I love when I go into my masking drawer and find something special that I thought I was out of. I tend to periodically get the samples kits from Annmarie Beauty. they are wild crafted beauty with some fantastic skincare. Their aloe cleanser smells of lemon verbena and makes the skin fel fantastic and the Charcoal mask is my special indulgence for myself every holiday season (it is especially useful to have around post holiday treats when my skin is feeling the effects of too much sugar and fat). I tend to pick up the trial kits to use for travel actually. Also they often rotate which masks are in the trial kits so I can try some of their new to me masks before I decide whether to purchase them or not in the full size.
This Illuminating Pearl mask from Annmarie Skincare is the perfect mask when you have had too much sun and need a little extra moisturizing pampering for your skin. According to the product page…
pre mask skin
This luxurious mask restores balance and harmony while creating the perfect beautifying ritual. Honey delivers complex nutrients and hydrating properties to visibly improve tone and radiance. Turmeric’s bioactive compounds leave your skin feeling calm, making this mask ideal for sensitivities. Skin brightening pearl powder enhanced with uva ursi and licorice transforms your complexion to have an everlasting glow.
mask on
The mask has a lightly herbal scent to it. I am not too partial to the scent of licorice so at first I was hesitant, but the licorice is only a back note. it mostly smells generally herbal. The consistency of the mask lets you know that there might be honey in the mix despite not having the sweet scent to it. It isn’t sticky but it has some of the viscosity that I would associate with honey. What is interesting about this mask is that I always seem to get it in my sample packs (which I usually order when I am preparing for holiday travel) and I usually set it aside because it’s time to shine is really in the summer.
after fifteen minutes
Too much time in the sun, sweated out in the garden and feeling a bit dry? That is when it is time for the pearl mask to shine. It goes on easily with either your fingers or a masking spatula. Then you let it sit for fifteen minutes and lie back and enjoy the scent of the herbs. It is super relaxing and the scent has almost an aroma therapy effect. You can picture yourself lying back in a field of green growing things. Minus the bees and other insects, possibly damp ground, and hay fever.
mask rinsed off
Okay it is like a fantasy of lying back in a field.
Over the fifteen minutes the mask becomes a little sticky and you can really feel where the honey came into it. When going back to the bathroom. I can see that most of the mask absorbed into the skin. The sticky parts are just what remained after the rest of the mask sunk into my skin. Rinsing it off is easy. as soon as the water touches the mask it looses it’s stickiness and rinses off cleanly and easily.
The water does bring up the licorice root scent, but only momentarily as it disappears when the mask is washed down the drain. It is soon gone and I think my skin looks and feels great. I now that I often sing the praises of the charcoal mask (which is fantastic, I can’t lie) but that is mostly due to timing. I pack these mask up in the fall and winter, but this Pearl mask is the best post sun masking experience. I am so glad I came across it in my masking drawer today. The Illuminating Pearl mask from Annmarie Skincare was a pleasure to use and a mask I will be picking up again.
Ah yes my darlings, another week of skincare down. And changes are a foot. Several products are on the verge of being empty and will soon be replaced. First we look at my skin as it is the ultimate response to how products are working. Personally I think my skin is looking quite nice this week. I have a few bumps around my lower orbital bone, but I think that a lot of that is more to do with where my face mask presses’ than any skincare products.
my bare skin this week
And this afternoon i will be using my Bl’eau Mask which will bring up the clogs and since I won’t be wearing makeup or facemasks this weekend then my skin will have time to clear out the issues before next week starts up. Other than that, I have no real skin issues this week. Which is always nice to say. we are on the verge of seasonal changing though so in the coming weeks there may be a bit of finding my footing as the temperatures rise. A lot of that will depend on if we have a slow spring that rolls gently into the summer or if the Summer sun shows up early and clobbers spring into submission. Last year we had a long cold spring and then almost no autumn to speak of. Si I guess we will see what we get this year. But weather (and the future) aside, let’s see how this week’s products performed. For many of them, this is tha last time in the Line up this go round although some will be returning.
All of these products were in use last week (and several week’s prior. Next week will see many of them go away. The Missha Cleanser is almost used up. I think the fact that I used it as a mask as well as a cleanser used up the tube far faster than anticipated. I will definitely order this again and I will use it as a cleanser. when i use it as a mask it won’t be as a traditional face mask but as a cleanser I let sit to sooth the skin. I am actually ordering a new tube soon (they have a massive sale right now 20% off with code HELLO20) just so that I can have it on hand for the summer. That Artemisia is fantastic at soothing sun irritation (as well as other irritations) and I want it on hand.
