Hello, BPJs....

I promised to give a review of the Bliss Youth as We Know It line, since I picked up a sample pack at Sephora....so here it is!

This starter kit includes:
- 1 oz Cleanser
- 1 oz Toner
- 0.5 oz Concentrate
- 0.34 oz Moisture Cream
- 0.17 oz eye cream
- All in a signature deluxe makeup bag (and we all know how much I love my little makeup bags! )

I also picked up the following items, because I had heard such rave reviews about them and the Sephora rep and the Bliss spa rep (who I called when I got home to confirm!) said they worked great with the Youth line.

Peeling Groovy Serum

Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask (yes, I got the photos from the Sephora website!)

I started out with just using the Youth kit products as a routine. I later added in the Peeling Groovy serum at night and the Oxygen mask on Wednesdays. I will give you my impressions of each product and then the good and bad of the line overall.

Youth As We Know It Cleanser : This cleanser feels so smooth when I put it on my skin! It was gentle and worked well with my Clarisonic (which I use nightly). My skin felt smooth and fresh afterwards, not a bit dry or tight.

Youth As We Know It Toner : Whoa, I was so surprised the first time I used this toner. It is a gel rather than a liquid. While it leaves my skin feeling fresh and moist, I can't get past the gel weirdness.

Youth As We Know It Concentrate : I like the way this concentrate doesn't burn or sting when I put it on (as so many do!). I have very sensitive skin and it was not at all irritating. I was very interested in what made this concentrate so special, and the Sephora website has the answer. There was a question posed about what the active ingredients are in this that make it so "special" and Bliss Spa provided this answer: "The Youth As We Know It Concentrate has pearl which nourishes skin with minerals and essential amino acids, dual encapsulation release of hydration (proteins, amino acids, peptides and hyaluronic acid), yeast extract to boost oxygenation, 5 fruit derived alpha hydroxy acids for exfoliation, algae extract for moisture and firmness, advanced moisture binders (sodium PCA, trehalose, glycerin, polyquaternium). Lots of good stuff! All about hydration and luminosity." (did I do good, Sofi?? )
I will say that my skin does feel very soft and smooth throughout the day, but I am not sure if this product is responsible...

Youth As We Know It Eye cream : this eye cream! It is perfect for daytime, and it does diminish the look of fine lines that I have noticed forming around my eyes! I was so down when I fell in love with the MLab eye cream during my trial of MLab products, because of the price. I would say that, while this eye cream is not as good, it is a wonderful alternative - and with a price of $75 for the Bliss product vs. a price of $170 for the MLab product, it is an alternative my face, my wallet AND my marriage can live with!

Youth As We Know It Moisture Cream : First of all, I was majorly disappointed when I opened this product - the jar wasn't even half full! I tried it and did like it. It has a really thick consistency, but goes on smooth and absorbs quickly. What I didn't like about this was there there was no SPF....and we all know that sun protection is the number one rule in age prevention!!!

I used solely this routine for nearly two weeks, then added in the Peeling Groovy Serum at night. It does "tingle" when applying it and you have to wait about 3 minutes or so for it to soak in before you put on your moisturizer, but overall, I am very happy with the results! I have been using this product for only about a week now, but I swear that the spot of freckles (I refuse to call them "age spots"!! ) on my left cheek has noticeably faded and shrunk. A friend even remarked on it the other day! I also think that the frown line on my forehead has become less noticeable.

I then added in the Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask. Not only did the Sephora and Bliss reps recommend this product to me, but so did Sugar gals CCee and Hanako66. (OK, OK, CCee and Hanako raved and insisted I must try it!) So I gave in and tried it. Honestly, I thought, "what's the big deal?" - that was until I used it! WOW! I noticed an INSTANT change in my skin! It was much brighter and softer, any dullness had - **POOF** - disappeard!! It does tingle a bit while it is working, but it isn't unpleasant, just tickly!

Overall Good: I would say that overall, this line is great! It does what it promises to do (from my brief experiment!), and it isn't outrageously expensive. Although some of the products would be a bit of a "splurge" for me, it doesn't seem to take much, so they would last quite a while.

Overall Bad: I can't really think of much bad to say. I would say the gel toner is definitely a detractor for me, I just can't get used to a toner that isn't a liquid! And the cream not having an SPF is definitely a downer for me! And I still prefer my Clinique moisturizers for texture, feel and results.

So what have I settled on for my "everyday" routine now?

Day:
YAWKI cleanser
YAWKI toner or Clinique Toner #2 (depending on how my skin is feeling - more oily or dry)
YAWKI concentrate mixed with Clinique Turnaround Concentrate (made up my own little concoction there! )
YAWKI eye cream
Clinique Superdefense Moisture with SPF 25

Evening:
YAWKI cleanser (with Clarisonic brush)
YAWKI toner
Peeling Groovy Serum
Clinique Repairwear eye cream
Clinique Repairwear Intensive night cream
Clinique Repairwear Intensive lip balm

Wednesday nights:
Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask

Sunday nights:
Philosophy Microdelivery Peel

I will say, that since I started this routine, I have had two lovely compliments. One from a co-worker who asked me what I used on my skin because I looked "radiant"!

And the second was from my five-year-old son. He was sitting on my lap talking to me and he reached up and started stroking my face and he said "Mommy, your skin is so soft! I just want to sit and pet you all day!" THAT sold me on what is my current "daily routine"!!!

Hope you fellow BPJs can find some useful nuggets in my review!