Oct 7, 2012

Review: Juice Beauty Organics to Clear Skin Set


 

Ever since I stopped taking birth control over 3 years ago, my skin has gone from being normal to dry to extremely oily, and as a result, quite acne prone. On top of that, I've always had sensitive skin that was easily rubbed the wrong way (no pun intended!) by harsh facial or skincare products. With those things in mind and my desire to only use organic skincare, I decided to pick up the Juice Beauty Organics to Clear Skin try-me set to see if it could work magic on my face. I purchased my kit from ULTA, but I believe it's also sold at Sephora and Bloom.com, among other retailers.

The kit runs for almost $40 but it contains fairly large size products, especially compared to other try-me type kits (it says on the packaging that the products are sized as shown, which is also nice since so many companies show big sizes on the front and then you open the box to find they are a LOT smaller than you thought). Inside you get a face wash/cleanser, a blemish clearing serum, an oil-free moisturizer, a peel for sensitive skin and a little soft sham. You also get a nice, detailed instruction page that shows you how often and when to use each of the products. Essentially, the recommendation is that you wash your face twice as day, along with applying the serum and moisturizer. The peel is meant to be used once a week.


I'll start by saying that I thought the cleanser was really wonderful. It has a very light, subtle citrus scent and lathers just enough. It rinses clean, removed all specks of makeup and didn't make my skin feel tight, rough or stripped (a big pet peeve!). It also only took one pump of product for me to wash my face, so the trial size product I received in the kit wound up lasting me two months instead of 30 days (which is the promise).

The blemish clearing serum also really impressed me. It says you can spot treat, but my skin was so bad at the time that I just applied a light layer all over my face. The serum had a light tightening effect as it sank into my skin, so I would let it sit for about 10 minutes until I felt the tightness and then I'd go back to apply the moisturizer. The serum definitely makes a difference! Although I don't think it did as much for me in the realm of preventing new pimples, it most certainly helped existing pimples heal much more quickly. My only complaint is that I couldn't use it twice a day because it didn't sit well with my foundation and would cause my face makeup to speckle all over my face rather than sinking in. I've read some other reviews of this kit and some folks have said it works great under their makeup, so if you buy it, give it a try on the weekend when you have time to go back and wash your face again if it doesn't work well with your foundation. :)

The oil-free moisturizer I could give or take. I found that it could be a bit splotchy, so I'd rub the product between my hands for a few seconds to warm it up before applying it and that helped. It also sinks in really quickly and doesn't leave a greasy feeling on your skin (probably because it's oil-free), so that was nice. Unfortunately it doesn't have SPF, so you'll want to make sure your foundation does, or you'll want to apply a sunscreen separately. Personally, I just enjoy a bit more luxurious of a face cream -- something that feels nourishing to apply -- so this thinner formula didn't strike my fancy as much.

The only product in the kit that I really felt was wasted on me was the green apple peel. Now, granted it's made for sensitive skin, so it may just be that it was too sensitive for me, although given my history with skincare products that seems to be a bit of a stretch. The instructions say to apply a thin layer on your skin and let it sit for 10-15 minutes before rinsing. It hardens on your face as most masks do, but it's clear in color so you don't actually notice any product on your face. Apparently it's supposed to peel off the top layer of your skin to reveal the glowing skin underneath and help heal acne scars, but I really didn't notice any difference, even after using the peel once a week, as recommended, for a full two months.

At the end of the day, the Juice Beauty kit never 100% cleared my skin, especially around that time of the month, but I DO think that it made a pretty dramatic difference and would recommend it to anyone struggling with mild to moderate acne. I've actually gone ahead and purchased the full sizes of the cleanser and blemish clearing serum and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. I've also stocked up on a few other Juice Beauty products to try, including their Perfecting Foundation, so stay tuned for a review on those products soon!

Have you tried the Juice Beauty kit? Did it work for you?

Sep 3, 2012

Review: Superdrug Superfruits Exfoliating Mask


This review is a bit unorthodox for me, as it's actually a product that's only available at the UK drugstore, Superdrug (or online at http://www.superdrug.com/face/superdrug-superfruits-exfoliating-mask/invt/440452/%26bklist=, although I imagine the shipping wouldn't be worth it, giving that this product is only .99 pounds!), but I liked the product so much that I felt like I just had to take some time to write a quick review. I actually purchased this mask, along with a few other skincare items, when I was visiting London back in April, but given that I tend to acquire way more skincare and cosmetics items than I really need, it took until today when I was shopping my stash for me to remember that I had purchased it. Right now, I'm approaching that time of the month and my face has to decided to resemble a pizza more than porcelain, and I'm sick of it, so I was pleasantly surprised to find the Superfruits Exfoliating Mask just waiting to be used! Even though I know that the mask probably won't make my hormonal acne disappear, I knew it would feel really nice to pamper my skin a bit until it heals.

