the new w.20

2013-05-17 @ 14:10:00

Glossybox Sweden announced in an email at the begining of this week that everyone will get to try Dr Bronners Magical Soap in the May Box. Unfortunatly, they didn't mention in which size. Otherwise I'm really excited! I've been thinking of buying a big pack of Dr Bronner for a while now.
You can buy Dr Bronner's soaps at Naturisimo and ASOS (big size) cheap.
 
Finally you can buy Cowshed products at Naturisimo. I've long wondered why they didn't stock Cowshed, considering it's a UK brand and store. You will find all the Cow's and collections here.
 
Another new brand, only this time it's Beautybay that comes out with stocking MyChelle Dermaceuticals. They do Natural skincare, and you'll also find them at iHerb where you can buy skin kits to try. It seems like an interesting brand, good pricing. I'm mostly interested in their facial masks though.
Buy at Beautybay or iHerb.
 
Can't come up with anything else new, so I'll leave you with that.
Have a nice weekend!

update and talking raw food books.

2013-05-15 @ 15:47:39

Sorry for disappearing, I've just been caught up in the holidays, a funeral, a trip to our summer cottage cottage (bad internet connection) and then I haven't just felt like blogging. To be honest, don't feel like it right now either. As always it's about new information, too much information, that I want to share with you but I don't know how to process it all without it being time consuming so I'll be put off. So the best thing to do is to just take a break and chew on it until I find the right words and where to begin.
 
I've got some good news, but I'm afraid it is just too soon to share, or to be certain that this is real. - It took a year for me to admit I have boyfriend and I still don't brag about him 'cause I just don't want to be disappointed, or disapoint others. But I promise to share you this breakthrough - if it even is breakthrough - when about 30 days has gone, 'cause a month is more reliable than two weeks.
 
In the meantime I've got some new books I'd like to share!
 
 
We can start off with the Crazy Sexy Diet, which Elisabeth at Natural Beautytalk recommended me - thanks again! I have yet only scrolled through, and judging by the cover and the inside I'm really liking it, it's going to be fun to read! I went for the Swedish translation 'cause it's always easier to understand and if there's any recipes I don't have to go by "cups" which I haven't got in my kitchen yet.
Then I chose Erica Palmcrantz's first book Raw Food in Swedish. The story behind this isn't that she's one of the most famous Swedish Raw Vegan (you may have seen her on TV4 and other), but I came over another book called "Raw Foods on a Budget" by Brandi Rollins. On her website she offers some freebies, one of which is a few sneak-peak pages of her book, and there I read:
"In July 2006, I became a raw vegan again. Yay! My motivations were simple: 1) I wanted to be crazy happy; 2) I had just seen the movie "Breakthrough" (created by Storm and Jinjee Talifero - a documentary about a raw vegan family) and I decided that I wanted raw vegan babies;"
Not that I want any children, but if I ever had any they would be home schooled and they would definitely be on the best diet earth can give us. So I researched this documentary* and found it on YouTube, and looked through it and fell even more fascinated with the raw vegan diet. Not to reveal too much, but in this family, the mother is Swedish, and she gets visited by her cousin Erica, which is the author of this book. At that time I had no clue, even though a few days before I had scrolled through TV4 Play and watched old episodes of raw food with Erica (I knew there was something familiar!). Anyway, after seeing the documentary Peter and I hit the book store to look up some raw food books and there she was, and when I read on the back of the book that her inspiration came from her cousin which had 40 kilos of oranges on their counter, the bell just rang.
 
And that's the story behind my purchases, other books I will be adding to this collection soon:
(they are clickable!)
 
 
*I really recommend you watch the documentary, the only thing I felt that was like "not enough" was the waving off the B12 issue. It kind of left you still with the question and leaving you to research elsewhere.
 

Have you seen the documentary, what did you think of it?

summertime.

2013-05-07 @ 12:00:07

The summer weather is really hitting us here in Hudik! Yesterday was a beautiful day to to reveal some winter pale legs and today is no exception! I will take my Love You Madly dress by For Love & Lemons for its first walk outside; I bought it late September on sale and since then the weather just got colder leaving no chance for flowery summer dresses. Gonna match it with my newly bought sun hat and I'm ready to go!

want it.

