Helena Rubinstein Products Reviewed :

Prodigy

Force-C Premium Fluid

Helena Rubinstein is one of the oldest cosmetic and skin care lines there is, dating back to the 20s. I think only Erno Laszlo can claim such a pedigree. H-R is now a subsidiary of L'Oreal, and they have relaunched H-R as a luxury cosmetic/skin care line in the US. L'Oreal also owns Biotherm, and H-R products are made at the same plant in Monaco, and share some of the same ingredients. So I was curious to see if they were really worth the extra price. See below for the answer. Though I will say the line has some of the nicest packaging and containers I have seen on any line. H-R products are available at high-end department stores. You can also order (by phone!) from their website www.helenarubinstein.com.

Size	? oz	Price	$115	Where	Barneys
Ingredients:
Water, cyclohexasiloxane, glycerin, squalane, aluminum starch, octenylsuccinate, sodium stearate, stearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, propylene glycol, palmitic acid, PEG-100 stearate, beeswax, glyceryl stearate, C13-14 isoparaffin, PEG-20 stearate, royal jelly extract, ruscus aculeatus root extract, soybean protein, caffeine, ginger root extract, sodium citrate, grape extract, cholesterol, tocopheryl acetate (vit. E), ascorbyl glucoside, hydrolyzed rice bran protein, hydroxypalmitoyl sphinganine, laureth-7, panthenol, fig extract, polyacrylamide, acrylates copolymer, fragrance, methylparaben, chlorhexidine digluconate, chlorphenesin, propylparaben, myristic acid.

This is the top-of-the-line product. It is designed to stimulate cell-regeneration and provide overall health benefits to your skin. Ginger and caffeine will wake your skin up, while royal jelly will nurture it with its many B vitamins and amino acids. I'm not sure what fig extract does, but I'm sure it's wonderful. The cream looks and feels rich when you apply it, but it dries very dry. That must be the aluminum starch I noted in the ingredients. So if you have oily skin, this would be great for you. I find it a little too drying to wear in dry weather, but I've been trying the cream out recently, since the weather in LA has been a little humid. The effect? Generally, my skin was clearer and more refreshed. However, lots of much cheaper products will do that for my skin. I'm not sure I need to pay more than $100 for the same effect. It's a nice product, but not that nice.

Ra(n)tings

Effectiveness	Pleasure of Use	Value	Overall
3.0	3.0	2.0	2.0

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Force-C Premium Fluid SPF 15
author: Niall | date: 09/02

Size	1.6 oz	Price	$70	Where	Barneys
Ingredients:
Octyl methoxycinnamate 7.5%, phenylbenzimidazole sulfonic acid 2%, titanium dioxide 0.8%, water, glycerin, dimethicone copolyol, cyclohexasiloxane, aluminum starch ocetnylsuccinate, triethanolamine, tocopheryl acetate, propylene glycol, C13-14 isoparaffin, stearic acid, sugar cane extract, sugar maple extract, bilberry extract, carbomer, sodium citrate, aluminum hydroxide, orange extract, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, ascorbyl glucoside, lemon extract, disodium EDTA, laureth-7, xanthan gum, polyacrylamide, acrylates copolymer, acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, octyldodecanol, fragrance, methylparaben, phenoxyethanol, chlorphenesin..

H-R offers a full line of vitamin C products, and this is their daytime lotion. As you can see from the ingredients above, it contains a nice SPF 15 suncreen, vitamin C and several alpha-hydroxy acids for resurfacing the skin. At first I thought the combination of all that would be harsh for my skin, but it isn't at all. The consistency of the lotion is great - it spreads easily and dries just right, neither greasy nor drying. I can wear it all over my combination face. And the results are...fantastic! In just a day or two my skin became even-toned and glowing. The sunscreens work very well (as they have to with this kind of product) - I've never had a burn or damage from being in the sun using this product. This product erased the mild disappointment I had over Prodigy (see above), and replaced it with undying enthusiasm. This is one of the nicest vitamin C products I've used. Buy with confidence!. [NOTE: Always use a sunscreen during the day if you're using retinol, vitamin C and/or alph-hydroxy acid products, even if you're using these products only at night.]

Ra(n)tings

Effectiveness	Pleasure of Use	Value	Overall
4.0	4.0	3.0	4.0

take me home, bud!