Lean, Mean, Cleaning Machine!

Hello blogiverse!  It's been a little while since my last update, mostly because nothing has changed with my regimen so I wasn't sure what to talk about.  But now I've had a lightbulb click on that should keep me typing for a little while. 


I was talking with a coworker and I realized that I've used nearly every product in our armementarium here at Biopelle!  So I thought that maybe I'd do some comparisons or brand features and talk about the products a little bit more. 


I've been trying to decide where to begin and I've decided on cleansers.  They are the first step to any regimen that I've ever seen, it seems like a logical place to start.


Biopelle has 6 different cleansers and I've tried 5 of them.  If you've been reading my blog you'll know that I personally am enamored with the AFA Cream Cleanser!  It's really the best for my skin that I've found.  Here are a few things I love about it: 

• It foams!  Even though this is a soap free cleanser, it still gives you nice suds and I'm not sure why but it just makes me feel like I'm cleaning better when I have bubbles.
• It's thorough, but not overly so.  I can take off my make-up with one wash, but my skin doesn't feel tight or dry afterward.
• It doesn't smell.  There's no fragrance, but the natural smell of the product is very neutral, hardly any scent to it at all.

There is also an AFA Gel Cleanser which I do like for many of the same reasons as the cream cleanser, but it is a bit more aggressive and leaves my skin feeling dry.  It's designed for oilier skin types and that just isn't me.

My next favorite cleanser is the Ascorderm Refining Cleanser.  It is a gel cleanser, but I don't find it to be as drying for my skin as the AFA Gel Cleanser.  I like how clean it leaves my skin feeling, but there is just something about an exfoliating cleanser that leaves my skin feeling a little more "squeaky clean" for day to day use.  I will use the Ascorderm cleanser usually after I've done an exfoliating treatment, just so that I'm not over exfoliating because my skin can't take it.

My next favorite cleanser is Surface Improvement from the PRESCRIBEDsolutions product line.  This is our exfoliating scrub with perfectly spherical jojoba beads for a mechanical exfoliation.  If you've been following the blog, you'll know that my skin has been a bit too sensitive for chemical exfoliants since I had my daughter, so I like having a mechanical exfoliant to use every once in a while just to keep those dry, dead skin cells moving down the drain!  

Surface Improvement is also a MUST HAVE on my list for summer time.  Exfoliating before sunless tanners is so important and Surface Improvement puts you in control of how much exfoliation you get (by how hard you scrub).  This was helpful for me after I had over applied my self tanner and ended up with a big orange spot on my knee!  A little extra scrubbing and I was back to normal.

The last two cleansers, both also from PRESCRIBEDsolutions, I don't have much to say about!  Don't Be So Sensitive is our post procedure cleanser, so it is very gentle and hydrating for that very sensitive skin.  It just isn't what I need for my skin type, but I'm told that it is great for what it's designed for.  It did leave my skin feeling moisturized, but like I said before I like more of a "squeaky clean" kind of feeling.

And then there is Starting Up/Face.  I actually haven't tried this cleanser yet, which is sad because I've had a bottle of it in my medicine cabinet since we bought the line a year ago.  I just keep forgetting to give it a try.  

Maybe tonight!

Well, that's my cleanser run down!  Have you found your perfect Biopelle cleanser?  Feel free to share it as a comment, I'm curious!

I'm Baaaaaack!

Did you miss me?  My witty commentary?  My failed product trials?  My relentless product plugs?

*crickets chirping...*

Well, missed me or not, I'm back from an excellent 2 week vacation.  If you have the opportunity, I highly recommended taking two consecutive weeks off.  There's just something incredibly relaxing to be a few days into your vacation and realize that one week from that moment you will STILL be on vacation.

This was the first "family" vacation for my husband, daughter and I, a big road trip from Detroit down to Memphis and back.  That meant a ton of organizing and packing!  I had all of her meals, toys, sleeping gear, clothes, diapers, wipes planned to the T.  And of course all of my clothes, entertainment, beauty supplies, make-up, hair care...or so I thought.  I forgot to pack my evening regimen (Retriderm Serum and Tensage Ampoules).

Our first night we stayed in Kentucky, which meant unpacking and repacking all of that gear... and somehow in that process I lost my Radical Results!

So my vacation regimen was down to my AFA Cream Cleanser, PRESCRIBEDsolutions The Eyes Have It and Up the Anti and my OC Eight.

And wouldn't you know it that my Radical Results was actually in my "shower bag" instead of my "make-up bag" and was with me all along, I just couldn't find it?!?

Even though my skin took a vacation from it's regimen and was subjected to the 118 degree heat index in Memphis, it seems to have survived in relatively good condition.  Some of the "freckles" (they sound cuter when you call them that instead of sun spots) that I had after my pregnancy have gotten darker, I should have reapplied better while driving, but I'm surprised that I haven't had any acne breakouts.  Knock on wood...

I'm back on track this week and I do notice my skin feels much softer after my Tensage Ampoule last night!

Oh and of all the times for me to bump into one of Nashville's biggest dermatologists, it had to be in the middle of my skin care vacation!  I'm sure I looked a hot mess anyway with the heat while we were waiting on the valet.  He was very polite though and didn't call me out on it!

Some of my other vacation highlights:

Newport on the Levee - The Newport Aquarium - I'm a sucker for sharks and I really enjoyed this aquarium.  The entire downtown shopping area is very cool.

Memphis - Rendezvous Barbecue - We only had 3 days to take in all of the Memphis Barbecue we could handle, so I'm no expert, but my judgement, these were the ribs that best fit my expectations!

Memphis - The Peabody Hotel - This historic hotel is luxurious and down to earth at the same time.  What really stands out though is the staff!  From check in to check out every interaction I had with any of the hotel staff was friendly, prompt and helpful.  And you've got to love the Ducks!

Nashville - Big River Brewery - They have a far more extensive menu than I was expecting for a brewery.  Very casual dining, but with a lot of options to meet a large variety of tastes.  All in a great downtown location.

So there's my vacation rundown!  I'll get back to talking about skincare now that I'm back on track with actually using it!  I hope that you've had a great summer.

Oh and my marketing plug for this blog is for you to join our group: Biopelle Tips, Tricks and Advice!  We're looking for advice from real Biopelle customers on ways that you use our products for maximum results.  You could be featured in our next edition of the Biopelle BioBlast e-newsletter which is sent to Biopelle customers all across the country!