What attracted me to this product to begin with was the fact that it was paraben free, and as you know, I recently (well, technically it's been almost two years now), threw out or gave away all of my cosmetics and skin-care items that contained parabens. I've also been transitioning to fully natural and organic makeup, although I am allowing myself to use up the non-organic products that I have since I spent a pretty penny on everything. With that said, I'm pretty picky about the ingredients in products I use, so I was really happy to see that this mask was safe!

When I ripped it open this morning, the first thing that hit me was the delicious berry scent -- I could have eaten the mask (I held myself back, don't worry). The second thing I liked was the thick consistency! When I use a mask, I like to really feel like it's a mask, scary-green-monster look and all. So seeing that this was that nice thick, almost clay-like consistency made me happy. You could also tell that it was packed with strawberry seeds as the main exfoliator, and it was purple in color, almost as if the blueberries and raspberries had been smashed together.

I probably used about half of the packet to create a nice thick layer all over my face, avoiding the immediate eye area, and I let it sit and harden for about 10 minutes (the package said you could leave it on for 5-10 minutes). I then used some warm water to gently rub the dried mask into my face while rinsing it off and then patted dry, and I loved the results! I definitely think my skin looked more luminescent, and in the areas not spocked with zits, my skin felt ultra smooth and even a bit tighter than usual. The mask didn't make my skin feel red or irritated, as many exfoliating masks can. And the best part was remembering that I had enough left in the packet to use the mask again in about a week! All for just about US$2!

Again, I recognize that this product isn't something that's easy to come by if you live in the US, but if you're ever in the UK and stop by a Superdrug, pick up a handful of these affordable and effective masks. They also come in a number of other varieties -- I also picked up the cooling cucumber mask, which I have yet to try, but will review when I do (although it doesn't appear to be sold on the Web site like the other varieties). If you live in the UK and have also tried this mask, let us know what you thought below.

Until next time....!

Sep 2, 2012

Foundation Primers: Review of NARS, Make Up For Ever, Smashbox, Korres and more!


One of the things that bugs me most about the cosmetics industry is that sometimes they try so hard to get us to buy their product (instead of a competitors, or simply to increase their share of wallet) that they try to make us believe the product will do magical, miraculous things...and oftentimes, they don't. Now, I feel like mascaras and foundations tend to be two of the biggest culprits in this area (airbrush finishes only work if you already have perfect, even skin and I've yet to actually use a mascara that makes me look like I'm wearing false lashes when I'm not), but perhaps the all-time winner is foundation primers. Whereas most of us need (using need loosely, since I guess cosmetics as a whole aren't really a need) things like foundation, mascara, blush and eyeshadow in our collection, I don't really think that many of us thought we needed a foundation primer until all of the big companies started making us promises about how a primer would "make your foundation" last all day, "keep oily skin from getting oily" and "shrink your pores and fill in your wrinkles." It all sounds great, but the truth is that very few, if any, foundation primers really live up to those expectations. How do I know this? I feel like I've tried them all (ok, I haven't tried them all, but I have tried a great number of them, including Make Up For Ever's HD High Definition Primer, NARS Makeup Primer, Korres Quercertin & Oak Anti-aging Face Primer, Urban Decay Complexion Primer Potion, Benefit the Porefessional, Tarte Clean Slate Natural Face Primer and Smashbox Photo Finish Oil Free, among others over the years). Today's mission is to save YOU some money by de-bunking some of the myths about these primers and telling you which ones actually work. You can thank me later. :)

The "classes" of primers
Here's something I've noticed: there are basically two classes that primers fall into -- those that feel lightweight on the skin and disappear into it, and those that feel a bit greasy but sit on top of your skin. Among the primers I just listed, the NARS, Make Up for Ever and Korres primers fit into the former category, whereas the Benefit, Smashbox, Urban Decay and Tarte primers fall into the latter category.

I feel like people tend to prefer those "lighter weight" primers (and the companies that sell them use this as a big selling point during their pitches), but the truth is that I find them to be significantly less effective than their thicker cousins. For one, they simply aren't good at shrinking pores and filling in wrinkles, and two, because they almost immediately absorb into the skin, I don't find that they have the same staying power. Among the NARS, Make Up for Ever and Korres primers, I don't notice that ANY of them keep my foundation on for any longer than usual and not one keeps my oily skin from ruining my foundation throughout the day. However, if I had to choose one favorite, I'd probably pick the Make Up for Ever primer, solely because its white coloring disappears immediately once applied to the skin, so it's easy to spread about without leaving any sort of residue. Both the NARS and Korres primers tend to get a little streaky upon application, and although you can easily rub out the white coloring, I can't help but believe that it leads to a less even distribution on the skin (and also makes you have to tug at your skin harder, which we all know can lead to premature wrinkles!).

