After hearing about the great benefits of micellar water for years now, I got really excited when Simple came out with a micellar water a couple months ago. Its the only one that is easily accessible in the states thats also affordable. Now after years of hearing about micellar waters I never really understood what made it different from regular water.
Micellar water takes its name from micelles, tiny round balls of cleansing molecules that float in the water. When you apply the product to your skin, the cleansing agents come into contact with oil and dirt on your face, allowing them to be swept away quickly and efficiently. Micellar cleansing water uses very gentle but effective cleansing agents. There is no tingling or tightening effect, and it’s powerful enough to remove eye makeup, so there is no need for a separate makeup remover. So now that we know what makes this different from plain water, how does this one hold up? It is very gentle, leaves the skin feeling smooth and clean. It does a good job of removing makeup, but takes some effort with mascara. Essentially I holds true to all its claims but I did find it did sting a bit. Not as bad as with cleaning wipes, but definitely enough for me to notice. I will say though I do think this is a nice product, I don't have much to compare it too. So I'll keep you posted as I try to test out other micellar waters.
I feel like I've had this little trio for ages, and well I guess I have. I have been trying out these masks since February and there are some pros and some cons.
Rose Stem Cell Bio-Repair Gel Mask: Normally you save the best for last, but I'm just going to tell straight up that this is the stand out in the trio. This stuff hydrates, smooth and firms the skin. Once you take this off your face feels baby smooth. I talk a bit more about this in my July favorites [here].
Pumpkin Enzyme Mask: This is the exfoliation mask in the trio and though I do think it does a good job at getting rid of a dull complexion and helps with congestion it is pretty harsh on the face. I think that says a lot because I don't typically have sensitive skin. Though if your skin can handle it I think it would be absolute fab!
Cucumber Gel Mask: This mask is meant to hydrate, and soothe irritated skin that makes this mask
really nice after a day in the sun, especially if you pop it in the fridge. I will say that this does a nice job in the hydration department but I'm not blown away. I think there are better hydrating mask in the market. Like the NARS aqua gel luminous mask... do I sound like a broken record yet?
Though I do believe all three masks live up to their claim I'm not sold on all of them. However, if you have been curious about these mask I would 100% recommend picking up this trio. Test them out and then purchase the full size, as they are pretty pricey.
You know that one product that you use everyday, but never realize how vital it is to your routine till one day you switch things up and it goes completely horrible? No, never experienced that (lucky you!). Well this past week I did.
Every since becoming pregnant my skin has done a complete 180 on me. I use to be very dry/dehydrated now I can get quite greasy. Back in February I picked up the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate and had been using it as my night time oil religiously. It has worked great for my skin, its kept it hydrated and felling plump in the mornings. No miracle worker here... or so I thought.
About two weeks ago I didn't use this at all, and my skin was not happy. I couldn't pin point what was causing the terrible breakout, but once I added this baby back into the mix things started to calm down. No more new spots, the old spots started to subside, and I noticed a difference in my hyper-pigmentation. During my stint without this I noticed dehydration lines, but in just one night of using this product those line have disappeared. Miracle worker!
Oh and I love using this on my belly too! Not to much just typically whatever is left over, I think the oils help prevent huge stretch marks.
Kiehl's get another thumbs up from me!
Have you all tried this before?
Mondays are rough, but to make Mondays a little more bearable a little quick pamper can make for a great start to the week.
When I find I have 10 minutes to spare, I immediately reach for a face mask my go to mask is the NARS aqua gel luminous masque. It's a hydration surge for the face, during these winter months I need the extra hydration. While the face mask is working its magic I reach for eye pads to help with with my tired puffy eyes. Recently, I picked up the A! Absolute cooling eye pads. These are great for waking up my tired eyes. I like to keep them in the fridge to maximize the de-puffing. These two steps allow me to put my best foot forward at the start of the week.
Yesterday in my September FavoritesI mentioned the Valentia Even Glow Serum. I received it from BrandBacker about a month ago now, and I think you may be able to tell that I love it.
There are a couple claims with this product, like evens skin tone, increases glow and radiance, boost collagen production, and reduces wrinkles and fine lines. I have noticed a significant difference in my complexion since beginning to use this. My hyperpigmentation is practically gone. I need to really look to notice any spots. I would link this to the Rosehip oil in the serum. I can also notice a healthy glow to my skin in the mornings when I use this at night, which I believe can be linked to the 20% vitamin C. It is also very moisturizing linked to the sea buckthorn oil, but absorbs really quickly.
Now this has some anti-aging properties that as much as I would like to say they work, I just can’t. Not saying that they don’t, but I just don't have many fine lines and wrinkles to say much. But in about ten years I’ll probably be able to see if these properties work.
You can find the Valentina Even Glow Serum on Amazon for $35.
