Citrus is one of the strongest scents out there, and usually people have a love it or hate it opinion. I'm choosy about how I like my citrus smells -- I love fresh-cut lemons and citrus-scented cleaning products, but despise citrus candles and perfumes (unless it's mixed heavily with a floral or vanilla scent). I recently discovered another form in which I love my citrus -- skin care. I've been using my Peaches Skin Care classic cleanser for about a year now, which contains grapefruit and orange peel oils, and I really think the citrus scent helps to wake me up in the morning. It's a great all-skin-types cleanser that removes makeup and also works well with a Clarisonic. I've almost used up the bottle and I may even repurchase (gasp!).
However, this post isn't about Peaches again. It's actually about a brand I haven't mentioned before because I've never used it -- Origins. I got two Origins moisturizers in a sample pack from Sephora -- GinZing Energy Boosting Moisturizer and High Potency Night-A-Mins. I did not have particularly high hopes since Origins gives the impression of being a "natural" brand but I suspected that their products actually had a lot of synthetic ingredients, mainly from often seeing Origins being sold in department stores. But, according to their website, Origins products are free from "parabens, phthalates, propylene glycol, mineral oil, PABA, petrolatum, paraffin, DEA, and animal products," which are all good things in my book. When I did a little research on the brand I also learned that they are owned by Estee Lauder, which owns a host of other beauty companies including Bobbi Brown, Clinique and La Mer, to name a few.
When I tried both of the sample packs (got about three uses out of each) and didn't have an allergic reaction, plus they both smelled amazing with a strong citrus scent and sunk beautifully into my skin, I knew I was going to end up purchasing the full-size versions. A few weeks later, with my Sephora gift card in hand, I bought a limited-edition Origins kit that had full-size versions of both moisturizers, plus the GinZing eye cream and the Drink Up Intensive Overnight Moisture Mask. I was really excited for the mask, since Origins is known for their masks and I was hoping it would help clear up my occasional dry patches this time of year. Much to my disappointment, I had an immediate allergic reaction when I tested it on both my hand and neck (just to be sure) and had to wash it off both times. The eye cream is nice, but it was just about the last thing I needed as I currently have 4 eye creams in my rotation and I can never seem to use up a tube. I bought the kit specifically for the moisturizers though, and I've been using them on and off for a few weeks now and have no complaints -- no breakouts or irritation, just smooth, soft, faintly citrus-smelling skin. I use GinZing in the morning on days when I know I'm not going to be in the sun (which, admittedly, isn't too often here in Santa Barbara), and Night-A-Mins every night as the last step in my skincare routine.
I will likely be turning to Origins when it's time to buy a new daytime moisturizer with SPF, as the one I'm currently using (Benefit Triple Performing Facial Emulsion) is fine, but I can't shake the strong, powdery, perfumed fragrance or the taste of it if it gets in my mouth. Based on the reaction I had to the mask, I'm definitely going to be testing Origins products before purchasing, but I'm looking forward to finding other skincare staples from this brand.
A few months ago a friend of mine started selling BeautiControl products. For those of you (like me) who are completely unfamiliar with the brand, BeautiControl is primarily sold through representatives and catalogs, like Avon or Mary Kay. BeautiControl has a smaller product line (as far as I can tell) and everything I've tried has been high-quality, better than I remember Avon or Mary Kay products being.
I've actually been using two BeautiControl moisturizers as my main moisturizers -- the BC Spa Facial Defend & Restore Moisture Lotion SPF 20 in the AM (only on days when I know I'm going to be outside the majority of the day) and BC Spa Facial Defend & Restore Night Creme in the PM. Both don't irritate my skin or cause breakouts (yay!). There also isn't any noticeable fragrance, even though the website doesn't specifically say that they are fragrance-free.
Starting with the day moisture lotion, I like that it has SPF 20 from titanium dioxide and not one of the more chemical sunscreen ingredients that usually irritate my skin, like octisalate. It comes in a squeezable plastic tube, which is my favorite kind of packaging because it protects the ingredients from destabilizing due to exposure to light and, more importantly, means you can use it up to the last drop! The consistency of the lotion is not my favorite. It looks like greasy sunscreen when you squeeze it out of the tube. When you put it on, however, it absorbs quickly and does not look shiny. I've noticed that my skin tends to get shinier throughout the day when I use this, but I should probably invest in an oil-absorbing powder to wear that would take care of this problem. And while it's certainly not drying, it's also not particularly hydrating. I should note that BeautiControl sells a heavier version for drier skin of both of the products I'm reviewing in this post, and I have not tried them. I got the lighter versions since it was the beginning of summer when I bought them.
The night creme is also light and fast-absorbing, and does a much better job of moisturizing than the day lotion. At the same time, I feel like it's just an ordinary night cream. And it comes in a tub, which is not ideal. Both of these products are also on the pricer side at $30-35 each. While it's certainly not that extravagant (ahem, $100 moisturizer post), I think you could find similar products at a drugstore in the $10-20 range.
While we're on the BeautiControl topic, I've also tried their sensitive skin line which, naturally, irritated my skin, and some of their makeup products, which, on the other hand, I love. Cute, innovative packaging (their lip glosses have a mirror on the side and a light inside the cap -- genius!) and good colors. I also finally found my holy grail brow pencil from their line, in the most perfect, easy-to-apply shade of brown.
