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.

[Mochapj]

@mrsbaine I haven't! I haven't heard great things about it and I don't love liquid oil cleansers [prefer balm to oil ones] It has a nice ingredient list but I've heard more positive reviews about using it as a facial oil than as any sort of facial wash

[mrsbaine]

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Mochapj wrote:
@mrsbaine I've written about my love of VBC pretty extensively in this thread and it popped up in my monthly faves a few months in a row 😊 suffice it to say I'm a huge fan. I've been using it nightly since May and I will finish my FS jar this month. I find I do prefer it to Blue Cocoon - particularly for summer because BC was always heavier than I wanted in the heat. I think for oily skin the texture is great but if you're normal or dry it's probably not going to be enough. I'm not sure if it's going to be enough for me through a Canadian winter but for spring-summer-fall I won't repurchase anything else. It's definite HG status for me.

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I do recall that you love it @Mochapj! It's quite nice. I do agree that this really won't work for me over the winter. The sample size from BH is generous and I think I will finish it probably around mid/late September. Because of my skin type, (Dry/dehydrated), I think that's probably a good time to move back to Blue Cocoon. 

I ordered the Herbal Infusion Oil. It sounds like a good morning cleanser option. All the reviews I read says it's not a "makeup remover" but a great botanical face wash. @Mochapj have you used this?  

[Mochapj]

Received a very long email from May Lindstrom this evening about some ingredients changes but the one thing I came over to post was that 'the good stuff' is being retired

[PaulZedrich]

Gorgeous photo!

I totally agree! I have found that natural products and dr brand/clinical products work much better for my skin. I have combo skin, deals with acne and very sensitive. And all the natural brands I have tried have been working really well!

[bonafide11]

Cross-post from the Luxury Skincare thread. I think Omorovicza is natural-ish...

New Midnight Radiance Mask coming soon

[lyravega]

[pocketvenus]

I love this thread!

For cleanser, I love Pure + Simple's Sensitive Cleansing Milk. It's CA$39 for 200 ml. It doesn't strip skin of moisture but it's strong enough to take off my waterproof mascara. I also use their Vitamin C Serum which is CA$33 for 50 ml - an amazing price compared to most natural serums out there. It also performs very well, with a noticeable reduction in pigmentation and a smoother, tauter skin texture. It's a small Canadian brand so products might be more expensive/unavailable elsewhere?

I've been using Martina Gebhardt's Salvia Facial Lotion for years. It's an organic German brand. Light, fast absorbing and very moisturizing. CA$40 for 100ml but perhaps is cheaper in Germany.

All free of parabens and petrochemicals.

I also use sukin's Hydrating Body Lotion. This one has some ingredients like Ceteareth-20 that are not so great but it is still free of parabens and other nasties and is a certified carbon neutral product. I forgot the price but it's quite affordable. It's an Australian brand - I'm noticing a LOT of natural beauty products coming out of Australia...

[lyravega]

Something about this photo makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. It's pure heaven! Just gimme all The Bean!!! 😄

[christinaalyce]

I adore Mahalo! I use The Unveil and Rare Indigo religiously. I really want to try the bean, I'm just afraid it would be a little much for my sensitive skin. I should have gotten the August Beauty Heroes box, it was such a good price.

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lyravega wrote:

Something about this photo makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. It's pure heaven! Just gimme all The Bean!!! 😄

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[veronika23]

Hi @christinaalyce!  I would consider my skin sensitive and I do well with this mask. It's actually one of my favorites. If you are worried at all I think you can get a sample from a few places. That's how I ended up trying mine... I bought a sample from a Canadian retailer.

[mrsbaine]

I really like the packaging of the product.... But the products themselves have to grow on me.... A lot. 

[lyravega]

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mrsbaine wrote:

I really like the packaging of the product.... But the products themselves have to grow on me.... A lot. 

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@mrsbaine I know exactly what you mean. That sometimes happens to me with some products, too. Mahalo products are not of those, though. Their products work so beautifully for me, and many give me instant results, too. I sure appreciate that. So, yeah, that's why I adore the brand. It works so wonderfully for me ( minus the yellow balm for obvious reason ), I can't stop raving about it. 🙂

[fairlywell]

I cannot be the only one who looks longingly at the little jar of Blue Cocoon wishing it came in a body formulation. Well I found it! [NOT a BC dupe. A sidecar.]

Khus Khus Bleu Body Wax has that delicious blue tansy scent and melt-on-your-fingertips texture in a 200 ml container. And and and! New customers can join their mailing list for 35% off. They have an oil version too if you are into that. Not an ad and not a freebie - I'm just so excited!

[Magycmyste]

So, I finally finished my Odacite Clogged Pores sample, so I opened up my Clair De Lune (just got that) and Clogged Pores bottles. 🙂

First, I need commiseration. I think my hands were already oily, and when I opened up my Clogged Pores bottle, it fell into the sink and spilled!!! 😞 😞 😞 I think it might have been 1-2 ml worth before I caught it and screwed the cap back on. I saved what I could (my shoulders and decolletage are getting a Clogged Pores treat today), but.... aaaghhhh!!!!

Ok, whining done. I've got a couple of questions for the facial oil experts, too.

I noticed the droppers on the Odacite serums have sort of a bulb on the end. I also noticed this on my Floracopeia face serum, and that it is not on my Farsali face oil (or any other oil I've gotten before). So....does this bulb have a point? What does it do?