2013-05-06 @ 14:24:55

 
It's about 15°C ouside and for the first time this year I'm going barelegged! I believe most Swedes put on their fake tans around this time, but fake tans are not really my cup of tea. I kind of have a natural tan all year around and get brown pretty easily, but what I do abuse is shimmery body lotions!
I'm wondering, am I the only one slathering the Dove Supreme Silk Lotion with shimmer every summer? I honestly go through like 3 bottles in the summertime and I also use it in the winter for special occasions. Recently I read it contains parabens and other things I try to avoid. And right now I have like 1/3 of a tube left so here's some more natural alternatives I'm thinking of buying next.
 
If you've got any other tips on shimmery body lotions don't be shy to share!
 

the new w.18

2013-05-03 @ 11:42:42

Beautecobox is launching in the UK the 3rd of May. Subscribers will get to choose from 3 boxes, each with 5 emerging, luxury travel and full sized beauty and lifestyle products which will be delivered each month for £10 + £2.95 P&P. The 3 different boxes will contain a mix of products from the same set of brands, allowing the subscribers to choose products according to their skin type and needs. I think this is what I've been waiting for seeing as I do like Glossybox but I crave more and more natural brands. I know there's something called Ekolådan here in Sweden and it has crossed my mind, but Beauteco sounds better in my ears and I'm hoping it will catch on up here!
 
 
Satin Perfection BB Cream
 
REN just came out with the worlds first silicone-free color adaptive BB cream - their words not mine. Maybe a little late in the game considering we haven't yet tested out the CC creams and there's already a DD cream coming out, and why did we skip the AA creams?! To be honest I haven't yet fully tested any of these double lettered creams for I think they are made for more mature and perfect skin. The REN Satin Perfection BB Cream, as it is called, will make your skin satin smooth, matte and flawless, boost your radiance and protect you with a SPF of 15 - which is kind of low compared to other BB creams. Set at a price of £26/50ml, if you buy before May 5th you can throw in a Radiance Duo at their website.
 
 
That was kind of it for now.
Other blog/personal related news are:
I've updated my review on Effaclar Duo.
Started growing my own herbs and greens.
And yeah, bought myself a sun hat! I'm so nervous for summer, my skin always gets bad and it may be because I never really shade my face, so I'm kind of hoping a big hat like this one will protect me and a little less sunbathing...
 
 

juicing.

2013-05-02 @ 10:04:00

 
Let's talk about the thing that introduced me to raw food, Juicing!
A few weeks ago my Want It was a juicer, but it isn't something that I suddenly desired, I've been wanting one for a long time; I even bought a book on recipes for juicing a few years ago in the hope of one day owning a juicer - which I obviously haven't got the chance to use!
 
It all started with me taking supplements for my acne. I know from before that zinc, magnesium, vitamin E and B5 were good ones, but taking all those pills on a daily basis is not my ideal. So the idea of juicing started!
Why not juice the fruits and vegetables that contains the above and so much more? It won't only improve my skin but my overall health - One glass of reddish keeps the blemish away!...? Okay, so I don't know how good reddish is for your skin, but you get the point.
 
There's a lot of benefits of juicing, one of which are: you get a wider variety of vegetables in your diet. Things you would never touch because of the taste can now easily go down your throat without any chewing!
It also helps your body absorb all the nutrients from the vegetables. Juicing will help with "pre-digest" the vegetables, so you'll receive the absolute amount of the nutrition, rather than having it flushed down the toilet!
If you're having difficulty eating five fruits a day, this will solve it!
 
