I’ve visited a spa or twelve in my day, and consider myself something of a massage expert.  (Hmm.  Okay, maybe not an expert, since I have no freaking idea how to properly give one that doesn’t involve lightly scratching fingernails or sad little attempts at shoulder-kneading that result in said recipient swatting away my hands and saying, “You know…it’s okay.  Just forget it.”  So, let’s say I’m a massage enthusiast.  A connoisseur, if you will.)  I had a fantastic one last night at Ole Henriksen in West Hollywood (310-854-7700): a two-hour African Red Tea Body Cocktail involving a drool-inducing massage, followed by a brown sugar scrub, tropical rain rinse (as in, the ceiling started raining fat, soothing droplets of water on me), antioxidant African Red Tea body mask, and a wrap to pull out all the impurities.  I crawled home, drank my body weight in water to flush out all the toxics I envisioned flooding my system (and since Tuesday night was a very late one, I’m sure there were a lot of toxins to be axed) and then passed out.

Antioxidants are, of course, one of the big buzzwords in beauty, since they help fight free radicals, which are the nasty little buggers involved in the aging process.  African Red Tea is getting attention because it has a higher percentage of antioxidants than green tea, and also has calming and soothing properties.  The African Red Tea See The Difference Serum is packed with it, and includes anti-inflammatory, circulation-boosting gingko biloba, and sea kelp, which firms and detoxifies.  It costs $48.

Another of my favorite Ole products is the On the Go Cleanser, which is great for all skin-types and gives you that extra-clean feeling without drying the skin.  It’s chock-full of goodness, too: vitamin C, grapeseed extract and seaweed.  It costs $21.

I couldn’t live up to my promise to review the Clarisonic today as you have to let it charge for 24 hours.  (Stupid instructions…That’s how you know I’m getting old–I’m actually starting to read them!)  As far as the Vi Peel after-photos, I will post them next Tuesday, at the five week mark. 

After hearing so much about the Clarisonic, a sonic oscillation face brush that’s supposed to be twice as effective at cleaning skin as the lazy ol’ regular method, I was of course eager to try it.  My very own version arrived today, delivered by the magic beauty fairies, so I’ll try it out tonight and let you know how it goes.  Perhaps tomorrow I will emerge looking so clean, so young, so vibrant that I’ll appear, like, twelve.  Dare to dream!

It’s been three days since I had my Vi Peel, and the phenol acid, vitamin C and Retin-A peel is working wonders…if by “wonders” I were to actually mean “is causing every last ounce of my skin to kamikaze dive off my face in unattractive, flaky sheets.”  Pictures of the disgusting-yet-effective madness to follow shortly!

I wonder how many of you roll your eyes when magazine articles insist hysterically that, down the line, there will be Hell To Pay! for not wearing sunscreen.  I do it myself; if I’m flipping through Glamour and come across a decidedly non-glamorous feature on skin cancer, I usually think, “Gross!” and then flip the page.  Maybe I’ll skim it, maybe I won’t.  (C’mon, I prefer reading the sex tips.)  So, a few days ago, when I asked Dr. Solieman and Dr. Litner to do some UV imaging of me (inspired by my experience at the Total Beauty conference), I felt confident it wouldn’t be that bad.  I’ve been addicted to sunscreen for years (my old favorite was DDF Organic Sun Protection SPF 30; my recent love is Obagi Nu Derm Healthy Skin Protection SPF 35), and while I lapsed for 12 months or so in Palm Beach, surely my years of anti-aging serums and broad-spectrum filters would have served me well.  Here is the normal “before” picture:

And here is the scary “after”

Wear your sunscreen, kids!!!!

It’s been about three weeks since I started Retin-A, and my skin is slowly but surely acclimating.  No more snake-like shedding!  No more necessity of hiding my face under a paper bag!  I still have a fair bit of flaking, but at least now it’s socially-acceptable, as opposed to “Ew…do you, like, have a disease?”  This weekend, at the Total Beauty Blogger Summit, I had my skin analyzed using a super-duper fancy machine, and while I have some sun damage (damn you, Florida!), my skin is in the 99th percentile when it comes to wrinkles.  I’m still waiting for the transformation, however—that moment when the first friend or stranger says: “Your skin!  It looks amazing!  What have you been doing?”  Don’t let me down, Retin-A…

Two weeks ago, I started using Retin-A, in the hopes of both keeping my acne-prone skin clear and ridding myself of ever-deepening fine lines.  Now, I’m only 27 and am hardly in the market for a face-lift, but since I was in my early teens I’ve been firmly in the “ounce of prevention, pound of cure” camp and figure this is simply the next stage in my fight against friendly engagement with aging.  The two years I spent living in Palm Beach wrecked havoc on my skin and aged me several years (Why did I not wear stronger sunscreen?  Why??), so now I’m frantically trying to reverse a little of the sun damage.  Retin-A users are advised to start slow, so I’ve been using it three times a week, and am trying to let my skin acclimate before upping my usage.  As it is, my complexion is already molting, to the point that friends have started to comment.  (”What’s with all this?” they asked confusedly, pointing to my flaking chin.  Sexy.)  I spent a week applying moisturizing masks at night, trying to balance out the dryness, until Dr. Solieman explained that this sort of resistance was not only futile, but actually counterproductive—he advised me to just bite the bullet and get over the initial “Oh my god, my face is falling off!” hump.  (My words, not his.)  Since Retin-A makes your skin especially sensitive to the sun, I’m using the kick-ass Obagi Nu Derm Healthy Skin SPF 35 sunscreen, which I heartily recommend for all skin-types.  It sinks in quickly, works well under makeup, and provides excellent broad-spectrum protection.  (My new hobby is checking out product listings on the Skin Deep website to evaluate toxicity; I still haven’t quite figured out how to use the database, but here’s the Obagi sunscreen listing, with great scores.)  As far as my Retin-A journey, I’ll keep you updated!

Deenie writes: “What feels soft like velvet, is made by a team of scientists, and has the ability to make your skin glow like the light inside your refrigerator?  A robotic youth-granting puppy?  Nay!  It’s MLab, a super-effective line of anti-aging skin-care products. Until now, the line’s only been sold in the prestigious White Hall at Harrod’s in London (those wily Brits, they’ve got amazing skincare, the royals and tea at the Ritz on their side?  Time to catch up!) but it’s launched just this week in the US.  Phew.

With clinically active ingredients from 45% to 75%, MLab is Not Kidding Around with your collagen, people.  It’s suitable for all skin-types and has products from cleansers to serums to body creams.  (So what if I have the ass of a 25-year-old?  I want the ass of a 21 year old!)  The anti-aging cream has the highest amount of clinically active ingredients and goes for $260 a pop–expensive, but let’s face it, you can’t put a price on Botox-free fabulousness.  (Don’t worry, the rest of the line is cheaper.)  The formula combines peptides and antioxidants and is crazy hydrating, reducing fine lines, increasing elasticity, and making skin look luminous.  And luckily you don’t have be an AARP member to see the benefits: I’m mid-twenties, and my skin is already looking better!”