Allure's Best Makeup and skin care products of 2010
Lancôme Ôscillation PowerFoundation, $48
Some people love mineral foundation (it's natural; it's long-lasting) and some don't (it's heavy, cakey, messy). This version has a battery-powered sponge applicator that solves the problems by producing a smooth, uniform finish. You just dip the sponge into the mineral powder and press the handle's "on" button, and the tip vibrates 7,000 times per minute—massaging the powder into skin evenly. "This oscillating applicator breaks down the fine particles in the makeup, eliminating the need to blend," says Ni'Kita Wilson, a cosmetic chemist. "It also massages them into skin and fills fine lines." nordstrom.com.
Aveeno Ageless Vitality Elasticity Recharging System,Neutrogena Clinical, and RoC Brilliance Lines, $35.99-$49.99
These product lines have technology that helps skin cells stay young. Skin cells communicate using various processes, including one called bioelectricity, in which small electrical pulses tell the cells when to repair themselves, store energy, and make internal changes necessary to stay healthy. The currents can slow down as we age, and this can make it harder for skin to recover from sun damage and environmental stress. The scientists behind these products found that copper-plated zinc helps boost the skin's bioelectricity.
They developed a serum with the ingredient and a moisturizing "conductor" that activates the process—and found that this combination stimulated collagen and elastin production, helped reduce inflammation, and may fight hyperpigmentation. In clinical studies of the products containing the new technology, which include Aveeno Ageless Vitality Elasticity Recharging System for Day, Neutrogena Clinical Facial Lifting Wrinkle Treatment Night, and RoC Brilliance Eye Beautifier, subjects' wrinkles were reduced after four weeks. Ranella Hirsch, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Boston University School of Medicine, says, "Harnessing a natural communication system in the skin is a powerful new way to fight wrinkles." target.com,walgreens.com.