The 111Skin essence has been great and I have loved not only how it increased the efficacy of the other products I was using but also the high end spa scent it brought to my routine. It was nice and I would certainly use it again. However I think there is only enough product to get through the weekend. Soon a new essence will join the line up. I have enjoyed the 111Skin Essence though.
The Nue Co’s The Pill is one of the few products staying. It is nice. It isn’t my favorite serum. I haven’t noticed anything that makes me think Wow when I use it. I think part of that is because it is an everything serum. There is not one targeted thing that I can see it doing. I’ll keep using it because it is nice, but i am still trying to figure out how i feel about it. The Vitamin C powder from the Nue co is another story, but I’ll get to that in the night time routine.
The Pixi toner is one I like. I’ve used it before and will no doubt use it again. The sample size I have is almost out. So I will use it this week. I plan to roll in the Alpha H Liquid Gold Toner which can only be used every other day so I will probably be using those together in the coming week. This should make the small amount of toner last out the week.
The MZ eye cream has been performing well. There is some reduction in fine lines. I would have expected to see a little more of a result but we are just approaching the thirty day mark (I think, I sort of lost track with the eye cream and will have to check) so it is still a little early to expect massive results. I will keep using it and hope the results increase. I think part of my expectations is that I know how much the cream costs ($159 per jar) and the cost leads me to expect really spectacular results. Especially since I have gotten spectacular results with a $30 eye cream. But as always where skincare is concerned, only time will tell.
And this leads us to the Embryolisse. I love this moisturizer. It has been fantastic. I thought that with the changing seasons it might end up being too heavy, but it hasn’t been. However we are approaching a moment. I have used it for thirty days. Now while I would love to keep using it, I have two other creams from the Lait creme line of Embryolisse so I need to use each of them in turn and compare them. However this moment also makes me happy. I tried the Embryolisse as a pre makeup base and now I am hooked. So while I would like to keep using it as a moisturizer, I am relocating it to my makeup bag and will be using it before applying my makeup while I test out the other moisturizers in this line. For me this is a win win. Having it in my makeup bag means I won’t forget it and can use it each day with my makeup and won’t have to run back to the bathroom to fetch it. So that’s kind of a bonus win for me. I will have the thirty day final post of this up next week with a lot more detail.
But that was my Day time line up. Only three of the products will be back next week. And new ones will be gin their testing. I can’t wait. But for now it is into the night…
Okay I won’t go into the repeat products from the morning as they worked the same in the day as they did in the night. I needed a break from the Vike spray. It works well but that scent made me feel like i was in a cloud of vaporized mothballs and I needed a break. So I went to my skincare drawer knowing I have at least two cleansing balms in there. And at the back I found this Sunday Riley Vitamin C makeup remover oil. There is only a little bit left so i decided I would go ahead and just use it up. I used it this week and think that there might be enough left to finish it out this week. It was fantastic. I am a bit fan of the entire Vitamin C line, but I couldn’t find this on their website so i think it may have been dropped. It is a really good makeup remover and I didn’t have to scrub that much a the makeup just melted away.
I am finishing up the second week of trying out the Makeup removal cloths from the Turkish Towel company and am really liking them. I know this sounds strange, but the fact that they have the word Makeup embroidered on the front has kept them from going walk about. Everyone leaves them alone and they don’t get used for other things. which means I can easily rotate through them and not wonder where they got to.
The topical C powder is fantastic in my moisturizer. It just melts in and blends beautifully. I am a huge fan. I am however not a fan of the Somme institute. I think the pads didn’t even make it into today’s photo because I just stopped using them this week. The serum is fine but those cloth pads are a pain. So I stopped using them. I know it is wasteful but i just got so annoyed that i didn’t want to bother. I’ll do a short review detailing my experience and why I’m letting them go but i am passing them on to someone who will hopefully get better use out of them.
And finally there is Laniege. I love the lip mask and will use it until it is gone. Which will take a while as there is a lot of product in the container and you don’t use that much with each application. But it is fabulous. I think that when i do repurchase, i will go with the mini set so that I can switch out scents and flavors. But it is a great product.
And so that is my skincare line up for this week. Over all things went well. there were some misses, but nothing missed badly enough that it cause a break out, so i am calling that good.
