MaMa Mia, is this stuff good!

The Product: MaMa Lotion

The Claim: MaMa Lotion is the ultimate agent for those wanting clear, healthy skin. Its powerful formula is tough on wrinkles, acne, and scars, yet gentle on the skin. Diminishes fine lines and wrinkles, fades acne scars, fights acne, and evens skin tone.

The Results: I have to admit I was a little put off at first by the name of this product. Mama lotion? Really? Turns out the MaMa stands for Mandelic and Malic Acid, which translates to 10% AHA. It's strong, so they recommend applying it every other day at first. After the first application I noticed my pimples dried up. After the second application, my skin was peeling and scaly and I was embarrassed to leave the house. After the third application, I woke up to amazingly smooth, clear skin. Hallelujah! In less than a week, my skin completely changed. After two weeks I noticed a more even tone to my skin. I can't vouch for any fading of acne scars, as that takes time, but this product is worth it for the pimple-drying effect alone. If it also fades my discoloration I am going to be one extremely happy camper. And, at $44.50, it's very reasonable for this type of product.

Side Note: I normally don't say things like "happy camper," but I just can't control my excitement over this product!

Face Cream 911

Sometimes I worry that I use exfoliants and peels so often that it does more harm than good. Enter Shiseido Bio-Performance Restoring Cream. It's rich, so I only use it once or twice a week, but my skin feels more calm and smooth when I wake up in the morning. I'm convinced this is repairing any unintentional damage I may be doing with my crazy obsession with peels. This cream is billed as "a rich, nourishing, time-fighting cream that brings a revolutionary solution to wrinkles and age-related deficiencies in skin. Utilizing unprecedented contour-recalling technology, this cream creates dramatic smoothness and firmness, rebuilding a youthful look instantly. Formulated with patent-pending Bio-Restoring Complex to improve furrows and unevenness and promote elasticity and moisture retention."

Note: Free samples of this product are available at most Shiseido counters in department stores. Try it--you won't regret it!