Beauty Products for the Ages

By Christine, 15 Minute Beauty Fanatic

There are some beauty products that are consistently best sellers year after year. They are the classics that have survived changes in technology, beauty trends and yet they still outperform every other product on the market! Have you ever wondered why some of these products work so well?

Pond’s Cold Cream

Mention Pond’s Cold Cream to anyone and they’ll inevitably mention old Hollywood glamour. Who wouldn’t with those classic images of starlets in their dressing gowns wiping off their cold cream at night?

There is a reason that Cold Cream has been a huge hit in Hollywood since its release in 1914, and you don’t need to look any further than the makeup on the actress’s face. Heavy oil based makeup is required under the bright lights of the stage or camera. This makeup is incredibly difficult to remove without very harsh surfactants. The cold cream is oil based, making it easy for the cream to pick up oil based cosmetics which can then be easily removed. Even waterproof mascara, notoriously difficult to remove, doesn’t stand a chance against cold cream.

Pond’s Cold Cream isn’t just a cleanser, it is also a great moisturizer. The Mineral Oil that helped to break up and sweep away oils and cosmetics is also great for moisturizing your skin. It has humectant properties (meaning that it draws moisture to that area of the skin) as well as occlusive properties (creates a barrier and helps keep moisture in).

With even the dirtiest of faces or most difficult to remove makeup Pond’s Cold Cream removes all traces and leaves behind clean, moisturized skin! All in just one step!

Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream

At once basic but also way ahead of it’s time, Elizabeth Arden sure did create a multi-tasking classic when she formulated this cream in 1930! It’s been a long-time favorite of many Hollywood Stars including Cate Blanchett, Gisele Bundchen and Amanda Peet. It has a huge number of uses including lip balm, cuticle cream, brow shaper, not to mention how well it helps revitalize dry skin.

The secret is in the formulation, which is primarily Petrolatum (occlusive), Lanolin (humectant) and Mineral Oil (humectant and occlusive) which act together to create a barrier for the skin but also to help draw moisture to the surface of the skin. The cream also includes a beta-hydroxy acid (Salicylic Acid) which helps with cell turnover while Tocopherol (Vitamin E) and BHT are both anti-oxidants.

Personally, I love this cream as a lip balm and skin problem solver! It has basically no flavor or scent, and while the petrolatum heavy formulation is greasy that makes it a great balm to create shiny lips! It only takes a few applications to turn the driest of elbows into soft and supple skin not to mention how great it is on areas that I’ve scraped. As Jennifer Beals has been quoted as saying: “That’s my desert island product.”

Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque

I think purchasing a tube of Queen Helene’s Mint Julep Masque is a ritual of American Adolescence at this point. This minty green clay mask has been a perennial favorite since it was first formulated in the 1930’s. It promises to dry up your acne, pull out blackheads and even shrink your pores!

The secret is clay. Other than a few preservatives, fragrance and some green colorant, this masque is basically a combination of Kaolin and Bentonite Clays. Both of these clays have absorbent qualities that allow them to pull oily and negatively charged things off (and out) of skin. They have been used for centuries, and today are also found as the active ingredients in a huge number of facial and anti-shine products on the market (most of which are much more expensive).

This mask is great to use all over your face or just as a spot treatment. Regular use of a product like this mask is the only thing that allows me to keep my pores clear and blackheads out of sight.

Johnson’s Baby Shampoo

Every few years new items hit the “baby market” and become the next hot item. But, one thing has always been present and seems to be irreplaceable: Johnson’s Baby Shampoo. This amber colored shampoo has been the mainstay of bathtubs for decades!

The reason most parents love it is the ability to really clean without being harsh to skin or even stinging sensitive young eyes! The secret is in the surfactants. Both Cocamidopropyl Betaine and PEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate are mild and in particular are known to be non-irritating to both skin and mucous membranes.

J&J Baby Shampoo:

Essie Mademoiselle and OPI I’m Not Really A Waitress

While the “hot” nail colors are changing every season, there are two colors that flatter every skin tone and should be part of everyone’s nail polish collection. Essie Mademoiselle and OPI’s INRAW will get fashionistas through nearly every social occasion while looking appropriate and flattering!

Essie Mademoiselle is actually what the legendary color Ballet Slippers should be. This color is a little bit pink, a little bit nude and is non-streaky. A great compliment to almost any skin tone known to man, except maybe that blue guy in Kansas. This neutral is my go-to color for when I need to look “polished and professional” for any occasion! It’s also fantastic for layering over other light pink and nude shades, creating that great light nude “glowing” manicure that everyone yearns for.

OPI’s INRAW is a classic red shade with just a hint of blue. It actually doesn’t lean towards cool or warm tones, which is what makes it the one truly universal red. Year after year this shade is a huge seller for OPI, as part of its classic core collection. For me, this is the perfect red for sexy red toes each fall!

BIO: Christine is a physician in Southern California. You can read her insights into product formulations and how things work over at 15 Minute Beauty Fanatic.

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