Bring on the paparazzi

Wow, it's been a long while since my last blog. True Matte complexions, celebrity sightings...Where to begin??

Well, we'll start with my skin.  Flawless!  I have been breakout free forever, it's so nice.  I haven't made any changes to my regimen since I added Ascorderm, all in all I'm very happy with things.  Here's what I'm using, in case you forgot or were wondering:

AM
AFA Cream Cleanser
Ascorderm Contouring Serum
Ascorderm Restore Moisturizing Lotion
PRESCRIBEDsolutions The Eyes Have It !
PRESCRIBEDsolutions Up the Anti
OC Eight

PM
Ascorderm Refining Cleanser (I don't have any good reason for using a different cleanser in the morning and the evening and I know I probably should be using the Ascorderm in the morning for the antioxidants, I just like the way the AFA feels in the morning)
Retriderm Vitamin A Serum
Tensage Intensive Ampoule Treatment (Not every night, basically just when I feel like it)

It seems a lot more complicated when I type it all out. So there you have it, my beauty regimen!

In Marketing news, I'm sure that all of you on Facebook have seen the multiple posts of our mention on photos of Brooke Hogan from celebrity make-up artist Alex LaMarsh.  Alex loves OC Eight and was kind enough to share her love with the world!  I love looking at pictures of her work (and not just because the models look flawless with OC Eight) but because it all looks so natural, even the pictures with crazy editorial make-up.  You can check out some of her work on the enclosed link.

We're beginning our 2011 plans here at the office, time for budget requests and marketing proposals.  I'm very excited about Biopelle's future plans! 

So now that my skin care has evened out and I don't have anything new to talk about, I think I'm going to attack my husband with some products!  We'll see if he'll be my guinea pig...

I'll keep you posted!

When all else fails...

read the directions.

Yes, I finally used Ascorderm as it is intended (serum first with the cream or lotion on top) and I have to say I really like it!  I'm using the Ascorderm lotion, it dries really quickly and feels really light on my skin.  Makes for the perfect base for my Up the Anti!

I'm kicking myself for forgetting my Heliocare because we went to the beach today.  I have a very interesting burn on my legs because apparently I didn't apply my sunscreen very evenly.  It would have been nice to have that added protection!  We'll probably go to a parade tomorrow, so I'll have to be more careful with my application.

Well, I'd better keep it short and sweet, just wanted to send out a quick update on the Ascorderm situation!  I hope you all have a safe and happy 4th of July weekend!

Drops of Jupiter

I'm not really sure what that means, but I was thinking about my Ascorderm dropper and that Train song popped into my head.  I figured that if it was a good enough title for their song and album, it was a good enough title for my blog.

Hello blog!

I missed you, but what I really miss is how you used to sync with Facebook within a day or so.  Now you hold my blogs indefinitely and then post several of them all at once.

So, let's talk Ascorderm. 

For starters I still haven't properly used the product I'm sorry to say.  I was trying to conserve inventory and take one of the old bottles with the pump cap.  For those of you who do not know, the pump cap leaks, which is why we are now packaging the serums with a dropper cap.  Antioxidant fun fact - the reason the pump leaks is that the antioxidants used in the serum give off a gas which builds pressure in the bottle, eventually breaking the seals of the pump and causing it to leak.  Now that we have the dropper, users will open the cap every day, releasing those gases and preventing leakage.

Woo hoo!

The other fun fact that I learned is that because those other antioxidants are changing, it protects the vitamin c from changing, so the l-ascorbic acid stays stable and ready to use even after sitting on the shelf (or in the medicine cabinet in my case) for an extended time.

Enough of me changing the subject though and back to my excuses about not using Ascorderm.  As I was saying at first I was using the old pump cap, which broke and leaked serum everywhere.  I threw it out, got another one and then bugged our operations manager to give me a dropper (this way I still didn't interrupt our inventory).  All of that took a few days, during which time I was still using my Radical Results (which I had saved even though I broke the pump on that one too (just to repeat from my previous blog that pump broke because of either me power pumping it or it just being a faulty seal and not for the same reasons as the Ascorderm)).  So in all honesty for the next two days I used my Radical Results out of habit (and cursed each day after I realized I had used the wrong serum) so I finally tossed the Radical Results and now am on to the Ascorderm Serum.

Here's what I like about it - it feels very light when you apply it, it's not as thick of a serum as the Radical Results is.  I also like the smell, it reminds me of coffee, which is always a good thing to smell early in the morning.  I don't mind the smell of Radical Results but during one of our trainings, someone said that it smells like a sushi restaurant and I can't lie...they were right!  Not that it smells like fish, but there is a very distinct smell in a sushi place, some kind of mixture of seaweed and soy sauce...I can't describe it.  But you get used to it pretty quickly.

Here's what I don't like about the Ascorderm - the absorption.  Now as I said earlier I have not been properly using the product.  You are supposed to follow the serum with a moisturizer and I haven't been doing that.  So I brought one of those home and will try it out tomorrow.  I went with the Ascorderm moisturizing lotion, I think it's lighter than the cream and hopefully won't take too long to dry.

I can' t really even describe what it is about the absorption, I think I just had gotten so used to how the Radical Results felt, that I just need to adjust.  I've heard people describe Ascorderm as tacky, but I don't think that's really the word I would use.  I just felt like it was not mixing well with my make-up application.

I'll let you know how it goes!

In other skin news, all is well!  I think that I have been breakout free (knock on wood) for a month now.  And that's totally breakout free, not just saying that even though I still had a few tiny zits appear.  Totally zit free!

Go Biopelle!

In marketing news, a friend just told me that our brand fan pages are starting to pop up in his "suggested" section on Facebook.  Do you see them too?  Please become a fan and encourage other product users to do so as well!  I have big plans for our Facebook presence, but I really need more friends and fans in order for me to justify the spending!  So any help that you can provide would be so wonderful.

Oh and if anyone reading this is friends with Oprah and wants to put me in touch with her too, that would be great!

That reminds me though that I was contacted by my favorite make-up artist who asked me if I could provide some OC Eight for one of her musical clients to take with him on tour.  I don't have permission to name drop, but I just wanted to tell you how excited I was!!  This isn't the first time that I've been told that someone famous is using our products, but every time I hear it I just can't help but think that this might be THE person to give us a good recommendation and send the masses in search of our products.  Unfortunately you usually have to pay for that type of endorsement, but a girl can dream.

