Isn’t it funny how we’ll discuss fashion and beauty in the form of makeup?  We can talk hairstyles, hair cuts and even wigs—but how regularly do we really discuss skincare?

Ahhhh….my wigs–this is my beloved Finn…

And one can never have enough eyeshadow palettes!

It’s more than slapping SPF on your face—but please.  Do make sure to use sunscreen!

I’m admittedly late to the skincare party.  It wasn’t until a few years ago that I became serious about my skin and over the years I tried a plethora of products.  Some great but at this stage, too expensive.  Some so-so.  And some not worth mentioning.

True dat!  I may be late to the skincare party–but now I’m in full swing!

And with the onset of blogging, I’ve been very fortunate to receive skin care products to test out and review.

This is something that I enjoy because I get to discover products that are relatively new to the market within the past couple of years—i.e., the ever-popular serums.

Overall, my skin isn’t bad.  It’s merely aging.  And with age comes lines—some deeper than others.  We also acquire spots on our faces that aren’t the adorable freckles and we also experience dryness and redness.  And to tell you the truth, I don’t think any of us have really bad skin.  We’re just going through changes.

My naked skin–and YES, I’m in my pajamas because they are my “at home” uniform!!  Seriously.  My skin isn’t that bad–some freckles–some redness –some blotchiness but it’s not in dire straights!

Anyway, I received an email from Live Skincare asking me if I would be interested in testing out a few of the brand’s products.  They knew I wasn’t going to review overnight and I would take my time in trying the products.  And they were aware I would be giving my honest opinion.  So here goes ….

Before testing the products, I went on to Live Skincare’s website.  The website isn’t fancy.  It’s a rather simple and pragmatic one and easy to navigate.  But I balked when I saw the term………….” Anti-Aging”

Yeah.  Beauty companies expect you to believe you’ll turn back the clock to your youth.  I don’t wanna!  I just want glowing skin!

When will these companies learn?  I mean, really??? If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times— “Anti-aging” is such a vulgar, negative, demeaning, and unnecessary term.  It’s insulting to the mature woman.  You anti-age the moment your heart stops beating.

From the moment a baby leaves the womb of the mother, the aging process is in effect.  Aging is a great privilege because so many don’t get to experience true aging.  Seriously, man, anti-aging is an offensive term.

Oh yeah.  This guy is going to anti-age real soon–when he breaks his neck from trying to anti-age!

That being said, it was a strike.  But I fault the beauty industry as a whole for this term. Live Skincare isn’t the only company to use this.  The term runs rampant!

The website also doesn’t go into the minute details about the creator, Tamy, of the brand.  The products are developed by dermatologists but I want more deets on who they are.  Forget curious—I’m downright nosey!  I really wish the website would go into more dish about this.

OK, now that my rant is out of the way, let’s concentrate on the actual products.

Four products were sent to me:

The Live Skincare Radiant Cream Day and Night Moisturizer and three serums—The Hydration Serum, The Regenerate Serum and the Glowing Serum, a Vitamin C. Serum.

The Hydration Serum, the Regenerate Serum, the Radiant cream and.

And the Glowing Serum (Vitamin C) were sent to me.

All products are cruelty-free and fragrance free.

Each serum serves its own purpose.

The Hydration Serum comes in a 1-ounce bottle with a rubber-tip dropper.  It isn’t a thick serum at all.  The consistency is a liquid but not watery.  It glides on nicely and I’m going to tell you right off the bat, I’m now on my second bottle.  I use this in the morning before putting on a light moisturizer and primer.

The Hydration Serum..Good to the last drop!

The last drop was used yesterday morning.  This is very good stuff. It is very hydrating and no scent at all!

As you can see from the dropper, the serum is a clear and lightweight liquid–and there isn’t even a hint of fragrance!

The Glowing Serum –on the website it states that this helps to fade spots.  I did not put much faith in that.  But—let me tell you something.  I have this dark spot on the left side of my face.  It’s always covered with makeup.  Last week I noticed something.  I didn’t notice the dark spot.  The spot didn’t disappear, but it did fade. It faded quite a bit too.  I swear to you—I was shook! Shook!   And guess what?  Bonaparte has a few of those spots so he started using it!!  Truth.  This comes in a 1-ounce bottle.