Peter and I haven't bought a juicer just yet, because while almost buying the Philips I suddenly found myself deeper in the juicing community and realized that that would be a mistake.
There's about four types of juicers out there: Centrifugal, Masticating, Upright Masticating and Twin-gear.
 Here's a short Pros & Cons (if you wan to read more explore some of the links down below):
 
These are the most common and most affordable juicers on the market. They work at a high speed and are great in juicing most fruits and vegetables quick and easy. Some of them have large feeding cuts which make it easy to just throw in a whole apple. This is a great juicer for those who are beginning to juice and don't want to do a big investment.
THE CONS: It's a loud machine, and even though it can do most fruits and veggies it doesn't do well with wheatgrass and other soft fruits and leafy greens. Another thing is their high speed, they often work at 700W which makes it approximately work at about 6000RPM. The more spins the more air is introduced into the juice which cause faster oxidation. So when juicing with a centrifugal remember to drink up your juice almost instantly, it can be stored in a bottle for up to 6-7 hours, but the longer you wait the less nutrients will be there.
 
These ones use an auger with a blade that literally chews the fruits and vegetables, which breaks up the cell walls of the plant and extract the juice with enzymes, vitamins and minerals - just like your jaw would do only better. They work at a slow speed, about 40-80RPM to avoid making foams and heat, which means more nutrition in your glass! Because of this you can store your juice up to 48 hours! The Masticating juicers can handle most type of foods and are especially great with wheatgrass and leafy greens. And because they run in a slow speed they don't make a lot of noise making you almost invisible to your neighbors in the morning!
THE CONS: Well they are slow so making a juice will not take a second. And the price is often double to that of a centrifugal. Plus, heavy.
 
These are very similar to the ones I just described only a bit better when it comes to size. These juicers work by first extracting the juice through a crushing stage and, before the pulp is ejected, it is then squeezed during a second pressing stage, which results in more juice, and extremely dry pulp! It hasn't got a lot of cons, you may need a strainer 'cause some of he pulp will follow through, but other than that this one is the most versatile juicer on the market and can do practically any fruit and veggie, even wheatgrass.
 
These are the Rolls Royce of the juicers and they come with a hefty price tag but also with most benefits. These work with two interlocking meshing gears which press the foods between them. They work at an even lower RPM, resulting in even less oxidation. Extracting higher yields of juice from all kinds of fruits and vegetables, leafy greens and herbs; the pulp that comes out of this one is the driest of all types of juice extractors. It can also make baby food, nut butters, fruit sorbets, and many include accessories for making rice cakes, pasta, bread sticks. I would say that the twin-gear juicer is mostly for raw food enthusiasts and for those thinking about opening their own juice bar for these will deliver you the highest quality of juice.
 
Whatever juicer you choose you have to think about what you want it to juice, what's your budget, and how invested you are. There's nothing wrong with a centrifugal, having a juicer is better than none, but if you want the optimal health and nutrients of the juice a masticating juicer would be your first choice.
 

fully raw.

2013-04-30 @ 15:05:00

 
 
I was just researching on YouTube on Juicing when I suddenly found myself at FullyRaw Kristina's channel. Her diet fascinates me, it goes against everything I've read so far on how and what you're supposed to eat. The question that popped up while going through her videos was: Can you live on a diet of only fruits, nuts and veggies? Can it even be healthier than any other diets?
 
The answer is simple and it's kind of logic when you think of it.
I've always looked at eating raw like it's only for temporary weight loss, detox and nothing you could live on a normal day-to-day basis. And don't get me started on the expenses! But the more I look into it the more possible it seems to be, it's just a matter of compensations.
 
We have to take in that Kristina owns her own company, she started it about 5 years ago, which is called Rawfully Organic and is the largest raw fruits and veggie co-op in the nations! One of the reasons she started that company was to have afford with her diet. She also seems to be living somewhere sunny where local fruits and veggies are available all year round.
The company is a beautiful idea and I wish for something similar to exist where I live, but we've checked and for the most part, we can only get local produced in the summer and only get it in our nearby grocery stores not as some local farmers market which would be more fun.
 
Peter is also intrigued by this diet, and either way it felt like we were going towards this direction anyways. We really want to grow our own crops and be self provided and just be as natural and happy as we can be. However, we are not looking at going fully raw here, but more of incorporate it further into our lives; to eat at least 50-80% raw everyday. I think it's called High Raw Vegan, although meat such as chicken and fish will occur in our diet.
 
