NATURAL SKINCARE TALK

[lyravega]

I don't think we have one of these yet... But, if I'm wrong, please do correct me.

I've been wanting to make this thread for a while now, but as it usually is... Life got and gets in the way. But, better late than never, huh?

I've been enjoying many natural skincare products for the last 15 years or so, on and off ( mainly facial oils and balms, but masks, treatments, and body oils and balms, as well. ) I even used to make my own for years ( years ago ) as good natural skincare products were not a very easy thing to obtain. You'd have to try and hunt down quality ingredients and make stuff yourself most of the time. And, that was quite a task! It makes me happy to see that there is so many wonderful products widely and easily available lately. It makes things so much easier! 🙂

Natural skincare performs better for me personally. I love and enjoy using it. My skin adores it. I love the idea of it and behind it. So, I wanted to make a place for us natural skincare lovers to talk about anything natural skincare as I see there are many others out there that are interested, or already in love with it, as well. So why not have our own little place on here? 🙂 So we can share our experiences ( good and/or bad ), loves, favorite products, favorite brands and their news/new launches, discus things, share our daily routines, talk DIYs if anyone is into that, why not? Anything really.

By "natural" skincare here I'm talking about skincare made mostly or completely of ingredients available in nature, like plant-derived ingredients, minerals... You know, the whole nine. 😉

Anyway - feel free to join in! You don't have to be a natural skincare lover exclusively. Everybody's welcome!

A word of caution... For those who are new to natural skincare, proceed with caution. Inform and educate yourself really well on everything you are interested in trying and putting on your skin. Natural does not mean it won't hurt you! And, it certainly doesn't mean it's safe. Some natural ingredients can be irritating for some people. Go with what's good for you, don't force anything on your skin just because someone said it is good. Do patch tests. Be smart. People prone to allergies should pay careful attention to what they use on their skin.

 P.S. I am not completely and 100% natural, nor I imagine I ever will be as I do love me some other stuff, as well. But mostly, yes.

[Magycmyste]

Sounds like I need to try The Bean!

I'm not a frequent masker, but that's normally because by the time I think about putting on a mask, it's right before bed, and I don't feel like waiting. That said, I have a few in rotation.

Masks I have and use:

100% Pure Brightening Scrub and Mask: Honestly, I usually use this as my nightly cleanser, but I've left it on mask-style a few times.

100% Pure Aqua Hydration Mask: I got this one as a free GWP awhile back. It's not my favorite, honestly. The cucumber scent is nice, but there's also a... not sure how to describe it, an almost rubbery scent I get along with it. As far as results, it is VERY hydrating. My face feels like I've just come out of the shower after using it. That said, I usually don't need that level of hydration (ok, maybe I do, but that's more internal hydration). I think it would be fabulous for someone with dry skin.

100% Pure Bright Eyes Mask: This is just an under eye mask, but it is one of the best things I put on my face. I can almost feel the puffiness and sleepiness draining away when I use these and, against instructions, I'll put them back in their packaging with a little water in a ziploc bag, and reuse them up to five times or so, because they STILL WORK (I also figure this is the frugal part of me making up for buying so much skincare and makeup :D)! So yes, these are definitely on my repurchase list.

Deep Sea Cosmetics Dead Sea Facial Peeling Gel: I think someone gave this to me as part of a set. I've tried it a few times, but I don't think I've really gotten anything out of it.

Villainess Soaps Grundy Mud: I haven't used this often because I don't feel like my skin needs something this potent often. (Although I am currently breaking out around the edges of my face.) It smells a little like seaweed. It probably didn't help that I added too much water accidentally, and it came out too runny. Honestly, I'm not sure how much I care about this mask. My face feels clean after using it, but I think no more so than with any other cleanser I use.

Bath and Body Works Energizing Spa Swirl Face Mask (not natural, probably discontinued): This is probably the oldest of my masks, and technically the most used, in that I actually remember to use it when I know I'm going to need an extra burst of energy. It feels like I'm putting mint on my face and it's incredibly refreshing. 

Solstice Scents Oatmeal, Coconut Milk, and Honey Masque & Solstice Scents Exquisite Organic Cocoa, Vanilla Bean & Coconut Cream Antioxidant Face Masque (discontinued 😞 😞 I'm keeping these two together because I use them together. Solstice Scents is an indie perfume company that also used to make facial care. A few years ago, she decided to narrow her focus to perfume-making only, since that's her passion (and she does make beautiful perfumes). I managed to get a few items before they went out of stock and never came back (this line has always been small batch), and unfortunately, never managed to try a couple of the others (there was a rosemilk day cream that I kind of dream about trying to this day). I use these masks in combination with each other, and THEY ARE THE BEST THING I HAVE EVER PUT ON MY FACE! After using them, my face feels soft, clean, and fresh, and just plain happy. The scent probably helps with that, too. I don't think it has any added fragrances, but when you're making something with chocolate.... 🙂 I don't use these very often, but that's pretty much because I'm hoarding what I have and will probably cry when I run out. It's like I found my HG mask just a smidge too late. I have considered gathering some of the ingredients in these to try to DIY myself a mask, but haven't gotten to that yet (I think I'm afraid it just won't measure up). I also spoke with the creator a bit about potential replacement facial care for her line, and she had some suggestions for me.

