I first heard about Paula’s Choice last year but for some reason I hadn’t tried it until now? The brand is all about educating consumers and helping them find the best-suited products for their skin type. Whether you have rosacea, acne, enlarged pores, hyper-pigmentation, mature skin or any other skin condition, you can find great products & skin care advice on their website! Before I started blogging, I remember buying the book “Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me – The Original Beauty Bible” written by Paula Begoun, THE same Paula of Paula’s Choice! As a trusted beauty expert, Paula was encouraged by her readers to create her own skin care line. Today her skin care & cosmetic range uses only proven ingredients and is a trusted brand around the world, offering a 100% money-back guarantee (within 60 days). I was recently sent a few products from Paula’s Choice to try out. My experience started with a free personal skincare consultation (it’s free for you too – just call 1.800.431.4088!) to help determine which products worked best for my skin concerns. For me it was all about restoring radiance to my lack-lustre/dull skin and nourishing it while protecting it this Summer from the harmful effects of the Sun. Now that I am in my 40’s, my biggest concern is fine lines and wrinkles on the face so I made sure I also mentioned that to the aesthetician. The skin care expert was quite knowledgeable and really helped tailor a routine just for me. Here is what she recommended:

I’m always open to trying new products, but with skin care I like to make sure that I give the products enough time (minimum 3 weeks) to determine whether or not they work for me. I also don’t like changing too many too often and always test any cleansing products alongside my trusted Clarisonic. Good skin starts with clean skin. I can’t stress this enough! The Resist Perfectly Balanced Cleanser is actually an anti-aging foaming cleanser so I was really excited to try it. It is specially formulated to remove excess oil and makeup without disturbing the skin’s natural barrier. I used this product twice a day (morning & night) and found it to be very effective at cutting through dirt, makeup and oil. It contains skin-repairing ingredients like ceramide and hyaluronic acid so your skin is left feeling soft and subtle to the touch. This is a great option for anyone with enlarged pores, acne-prone, combination or oily skin. I love that it doesn’t make my skin feel parched or stripped of moisture after cleansing. Definitely my favourite product of the four! My friend was telling me about this anti aging skin care set she found from Eldivia and could not of been happier with her experience with it. I might have to give it a try!

After cleansing my skin in the evening, I usually tone and apply my eye cream. I’m currently using the Refresh Botanicals Facial Toner and La Roche Posay’s Toleriane Ultra Eye Contour. (more info on these products soon) After that, I apply a few pumps of the Resist Daily Smoothing Treatment with 5% Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA). This product is a leave-on anti-aging exfoliant that contains 5% glycolic acid & a 0.50% boost of pore-penetrating salicylic acid. My skin is not acne-prone but it can be sensitive at times, so I was a bit nervous about the “acids” that are in this product… but my skin actually responded quite well. It wasn’t irritated or red at all and I woke up with a more even skin tone overall. As I continued to use this product, I found myself reaching for my foundation less…swapping it out with a BB cream or tinted moisturizer. I also like how convenient it is to exfoliate my skin without having to rinse any product off my face. I‘d be interested to see if this product counteracts the sun damage I have on my neck and chest area with continued use, as it claims? I really hope that it does. Anyone allergic to aspirin should steer clear of this product or any other product that contains salicylic acid (beta hydroxy acid), however this is a good yet untraditional exfoliant for anyone looking to smooth out fine lines, even skin tone and improve their overall skin texture.

The Resist Intensive Wrinkle-Repair Retinol Serum is an exclusive formula of highly stabilized retinol, potent antioxidants, and skin-repairing ingredients. The retinol-rich serum increases collagen, smooths wrinkles and softens fine lines. With age, our skin becomes dull, wrinkles & age posts appear and it becomes less smooth. The ingredients in this serum help to fade acne/sun marks and reduce redness overall, soothing sensitive, aging skin. The result for me was an improved skin tone and younger-looking skin….I just wish the formula was slightly less greasy. My friend was also telling me about skinpro neck products recently and how fantastic they were at keeping those pesky wrinkles at bay!

Lastly, Sun 365 Self-Tanning Concentrate provides the perfect summer tan without any sun damage. This product is interesting and reminds me a bit of the Clarins Radiance-Plus Golden Glow Booster. Basically you add a few pumps of Sun 365 to your face or body moisturizer for a natural-looking, lasting tan. I like products like this one because it’s so important to protect yourself from the damaging effects of the sun but I personally don’t like looking like a pasty white mess either. The main ingredient in this concentrate is DHA – a well researched tanning ingredient that provides streak-free even colour.

How to use SUN 365:

• Cleanse and exfoliate your skin in the shower
• Start off with clean, dry skin then dispense your favourite face or body moisturizer into the palm of your hand and add 2-3 pumps
• Apply evenly and smoothly, one area at a time
• Wash your hands thoroughly to avoid tan palms and cuticles
• Wait 10-15 minutes for the skin to completely dry before dressing
• Color should develop in 1–3 hours and may continue to deepen for a few hours afterwards
• Full results are visible in 24-48 hours

I’ve been so impressed with my Paula’s Choice regime. I especially LOVE the foaming cleanser and will definitely be repurchasing it! Have you ever tried Paula’s Choice products before? I’d love to hear from you if you have.

Resist Perfectly Balanced Cleanser ($18), Resist Daily Smoothing Treatment 5% AHA ($30) & SUN 365 Self-Tanning Concentrate ($18) & Resist Intensive Wrinkle-Repair Retinol Serum ($40) *prices noted in USD

If you are thinking about trying Paula’s Choice products and you live in the USA or Canada, you can enjoy 20% off your highest priced item + free shipping by clicking here – Power PRIMPer promo code. The code expires on June 30 at midnight EST so hurry if you want to take advantage of a great deal. FYI – I am not making any commission on this….I just thought I’d save you some $$ if you were looking to try out the brand.

Also for those of you who don’t know what PRIMP is, it stands for Pretty in my Pocket and it’s a really cool app that connects beauty lovers like us. The app is great and includes tutorials, product reviews, beauty tips & advise, promo codes and even a shopping portal. I’ve recently joined the Beautocracy as a Beauty Expert/Power Primper so make sure to find me (MomsMakeupStash) if you download the free app using the link above. 🙂 Sandra

This post is sponsored by Paula’s Choice via Pretty in my Pocket. As always, all opinions are my own.