Biotherm Rides Repair Instant Polish

The Good:
As long as you make sure to use your richest moisturizer generously after exfoliating with Biotherm Rides Repair Instant Polish, this sandy paste will leave your face as smooth and soft as it can be. It's very efficient and rinses off easily.

The Bad:
The "wrinkle repair" label. This is an exfoliator, it doesn't repair or fix anything, just sloughs off flakes, dirt and debris. Yes, a clean skin absorbs creams and serums better, but since this this Instant Polish is somewhat abrasive (it feels almost like a sand paper) and can be harsh on thin and sensitive skin, maybe it shouldn't be labeled as part of the Rides Repair line. Also, the recommendation to use it 2-3 times a week? Way too much.

The Ugly:
A typo (or misspelling) on the box and on the website: "Apply 2 to 3 times a week on wet skin. Avoid eye contours. Massage and rince. Then apply your daily Rides Repair skincare products. "

Biotherm Rides Repair Instant Polish ($29, 2.5oz) is available from biotherm-usa.com. I received it as a PR freebie.

Image: Close-up at the Great Sand Dunes by Widemere on Flickr.

A Balancing Act- Biotherm Biopur Pore Reducing Toner

You know this kind of a day: the change of weather, the monthly, the environment, something you ate or the government are sending your skin into an overdrive. Even if your skin is usually dry and your main concern is to keep it from flaking, suddenly you feel a need for some extra cleansing. But you also know well that any shift in balance might cause either super dry patches or a starved and over-compensating skin ( a nice way to say "here comes the zit").

Most of us keep an extra tried-and-true product just for these times. I usually reach for a toner, something I don't use every day, as I prefer wash/rinse products, but I always have one on hand, just because. The brand new Biopur from Biotherm came here at a perfect time, just as I finished a bottle of something else and my face demanded more.

Now, reducing pores isn't exactly a huge skin care concern of mine, so I was a bit hesitant about even giving it a chance and can't comment on this aspect. What I can say, is that the toner picks every last bit of goo, goop and residue from my makeup removers and smooths the skin to a noticeable degree. It feels clean, but there's absolutely no tightening and drying that most products of this kind give me.

Looking at the ingredient list, it seems like a fortified witch hazel product. It would not get a crunchy endorsement, since it does contain methylparaben and a couple of unpronouncables, but it's also enriched with several plant extracts and many ingredients are natural. Also of note are the citrus oils, which can be irritants for people who have certain skin sensitivities. For me, they just make the toner smell nice (it's pretty faint and the citrus is down at the bottom of the ingredient list, but if you know that peeling an orange makes your hand red and itchy, you'd better stay away).

The entire Biopur line should be available any day now from Biotherm's website. I recieved the toner, which retails for $20, as a PR freebie.

Art: The Delicate Balance of Nature by N. Robert Wagstaff.

Favorite Things 2007

In what has become an annual tradition, a group of beauty, fashion and perfume bloggers have joined in this little project of bringing you lists of our favorite things from the year that's coming to an end. Not all of these were actually launched in 2007. A few are a bit older, but these are the things that made my year, got me excited and helped me stay pretty. Links to the complete original reviews are provided whenever available.

In no particular order:

1) Zoya Nail Polish- The colors are fabulous, the seasonal collections are gorgeous, but in a very saturated market, what stands out most is the quality. Add to that a much less toxic formula, free of several scary chemicals you usually find in nail colors, and this is a winning product. No one else could have made me try on a green polish and fall in love with it.

2) Chanel Hand Cream- Since we're on the subject of beautiful hands, Chanel Body Excellence is not just a fabulous hand cream that makes skin softer, it's also a shielding cream that forms a thin but powerful barrier and it has anti-aging ingredients. My aging skin rejoiceth.

3) Chanel Nail Color in Tulip Noir- While nothing beats the quality of Zoya, the color that mesmerized me most this year was the limited edition Tulip Noir from the fall collection. With all due respect to the black nail craze (and the much talked about navy and Tiffany's blue), nothing is sexier than red, and Chanel did it the best possible way with this deep metallic color.