Another fascinating thing was Kristina's story on how her eyes changed color, from a dark brown to almost blue by her raw diet. It really says itself how important diet is and how much it effects our body from the inside to the outside!
 
Eating Raw sounds expensive, and it is and also isn't. I've thought long and hard about it and come to the conclusion that it's all about compensation, and most of it comes naturally. For example, Kristina talks a lot about how you won't need to spend money on medical bills because (depending on your sickness) thanks to the raw diet you will be "cured". Veggies aren't that expensive if you think about it, it's cheaper than a bag of chicken fillets. Eating home instead of going out to eat (lunch) can save you just half the price for two persons. And everyone can grow something at home, whether it's oregano or some pea sprouts, You can do it! And I will tell you another thing, Food is the best skincare of them all! When you feed your body colorful foods it will show in your skin, so say goodbye to expensive skincare, you won't need them! And suddenly you've got all this money to buy delicious fruits and veggies for!
 
 But there are some expenses in the beginning. I'm not saying that you need all of this, but if you're invested in the idea than these things can be really helpful in eating raw:
▪ Food Processor
▪ Juicer (NOT centrifugal - but it's better than none)
▪ Blender (like a VitaMix)
▪ Stick Blender
▪ Sprializer (as seen here)
▪ Food Dehydrator (like this one)
 
Raw food may have been nothing new to you but for me it is new in the sense that I've never have even considered it. Actually, if it weren't for my acne and going through this journey of dairy and gluten free, natural skincare, and getting involved with internal healing, it would probably take me a few years to be enlighten in this. So as much as my acne has been a curse, it has also been a cure for a healthier lifestyle which I have nothing against. I'm just thankful and will ask for more, please.
 
 

juice beauty.

2013-04-29 @ 17:51:38

 
This is what I got from Skin City's 70% off Juice Beauty:
Age Defying Solutions Kit:
Green Apple Cleansing Gel
Green Apple Peel Full Strength
Green Apple Age Defy Serum
Green Apple SPF 15 Moisturizer
Green Apple Age Defy Moisturizer
+ Exfoliating Cleanser
 
I've been thinking about getting their Blemish Clearing Kit for a while now, but than I saw this offer that I couldn't ignore! Unfortunately they did not have the Blemish kit, only the cleanser, but I thought I'd give this Age Defying kit a try instead. Made for all skin types (except sensitive skin), 20's and up and is said to be effective on hyper-pigmentation, dark spots, and uneven skin tone and texture. And that's what strike me to buy it, maybe it can help me with my acne scarring. I also threw in the Exfoliating Cleanser, 'cause it was so cheap!
 
What's great with this kit is that I get to try the full strength of the Apple Peel mask which I've been hearing so much about. And I've already tested it once and totally agree with the rest; I even think this one's better than REN's Glycolactic mask! Just as that one the Apple Peel mask uses AHA's but also BHA's to reveal a brighter, tighter and more radiant looking skin. It did tingle when first applied but that lasted less than 30 seconds, while REN's I did not feel anything of.
 
I will stop here before I do a too-soon-review. As always I will do a deeper review in a few months when I've had some proper time to test these out. All I can say so far from this week of testing I am really liking this brand!
 
You can still get the same products for 70% off here!
If you're looking for the Blemish Kit or any other products I can recommend WowHD which has low prices. (I've shopped twice from there buying Dermalogica)

diet.

2013-04-29 @ 15:40:00

Much has changed and evolved into further investigations and suddenly I've found myself turning almost vegan. I say Almost, because there's no way I'm stopping eating fish, shellfish, eggs and chicken, but I am considering reducing my intake.
This week I want to lift up the subject of Diet and anything surrounding it, but let's start from the beginning shall we?
 
