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.

[lyravega]

That's a bad news for fans, for sure. Thanks for sharing the info, @Mochapj  !

[lyravega]

Odacite direct has the best CS ever! They never cease to amaze me! They really go above and beyond to make their customers happy. There. I had to share.

[eliu8108]

Yes, yes!!!

Recently, I had to contact them since there was a misunderstanding with regards to a GWP. They responded super fast via email and went out of their way to ensure I was happy with the outcome. I'm definitely ordering direct from now on!

[bonafide11]

That's great to hear. I'm always very jealous of all the great offers from Odacite direct. If they had free shipping to Canada, I'd be all over it!

[Llgc]

Well I took the plunge and got the JR Vital Balm with a coupon over the holidays! Here's to hoping I love it as much as every other JR product! 

[luvgloss13]

Hello ladies. How are you? 

New purchases I am loving! 

Josh Rose brook Hydrating Accelerator , I LOVE this. One of my favorite mists. I find I am going through it quick. Just ordered another one!

JR Hydrating Masque, used it once. Lovely. I am not too dehydrated now, but this will be a staple once the weather turns in fall. 

Jordan Samual Hydrating serum. Very nice and lightweight. It plays very nice with others .

Mahalo Petal masque, I adore this. It smells great. Leaves my skin so smooth and is gentle to use often. I really love it. 

Not 100% Natural. Ssley Black Rose cream. You all must sample this. I am blow away at the hydration , I use it after the Black Rose cream and oil and results are very good!

Things I am sampling now are Mahalo Indigo Balm. I like this much better than May L. 

Kypris 1000 roses. Nice, but very thick. Takes forever to sink in .  I gave up on Vitners daughter , may be too active for me now. 

I also got 

Me mamiel cleansing balm,

Tata Harper Honey blossom masque 

and waiting for Josh Vital Balm.

Love this thread! 🙂

[lyravega]

Ok, where were we....? Oh, that's right! Oils! It's their turn. Finally, huh? So, spill it, I know you want to. 😉 What are your favorite facial oils, and why?

[existincolor]

Clarins Lotus Oil - I use whenever sensing a breakout and it works wonders. 

Noni Glow Face Oil - LOVE this stuff. I had a sample and thought it was going to be all gimmick but it soaks in really well and makes your face soft, balanced, and glowy. I haven't tried some of the nicer oils on here so I'd be really interested to see how it compares. 

[Mochapj]

Some of my favourite oils (most are currently in my rotation):

Vintners Daughter* - with the exception of VD, all of the rest of these are in my current stash.  I discontinued use of VD because my SO is severely allergic to it and I gave away my bottle, but I'm considering buying another since he travels 50% of the time. Yes, it is $$$ but it's also the best thing I've tried in terms of making my skin look radiant and glowy. I could do without the grassy, neroli scent, but it doesn't linger for too long so I put up with it.

Odacite Clair de Lune - this came close to VD in terms of the radiance/glow it gave, which is a pro. Cons are that it only comes in a small bottle and until recently you could only get it as part of a set with a totally useless mist.  They sell it separately now, but it's still in a small bottle 😞 It is my current VD substitute.

Odacite Summer in Hossegor - I've been using this for nearly 2 years, and have gone through 3 bottles already. For someone who likes to try a lot of new skincare, it is one of my few consistent repurchases - definitely an HG.  I stopped using it for a brief period this winter to use up some other things and I could tell. It's been the best at addressing my hyperpigmentation and it gives a touch of radiance as well. I love the smell, I love how quickly it sinks in and how nourishing it feels.

Odacite Jo+L - my favourite clogged pore killer. It's lightweight and helps to keep my complexion clear. I use it every single day and have probably gone through a bottle every 6 weeks or so since the end of 2015.

Beuti Beauty Sleep Elixir - a relatively new addition I've been trying out for the past 3 weeks but I'm a fan.  Despite being called 'Beauty Sleep Elixir' it can be used day or night and it sinks in suppppper fast but is extremely nourishing. I haven't been using it long enough to speak to any long term effects, but in the short term I've been loving it and find it very comfortable for summer.

DeMamiel Autumn Facial Oil - (not currently in my stash but will be returning as it's seasonally available) this one is lovely at moisturizing and soothing skin during the transition between the heat of summer and the cooler mornings of fall. It's heavy enough to handle the dryness that comes with cooler weather, but still lightweight enough for warmer days.

Yuli ME Skinfuel - this one is another good acne-prone/oily skin serum. It moderates my skin's oiliness and it's lightweight (I have a theme) and comfortable both in summer or winter. A great all purpose oil.

Yuli Liquid Courage - another one in a similar vein of Summer in Hossegor - it's works on hyperpigmentation while also adding radiance, but still being lightweight. I don't love it quite as much as SiH, but it's pretty special and I like to alternate them to get the benefits of both.

Mahalo Love+ Roses - part of their Valentines 'Love+' kit, I'm told this is going to be released permanently later this year. I don't like rose scented anything but this is my one exception. I find myself using it on nights when I'm too tired to go through the full song and dance of a routine. A quick spritz of a mist (or just damp after cleansing) and a few drops of this is enough to keep my skin in top form (nourished/hydrated/plumped). Objectively, it's better for me in the winter, but I can still get away with using it in the summer as long as I'm not using it daily.

I've been using and have almost finished my bottle of Uma Clarifying and I like the results but I don't think I like it enough to repurchase. I hate that it's not in a light safe bottle and quite frankly, it stinks of cloves too much for me.