Oh my darlings the sun is shining, my nose is not sniffilly and while it is still above normal temps for this time of year, the heat and humidity aren’t bad. All this means that i took a really long walk this morning. I did come back all sweaty but after a brief cool down I jumped in the shower and actually used up the last of my Annmarie Skincare shampoo and conditioner set. I was actually quite impressed with it. I’ll be posting my full review next week, but while I did test the shampoo with the hair dryer, for the most part I can let my hair air dry and just run a brush through it. And the less I have to do with my hair on a daily basis, the healthier my hair stays.
Which also meant that i got to keep my hair up in a towel while I put on my makeup today. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but I have bangs and when I pull them back to put on my makeup they tend to take a lot of fixing after. this way the hair was already back and then once the products were applied, I could just let the hair down. Much less wonky. Today was interesting for me, product wise. Hold on, let me list the products first, then we’ll dive in.
currently they are having a graduated sale. buying one item gives you 20% off, 2 gives you 25% and three is 30% and the Naked Cyber Palette is out now.
Benefit’s Holiday kits and bundles are now out. This year they have a tin shaped like a Christmas stocking that has two Bad Gal Bang Mascaras in it, one regular size and one mini. I suspect, that one will be my gift to self at some point.
Okay for the usual suspects, I am using up the primer as it has been discontinued. Still love it so this is like the long goodbye. The bareMinerals Bounce and Blur Blush may be my absolute favorite blush. I can dip in with a finger, apply it and blend to the color I want. I do absolutely love the formula. And this color works for my skin tone. Its Mauve Sunrise if you are wondering. I also really love the Benefit setting spray. the mist is fine and light, the smell, is well the same scent as their primer, and it works well. I do have to keep it standing upright as when it is put on it’s side it tends to leak. Otherwise it is super fab.
I like the shadow, but I have to say i am super pleased by the fewer fine lines showing around my eyes. currently using Verso Super Eye serum FYI
Now, to play time. we are in the time of year where my skin tone is shifting. (my skins needs are shifting as well, but that is something to discuss elsewhere.) Even if the heat hadn’t faded, the rain has been keeping me inside more. My tan is fading. Some foundations are reaching the, so sorry, see you next year phase, others I think I might be able to use longer. A lot of the summer I lean into BB creams and tinted moisturizers as they work well in the summer when i just want something light. The Ciate London Foundation is really a good one for me in the summer, partially because it feels as light as a BB cream, but still works as a medium coverage foundation.
Medium is kind of my sweet spot with foundations. I really like the formula and not only is the color good but the tones suit my undertones really well. As it blends really well, I want to see how long I can wear it before my skin lightens enough that I think it is too dark a product. This is one of the few foundations where I will actually buy it in a summer and winter shade as I really like it so I want to find out when I need to do the switch so I can figure out what shade I need to get me through the paler shades of me. So this foundation will be bouncing in and out of rotation as i try to figure that out. For now it seems to still be fine. and I like wearing it.
The Cocoa Contour palette I reached for also partially because I find palettes to be much better options during the fading tan and beginning tan phases of the year. I can adjust the bronze to suit my skin much more easily. Today I went light on the darkest shade, but think I might soon have to switch. Part of the reason I pulled this palette up though is that it has a row of non-shimmer highlights and I noticed the light medium is somewhat similar to my Becca Pink Haze setting powder. I was hoping that it might be a good option. So I tried it. It worked well-ish but not as good as the Pink Haze. So the search continues for a replacement. I think at least one of my other highlighter palettes has a pink powder so I might try that as well.
I also like using this palette as the Too Faced Packaging feels lux and smells like candy. It is just a fun palette to use.
My eyeshadow palette I chose because I am still on the fence about it. It barely squeaked through my last declutter as I generally only reach for the light pink shade of La Bella Vita. It performs well. The darker brown of Passaggiata isn’t quite so fabulous. It tends to be a bit patch. Once you work with it, the combo of the two can give you a rather soft look, which i really liked. Honestly I need to play around with this palette more to see if i do in fact like it enough to keep it long term. Usually I really like Nomad shadows. I adore the Berlin Underground palette. this one I need to think about.
This was my first run with the Roen Mascara. Its fine. It is black mascara and thus far it hasn’t flaked or faded. It lengthens a little but not a lot and doesn’t really thicken. I like it a lot better than the Florence by Mills, because it doesn’t require as much work to apply (Florence needed a couple of applications) since it only needs one application, but it isn’t a spectacular lash moment. It is a good office mascara. At least that is how it seems with this first use. It is in rotation and we will see how it performs over time. At the moment it isn’t bad.
