterial helichrysum, sebum-balancing oils of hemp, pumpkin, and grape seed, and the potent anti-aging ingredients algae and astaxanthin.  Packed with skin-loving essential fatty acids, Clear Pure Radiance leaves skin plump and hydrated, restores the skin barrier, and does all this while also balancing oil production and preventing blemishes.

Clear Nourishing Cleanser and Pure Radiance Oil are especially amazing when used with the Radiance Facial Roller included in the True Botanicals You Make Me Glow Face Care Kit.  Radiance Facial Roller boosts circulation and product penetration, reduces puffiness, eases tension, and helps promote elasticity!  This Face Care Kit would make a wonderful gift for anyone who loves skincare or deserves some quality self-care!

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        Cecil Booth, a beauty expert, and Rebecca Booth, a gynecologist & expert on hormonal wellness, were discussing the vital role of estrogen in women’s radiance and beauty when it dawned on them that hormones were never discussed in the beauty industry—despite their huge relevance.  The sisters decided it was time to start the broader conversation and to give women the tools to hold onto this vitality. They combined their areas of expertise and spent a decade developing and refining their skincare line, VENeffect.  With VENeffect, the Booth sisters became the first (and only) to develop a skincare line that fully addresses and tackles what used to be a gaping void in the anti-aging beauty industry: hormonal aging, which is an issue unique to women.

About Hormonal Aging

         Anyone who assumes that hormonal aging only becomes relevant during menopause is sadly mistaken. The truth is, peak estrogen for women occurs at around age 27 and then rapidly declines throughout the entirety of our 30s, accompanied and followed by an accelerated loss of collagen and elasticity (see below).  Yikes, right?  Luckily, all hope is not lost; keep reading.

As someone who has seen the glow that two pregnancies (one a twin pregnancy) could bring with their estrogen surges, as well as the increasingly dry, fragile, thin and aging skin of subsequent years, I feel like I have seen firsthand how important estrogen is to overall radiance as well as collagen/elastin content. When I started looking for skin care that acknowledges the role of hormones in skin aging, it led me straight to VENeffect, which is still the only line with this important focus.

Phytoestrogens to the Rescue

               VENeffect products use a proprietary blend of phytoestrogens (which are found naturally in found in plants) that latch onto and stimulate estrogen receptors in the skin, mimicking the hormonal highs that make a woman’s complexion glow.  The VENeffect phytoestrogen blend includes grapeseed, soy, red clover, and resveratrol.  Given the role estrogen plays in skin aging and the fact that we have more estrogen receptors in our faces than any place else, I believe that VENeffect’s unique approach to skincare has the potential to be truly invaluable in not only looking one’s best with time but also to maintaining healthy skin with the years.  Given my intense interest in the line, I was thrilled to have the chance to try two VENeffect products: Firming Phyto-Lift Serum and Anti-Aging Intensive Moisturizer.

Firming Phyto-Lift Serum blends phytoestrogens to brighten and boost collagen production with natural oat extract for an immediate firming effect.  The result is an anti-aging product that gives immediate gratification and long-term results. Anti-Aging Intensive Moisturizer has an ultra-luxurious consistency and provides rich hydration along with VENeffect’s phytoestrogen technology. The result is hydrated, supple skin.  VENeffect is designed to reverse the signs of hormonal aging (enhancing collagen and elasticity—that golden ticket combination). VENeffect’s Firming Phyto-Lift Serum and Anti-Aging Intensive Moisturizer are a powerful duo that is effective at combatting signs of aging while restoring the subtle radiance of skin at peak hormonal vitality. VENeffect’s use of phytoestrogens also confers additional benefits: increasing hyaluronic acid production, providing antioxidant and photoprotection, and even improving

wound-healing.  If that’s not enough, phytoestrogens even suppress unwanted body hair (can I get an amen)!

                                                                         Results?

            Is there any science on phytoestrogens as topical skincare?  While not abundant, there are studies (e.g., Bayerl & Keil, 2002) that demonstrate an anti-wrinkle effect.  In my own experience, I did not have to wait very long to start seeing some improvements in my skin, and this is consistent with the line’s clinical trials, which demonstrated that 50% of users saw improvements in their skin including a reduction in fine lines and wrinkles within just 2 weeks, and 90% saw results in 4 weeks. VENeffect products achieve these rapid improvements by nourishing skin, and the line is appropriate for a variety of skin types, even sensitive skin like mine. VENeffects products are never tested on animals, hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic, fragrance-free, gluten free, paraben free, and made in the USA, and I recommend them to women without hesitation.

What VENeffect delivers is a smart and in some ways revolutionary approach to anti-aging.  Their products are uniquely effective and beneficial for any woman in her late 20s and beyond. Yes, their products will make us look younger, but the founders’ purpose goes beyond that as well. The team at VENeffect is actually committed to increasing awareness about an important issue that is rarely even acknowledged by the beauty industry: hormonal aging. Moreover, they address is from more than just a looks perspective. Dr. Booth even wrote a book titled The Venus Week: Discover the Powerful Secret of Your Cycle…at Any Age to help her patients–and those of us who wish we were her patients–better understand how hormones influence the constant physical, emotional, and sexual changes we feel as women. With lifestyle, diet and beauty tips, this is an empowering and revealing guide for women of all ages. (Having read much of it, I can recommend the book as well.) The mission of the Booth sisters and VENeffect is to educate women about the beauty of our hormones in order to empower us in this knowledge . . .  not only in order to look better, but to live better, too.  That is something I can get behind.

CONCLUSION: I highly recommend VENeffect for women in their thirties and beyond. It is suitable for sensitive skin yet delivers visible benefits. VENeffect is the first (and still the only) anti-aging skin care line specifically designed and formulated to address the significant and under-discussed issue of hormonal aging.  With a proprietary blend of 100% natural phytoestrogens, VENeffect products restore the lost elasticity that is directly related to a decline in estrogen with aging.  With this unique blend, VENeffect products are backed by science to restore radiance, delay sagging, boost skin repair, and even suppress the unwanted body hair that starts to creep in as we age.

Sources: Bayerl C, Keil D. Isoflavonoide in der Behandlung der Hautalterung postmenopausaler Frauen. Akt Dermatol 2002: 28: 14–18.

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