 
As you may know I cut off dairy and gluten to see if it would help with my acne. The first month didn't go so well, I still ate yoghurt, cream cheese and other dairy only substituted it for lactose-free. But as we know, Lactose-free is still milk, and milk is what I was supposed avoid. Also I had a struggle with my cooking, I usually would prepare any type of pasta-dish with something creamy, something containing milk in other words. So when I couldn't use that my cooking became awfully tasteless and dry, I did not know what to substitute it with. I still don't know, so I've completely stop making food that needs any kind of milky sauce to it.
About three weeks ago I ate my last yoghurt breakfast, and with that I felt I could be more strict with my diet 'cause now we didn't have any dairy in our home for me to choose. First week felt dry, I went from eating a fresh bowl of fruits and yoghurt to suddenly nibble on a dry crisp bread (gluten free) with avocado and caviar, which I usually other wise would eat with the fruit bowl. Then I just felt like doing intermittent fasting every morning and just wait for lunch.
 
(Okay, seriously, while writing I got a mail saying that I've won a Facebook competition of 15 trail size combination pack from Raw Gaia, and I just have to like stop for a moment and dance! You can't believe how much I wanted that thing..)
 
So where were we? Yes, fasting. I still do that some days because it's actually good for you. Although, after getting comfortable without dairy I started eating my bowl of fruits again, just raw, with my crisp bread. I also at the time bought a blender so now I sometimes even drink a smoothie for breakfast, but I have to say that I like chewing my fruits more.
There was and still kind of is another problem, we do eat lunch out most days. Since I can't really control what's serving I basically had to avoid dishes that sounded like they were having any type of sauce to it. I even went stricter and stopped drinking coffee to our after-lunch-fika if there wasn't any other type than cow's milk to choose from. - I do still drink coffee though, but only at home with just a little of Light Soya milk for soya contains hormones too, but I can't imagine drinking black coffee.
 
Gluten was kind of an easier story. My main addiction was bread and pasta, but I quickly found alternatives to that. I even started baking my own bread and cookies just to have when the sugar craving comes. Although it does kind of suck if you're going out to eat, and you really have to look at the INCI when buying stuff, the same with dairy, it's almost in everything! Hiding in names that sounds good but aren't. It's a lesson, and you will sometimes come home to only find out that you can't eat it.
 
Peter has been utterly supportive of my restricted diet journey, or it's more Our restricted diet journey. He even makes me more passionate to find other alternatives, and I see ourselves grow more and more towards a healthier lifestyle where lots of fruits and vegetables are included. It's sad to say this but before all of this I didn't eat much fruits, and almost never any vegetables! And who knows maybe my skin problem has something to do with the lack of color. By any means, I wouldn't say we ate bad , but it lacked the proper amount of greens and fruits. Especially Peter, the only colorful thing he ate was a green apple in the morning and canned pineapple for lunch (which I introduced him to). Although, I must input that he's got some fruit allergies like red apples, bananas and other.
 
The thing is that the more I go into this restricted-diet-world I find my self eating more things Raw and Vegetarian, which is kind of funny with my past diet that were LCHF inspired, where I would eat much meat and any kind of fat and very little carbs. My body felt fine on that diet, but I never even considering that maybe it wasn't the best for my skin. Because this last past month where I've become more strict has really paid off. I think it's a combo of the B5 with a healthier diet, but it may also include my new skincare routine (will update it soon). But you know, skincare is such a small part in your overall skin health, much is due to diet. I won't get cocky and go off B5, not for at least a year. But what I'm hoping is that a more Raw based diet on fruits and veggies can replace supplements completely for a healthy body, mind and soul.
 
 
Hope you found this interesting and if you've got any questions, tips, tricks or want to share your diet journey do so! I would happily want to hear it!

the new w.17

2013-04-26 @ 12:11:00

Exclusive to Naturisimo is the Melvita Nectar Bright brightening range which consists of: Brightening Exfoliating Mask, Brightening Essence, Brightening Cream and UV Shield Sunscreen SPF15. Prices are between £25-£39.
 
 
Yes! Nurse is a new hand creme on beautybay.com. Besides it containing a PEG the ingredients list looks pretty all natural to me. It contains active Manuka Honey +15 which is already listed on third place, and a mix of omegas with B5 and Salicylic Acid to keep your hands soothed and moisturized. I would say it's a bit pricy for the the amount you get in the tube, 50ml 55.48SEK, but nevertheless I'm intrigued to buy!
 
