I don't know. It's some custom concoction. She's in Santa Monica, CA and works in the TV industry, so this is par for the course in her circles.

I think it's nothing more complicated than she enjoys fashion, hair, make-up and skin care. I've followed her for quite awhile, extreme fast forwarding through her videos. I do know she has discussed some health issue(s), severe gluten allergy for one and IIRC that is why she doesn't use fillers.

In a somewhat recent video she mentioned having been distraught about all the comments claiming she's had fillers which she vehemently denies. She then went on to say that she can only assume a recent weight gain had filled out her face and followed this with before and after pix.

I've used RetinA for about thirty ears as well and am often mistaken for 10-15 years younger than my actual age. I chalk it up to good skin care and good genes. Her arms, neck, and decollete also look good; if she's had cosmetic surgery, then the surgeon had his work cut out for him.

I can't believe she receives criticism for being a "smiler". I'd love to have her sweet, optimistic disposition including the omnipresent smile.

Several of us here have recommended Retin-A. It is good stuff. Took me a while to get past the dryness (maybe worse for me as I have dry skin to start with). I never really had redness from it and I built up. I do think it works/helps.

I'm another who is not into the videos (nothing against this person). They can really suck up the time.

Oakley, the generic retin-a worked well for me, but then I never did a side by side comparison.

I am confused by what she says about moisturizer. She doesn't use it so that her own skin produces what it needs. In theory this makes sense.

For me, though, that would mean that the skin on the rest of my body where I don't bother to moisturize (like the inside of my elbow region that has gone so weird this past year...) should look better than it does.

I've started and stopped Retin-A many times over the years. So I've never used it in a consistent manner, but I'm determined to stick with it this time. I've been using the .05% since the beginning of the year, and also the Lumigan (Latisse generic) nightly. Hopefully I'll have glowing skin and long lashes soon!

I think I figured out why her skin looks dewy. She has to be using a luminizer. And probably a highlighter around the eye area. Not to be confused with concealer.

She said she didn't use moisturizer because it drags her face down, or something like that. lol.

Moisturizer doesn't really add moisture to the skin. It just provides a layer to keep moisture in, and can temporarily plump it up.

That's why I apply moisturizer as I emerge from the shower in the morning.

Another thing I just thought about is a while back, Wayne Goss made a video where he was kind of angry because there were some beauty gurus claiming their skin looked so great and all when in fact they were shooting their videos with filtered lenses that camouflage the wrinkles. In other words, these people are making claims about products that their skin looks so great when in fact they are just using lenses to blur their imperfections.

I've noticed that the before and after photos that I see on Facebook touting Rodan & Fields always have different lighting in the after pic.

I'm finally getting around to actually trying this watch her video...I'll just say that she's not going to be on my subscriptions. I'm sure she's loved by many but just not enjoyable for me. I much prefer to watch hot and flashy if I'm watching someone that's older for makeup tips. I remember watching hot and flashy going over a whole bunch of under eye concealers for mature skin, that's a good video!

Though I'm from Texas and have a southern accent, I don't enjoy watching people that have thick accents....go figure....haha! Voices really do turn me off, I have noticed. I tend to gravitate to people that have no accent at all, a TV voice if you will. Come to think about it, the girls that I enjoy watching the most were all in theater so they have no accents. My all time favorite youtube beauty guru videos are "empty products" videos. I enjoy listening to their opinions of what they have used up and if they liked it or not...very telling. I run across a bunch of different youtubers looking for empties videos and haven't really found too many that I would subscribe to because there is usually something that annoys me about them. Another thing that bugs me is someone that stammers like saying "and uh" all the time...can't stand that. HAHA!

hotandflashy concealer video

Surgery, botox, fillers whatever.... I would love to look like that when I am 62. She does not look fake or overdone to me.

I agree aktillery, she is beautiful even if she's had something done. Some of Hollywood's actresses are younger and look terrible from their plastic surgery mishaps. Plastic surgery isn't always a good thing! I don't understand some of the procedures that some celebrities have done, like they have a perfectly nice small nose but then they have it chopped on and totally mess it up.

I finally went and checked out a few of her videos. She does tend to ramble some. Her more recent videos her face pretty much looks the same but there was one from a few years ago that she looked unnaturally plumped. I agree, I'd love to look that good at 60 too ;-)

"Running, what a coincidence! How much does Retin-A cost? I'm thinking about using it."

