Product rave; Patricia Wexler Skincare

I commiserate with so many clients regarding adult acne and I have suffered from breakouts for so many years now that the zits and wrinkles have been pretty much duking it out. I worked for Saks for nearly ten years and saw many high end skincare lines come out with pricey products targeted to oily and combination skintypes, but in general they were either extremely overdrying and geared to teenage skin, or they simply didn't have enough active ingredients to effect much of a change. I spent my whole tenure in retail being frustrated at the lack of understanding of breakout prone adult skin. Tried the whole Pro-Activ thing, watched it basically tear my face up, and remained jealous of all those millions of people whose lives were apparently altered by it.

Since I have been studying esthetics, I am a bit more educated on cosmetic chemistry, ingredients, and basic anatomy. Big cosmetic companies spend a lot of money on trainers,but they don't always tell the whole truth when it comes to ingredients.

For those of you not familiar with Patricia Wexler, she has been THE dermatologist to the stars for about two decades. She is frequently quoted in skincare articles in all the major mags and is generally regarded as a Guru of Skin.

She now has a product line which is carried by Bath and Body Works (Don't you love the trend of these superstars slumming at "real" retailers?Alert:that was NOT sarcasm)so I took a chance on her introductory anti-acne kit after researching it online. Unlike most popular anti-acne lines(Pro-Activ) this line is adamant about anti-aging as well. Wexler points out that at any age, our skin is "aging"and harsh products only hasten that. The active ingredients boost cell turnover, which of course slows down increasingly as we age; and has technology (MMPi) that combats that slowdown of repair (think about how quickly a little kid's booboo heals as opposed to an elderly person's)

Okay, getting long winded here!

So, the first thing is, this is a very luxurious *feeling* product to be "anti-acne". I am extremely turned off any medicinal smelling lotions, as am I equally repulsed by overly scented ones. With this, I don't *feel* as if I'm using an anti-acne product-the oil free hydrator has fabulous glide over the skin, the serum glides on; the packaging is magnificent,

But best of all-? Wait for it-two girlfriends-BOTH makeup artists, so, unusually observant-asked-"What are you using? Your skin looks great!". And really? Isn't that all that really matters?