 
Another new thing on Naturisimo is this volumizing dry shampoo by Ambiance. Comes in five different colors and a brush for easier application. I haven't tried colored dry shampoo, neither an all natural one. I'm actually not that happy with regular dry shampoos so it will be exciting to try this one in the future.
 
 
3 free, 4 free, 5 free and now 8 free! Jacava London is a new nail polish brand on feelunique.com. If anyone of you have tested it yet please let me know about the quality and such. Overall, judging the book by it's cover I'm not overly impressed with the packaging but also with the colours. It feels very budget, which they are not, priced at £14.50 you should expect great product.
 
 
I'm probably late in this, but a week ago I saw that Skincity had 70% off the entire range of Juice Beauty - meaning: things were no more than 200kr! They still do have a few things left and they actually refilled it a week ago so maybe it will happen again. Anyway, Juice Beauty has been a brand I've been wanting to try a long time now so I was glad to get the things I got for so much less. I will show you what I got next week though!
 
Have a great weekend!

targeted treatments.

2013-04-25 @ 15:36:00

 
Whether you get an occasional pimple or it's an everyday thing, you are probably familiar with spot-sticks.
If you're not I can shortly describe it as a blemish attacker that will treat it by killing bacteria and drying it out.
In the picture above are some of which I've tried out, and to tell you the truth most of them are rubbish and unhygienic. I won't go through brand to brand, but inform you of what to look into when choosing your secret weapon for spot treatments and which ones you should run away from.
 
We've all made that mistake... or am I the only one stupid enough? It took me about a week to see all the crap inside from rolling the spot-stick directly on my face. Doesn't matter if you've just cleansed your face or the product's got alcohol in it, it will trap acneic bacteria and spread it.
If you really want to use it, put some first on a tops and dab it on your affected area. Although, if you've got a lot to treat this will just waste tops.
 
Not all people are sensitive to this ingredient but that doesn't mean it's good for your skin; a real dermatologist would be petrified and would easily see if you've used it on your face!
Alcohol is drying to our skin and can cause itching and irritation. I've noticed that the products that contains alcohol somewhere in the beginning of the ingredient list dries and aggravates my pimple more. In fact, in most cases the pimple has gotten larger. This applies for toners and other skincare too! But there are good and bad alcohols which I've listed down below.
 
Good Alcohols:
Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Myristyl Alcohol, Behenyl Alcohol and vitamin based alcohols.
Bad Alcohols:
Alcohol, SD alcohol, Alcohol denat., Benzyl alcohol, Methanol, Ethanol, Isopropyl alcohol and Ethyl alcohol
 
Here's a short description of them all:
 
Salicylic Acid
Works by exfoliating and dissolving dead skin cells to unclog clogged pores. It's the most popular one ingredient to use in anti-blemish skincare, because it is affective. It has a soothing, calming effect on skin and has anti-inflammatory properties. It's a type of Beta Hydroxy Acid (BHA) and is naturally found in Willow bark (Salix Alba), Aloe Vera and unripe fruits and vegetables. But in most skincare it is synthesized.
Treats: both mild and severe acne.
 
Benzyl Peroxide
This one is a powerful chemical and treats all kinds of acneic forms (blackheads, whiteheads, cysts). It kills bacteria and is often used in combination with antibiotics when treating acne. It is very drying and can cause It can peeling and redness. You've probably seen it under the name Basiron.
 
Sulfur
It's like SA and BP had a baby, it works by drying and exfoliating the skin, and it is an all natural element that's been used for ages to treat different skin issues like dermatitis, dandruff, rosacea and warts. Sulfur will cause the skin to dry and peel, will also help reduce skin oiliness, and prevents pore blockages from forming.
 
This thing is a personal thing, you should always test everything once and go after what your skin likes. In my own experience of these three is that SA is okay, it won't treat the most severe acne, but helps keep your skin disinfected. BA I got prescribed once by a (ignorant) doctor and I've also used the lighter version in my younger years, it made my acne only worse and I don't endorse the usage of it, I think it is too strong and will flip your skins natural balance. Sulfur is new to me, the only form I've tested so far is the Dermalogica Concealing Spot Treatment (contains 5% sulfur) that despite the miss-matching color works really good and of these three I've found this one to be the most gentle and effective when used targeted. I'm actually thinking about buying the bareMinerals blemish remedy (3%) because of this, but I have another weapon...
 
