The wrinkles and furrows around my eyes were so bad that I actually had them surgically corrected so I could see– but after two blepharoplasties and a Fraxel laser repair, my skin was scarred, thin, and I often had dark circles and a shadowy appearance under my eyes.

The Sensation Spa Creme is a real salve for sore eyes! It goes on light and cool, and soothes my skin. It’s light, unlike most lotion type moisturizers, and absorbs completely into the skin, so I can wear it under foundation, which is an added plus. I have noticed the thin, crepe-y skin under my eyes has a firmer and more youthful appearance after only a couple weeks of use, and that a little dab really does go a long way.

Thank you so much for creating a creme that can go the distance, where once even cosmetic surgery left me in its wake! I look better rested, more youthful, and my skin feels dewy soft and smooth, as it did when I was younger. Terrific!

Swisa Beauty Eye Creme

All joking aside, regardless of how bumpy my skin has been lately… it still feels really soft, and has a pretty even tone. I’ve even had people compliment me recently on how nice my skin is. I’d thank makeup, but I rarely wear it. So, here’s my official thank you – to Swisa Beauty Mineral Night Creme

Basics: There is no gimmick here – no anti-aging, hyper-firming, elasticity-instigating promises. Just a nice, rich, plain old mineral moisturizer.

Extravagance: For those of you who are habitual users of night cream, you know the generally heavy and kind of oily feeling you get. This is not your traditional cold cream. This absorbs quickly, and does not leave your skin feeling heavy with grease. Don’t let that fool you. It is really moisturizing, and leaves you with a healthy glow (and good skin tone).

Imperfections: I really wish this were unscented, though I will say that this is a minor issue. The scent is really light, especially compared to the cold creams and night lotions we are all used to.

To Sum It Up: I’m sold on this one. And, in case you were thinking you would rather purchase the magic anti-aging, hyper-firming, elasticity-instigating night cream… you should remember that drinking lots of water, and moisturizing morning and night are really the best anti-aging serums out there.

Swisa Beauty Mineral Night Creme

What you may or may not already know is that when your skin is oily, it is important to use a good moisturizer. It seems somehow counter-intuitive, but as my aesthetician puts it… it’s oily because it doesn’t think it’s getting enough moisture.

Fine, I’ll buy it. For me, the perfect daytime moisturizer is

1. light, but still creamy

2. not irritating to my sensitive skin

3. light on the scent

4. has sunblock of at least 15 spf

Here’s the scoop on this one:

Basics: Light. Creamy. Barely scented. Not at all irritating.

Extravagance: It actually does feel like it kicks up the elasticity a bit… I noticed it upon the first use.

Imperfections: <sigh> It does not have sunblock. I would totally make this my standard, daily use product if only it had sunblock.

To Sum It Up: All is not lost. I actually think this cream is rich enough to be a night time moisturizer for most, and I would recommend it as such!

Swisa Beauty Face Firming Moisturizer

It’s been a while since I’ve ventured into the world of cosmetic review… so I figured, what better way to return than with another scrub… Oh, how I love scrubs!

I love scrubs almost as much as I love Thanksgiving (and I hope you had a good one). If your holiday was anything like mine it involved a lot of eating… and cooking… and hand washing… and dishes.

Everyone worries about the impact of the food on a waistline… but how about the impact of the cooking and cleaning on your hands? Seriously, my skin was like sandpaper!

But yes, it is worth it… and it results in one more thing to be thankful for. This scrub. For hands. And Feet. Yay!

Basics: It’s our old friend the scrub, but with some extra minerals to address the dry skin conundrum. Just mix it up to get a good balance of oil & salts, then rub, rub, rub your hands together for a full minute. Rinse, moisturize, and get to remembering your holiday with family, leftovers, and smooth hands that don’t give away how hard you worked for it. And, if you are feeling like a spa day, use it on your feet as well!

Extravagance: I’m always amazed at how the Swisa Beauty Dead Sea products smell so yummy… almost edible. This Pineapple Mango scent is fresh, clean and fruity, but not too sweet or strong. It doesn’t compete with your favorite daily perfume or lotions. It just smells good.

Imperfections: The scrub works great, and what makes it for feet & hands is the extra minerals. By extra minerals, they meant to say extra oil. I’m okay with that, because it really works, but it does make for a slightly messier experience. I would recommend keeping this one in the shower and using where it can be easily rinsed… off your hands, feet, the jar, surfaces….

Also, it is great for sloughing off dry skin, but don’t expect a callus cure from this scrub.

To Sum It Up: My hands don’t sound like sand paper when I rub them together any more. That’s a plus. I think you’ll really like this product.

Oh, and on a side note, for those of you that get flaky, dry skin around the elbows and knees… I bet this would be awesome!

Swisa Beauty Dead Sea Salt Mineral Treatment for Hands & Feet – Pineapple Mango

We spent the weekend working in our garden, chasing our dog, playing in the yard (yeah, we’re a couple of kids), and generally sweating it out in the hot August sun.

Yup, by the end of the day today, we had the “high gloss” shine. (not to mention, the blotchy skin, heat bumps, and a generous coating of general ickiness.)

Basics: A deep-cleaning mud mask that promises removal of impurities, and moisturizing & softening of the skin. We’re interested… keep talking.

Extravagance: It has vitamin E. Okay, cleansing and repairing. We’re game!

Imperfections: Okay, so “mud mask” may be a little bit generous. Try clay mask. This stuff was so firm, it crumbled more than smoothed on. So, we wet our fingers and voila… it spread on perfectly.