When I went to pick up the prescription it was temporarily out of stock so I have to go back. However the PA at the dermatologist had warned it might not be covered under my insurance and when I asked the Walgreen's pharmacy clerk the price, she looked online and said the 'cash' price was $207. WHAT?!?!?! She mentioned trying to find an online coupon which I'll do but if that's not available I'm not paying a couple hundred bucks for face cream. Which leads me to my question for those who do use Retin-A: how much do you pay for it??? Is that just a cost of doing beauty business?

I'm coming at this as an outlier; I've never used much makeup and in the past few years it's devolved to only eyebrow pencil and concealer over a big white patchy scar over one eye (skin cancer scar). So I really have no clue about a lot of what women use or discuss-have never bought or used a toner, luminizer(???) skin primer, etc etc etc. Actually it's been decades since I bought eye shadow and even longer for lipstick.

Anyway the Retin-A was in response to my query on how to get rid of several brown age-sun spots on my face. We shall see....

always1stepbehind, perhaps the fullness you observed was caused from medication such as steroids.

My insurance covers my Retin A (not generic) and I just pay my normal copay. Even if I did have to pay out of pocket, I would still buy it. A little goes a long way and a tube does last a while. I would rather put my money into something that really works rather than spend it on an expensive moisturizer that doesn't work any better than the Cetaphil cream I get from Costco. The non-prescription Retinol's aren't exactly cheap; some are really expensive! My dermatologist said to combine Retin A (night) with a Vitamin C serum (day) and I use the one from Timeless (20% C + E + Ferulic Acid) for $24.99.

Retin-A in the US is very expensive. The good news is that it's effective, and a little goes a long way.

I just stocked up in Mexico, where it's a fraction of the price. If you know anyone who is going, you can ask them to get you some.

Couple things:

You normally cannot use Retin A if you get waxing on your face like upper lip or brow.

Just saw this that there is a new cream approved to remove "age spots" or SK's, which I normally go in for a yearly freezing.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/23/style/age-spots-elimination.html

Thank you for sharing the information on age spots. Yesterday I had decided to go in to the dermatologist on some spots/bumps that I have developed in the last year and to get an RX for Retin-A. Have friends that travel to Mexico a couple times a year, they have offered to pick-up meds for me in the past. Is Retin-A over the counter in Mexico?

jill302, yes, you can buy it over the counter in Mexico. I haven't bought any, but I inquired about it last time I was there. I am just in the sun too much in the summer, even though I put on sunscreen, I was afraid of getting sun spots (rather patches) from using it on my face. It happened to me years ago, so I know you have to be very careful about being in the sun.

Gsciencechick, thank you for the link to the SK article. I've been wishing for a good treatment option for years. It sounds like Eskata might be it.

I was just going to ask where you guys are buying Retin-A in Mexico. I didn't realize it was over the counter.

Any farmacia will have it.

This was in my mail yesterday, very timely! She gives links to topics on youtube I had no idea about. Off to binge watch again. :)

Must have beauty products

IS it called Retin A in Mexico ? The stuff I bought in Spain is called Retirides. My son is on his way to Mexico and I want to ask him to get some for me but he will need exact directions.

Someone else may be able to answer your question better hopefully, it is called something different, but I don't know what it is-BUT in the farmicia they have signs up that say "Retin-A", "Latisse", etc. for us that don't know the generic name in Mexico, even though it's called something else. However, if I remember correctly, they had different strengths of Retin A, so you may want to find out the strength to tell your son also.

Here are some pictures of the types of Retin-A that I've bought in Mexico. The Retacnyl and Retin-A were about $15 each, and I just bought the Tocoderm for $5 a tube - I haven't used it yet. I'm still using my Spanish Retirides.

Wish I knew someone so I can avoid that derm. visit cost. :(

Anyone know if you can use retin A if you have rosacea? I am thinking not....

Oakley, that Strategist webpage is my kryptonite. My Amazon cart is filled with things suggested by that site.

Pennydesign, look online. I bought one called Refissa from an online pharmacy in Puerto Rico a while ago.

Thanks terrlks. I'll check it out...

I use the 0.1% strength.

I hope someone can answer this question in the next couple of hours. I skimmed the posts above and couldn't find it, but I know it's there. Toner. When do I put toner on my face, after cleansing?

I wait about ten minutes between each application.

