In Grand Junction dryness was a fact of everyday life. The city nestled smack dab in the middle of the vast Western desert, so naturally one fought constantly against itchy, scaly skin.
Now that I’m back in Dallas, it’s not as big a deal, but on the other hand, I’m also — horrors! — ageing. Okay, so I’m thirty-seven — not exactly ancient — and quite frankly I’m not too terrified of the marching of the years. I’ve had a great, if quite eventful, life so far, and I’m fairly certain that it’s only going to continue being interesting, if only because I like to make things interesting. B. would prefer that I be a bit more sedate, naturellement, but he’s accustomed to his crazy wife.
Votre Vu is a Franco-American company with deep roots in beauty and skincare. Their line of botanically-based, skin-perfecting cremes, lotions and potions was originally created in France, but sometime in 2007 they partnered with American entrepreneurs to bring their product line to the United States.
I recently had the opportunity to try out one of their products, a combination hand lotion and lip balm. Funny, I know, but it’s actually kinda cool. The tube has two compartments: the main shaft with the hand lotion (3.38 fl. oz.) and a small half-oz pot of soothing, emollient lip balm affixed to the top. The unique combo packaging makes for a very efficient product, and it’s earned a solid place on my bedside table.
The Tarte D’Amande hand lotion, a rich mixture of sunflower, grape seed and jojoba oils, might not provide enough moisturizing protection to extremely dry hands, but for regular, daily use, it’s an almond-scented, elegant cream for hard-working digits. The Luxurious Lips lip balm,packed with coconut oil, shea butter and beeswax, nourishes parched puckers and leaves them soft and supple. For added convenience for when you’re applying the balm, there’s a cute little mirror affixed to the lid of the tube. And it’s a real mirror, too, not one of those cheap, foggy numbers you often find attached to cosmetics and skincare products.
One of the interesting things about the Votre Vu company — other than the fact that their products are Made in France — is that, unlike many imported skincare products, these are sold exclusively by independent consultants, much like Mary Kay, Avon and BeautiControl. They’ve only recently launched in the United States and have kept a relatively low profile, but if the rest of their products are anything like the Duette, I would imagine that they’ll be as well-known as the three Direct Selling giants quite soon, especially among Francophiles!
Note: Promotional materials for the hand lotion claim that it contains UV filtering ingredients, but since none of them are listed as an Active Ingredient, I would not recommend this for use without additional sun protection. Samples were provided by Votre Vu.
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{ 7 comments }
Excellent review! We couldn’t have said it better. Duette is such a fun product for sharing and spreading the Votre Vu story.
I love your Inner French Girl Shoppe. We often play french music at our soirees and I am definitely going to add to my collection with a few of those titles. Can you share your favorites?
http://www.votrevu.com/june
Dear June, merci for your comment!
I’ve only just begun really listening to French music, but lately I’ve been listening to a lot of Carla Bruni, especially her latest album. I know, I know, she’s a controversial figure, but would she be any more so if she were, say, a man with a colorful romantic past? Some people may not like her singing, but I do. And if you like her, you might try Charlotte Gainsbourg, too, who has also released some CD’s.
One thing I definitely want to explore more of are CD’s from artists who hail from France’s far-flung territories, e.g., Reunion and Guadaloupe. I’ve always loved island music, and I would imagine that island music combined with that famous Gallic sensibility would be a heady combination. I’ll post more as I find out more. I’ll also post your question to the rest of the MIFG readership.
Merci again for your post, and bonne chance on your business!
Salut,
Marjorie
Thank you for your review! Merci Beaucoup!
I wanted to let you know that PARSOL is one of the Power Ingredients in this product. A full list of ingredients is available on our main website: http://www.votrevu.com or on my site http://www.votrevu.com/classychic click on shop and search for the product or you may also click In the Know to read a list of ingredients.
*Parsol is highly effective in protecting against the sun’s harm. A UVB filter, it is found in sun care products for skin and hair and can assist in preventing pre-mature aging of the skin due to sun exposure.
I’m so glad you had a chance to try the Duette. I can tell a difference in the the skin coloration on my hands when I use the Duette daily. I didn’t even pay attention to the UVB protection factor but noticed my hands were not as tan as my arms and knew it had to be the Duette.
But I agree, using additional sunscreen is always a good thing. When the gentleman from our French lab spoke at our national convention, he was a bit difficult to understand with his French accent (thought I loved it!) but he definately got across to me how much the French believe in using a separate sunscreen with at least a 30 SPF.
I’ve so enjoyed learning how the French view their skin care since I started working with Votre Vu and I am so happy to have found your blog! Look forward to learning more about the French way of life!
Merci,
Heather Wolgamott
http://www.bestfaceforward-skincare.com
Dear Charleen, merci for your comment! I do agree that Parsol (assuming you mean Parsol 1789, aka Avobenzone) is an effective broad-spectrum sunscreen, but please note that neither the Votre Web site nor the box in which the Duette came does not list it as an Active Ingredient. In addition there is no SPF listed anywhere, so it would be impossible for the ordinary consumer to know just how effective or how much sunscreen is actually in the lotion. Without that information, and unless Parsol is listed as an Active Ingredient — including the amount by percentage — this cannot be recommended as a sunscreen.
Dear Heather, thank you so much for commenting! Yes, one must always wear additional sunscreen if one relies on the Duette hand lotion for daytime use.
Merci mille to everyone for your lovely comments and for visiting my site!
Salut,
Marjorie
Then how does one read on the Ingredients list for Duette Parsol and Parsol 17, unless it Parsol 1789 its not a broad spectrum sunblock?
Bonjour, Pamela! Well, again, unless the ingredient (Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide, Mexoryl, or Parsol 1789/Avobenzone) is listed separately as an Active Ingredient and not simply thrown in among the other Ingredients, you can't be certain of its concentration and whether or not it is suitable as a sunscreen protection. Hence, I would not recommend this as a sunscreen, broad spectrum or otherwise. Note that the label itself does not list an SPF, since per FDA requirements it does not list any sunscreen as an active ingredient.
Merci for your comment!
Salut,
Marjorie
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