This week I am pleased to share the newsletter spotlight with a new member of the Cosmetic Connection Product Panel. Holly is 29 and has rosacea. I am so excited to have her on board to review products with this skin condition in mind. For more information about Holly, read her profile here. If you are curious about rosacea or wondering if you might have it, read up on it in Holly's Rosacea 101 report.

Holly recently reviewed Aveda's skin care for sensitive skin to see how it would work for rosacea. Take it away, Holly!

Aveda Skin Care
Aveda has always been a favorite of mine and when I saw that their All Sensitive Skin care line came in smaller travel/trial sizes, I couldn't wait to give it a test drive on my rosacea face. All the products in the All-Sensitive line are fragrance free and hypoallergenic.

All Sensitive Cleanser ($19 for 5.5 ounces)
This is a fragrance-free, non-foaming cream cleanser that does a good job of cleansing the skin, leaving it fresh and "squeaky clean." It has a thick, smooth texture and has not irritated my skin at all, even with twice-daily use. It has not been at all drying to my skin either. It rinses away cleanly and does a good job of removing face makeup. It is a bit too mild for removing eye makeup effectively, especially since I use waterproof formulas, so a separate eye makeup remover is necessary with this cleanser. All in all, this is a good, non-irritating product that I can comfortably recommend for rosacea sufferers.

All Sensitive Toner ($18 for 5.5 ounces)
In the grand scheme of things, I am not a big fan of toners, but I certainly don't have any complaints about this product. It comes in a spray dispenser and is meant to be lightly misted over the face after cleansing. Many toners have proven to be irritating to my skin, but this one has not. In fact, it is rather cooling and calming. It absorbs relatively quickly and leaves skin feeling soft. In fact, oilier skin types may find that this toner provides all the moisture they need. Again, I've run across no sensitivity problems with this product. I tend not to use toners on a regular basis, but keep this around for whenever my face needs a nice cooling spritz (after a spicy meal, for instance).

All Sensitive Moisturizer ($28 for 5.5 ounces)
It seems to me that the moisturizer in this line is definitely geared toward the drier skin types. It is a fairly thick and emollient lotion. Since I am prone to dry skin, it has been perfect for me, but I imagine that oilier skin types would find it to be a bit too much. This moisturizer glides on smoothly and absorbs rapidly, which makes it a nice product by my standards. Better yet, it is just as non-irritating as the other products in the line and leaves my face feeling smooth and well hydrated.

Aveda Face Chamois ($13)
Gosh, do I love this thing! I discovered it at the local Aveda Salon years ago. I loved it then, and now that I have rosacea, I adore it! The face chamois is a facial cleansing cloth that really does have the look and, to some extent, the texture of the chamois you use on your car. It comes pre-moistened in a plastic pouch. It has a blissfully smooth texture that allows you to wipe your face during cleansing without any irritation whatsoever. This thing puts washcloths to shame. When it dries it gets stiff just like any car chamois would. Then it softens back up immediately when you wet it again. It is washable and very, very durable. I had my first one for years and have recently replaced it only because I lost it - it was still in excellent shape. Especially now that my skin is so sensitive, I have come to truly appreciate the benefits of this product. I forgot to take it with me on a trip and was surprised at how harsh a regular washcloth felt on my face after years of using the face chamois. I wouldn't be without it and highly recommend it to all skin types, but especially for sensitive skin.

While I did not notice any improvement in the redness of my face with the All Sensitive products alone, I am pleased to say that they all work well and lived up to their "extra gentle" and "non-irritating" claims. For those who cannot tolerate any fragrance whatsoever, this is a terrific skin care line for calming and soothing your face. The fact that they come in 1.7-ounce trial sizes is especially nice for those of us with rosacea and sensitive skin, since it allows us to test them out without spending a fortune on full sized products. Aveda is available at Aveda Salons nationwide. More information and locations are available on their web site, Aveda.com.