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.

Bliss carrot+sesame body buff (and a little giveaway)

Believe me: the last thing I needed was another body scrub. I have several jars, tins and tubes arranged near the bathtub and serving a double purpose of exfoliating my skin and giving the cats something to crash into when they chase each other in and out of the (empty) tub. It's a feline thing.

One of my recent orders from Bliss had a sample of their carrot+sesame spa body scrub, and it was so intriguing that I tried it that very night. Normally I'm all for separation of food and grooming, so a carrot, sesame and honey product wouldn't be my usual choice. But I was feeling adventurous.

I loved it from the second I tore the packet open and got a whiff of the carroty goodness. It smells like a Middle Eastern candy with the honey and sesame, but not to the icky point. It feels as rich as it smells and I found myself using way more of the sample than I really needed, just so I could spend more quality time with it.

There were two results to testing the scrubs: my skin felt softer than I could hope for and my tub was full of the sticky little granules and needed to be washed, which I had time for, because I was in no rush to slather myself with a body cream. The softness held until the next morning, which was when I went online to order a full size jar.

This scrub only comes in a set with something called "finishing foam", which is basically a whipped lotion. It smells of milk, honey, sesame and carrots and is in the yummy category, but again, thankfully, not over-the-top but feels sweet and cozy. You use it on damp skin and it sinks right in. Unfortunately, it doesn't add that much long-term moisturizing. I tried using the scrub with and without the finishing foam and it didn't matter at all, by morning I needed something more. I wish they'd use the scent in a regular body butter formula.

Bottom line: the scrub is amazing, the foam is ok.

I have a second sample of the scrub to give away for one lucky reader. Just leave a comment to say you're interested.

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).

Magnolia

Bliss products are a hit or miss thing for me. Some, like their hand and foot products, are brilliant. Others are just decent, but over-hyped and outrageously priced. And nearly all of them are seriously lacking in the scent department. In this price range I expect scents that don't belong in the cabinet under the kitchen sink.

Bliss Magnolia Body Scrub is a rare one in this regard. The magnolia scent is actually very delicate and pleasant, even for someone like me who isn't a big magnolia fan. I wouldn't object to a full line of products carrying this fragrance. Very spring-appropriate, cheerful and feminine, but doesn't last longer than the steam in your shower and will not interfere with your perfume.

The problem is that it's a very unimpressive scrub. The consistency is thin, the granules are tiny, and though the product is creamy and pleasant on the skin, it isn't much more than a glorified shower cream. It's very comparable to the exfoliating body wash from Maryam's Soap Nook. Very pleasant, not drying or irritating, but can't be trusted with all of your exfoliating needs.

Smooth and Smoother

I've had this tub of Clarins Toning Body Polisher sitting there for a couple of months. It was waiting, unopened, in the wasteland that is the vanity storage space. I came across it the other day and decided to give it a go and see how it compares to my favorite scrub, Maryam's.

Next to Maryam's homespun product, Clarins' packaging looks slick and sophisticated. The scent is more subtle and the texture is finer. It comes with a plastic applicator that helps mix the salts and sugar granules with the oils before applying to your skin.

The polisher goes on easily, sloughs off dead skin and feels rich and creamy enough to be pleasant. However, despite its content of hazelnut oil, shea butter and palm oil it isn't as nourishing and moisturizing as promised. Actually, I suspect that this product goes a bit overboard with skin stripping.

Unlike Maryam's scrub that leaves my skin feeling like it needs very little moisturizing post use, here I needed to put on lotion right away. Also, after several hours it was evident that lotion wouldn't be enough and there's a need to use the big guns.

Now, I'm not saying that this is a bad product. It isn't. It's pleasant to use, it exfoliates nicely and it smells fresh and sharp. But if you have very dry skin and it's the dead of winter, you need to make sure that you butter up your skin thoroughly following use. Also, I wouldn't say that it delivers on its promise of luminous skin. Not on my skin or this time of year. It's just a decent scrub.

Bottom line: Maryam does it better, and for half the price.

I'm happy to report that my fight against winter alligator skin is going well, so far. And I just discovered another product that helps a lot. Maryam's shea butter and Dead Sea salt Glow Scrub is the ideal exfoliator in my book. The salt does the work it's supposed to do, and the base of shea butter, camellia oil, olive oil, sweet almond oil, jojoba oil, avocado oil, vegetable glycerin and vitamin E is great for softening the skin and keeping it moisturized. It is by far superior to most similar products I've tried, probably because of the high shea butter content.

I've been using it in the shower for the last few days, and can report that my skin needed much less moisturizing after that- it didn't soak up the same amounts of body butter that it usually does, and it has become softer and smoother than before. The scent I tried is Lemongrass, Lime and Ginger. It's quite strong but not unpleasant, stayed on the skin after washing but gave away to my body butter.

It's a winner product, with the added appeal of being made completely of natural ingredients. Like all of Maryam's products it's hand made and the packaging is functional and simple.

Invigorate My Foot

In the nearly two years since I've discovered Mario Badescu's products, I've given very little thought to skin care products. I use several of the moisturizers, according to my skin's needs and alternate between cleansing products with the change of weather and activity. The one thing that MB's line hasn't been able to provide me is the perfect scrub. I tried, but wasn't smitten with any of their offerings.

Before my love affair with Mario Badescu I was a Clinique devotee for years, but even then I never liked their scrubs and found them too harsh and not effective. So I've been using Lancôme's Exfolliance Confort on and off for many years now. It's a good scrub, not too drying, unless my skin is having an über-sensitive day, and it usually gets the work done and leaves a soft skin behind.

A few weeks ago I felt like changing something and getting a deeper scrubbing. I was at my local Target and picked two Neutogena products: Deep Clean Invigorating Foaming Scrub and Deep Clean Gentle Scrub. I tried both over the following days, and the results were such that I needed to apply my trusted MB seaweed cream a few times a day to rectify the situation.
Both scrubs were very abrasive and drying. There was no gentle exfoliating. More like full-force flaying, that left me with a dry and flaky skin. I didn't see much difference between the two, except that the Invigorating scrub also feels tingly, has a stronger grapefruit smell and it's blue. After a few days of the horror, both tubes were exiled to the land of forgotten beauty products, the Siberia in my utility closet. I returned to my tried-and-true Lancôme, at least for now.

The other day, while giving myself a pedicure I decided that I could use a scrubbing cream or gel. I love Bliss foot froducts, but they don't have a specific foot exfoliator. So I looked around and found the almost forgotten Neutrogena tubes. I used the blue one and it was good. The tingling was nice and the results were great- soft and smooth feet. I did feel the need for good misturizing right after using it, which makes sense. I already new that this product was drying.

Bottom line: I'd never use Neutrogena scrubs on my face again, but I now have two tubes of a pretty decent foot scrub.