4) Bobbi Does Metallics- Yes, limited edition palettes are starting to annoy everyone. So does shimmer. Yet, in a year full of both, Bobbi Brown Metallics were a huge hit and deservingly so. The colors in all four palettes were beautiful and surprisingly wearable. The "metallics" is just a light finish for a wonderful texture, making it classy and elegant, as you'd expect from a line known for its natural, non-painted looks. My favorite was the Velvet Plum set, a good choice that has become part of my regular rotation.

5) Chanel Red Lips- There are many excellent brands who make wonderful lip colors. Some have better textures or stay put longer. But nobody makes bold colors like Chanel. Between Hibiscus and Catalina from the Garden Party fall 2007 collection and the Rouge Allure in Garnet Fire, my lips have barely seen a nude color in months.

6) Bobbi Brown Eyeliner Gel- This was the year I stopped being afraid of an eyeliner brush, and it's all because of Bobbi's gel eyeliners. The texture is really of a gel, which makes it unlikely to run, drip or smudge, even at the hands of a certified klutz. It's easy to apply and control, and the result is movie-star-perfect. It stays put until you go after it with a makeup remover without fading or flaking. The large selection of colors doesn't hurt, either.

7) Benefit Silky Finish Lipstick- It looks like a lipstick and feels like a gloss. This was the lip product that made my mother start wearing lipstick, which is nothing short of a miracle. We both wear Dessert First, a pretty plum.

8) Tauer Perfumes- It's been exactly a year since I discovered Andy Tauer and his perfumes, all of which were love at first sniff. 2007 has seen Andy launch the beautiful and delicate Reverie au Jardin, a scent that has seen the husband and me competing over who gets to wear it on hot summer days. If I were into a signature holy grail scent, I'd live in a cloud of L'Air du Desert Marocain. But since I'm happily promiscuous when it comes to fragrance, I can't wait till January 23rd, when his new Incense Extreme is launched.

9) Serge Lutens at Bergdorf and Barneys- My other favorite perfume mastermind. Loving Serge can be very frustrating, because he doesn't take us, American perfume nuts, seriously enough, and keeps half of his creations as non-exports. These scents are exclusive to his Paris boutique at Les Salon du Palais Royal Shiseido, and while they can be purchased online if you live in Europe, they will not ship to the US no matter how much you beg or what bribes and sexual favors you offer. This is why I'm thankful for every limited release they do here. Currently you can get Fumerie Turque, Chene and Chergui exclusively at Barneys, Vetiver Oriental (see below no. 14) at most authorized Lutens seller (I got mine at Aedes), and the biggest surprise of the year was the sudden appearance of two bell jars at Bergdorf: Un Bois Sepia and Bois et Fruits. Let's hope this is only the beginning.

10) The Perfumed Court- Speaking of hard to find fragrances: Once upon a time, if you wanted to sample a scent that isn't sold at the usual niche suspects (Luckyscent and Aedes both sell samples of almost everything they have in stock), or if you wanted to buy a decant of something fabulous you love but can't afford to pay the three-figure price of a full bottle, you could head to eBay and buy it from several excellent and reputable sellers. Then eBay decided they'd rather profit from the huge volume of sales made by perfume counterfeits and other crooks, while at the same time they shut down the decanting business. This has lead four of the most successful and knowledgeable eBay sellers to unite and open a store together: The Perfumed Court. The selections and possibilities are beyond anything I would have imagined and the service is close to perfects. The price for samples is higher than what you'd pay for the same things elsewhere, so stick to the really rare stuff (JAR and non-export Lutens, to name a few, as well as vintage and discontinued scents), and they have no competition when it comes to decants in several sizes.

11) Boots No. 7 at Target- Drugstore cosmetics will never be the same. The products of British company Boots, from their No. 7 and Botanics lines, were first introduced to the American market by Target, now also available at CVS. There are many hyped products in these lines, some so popular they made Matt Lauer go investigate them. My personal favorites are the excellent self tanner (no stink, no George Hamilton) and the makeup removal wipes, that are not only extremely effective, but also soft, thick and luxurious.

12) Laboratoire Remède Super C Serum- This year I greatly simplified my skin care routine, with two principles in mind: a product must make my skin feel great and it has to show clear results. My goal was to even out and brighten my skin tone. I saw the first results within weeks, and continue to be impressed of the serum's performance. I didn't let the faulty packaging of my first bottle keep me from repurchasing, and don't see myself switching products any time soon.

