Exuviance Heel Repair Exfoliating Cream for Feet

With sandal weather on the way, you might want to consider the appearance of your feet. If you're like me, they have calluses. I seldom wear socks and almost never wear shoes around the house; as a result, my feet get tough. Ordinary moisturizers will not soften them. It takes continuous use of an exfoliating product to slough off calluses - it's like trying to crack a coconut. That's where Exuviance Heel Repair ($38) comes to the rescue.

You can exfoliate, soothe, and smooth your crusty feet with Heel Repair. When offered a chance to test the product, I jumped for joy. My joy remains unconstrained.

Heel Repair contains high-strength alpha and polyhydroxy acids (AHAs/PHAs) in an amphoteric formulation to gently, effectively repair dry, scaly, even calloused and cracked feet. Pro-vitamin E and skin conditioning oils instantly soothe and refresh tired feet (mine for sure), leaving feet feeling silky, pedicure-perfect, and sandal-ready. Since it's fragrance-free, it won't interfere with your own choice of fragrance, an extra-added benefit, or annoy you at night.

The directions say to apply Heel Repair once or twice a day. I apply it at night before bed. I have found that the nightly application is enough to soften my callouses. I can't say my feet aren't tougher than my hands. I still have my bad, barefoot habits. I can say they are much-improved since I started using Heel Repair. It's a cool product. Others must like it too because it won a Shecky's Beauty at its Best Award for 2010.

You can find Exuviance Heel Repair at the NeoStrata Web site; SkinStore, where there are frequent site-wide discount specials; DermStore and other online sites; and at Ulta.

Photo courtesy of SkinStore

Exuviance Rejuvenating Treatment Masque

I'm a mask lover. The whole experience, from application through relaxation, to removal and the results, delights me. So I jumped at the chance, offered by NeoStrata, to try Exuviance Rejuvenating Treatment Masque ($30). An InStyle Best Beauty Buy, this mask includes an alpha and polyhydroxy acid blend that stimulates cell renewal and gently exfoliates to reveal fresher, healthier, and brighter skin.

Here's what NeoStrata has to say about Exuviance Rejuvenating Treatment Masque.

Revitalize stressed skin while fighting the signs of aging... This powerful deep-cleansing masque combines a clinically proven blend of concentrated Alpha and Polyhydroxy acids (AHA/PHA) that offer full-strength anti-aging benefits without irritation. Gluconolactone, a potent Polyhydroxy Acid, decreases lines and wrinkles by strengthening the skin and building the dermal matrix so skin appears fuller and plumper. This gentle exfoliant and natural antioxidant also improves the skin's clarity and luminosity and refines pore size, leaving skin truly refreshed and rejuvenated. The addition of Mandelic Acid (AHA) helps to visibly reduce wrinkled areas, while Vitamins A, C, E and a Pro Vitamin B Complex provide superior moisturization. Dermatologist developed.

Here is a little more about the ingredients. Gluconolactone provides anti-aging benefits without irritating your skin. It works well for people with sensitive skin or rosacea - or anyone who has had a cosmetic procedure. As an antioxidant, it inhibits elastase. It also strengthens the skin's barrier function, reducing sensitivity and redness over time. It does not increase sensitivity to the sun.

Mandelic acid, found naturally in almonds, is a lipophilic AHA that is readily absorbed and reduces oiliness over time without drying the skin. There's also aloe barbadensis leaf extract in the formula to soothe the skin. NeoStrata does not test on animals. That's important to me.

The mask was formulated to visibly reduce fine lines, wrinkles, and pore size, while increasing clarity and firmness. The mask has many good-for-your-skin ingredients. NeoStrata says this mask is ideal for normal and combination skin, but also good for dry and sensitive skin. I had no issues using it, even though my skin is very dry and somewhat sensitive.

The whole experience of using this Exuviance mask (I can't get used to the French spelling) is pleasant. It has a light apple-citrus-grapefruit scent that's pleasing. It looks like a green gel and applies easily with your fingertips. It's very cooling. Immediately, it says, "Go lie down and take it easy for the 15-20 minutes you will leave me on. Enjoy the rest!" So, I do. Gradually, over the 15-20 minutes, I feel the firming effects. You can peel it off or rinse it off with warm water. I prefer to rinse it off - a bit of an exercise because it takes at least 30 double palm-fulls of water to rinse it off completely with my hands.

The first time I used it, I was amazed at the results. My pores literally disappeared. They aren't terribly large, but still, they were visibly diminished. My face felt ultra-soft and stayed that way for awhile. I haven't used it for long enough to look younger (if that's possible - I am already a skin-care fanatic), but it wouldn't surprise me, with the fabulous ingredients, if it has those effects with long-term use.

