Review - Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Collection

Disclaimer:  As a member of the Vogue Influencer Network, these products were provided to me by Neutrogena. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was so happy I was chosen to give the Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair products a try because let's face it, when you are my age (ahem - 40) wrinkles really start to become an issue.  As does dullness, discoloration/dark spots, and just overall "glow".  I have used these products (and only these products) for a solid week, because the products say that they will "help fade the look of wrinkles, brighten skin's tone, and smooth fine lines and texture in just one week".  I was a little skeptical, but am pleased to report that they aren't exaggerating.  After about three days in, my skin was glowing, so soft and radiant.  Side note, I must say (and I preach this to everyone) ALWAYS apply serums/moisturizers/sunscreen, etc to your face AND neck.  Always.  I have done this since I was 16 years old and my neck shows almost zero signs of aging, it's why people, when they meet me, think I'm younger than I am.  Start now, it's never too late!  Face and neck always!  Getting off my soapbox now...

The standout product is the serum:


Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair serum

I used it once a day (at night) before applying my moisturizer and it just soaks in, sometimes serums can feel watery or like they sit on your skin.  This one did not.  I LOVE this product.  I've always been so-so on the  serum front, but this one changed my tune!

I followed with this:


Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Night moisturizer

I LOVED this nighttime moisturizer, my skin drank it up.  Now I have mostly oily skin and I was okay with this, it didn't break me out.  Sometimes when you have oily skin you have to worry about a serum then moisturizer just making a greasy, zit-filled mess.  So far, so good.

A little side note for people who have never used Retinols before, they can feel uncomfortable at first (warmth, itchy), if it feels that way then scale back to every other day and/or use the serum or moisturizer for a while before combining. Also make sure you use sunscreen every day because Retinols can make your skin more susceptible to sunburn - trust me on this one.

Every morning I applied this:


Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Broad Spectrum SPF30 moisturizer

Another really great product that gives you SPF (which you need with the retinols) and does very well under makeup.  My only complaint is I didn't like the smell, but it's not overpowering and doesn't last long, but you can smell the sunscreen.

And lastly, probably the product that didn't do as much for me as the others, though still a great product.


Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair eye cream

I didn't see as many results with this product as the others, because I have used similar eye creams for a while.  I've been a religious eye cream user for two decades, so while I do have crows feet, they aren't as pronounced as they could be had I not been using products like this for as long as I have.  This is a perfect eye cream if you are starting to see those nagging crows feet.  It's great because the retinols will help lessen the look of those suckers.

Like I said, three days in my skin was so glowy and radiant.  This was the most exciting development, my skin seemed vibrant again.  The "parentheses" around my mouth didn't seem as pronounced as they did before.  My hyper pigmentation in my temple area seemed a little lighter (I think I'm stuck with it though post-baby).

Final thoughts:  This is a great retinol system, if you are new to retinols and are confused figuring out what should be used with what for maximum anti-aging power, then this is a great way to start!  It's easy and it works!  If you just want to cherry pick one or two items then I would say the serum #1 and the night cream #2.  Those are the two I will be purchasing when I run out.  I liked everything, but those were my favorites from the system.

Grace Coddington And Liz Tilberis

First things first, I'm participating in the Mama Monday series over at Ava Grace's Closet today.  Head over and check it out!

 

This weekend I zipped through the book Grace: A Memoir by legendary fashion editor Grace Coddington.  Being as fashion magazine obsessed as I am, I must say I loved it!  I loved every story, tidbit, opinion, just everything.  I felt like she was chatting with me and telling me all these stories about all these legendary photographers/models/editors.  I just ate it up.  She is arguably the greatest fashion editor of all time, with her ability to tell a story and create a mood with the editorials she styles.  That being said, I was so happy that she devoted a chapter to her great friendship with Liz Tilberis the late Editor-In-Chief of Harper's Bazaar.  And while I adore Grace, I positively worship Liz. 

You see, Liz took Harper's Bazaar to another level back in 1992 when she took over as Editor-In-Chief.  Way back in the late 80's/early 90's Bazaar was sort of a garish, cluttered, very dated magazine.  I should know, I was a subscriber (well, my Mom subscribed for me - ha!).  It was never quite as sophisticated as Vogue.  It had cheesy features, the one that stands out the most was it's annual "50 Most Beautiful Women In The World", which while lovely felt so forced.  But when Liz took over she brought in some amazingly creative people (like Fabien Baron and photographer Patrick Demarchelier poached from Vogue), and in September 1992 this issue arrived in my mailbox and proceeded to blow my mind.