13) Laboratoire Remède Double Oxygenating Booster- This isn't a new discovery. As a matter of fact, this is the third year I've been using this cream. However, until recent months I've only applied it topically about one week a month to get rid of an existing blemish or to prevent one from actually forming. It's the most effective zit zapper I've come across. It made a huge difference for me, as together with the Super C serum it helped get rid of past sins. After reading that the cream may be used all over the face, I started doing it about once a week. The results were immediate: Smoother skin, less visible pores. No irritation and no dryness.

14) Men fragrance: Serge Lutens Vetiver Oriental- A 2002 release that became available in the US this year in the regular export bottle and won my husband completely. I adore this scent just as much, and suspect that a backup bottle might be a good idea at this usage rate. Vetiver Oriental is an unusual sweet and rounded vetiver, deepened by a chocolate note. Sounds horrible, but in reality the rooty, earthy vetiver mates well with the chocolate for an exotic but surprisingly comforting aroma. A labdanum and mossy green drydown makes it irresistible to my nose, and apparently to my husband's who made the choice in this category.

15) Biotherm Homme Ultra Confort -My husband's holy grail skin care product was a recent discovery. It does everything: comforts, replenishes and moisturizes. His experience (and mine) is documented here.

Please visit the other participating bloggers and see what they loved this year:

15 Minute Beauty Fanatic

Afrobella

All About The Pretty

All Lacquered Up

Beauty 411

Beauty Blogging Junkie

Beauty Talk

Beautiful Makeup Search

Beauty Hatchery

Beauty Jones

Blogdorf Goodman

Canadian Beauty

C'est Chic

Coquette

eBeautyDaily

For The Love of Beauty

Give Me Your Eyes I Need Sunshine

Getting Amped

Grayburn

HauteMommaStuff

Koneko's Beauty Diary

Makeup Bag

The Makeup Girl

Miss Whoever You Are

My Life,My Words,My Mind

Perfumista

Periodic Style

Platinum Blonde Life

Product Girl

Shop Diary

Slap of the Day

Steeping Beauty

The Beauty Alchemist

The Daily Obsession

The Life Of A Ladybug

Urbane Girl

Victoria's Own

We Love Beauty

Also worth reading, a few perfume bloggers have done their own "Best of 2007" project, and it's worth reading:
::Aromascope :: Bois de Jasmin :: Now Smell This :: Perfume Posse :: PerfumeSmellin’ Things ::Scentzilla ::
As did GreenEyes of Sweet Diva and Helg of Perfume Shrine.

Smooth

When it comes to men's grooming, surprisingly little has changed since 1948, when Cary Grant in his movie Mr. Blanding Builds His Dream House was desperately trying to shave in peace (click to watch the clip). Sure, razors are much better and cool gels can save one from the brush (though I know some men still have one and use it as part of their ritual), but the process is basically the same.

One thing that has changed is the after-shave products. The poor souls no longer need to disinfect their raw skin with an alcohol-based liquid that smell of lavender and pine (ouch. Can you imagine inflicting such treatment on your freshly shaved parts?) and have all kinds of creams and balms to choose from.

My husband has been searching for his holy grail product: A cream that combines the soothing and comforting of a good after-shave with an effective and strong moisturizer. He's finally found one that makes him very happy: Biotherm Homme Ultra Confort. He's used several other Biotherm products in the past, and while liking them quite a bit, none of them was The One, until now. Ultra Confort gets his full endorsement.

According to him the product delivers on all the promises and does a perfect job keeping his skin soft and comfortable feeling. I conducted my own little experiment: I tested Ultra Confort on my own face after a deep cleansing session and thorough exfoliating. The cream made my skin feel calm, replenished the lost moisture and made it incredibly smooth and soft to the touch. I was quite surprised at how good it felt.

I wonder what Cary Grant would have said.

Photo and clip from ShaveBlog.

The Alton Brown Approach to Skin Care- Biotherm Biosource 3-in-1

If you're familiar with Food Network guru Alton Brown (who finally lost that unfortunate facial hair. Hallelujah), you know that he claims that the only kitchen tool allowed to be a "unitasker" is the fire extinguisher. It saves kitchen space, that's for sure, so I wouldn't object to a similar approach to beauty, if only for the sake of my overflowing cabinets and drawers.

