I had high hopes for this line, created by Hollywood problem-skin expert Sonya Dakar. She has an impressive list of celebrity clients (like Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz), and she operates the Sonya Dakar Skin Clinic in Los Angeles where you can get a variety of facials and peels. Her line of products focuses on the problem you are trying to solve: acne, discoloration, irritation or scarring. There is also a maintenance line for either after you've solved your skin problem, or for people with fairly normal skin.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Sonya on the phone recently to customize a program just for me. I told her about my normal-to-dry, sensitive skin that is prone to hormonal breakouts on my chin, as well as red discolorations from previous breakouts. She asked me all about my diet (do I eat dairy?), my exercise habits, the climate I live in, etc. to create a complete picture of my skin's needs. These are the products she recommended for me:

Red Grapefruit Wash ($39 for 4oz)
This is part of the maintenance line, so it's designed for a normal skin type with no real problems. That's not me, but I think this is one of the gentler cleansers of all the ones Sonya offers since it doesn't have active ingredients to combat acne or lighten the skin, for example. It has a fruity grapefruit scent, is lightly lathering, and is fairly mild for someone with resilient skin or some oily areas. With my skin being rather sensitive and prone to dryness, it reacted to the astringent grapefruit by getting tight and dry.

Aromasol Balancing Anti-Bacterial Toner ($22 for 4oz spray)
One word describes my experience with this spray: OUCH! I followed the directions, shaking well, keeping the spray away from my eyes as best I could, but it made its way near there any way (it's a very fine mist) and the skin at the outer corners of my eyes actually became raw and inflamed! And this is the toner designated for REDUCING irritation! The ingredient list makes the culprit a bit of a mystery - water, chamomile and tangerine oils, dead sea minerals, and some mystic blend of "clinically concentrated Sonya Dakar synergetic pure essential oils." What that blend is, I do not know, but I can tell you it's not coming near my face again.

Acne Fighter ($20 for 1/4oz)
Even after I told Sonya about how sensitive my skin is, how strongly it reacts to acne treatments, and how dry and flaky it can be, she still prescribed for me this 10% benzoyl peroxide plus 5% sulfur zit annihilator. To its credit, Acne Fighter is a lightweight lotion that absorbs very quickly, so it can work during the day without looking obvious. I imagine it would work famously for someone with oily, resilient skin with moderate acne. It is a little spendy for such a tiny pot (only a quarter of an ounce), but it should last because you need such a small amount. It spreads well and only needs to be applied in a thin layer. For me, however, it was a total disaster. My skin got painfully dried out and the pimples I put it on retaliated by getting redder and more inflamed. This product is not for me. Just writing about it reminds me of how much my face hurt!

Drying Potion ($25 for 1/2oz)
This is one of the more well-known Sonya Dakar products; her site and literature claim it is a must-have among celebrities. The tiny blue bottle is a mixture of zinc oxide, magnesium, sulfur, camphor, citric acid, chamomile extract, menthol, and lavender, sage and peppermint essential oils. I actually had some success with this nighttime lotion on some stubborn pimples. It didn't make them disappear altogether, but they did get smaller and less red. The applicator built into the cap is handy for applying the potion just onto the pimple, so it helps prevent the surrounding skin from getting dried out. This is the only product in the line that I can see keeping and using from time to time.

Youth! Age-Defying Complex
This was part of the package Sonya sent to me, but it came with very minimal information and I couldn't find out anything about it on their site. According to their literature, it contains rose hips, soy protein, macadamia and apricot oils, Vitamins C & E, and CoEnzyme Q10 - all designed to "slow the aging process." After all the dryness I experienced with the other products, I was hopeful that this cream would take care of it, but it's just not moisturizing enough. If you like the benefits of soy, coenzyme Q10 and anti-oxidant vitamins but you also have slightly oily or combination skin, this might be the lightweight nighttime moisturizer you've been looking for.

I also received samples of Dead Sea Mud Mask and Enzyme Peeling Cream, but after the experience I had with everything else, I am afraid to use these. There is only so much pain I will subject my skin to in the name of research.

I wish I could say my experience with these products was more successful, but it seems like they were simply not the right choice for me. I put a call into Sonya to talk to her about my problems, but I have yet to hear back from her.

Sonya Dakar products and salon service information is available at sonyadakar.com.