"Tria Beauty Age-Defying Eye Wrinkle Correcting Laser

The Eye Wrinkle Correcting Laser brings fractional, non-ablative laser technology used by professionals into the home, at a fraction of the cost. The Eye Wrinkle Correcting Laser is FDA cleared for home use and specially designed to treat fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes. Tria’s advanced laser technology passes microscopic laser beams into the skin to stimulate the body’s own natural renewal process, rebuilding new collagen deep below the surface of the skin. The Eye Wrinkle Correcting Laser is safe for all skin tones and skin types."

http://www.triabeauty.com/products/age-defying-eye-wrinkle-correcting-laser

Chatterbox Tester: I was selected to test the Tria Beauty Eye Wrinkle Correcting Laser system by Chatterbox for House Party. The above is from Tria, the rest of this review is my own. I received the free laser device and a tube of Tria Beaty Nourishing Eye Renewal Cream to use after treatments. I was instructed to run the laser around my eye area for one minute per side, using small circular movements and then use the eye renewal cream to soothe and renew the skin. The company maintains that 85% of users see improvement in fine lines and wrinkles after using the appliance 7 days a week in this manner for 8 weeks. I was intrigued - who wouldn't be? Sign me up!!

The packaging is great. I opened the package I received and was immediately impressed by the packaging. It seems very well designed and although cardboard, it is nicely made so it can be used for storing the appliance. It turns out that one is not supposed to use the device for longer than the recommended 8 weeks. I have yet to find in the instructions a note of how often the 8 week intervals are recommended to be. I know that I would want to repeat the treatment again. No one is going to spend $249 for a device that can only be used once.

The appliance itself is pretty neat - small and easy to handle; it comes with a charger but the device was charged and ready to use. The instructions are good - clear and easy to understand with a pamphlet that has a quick start guide. Perfect for people like me who can hardly be bothered with details like instructions! I did read these instructions though. The idea of using a laser beam near my eyes was scary enough to make me want to do it right. When I started to use the appliance, I was a little startled by the pin prick feeling of the laser on my skin. It is a sharp, needle-like feeling as I ran the device in little circles around my eyes. The treatment left the area red, so I would not recommend doing this at any time but bedtime. I then treated the eye areas with the eye cream. It was very soothing as the tube has a flat metal disc-like dispenser tip. Nice and cooling. All signs of irritation were gone when I woke up in the morning, and there was no lasting sensitivity.

Repeat every night for 8 weeks... OK, I confess I missed a few nights, but very few. Two minutes is hardly an add on to my routine, so it literally could not have been any easier. The device seems to hold a charge for a long time too. The laser itself does tug a little as it goes over freshly cleansed skin. It doesn't exactly "glide". I think some people were using moisturizers to combat this but I didn't try that since I didn't want to go off script and gum up the laser light opening or anything. There is a fine line of how much pressure to use - too much and it doesn't glide,too little and the laser quits. I really like how the device is self timing; it shuts off by itself when the one minute treatment is complete. Overall, a pretty simple learning curve.

Now to the results! I used as directed and took before and after photos... It is hard for me to see daily improvement, but I think I do see it in the photos.

The top photo is Before... the bottom is After. I took the photos in the same location, although I was wearing a little make-up in the before shot and obviously the lighting is a little different. I do think my crows feet look minimized in the After picture! I honestly have not had anyone exclaim over my new youthful looking eyes, so the effects are subtle. I am pleased it seems to have worked at all, since so many anti aging claims are just untrue. I am happy I tried this and I will continue to use it for maintenance as soon as I find out how often I am allowed to use the device without adverse affects.

One final note: The instructions specifically state NOT to use the laser on any other area besides the eye/crows feet. I find that a little disappointing, since naturally I have other problem areas I would love to treat. The documentation says that it is untested on any area besides the eye area specified, and that serves as a warning not to go rogue. I doubt if I would actually purchase this item to use on only one small area, but I would most definitely buy it if it could be used anywhere on the face and neck.

L'Oreal Paris Re-Volumize Volume Filler

I received a whole suite of products from Influenster for free to test and review. The products are part of L'Oreal Paris' new skin care line called "Revitalift Volume Filler." Intriguing! I didn't know I was losing volume, but according to the packaging, " Anti-aging is not just about chasing after lines and wrinkles, but also about replenishing skin volume." Our skin starts to lose volume as its levels of Hyaluronic Acid start to decline. I have been hearing so much about Hyaluronic Acid from my beauty magazines. It is a naturally occurring hydrating substance within skin and we want to keep it. This is so exciting! I was anxious to try it.

I got the assortment of products shown above: a day cream, a night cream, an eye specific treatment and a concentrated serum. The first thing I love about the serum is the packaging. The product is dispensed almost syringe style... it feels like you are getting an expensive, precious drop of youth like you would get by prescription at a dermatologist's office. Ingenious! Not only did I feel like this was something special, the formula is smooth and creamy, similar to a high end moisturizer. Love this!

The other item I really wanted to get on my face is the eye cream. It also has a cool dispenser tip. It comes in a tube and the tip is small so you can't dispense too much and waste it. I was super happy to note that the product itself isn't oily feeling. I have so much trouble with my mascaras giving me raccoon eyes, I am really hesitant to use anything too slick under my eyes. It just makes it worse.

The other two products seem pretty routine: a tube for the Night Cream and a nice heavy pot for the day cream. A note about that - a pot is not typically my preferred method of delivery - I would rather have a pump container. I worry about contamination of the product from dipping into the jar. I don't share my products with anyone and I have never had a problem, but still. It usually takes a good while to use this stuff up, so I worry about bacterias growing in there. Probably no foundation for the worry, but there it is.

The next thing I noticed about this product line is the fragrance. I happen to like it - it is light and fresh and nice, but it was a little surprising to me. I think a lot of people are sensitive to fragrances and of course it is a very personal thing whether one will like it or not. Three of the four products I tried have a pretty noticeable scent. The exception is the eye cream, but perhaps I'm not getting the fragrance since I am using so little of it. Again, I find it pleasant. It is not medicinal or herbal, but a nice, almost floral fragrance.

On to results! That's really what we all want to know, right? I think this product line is a great investment for serviceable moisturizers at a very reasonable price point. I don't think there is anything that is going to reverse the wrinkles out side of the dermatologist's office, but this does a great job of keeping the skin hydrated and thus, smoother looking. It's possible my skin is plumper, but for me, its not hugely noticeable. I will continue to use these products, and it's possible I will notice more change as time marches on. I believe you really need to use something for a while to see the results. Mostly, I Want To Believe!