So if you are famous and reading this, please tell the world that you love our products, free of charge.

Working for the Weekend

Friday afternoon, I decided it was time for some blogging!

I finally remembered to pick up an Ascorderm Contouring Serum to add to my regimen.  I had used it before but then when I became the product manager for PRESCRIBEDsolutions I switched to the Radical Results because I am totally biased to my brands (I can't lie).  So now that both PRESCRIBEDsolutions and Ascorderm are my brands I will be forced to choose between my two children! 

The timing is right though because apparently I am a power pumper and somehow broke the valve on my Radical Results and it is leaking now.  So I guess it's a sign that it is time to start fresh!

I really hate using a moisturizer in the summer time (well, really any time but it's easier to justify when my face feels all dry in the winter) so I'm really hoping that just using my Up the Anti over it will help it to absorb and dry the way that it needs to.

Speaking of Ascorderm, we are running an AMAZING re-launch special on this product line.  We've just repackaged this with a dropper instead of a pump and are really excited about getting this new packaging into the marketplace.

Oh and I also wanted to tell you that I've been using a Tensage Ampoule every other night before bed.  I like it a lot.  When I use the ampoules daily for too long, I sometimes feel like they stop absorbing as well, which is probably all in my head or has more to do with the humidity in my house, but either way, using them every other day seems to be working out really well. 
I'm so excited about how my skin looks, I only have on a little bit of foundation to hide the giant pores around my nose and then just powder to even everything out.  It is so nice for the summer time!  My skin does look pretty good on its own, but using the Up the Anti with it's little bit of tint really helps. 

Unfortunately now that it takes me so much less time to put my make-up on it gives me so much more time to stare at my closet wondering what to wear!  I think there's a shopping spree in my future!

Battered, bruised but beautiful!

Well, I survived the first birthday party and most feedback shows that it was a huge success!  We had too much food, which I always think is better than too little, the rain that was forecast for the day never showed up and my daughter was the perfect birthday princess!

My legs didn't end up looking quite as good as I had hoped.  My gardening escapades left my legs bruised, bug bitten and scraped.  Self tanner can only cover so much!  And of course I was not a good product manager and didn't have any Auriderm in my house to help clear up the bruises.  I'm fully stocked now!

I have been using Auriderm on my poor toes.  I dropped a table on them!  I can only wear open toed shoes because they are so sore.  I've had great results with Auriderm on other bruises so I'm optimistic that this bruising won't last too long.  I should probably grab some Auriderm arnica tablets out of our post-procedural relief kit, but I know that I'll never remember to take them.

In other skin news, I think my skin is looking great!  Which is good and bad.  Good because it is so nice to not have to wear a ton of  makeup in the summer and feel confident about my skin.  Bad because I was thinking about switching to the Ascorderm serum instead of my PRESCRIBEDsolutions Radical Results, but now I'm feeling reluctant to change anything because it is all working so well.

In case you were wondering, here is my regimen:
AM
AFA Cream Cleanser
Radical Results Anti-oxidant serum
The Eyes Have It !
Up the Anti SPF 30
OC Eight!

PM
Retriderm
Tensage Ampoule

I switched my Tensage Ampoule to the evening because it just takes too long to dry in the morning for my regimen and technically you are supposed to repair at night anyway.  I was only using them in the morning because I like the Tensage dewy glow, but I still have radiant skin when I wake up, so that is great.  I'm not sure if I should be using Retriderm or Tensage first, but I've been doing Retriderm first because it absorbs so much faster.

And in somewhat skin related news, I need a good lip product with SPF, any favorites?

In hair news, I splurged and bought a salon quality straightener and it was worth every penny!  It's by Brocato and it's called a Vibrastrait.  It gets super hot but the plates vibrate when you clamp it so it doesn't burn your hair.  I'm in love!  And it stands up to the humidity, my hair does not get frizzy or fluffy.

And I think that is all of my major news! 

In Biopelle news, our Facebook page has hit 500 fans!  That feels like a milestone.  Thank you for suggesting our page to your friends, I hope that you find the content interesting and helpful.  Our fan pages are growing, but not nearly as quickly, so if you haven't yet, please become a fan of your favorite Biopelle product pages!

No Pain, No Gain

I just would like to start by saying that I don't always use Biopelle's products the way that I should and that Biopelle holds no responsibility if you follow my lead and hurt yourself.  I will feel really sorry for you though, if that is any consolation.

So my legs just stopped burning after about 20 minutes of discomfort.  I want to use a self tanner on my legs the next few days so that they will look at least somewhat better with the dress that I am wearing to my daughter's first birthday party on Saturday.  To prepare them I applied some AFA Advanced Treatment Body lotion to exfoliate and slough off all of the dead skin.

Here are the problems with my decisions:

1 - I shaved this morning.  You know how sometimes people tell you not to do something, but then you try it anyway and the result you get is way better than if you had listened to their advice?  This is not one of those cases.  I promise you, it burns like crazy and I really don't recommend that you put AFA ATBL on within the same 24 hour period that you shave.  Put it on first and then shave.

Why did I not do that? Well, there are plenty of excuses.  Mostly that I get up at 5 AM to shower and shave and I don't have much logic or forethought working that early in the morning.

2 - I have really sensitive skin anyway.  I think that the AFA ATBL ranks in pH level around that of the AFA Gel Max, which is the strongest of the gels.  And I still tingle if I use the mild.  So genius.

So given those two reasons, why do I put myself through the stingling agony?  Well, the results are really good, lol.  My self tanner will go on nice and smooth tomorrow, so I suck it up tonight.  I'm a glutton for pain!

The other reason is that I keep getting all of these bumps from my razor, I finally gave up on it and bought a different brand.  If you would like my razor review here it is:

Schick Quattro used to be my favorite.  Then they changed them so that the strips now have aloe in them and when I used them my legs would break out.  It was terrible!  So I switched to Venus, which is just okay in my book, not nearly as close of a shave as the Quattro, but no break outs so I stuck with it.  Then Schick must have gotten a lot of complaints from people like me because they introduce new "Sensitive" razors that I had hoped were the old formulation.  It appears not though as they are still making me break out.

