New Year, New Citrus

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. 

BeautiControl

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.

Sometimes it just doesn't work out...

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. 

Weleda

It's been an insanely busy week. A huge part of my job over the past 3 months has been planning for a big conference that just took place on May 1 & 2.  I also had two smaller events on the days before and after. Everything went smoothly over all but working 12 hour days really took its toll on me. I didn't eat right, didn't get enough sleep, and didn't work out. I did yoga for the first time since last weekend this morning and I was shocked at how stiff my limbs left. Poses that were usually easy were surprisingly challenging. It reminded me of the importance of having a daily yoga practice, even if it's just 10 minutes, something to get your muscles working. I'm going to try harder to do that, even on days when it seems like there's no time for anything other than vegging on the couch and eating some takeout.

But on to one of my favorite natural brands: Weleda. Like another one of my favorite natural brands, Dr. Hauschka, Weleda is a German brand, and their products are made with ingredients that are sustainably farmed. While still on the pricey side, they're more affordable than Dr. Hauschka, and with very similar ingredients. I'm currently using their Almond Facial Cream, Iris Hydrating Night Cream, and Wild Rose Smoothing Eye Cream, and I love them all. I have a bad track record with having allergic reactions to almost all of the eye creams I've tried, and this one is lovely. The night cream is super hydrating on my parched skin, and I alternate between Almond Facial Cream and Almond Facial Lotion during the day, using the cream when my skin is feeling drier, and then top it off with an SPF not from Weleda (they don't make any sun protection products). 

Weleda is also well known for Skin Food, an all-purpose rich moisturizer, which I have not yet tried. They also have an extensive line of natural baby products, which I have also not yet tried but I'm sure I will at some point in the future! As I was cruising around their website earlier I also noticed they have a "Medicines" section with both OTC and prescription medicines. I'm certainly intrigued.