I’ve circled the “age” spot that’s on my face. This was a lot DARKER before I used the Glowing Serum regularly.  I’ve been using it faithfully at night and sometimes in the day since January.  I was shocked that it faded.  Surprise!  It works!

The Glowing Serum.  And may I add that the packaging and labeling is very “no-nonsence” and sensible.  And even though I’m a sucker for cute packaging when it comes to makeup–skincare is different.  I like a more sensible label–it means it’s serious!

The Regenerate Serum is a serum that contains 2% Retinol.  I’m very cautious with serums containing Retinol.  I have a stronger Retinol Serum from another brand and my skin peels from it if I use too much.  This serum is a gentler one—most likely because the percentage of Retinol is less.  I apply this only at night and on the average three times a week.   My skin isn’t that sensitive to the elements but if you have super-sensitive skin, I would do some research on Retinol before purchasing any serum containing Retinol.  As with the other serums, this also comes in a 1-ounce bottle.

Many high-end moisturizers and creams come in 1 oz jars for a price that’s higher. the 2 ounce jar isn’t bad!

Radiant Cream Day and Night Moisturizing Cream. This is not your silky, lightweight cream.  No. This moisturizer is serious.  It’s the strongman at the circus. It is a thick moisturizer but not drying.  A little goes a long way and I use this at night.  Even though it is both a day and night product, I chose to apply at night.  The reason?  I wear a full face of makeup each day.  That means primer, foundation, concealer, contour, highlighter, blush and whatever else strikes my fancy. A lighter moisturizer for day is more suitable to my needs.  However, I bring this out at night and let it do it’s work whilst I’m in dream land!

And………………….it doesn’t irritate my sensitive eyes!  In fact, none of these products were irritating to my eyes.  And that’s a great thing!

I’ve used this much since the beginning of January.  Every night.  

As you can see, it’s a thicker cream…

A small amount goes a long way. I dab this amount on each cheek and blend into my skin.

So, overall what do I think?

Well, I’ll tell you, I didn’t put much thought into it until I went to get my face waxed (those pesky lady whiskers) and Kim, the technician who does my nails and face, said that my skin was looking great.  She asked me if I was using different products.  That’s when I had my “aha” moment about these products.

Under this fully-made up face, there are no dry patches–which makes the makeup glide on.  So I can’t complain about what the Live products do.  I DO want to add a caveat.  The Retinol serum is stated as getting rid of dark spots but I digress–it’s the Glowing Serum that did the job!

My husband also mentioned that my skin was looking very nice.

Natural lighting. No filter.  This was taken yesterday morning.  The Frenchman has been admiring my skin so much that he took off with my Glowing Serum.  I’m off to order more when I finish writing this post!

Then I realized that during the months of January and February, the skin on my face wasn’t as dry as it usually is during the winter months.  I had no peeling (Retinol notwithstanding) and even when I was bare-faced, my skin didn’t feel dry.  That was impressive.

The pricing?  It’s fair.  The moisturizer is sold on the site for $39.99.   This isn’t drugstore pricing but it isn’t department store, luxury brand pricing either.  It falls smack in the middle.  For the 2-ounce jar, it’s a decent price because a small amount goes a long way.  There’s still plenty of product in my jar!

The pricing on the serums is very good.  You can order the Hydration and Regenerate serums for $49.99 each for a three-month supply.  The Glowing serum can be purchased at $26.99 for a three-month supply—which is really good!

This three-step PROAGING kit retails for $79.99 on the Live website.  I would rather see the Glowng Serum replace the Regenerate Serum in a kit–but that’s just me!  

It’s funny because every woman has a different need in her skincare regime.  Some are very brand loyal and others like to try different brands until they find one that works.

For me, I like to rotate brands.  My favorites from Live Skincare are the Hydration Serum and the Radiance Cream with the Glowing Serum coming in third.  Since I’m on my second bottle of the Hydration Serum, I’ll be ordering a three-month supply when I hit the bottom of the bottle.  I’ll definitely be ordering the Glowing Serum—especially since the husband has started to use it.

CAVEAT 2–I  am NOT receiving any kick-backs from this brand.  I’m recommending it because I like the way the products work.  Mind you–you won’t see a difference overnight but you will notice a change in your skin over the course of a month or so.  

If you would like to see more—I did a video review—it’s got some fun to it so I hope you enjoy! Chippy joins in on the fun AND there’s a story about my father trying to cure my acne with Ting–a product he used for Athlete’s foot fungus!