Overall I've been pleasantly surprised by BeautiControl and would recommend checking them out if you have a rep in your area.
And it's no one's fault. It's true in life and it's true when it comes to beauty products. I've been really struggling with which night cream to purchase (an old fave? a possible new fave from a trusted brand? something completely different?) and luckily the return policies at my favorite stores Sephora and Ulta make it easy for me to test out different ones before settling on the best.
While killing time on a lunch break in Ulta last week, I used up every available space on my hands and arms testing different moisturizers. When I left the store, only one spot (other than the abhorrent reaction I am about to describe below) was irritated -- from a Dr. Perricone cream, and I don't remember which it was. Luckily Dr. Perricone is a pretty expensive line, and I'm OK with crossing it off my list based on just that one experience. Of course, crossing something off my beauty list doesn't exclude it for life.
Case in point: Clinique. Some time ago, I had a bad allergic reaction to one of their face sunscreens, and we called it quits. Last week in Ulta, I decided to give it a go again. I dabbed on Moisture Surge, Moisture Surge Intense, and Super Rescue Antioxidant Night Moisturizer. Almost immediately, and I mean literally within about 10 seconds, the skin where I had applied the Intense version of Moisture Surge was itchy. 20 seconds later it was red. 30 seconds later it was itchy, red, and blotchy. A minute later small hives were visible. A minute and 30 seconds later the small hives were white mountains in a red sea and I couldn't resist scratching it. Even after washing my hands, the reaction area was itchy and visible for a few hours, and 8 hours later (after showering, mind you) there was still little dots and blotches that provided evidence for what had occurred earlier.
Clinique is 100% fragrance free and "allergy tested," and yet this product somehow caused the worst allergic reaction I have had in a long time, and at the same time the other two Clinique products showed zero signs of irritation. I actually went ahead and purchased the regular Moisture Surge and used it for two nights, only to return it. Although I wouldn't go so far as to say that I'm "allergic" to it, it made my cheeks slightly red and blotchy, and I'm just not comfortable dealing with that at $40 a pop. In comparing the ingredients lists of the regular Moisture Surge and the Intense, there are so many different chemical ingredients that I wouldn't know where to begin in guessing which one caused the reaction. The Super Rescue is my next try, and seems to have the best online reviews for effectiveness and gentleness, so we'll see if that means anything for me.
I also tried Ole Henrikson's sensitive skin moisturizer, Nourish Me, only to return it after a few uses. For one, it smells like a cross between fruit loops and a creamsicle, and it's a very strong fragrance. It didn't do much in terms of adding moisture and it made my skin just a little itchy.
All of these products have high-quality ingredients, minimal preservatives and harmful chemicals, and thousands of reviews from loyal users online. But they just weren't for me. Time to move on.
Yesterday, while I was browsing Sephora.com for things to buy with my Sephora gift card I got for Christmas from my mother, a curious thing happened. I chose Josie Maran from the drop-down list of brands, clicked on Argan Oil, and before I knew it there was a 1.7 oz bottle of Josie Maran Argan Oil for $48 in my shopping cart.
To the best of my memory, I have only repurchased one beauty product in my lifetime: Philosophy's Hope in a Jar moisturizer. I even ventured so far as to purchase the version with SPF in it right when it was released, which was a huge disappointment since the oil separated easily and overall it had a greasy consistency that was nothing like the original version. I was probably a little less than halfway through my repurchased jar of the original when I decided to look at the long list of highly chemical ingredients on the back and had a thought that maybe since I had used it for so long (almost two years) I was allergic to it and didn't even know it. At the time I was occasionally getting a small hive or two on my face during the day at random times, but had no allergic reaction when I put on the moisturizer in the morning. I admitted to myself that it was an unlikely hunch, but decided to give away the remainder of the jar to my mother anyway.
My underlying motive that I was trying to keep repressed was the opportunity to purchase a new moisturizer. To me, a facial moisturizer is the ultimate skincare purchase. You wear it every day, it can greatly impact the appearance and health of your skin, and there are SO many choices. I eagerly started exploring the beauty section at Whole Foods and visiting natural product websites, which introduced me to a plethora of beauty products I had never before explored.
Skip forward two years: I'm on line at Sephora, waiting in that maze of miniature-sized beauty candies designed specifically for impulse beauty buyers like myself. I paw a small bottle of Josie Maran Argan Oil, remember reading somewhere about this new "it" beauty product and it's miraculous benefits, and for $14, can't resist adding it to the day's beauty loot.
I read that it was a multitasker, so I brought it with my on my wedding/honeymoon trip and used it as a body oil and hair frizz tamer. It worked well, and I showed no signs of allergy (which is always a plus), although I found the medicine dropper a little annoying to use. After I got back from my trip, I unpacked it in a drawer forgot about it.
These past few months have been some of the worst ever for my skin -- I'm talking flaky dryness, itchiness, and pimples that can't even be fully concealed with my team of Make Up Forever products. I'm not really sure what's going on -- or if it's connected to my 8-pound weight gain and sprouting gray hairs along my part. Needless to say, I've been searching for a miracle product. I remember the high praise I read about argan oil and slather some on before going to bed one night. The next morning my pimples are smaller and flakiness is reduced. I put it on again the next night and see the same results, but there's one thing that bothers me: the mini-sized bottle is now only 1/4 full.
And so it begins.
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