Morning regimen: Cleanse, Vit. C serum, moisturize.

Evening: Cleanse, lash serum, retinol, moisturize.

Today I grabbed a bottle of L'Oreal Hydra Fresh Toner (it's so pretty, has Rose water in it), and when I looked it up online, great reviews! Whew!

BTW, I read Rose water makes a great toner, I may do that next time.

Run by posting....

Yes, toner after cleansing. I honestly never understood the point of it though. I know it's to balance your skin but most people don't stop with the toner and then apply other things. Isn't the PH of your skin then changing again? Always seemed just like a money maker to me.

Yes, but rosewater smells so nice!

I read the other day that toner is making a comeback, mostly because there are now alcohol free toners. I used to use one with alcohol and threw it away, that was years ago. My face felt so dry and tight.

Toner is supposed to take whatever dirty residue is left after cleansing, and it tightens pores. Mine is a freshner toner, which is supposed to make the face feel fresh and soft. And then I'll slap on all the creams and serums. lol.

I read the non-alcohol toners won't mess with the skin's PH.

I've always avoided toner like the plaque because of the negativity surrounding it. However, it is part of the new regimen I began several months ago and my skin has never looked better. Not sure how much of a role the non-alcoholic toner plays but I don't intend to stray!

Same here dsg! Can I tell you how much I loved the toner last night? It felt amazing!

I bought an interesting product yesterday, "Roc Retinol Correction Max Wrinkle Resurfacing System." I've used Roc before but this has quite the claim.

Roc system

"Proven to be up to 4x more effective than a series of three dermatologist peels." Two tubes come with it, using one then the other. It claims to help deep wrinkles.

I have never seen a cream literally absorb in my skin so fast! The consistency made me think a little bit would go a long way but as I was spreading tube #1 across my cheeks, my cheeks drank it up.

When I put tube #2 on, omg, it was so greasy I knew I'd have to wipe it off. I decided to wait a couple of minutes and my face absorbed it also.

No moisturizer needed, and this morning my face feels fantastic.

Retin A is typically not covered by insurance unless you are young (for acne) and the out of pocket cost is quite high. You can use something like www.goodrx.com to get a coupon which bring the cost down to $69 for a tube.

A couple comments, it is extremely exfoliating so start using a couple days a week until your skin gets used to it, and use VERY sparingly. Your skin will look worse before it looks better so expect to have some peeling after your first start applying. And you will need to be even more diligent about sunscreen!

I have been keeping the redness and flakiness at bay by only using the Retin-A on Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights for the first few weeks. I have just started using it more often, and developed a few pimples, which is normal as the Retin-A brings stuff to the surface. I had my hair cut the other day, and my stylist said that I was glowing. So I guess that it's working!

Finally ordered some from an online pharmacy...I think it was about 60 dollars for three tubes, .05 percent. From my skins reaction, it's the real deal. Postmarked India.

Time will tell, but I'm glad to be on it again.

I have used retinol/retin A in the past but am not at this point. After reading a recent blog post on the possible side effects, I am questioning whether I want to use it again??? The blogger (ourfifthhouse.com) uses "safe" cosmetics and skin care instead of those that might be harmful. It did get me thinking.

"Truth be told retinol is added to age-defense products for good reason.
Retinol, retinyl palmitate, is a synthetic vitamin A derivative that is
known for increasing cell turnover, which tends to slow down as we age.
That sounds like a good thing right? Well it is, and it isn’t. Research also shows that retinol may damage DNA and speed the growth of skin tumors when used topically. Uh, that’s no bueno. So age defense……but at what cost?"

Now I'm not sure where she got her info, but for me, it is worth it to check it out. I have had basal cell skin cancer and MOHS surgery on my face, so I certainly do not want anything that will cause that to possibly increase.

Stoop1r has a history of resurrecting old threads with vague comments and then going back a few days later and editing to add spam. You can check its previous activity and see other spam that needs to be flagged.

"juradvan" is a necrospam editor. Other posts are spam. The address comes up as Arkansas National Guard and the phone number comes up as a sheriff's office New York State. Pro? Pro what?

ETA: spam removed.

Pro jerk, by the looks of things.

I guess everything happens for a good reason. Thanks for bring back this thread. I will pick up the cream today and give it a try! :-) Peace! :-)

I just got the magic cream (Tretinoin 0.1%) today! Paid $51.89 (out of pocket). I think it's a good price!