(and yes I still have it)

She and her team had created the most beautiful, well-designed magazine that felt both modern yet familiar in an almost retro way.  It was the best of every world.  So sophisticated.  I remember holding that issue up and saying to no one in particular "Well, things just got interesting."  I was obsessed.  Obsessed with every photo, model, layout, just everything.  It was genius in every way.  Her magazine created instant buzz in the publishing world, picking up award after award. Every month a new beautifully designed fantasy landed in my mailbox.  Her Editor Letters were fun and familiar (though not as good as Linda Wells at Allure - she writes the best ones in the business), she was enchanting and I was under the spell.  Liz was my girl!

And then Liz was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.  She bravely fought it for years and I rooted for her in every way.  She was so open and honest about her struggles.  So much so that in 1998 she wrote a really great memoir called No Time To Die.  Which I would highly recommend picking up, especially if you have read Grace.  She ultimately died in April of 1999 at the age of 51.  Too young.  And thus ended a most creative and inspiring period of fashion magazines, in my opinion. 

And to me, nothing seemed quite the same.  Certainly not at Bazaar, where Kate Betts (formerly News Director of Vogue) took over as Editor-In-Chief and changed everything, including the Bazaar logo (!), so much so that it felt like some weird publication that seemed to slant to a very young crowd.  I like Kate Betts, but it was just an ill fit.  But honestly, no magazine felt the same, the models all but disappeared from covers, the celebrity culture took over and the fantasy seemed to be pushed to the background.  It makes me sound old, but I do miss those days.

Images via Amazon.com

I'm Back With Some Random Stuff...

Well, I just fell off the blogging face of the Earth this week didn't I?  Sorry about that, the little one and I are sick (again) and had to travel for work which involved driving through my favorite county in Georgia - Butts county!  Here's the water tower that cracks me up every time I drive by it:

(sorry for the crappy "from-the-car" photo)

Now for the randomness:

Kate Moss on the September Vogue cover - so happy to see a model on the cover for a change:

Source: modelinia.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Here are some images of my inspiration boards right now:

This one hangs above my desk (it's my DIY board from this post) - lots of pictures from our trip to Greece 4 years ago!

Sections from the board that hangs in my closet, lots of goodies on this one!

By the way, I'm having issues commenting on some blogs for some reason, I can't figure it out.  So if you haven't heard from me then that's why.  Is this happening to anyone else?  Grrr.  See, I'm totally random today.  Have a great Thursday!

Loving this French Vogue cover...

Featuring the rainbow of colors in the Spring-Summer 2011 collections.  Gorgeous, right?
Image via Modelinia.com

Phoebe Philo talks about Celine with Vogue

This article was featured in October's Vogue - a very interesting read about her return to fashion (see my picks from her Spring 2010 Celine collection here).  But what totally hooked me in were the photographs by Annie Leibovitz, just beautiful!  Taken at Philip Johnson's Glass House in New Canaan, CT.  Wow!

Images via Style.com by Annie Leibovitz

Color Story - Purple

In my previous life I created many color stories and I'm kind of missing that. I always loved pouring through magazines, books, etc.; pulling images, sifting through them and pulling together trend and/or color groups. It never failed that something would emerge. So please indulge me as I share my first color story with you. I hope you enjoy:

This purple story started with the Bottega Veneta ad and quickly snowballed from there. It's not a conventional purple, it's more of a greyish purple and then a brownish purple - bordering on burgundy (though a straight up purple is represented by the clutch - by Nancy Gonzalez via a Neiman Marcus ad - in the middle of the collage as well as in the room's lighting). In my experience people have very strong reactions to purple - they either love it or hate it, rarely is a person indifferent.

Images (starting clockwise from top left) via InStyle, Mauboussin, Bottega Veneta (2), Neiman Marcus, Vogue (I think - correct me if I'm wrong), Interior Design

Grace Coddington, the hero of The September Issue? - news - fashion week daily

I so admire Grace Coddington. I can't wait to see this documentary!

Grace Coddington, the hero of The September Issue? - news - fashion week daily

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