Clarisonic Mia Sonic Skin Cleansing System

When you take that fact, add in that 49 is looming on my personal horizon, and I am really self conscious about my eye area, I got really excited when looking through this week’s Sephora mailers.  If they don’t have it by the time you read this, they are soon to get the Clarisonic Opal Sonic Infusion System.

In case you’ve not yet heard of this, here is a promo video that explains it a little.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyNLVSPD0xU

Granted, that clip is a commercial, but I almost salivated when I saw the demonstration on one of the models. Could this thing really work as well as they said that it did?

At $245, if you live in my economic world, the price is downright scary. I just did a small amount of quick research to get some more information about the serum that they are using. It appears that this is not going to be a product where you can substitute another (insert cheaper) serum to go along with it. Math isn’t my strong suit, but if I am figuring it correctly, if you buy one and see good results, the serum is going to cost you $400 a year to use. That alone makes my bank account wince. However…if I tried it and it worked, I probably wouldn’t think twice about the serum cost.

If you live near any of these places, you can go check the Opal out for free.

What are your thoughts on this?  I know I shouldn’t want something that costs that much, but I do anyhow. ~lol~  If any of you are able to go to one of the salon parties, or if you have seen the results of the Opal first hand, please let us know how it works.

Unlike some of you, I am of an age where certain body parts aren’t where they used to be, and my upper eyelids are one of those parts. I don’t really remember it being an insidious slow type of thing. It seems that I woke up one morning, and my eyelids were flying at half mast. While some people manage to pull of the hooded eye look splendidly, I am not one of them.

I’ve considered surgery, and if my bank account were willing, I’d have it done in a heartbeat. I looked into seeing if my insurance would cover blepharoplasty, and it would, if my eyes were more droopy than they are right now. So I’m stuck in the peculiar situation of hoping that they get worse so that I can get them fixed. In the meantime, I walk around looking like a basset hound.

Then not long ago, I got a mailer from Sephora. One of the featured new releases was Bremenn Research Labs Upper Eyelid Lifter, and it immediately caught my attention. According to the product description, this was just what I’d been looking for.

This specialized formula was created specifically to address deflated, drooping lids for a more wide-awake look. Ordinary eye creams designed to counter under-eye puffiness don’t fit the bill when it comes to supporting sagging eyelids—choose this targeted solution for a serious boost, exactly where you need it.

So I pulled out my trusty credit card, forked over the $59, and waited anxiously for it to get here.

It arrived lightening-quick, and when I was opening the box, I got that little excited, butterflies-in-the-tummy feel that you may be familiar with if you love online shopping as much as I do.

With the caveat that I am not a chemist, let’s start out by taking a quick look at the Sephora glossary, and at other resources from the Web to look up the ingredients, and see what they are supposed to do.

Water

Isododecane – Enhances spreadability, and has a weightless feel on skin. It’s a hydrocarbon and prevents water from evaporating on the skin.

Cyclopenatasiloxane – A silicone solvent emollient (something that softens). It enhances spreadability, and can act as a temporary plumper for lines and wrinkles.

Yeast Extract (Faex) – A source of B vitamins, purported to stimulate and activate cell metabolism

Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter – Conditions and moisturizes as well as adds viscosity to product

Cetyl Alcohol – A solid fatty alcohol used as an emollient and emulsion stabilizer that gives skin a velvety feel

Silica – The spherical type of it improves spreadability and product smoothness.

Cetearyl Methicone – Skin conditioning agent that forms a barrier to slow loss of water

Glycerin – Humectant that attracts water to the skin

Dimethicone – A silicone polymer, it forms a protective barrier on the skin

PEG 100 Stearate – Can be used as an emollient, an emulsifier and a moisturizer

Glyceryl Stearate – Emulsifier that softens and soothes

Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter – Slows the loss of water from the skin by forming a barrier on the skin’s surface

Tridecyl Salicylate – Beta Hydroxy Acid with multiple uses in cosmetics and skin care products

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 – Increases elasticity, firmness, and tone

Palmitoyl Oligopeptide – Aid in skin repair and renewal; work as bonds between amino acids

Phenylethyl Resorcinol – Antioxidant that brightens and lightens pigmentation

Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Seed Extract – Acts as a lubricant to give soft and smooth appearance

Secale Cereale (Rye) Seed Extract – An emollient

Calcium Hydroxymethionine – I can’t really find out much about this. I believe the gist of it would be that it promotes cell turnover, and it works as a protective barrier. However, keep the above caveat about me not being a chemist in mind.

Hydrolyzed Soy Protein – Provides a smoothing effect for wrinkles. Also increases the skin’s ability to retain moisture

Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil -An emollient with antioxidant properties

3-Aminopropane sulfonic Acid – A surfactant

Carbomer – Used to control consistency and flow

Xanthan Gum – Various uses…improved texture, improves shelf life, aids in stabilization, skin hydrating, used to prepare water based gels

Butylene Glycol – Used as a solvent and as a viscosity decreasing agent

Pentylene Glycol – Humectant with moisture-binding and antimicrobial properties

Phenoxyethanol – Bactericide

Polysorbate 60 – Emulsifying agent

Ethylhexylglycerin – Vegetable based preservative used as an alternative to parabens

Polysorbate 20 – Various uses…emulsifier, fragrance ingredient, surfactant

Hydroxyethyl cellulose – Thickening agent

Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil – Slows moisture loss

Triethanolamine – pH balancer

That’s a lot of ingredients, and some of them very good for moisturizing. But is the combination of them enough to act like a jack and prop up my drooping eye lids? I’ve not used it long enough to be able to give you a fair assessment, but I will be reporting back on the results.

Until then, remember to Celebrate Beautiful You!

05/10/10 Update - Final results are posted here.

The last time I made an order from Sephora, I decided that it was time to branch out a little from drugstore brands of nail polish, and give OPI a try.  I’d read a good deal of positive things about the brand on the web, and it ended up living up to it’s rep.

While I seriously toyed with getting Leaf Him at the Altar (metallic vine green), I kind of wimped out and played it safe in the shade selection. I gravitate toward burgundies, and I stayed true to that by going with Because I Said So (metallic burgundy).

You’ll have to overlook the sloppiness around the edges; I am far from being a nail pro.  I really liked the shade, it has a depth to it, but not so deep that the metallic effect gets lost.  Though I probably could have gotten by with one thick coat, I went with two medium ones.  I’m not the most patient person in the world when it comes to letting polish air dry, but this had a reasonable dry time.  The coverage was good too, and it went on smoothly.

The day that I applied this, I didn’t have time to put a top coat on, and by Day 3, when I remembered, I decided it was too late.   By Day 4, I had chipping, so the next time I use it, I’ll try doing the entire  base and top coat routine to see how it lasts.

Pros:  Great color depth and saturation.  The applicator brush was on the long and slender side, and I liked that.

Cons:  I had a little sticker shock, but compared to drugstore brands, $9 a bottle isn’t bad.  It was enough to push me over the $50 free shipping mark, and I am always in favor of that.   I would have liked to have seen it last a couple more days without chipping.  Granted, I did not top coat it.  But I wear gloves to do the dishes, so other than showering, it wasn’t  exposed to any harsh treatment.

Bottom Line:  I would buy this shade again, and will be trying some of the other shades.