Alpha Hydrox Targeted Skin Lightener

Are you guilty? Guilty of spending a little too much time in the sunshine with little or no SPF? Umm confess..it's good for the soul!  Now that you are getting a little older have you noticed some "sun" spots are your face? A few patches of uneven skin tone?

Well you are not alone...join the club!  I am very guilty of spending too much time in the sun with little or no SPF and now it has caught up w/me.

A few years ago I dropped a lot of money into a well known brand that was suppose to clear up these spots...but several hundred dollars later...no visible results.

In my search for a product that might actually work I came across the Alpha Hydrox skin care line.  After some research and weighing the odds of the strong ingredients I decided to try some of their products.  I have the foaming face wash and the enhanced anti-wrinkle lotion (w/10% glycolic AHA).  This product line is not very everyone especially those with sensitive skin but I believe the products work.  I normally use them in the summer when my skin is really oily, dirty, and grimy (hence working the the flower garden all the time) and these products in small doses really works for me.

Due to the sunspots on my face especially on my forehead and my cheeks (nearly the outline of my sunglasses) my vanity finally got the best of me and I decided to take a chance on this product. I've been using it twice a day for about 2 weeks and (yes!) I am beginning to notice that the spots are lighter and some are "breaking up" allowing my skin to become more even toned.  I'm hoping by summer that I will see dramatic results.  But be warned...this can cause skin irritation and sometimes my skin gets a little irritated with it so don't over do it even though you may be tempted to do so!

Have you used skin lighteners?  If so, let me know what product you tried and what the results were!  Can't wait to hear from you!

GLOSSYBOX: FRANCE

GlossyBox France.  

I was one of two winners of the French GlossyBox during the Olympics.  This box is white with a people cartoon design around the outside.  The packaging was much like like you'd expect except with less shredded paper.

I was very excited to be selected as a winner (Thank you Glossybox USA) and to see what products I would receive.  As you can imaging they are fabulous and most have instructions in English as well as other languages. I included the products web sites in as well in my reviews.

Ohh la la! Everything about the box says I'm from France! There were 5 different products: 1 for hair, 3 for skin, and 1 make up.  I decided to take a little extra time trying out each product and researching the companies. Most of the information I found was in French (duh) but pictures from the web sites do a lot of self explaining.

All of the products were what I consider full size samples! (Super Yeah!) No packets, no one time use only, no mini uber small containers.  This was a sample set done RIGHT! It would be great to be able to get a box like this from the other countries (Germany, China, England etc) just to see what is available to women around the world.  So here we go:

http://www.schwarzkopf.com/sk/en/home.html
BC Hair Therapy After Sun Treatment
The USA portion of this company was unavailable so I used the link above which has a lot of hair care/hair color information.  I could not find this particular product on their web site.  This product is a conditioner that you spray into your hair, wait about 10 minutes and wash out. It is suppose to protect hair from UV rays. I really like this product (so does my teenager) and would buy it if available Stateside.

La Sultane de Saba http://www.lasultanedesaba.com
The website is in both French and English with a HUGE selection of lotions, candles, exfoliants, body oils and much more.  The lotion I received is difficult to get out of the bottle but once you do it absorbs quickly leaving the skin soft but it does have a strong scent that lingers so I use it sparingly.

http://www.arnaud-institut.com/ This site is in French but from what I can tell they have skin care products for men, women and children. I received the "masque gommant fondant" which is a melt in exfoliation mask. I really like this product and it jsut a great job of exfoliating the skin without over drying or leaving any irritation.  It leaves your face feeling clean and refreshed! I would buy this if it was available in the States.

http://www.sampar.com/en
Sampar Skin Quenching Mist. The spray nozzle cannot be removed so I use it as a toner with a cotton ball instead of spraying my face with it.  It is also moisturizing and a barely there scent.  The company web site is in English and provides a lot of information about their skin care products. I like this but I prefer a cream to a mist-just a personal preference.

http://www.3fees.com/ 3 Fees is a mineral based cosmetic company with a large assortment of products.  I received a mineral blush called Gourmandise. I think that is French for Pinkish Orange with lots of Glitter. It goes onto the skin easily but the light really reflects the glitter so this appears to be better suited for going out at night than wearing it during the day.