I would recommend this mask to anyone. I would pester my friends with normal to combination skin (and even oily skin) to go buy it. It's seriously effective - and using it is a pleasant experience.

You can purchase this reasonably priced mask at NeoStrata's Web site, where there is currently a free gift with purchase with any $100 order. It would be a good time to also try their Foaming Glycolic Wash, which I'm enjoying. You can also find NeoStrata at SkinStore (one of my favorite sites, where there is always a great deal to be found), Dermstore, and other online sites. Ulta carries NeoStrata's products too. Check it out!

Photo courtesy of Dermstore

Exuviance Age Reverse Collection from NeoStrata

Exuviance, by NeoStrata, offers a new Age Reverse Collection, designed to make you look "undeniably younger" with a skin-care regimen clinically proven to target all the signs of aging skin with state-of-the-art technology in its multitasking products. The line is designed to:

• Diminish the appearance of age spots, fine lines, and wrinkles;
• Rebuild collagen to help restore firmness and elasticity; and
  
• Fight damage and prevent future collagen and elastin breakdown.

NeoStrata sent me four Exuviance Age Reverse Collection products to try. I was greedy and kept the Exuviance Age Reverse BioActiv Wash ($35) because I'm a cleanser addict, loving new ones and dying to try it. It's a soap-free facial cleanser that exfoliates and stimulates cell turnover with a potent polyhydroxy acid and bionic blend, filled with botanical extracts to soothe and refresh the skin. Love it!

I decided that my friend - we'll call her Berry - was the best candidate to test drive the rest of the products. Not only is she gorgeous (she was a Broadway actress who often played the leading babe role), she's a journalist. What better person to write? Like any actress, she frets about her appearance, and she's always game to try a new anti-aging product. She has even dreamed about a face lift, although I don't think she needs one.

Berry has used other products with retinol in them, with mixed success, and I suspected she would love the Exuviance Age Reverse Collection. She is horribly critical of her skin - much more than she should be - and she has complained about everything from wrinkles to sagging skin over the last year. OK, so she did drama on Broadway!

What she found using the Age Reverse line was dramatic. Here is what Berry experienced in a month's test of the Age Repair Collection, and it's all good.

Exuviance Age Repair Day Repair SPF 20 ($60) is a triple-firming complex of NeoGlucosamin, retinol, and peptides, combined with an antioxidant complex of pomegranate and vitamins A and E to help reverse the signs of aging skin while fending off free radicals during the day. It's said to firm and plump deep wrinkles, target uneven pigmentation (Berry is prone to redness), and protect and repair the skin.

Berry said it's a pretty, pale pink cream that feels like a gel. It's very light, particularly for a cream with an SPF of 20. It absorbs very quickly, leaving smooth, moist skin behind, with no residue that you sometimes fine with other treatments containing sunscreen. Her extremely fair and delicate skin did not react adversely at all to the retinol, despite a warning on the package of the high retinol strength and advice to use the cream every other day if peeling occurs. She said she smelled no fragrance. She loved the pump-tube, which allows the product to dispense with ease - and the ability to squeeze the tube when the product runs low. Berry said she even loved the shiny turquoise and silver packaging, which looks "glamorous, modern, and clean." After using the line, her uneven pigmentation is gone, a testament to Age Reverse's truthful marketing.

The second product Berry used was Exuviance Age Reverse Night Lift ($68). With its triple lifting complex of peptides, AHA/PHA bionics, and antioxidant complex, Night Lift is clinically proven to reverse the look of deep wrinkles and sagging skin - from the inside out. Here are the test results from NeoStrata's trials.

• 97% said it improves overall appearance
• 93% discovered brighter, more luminous skin
• 90% had plumper, fuller skin
• 83% experienced skin that was lifted and less droopy
• 79% reported a reduction in fine lines

Berry said the night cream has a slightly heavier/creamier formula than the day version (as I would hope). It's also a pretty pink. She found it surprisingly moist, but, like the day cream, it absorbed quickly without leaving residue - just a feeling of lovely moisture, which lasts through the night. Both products made her feel as if her own natural moisture was being locked in as additional protection was added to her skin.

The third product Berry tested was Exuviance Age Reverse Eye Contour ($68), which target crow's feet, droopiness, and sagging to reveal brighter, younger eyes in four weeks.

• Peptides help replace collagen and firm skin around the eye area, targeting droopiness and sagging
• Maltobionic acid/PHA alleviates appearance of crow's feet
• Fortifies skin's protective barrier
• Caffeine deflates puffiness around the eyes
• Botanicals refresh and soothe
• Optical diffusers brighten and illuminate

Berry found the eye contour to be an extremely nice, "non-greasy" creme that absorbs, but doesn't leave a feeling of plumpness, which you really don't want around your eyes. She used it during the day on her own wrinkles (doesn't everyone over 30 have "expression lines"?), and she reported that it definitely softened and minimized them. She said it felt soothing under her eyes. She also patted it on above her upper lip and saw a softening of lines there too.

