Beauty Lab Focus: Skin Care Routine

Since my late 30s I have really committed to a skin care regiment. I am not saying I am loyal to the same routine, but I have begun to:

Wear an anti-aging day cream with SPF 50 every day by c-booth called Derma-42 Anti aging daily defense cream ( I really like it, retails $19.95, no coupon :( probably can get it on line cheaper)

In the morning, I use a cotton ball and a mild astringent, I hate getting my hair wet and all that with a full face wash!
In the shower: Wash with a good cleaner ( I am using Skin Appetit which has lots of anti-oxidants in it, at Rite Aid. I exfoliate with the Rite Aid Skin Polisher I wrote about a while back. It has glycolic acid and peptides, it is awesome!)
Wash off my makeup at night (always, even if I REALLY don't want to)
Apply a night time anti-aging cream
Apply an eye cream that SUPPOSEDLY helps reduce puffiness, lines, and dark circles.

The night treatments are what I will address today. I really don't mind the wrinkles around my eyes when I smile...I think it shows the world that I have smiled a lot in my life, and I have! What I do mind is the one deep set wrinkle I have right between my eyes and the dark circles and puffiness under my eyes (sometimes I tend to not get enough sleep, I am working on that, but the years of sleep deprivation have caught up with me!)

SO, I had been reading ALOT about ROC products and how effective they were. In the many magazines I peruse (TIP: I go to the local library and there is always a stack of cool magazines people are done with, i save them for long car trips. I do subscribe to PREVENTION and WOMEN'S HEALTH), there were several write ups about ROC. ROC is made by Johnson and Johnson, so I am not sure if they just have lots of muscle and money in the industry to persuade the media, or enough money to devote to some very effective research which results in effective products?

To research this for all of you, I bit the bullet and bought the new ROC BRILLIANCE (Retail $49.95, but there is a $20 mail in rebate on roc.com). The reason I gave in finally to my curiosity is that there has been a buzz about the technology it offers. According to the package, E-PULSE are micro-currents which become activated and reduce puffiness. It claims fine lines are reduced in 3 days. I have been using it for 4 days, but skipped a day. Since I never paid attention to fine lines, I don't know if it worked on them. I am interested in the puff and dark circle feature. ROC claims it will work on them in a few weeks. There are other products with this new technology, so feel free to try them and let me know! I will be diligent in the application of this and get back!

I also had another coupon (also on roc.com) for $3 off the ROC Nighttime Anti-Deep Wrinkle cream (Retail $21.99). For that pesky one between my eyes. By the way, Marilu Henner in Total Health Makeover has a section on reading faces to interpret health, and she says this line means basically that you drink too much! Geez, I didn't think I drank that much! I have been studying the faces of some that I KNOW drink too much, and some of them don't have the line, so....:)The best thing health wise would be not to drink at all, but I am not there, nor do I want to be at this time.

Keep you posted on the results!

A QUICKIE: In the morning I have been making this shake and it is so good for breakfast or when you want something indulgent:

1 package chocolate instant breakfast or protein mix (i used carnation)
1 8 oz FROZEN (stick it in the freezer) vanilla LITE yogurt (yoplait is the best i think)
Soy Milk
1 TBS Peanut Butter
Banana (half) optional

Blend all. Add some crushed ice if you'd like but that frozen yogurt makes it cold enough! It is awesome. I used a dannon yogurt last time (also good) and I poured it right back in the cup and drank it up (that is 8 oz which is what you should have more or less. Throw the extra in the freezer for a treat later! YUM