Le Métier de Beauté Peau Vierge Lash Growth Serum

Le Métier de Beauté's Peau Vierge Lash Growth Serum ($95) "takes lash growth technology to new lengths" with the most effective delivery system available. It promises to deliver longer, stronger, fuller, and healthier lashes quickly. It can be used on top and bottom lashes, sparse brows, and when you are wearing faux lashes.

Le Métier de Beauté promises a long list of benefits, and I can verify many of them. I've been using Peau Vierge Lash Growth Serum for about two months. I have to admit that I haven't used Peau Vierge every night. Sometimes, I forget it. I've still seen pleasing results.

Peau Vierge Lash Growth Serum offers these benefits.

• Thickens lash diameter
• Boosts volume and length
• Intensifies lash appearance
• Moisturizes and conditions to prevent damage and thinning
• Strengthens and protects against natural and environmental aggressors
• No discoloration or irritation

Le Métier de Beauté's amazing and proprietary Syntoc Actif is a powerful form of vitamin E that increases the absorption of the active ingredients, guaranteeing that they will be delivered deep into the dermis and hair follicle. If you read my feature about the new Peau Vierge Anti-Aging Treatment Collection, you'll know that the patented delivery system, which took 12 years to develop, uniquely encapsulates ingredients to ensure that they penetrate the skin to encourage lash growth.

The active ingredients are all good. My experience with lash growth serums is that they must include peptides, and this one does. It also contains vitamins and proteins. It doesn't contain a prostaglandin, which can have nasty side effects.

• Myristoyl Pentapeptide-17 - five amino acids or protein builders that help strengthen lashes
• Dimethyl Isosorbide - enables the product to penetrate the skin, promoting faster lash growth than normal
• Panthenol - a non-irritating form of vitamin B to correct dryness and add moisture; it binds to the hair shaft readily and is a frequent ingredient of great shampoos and hair conditioners
  
• Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice - a natural conditioner and anti-irritant

To use Peau Vierge Lash Growth Serum, cleanse your face and eye area, and when your skin is dry, apply a thin layer of the serum with the applicator brush at the base/root of your lashes (both upper and lower). You can apply the serum to thin spots on your eyebrows too. Use the serum every day for best results.

I am blessed with long lashes, so I might not have had as much room for improvement in length as others will have. Makeup artists often ask me what mascara I'm using. I'm not sure the mascara matters because my lashes are long.

I use lid scrubs every morning, and lid scrubs tend to shake loose your lashes more quickly - either that or you just see the lash loss on the scrub. Since I started using Peau Vierge Lash Growth Serum, I have had much less daily lash loss than usual. As a result, my lashes are thicker (which is great). I mean that I have more of them, not that each lash has become thicker in diameter. I haven't been able to see that. Lashes are so thin that you might need a scientific way to measure the thickness of individual lashes. I don't have that capability. My lashes have never broken easily, so that benefit is also hard for me to evaluate. You really need to remove mascara before you go to bed! If you don't, your lashes will break. My lashes do seem to be easier to coat with mascara, which may mean they are more hydrated.

Le Métier de Beauté sent me my serum, and I'm delighted with it. I plan to keep using it. You can purchase yours from Le Métier de Beauté or at your favorite LMdB counter. Don't complain about your lashes - try this magic potion!

Photo courtesy of Le Métier de Beauté

New Giveaway Contest: Xtreme Lashes AMPLIF-eye Lash & Brow Fortifier

Congratulations to ne-knopka! Anna won the AMPLIF-eye Lash and Brow Fortifier!Everyone wants lush, long eye lashes, and I'm no exception. I'm depressed by the eyelashes that fall out regularly on my eyelid scrub pads. I know they grow back, but who wants to wait? Mascara can only do so much if you don't have eyelashes. That's probably why most mascara models and celebrities promoting mascara are wearing faux lashes. And what about those occasional gaps that form naturally when you've lost a few lashes in one spot - or the brow hairs that get temporarily thin in one spot, making you look lopsided?

Xtreme Lashes sent me Xtreme Lashes AMPLIF-eye Lash & Brow Fortifier ($119 for a three-month supply), which will be launched on Monday. In October, I reported to you that I had been using it for a couple of months, and my reaction was pure love. It made my lashes and brows thicker, and I'm sure it facilitated growth.

The living proof was a little spot on my left brow (at its widest spot) that had thinned. I had been using AMPLIF-eye only on my lashes, but I decided to try it on my left brow. Was I impressed! Within what seemed like a week of use, morning and evening, my eyebrows were even again as little brow hairs started to fill in the gap. Xtreme Lashes says that most users will see a difference in two-to-four weeks - and I did!

Working with the world leaders in eyelash growth technology, Jo Mousselli, President and Founder of Xtreme Lashes, developed a prostaglandin-free formula that delivers proven results without the drug-related side effects. In this highly competitive field, the ingredients and delivery system make this product a standout in a category filled with non-performers. "I had three objectives in developing AMPLIF∙eye Lash & Brow Fortifier," explains Jo, "it has to perform, it has to be safe, and it must be compatible with Xtreme Lashes eyelash extensions (she's world-famous for those!)." She has succeeded on all three fronts.

Why is AMPLIF-eye different from (and more effective than) other lash conditioners or the lash-enhancing drug LATISSE? The most important thing is that it does not contain a prostaglandin. The prescription drug LATISSE contains Bimatoprost, a prostaglandin analog contained in glaucoma medication, and that's the ingredient that can make your blue eyes brown or discolor your skin - or even make your eyes red and itchy. I'm not willing to accept the risks of using a prostaglandin on my eyelids - even a small risk. I was surprised to learn that some lash fortifiers contain a non-prescription strength prostaglandin, which means it's present, but you may not realize it! I think that's creepy.

