Darphin 8-Flower Nectar: A BeautyFrosting Hall of Fame product

Darphin 8-flower nectar is a princess among princes.

I love Darphin. I think it’s extremely underrated and underused. Especially for the quality of product they’re offering and (!!!) the fact that it comes dressed in Tiffany-ready boxed bliss.

Daprhin 8-Flower Nectar

This little beauty is not cheap ($150 for .5 ozs that should last you about 2-3 months) but, let me tell you, its results are worth every penny.

As we have covered before, beauties, I looooove oil. I think it’s the most important ingredient in your skincare recipe. Have you added it to yours yet?

If not, meet the creme de la creme of beauty oils.

This is not the oil you start with. This is the oil you arrive at. The Bentley of oils.

This is oil for skin in serious need of renewal, replenishment and rehydration.

(If you need a lighter or more pocket-friendly oil, see here or let me know, and we’ll fix you up). But I couldn’t go another day without telling you about one of my all-time favorite products!

There are lots of oils around the same price point as this little Darphin luxury.

But I have yet to meet an oil as rich, moisturizing, age-defying and youth-blossoming as this one. Darphin’s 8-Flower Nectar is a perfect cocktail of essential vitamins, omega 3 and 6, iris extract, avocado oil and jasmine. It smells buttery and floral (just like my Nanny’s garden did) and is the perfect nightcap to your beauty routine.

I apply it right after my bath, following patting my face dry. It’s my first step on most nights (except those on which I’m exfoliating or using an anti-aging serum). Then it’s on to eye cream and moisturizer.

As you can see here, I’m running low on mine. And this makes me very, very sad.

Darphin 8-Flower Nectar

So what can you expect with this little Darphin gem? Well, there have been times I woke up the next morning, after applying it, and swore I looked 5 years younger. Here are some other words that come up when asking me, my clients and friends about the 8-Flower Nectar:

Magical. Glowing. Clarity. Luxury. Detoxifying. Moisturized. Youthful. Fine line-fighter. Dewy. Beauty potion. Secret weapon. Reverses aging.

It does ALL that. Yes, really.

I also like applying a drop in the morning (after rubbing between my fingertips) to my face – starting under the eye area and on my cheekbones. It’s beautiful for dry skin in need of a boost under makeup!

Try it and let me know what you think.

Beauty and a little renewed youth are but a click away.

 

xoxo,

BF

BF Asks: Have you added an oil to your beauty recipe yet?

Thirsty Thursday Product Pick: Rodin Olio Lusso Lip Balm

It seems only right on a Thirsty Thursday that I should feature a product that hydrates, replenishes and quenches your skin’s thirst.

In this case…your lips!

Rodin Olio Lusso makes a pretty, pink little lip balm that hydrates, is non-sticky, hydrates the most parched pouts and, did I mention, it’s pink?

This stuff may be pink but it’s golden.

Rodin Olio Lusso Lip Balm ($30)

This perfect pink lip balm, made of orange flower oil, shea butter, beeswax, and castor seed oil, leaves you with moisturized, kissable, sheer pink lips! And its light, signature Rodin Olio Lusso floral scent is a precious little perk!

Rodin Olio Lusso Lip Balm ($30)

The blush-pink packaging and super chic lucite square compact housing the balm makes you feel special every time you glide it on your lips.
Perfect for your purse or by your bedside, I choose both options as it’s a perfect sheer pink gloss and, yet, the price point makes it a perfect nighttime cocktail for luminous, soft, supple, sexy lips in the morning.

Balms away!

xoxo,

BF

BF Asks: Where do you keep your lip balm? In your purse? On your bedside table? On your vanity? Bathroom counter? Somewhere else?

Dear Dawn: Dry & Red Skin & Another Birthday on the Horizon – Help!

Dear Dawn,

I am about to turn another year older and I am tired of my skin care regimen. I have lots of red in my skin and it seems to be so dry. Any suggestions, BF?

Shelby P & her little beauty

 

Dear Shelby P,

Yes! Well, judging from the precious pic above, it looks like you have your hands full with that little beauty of yours! Which, I imagine, makes your own beauty routine take a backseat many a night.

DD to the rescue! Maybe that’s a little dramatic. I’m no superhero but I think, in this case, I can be of some help. The first thing you need to know, and have faith in, is that there is a solution. We just have to find the perfect recipe that works for your skin.