Berry reported that she was thrilled with the Age Reverse Collection, and now I'm feeling guilty that I didn't give her the cleanser too. She said she has never used anything so simultaneously effective and gentle. Other anti-aging products with retinol have burned her skin on contact or made her more sensitive to sun exposure. The Age Reverse products had none of those harsh side effects. Not only that, Berry has not been reacting to cold or wind as she does with other products. Her skin feels protected.

Is that a resounding recommendation? I'd say so! I guess since I haven't used up all the BioActiv Wash, it's going to Berry so that I can lose the guilt - although I have to tell you I really like it. It's so nice, foamy, and effective.

You can purchase the Exuviance Age Reverse Collection at NeoStrata's Web site, where you can learn more about this fabulous new line and its undeniable results. It's also available at Ulta and Pure Beauty - at price points that are extremely attractive for a new, state-of-the-art skin-care technology. I'm impressed that a regimen with retinol could be so gentle!

Thanks, Berry! Glad you love it! Can we share?

P.S. Other than a cleanser, Berry used no other skin care on her face and neck while she was testing the collection.

Update 12/19: Berry has the cleanser, and I am guilt-free. I hope she enjoys it. It tickled me that Berry's husband is now calling her Berry. Maybe I should name him too. :)

Photos courtesy of NeoStrata

Exuviance Performance Peel AP25

You must exfoliate your skin to look your best. I try to exfoliate twice each week, although some weeks I only remember to do it once. I prefer chemical peels to physical ones. The little beads in many physical peels create micro-injuries to my face, leaving me red.

One of the reasons I haven't done a spa or physician exfoliation treatment is that I don't really want to peel. I don't want to endure 10 days of looking like I ran toward a fire. I know the results are great, but I'll take a gentler method, thanks. The gentler methods are gentler on my bank account anyhow.

The nice folks at NeoStrata sent me Exuviance Performance Peel²⁵ ($60) to try. I've been using it with great results for weeks. It's time to tell you about it. It works!

Exuviance Performance Peel²⁵ is a 25% blend of alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) and polyhydroxy acids (PHAs), including glycolic acid, mandelic acid, and gluconolactone, that exfoliates dead, dull surface layers and stimulates the process of cell renewal among all skin layers to reveal fresh skin cells. Here's what Exuviance Performance Peel²⁵ could do for you.

• Refine pore size and smooth texture
• Visibly diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
• Improve clarity and brightness
• Brighten and even skin tone
• Provide an allover healthy glow, suppleness, and smoothness to skin

NeoStrata's clinical studies showed that 100% of users saw an improvement in fine lines and wrinkles and 94% saw more even skin tone with an improvement in radiance. What have I noted? Without a doubt, this peel diminished the size of the pores around my nose, made my skin very smooth, evened out my skin tone, and notched up my glow. I'd call that a success! I make sure to use a deep moisturizer after my treatment.

A box of Exuviance's peel provides a six-week supply of 12 treatments. There are two sealed packets that you use with every treatment: 1) The activator pad, and 2) the neutralizer pad. After cleansing your face, apply the activator pad, avoiding your eyes and lips. Let the peel sit for 10 minutes while you check e-mail, watch television, read the paper...whatever. Then use the neutralizer pad to stop the action. Rinse your face and apply moisturizer. I usually apply the peel before I shower, so the rinse becomes part of my normal routine.

The directions say to monitor your skin's response and neutralize the peel if you experience any uncomfortable stinging, burning, itching, or other nasty sensations (my words, not theirs). Even though I have very sensitive skin, I have experienced nothing extreme. I can feel the peel working. It feels a bit like someone is tickling my face with a feather. Once I shower, my skin feels firm and soft and looks firm and even. Nice!

You can purchase Exuviance Performance Peel²⁵ at NeoStrata's Web site, where you will find samples and free shipping offers. The peel and other NeoStrata products are also available at ULTA, Pure Beauty, and physician's offices. Just use the locator online to find a retail site near you.

To sum up, if you want occasional drama and are willing to endure at least 10 days of shedding skin (and possibly discomfort), go to a professional. If you want a regular, effective at-home treatment that won't give you an ugly, visible peel, but will exfoliate effectively, give Exuviance Performance Peel²⁵ a try. I'm voting for the latter; I'm a no-drama kind of gal.

Photo courtesy of NeoStrata