Xtreme Lashes worked with their own in-house chemist to develop the formula for AMPLIF-eye, which does contain a concentrated growth-stimulating triple peptide complex. The three peptides comprise a full 35% of the product, which is pretty powerful. Competitors claim to have peptides in their formulas, and they do, but peptides are expensive ingredients. They are often included in other products in very weak concentrations. Xtreme Lashes told me that AMPLIF-eye has twice the peptides competing products have.

The peptide complexes rejuvenate and restore the amino acid production that decreases naturally as we age. The penetration of the amino acids is facilitated by an organized phalanx of botanicals that pump a protein-enriched bath of oxygen-infused blood to the follicles to maximize growth. Besides the super-effective peptides, AMPLIF-eye contains green tea, borage, saw palmetto (a beloved herbal remedy for hair loss), evening primrose, nettle, rosemary leaf, ginseng, apple, sugar cane, and witch hazel. Sounds pretty natural to me! Intrigued? Check out the Xtreme Lashes Web site. If you head over there, check out their other products. GlideLiner is fabulous!

Now, I'm thrilled to announce that, courtesy of Xtreme Lashes, I have one AMPLIF-eye to give away. That's a $119 prize!

To enter to win this giveaway contest, just leave a comment here once. After you comment, feel free to e-mail bestthingsinbeautycontests@gmail.com and identify your comment. You can never be too careful about sharing your e-mail address on a blog, so I would follow this second step if I were you (an alternative is to code your e-mail, e.g., myname at gmail dot com, in your comment). That's what most of you do.

You can "earn" a second entry by tweeting this contest. Just make sure to include "@BTiBeauty" (without the quotes) in your tweet. I will tweet the contest soon, and you can simply retweet it to earn that second entry. You can earn a third entry by following the blog - either here or on Twitter (any entrant who is already a follower will automatically earn the follower point).

The deadline for entries will be Saturday, December 11, at midnight. The next morning, I will use a random number generator (random.org) to select the winner. I will e-mail the winner at that time. The winner will have 48 hours to reply to my message and provide a shipping address. After 48 hours, the prize will be forfeited, and another winner will be selected.

This contest is open to anyone anywhere! Good luck!

Photos courtesy of Xtreme Lashes

Xtreme Lashes AMPLIF-eye Lash & Brow Fortifier

Everyone wants lush, long eye lashes, and I'm no exception. I'm depressed by the eyelashes that fall out regularly on my eyelid scrub pads. I know they grow back, but who wants to wait? Mascara can only do so much if you don't have eyelashes. That's probably why most mascara models and celebrities hawking mascara are wearing faux lashes. And what about those occasional gaps that form naturally when you've lost a few lashes in one spot - or the brow hairs get temporarily thin in one spot, making you look lopsided?

Xtreme Lashes sent me Xtreme Lashes AMPLIF-eye Lash & Brow Fortifier ($119 for a three-month supply), which will be launched in early December. I've been using it for a couple of months, and I love it. Based on my testing, I'm sure it makes my lashes and brows thicker, and I'm sure it facilitates growth. Let's leave the FDA out of this.

Recently, I had a little spot on my left brow (at its widest spot) that thinned. I had been using AMPLIF-eye only on my lashes, but I decided to try it on my left brow. Am I impressed! Within what seemed like a week of use, morning and evening, my eyebrows were even again as little brow hairs started to fill in the gap. Xtreme Lashes says that most users will see a difference in two-to-four weeks. I proved that to myself.

I didn't follow the directions on my eyelashes. I'm bad. You are supposed to use AMPLIF-eye in the morning and evening. I used it every evening before bed. Despite doing my own thing, it made a difference. I could have used it in the morning; it does not cause the crustiness that some lash conditioners cause. I like the way it absorbs into my skin within seconds.

Why is AMPLIF-eye different from other lash conditioners or the lash-enhancing drug LATISSE? The most important thing I can tell you is that it does not contain a prostaglandin. The prescription drug LATISSE contains Bimatoprost, a prostaglandin analog contained in glaucoma medication, and that's the ingredient that can make your blue eyes brown or discolor your skin - or even make your eyes red and itchy. I'm not willing to accept the risks of using a prostaglandin on my eyelids - even a small risk. I was surprised to learn that some lash fortifiers contain a non-prescription strength prostaglandin, which means it's present, but you may not realize it! I think that's creepy.

Xtreme Lashes worked with their own in-house chemist to develop the formula for AMPLIF-eye, which does contain a concentrated growth-stimulating triple peptide complex. The three peptides comprise a full 35% of the product, which is pretty impressive. Competitors claim to have peptides in their formulas, and they do, but peptides are expensive ingredients. They are often included in other products in very weak concentrations. Xtreme Lashes told me that AMPLIF-eye has twice the peptides competing products have.

AMPLIF-eye is said to be non-irritating to the eyes and surrounding skin. I agree, but caution you to keep it out of your eyes. That's common sense, but on a night or two when I was tired and a little klutzy, I placed it into the waterline, and it stung a tiny bit for a nanosecond. That was user error, and the problem was solved by being more careful.

Besides the super-effective peptides, AMPLIF-eye contains green tea, borage, saw palmetto (a beloved herbal remedy for hair loss), evening primrose, nettle, rosemary leaf, ginseng, apple, sugar cane, and witch hazel. Sounds pretty natural to me!

You will be able to purchase AMPLIF-eye at the Xtreme Lashes Web site, where you can see a video now. Most of the salons that specialize in Xtreme Lashes eyelash extensions and carry the company's cosmetic products will carry this product. You may also see AMPLIF-eye Lash & Brow Fortifier appear at a department store near you. It's that good!

Photo courtesy of Xtreme Lashes