Beauty Addict Blog

Right Source

Tuesday

While most of my friends were busy popping Accutane and slathering on Retin-A, I sailed through my adolescence with smooth, glowing, well-behaved skin. Sure, I had the occasional blemish, but it was rare, barely visible, and nothing a little Clearasil couldn't fix. So imagine my surprise when I hit my mid-twenties and all hell broke loose. Zits erupted out of nowhere; pores swelled in size and number; my complexion looked dull and dry; and in the winter, I even developed itchy eczema. Most products designed to shrink pores and fight blemishes were packed with ingredients that irritated the eczema, while the greasy ointments that soothed the dry patches clogged pores and exacerbated the acne. That's when a friend turned me on to Biotherm Source Thérapie, a mineral-rich miracle serum that managed to calm, soothe, and noticeably improve my complexion within a few weeks. So when the company recently released an updated version--Biotherm Source Thérapie Superactiv ($37; biotherm-usa.com)--I had to see for myself how the new release compared with the cult product I grew to love.

Superactiv boasts the same light gel texture of the original, making it perfect for makeup mixing or (the way I use it) for pre-moisturizer application (although you can wear the serum alone, neither version has SPF, so it's best to combine them with a sunscreen). As with the old formula, a little goes a long way—just a tiny pump of the fast-absorbing serum is enough to cover your whole face—and it still does what it says: minimizes pores, evens out texture, and controls oil without irritating sensitive skin. One of the best features of the original was that it always left my skin with a glowing look, and Superactiv delivers on that front, too. Plus, the baby blue gel still feels wonderfully cooling and smells like an ocean breeze. The difference? The new version boasts a higher concentration of Biotherm's Vitreoscilla Ferment rejuvenator, so Superactiv works better and faster (skin is smoother in only a few seconds, and after less than a week of use, you'll see cumulative changes).

Halfway through my testing, I learned that Biotherm had also just unveiled Re.Source, marking the brand's first foray into the hair-care market. Curious to see whether the products could do for my damaged strands what Source Thérapie did for my problem skin, I took Re.Source on test-run. The line includes three shampoos ($12 each): Nourishing, Intensely Purifying, and Revitalizing. I especially love the Nourishing formula, a rich fruity-scented shampoo made with rosemary and lavender essential oils, and the Intensely Purifying version, a minty clarifying shampoo that combats environmental pollutants, eliminates excess oils, and removes styling-product buildup (it's especially good for girls like me, who tend to overdose on silicone sprays). The line also includes Bounce and Shine ($14), a citrusy daily conditioning lotion for normal hair, and my personal favorite, the Nutri-Repair Cream ($16), a luxurious deep conditioner that leaves dry, damaged hair silky smooth. –J. Missant

Skin Care_

posted by BeautyAddict at 8:58 PM | Permalink |

1 Comments:

At 10:58 PM, Anonymous

I love Biotherm. Every product I've used from them has been wonderful and your review of Source Therapie was amazing.