I am trying a new lifting eye cream (http://bit.ly/11KWld4 to learn more) from Own Skin Health, a 3 year old skincare company based in San Francisco, that emphasizes healthy living and creates natural products without harsh chemicals. Their products were highlighted in Whole Living magazine in December 2012 and in Natural Solutions magazine in the December 2012/January 2013 issue.
Skin Assessment App
What’s especially interesting about Own Skin Health and Own Lifting Eye Cream is that they’ve taken a new approach to monitoring the effectiveness of their products by creating an app: My Own App. I downloaded it from iTunes, but there’s a QCR code on the side of the box to download it directly. I checked out the app right away. Here’s a link to an article in the New York Times that explains the app as well as other interactive beauty apps (hmm, maybe worth a blogpost on its own!): http://nyti.ms/W7h3wW.
The first thing the app told me to do was remove my makeup, wash my face, pull back my hair and take a photo by lining my face up with the app’s indicators on the screen of my phone. The photo served as a baseline photo. Fortunately for me, I don’t have the photo to show you because I had to upload it to their computer (they claim it will not be used for any purpose other than giving me feedback).
Next, I had to enter some info about my skin as well as my birthdate into the app. About 2 minutes later, the app returned with an assessment of the current state of my skin compared to other women my age. It gave me my Total Wrinkle Count (much lower than the average), Age Spot Count (higher than the average, boo, but I already knew that from looking in the mirror!). Then, it gave me my Eye Wrinkle Count and Deep Line Count (much lower) and my Fine Line Count (average). The next measurement was hyper-pigmentation. Here, I’m a little confused because I was way below average on Spot Count, % of Face Covered, and Contrast to Skin Tone. So that sounds good, but how do those measures relate to my high Age Spot Count?
Then, the app gave me its “Recommendation”. It recommended that I use Own Anti-Aging Renewing Night Cream, $24.99, that is recommended for treating hyperpigmentation via “CLA bioactivating technology” (concentrated linoleic acid, a substance that has shown promise in lightening the color of skin damage and in increasing collagen production). In terms of lifestyle, the app recommended that I exercise. Little did the app know that my dissertation was on “exercise addiction” and that I have been a near daily runner for about 35 years. Hey, running outdoors is what contributed to all this hyperpigmentation! 😉
Lifting Eye Cream
Back to the eye cream. On the side of the package, the product promises improvements in firmness, evenness of skintone, and skin softness. The other side of the box has a graph that shows the percent improvement for each skin benefit after 8 and 12 weeks of use. The product claims, “Own’s patented CLA is an ingredient that works on all signs of aging at once: Boost collagen for 29% FIRMER and fuller-looking skin, Enhance cell turnover for 41% more EVEN SKIN TONE, Improve skin’s moisture barrier for 50% SOFTER and skin in 12 weeks.” So, I figure I should see what it does for me. Stay tuned. I’ll be back in 2 months with initial results.
I love the look of this product. The long skinny tube is so cool. The overall look of Own Lifting Eye Cream, to me, is both clinical and natural (because of the green color and the symbol that looks like the sun or the center of a flower, I guess).
The cream is lightweight but feels substantial. It absorbs quickly. Because I have Dry Eye and have red eyelids, I will most likely use a different product on my lids. I’ll use the Own Lifting Eye Cream on my crow’s feet and on the skin under my brow bone that could definitely use some lifting and firming.
Other product claims include:
- RETINOL-FREE formula, No irritation or redness, Dermatologist tested, gentle
- Paraben, Fragrance and Sulfate-free
- Not tested on animals
- Vegan
- Fragrance-free
The product MSRP is $25.00 for 0.5 fl. oz. on the Own website.  It’s now sold at Target and on Amazon for much less. Online, you can find it at drugstore.com and other sites. In addition, I noticed that Own has an in-home party division, too.
Whether or not you’re interested in Own’s product line, I encourage you to download the app, My Own App, and find out the state of your skin. Hopefully, you’ll be pleasantly surprised 🙂
Ingredients
Inactive Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Oleosomes, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, Conjugate Linoleic Acid*, Dimethicone, Sorbitan, Cetearyl Olivate, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Coco-Caprylate, Cetearyl Glucoside, Tocopherol Acetate, Coco-Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sorbitan Olivate, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Germ Extract, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Potassium Sorbate, Xanthum Gum, Potassium Hydroxide, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol
“CLA Patented Plant Technology”
This product was sent for consideration. All opinions are my own.