Biotherm Biosource Miceallaire 3-in-1 is a cleanser, toner & eye make-up remover. The concept sounds a bit scary, considering most toners have this "avoid eye are" clause and usually a recommendation about what to do if you did manage to get it into your eye, and it ends with "call your doctor".

But I'm a brave little beauty blogger, so I gave it a try.

As far as cleansing goes, the 3-in-1 wasn't up to the task. I don't use tons of makeup, but it still failed to thoroughly remove my foundation and required follow-up with something more efficient. Surprisingly, it did much better on my eyes and managed to easily take care of both my mascara and eyeliner, with only a couple of swipes across the area and no need of pulling or rubbing.

The best results were when used as a toner, after a regular cleanser. It made my face feel clean and refreshed with no drying or tightening. I especially like using it in the morning, because it feels so gentle while waking up the skin.

Manly Business

The Blond learns fast. Once he realized, some years ago, that skin care is less a female mystery ritual involving goats and chanting, and more "things we do to make our skin feel good and maybe not look ugly", he started helping himself to whatever I was using at the time. However, he always looked at the bottles and jars suspiciously, asking "Is this really good for men?". Some were, some weren't.

He was quite happy when we received a couple of products from Biotherm's men line. I also gave him the Healthy Difference moisturizer lotion from the regular line, since he was in need of a good lightweight hydrating product. He works in the city, and needs extra protection against pollution and free radicals (and whatever else that lives in NYC subways).

Here's what he had to say:

I'm not only blond, but also quite pink all over. I burn easily and avoid direct sun as much as possible. When I do go out on sunny days I've learnt to use sunscreen. The Age Fitness SPF 15 has a nice texture and is not too oily. The fragrance is supposed to be olive leaf but is neutral enough for me. It is a light cream for everyday use and is not sufficient for a day at the beach, but for my urban adventures it works fine.
(editor and wife says: It also doesn't clog pores, a problem he occasionally had with other products.)

The other product from the men's line I’ve used is the Facial Exfoliator. It does the work and is not too hard on my sensitive skin nor leaves the skin to dry afterwards.
(editor and wife says: It's gentle enough that he doesn't require a stronger moisturizer than normal, while his skin gets clean.)

The Healthy Difference moisture lotion is also light and effective. It had become my moisturizer of choice pretty quickly. The one thing it's missing, is more soothing effect for a sensitive skin.
(editor and wife says: We'll need to get him the Aqua Sensitive anti-redness formula. Still, he hasn't complained about feeling dryness since starting this regimen.)

I only wish that more companies would offer an aftershave lotion that will focus on skin conditioning and protection rather than the scent value. My main need in the morning after a shave is a good cream that will fill all 3 functions: Soothe, Moisturize and Protect against the sun. I need 3 different creams now.

I think we are both glad I have my own set of products now.
(editor and wife says: Indeed)

So says the husband. All in all, I can see an improvement in his skin's texture. I can't say how much of it is the actual products and how much was simply the result of sticking to a good skin care regimen, which Biotherm products are making it quite easy to do so. The packaging is inviting and pleasing without looking fussy, which is especially important when trying to get a man into a skin care routine.

Biotherm products are now sold exclusively online. You can get free shipping on your order by using offer code biothermevent01 (you'll need to register to the e-club, which is free).

Anti-Gravity

Gravity is a serious business.

As much as I love beauty products, I'm quite aware of the fact that there's only so much a cream can do for you. That's why when it comes to keeping things firm, the only thing I trust is the elliptical machine. And the gene pool.

That's why I can't really say if Biotherm's Resculpt Lift body cream lives up to the anti-sagging promises. Everything is still firmly in place, and I plan to keep it that way for as long as I can. Of course, a little outside help can't hurt, and Body Resculpt is a very pleasant body cream.

It's not too rich or heavy, which makes it perfect for summer. It's still moisturizing enough, the watery-floral scent goes away within minutes, leaving the field for my perfume of choice and it feels nice. If by using it I'm also doing my collagen level a favor (I'm pretty sure that the Beauty Brains would have something to say), all the better.

Biotherm products are only available online, from the company's official site (shipping is free on orders over $50 if you become a member). There are several interesting lotions and potions there, and their men line is extraordinary. The Blond's review of those is in the works.