Among the second "class" of primers, I can see more of a differentiation between formulas. The Smashbox and Tarte primers are probably the closest, with both being a gooey clear gel. Urban Decay's formula is white in color, and tends to suffer from the streaky problem that I encounter with the NARS and Korres primers, and finally the Benefit primer has a skin tone coloring, that I think can actually help even out redness in the skin while it's shrinking your pores.

Here's the main plus about these primers: they absolutely are more effective at making pores disappear (even if only in the short term), fill in shallow wrinkles and give your face a truly even look (no, they don't get rid of redness, but they definitely make your face look more flawless). They also, in my opinion, create a slicker, smoother surface for your foundation application. In terms of staying power, I've really only ever noticed a difference in my foundation when using the Smashbox primer. Although it's still not perfect, and in my most oily areas (nose and chin) I still see some scattered foundation, I definitely feel like this primer does the best job at keeping my foundation in place, and also keeping the makeup I apply on top of my foundation (bronzer, blush, highlighter) from disappearing throughout the day.

Of course, there's always some negatives, and here I've heard that some people feel like these thicker primers break them out or clog their pores. Some people just don't like the gooey-er consistency on their skin. Personally, I haven't encountered any of these issues, but as I've heard them from others, I feel it's only right to add the warning to this post.

All in all, here's where I've landed: Foundation primers are expensive (the ones I've tried range from $30 to $36 in price for a full size item), and really and truly, they don't work the magic that their companies claim they do. If you have to buy one, I'd go with the Smashbox primer and use it primarily for those special occasions where you need a truly flawless look. If you take that route, it'll last you forever and possibly even minimize the clogged pores/breakout potential. And whatever you do, don't toss out those blotting sheets or translucent powder just yet, because at the end of the day, you'll probably need them too.


Jul 8, 2012

Review: John Masters Organics Leave-in Deep Scalp Follicle Treatment and Volumizer for Thinning Hair

As mentioned in my previous post, I've sort of been binging on products from John Masters Organics lately, partially because it's a new organic and natural brand that I've been interested in learning more about, and partially because I'm OBSESSED with Bloom.com, a new social beauty site that I've been a part of for about six months now. In addition to the skin care products that I purchased (and honestly didn't really care for), I've also been trying a bunch of his hair care products and having much greater success!

For today's post, I want to review the Leave-in Deep Scalp Follicle Treatment and Volumizer for Thinning Hair. As usual, let's start off with a brief product description from the Web site: If you have ever wished you could have thicker, fuller, and faster growing hair, John Masters™ Organics Deep Scalp Follicle Treatment & Volumizer For Thinning Hair is your answer. By dissolving unneeded sebum on your scalp and encouraging increased blood circulation at the level of the hair follicle, this daily spray-on treatment improves hair and scalp health and promotes stronger, longer, and thicker locks. As an added bonus, hair is shinier and has more volume.

Before I go into the review, I want to give a quick background story on why I purchased this to begin with. I have a chronic digestive disease called Crohn's Disease and need to take lots of medicine to keep things under control. Unfortunately, one side effect of the medicine, especially when taken in high doses, can be hair thinning/hair loss. And even though I have been on the medicine for several years without experiencing a ton of hair loss, recently things started kicking into high gear and I'd notice substantial clumps of hair coming out in the shower or when I'd style my hair. In six months, I'd say I lost about 1/3 of the thickness in my hair. Thankfully it wasn't noticeable to anyone but me (no bald spots or anything!), but as a girl who always prided herself on her hair, it was a troubling problem! Also, given that I already take so much medicine, I really wasn't interested in going to a dermatologist and being given yet another chemical medication to try to solve the problem. So I turned to hair products, hoping that by using some protein and biotin infused products I'd see some resolution on my own.

I can't say that the John Masters Follicle Treatment is a miracle worker, but I will say that it DEFINITELY produces at least short-term results. The treatment comes in a small spray bottle, and I spray about 8-10 spritzes all over my scalp after I've shampooed my hair and given it a very ;light towel dry (drying your hair roughly with a towel or wrapping it in a turban can also increase breakage and give your hair a coarser texture). I then massage it into my scalp for about 30 seconds with my fingertips, and continue adding my other products (a detangler and frizz serum) afterwards before blowdrying.