Also, it does have a medicinal scent. It reminded us both of Noxema, though I think Noxema wins in the “what smells stronger” category.

To Sum it Up: After our quick fix application, we both instantly noticed a very light stinging – not painful, just enough to make you think something was working. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that Mister C had just shaved, and it still wasn’t uncomfortable.

We both sat with a sort of army green hue about us, and waited for our faces to harden… about 10 minutes. The mask rinsed off easily (which is a huge plus with a mud mask), and left us both really happy and clean feeling. A lot of the bumps are gone, and the blotches have totally eased up! Neither of us feel icky anymore!

To quote the box this mask came in: “this mask is great for melting the day away.” We agree.

Swisa Beauty Purifying Mud Mask

Observation #2: WOW! What a pretty baby blue lotion?

Observation #3: Hmmm… smells nice!

Observation #4: Sometimes I hate my body chemistry.

Basics: Another creamy confection from the Dead Sea. Imagine a pale blue, skin softening, mousse.

Extravagance: When you open the jar, you’ll catch hints of floral and citrus. Really delightful. This one is ultra-girlie (sorry, fellas).

Imperfections: Um, this smells not-so-good on me. As I’m sure you have experienced, I have often had the most beautiful smelling perfume turn rancid on me. This was one of those instances.

I did ask my husband to give it a shot, but I think it was just too darned frilly for his masculine sensibilities. I don’t blame him.

Also, it is so very rich that it takes a little more time and effort to rub it in.

To Sum It Up: I’ll be handing this one off to someone else. Boo. The lotion felt nice going on, was a little slicker than I’m used to, but it worked really well.  Arms and legs stayed soft all day without any re-application. I imagine this would be awesome for folks who have a tendency to get dry, scaly or ashy skin.

I was pretty disappointed that it did not smell as pretty on me as it does in the jar.

Let me know how it smells on you.

Observation #5: I wonder if this scent comes in a candle….

Swisa Beauty Dead Sea Body Butter, Bliss

I continue on my quest, friend, and I believe my shovel has struck a treasure chest with this one. I’m still early in my trials (only used it 6 times, so far), so I’ll have to come back to you with the long-term effects… but for know, the treasure is definitely GOLD!

Basics: It is a simple, 1-step process facial treatment. It comes in a small plass jar (I’ve decided to coin the term “Plass” as the glass-like plastic jar that many cosmetic products come in). The container is quite pretty, and again something you wouldn’t be shamed to have sit on your counter or cosmetics shelf. Inside the jar is a slightly perfumey, cloudy gel that you “gently [massage onto your face & neck in] upward, circular motion until desired exfoliation is achieved.” Rinse, pat dry and enjoy your supple, smooth skin immediately.

Extravagance: It Rocks!

Um… I cannot think of a way to say this that isn’t a little graphic… but after about 30 seconds in my case, I realized that as I was massaging (in an upward, circular motion) these little clumps of dead skin started rolling up under my fingers. I was literally rolling skin off of my face. Eww. I presumed that was the “desired effect” and rinsed my face. My face was a little tiny bit red at first, but evened out in just moments. Okay then, next time I decided to work it a little longer – the net result? Tiny rolls of grotesque looking dirty stuff coming off my face. The shame! I thought I was so clean, so on top of my skin care. After that, baby butt soft skin. This stuff works, and I can’t tell you why. Once I had used a second time, I had a little onslaught of blackheads finding their way out of my skin. A necessary evil, if you ask me.

Imperfections: I was flying a little blind with this one, as the instructions are vague, to say the least. Seriously, the only marker you are given is to massage until “desired exfoliation is achieved.” So, I reckon that falls somewhere between ‘none’ and ‘I’ve just peeled off my face!!’ Here’s the real instructions (according to me):

1. Wash and dry your face

2. Gather up about a dime sized dollop of gel in the palm of your hand

3. Using the fingers on your other hand, start massaging small bits into your cheeks, forehead, chin & neck

4. First use you’ll start noticing dead skin rolling off in about 30 seconds (it’s less dramatic after a couple of uses). The entire massage time – about 2 minutes. I’d suggest testing out your skin with shorter massage duration the first couple times to be sure that you are not over doing it.

5. Rinse with warm water and pat dry.

To Sum It Up: I promise you will notice smoother, clearer, cleaner skin after your first use. Use it 2 or 3 times a week to keep a fresh face all the time. Now, I’m holding on to hope that I’ll start seeing the “anti-aging” effects that the packaging offers. Will let you know!

Swisa Beauty Dead Sea Facial Peel

Basics: Liquid soap with very light amounts of exfoliating granules. Comes in a convenient bottle with the top on the bottom (so you’ll never have to try to balance the bottle on its head to get the last little bit of your product out). Is best used with a wash cloth or sponge to maximize the effects of the very subtle exfoliation qualities. Use circular motions to achieve near perfection (I followed the instructions directly from the back of the bottle… and I agree. Whole-heartedly!)

Extravagance: Smells so good! I used the Milk & Honey variety, and cannot even explain how delicious this smell is. Not too strong, and while the scent lingers post-shower, it is not over-whelming at all. Plus, there is no greasy or soapy residue when you get out of the shower. And did I mention that it SMELLS REALLY GOOD?!?

Imperfections: I cannot name one.

To Sum it Up: Try this. Even my husband loves it (and not just because it doesn’t leave the bathtub slippery after I use it.)

Swisa Beauty Sensation Dead Sea Gentle Exfoliating Body Wash