Also, I noticed that the Odacite bottles are a bit smaller than my Farsali and Floracopeia bottles. Not complaining, really. Just observing. (Granted, after the Youtube videos raving about the Farsali elixir, that bottle turned out to be a bit smaller than I thought it was, for some reason.) Anyway, for those of you who have Vintner's Daughter, I was curious how that bottle size compared with these.

[lyravega]

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Magycmyste wrote:

So, I finally finished my Odacite Clogged Pores sample, so I opened up my Clair De Lune (just got that) and Clogged Pores bottles. 🙂

First, I need commiseration. I think my hands were already oily, and when I opened up my Clogged Pores bottle, it fell into the sink and spilled!!! 😞 😞 😞 I think it might have been 1-2 ml worth before I caught it and screwed the cap back on. I saved what I could (my shoulders and decolletage are getting a Clogged Pores treat today), but.... aaaghhhh!!!!

Ok, whining done. I've got a couple of questions for the facial oil experts, too.

I noticed the droppers on the Odacite serums have sort of a bulb on the end. I also noticed this on my Floracopeia face serum, and that it is not on my Farsali face oil (or any other oil I've gotten before). So....does this bulb have a point? What does it do?

Also, I noticed that the Odacite bottles are a bit smaller than my Farsali and Floracopeia bottles. Not complaining, really. Just observing. (Granted, after the Youtube videos raving about the Farsali elixir, that bottle turned out to be a bit smaller than I thought it was, for some reason.) Anyway, for those of you who have Vintner's Daughter, I was curious how that bottle size compared with these.

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@Magycmyste  Oh, noes! So sorry for your Clogged Pores serum! Ugh, ain't that a bleep!

Yes, it does have a point. It is very precise and easily controllable dropper so one dosen't dispense too much ( like it is case with so many droppers of so many oils out there ). These are concentrated serums, so I guess Odacite wanted to make sure, and easier for us not to over use them.

As I already mentioned, these are concentrated serums. So yes, they are small as they are - concentrates. Not "regular" facial oils. You don't need the usual amount, like in case of your "regular" face oils. You just need 2-3 small drops, either applied directly to your skin, or mixed with your moisturizer.

[Mochapj]

@Magycmyste here are a few size comparisons.

i don't own VD anymore but the bottle size pictured is the same

[Magycmyste]

Thank you so much for the pictures and info, @Mochapj!

A tray is definitely a good idea. I've got one that would work well, but it's holding makeup I need to move around. I need to get to work finishing some of my other makeup, so I can consolidate...

[Mochapj]

@Magycmyste I can sympathize. I have knocked my Odacite serums down the drain a few times. I've since started keeping my bottles in a tray and only unscrewing the droppers so I can't knock them over. 🙂

I believe the intention of the bulb is to deliver a specific size of drop. However, I noticed on one of my empties bottles this month, the bulb had broken off at some point and it fell out of the bottle when I was trying to get the last few drops out 😮

Odacite bottles are smaller. The 'Private Blend' are 15ml/0.5oz, and the serum concentrates are 5ml/0.17oz.  Vintners Daughter is 30ml/1 full oz. I think the difference between them is also dosage, though. Odacite serums typically recommend 2-3 drops, while Vintners comes with instructions to use 8 drops. 

[Mochapj]

I received my order from Mahalo this week for their Heart of Summer facial mist and I wanted to come by and post some thoughts.

The mist is very hydrating and cooling, however given the ingredients list, it isn't quite as nice a scent as I was expecting. It doesn't smell much of rose, helichrysum, coconut or lemon balm. Rather, I mostly get a grassy, chamomile out of it. Regardless, it's a nice product and lovely for parched summer skin.

Also wanted to thank @lyravega for bringing up Violets Are Blue. I was in the US recently and spotted them on the shelves at Credo Beauty, so I picked up an oil to try. The ingredients list looked very nice but I probably wouldn't have noticed them had I not recognized the name, so thank you!!

[lyravega]

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Mochapj wrote:

I received my order from Mahalo this week for their Heart of Summer facial mist and I wanted to come by and post some thoughts.

The mist is very hydrating and cooling, however given the ingredients list, it isn't quite as nice a scent as I was expecting. It doesn't smell much of rose, helichrysum, coconut or lemon balm. Rather, I mostly get a grassy, chamomile out of it. Regardless, it's a nice product and lovely for parched summer skin.

Also wanted to thank @lyravega for bringing up Violets Are Blue. I was in the US recently and spotted them on the shelves at Credo Beauty, so I picked up an oil to try. The ingredients list looked very nice but I probably wouldn't have noticed them had I not recognized the name, so thank you!!

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@Mochapj  Thanks for the review of the Mahalo mist. That sounds really nice. I am still not sure if I want to order it... A lot of face mists irritate me. No common factor ( that I'm aware of ) so far. So, I am hesitant to order it as one can't return it if it turns out not to work for them.

Ohhh, nice! I like the simple ingredient list. Hope it will work for you. And, I'd definitely like to hear your thoughts on it. I know we don't have the same ( or even similar ) skin type, but we do like a lot of same products. 🙂 It is on my list ever since I first learned about the brand, but right now I'm not getting anything new as I have so much to go through.

I've only tried their deo so far, and, sadly, it didn't work for me. But, it smells SO good!

[ReneeH33]

I'm all in for the natural skincare group!