DIY: Came across the gelatin and milk mask online and decided to give it a try. I didn't care much for the smell, but I'll probably add a couple of drops of essential oil next time. My face definitely felt exfoliated afterwards - didn't pull out some of the small hairs I was hoping it would, though. I will probably try it again a couple more times before I give up on it.

Masks I have but haven't tried:

Deep Sea Cosmetics Dead Sea Black Diamond Magnetism Mask: I was really curious about this one, but have been waiting to use it until I finish off some other ones first.

Villainess Soaps Crushed Mud: Honestly, I just hadn't gotten around to this one yet. I don't know if it's useful for my skin or not, really.

Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask: Sample from Sephora I hadn't gotten around to yet. Based on responses here, it sounds like this might be a bit too gentle for me, but might be worth trying anyway.
 

Masks I Want to Try:

Mahalo's The Bean: Because after this thread, how can I not try that one? 😄 Honestly, this sounds like it has a chance of being the successor to my Antioxidant Face Masque. Is it possible to get a sample of this stuff? 

Villainess Soaps Scintillating or Pearl Diver Mud: Based on the descriptions, I think these might be a better match for my skin than the others I have. But.... there are other masks I'm wanting to try more, so they're not a huge priority.

Andalou Naturals 1000 Roses Rosewater Mask: This is a mask recommended to me by the creator of my HG masks. It looks nice and inexpensive, and some of the ingredients remind me of her products, so I'm definitely looking forward to trying it out.

DIY: Also recommended by the creator of Solstice Scents, fresh lemon juice and organic yogurt. This one is pretty easy, so I will probably try it soon. The only thing is, I need to remember to put the ingredients on my shopping list. Also, not sure how well the yogurt will stay on my face. I want to say I've done a yogurt mask before and had that problem.

RL  Linden Co Whole Lotta Roses: after @Mochapj's post, this also sounds a lot like one I'd like.

Fresh Rose Mask: This is another one that caught my attention at Sephora and thought I might like. That said, it is a gel mask, and while I don't mind them, I think I prefer creamy and clay/powder-based masks over gel ones, because they don't really dry down on me.

I think that's it? 😄 Apologies for the long post.

[Magycmyste]

Wanted to update this, as I finally tried Villainess's Crushed Mud last night. I like this a lot better than I liked Grundy, actually (though it probably also helped that I mixed it to the right consistency instead of accidentally adding too much water this time). It's supposed to be a raspberry scent, although I predominantly got chocolate (maybe that's a theme with the ones I like).

Anyway, this one dried down nicely, smelled beautiful, and left my skin feeling pretty nice once I took it off (I just rinsed it off with water - I'm not in the habit of using a washcloth to remove my masks). Not quite the amazing experience I got from the Solstice Scents masks, but pretty nice. It didn't seem to irritate my acne, which thankfully is still going down (I feel like this batch is taking longer than usual to go away), and my face felt soft and clean afterwards. And a bit moisturized, although not as much as the Solstice Scents one. 

[Magycmyste]

My Detox Market samples came today!! I went ahead and tried The Bean (in a really thin layer, as I wanted to be able to try the sample twice, at least - it was probably only one use, realistically). The scent was really nice, though I definitely still like the scent of my SS masque better. That said, I really liked the way my face felt afterwards. Clean, refreshed, moisturized (but not too much), and... polished? Not quite sure how to describe that, but that feeling was a little different from the SS masque. I'll probably still hoard the SS masque, but the Bean will definitely be nice in between.

I also tried just a smudge of Vintner's Daughter afterwards. It was...interesting. I didn't get much rose out of it. Mostly green herbs with bits of jasmine peeking out here and there. But not unpleasant. I may spring for a full bottle, but I think that will wait until I've finished my current bottle of Farsali Rose Gold. I think I'm still a little confused about what Vintner's Daughter is supposed to do. From the description, it sounds like "everything."

[lyravega]

Yeah, those samples are tiny. The ones from Alyaka in the Mahalo sample kit are the same, just so you're prepared for the tiny amount of everything.

@Magycmyste

VD stinks of roses to me! I can't feel anything else but roses! Ugh. Probably because I hate that scent...

[Mochapj]

That cracks me up @lyravega 😂

VD doesn't smell like roses to me at all. I disliked the scent because all I ever could smell in it was neroli, which I can't stand 🤢

[Magycmyste]

Yeah, it smells like medicinal herbs to me more than anything else. I did pick out a little jasmine, though. And I do love jasmine (jasmine sambac, not what Bath & Body Works used to call Night-blooming jasmine).

