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.

[fairlywell]

@lyravega Thank you for this description! I've been interested in Plié but I am definitely in the never-a-washcloth camp. Sounds like it might do as a first round of cleansing, but miss the perfect balance between oily and squeaky that I prefer. 

[lyravega]

You're welcome, @fairlywell . Glad I could help.

Yeah, if you don't like to use a washcloth ( like me ), chances are you're not gonna like this one as a cleanser. Makeup remover ( or first cleanse ) maybe. But, as a cleanser, it would really be better if removed with a warm wet washcloth as it leaves quite a residue.

[jemly]

eep ! i'm sorry @lyravega. it's definitely oilier. but i love me a washcloth. so the residue doesn't even register. i have normal-to-oily skin but, as i do use washcloths, i've had no issues. and i love how it leaves my skin feeling.

i'll keep this in mind if i find something i think you'd like again, though 😉

[lyravega]

No need to be sorry, @jemly . I appreciate the rec. It is kind of a nice cleanser. Maybe just not quite for me ( for obvi reasons ). But, I think it'll be a nice makeup remover. I'll just have to give that side of it some more testing.

But, I def think it could be a very nice cleanser for folks that are not afraid of washcloths. 😛 It is so gentle and nourishing! Love that side of it!

Thanks for thinking of me!

[Mochapj]

@lyravega I haven't been able to make up my mind about this one, either.

I don't like the oily film it leaves behind and you know how I feel about washcloths 😄

It is a nice cleanser, and I do think it has similarities to the NUDE Omega Jelly but if I could only get that film off without a cloth...

[lyravega]

Haha, I do know @Mochapj ! The same way I feel about them washcloths! 😄

Yeah, it is kind of a nice one. But, maybe not quite for us who don't like to use washcloths... I think I can get away with just rinsing it because I have dry skin... But, for oily skin... It must be even scarier with that film left behind. Even I have an urge to scrub it off of my face with whatever! 😄

[lyravega]

I've been using my new Violets Are Blue deodorant ( extra strength ) last few days. It's a roll on! Surprise, surprise. I generally don't like those, or any other kind of liquidy deos ( as they've never done anything for me ). I didn't see it saying so anywhere in the description ( or maybe I can't read ), so, it is what it is. Anyway, I think I actually like it. It works! But, I haven't been crazy active these last few days I've been using it. So, I am still to put it to real test by running around this crazy humid city asap. But, so far so good, though. And, it smells nice, too! I am hoping this could be the one to "grab and go"!

Update: It's not working after all. 😞 It's not holding against my usual day of wrestling with the Humid City and pacing around... Boooo!

I need to put my paws on those @Mochapj mentioned. Anyone know how much Clementine Fields charges shipping to US?

[Mochapj]

@lyravega I just checked their site (they're a small local CF beauty boutique) and it says the ship to uS is on a $50 minimum order. I tested out a cart with just a sample and it wouldn't go through. 

I put in $50 of product and it looks like the charge is $18.99 (although this probably varies by weight, etc)

you may want to ask a Canadian friend to pick up and forward to you, unless they have $50 of things you want 😉

[Magycmyste]

IIRC, it's about $8 flat for shipping, and free shipping over $85. 🙂

[lyravega]

Thanks!

[luvgloss13]

Hi Lovelies! Can I join in? 🙂

I am so into green and natural beauty lately.

 Maybe you can help? Sorry if this is long.

I have so much skincare and I am trying to pare down. I will still use my Favorites from Department store brands, but want to add more natural stuff. I still like La mer treatment lotion and a few other luxury skincare items. I need my DDG acids!

I am ok with cleansers and have a ton for now. Many balms, oils and non foaming.

Toners I have an obsession with , I love my mists! I will keep them all and always look for new ones.

I love my oils, balms and masques. Looking for more! 

 For oils I have Vitners daughter . I tried it 2 times, put it up for trade and a wonderful person here convinced me to get over the smell and give it another go.

I have the Kora Organics oil and it is a nice day time light oil for me. Nothing too rich. Great for summer and very light. 

I have samples of a few luxury brand oils, Revive, Chantecaille, By Terry ect. Since these are not all natural I will save them to mix with foundations.

For balms I have Blue Coocon,  .leahlaniskincare bless balm and Earth tu You face balm.

I want to try Mahalo balms and masks.

I also want to try anything you guys think is amazing. I am in the states. I am normal/ dry. 

Looking for order some stuff. 

So far Josh Rosebrook is on my radar a lot now and Mahalo. 

Can anyone suggest the best place for samples and deals? 🙂

Thanks guys. Love the thread! 

[Magycmyste]

I'm pretty new to the higher end stuff, so samples are definitely a godsend. 🙂

Sephora, obviously, does samples, but it's a bit hit and miss what you're going to get (at least for me, it seems like the three free samples I get are almost never the ones I end up with). And of course, free stuff with codes. And going in-store to ask for a sample.

These lovely ladies have introduced me to a few ther places for natural skincare. First, Detox Market. For any product, you can choose up to four samples for 7.99, so about $2/sample (there's a link on the product page that says "sample it" which will add it to your basket. The samples are pretty small, but they can be enough to give you a feel for products.