[greenchilli]

My favourite oils:

1. Aurelia Cell Repair Night Oil

2. UMA oils -I use Ultimate Brightening, Clarifying, and Total Rejuvenation regularly.  I also use their eye oil in rotation, and their Body oil is a staple.  I have multiple deluxe sizes of their other oils.  There isn't one I don't like yet.

3. Vintners Daughter - my husband says it smells like India.  I like the spicy scents.  Took me a while to love this, but I do.

4. Skin Owls oils - Mangosteen and Lavender Drops.  This was actually the first oil brand that changed my mind about oils.  Until then every oil I tried was a fail.  The Mangosteen oil is wonderful!

5. ML Youth Dew - I prefer in winter, when I am dryer.  It can be a bit heavy otherwise.

[mrsbaine]

This is one of my favorite skincare items of the moment.  I dove back into oils recently and have fallen head over heals for Uma Oils. I started with the Facial Starter kick that has the Anti- Aging, (haven't tried yet) Ultimate Brightening (love), Total Night Rejuvenation (It's ok), Beauty Boosting Day Oil (Love) and the Clarifying oil (Love!) I've bought full sizes of Clarifying, Beauty Boosting day oil and brightening. They are beautiful oils. The smell is amazing they work so well for me. While the packaging is a little odd since it's not a dark glass, the design of it is some of my favorite packaging to look at and leave out. I also like the company's story. 

[luvgloss13]

Hello! 

I am using Aureila Cellular night oil. The smell is great. But I find I need to layer it right to sink in and not lay on top . Any tips? I may try it alone and see how it goes. It is a beautiful oil.

I finally finished my Odacite oils and I am not sure if I will repurchase any. I think the custom blended oils are better than the regular range.

I have samples of about 10 other oils.

 Not all natural, but Sisley Black rose is so nice. It is a dry oil and really lovely.

Any other recs for oils for red dryish skin? I love the glow!

[greenchilli]

@luvgloss13

Aurelia is my top dog oil (also love UMA and Vintners Daughter).

I always massage my oils into a damp face.  Not wet, just damp.  I apply as few or as many drops as I need.

When I first tried Vintners Daughter, I remember feeling like it sat on top of my face.  Then I change up my method.  It works well in sealing in some moisture, as well as helping the oil absorb during the massage.

[luvgloss13]

@greenchilli , I have my Petal masque on, my hair has a deep condish on it! 

Tonight I will try less of the oil too. I feel I have been using too much. One drop is enough, I have been using 3. I will spray my JR and then do the oil and then a cream. I have been using the oil on top of cream sometimes too. 🙂

[lyravega]

@luvgloss13  Ay, I have no tips for you. Maybe someone else will. Just wanted to mention it didn't work for me at all. No matter what I tried to do, nothing worked. Aurelia oil just sits on my skin doing nothing ( which is weird. My skin is dry and usually readily drinks up whatever I apply on it. ). Except making my skin look weird and just terrible. Such a disappointment. ( It smells divine, though! ) Hope you'll have better luck with it! Keep us posted!

( Will get back to you on those recs. Gotta run! )

[luvgloss13]

@lyravega Thanks! 

I am going to try a bit less. The bottle is huge, so I feel I can use more, lol.

I will try it under cream again with 1 drop and see. The ladies really love it . It does smell lovely though.

If it fails, I will use it as a hair oil !

[lyravega]

@luvgloss13  That's a good idea in case of things not working out for you! I sometimes use it on my hair myself. I can't part with it. I love the scent too much. I'm silly like that.

[luvgloss13]

@lyravega I used it on face and hair today. Let's see through out the day how it feels. 

I will be back to read everyone's oil posts. I see some good ones listed! 🙂

[bonafide11]

Leahlani's Champagne Serum is one of my favs. I love the way it smells and my skin is very silky after. However it is a very rich oil and I can only use it in the winter.

I have a bunch of the Odacite serums. I've used a few bottles of Bl+C and making my way though 5-6 others. Jo+L is quite good too. I think I'll probably just repurchase Bl+C once I'm done with the others. My main concern is hormonal acne and congestion at the moment. 

I also like Poetic Blend, an indie brand in Toronto that makes squalene based oils. They're lightweight and absorb quickly and mixes well with pretty much anything. 

Also tried Josie Maran's Argan oils. They're too heavy for my skin. I still have some deluxe samples of Sunday Riley Luna. Not sure how I feel about it. It didn't do much for me but I don't think I used it consistently enough. 

As for body oils, just finished up One Love Organics white tea Gardenia Serum and currently using Osmia Sunset oil. I got these as GWP and do like them but not sure if I'd splurge and buy them.

[luvgloss13]

@bonafide11 I wanted to try that Champagne serum. is it too heavy for you now?

I have the bless balm and it smells so good. I also love the Ruby toner. 

I need another toner, I may sample champagne. 🙂

[lyravega]

@luvgloss13  It is a very rich oil, and it could easily be "too much" for normal-oily skin types right now ( or in general. I see it as definitely being better for dry skin types. ). But, everyone's skin is different, so that doesn't mean it wouldn't work. One should try it for themselves and see how they like it. ( Don't use too much! ) My skin is dry, and it absolutely loves Champagne Serum! It is a must for me during the winter. During the summer if I use it, I like it overnight. It is so nourishing, it's one of the rare oils I can use on its own, with nothing else under or over it. So, very nice for lazy days or when in a hurry. 😉

It is also very calming and soothing for my skin, so I often use it as "quick fix" when something else gets my skin all angry.

Another great one from Leahlani is Aloha Ambrosia Morning Moisture Elixir. I think I like this one even better. But, the Bless Balm is my fav from the brand.