So if you have a good razor recommendation I will gladly take it!

Until then, I shall twitch away, resisting the urge to wash my legs as I exfoliate away the dead skin and impurities on my gams.  I do not suggest that you do the same...

Summer of Fun?

Hello blogiverse.  I've missed you!  The IT department has blocked you from my desk, so we must meet in secret rendezvous (at least until I put in the request for that to be reopened). 

I have an exciting update, but I'll save that for later.

The boring updates are that my skin is doing just fine.  Loving my Tensage glow which seems to be lasting a little longer now that I've done 2 monthly treatments back to back.  I still forget to use my Retriderm every night (but not tonight!) so I can't say for sure what if any benefit my skin gets from that, but I love the way it smells (see Retriderm Tangent below*).  And I'm still addicted to The Eyes Have It ! Seriously.  I keep a bottle at my desk now so if I start looking tired I just dab a little more on.  I'm still using the Up the Anti sunscreen and I think that I have mastered the application because I have not seen any more tan lines since that previous post.  And of course I top everything off with my OC Eight!

At the moment I am covered head to toe in Biopelle.  My Retriderm on my face, Body of Knowledge (contouring and slimming cream) from neck to ankles and AFA Advanced Treatment Body Lotion on my feet.  Why the new body regimen?  Well, my daughter's first birthday party is next weekend and we're doing the big to-do and even though I know it's all about her, there will be a lot of me in pictures and I'm working to look my best.  And yes I know that Body of Knowledge isn't going to work any miracles in a week, but someone once told me that using a slimming cream often makes people subconsciously start taking better care of themselves.  What the heck, it's worth a shot.

Oh and the AFA Body Lotion is for my sad, dry, calloused feet.  I'm such a hillbilly sometimes, I really should stop walking around barefoot outside.  But thankfully the exfoliation with the AFA line makes my feet look presentable again.  (I feel compelled to mention that I don't let ANYONE touch my feet so I self pedicure, in case you were wondering why I don't just go and let a pro take care of them)

*Retriderm Tangent
Have you ever watched Man vs. Wild with Bear Grylls?  He always talks about needing vitamins but he pronounces it with his British accent with a short "i" and I'm not sure how to type that phonetically.  But whenever I apply my Retriderm I think that it has a vitamin smell to it, but the British sounding kind of vitamins because it's fancier.

Anyway...my big news!

I took Heliocare for the first time!

Heliocare is our oral antioxidant that provides additional sun protection.  I was a little nervous about ingesting something, but there are a ton of studies on it's safety, so I went for it.  I didn't think I would really have anyway of knowing if it worked or not, but I do!

We went to an outdoor birthday party and I slathered on the sunscreen and took my Heliocare.  The day was hot and sunny and I ended up pulling my hair up (it was down when we left the house) and I never thought to apply sunscreen on the back of my neck.  When we got home it was red, but within a few hours all was back to normal!  I can only think to thank the Heliocare for that. As I've mentioned before I have very fair skin, so normally I burn pretty badly.

In marketing news, my boss has decided to shake things up a bit, so I'll be taking on some new brands.  I must admit that I've been biased in using my brands before the others, so now I need to reacquaint myself with these other Biopelle products, Ascorderm and Auriderm.  I do have some spider veins so maybe I'll be adding some Clearing Gel to my regimen soon...

Viva Las Vegas

Greetings from the City of Sin!  The only sinning I did was not packing my Retriderm!  I'm stingy when it comes to space in my Ziploc baggy of carry on products. The downfall of that decision is that I am super flaky on my cheeks.  I'm not really sure if that's the reason, but that is the only thing that has been different about my regimen.

I'm currently waiting at the airport to head home, it was a very good, very long day.  Big thanks to everyone who came to our workshop with Dr. Mauricio!  We had a full room and I think that everyone enjoyed the presentation, I know that I did. 

I learned about a new microdermabrasion-style treatment called DermaSweep.  This is the next generation for offices offering micro-derm - it's particle free.  I didn't get a chance to sit and have a treatment done, but it looks great.

What I did stop to sit for was the free massage and I feel terrible that I don't even know the company name that was offering that.  He was a very nice rep though!  The massage felt great and I'm wishing that I'm had one right now.  It's been a long couple of days, but very worth it.  What a great show.

Self Censored to Protect the Innocent

I doubt that anyone is hanging by my every word, but I have had a few people click the nice little like button so I assume that at least some people read my posts.  So for those few, if you have been wondering why I haven't posted lately I have to admit that it's because my boss has now joined Facebook to keep tabs on me and I've had a bit of stage fright (for lack of a better term) and haven't posted.

Hi Boss!

Regardless of him reading this or not, I did promise that I would be truthful about my Biopelle regimen and I do intend to keep that promise.  So, the good, the bad and the ugly...

Let's start with the ugly because I prefer to end on a happy note.  So for those of you who read my last post, I was preparing for Mother's Day weekend.  This included a trip to the country (or as we from Michigan call it "up north") to visit my in laws.  They live in the middle of a bunch of fields and early in the morning, the most beautiful sunlight beams in through their bathroom window.  It was in this gorgeous sunlight that I saw the distinct tan line along my jaw... I've always been very careful about my foundation selection because I do have very fair skin, so I couldn't help but to blame that hew on my Up the Anti sunscreen. 

Now you may think that I will tell you that I have stopped using Up the Anti and switched back to Lasting Results.  Nope!  Now I'm just very careful to blend it all over my neck and chest so as to avoid the line.  It is a good way to see if you have properly applied the product!  I think I did lay it on a bit thick that morning too, so I have not totally abandoned the product, I just use it a bit more wisely now.

I don't have any bad news to report, so it's on to the good!  I started another Tensage ampoule regimen and I have fallen in love all over again!  After 4 ampoules, my skin has that warm glow that is so distinct in Tensage users and I swear that my pores are looking better too.  Also, no new acne breakouts to discuss (knock on wood) and aside from missing a few of my evening regimens, all in all I've been a very compliant patient.

My compliance is of course motivated by THE Aesthetic Show coming up this week.  Need to look my best!  This is my first trip to Vegas too, so I'm very excited.  I only wish I could have taken my hubby with me.  But it looks like it will be a great show for Biopelle, if you attending stop by our booth or attend our workshop with Dr. Tess Mauricio.

