I’m sure many of you are fans of Lancome products.  I know I am!  It’s funny how I used Lancome for years when I was in my 20’s and then it faded into my beauty background for no particular reason.  About two years ago I had a facial and the facialist used several Lancome skin care products and started raving about them to me.   I purchased a few products and fell back in love with Lancome in my mid to late 40’s.   

After reacquainting myself with the skin care I decided to check into the makeup line, more than just the oh so popular mascaras.   I think I now wear at least one if not more, makeup product from Lancome on my face daily.  

I’ve been fortunate enough to have met a few of the women that work at Lancome PR, like Patricia, Kerry and Erin – all lovely women and so happy to have met them.   One year ago (where does time fly!) Kerry started writing a blog for Lancome, so they’re celebrating their birthday by doing a giveaway.   One lucky winner will get a chance to win 5 Lancome beauty products of their choice!   The Lancome Blog is one of my favorite “Daily Must Reads” and Kerry keeps us up to date not only on the Lancome beauty scene, but with fashion, what’s hot, who’s cool and of course, cupcakes!

Be sure to head on over to the Lancome Blog and enter for your chance to win!   And tell Kerry Happy Birthday from Fab Over 40!

Is a bar of soap the best way to wash your face?   I’ve always heard to never use a bar of soap on your face.  They’re supposedly drying, make your skin easily irritated, strip your skin of the good nutrients.   So to be honest, I was actually hesitant to give this Erno Laszlo Blue Firmarine Treatment Bar a try.  But I did anyway.

And I was pleasantly surprised!  

This bar has the texture of a glycerin bar, creates a lot of lather and it cleans my face exceptionally well.  After washing with this and rinsing I mistakenly took my WHITE towel and dried my face.   As soon as I had done that, I thought – oh no!  There goes my white towel with makeup on it.   But no!   My white towel didn’t have a speck of left over makeup on it, it was actually spotless.   Then I waited several minutes before applying the remainder of my nighttime ritual skin care, I wanted to see if my skin felt dry.   No again.   My skin felt clean, but not dried out, just smooth.   I have been using this treatment bar for several weeks and my skin still doesn’t feel dried out like I had originally expected.   At $39 the bar is not inexpensive, but it lasts FOREVER!   Like I said, I have been using this for several weeks and it doesn’t look like I’ve used any of the bar.

Here’s what the company says about the treatment bar:

It’s unique delivery system releases ingredients gradually over time to ensure activity long after cleansing strengthening skin’s barrier and allowing visibly firmer, smoother skin.  Spirulina Maxima and Algae Extract to firm skin by helping cell renewal and improving skin texture.  Vitamins C & E to provide long lasting anti-oxidant protection.  Glycerin Sorbitol and Palm Kernel to help hydration and retain moisture by binding water to the skin.

Congratulations to winner LISA S. #27 chosen by Random.org

I know many of you have told me what fans you are of Dr. Perricone’s products, so you’ll be thrilled to know that Perricone MD is teaming up with Fabulous Over 40 for a giveaway of their award winning new product, Cold Plasma.

I recall a few months back seeing Cold Plasma being sold and talked about on QVC and it piqued my interest and now Cold Plasma has won the 2009 WWD Beauty Biz Award, which also seems impressive. I have personally not tried Cold Plasma, but I am more interested than ever! What is Cold Plasma? It sounds like a wonderful cream that could solve a lot of issues! After 5 years of research by Dr. Perricone and his team, its patented delivery system addresses the 10 most prominent signs of aging:

1. Wrinkles
2. Enlarged Pores
3. Dryness
4. Redness
5. Discoloration
6. Uneven Skin Tone
7. Loss of Firmness
8. Impurities
9. Loss of Radiance
10. Loss of Smoothness

This sounds like a cream that would solve a lot of skin care issues for those of us over 40! I like that this $150 jar of cream also comes with a 100% money back guarantee. See their site for details.

Here’s how you can enter your chance to win your own Cold Plasma. Just tell me in the comments why you need or would like to try Cold Plasma, along with your name. You can enter daily if you’d like. The giveaway ends Sunday, March 7th at 11:59 PM CST. Open to US & Canada only.  Winner will be drawn by a random numbering machine. Good luck!

I’ve been using Filextra for nearly 8 weeks now and for me the biggest difference I’ve seen is not in replenishing the “mid-face sink”, but the “eye sink” that I tend to have. I’ve been told I have deep bone structure around my eyes which make the dark circles more prominent and as I get older they appear more sunken. Ugh. So I found this before photo taken in November 2009. On the top you will notice I have no makeup on – just fresh out of the shower, and my dark circles and the sunken look are more prominent. In the “after” shot, I do have some eye shadow, liner and mascara on. However, I do not have any concealer, corrector or anything under my eyes. They look more filled in, brighter and don’t make me look so tired and old.

If you want to see a different comparison, take a look at the images I’ve used below. Again, taken in about November, the top “before” photo I am wearing eye shadow, liner, mascara and foundation and concealer. The bottom photos in both sets are the same photo. I took these recently because as I was applying my makeup I was suddenly shocked at the fact that I didn’t even need a speck of concealer. Granted, there are days my eyes can look tired and I can still have dark circles at times. But the sunken look isn’t as prominent – I feel it’s definitely more filled in. You tell me if you can see a difference.

Are you a member of HauteLook?    If not, now would be an excellent time to sign up for membership.     HauteLook is online and they host private sales in fashion and beauty that last only a short time. On Tuesday, February 16th, they are having a sale on select Laura Mercier product of makeup, skin care, body care and candles at 50-68% off!   Also with every Laura Mercier purchase, you receive a free deluxe sample of Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer in the Nude shade.  

I am crossing my fingers that the Eye Basics is on sale.  It’s one of my staples I use nearly every single day and I’ve been at the bottom of the tube for a week now.   I’m always up for a great sale and this one is definitely I’m not willing to miss!