I’m going to check out this app….. it sounds really cool. I know it’s only been a few weeks, but how do you like the Own cream so far? I’m in the market for a new eye cream and also a good all-around moisturizer right now, and I definitely need a “lift” in the eye area! I’m using Clinique RepairWear eye cream, and I love the texture and the moisture is pretty good, but there’s not much lifting going on. Looking forward to a follow-up report!
Definitely try the app and then do your own experiment with a product! It really is a cool and innovative app. When Consumer Reports tests beauty products, they measure change over time. Let me know if you like the app!! So far, I like the OWN eye cream. I’m hoping it might help with the crow’s feet and hyperpigmentation by my left eye. I wish it would help with the crepe-y skin under my eyebrows to the crease, but that would take a miracle or plastic surgery, I’m afraid. The consistency of OWN is like a substantial lotion, and I am used to using a heavier cream on my eyes. I have dry eyelids from dry eye, so my case is extreme. That said, I use a second eye cream on my lids. I used to like Repairwear when I used it in the past. I’ve been using L’Oreal’s Age Perfect, but that’s too thick. I also use L’Oreal RevitaLift which is not as thick & I like better. I just got a sample jar of Estee Lauder Resilience Lift Eye in the Lilly Pulitzer makeup bag that I got this week, and so far I like it a lot. It could be, however, that it’s like the Repairwear but check it out if you’re in a store soon. It has a lovely consistency and feels like it has somewhat of a firming feel to it.
Wow, the app sounds seriously cool! I think I might try it out. 😀 Can’t wait to find out if it works.
The app is seriously cool, Kathryn. It made me feel like I must be doing something right, except for all the sun damage! Let me know what you think about the app when you try it 🙂
OMG, we have come a long way an app. I seriously thought you were kiddding. Lol it is true, i need to become more tech savvy. About the review, I loved it will surely try the Own product it has what I really need. I am planning to switch my older one and now seems to be a nice time.
Mary, although I took a “pre” photo for the app, when I went back to the app to take a “post” photo, the “pre” photo didn’t get saved. Not sure if it was my fault or the apps fault. Tried to contact the company for tech support, but they never got back to me. Nevertheless, I think OWN skincare products are a great value for the money. They have great ingredients from good sources, and the prices are about the same as drugstore skincare brands. I noticed that OWN is offering a 15% off coupon via their website. If you are thinking about trying any of the products, get the coupon code from their website. On a different topic, your “most recent post” via CommentLuv got lost. If you respond, we can try getting the CommentLuv to work on your next comment. Thanks for stopping by, and hope you’ll visit again.
That App sounds so amazing! I can’t wait to try it and see what it tells me.Hopefully it’s available on Android devices as well.I also have the crepey skin above my eye and my eyelids could use some serious help.I sit and watch HSN and QVC watching products that will make everything all better in the blink of an eye.. 😉 ..Thankfully I read reviews and it’s been a long time since I’ve gone for that type of advertising I still get tempted.I just started trying Paula’s Choice line and will decide on a new eye cream the minute I hear one gives serious results.(I’ll stay tuned).Sorry if I went off topic and rambled a bit.Have a great weekend!
Laura, I discovered this brand and app almost 3 years ago, I think. I had high hopes for using the app too. I was able to upload a “before” photo, but for some reason I couldn’t get the “after” photo to upload. I tried contacting OWN, but no one ever responded to me so I gave up on it after trying several times. I’ll be curious if you can get it to work. On the eye issue, I found that gels works a little better on the crepey skin above my eye. I am having good luck with two eye gel-creams right now: PCASkin Ideal Complex Revitalizing Eye Gel (expensive, $84, but I’m waiting for a 20% off sale on Skincare by Alana before I buy more of it) and our-lisse Blue Lotus 4-in-1 Eye Adore Serum – I got a sample in one of my subbie boxes and this does just as well as the PCA Skin for me. Usually ipsy has a percent off on pur-lisse products so when I run out I’ll check the website. Have a good weekend too, Laura!