And since I'm doing shameless plugs here, become a fan of our product pages!  I have received approval to run some Facebook contests but I need fans to make them work!  Stay tuned for more details.

As for my skincare regimen, I think I'll maintain this for a little while longer, including my Tensage ampoules, I think I'm going to get another pack and keep using them for more than just a week.  We'll see how things are going when June rolls around, the summer weather may warrant a change. 

Momma Mia!

My first Mother's Day is this weekend!  Well, technically I guess it is my second because in a pregnancy hormone induced rant I insisted that my husband honor me and my motherhood even though many insisted that I couldn't celebrate until I was actually holding my little bouncing bundle of joy.  Sweetly he listened to me and not the nay sayers and I had a very nice Mother's day last year too.

So anyway, My first Mother's Day!  If I could do anything I would probably take a nice long bath, give myself a masque, a mani/pedi, maybe do one of those nice scrubs on my sad feet and one of those deep conditioning treatments for my hair.  But this is the real world so I will take a quick shower and spend the day visiting with my mother-in-law and my mother.  It will still be a nice celebration, but definitely not as relaxing as my fantasy.

But I digress...

Another nasty zit, this time on my cheek!  Ew.  So last night I added back in my AFA Exfoliating Gel Mild to just get all the gunk out of my pores once and for all.  I'm sure that my red, inflamed cheeks will return, but it is much easier to cover that than it is these nasty eruptions.

My skincare regimen has become so complicated now!  We'll see how long it lasts, lol. 

I am really liking using the Up the Anti Sunscreen.  It looks like I have a tan, but not in that orangey way that sunless tanners make me look.  And aside from it being a little greasy around my nose, I don't really have any complaints.

That's it, just a little update.  Happy Mother's Day to all the momma's out there, I hope that you'll take some time to pamper yourselves this weekend!

Ready, Set...GLOW!

After a week of compliance, I must say that things are looking up!  I've had a few people compliment my glow, so I think the Retriderm is kicking in.  That's not to say it's a miracle drug or anything, my skin still isn't back to "normal" yet. 

Those two monster zits that I mentioned in the last post called their buddies to come move in next door.  I think what happened is that I unknowingly switched the side that I rest my chin on because the first two zits were so painful.  I really need to stop touching my face.  It's a hard habit to break.

I also had some flaking this time, a little on my cheekbones and then a big dry spot where I got too close to my eye with something, I'm not even sure really which product it was.  Though I do believe that it wasn't just the product but also all of the eye rubbing I've been doing.  I'm not sure if it is allergies or just these new contacts, but I went through a very dry spell with my eyes.  Either way, they have been feeling better and with a little Vasoline my dry patch is all better too.

So what's new?  Well, for the last few days I've been using the PRESCRIBEDsolutions Up the Anti sunscreen instead of the Lasting Results.  I only switched because I wanted to see how the pump worked on that product, but I must say that I do like it.  I'm not sure why I went with Lasting Results and not Up the Anti in the first place, I guess because my skin had gotten so dry and Lasting Results is more moisturizing.  But I'm thinking about making the switch.  I like the way the tint makes my skin look, it just gives it a richer tone.  We'll see...

So for now I am just going to stick to my regimen and hopefully stop these acne breakouts.  I'll be attending THE Aesthetics Show later this month, so I plan to start a Tensage Ampoule regimen around the 15th so that I can have that nice Tensage glow for the show.

Non-compliance strikes again

You guessed it, I fell off the skin care band wagon.  I'd like to blame the sinus/chest cold that has wreaked havoc on my household all week and blame my daughter and her 4 new teeth that decided to show up all at once.  But I can't really blame them because the truth is that I had stopped being compliant a few days before all of that hit.

So here we go again!  I've been getting back into my AM regimen for the last few days and tonight I vow to use my Retriderm like a good patient.  As I type I am giving myself a Flavo-C Mask, I always find that a mask is a perfect way to kick off a regimen.

And in case you were wondering, my skin is in complete revolt!  I have two gigantic visitors who have taken up residence on my jaw line...I really need to learn to stop touching my face.  And there is a small army of invaders trying to invade my chin area, but I've been spot treating those nasties with my AFA Micro Exfoliating Masque to keep them at bay.

I think part of my problem with compliance is that I wasn't really sure what my results were going to be or what I expected them to be.  And then I didn't really see any changes.  But my coworkers pointed out that I'm not even 30 yet so I shouldn't have skin concerns, it's about maintaining.  They are right of course but where is the fun in that.

So my regimen is set to maintain the positive.  Prevent and protect!  But I am still using Tensage so there should be some repair happening there too.

I'll keep you posted, wish me luck!

Flaky skin for the skin care flake!

Okay, new regimen is going to be switched up again.  I'm flaky around my eyes today, my boss said I should not be using the Ascorderm XCP.  So I'll be switching to the Ascorderm Contouring Serum and see what that does for me.

I think what he really wanted to tell me was to stop messing around and just go see a dermatologist...where is the fun in that? 

So the lesson to be learned is that Ascorderm XCP is for patients with severe melasma and probably are older and haven't done anything to treat or prevent it.  20-somethings who think they have pigmentation issues because they work in skin care and stare at their face for too long in the mirror should stick to something less aggressive.

Hopefully I'll get my face put back together and have a better update for you next week!

A B C...Easy as 1 2 3!

Well, I haven't added a B yet, but I did add in C!

So after one week of Retriderm use my skin is not flaking or falling off.  It's not doing anything really.  I had one little visitor pop up, but nothing major.  My skin is looking pretty good, but I don't feel like I have that rosy glow that I've seen coworkers get when they start using the product.  So I'm wondering if I need to step up in strength, but instead of doing that I decided to add in a new product and keep using the 0.5% for now.

The new addition to my regimen is Ascorderm XCP to see what it does for my acne scarring.  I just used it for the first time last night.  As expected with any L-Ascorbic Acid I was feeling a little tacky after application.  We tell people to apply a moisturizer over it but I didn't because I already had the Retriderm and Ascorderm serums on and I didn't feel like another step.  It was fine because I was just going to bed, but I can see how people might not want to put this on in the AM.