Most spot-sticks will actually have tea tree oil in them, but they will also have alcohol in the beginning of the list. Which I have a hard time understanding when Tea Tree is both anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal and works great on its own, then why would you mix in alcohol?!
 At first when coming to know about Tea Tree Oil I bought a roller ball spot-stick from Australian Bodycare, it was pretty expensive for being only 9ml, which lasted me only a month, and it also contained Alcohol Denat. on second place. It didn't do a thing, sometimes even made my spot worse, but I felt I had to give the 100% pure oil a try, and I got to say it's working so much better!
As with all essential oils you should dilute it, or you can take a drop on a tops and dab on the pimple, or I like to use it in almost every skincare I use: pour a few drops diluted in water (opptional: Lavender/Rose) in a spray bottle and use it as a toner/facial mist through out the day; a few drops in your oil cleanser or moisturizer to keep your skin bacterial-free; use it together with other essential oils with anti-bacterial properties.
 

Sources to read further on:

anti-blemish solution. #4

2013-04-23 @ 15:25:35

This will be a bit of an inconclusive review for I haven't used these products exclusively. When I first got them I used them for a week, then I got my Dermalogica package and started including it in my routine.
 
When I first started using them my face was very inflamed and bumpy after using REN's ClearCalm3, and there was a moment where I thought that natural products were not for me. I was actually only after the Repairing Acne Lotion after reading many good reviews on it, and though it could help speed up my dark-spots. The problem was that it was nowhere to be found outside of the US. Luckily I have an acquaintance living there, she couldn't find the lotion alone, but she found it in this kit and bought two of them to me.
 
They are all full sizes, I don't exactly remember how much it cost, but there's a similar kit on their website, although I think I paid a little less, saving on one whole product.
As soon as I got it I started off using the was and the lotion both morning and night, and the spot-stick about three times on an affected area. After a weeks of intensive use my skin was feeling very soft and more even, although I still got a pimple or two.
Four months later I'm still using the products but much less, and I actually threw away the spot-stick because of the alcohol it was useless and my spots were better left alone.
 
Like the other Yes To ranges, this one has a specialty which is called Lycopene. It is found in red fruits and vegetables like Watermelon and Rosehip, but Tomatoes has the highest quantity of it. Well, right after Gac which has two-thousand times more than any of the below, but is harder to find if you don't live in Southeast Asia and Northeastern Australia. - It's the thing that makes the fruit/veggie red iow.
Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory that helps protect your skin from environmental agents that can contribute to clogged pores and breakouts, and that's why it is used in the Acne-range.
 Because of this range I've been eating more tomatoes than usual, and I promise to do a post all dedicated to this powerful antioxidant!
 
★★★☆☆
This one must be some kind of limited edition for this kit because I can't find this one anywhere. To describe it, it's basically the original gel cleanser and the original pore scrub made into one!
I wouldn't recommend it for someone with sensitive skin, the scrub is a bit on the rough side. And don't make the mistake to use it along your Clarisonic, just because of that I limited my use with the Clarisonic so I could do some manual scrub at the side. Is it gentle enough to use both morning and evening? If your not using anything else to scrub with I would say do it, also depending on how bad your face is, if you've got light to moderate I would stick to evenings. I do like it and I will definitely keep recommending Yes To, because their products are inexpensive and not far from being 100% natural. But with this one, it's an okay product, but I think I've found one better.
 