The spray itself is very light in texture and doesn't give your hair a heavy, oily feeling either when initially applied or after your hair is dry (I notice sometimes sprays make your hair appear instantly oily after you blow dry and this definitely doesn't do that). It also produces IMMEDIATE results and makes your hair come alive as you're drying it. Whereas without this product my hair feels quite limp after drying, with this it has volume, is easily styled and just appears thicker and more full. I love being able to look in the mirror and see what appears to be a really thick head of hair!

In terms of its long-term promise of increasing the thickness of your hair, I think I need to give it more time to truly know, but from what I have seen using this for several months and finishing my first bottle, I have definitely noticed a marked decrease in hair loss both during the shower and when brushing my hair. I've purchased another bottle and will continue using it unless I start to see the hair loss increasing again, which would be a clear indication that it wasn't this product that was making the difference.

This product retails for $21 on Bloom.com, which some might think is pricey, but it's lasted me about 3 months, so it's a $7/month well spent. And if you have thinner hair (which I'd imagine you do if you are interested in buying this product to begin with), you won't need a ton of spritzes to adequately cover your scalp anyway. :)

Have you ever used this product or something similar to tackle thinning hair? I'd love to hear your stories and feedback about what has worked for you and what hasn't lived up to its potential!

Jul 7, 2012

Review: John Masters Organics Rose Foaming Face Wash & Bearberry Oily Skin Balancing and Toning Mist

I first discovered the John Masters Organics line from one of my new favorite beauty Web sites, bloom.com. I had been doing a Yahoo search for organic skin care during my "transition" to all-natural products and stumbled upon the site because they had a whole section of products just devoted to natural ingredients. Now, this is good in some regards, but can also be bad because I found myself confused by the overwhelming number of products to choose from, especially when I had never heard of most of the brands featured. After reviewing the ingredients for several of the products and then reading consumer reviews (part of what's awesome about Bloom is that it's a social beauty site, so lots of people post reviews of the products after using them), I landed on two John Masters skin care products, and a slew of hair-care products that I will review at a later date.


Let's start with the Rose Foaming Face Wash...

Here is the official product description from Bloom: Wake up in the morning to the wonderful, fresh scent of pure essential rose oil. The ultra mild lather of John Masters Organics Rose Foaming Face Wash eliminates excess dirt and oil, leaving skin hydrated and renewed. The healing properties of plantain leaf soothe the skin, while essential rose oil stimulates circulation resulting in a radiant glow. This gentle face wash doubles as an eye makeup remover too.

The site also states that the product is intended for normal to dry skin.

Right off the bat, I was impressed with the high-quality and earth friendly packaging. The face wash was packaged in a glass bottle (no BPA yay!) with a pump and came in a recycled cardboard box. The presentation screamed high quality.The first time I used the face wash, I was surprised at how thin and liquidy the product was. I guess I was expecting something thicker and/or creamier. This worried me at first, but as the name says, the product did foam once I rubbed my hands together and began applying it to my face.

The product definitely has a light, sweet and clean scent, although I can't say that I really thought of roses when I used it. The cleanser rinsed clean without making my skin feel tight, tingly, sticky or scrubbed raw, which was great given that I have sensitive skin to begin with and need a gentle cleanser. Of course, part of me wondered if this cleanser was a little too gentle! Normally I remove my makeup with Yes to Cucumbers makeup cleansing wipes before I wash my face, but I did once try washing my face with my makeup on to see if it would remove all the residue and it definitely did not. I wound up having to use a cleansing wipe afterward to get the last bits of mascara and foundation off of my face. So all-in-all, if you're looking for a one-step cleansing product that removes makeup and cleans your face, this is probably not for you.

One other good thing that I'll mention is the fact that this cleanser lasted me quite a while, since I only used one pump in the morning and one pump in the evening. So, even though it retails for $22, which some might consider pricey for a cleanser, you'll get your money's worth.


Moving on to the Bearberry Oily Skin Balancing and Toning Mist...

Let's start with a quick product description from the Web site: This refreshing toning mist is a non-drying yet potent astringent to help your skin achieve a balanced pH, which leads to a refined skin texture, tightened pores, and reduced surface shine. John Masters™ Organics Bearberry Oily Skin Balancing & Toning Mist uses certified organic ingredients to nourish and condition your skin while infusing skin-refining natural botanical extracts to purify and protect your complexion. A must-have for combination and oily skin types.