So my new regimen is:
AM - AFA Cream Cleanser
Endocare serum (same SCA technology as Tensage but a product we don't have)
The Eyes Have It! (PRESCRIBEDsolutions)
Lasting Results SPF 30 (PRESCRIBEDsolutions)

PM - AFA Cream Cleanser
Retriderm vitamin A serum
Ascorderm XCP

I can't believe how different my regimen is now from when I first started this blog.  And I know if I were reading this I would be thinking "yea, right, I bet your skin just happened to change right when you started this blog so you'd have an excuse to talk about more products." Call it fate, karma, whatever, but my skin really did just happen to change and need a new regimen as unbelievable as it may seem.

Oh one thing that I did want to share about my Retriderm use is that I took a complete skin care break on Saturday (not really intentionally, my daughter is teething and was up a lot on Friday night and I just didn't feel like dealing with my skin and her teeth that day).  On Sunday night I felt like my cheeks were feeling a little rough.  After I put on the Retriderm serum they did feel a lot smoother.  I don't know what that is exactly, I just know that it felt nice!

The only other change I intend to make this week for my skin (and my health in general) is to start drinking more water!  I craved water when I was pregnant, I couldn't drink enough.  And then when I had my daughter it just stopped.  I've been really focused on eating better this year, but that is one area that I have definitely been slacking.  So for my skin and my diet and my body, H2O!!

Smelling Sweet

I applied my Retriderm for the first time tonight.  I'm not sure why but I had convinced myself that it was going to burn like h-e-double toothpicks.  It actually feels great and I love the smell!  I guess it can take a few days of use to flake (if you even do at all) so we'll see.

I'm not sure why I had freaked myself out so much, lol.  I feel a little silly now.  I guess I shouldn't jinx it, maybe I'll wake up in the morning with most of my skin falling off!  Just another case of needing to see it for myself to believe that it's true.

Did I mention that Retriderm smells great?  Maybe I'm just burnt out on the rosy fragrance of Tensage and my shampoo, but I'm loving it.  There's no added fragrance, it's just the natural smell of the proteins and vitamins in the suspension, but I think it smells sweet and a little fruity maybe.  Also I thought it absorbed really well, we had warned the reps that they may hear complaints about it taking so long to absorb, but I didn't think it took more than any other product I apply.

Oh and if you were wondering what finally pushed me over the edge into finally trying Retriderm, it was my 2 new zitty visitors that popped up today!  And a couple of bumps that felt like they might get ugly too.  So we'll see how they fair against the retinol!

Okay, well just a quick update to let you know that my first response to Retriderm is Woo Hoo!

I feel the heal!

Well I survived the Easter weekend and so far my skin seems to have too. Sometimes it takes a few days for the breakout to happen so I don't want to jinx it by assuming I'm in the clear, but as for now it's looking good.

I'm being modes;, I actually think my skin is looking awesome.  I do love the Tensage ampoules, the craziest thing is happening with them.  Tensage has some nice data on its wound healing abilities, the original human studies for the product were done on people suffering from radiodermatitis after the Chernobyl accident.  But I guess until you really see the results for yourself it's hard to believe.

So my wound is just a battle scar of being a mom I guess.  My daughter is at that lovely, wiggly stage where she has learned that she can crawl and get into anything she wants to and don't you dare try to hold her back!  Pair that with my in-laws un-baby-proofed home and you can imagine that I was fighting with her quite a bit this holiday weekend. At some point during our struggles she put a nice scratch on the bridge of my nose.

That was Saturday, today it is barely visible.  Just 2 days later!  I can only think to credit Tensage because it is really fading much more quickly than I had expected it to.  The same goes for that chin monster that I had sprouted before the weekend.  I did do an exfoliating mask on Friday, but he still is fading a lot faster than my previous zitty visitors have.

As product manager I get access to some additional product goodies that aren't a part of the Biopelle products (yet, there's always room for more, lol). There are two that I'm using that I'm not sure if they will be a part of the Biopelle family or not, but I'm giving them a try anyway.  Today I started using a serum that is part of the Tensage line of products that our manufacturer makes but we don't distribute here, its part of the Endocare products sold in Spain. It's a serum that has an SCA 15 rating, so now that I've done a full ampoule regimen I'm going to try this serum out and see how it works. It smells much stronger than the ampoules do, but once I put my sunscreen on I don't notice the fragrance.  It absorbs very quickly and doesn't leave as much shine as the ampoules did, so I'm liking it so far.

The other product that I'm in love with is the exfoliating mask that I talked about earlier.  It is from the manufacturer of Auriderm and Ascorderm, a Belgian company named Auriga.  I'm not even sure what the product is called exactly, I know it is part of their Flavo-C line (which uses the same L-Ascorbic Acid as our Ascorderm line) and it's this gel mask that you put on and it dries and then you peel it off.  It really exfoliates nicely and makes my pores look so much smaller!  I can't describe the smell, I hated it at first but have grown to like it, it's almost like sniffing markers, you know you shouldn't like it but you kind of do anyway, lol.

I got a nice gift of products from our partners at Auriga because I helped them to set up their booth at the AAD meeting, so I have some other goodies from them that you may see popping up in my skincare regimen.  I have to learn a bit more about what they do first.

So there's my skin update for Monday morning.  I hope that everyone had a nice weekend and holiday if you celebrated one this weekend.  The toy collection in my house has multiplied like rabbits!  But it's so nice to know how loved your family is, we appreciate it all.  But I'm going to go look for a blog about how to keep the toy clutter under control!

Hippity Hoppity

Getting ready for Easter weekend, which means packing for a weekend with my in-laws.  Which skincare to bring??

My little chin eruption is back again, I really need to stop resting my chin on my hands because he keeps coming back in the same exact spot.  My pores are looking more obvious to me, I decided it's time to start exfoliating again. I used my AFA gel this morning and it felt fine, but I think I want to try the Retriderm serum soon, hopefully the retinol will give me enough exfoliation but also help with my breakouts.

I flipped my vanity mirror over to the 5x magnification side and noticed just how bad my acne scarring still looks.  For a while it seemed so greatly improved that I was happy, but I think I've platued with just using exfoliation alone.  And I was using Stop the Clock with a Brightening Booster in it, but I think that I now need to incorporate something else to brighten.

