Vichy

Some of our readers may be aware that October 18th is International Menopause Awareness Day.  Vichy knows and is looking to educate the public abut menopause and encourage women to enjoy their post-menopausal years with their NeoWoman campaign. It's launching a program during the month of October where 250 pharmacies across Canada will each dedicate one day to inviting women to come in and receive a free skin health consultation and facial massage from a dermo-advisor.

The dermo-advisor will be massaging in Neovadiol Gf, the face cream launched last year, developed specifically for menopausal skin.Neovadiol Gf, used proteic Gf (a natural extract rich in vegetable proteins) and pro-xylane (a natural sugar derived from the xylose molecule) to stimulate growth in the skin's major cells (keratinocytes and fibroblasts) to encourage skin firming and plumping.  I snagged the Ontario list for you below (click on the chart and it will become bigger), if you are elsewhere in Canada give your local pharmacy a call and see if they are taking part in the event.  If you are in Markham, I recommend giving the Shoppers Drug Mart at Markville Mall a call - Evelyn is the dermo-advisor who will be coming in for their event and she's incredible!  Call 905-477-6320 for an appointment at that location.

Kevin Murphy Maxi.Wash - 250ml - $25 - a detoxifying shampoo that removes unwanted product residue and excess oil that can build up in your hair.  It deep cleaning brightens your limp or dull hair as well as balances sebum production.  Contains a herbal blend of lime, mint and eucalyptus to remove excess oil and tropical fruit acids and anti pollution agents to deeply cleanse your hair, while sage extracts dissolve the fats and oils.  I was told that the first time I used this, not to expect it to lather and that I would probably need to use it a second time and then it would, once all of the buildup was out of my hair and that's exactly what happened - you would not believe how clean my hair felt after using this!  It's not an everyday shampoo, you just use it once or twice a week - I will be investing in a full size of this one!  You can find Kevin Murphy products at various salons across Canada - go here to find the one closest to you.

Soap & Glory Scrub Your Nose In it - 115ml - $12.99 - not only is it an exfoliator, it can also do double duty as a mask!  It contains: diatomaceous earth - a highly refined and purified earth "dirt" that gently lifts dead cells and debris while scrubbing the skin and stimulation circulation; montmorillite clay - a soft, white purified clay that absorbs excess oils; and super fruit acids - to dissolve the glue that makes dead cells stick to the surface of the skin. I'm pretty picky when it comes to face scrubs - don't like apricot ones or the like because they use ground up pieces of apricot or fruit seeds which can have sharp edges and I find that sugar and salt scrubs, although great for the body, too harsh for my face.  Dirt is obviously the perfect solution to this issue because I really like this scrub!  It has the perfect amount of "scrubbiness" without being harsh or irritating.  I also tried using it as a mask on one of my oily breakout days and it did a decent job of de-shining me and making my skin feel nice and smooth.  Soap & Glory is available at Shoppers Drug Mart.

THANN Aromatherapy Salt Scrub - 450g - $49.50 - it comes in several different scents including Aromatic Wood which I tried.  It's a kind of masculine smell, which I didn't mind and if you were looking for a scrub for your guy but he complained that they all smell too girly, you should turn him on to this one.  The scrub contains moisturizing rice bran oil, exfoliating sea salt and plant essential oils: orange oil containing natural AHA clarifies and moisturizes the skin while nutmeg oil stimulates circulation.

If you are one of my hometown girls from Ottawa then you are lucky to have the flagship store right there at 312 Richmond Road - 613-216-2390 - everyone else can find it online at www.thann.ca

Vichy Podexine Kerato-Reducing Scrub - 75ml - $17.95 - the alumina micro-crystals in this scrub are 150x harder than the particles found in traditional scrubs to take care of irregularities, roughness or calluses.  This is a heavy duty scrub suitable for people with super serious foot issues so I figured that it would find my slightly flaky feet a breeze!  The scrub is abrasive but in the good way that you expect from a foot scrub - I wouldn't want to use this on my legs like they do when I have a pedicure at the spa though - it would tear them up!  The only thing I wish it had was the nice minty smell that I like in a foot product, but it really has no smell at all.

Biotherm Skin Ergetic - a new product line that is paraben free and contains ingredients that are 99% of natural origin - the tag line sums it up - "So signs of fatigue don't turn into signs of aging" Sign me up!
Energy Up Complex Signs of Fatigue Repairing Concentrate - 50ml - $58 - contains broccoli, soy apple, lemon and sugar cane - the most interesting part of this product is the fresh cosmetics technology that makes it possible to optimize the effectiveness of the active ingredients via last-minute activation - the broccoli extract in this product is one of the best ingredients for fighting skin fatigue but is unstable when added to a skincare formula.  To solve the problem, Biotherm decided to isolate this ingredient in a capsule so that it could be activated at the last minute, immediately before the first application.  You release the powder into the rest of the concentrate and it will retain optimum stability for three months - so don't forget to use it every day!
Anti-Ox Complex Non-Stop Anti-Fatigue Moisturizer - 50ml - $49 - in a rich creme for dry skin or cream gel for combination skin - contains tomato, apple, bitter orange, grape and pomegranate - the cream gel smells amazing, this one is on my shopping list!
D-Tox Complex Overnight High-Recovery Moisturizer Night - 50ml - $51 - contains buckwheat, tea, ruscus, soy and cranberry
Lise Watier Eye Quartet - $31 - if you are already a fan of her quads you will be pleased to know they now come in 4 new gorgeous colour combos:  Les Violets, Les Bleus, Les Verts and Les Rosés.
Elizabeth Arden Petty Hot - 50ml EDP - $63 - with top notes of red currant, fresh mandarin, blood orange, red apple and freesia; heart notes of Queen of the Night, peony, pimento blossom as well as Petelia and Georgywood molecules; and a base of amber, white patchouli, tonka bean, sandalwood and musky Cosmone molecule.  I gave it a sniff and I like it when I first spray it because of all of the fruity top notes, but once it dries down it turns very floral on me so I'm not such a fan.
Vichy NeoVadiol Gf Eye and Lip Contours - 15ml - $39.50 - with a cooling eye and lip contour applicator for menopausal skin it is said to have a crease-smoothing effect and will make eye and lip contours appear defined.
Ed Hardy Born Wild for Women - 50ml EDP - $62- with top notes of blackberry and black currant buds; heart notes of magnolia and peach blossom; and base notes of lily of the valley, sandalwood and musk.
Ed Hardy Born Wild for Men - 50ml EDT - $62 - with top notes of cara cara orange, spicy cardamom, ambrette seed and papple,; middle notes of jasmine, neroli, ozone and pink perppercorn; and base notes of California Palo Verde and sandalwood.

Ed Hardy reminds me of the Rock of Love episode where Bret takes the skank de jour to the Ed Hardy store and gets her slutted out - since then I haven't been able to take the brand seriously - but I'm sure there are lots of Ed Hardy fans out there that are thrilled by these new fragrances!