I’ve been using the Arcona Youth Serum since August 2009.  I bought a three pack that contained more Youth Serum, Vitamin A Complex and Night Breeze just after Thanksgiving 2009.  The Gentle Solution is a sample size.  At first, it was too much for my skin and I felt dry.  There’s a trick and system to using all of these.

At first, I wasn’t excited about having to use this many products.  I really only want about two night treatments cluttering my medicine cabinet, but it’s not to be.  Here is how you use all of these.

Night Breeze

The instructions say 1 – 2 times a week, but unless you’re really oily and breaking out, this is way too much.  This product works like a skin detox and can be drying.  Use this once a week unless you feel a breakout coming on.  I found the easiest way to remember is deciding to use Night Breeze one day a week and not varying from week to week.  Friday is my Night Breeze day.  I figure my skin could use a detox every Friday night after a week of stress not getting eight hours of sleep.

If I feel a breakout coming on, I’ll use it that night.  Be prepared, your skin will likely be a little flaky in the morning.  Just take a soft washcloth and warm water to exfoliate gently when you was your face in the morning.  Take a little extra time patting in your moisturizer.  If it’s just a couple of spots, you can do your normal routine and put a dab on each spot.  Usually the pimple dies overnight–and what’s better than that?!

Vitamin A Complex

This one smells bad.  It fades fast, so it shouldn’t bug you for long, but there’s a slight nail polish remover scent to it.  Use it 2 – 3 times a week, but not immediately after using the Night Breeze.  I’m sure it’s doing something awesome, but it does get overshadowed by Night Breeze.

Gentle Solution

This is your best friend.  It smells like coconuts and leaves you soft and smooth.  I use this in between the other treatments.  So if I’ve just used the Vitamin A Complex, I use the Gentle Solution.  The same for Night Breeze.

Here is a good tip.  If you find you need to use Night Breeze more than once a week, use the Gentle Solution for two nights afterward.  This helps keep your skin from getting too dry.  If your skin feels irritated, but not breakout prone, skip the Vitamin A Complex and use Gentle Solution instead.

Wrap Up

I know this sounds like a lot of work, and really it is.  But, once you get the hang of switching in between the treatments and seeing how your skin reacts it will seem like old hat.  It is so worth it!  My skin changed immediately.  I breakout much less and the texture of my skin is much improved.  When I wash my face at night, I can feel how smooth it is instead of all the little bumps and flakes I felt before.  I will definitely buy full sizes when my smaller ones run out.

Where I got it: W3LL PEOPLE.  What it cost: $65 for the three pack.

I have now been using the Arcona Youth Serum (mentioned in a previous post) for three months now.  I am impressed.  My 34 year old skin wasn’t bad, but had issues like break outs off and on with sketchy clarity overall.  I didn’t even think about texture!

Though I still have a couple of break outs on and off, the texture of my skin is awesome!  Literally, awesome!  It’s smooth, soft and a bit plumper.  Clarity is definitely improved as well.  It’s a more even tone and the red blotchiness I experience from allergies has gone down as well.

It’s official, I recommend this product.

Where I got it: W3LL PEOPLE.  What it cost: $87, and worth every penny.  I still have a little less than half left!

I took a tour of W3LL People’s store on South Lamar this week.  I had been in before and was directed to the Arcona products I’m currently using by Mimi.  This week, I talked to Shirley who gave me the run down on the rest of what they have in shop.

W3LL is the exclusive provider of the lines they carry in Austin.  That means you won’t be finding Arcona, Ren, Keys or any of the other products anywhere else in town.  The lines they sell also have to meet strict standards of purity, environmental consciousness and non-animal testing.  I have to admit, it was a bit overwhelming learning about all of their products at once.  I’ll have to go back to take a refresher course in the skin care lines.

What I learned yesterday that I was so excited about, were the W3LL cosmetics.  I didn’t realize these are made in store!  Mimi, Shirley, James, et all make these products by hand ensuring quality and consistency.  Talk about locavore! Now your make up can come from your home town.  How cool is that?

I’ve started out my experimenting Nudist #4 and Narcissist #2.  The Nudist line is for lips, the Narcissist for concealing.  I’ll be posting updates.  Nudist: $23, Narcissist: free sample.

I am impressed with this serum.  It contains L-ascorbic acid, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, reserveratrol and grape seed extracts.  I have been using it every morning for almost a month now and have noticed a change in my skin.  It’s a little plumper and a lot more even.  I did have some rough, dry patches when I started using it and a little breaking out.  I decided not to give up and am very happy I didn’t.  Well worth the price.

Austinites:  I got this at W3LL PEOPLE, http://www.w3llpeople.com/.  Mimi helped me pick it out.  I really like this store because they don’t try to sell you on the entire product line.  They only recommend products they think will work with your skin type.  Plus, everything W3LL carries is paraben free and not animal tested.  Two thumbs up.

Where I got it: W3LL PEOPLE.  What it cost $87.

Ok, I am huge into sunblock.  I’m always chasing friends down and making them put it on.  With that in mind, it is REALLY hard to find a good, natural sunblock that isn’t greasy.  I have found a few and will let you in on them.

Face & Body:

California Baby SPF 30+ – Good stuff!  It is thick, so you need to use it in small amounts with lots of patience or you’ll end up Casper-ish.  The active ingredient is micronized Titanium Dioxide, which some people may have a problem with, but I don’t.  The Environmental Working Group Cosmetics Database did a study on micronized sunscreens and found they were ok.  One word of caution.  Titanium Dioxide is a great natural ingredient, but it doesn’t have the UVA blocking strength of Zinc Oxide.  So if you can find a non-greasy Zinc Oxide sunblock, you’re better off.  I have found natural sunblocks tend to have better sweat and water resistance, too.  I bike to work four days a week (yes, even in August!) so I think I’ve got a good thing here.

Badger SPF 30 – This is it!  But, if you have oilier skin you will feel it sitting on top when it’s humid or hot out.  It simply doesn’t soak in as well.  But, it’s active ingredient is Zinc Oxide so you are getting the best UVA spectrum block.  The base is olive oil, Beeswax, Jojoba oil, Cocoa Butter and other natural oils.  Dry skin people rejoice!  This one you will love.  Oily girls like me, use a wash cloth with mild soap and a little exfoliation to get it off.

Face:

Arcona Reozone SPF 40 – I am in LOVE with this!!!  I mean it.  I can pedal hard in 106 degrees, sweat, sweat, sweat and it’s still there!  Plus, it dissolves easily with a little facial cleanser.  Hard working, comes off easy.  Doesn’t get better than that, right?  Well, darn it, it could.  Once again, we’ve got Titanium Dioxide as the main block, but there is Zinc Oxide as well.  Probably not as good as all Zinc Oxide, but much, much better than just Titanium Dioxide.

DeVita Solar Protective Moisturizer SPF 30 – This is a moisturizer plus Zinc Oxide for sunblocking ability.  Pretty good stuff.  A little heavy for me because I always put on a Vitamin C serum in the AM which seems to have some sort of moisturizing property.  Because the DeVita is a moisturizer first, it is not very sweat or water resistant.  One thing that bothers me about this product is in the instructions that come with it, they suggest applying it in the evening can somehow make your skin more sun resistant.  Um, not likely at all.