So what's next, we have two products for pigmentation, Bolt of Lightening from PRESCRIBEDsolutions and Ascorderm XCP.  I'm leaning towards the Ascorderm because then I'll also get the anti-oxidant protection, but I'm feeling biased towards Bolt of Lightening because PRESCRIBEDsolutions is one of my brands, and I could boost it to get the extra anti-oxidants too...

I should just start with the Retriderm and see how that goes, lol.

I think I may wait until Sunday to start anything though. Visiting the in-laws means well-water for my city slicker skin, I usually end up coming home and breaking out or being ridiculously dry. I actually went so far as to wash with bottled water when I was there, but it's a bit of a hassle and leaves me very open to harassment from the family.  At least if I get a zit they don't tease me.

Is there a good wipe that I could use without water to clean my skin?  I use my daughter's baby wipes a lot to take off my eye make-up, but I don't like the way they make my face feel.  I'm open to any suggestions.

Well, hope that everyone else is getting a taste of Spring like we are with the gorgeous weather here!  Enjoy your weekend!

A snail of a tale

I started my Tensage Intensive Ampoule treatments this weekend.  All in all I'm liking it so far.  I must admit that I was really leery about the fragrance, I had tried one of the creams on my hands once and ended up having to go wash it off because I didn't like the smell.  It is much more subtle in the ampoules though.

On a side note, the weird thing about the fragrance though is that I just splurged and bought salon shampoo and conditioner (Eufora, loving it) and the shampoo smells a lot like Tensage.  It's not that it's a bad fragrance, it smell like roses to me and that just isn't my favorite smell.  So maybe I'm just getting used to it, who knows.

Anyway, back to my skin.  The other thing that I don't 100% love about the ampoules is that they leave my skin looking very dewy and having suffered from oily skin for so long I'm used to fighting to stay matte.  Pairing it with the Lasting Results sunscreen and I'm pretty shiny after applying.  Thank goodness for OC Eight!

But now for the good news, the addition of the Tensage Intensive Ampoules to my regimen does seem to have calmed down the redness in my cheeks and really just made it seem a lot healthier looking in general.  On Sunday I didn't even use my liquid foundation when we went out to dinner, just some powder to help keep the shine in check.

I'll keep you posted on any new developments as I continue the regimen.  I must confess that I watched part of Julie and Julia this weekend and I'm feeling rather inspired about my little blog!  Thanks to anyone who may be reading, it's been a nice outlet for me to share about something I enjoy!

Skin Update

Well, in my last post I shared with you that my skin had gone crazy.  I ended up having to completely stop exfoliating, no more AFA Gel or Stop the Clock.  I now just cleanse with AFA Cream Cleanser, use The Eyes Have It (because you know I'm addicted to it) and I changed to PRESCRIBEDsolutions Lasting Results moisturizer with SPF 30.

My skin is looking pretty good now.  I do like the Lasting Results, but it smells like beach sunscreen which is usually a negative for me with sunscreens, but the smell doesn't last too long and it feels really light.  It's a chemical screen, which is a plus for me because I tend to be a little sensitive to the titanium in a physical block.

I'm just not sure what to do next.  My cheeks still get a little red in the morning after I cleanse, so I think I do want to start a Tensage regimen.  Nothing like the weekend to start something new, so I think I will take some ampoules home with me and see how it goes!

In marketing news, I spent most of this week training our new Biopelle customer web trainer.  She was previously with the PRESCRIBEDsolutions line and did all of their web trainings for new offices.  We have gotten such great reviews that we made her a part of the Biopelle team and hope to have her doing web trainings this Spring!

What's going on with my skin?!?!

My skin has been weird lately.  Upon returning from the AAD meeting, my cheeks were getting very red and blotchy.  I thought that maybe it was just from the water at the hotel, but after a few days it was still looking red and becoming more sensitive.  So then I thought that maybe my combination of AFA Exfoliating Gel and the firming peptides which exfoliate in Stop the Clock had caused some situation of over exfoliating, so then I stopped using my AFA gel for a few days and now I have a ginormous zit on my chin...

Ugh!

So now I'm doing a spot treatment of AFA Micro-Exfoliating Masque on my little invader, it seems to be clearing up now.  My cheeks are starting to look a little better, so hopefully that's all that it was.

I think it's time to change up my regimen a little bit and that will give me something new to talk about in my blog, I just haven't decided yet which product to use.  I'm debating between:

Tensage Intensive Ampoule Treatments - all of my friends and coworkers who have used this product not only love it but they also look amazing!  I envy the glow.  But I'm not sure that this is really what my skin is needing right now, though who doesn't love a little collagen boosting!

Retriderm vitamin A serum - my boss repeatedly tells me that everyone should be using a retinol but I have never worked one into my regimen.  I love the pinky glow that this product gives people, it sounds unappealing to say but it really is a healthy look for the skin.  I'm just a little concerned that it will continue in my over-exfoliation path that I'm on, but I'm hopeful that it will help stop my acne breakouts.

I can always change my sunscreen too, but I was so happy with the addition of Stop the Clock to my regimen that I'm not ready to let go yet.

I'm also a little leery because I'm thinking that I need to add these products to my evening regimen and my current evening regimen consist of...nothing!  I'm so bad I don't even wash my face before I go to bed most nights.  I use one of my daughter's baby wipes to take off my make-up and then I call it a night.  Maybe that's why my cheeks are blotchy...

And now you know my dirty little secret!  Even skin care representatives are non-compliant patients sometimes. 

Well, I'll try to change up my regimen this week and let you know how it goes!  Thanks for reading.

My Skin Care Regimen

What better way to sell products than with testimonials!  I hate those blogs that just regurgitate press release information and don't actually tell you if they've used the product and liked it.  So I vow to not ever do that!  I plan to tell you what I use, how I use it and how I like it (as honestly as possible without getting myself fired!).

Here are the products I use on a daily basis and a note on why I use them and what they've done for my skin.

AFA Cream Cleanser
It all starts with a cleanser. It seems like a simple enough thing; wash your face. But my skin tends to dry out pretty easily, so finding the right cleanser has been an adventure. Biopelle offers 6 cleansers, all of which are nice, but this is the one for me!  It's gentle, it removes my make-up nicely and it doesn't leave my skin feeling dry or flaky.

AFA Exfoliating Gel
Keeping my skin exfoliated not only leaves it feeling smooth and soft, it also keeps more pores clear of the impurities that have caused my acne breakouts over the years. I've used all three strengths as my skin needs have changed, which is one of the great things about this line, being able to customize it to my current needs.