I have both clients and friends who have had this EXACT concern. They are affected by weather changes, climate changes, foods, wines, stress – by a lot.

My first suggestion is a biggie: try sleeping with your head elevated on 2 pillows. This is a must for skin conditions such as redness, rosacea and puffiness.

My second suggestion is to limit alcohol, excessive caffeine, highly acidic fruits and chocolate.

My third suggestion is to take supplements. Many people, including yours truly find them super helpful. I would suggest Krill oil and an mega-acidophilus supplement, such as Natren Healthy Trinity. Many times taking these produce almost immediate results!

Now that that’s out of the way, on to the fun stuff. THE PRODUCTS!!!!

Many people have found relief with Clinique Redness Solutions. If you haven’t tried that yet, start there. You can get a Clinique Redness Solutions kit, to try it all in one fell swoop (the soothing cleanser, relief cream and SPF 15 protective base), for only $39.50 at Sephora. Click this link to buy: Clinique Redness Solutions Kit.

Clinique Redness Solutions Kit $39.50

Clinique still reigns supreme as head redness fighter in the beauty world simply because it works for so many people and sells for such a reasonable price point.

If you have already tried that, here are some ingredients that I would use to bake up your perfect skincare recipe:

Skincare Recipe for Shelby P:

Morning:
Do not wash face.
If you shower, splash with lukewarm or cool water. No scrubbing. Pat dry.

Apply oil ( try Sea Buckthorn Seed Oil - buy it for $10.34 by clicking on this link).

Sibu Sea Buckthorn Seed Oil

Apply serum (Patricia Wexler M.D. Dermatology MMPi.20 Skin Regenerating Serum - buy for $55 by clicking on this link). Bonus? This doubles as a beautiful slip of a makeup/sunscreen primer!

Wexler MMPI.20 Skin Regenerating Serum

Wexler MMPI.20 Skin Regenerating Serum

Apply SPF cream (Clinique Protective Base SPF 15 or Avene Redness SPF 25 $33)

 

Night:

Wash face with gentle cleanser like Clinique Redness Solutions Soothing Cleanser, Eucerin Soothing Cleanser Redness Relief (which is $7.55 on this Amazon link) or Avene Gentle Cleanser for Intolerant Skin (buy it for $22 and receive samples by clicking on this link to Beauty Collection).

Avene Gentle Cleanser for Intolerant Skin at Beauty Collection

Apply oil (again, Sea Buckthorn Seed Oil)

Apply anti-aging serum (like Patricia Wexler M.D. Dermatology MMPi.20 Skin Regenerating Serum) which is amazing for sensitive skin like yours and mine. And it feels deeeeeluxe and deeeeelish!

Apply eye cream of choice (if you don’t have one, ask me!).

Apply rich moisturizer like: Clinique Repair Cream, Eucerin Redness Relief Soothing Night Cream ($11.94 on this Amazon link) or Avene Cream for Intolerant Skin.

*Note:

I’ve also been a big fan of Creme de La Mer for 16 years. So if you are needing a solution, try a sample and see if it’s an option for your skin type.

DDF Redness Relief is another treatment clients have loved.

DDF Redness Relief

Think of the oil and serum as your anti-aging ingredients and the moisturizers and cleansers as your soothing treatments for redness.

In terms of concealing the redness, this is my philosophy: don’t try to cover up all the time. Leave your skin plenty of time to breathe, be treated with the above ingredients and heal.
So while you’re trying this new skincare recipe, I would recommend using concealing makeup only when totally necessary. When you do, try the Allure 2011 Best of Beauty Winner, Clinique Redness Solutions Instant Relief Mineral Powder $32.50.

The pale yellow powder neutralizes the redness rather than just covering it up. I am not a big fan of mineral makeup all the time – quite the contrary, actually- but when it comes to dependable concealing, it is hard to beat.

Clinique Redness Solutions Instant Relief Mineral Powder $32.50

Shelby P, please let me know what ingredients work as we try these products to find your perfect skincare recipe! I can’t wait to hear back in a week or so!
Cheers to beautiful, younger-looking, less pink skin and a more PINK LIFE!!
xoxo,
Dawn/BF
BF Asks: What is your skincare concern?