There is also Alyaka, a U.K. company. They offer sample kits (Beauty Boxes) of some of their lines, including Mahalo. However, it's been said that their shipments take forever to arrive (I can't comment from experience, as I only placed my order....a week ago or so? Which isn't horrible for international shipping - but maybe not the best choice if you're in a hurry.) supposedly they include free samples in every order as well, but aside from the Beauty Boxes, I don't think there's a way to specify which samples you want to try. Also, it's not clear yet whether The Bean is included in the Mahalo box. It's not in the description, but it's a newer item, and it's possible the description hasn't been updated since then.

And someone earlier today ( @fatimamummy, I think), introduced me to Clementine Field. I haven't ordered anything from them yet, but you can order up to five samples per order from them, though the sample cost varies from product to product. I'd say these samples cost a bit more than from Detox market, but from the above picture, it looks like the samples are a bit larger, too.

haven't experimented too much with other places yet.

[Magycmyste]

So, I tried my sample of May Lindstrom's Problem Solver last night. I've had a few breakouts recently, around the edges of my face, and they are finally receding, but it feels like it's been taking way too long for them to go away (it's been about two weeks since the first one showed up, and I feel like it's been "fading" for over a week, and I had two or three more pop up in between).

So, one, I did not wait for a full 45 minutes, probably about 20-30 minutes. Mostly, I didn't wait because it was very late at night, but for some reason, I just really wanted to try it (And didn't look up the directions until after I'd applied the sample. It was almost completely dry then - there were about two nickel-sized spots on my face that hadn't completely dried.

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the smell. It's not horrible or anything. It reminded me of seaweed, and something sweet (there is cinnamon and cacao in there). It's not really even unpleasant, but it's not a mask I want to sit and breathe in the scent as much. It definitely felt warm and tingly - almost but not quite burn-y (it wasn't until I re-read the description and directions after applying the mask that I realized that that was normal, and probably what it was supposed to be doing.) After I took it off, I did also follow up with JR's Hydration Accelerator and a few drops of Farsali's Rose Gold oil, because I felt like my face probably needed the hydration.

As to the results... I think it worked for me! I wasn't entirely sure whether my zits had gone down or not (I thought so, but I was getting REALLY tired by then). This morning, once I'd woken up reasonably, I checked, and I think they are actually visibly diminished! Not gone completely, but my face seems to look a bit clearer than it did before. I ordered a full size from Skinstore during the Memorial Day sale (along with Honey Mud), so I'm looking forward to using it more to see if my face continues to improve.

I know it's been mentioned here before, but I remember different people mentioning different ways of using this product. How often do you use it, and how? What's worked the best for you?

[lyravega]

Glad it works for you, @Magycmyste !

[luvgloss13]

I am happy this works for you. Sadly it burned and irritated my skin. 

I think the way @Mochapj suggests using it is great. If your skin can tolerate it. 

One thing I suggest is not to exfoliate close to the day you use this. It may irritate. 🙂

[Mochapj]

@Magycmyste The full ML facial is nice (detailed here)

http://community.sephora.com/t5/Ask-The-Experts/All-about-Luxury-skincare-Come-in-and-chat-about-you...

Other combos that are good;

Blue Cocoon + Problem Solver (gentler mask)

Problem Solver + Honey Mud (moisturizing mask)

For the mask I typically only use it 1x/week because PS is quite effective, but also contains ingredients that can be irritating when overdone (cinnamon, cayenne, baking soda)

[Magycmyste]

@Mochapj Oh wow! That sounds like a great experience!!

I did remember some mention of using Problem solver on top of other masks, but I wasn't too sure how that was supposed to work. 🙂 I'm going to have to try that sometime... (though it will probably be awhile before I'm able to try the whole line)

Though I will definitely try Problem Solver + Honey Mud once I get them. Do you put on Honey Mud first, like in the full lineup?

[Mochapj]

@Magycmyste sorry, I was trying to answer you on my phone and my fat fingers gave up, LOL.

So with PS, you can definitely layer it with other masks.  The key is allowing whatever is underneath to dry a bit before adding the next layer on top.  If you try to slop it all on at once, it just slides all over the face.  

For BC+PS I would blend the 2 together and then apply this blueish goop to the face as the 'finished' mask.  

For HM+PS, I've done it a few different ways in the past.  You can apply HM first, and then 10-15 minutes later layer prepared (i.e. powder + water) PS on top, and then leave that whole combo on for another 45 minutes.  I've also mixed HM+PS together into a thick paste and then applied the mix to the skin.  Sometimes when done that way I add a few drops of tea tree, or an oil serum to the blend if there's something specific I'm trying to address.  In either case I leave it on for around 45 minutes and then splash rinse it off.  I only ever rub rinse it off if I specifically want exfoliation, because PS can be a bit abrasive at times.

[Magycmyste]

Thank you!!! ❤️

[fatimamummy]

Since Mahalo sample kit at Alyaka doesn't include the Magic bean mask 😉 So I ended up placing duplicate sample orders with Clementine field. Petal mask sample was OOS by the time I placed second order but I got two samples each of bean mask and both balms. I like how CF includes an extra sample and 🍭 with each order !

Now I'll be trying these pretties over the next few weeks.

[Llgc]

@fatimamummy I love Clementine Fields! Been ordering from them for years and they're consistently amazing to order from.

In an ironic twist of fate, I ordered a few days ago and included a Petal Mask sample but they were sold out of the Mahalo Balm samples! *eyes your balms enviously* 😉