One of the first things I fell in love with was how smooth my skin feels. There were days when I would get out of the shower and visibly see the flakey skin on my forehead. No amount of moisturizer helped that. But within a few days of using the AFA Exfoliating Gel I was flake free and loving it.

Over time I saw a great improvement in my acne, I still may get a random pimple here or there, but that's usually because I skipped using my Exfoliating Gel. Even still, the days of having a chin full of pimples or even those deep down, really painful pimples, are long gone.

I love that this gel is so light; it dries fast so I can keep going.  It's easy to apply; fragrance and dye free, all great things for my regimen and my sensitive skin.

PRESCRIBEDsolutions The Eyes Have It !
Okay, I know that this term gets used loosely sometimes, but I just have to say...MIRACLE PRODUCT!

I mentioned in my previous post that I'm a new mom. My 8-month old sleeps like an angel most nights, but when she is sick she tends to wake up a lot throughout the night. Not long ago we were having a rough week. After a few sleepless nights, I was looking pretty haggard. I decided it was time to try The Eyes Have It. That day at work, several people stopped to say it looked like she was finally sleeping through the night again and I was actually excited to tell them that she had been up most of the night and that it was just this amazing product that was making me look so rested.

For me it is all about the firming ingredient, a hibisucs esculentus extract. This extract has a "Botox-like" action, causing muscles to freeze, giving them a firmer look.  Unlike Botox, this only lasts for a day, making it the perfect fix for new moms. You can really feel the lift around your eye area.

There are also ingredients to combat puffiness and dark circles under the eyes. I can't really speak to the results there as my eyes don't usually get too puffy or dark, but maybe that's because I've been using this every day!

PRESCRIBEDsolutions Stop The Clock Triple Action Anti-aging Day Cream with SPF 50 PFA+++
I'm really big on protecting my skin now so that it will look great 20 years from now, so the SPF 50 and PFA +++ rating make me feel that I'm doing all that I can to prevent UV damage.

I also really liked the idea of a Triple Action sunscreen; I don't have a ton of time to layer products.  So the DNA Repair, Anti-oxidant Protection and Firming Peptides all sounded like good things to add to my regimen.

So those are all of the reasons I tried Stop the Clock, here's why I keep using it:
I GLOW!!

My skin has never looked better than it did while I was pregnant.  After I had my baby, my skin looked dull and lifeless.  I kept using my AFA Exfoliating Gel, hoping that it would bring my skin back to life, but I soon realized I needed a change.  After a few months of using Stop the Clock my skin was looking radiant and healthy, to the point that people stopped to ask me what I was doing for my skin to look so healthy.

I don't know which of the ingredients in the product brought back my glow, but I'm loving it!

And as if that weren't enough already, PRESCRIBEDsolutions products can be boosted to address additional concerns.  So I added the Brightening Booster to mine to help clear up the little bit of melasma (pregnancy mask) that I had.  It worked like a charm!

OC Eight Professional Mattifying Gel
As much as I love Stop the Clock, it leaves me looking pretty shiny.  A dab of OC Eight and I'm back to True Matte and ready to apply my make-up!  OC Eight is my baby, the little product that could.  I think I'll write an entire blog about OC Eight, because there are lots of tricks on how you can use the product better and many reasons for you to love it!

And that's my daily regimen!  I've been playing around with a few new products and also have some others that I use on occasion that I'll review in other blogs.  Did I mention that I'm a Biopelle addict?

Introducing Biopelle at the AAD

This past weekend was the 68th Annual American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) meeting in Miami Beach, Florida.  Biopelle has attended in some capacity for the last 5 years, but this year was really the first time that we were able to start from scratch with our booth and really create a presence that was all our own.

I was able to convince my boss to go with a new look and feel for the booth this year, which also included an entirely new strategy for how we would manage our traffic within the booth.  It was a big gamble and I'm very excited to report that it was a big success!

Our new booth design encompassed our new corporate strategy of providing a global spectrum of skincare.  Dermatologists really seemed to be on board with our corporate strategy of being a "one-stop-shop" for all of their skincare needs.

This was also our opportunity to launch our new Synergies kits and to announce our new distribution rights for Heliocare.  I was really surprised to see how popular Heliocare is; I think it was one of the main brands that people recognized, especially with the international attendees.  I really need to start taking a Heliocare capsule each morning to give me that added protection from sun damage.

So another big "to-do" list item checked off the list, with a big smiley face next to it! I'm just so excited that we had such a good show after I convinced my boss to make so many big changes. Could this be The Tipping Point?

Let's Get it Started!

Hello and welcome to the BiopelleBlogger! I must admit that I've been putting this off for a while now as I have no idea where to begin. I decided I'll begin with me and we'll work from there.


So, who am I? Well, like the intro states, I'm one of the Product Managers for a skin care company called Biopelle. I've worked for Biopelle and the parent company for over 10 years. If you had asked me 10 years ago if I ever pictured myself selling high-end skin care, I never would have imagined I'd end up here.

Yea, yea, but who am I? Well, I'm a 28 year old new mother, married to an amazing man. To steal a line from Jodee Messina, "I'm above the below and below the upper." Which makes me very happy to have access to such lovely products that I might not otherwise splurge on. Though if for some reason Biopelle does get rid of me there are definitely a few items that will become part of the monthly budget!

And that's really where this begins, I suppose. I love these products and I love talking about these products. I could be on a Proactive style commercial for Biopelle.

All through high school I had acne, not bad enough to get teased about (therefore not bad enough to see a dermatologist in my mind) but enough that it was embarrassing.

Jump ahead 5 years and I’m still battling with acne as we launch Biopelle…you can imagine how embarrassing it is to say that you work for a skincare company and look like you’ve never touched a skincare product before. And in many ways I never had. I had used every product at the drugstore and still no results. Within a few months of using our dermatologist grade skincare products I was seeing results.

Jump ahead another 5 years and I have people stop and ask me what I’m doing for my skin because it looks so great. What a wonderful feeling!

I like to read blogs that tell you a story, take you on a journey, so that is how I plan to write this blog. I hope that you will enjoy my journey as you get to know a little more about me and a lot more about how Biopelle’s products have changed my skin!