I am a HUGE fan of skincare and am pretty much down to try anything to give me clear, smooth, glowy skin, except of course that vampire facial thing that was going around. So when given the opportunity through BrandBacker to test out an at home peel came about I was game! Exuviance was kind enough to send me a couple samples of their Excuviance Performance Peel AP25 along with their OptiLight Essential 6 Serum
and their Evening Resorative Complex.
I have always wanted to give try out a glycolic peel because I have always experience some type of breakout that left me some scars. There are a few reasons why I never actually got one, one my mother said no for a number of reasons but the one that was repeated most was that I was just too young to do that to my skin. Two they’re on the pricier side of things. Three straight fears I would look like Samantha from Sex and the City when she had a peel done.
The Performance Peel was created to be safe and easy to use at home. How it works is that you are meant to use it twice a week for 6 weeks to see results. Their claims are that after a month the peel will help with…
•Refine pore size and smooth texture
•Visibly diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
•Improve clarity and brightness
•Brighten and even skin tone
•Provide an all-over healthy glow, suppleness and smoothness to skin
What I experienced with this peel is that I experience no irritation and no redness. So I can say I do believe it is safe to use at home. However, I only tried this out for 2 weeks so I can’t really say much on the long term results. After each use I did notice that in the mornings my skin did look brighter, and I believe that this did play a part in the appearance of my scars. When it comes down to pore size, texture and fine lines I have to say that my age came into play. I’m 22 [Taylor Swift song now stuck in my head] so fine line, wrinkles and texture isn’t a concern just yet, however pore size are and though I do believe this may help in long term use. During my trial run I just wasn’t able to record any noticeable difference. So mom you were right!
When it comes to the appearance of my scars I believe the biggest player here was the OptiLight Essential 6 Serum. This was something I wasn’t too sure about as I thought “well everything now claims to even your skin tone” but this actually does! Now when I first applied this I was surprised because it reminded me of a targeted spot treatment more than a serum. It’s thin and absorbs super quick, so I used it like a sport treatment and I’m really impressed. There is so much science that is behind this so check out their site if you want to know how exactly this works.
Lastly Exuviance sent me their Evening Resorative Complex, in layman's terms their night cream that is A-MAZ-ZING. It smells divine has a fresh cucumber-y sent, its thin but moisturizing and absorbs quickly. Now like the serum there is a ton of science into this product, so for more information head on over to their site www.Exuviance.com
The Body Shop's Camomile Cleansing Oil was a recommendation from Amelia Liana [not personally]. I took my first trip into body shop, which I was very surprised of because I passed it every time at my mall. However, when I picked this up it was on deal...PLUS and its on deal NOW...PLUS PLUS.
I picked this up after hearing how great it was at removing makeup, even waterproof and how it didn't leave an oily film. As I typically have dehydrated/dry to normal skin a cleansing oil sounded like the best alternative to removing my makeup as opposed to the wipes. I have been meaning to try a couple out but hadn't wanted to shell out a ton for it, in fear I would hate it. I went into the body shop with no intention to actually grab anything but when I found this on deal... it was a sign!
After about a month of using this to remove my makeup, there is no going back! I'm in LOVE with it! In just one pump it can take off my everyday makeup and with just two it can take off heavy makeup. I am able to remove my waterproff mascara quicker than ever, and lastely the reason this stands out is because there is no oily film! Your skin will feel clean and smooth.
Here's what you do... you shake it up take one to two pumps and rub it onto your face for a couple of seconds, wet your hands and rub your face again the oil begins to lather, take a cloth and wipe off and TA-DA you're done!
Back in January I started a series on the blog called Skin Care 101 [links down below]. I got some amazing feed back then, and today I'm back with another skincare tip.
Chances are if you wear makeup or suffer with skin issues, you've experienced some type of skin congestion at some point in time. I've dealt with this for some time now and have found a routine that I found works best for my combination dry skin.
I purchased the Clinique 3-Step acne system some time ago and I think it does a really nice job of keeping my skin clear, however I find that it can be to harsh for my skin if used everyday. So I found that this system work best when my skin needs a deep clean. I start with just cleansing my face with the foam cleanser, then I apply a nose strip because if I'm going to deep clean my pores I might as well go all out. After the nose strip is peeled I go in with a face mask I typically alternate between the boots botanics or the mint julep mask. I then go in with the toner and the all-over clearing treatment. Now after doing all these steps my skin gets pretty tight and dry so to restore some of that moisture I go in with my trusty NARS aqua gel luminous mask, really any moisturizing mask will do. Leave the moisturizing mask for as long as you want and then go in with your usual moisturizers and serums.
Because this routine is drying I don't do this every week, but rather once a month if I'm good but typically just when I notice my skin needs a deep clean. Another way to help prevent or minimize congestion is to exfoliate regularly and just keep a regular skincare regime.