You might be wondering why I ordered a cleanser that is intended for normal to dry skin, but a toner that's intended for oily skin and I promise, I have an excellent reason! Generally I find that if you buy ALL products for one skin type or another, it tends to tip the scale too far in the opposite direction. I have quite combination skin with normal to dry cheeks and a very oily t-zone. I find that if I use all products for oily skin it makes my face itchy and scaly, whereas if I use all products for dry skin it leaves my oily skin too shiny. So typically, I try to go with a gentle cleanser and then use a toner to control the oil.

Now with that said, I think that this particular toner is DEFINITELY TOO gentle. It was so gentle, that I can't honestly say that it did a thing for my skin. Rather than spray the product directly on my skin, which I think wastes a LOT of it, I sprayed it onto a cotton pad and rubbed it onto my face after cleansing. The toner had a very nice, light scent, but again really didn't seem to do anything at all. For $20 (and mind you, this is a MUCH smaller bottle than the cleanser), it's not a product I would recommend.

And now the kicker...
As I stated, I used these products for several months, and at first, my skin reacted just fine. But after a while, my skin slowly started to break out, and as I continued using these products, continued to get worse and worse up until almost my entire face was broken out, and in areas where I NEVER usually get pimples (my temples, under my eyebrows, my cheeks, etc.). I hesitate to type this, because I can't honestly say that I know for certain that these products contributed directly to the breakouts, but I didn't change anything else in my skincare routine at the time and was using the same day and night moisturizers that I had used for months prior. So I'm certainly making an assumption, and not stating that this will happen for everyone, but regardless, I thought I should put it out there.

In conclusion...
Honestly, I can't say that these are products I'd buy again or really recommend, especially due to my negative outcome. I will say that I like the fact that the company is devoted to creating products that contain good, natural ingredients and then offering them at reasonably affordable prices. So certainly, it's a brand worth exploring and I wouldn't be opposed to trying other products from them in the future.

Have you ever used anything from the John Masters Organics skin care line? Did you have a similar experience or did these products work great for you? Share your thoughts below and thanks for reading!

Jan 2, 2012

100% Pure Makeup and Skin care haul!

100% Pure has been on my radar for a while now, but since their products aren't readily available near me in a retail setting (ULTA carries a very small selection of their bath and body products) I was always a little leery of trying them out (I'm totally a see it, smell it, touch it kind of consumer). A few weeks ago, though, LivingSocial was offering a deal of $50 worth of 100% Pure cosmetics for $25, so I found my excuse to explore the brand and bought it!

100% Pure is a really interesting natural and organic brand. All of their cosmetics get their colors from fruit and vegetable pigments, and are guaranteed to be free from synthetic chemicals, fragrances, dyes and detergents. I'm amazed sometimes when I read the ingredients lists of other supposed "natural" brands of cosmetics and see that they are still filled with harmful ingredients. 100% Pure really lives up to its name and delivers products you can literally feel 100% comfortable and confident using on your skin.

For my first purchase with this brand I decided to sample one cosmetics item, one skin care item and one bath item for variety. I wound up purchasing their Coffee Bean eye cream, Healthy Skin Foundation and 8-piece soap gift set (the total was $80 before using my $50 Living Social deal, so certainly not cheap, but also not ridiculously expensive when you consider the price of many higher-end cosmetics lines). Although I will do a full review on each product after I have had more time to use them, I wanted to share some of my initial thoughts:



Firstly, the Coffee Bean Caffeine eye cream smells DELICIOUS if you are a coffee lover like me. Even the smallest dollop gives off a rich, coffee scent, and that's partially because 100% Pure uses concentrated ingredients in their products. It felt so great to know that I was smelling REAL coffee and not a company's manufactured coffee scent. The same can be said for the soap set. I was absolutely blown away with how delicious each one smelled. One after the other, they made me just want to jump into the shower over and over again to try each one out (I held back!). The foundation is the one item that didn't have a scent, despite being made with superfruits (which would have made me think it would have a berry fragrance). Initially, I thought this was a product I might have to return -- I have combination skin, which typically looks dry but produces lots of t-zone oil throughout the day -- and when I first applied a pump to the back of my hand, I noticed that it immediately settled into the wrinkles of my hand skin. When I went to try it on my face, I remembered this and thought to use it with a primer, but unfortunately, it still looked very crepe-y on my skin. I don't want to give away everything here since I will do a full review of the product, so for now I'll just say that I wound up mixing a pump of the foundation with a squirt of tinted moisturizer and the world is good again. :)

Please stay tuned for full reviews of these products in the coming weeks, and in the meantime, if you'd like to visit 100% Pure's web site you can do so here: www.100percentpure.com. (P-S: I am not affiliated with 100% Pure, they are not paying me for anything, and I am not using any affiliate links!)