[Magycmyste]

@Mochapj @lyravega

I think it definitely warrants more experimentation. I think what I may do is save the samples from Detox Market until I've stockpiled a few, so I can try it over a longer period of time (I don't suppose it's possible to get four samples of the same product in one order? I think it would look sort of suspicious, anyway). Honestly, I probably used less than a drop when I tested it (I swiped the wand over my face a few times, and rubbed it in - perfect amount for perfume, probably not enough for this), and I'd expect to use 2-3 per use normally. I'd be out in less than a week.

I wonder if we tend to just pick out scents we don't like over ones we do? While I love herbs in general, BPAL has taught me that while I adore gourmand/desserty scents, I don't seem to appreciate a lot of the green, plants, herby scents as much (I don't hate them, but they just don't do it for me).😄

[Mochapj]

@Magycmyste They do sort of claim that Vintners is a 'one and done' kind of product.

with prolonged use (I used for about 6 months before I had to stop) the most noticeable difference I saw was glowing skin. I personally didn't find it addressed my other main concerns (hyperpigmentation, hydration) but it gave the best glow of anything I've tried.

[Magycmyste]

Hmmm, interesting. The main thing I would want to work on is hyperpigmentation from scarring, old and new. It  seemed to work nicely for me in terms of moisturization, but no better or worse than most other oils and serums I've used (with the caveat that I'm really bad at picking up on subtle differences in my skin, and also that I've only tried it once with just a tiny bit). I think I'll definitely play with it more (and possibly go for more samples so I can do it over a longer period of time), but I don't think I can justify the price yet. That said, if it actually did go on sale, I would probably jump on it.

[lyravega]

@Magycmyste As for me, it does many great things for my skin, and that's why I love it. It gives me some of immediate effects that I appreciate in a product: soothes and calms my skin diminishing any redness instantly, brightens and evens out my skin tone. It makes my skin look radiant and healthy. Even some hyperpigmentation and scaring I have look diminished and quite a lot. So, for me personally it does a lot.

Hydration is not one of those things, though. I don't find it really hydrating. But, it is not drying, either, like many oils are on me. It's definitely not enough on its own. I always layer one of my balms on top of it. 

One usually needs to use it longer than what that tiny vial provides to see some results. But, for me it provides many effects instantly, and that's why I adore it.

[Mochapj]

@Magycmyste yeah, that's sort of what I mean.  In terms of hydration it wasn't any better than any other oil I've tried, so for the price and them claiming it's the only thing you need, I expect it to handle everything I want to address.

That said, it may be a challenge to find it on sale.  Just about every retailer I've seen carry it has it on the sale exclusion list. 😞

I'd love to hear what you think of it if you try it for a more extended period of time.

[lyravega]

"I have a few in rotation", she said. 😄 That's a quite a list, @Magycmyste !

And, yes! You definitely need to try The Bean! Asap! 😉 ( Detox Market offers samples. 4 samples ( 1-2 uses each ) for around $7. )

[veronika23]

Yup second the bean mask 😄

[Magycmyste]

And off to the Detox Market I go! 😄 I got samples of The Bean, JR's Hydrating Accelerator, ML's Problem Solver, and Vintner's Daughter's Serum. Rather torn between that one and Mahalo's The Petal mask, but my curiosity over Vintner's Daughter won out in the end.

And... I may have slipped the May Lindstrom treatment bowl and brush set in my cart as well. 🙂

[lyravega]

Vintner's Daughter is amazing! Totally worth the price to me personally. I'd repurchase in a heart beat... After I'm through some oils I have, that is. I am finishing my bottle of VD, and won't be repurchasing right away just because I have some oils I want to finish first. Hate being wasteful. But, I will miss her.

Nice choice of samples, @Magycmyste ! Hope you find something to love among them. And, there's always time for another round of samples, and the Petal Mask among them. 😉

[Magycmyste]

I definitely get the not being wasteful, @lyravega. There are several things on my counter that I'm trying to finish off, even though I'm kind of past really wanting to use them. I would say the Bath and Body works mask is one of them, but I do actually enjoy using it. I'll have to keep an eye out for an energizing mask for when I finish with it.

And I think the Petal mask will definitely be in my next round of samples! 😄

[veronika23]

I agree with @lyraveganice choices @Magycmyste 🙂

I have to re try VD. The scent is a bit much for me to handle... OMG when will my skin get out of this funk... grrrrr.

You know what I do... because your face has to be super wet to apply the bean mask I sometimes add the JR hydrating accelerator as I am applying the mask.. I'm kinda slow so my skin looses that wetness I need to apply the mask 😄

[lyravega]

I am not a fan of the scent, either @veronika23 . It stinks of roses so, so, so very strongly. I hate that stink. But, the oil works beautifully for me, so I try to "override" it. It is well worth it ( to me ). 🙂

[veronika23]

@lyravega  I can totally understand that 🙂

[Magycmyste]

Ooh, good idea, @veronika23! I usually do masks after washing my face, but I never really thought about that helping with mask application! 🙂

[veronika23]

@Magycmyste  me too right after I am done washing but sometimes the water evaporates too fast so I use the mist to continue smooth application 😄  You really don't need much of the bean mask, just make sure your face is wet when applying. If not it won't apply well at all 🙂