+ No SLS or foaming agent
- Can be a little too rough
INGREDIENTS: AQUA, STEARIC ACID, PROPANEDIOL, SODIUM STEARATE, GLYCERINE, SALICYLIC ACID, CARRAGEENAN EXTRACT, BAMBUSA ARUNDINACEA STEM EXTRACT, POLYGLYSERYL-3 DIISOSTEARATE, TOMATO EXTRACT, MANGO SEED, GINGER ROOT EXTRACT, BISABOLOL, ETHYLEXYL PALMITATE, PHENETHYL ALCOHOL, GLYCERYL CAPRYLATE, XANTHAX GUM, ALCOHOL
 ★★☆☆☆
So I really wanted to like this one, in many ways I saw it as my savior, getting all too much up in the cloud from too many too-good-to-be-true reviews. I used it as a serum and was the first thing I put on my face after cleansing both morning and night. It says on the packaging that you can wear it alone without a moisturizer but that didn't feel very moisturizing even for someone with oily skin. If any of you have put Aloe Vera gel on your face as a moisturizer then you know what I'm talking about! Also I probably should comment on the smell, it's a bit funky, but it goes away and I haven't had a problem with it. It is natural, without perfume, which is a good thing in my eyes.
I think it did help clear up spots and keep me blemish free, but as time went by this product didn't seem to reach my high expectations. After about a month of use I started to realize that it didn't behave well with oils or other products for that matter, it would peel off which would destroy the whole function of it. How can it work it's magic if it doesn't even stay on the skin? And then I started noticing that it would come off on its own after an hour of only having it as my moisturizer. Because of this I found myself using it less and less.
Nowadays I only use it as a spot-treatment, but I haven't seen major improvements in my scares or my acne for that matter, not like some reviewers. Although, this lotion has taught me a thing or two of what kinds of ingredients my skin likes, and after this one I've been hunting things that says: aloe vera, pomegranate, witch hazel, lycopene and ginger.
 
I just want to put it out there that this product isn't bad, actually, quite the opposite, but because of it's flaky consistency the whole thing just faltered for me and that's why I'm giving it a two out of five.
 
+ Good list of ingredients which are proven to treat acne and acne scars.
- Peels off
INGREDIENTS: SALICYLIC ACID 1%. ALOE VERA EXTRACT, WATER, POMGRANATE FRUIT JUICE, WITCH HAZEL EXTRACT, PROPANEDIOL, GLYCERIN,ALCOHOL, CARRAGEENAN EXTRACT, ETHYL PALMATE, TOMATO EXTRACT, GINGER ROOT EXTRACT, BISABOLOL, XANTHAN GUM, POTASSIUM HYDROXIDE, PHENETHYL ALCOHOL, GLYCERYL CAPRYLATE, SUCROSE STEARATE, MALTODEXTRIN, SILICA
★☆☆☆☆
Filled with the same extracts as those above but with 2% Salicylic Acid and SD Alcohol among the first ingredients. It is supposed to reduce the appearance of a blemish in just three days! Sometimes it did but most times it didn't. I tried it on cysts: which made it even bigger and more red. I tried it on white heads: it was already too late to treat. I tried it on developing blemish: here it would work, but only 50% of the times.
In the end I almost never saw myself reaching for it, and I'm almost certain that it would work much better without the alcohol which was just drying on my pimples.
 
+ Because it didn't work as claimed I can't find anything good to say
- Alcohol among the first ingredients
ACTIVE INGREDIENT: SALICYLIC ACID (2.0%) INACTIVE INGREDIENTS: WATER, PUNICA GRANATUM (POMEGRANATE) FRUIT JUICE, HAMAMELIS VIRGINIANA (WITCH HAZEL) BARK/LEAF/TWIG EXTRACT, SD ALCOHOL 38-B, PROPANEDIOL, SOLANUM LYCOPERSICUM (TOMATO) EXTRACT*, ALOE BARBADENSIS LEAF EXTRACT, CHONDRUS CRISPUS (CARRAGEENAN) EXTRACT, LAVANDULA ANGUSTIFOLIA (LAVENDER) OIL, CITRUS GRANDIS (GRAPEFRUIT) JUICE, ZINGIBER OFFICINALE (GINGER) ROOT EXTRACT*, BISABOLOL, MALTODEXTRIN, GLYCERYL CAPRYLATE, SUCROSE STEARATE, MELALEUCA ALTERNIFOLIA (TEA TREE) LEAF OIL, SILICA, PHENETHYL ALCOHOL, XANTHAN GUM, ALCOHOL