I layered the lips. I really like the Buxom plumping lipstick. it plumps and lasts a long time. The shade does make my lips disappear into my face though as it is similar to my skin tone. So I dotted the YSL over it. The shade is slightly on the transparent side and a little too pink for me to enjoy on it’s own. The neutral tames the tan and locks the color into place longer than the YSL would last on it’s own. Plus the YSL feels a little bit waxy to me.
I am a big fan of the Buxom lipstick and I tend to use this one as a base for a lot of other colors that need a slight tweak to them. I could blame subscription boxes for my sometimes not so great color selection but the truth is I am the queen of picking the wrong lipstick when I shop. Somehow between the store and home the colors never turn out quite how I thought they would. I have a lot of almost right lip products. Its why the Buxom is such a trouper even though the shade on its own makes my lips disappear. It blends well with every product I’ve tried it with and it keeps my wrong lipstick purchases from being a waste.
So today had a lot of play in it as I worked with the products. Over all i don’t think the look came out too badly. But now it is back to work for me. Wednesday always makes me feel like I am running behind. So it is best to get back to it. I hope your Wednesday is fabulous and that you reach the end of the day in triumph and can coast all the way to the weekend.
Good morning and welcome to another week of skin care. This week was really interesting as I have several products that are almost down to empty, but not quite there. Some have a couple of more days left on them, others might last another week. It is really going to be fun to see as a lot of products are rolling off of the line up in the near future. So lets get started and see what we have shall we?
Okay lets just start at the top of the list and work our way down shall we? The Native Blackberry and Green tea deodorant smells like blackberries and green tea when you sniff the product, but the scent is almost completely MIA when you apply it. If you are sweating heavily there is the possibility of pit stains, but there is never any stink factor. It works, just remember it is not an antiperspirant. It is close to reaching the end of its life. I may have two weeks left on it thought so it is one of the few products that i will not be replacing in this coming week.
I fear i will be finishing up both the Aloe Herb Cleanser and the Anti Aging Serum from Annmarie skincare. They are both great products and I know this is not the last time they will make it into the skincare line up. I love the fresh clean herbal scent of them both. The cleanser has a lemon verbena scent while the serum leans towards rosemary. Both are lovely and are especially excellent in the morning as they both have the kind of scents that wake you up. Both are available in their samples bundles.
If you are interested in trying out the skincare before committing to a full size, I highly recommend Annmarie’s sample bundles. It is a great cost effective way to find out what you like and what you don’t like about a brand. I have found many favorites this way. But now I have to let them go. There is maybe three days worth of cleanser left and I’m pretty sure I will end up using the last drops of serum in the morning. So it is farewell to both, although there will most definitely be a return.
The Murad toner is a really good toner. I am only about a third of the way through the bottle so it will be sticking around for a bit longer. I really like the elements from the Hydration line of Murad. They tend to suit my skin type and are especially helpful as the seasons change and I need to adjust to my seasonal skin changes. It really helps to balance things out.
If you look at the above picture you may notice that the Time Revolution Artemisia Treatment Essence is a bit lower than it should be. This week my babydoll had some skin irritation issues so he ended up using it as well as I did. And so it is disappearing pretty fast. Even though this one was sent by the brand, I have already reordered another bottle, just to keep around. Whether you use essences regularly or not, this isn’t a bad product to keep around just to deal with skin irritation. It really helps with both the soothing and redness aspect. I am a big fan of it. I suspect that we may end up keeping a bottle of this in out medicine cabinet. I know that sounds a bit strange, but my babydoll isn’t a huge fan of skincare in general so getting him to use a product is often difficult, however if the same skin care product is stored in the medicine cabinet, he doesn’t think twice about using it. I know, it’s a little bit of trickery, but it works. And sometimes, you just have to use what works. It’s like putting cheese sauce on broccoli.
Next up we have two products that give my nose issues. One is the Seed Moisturizer. it works well and my skin loves it but it smells like wet and slightly moldy hemp rope. Normally i don’t have an issue with the scent of hemp but there is just something in this that i don’t like. I am only about half way through the bottle and I plan to finished using it up, but as good as it feels on my skin, i will be happy when it is done and i will not be repurchasing it.
The scent of the Caudalie is also not my favorite. It smells a little like mothballs. However it is one of the best facial sprays I have tried. My skin always feels so nourished when I use it, scent or not. I always reach a point with the Caudalie elixir. I get to the point where I just want to use it up and get it out and I am always relived not to smell it when it is gone. Then a few months will pass and I will remember how much my skin really liked it. So I will order it again, use it again and then once again reach the point where I can’t take the scent. If this had a different scent, I would order it before I ran out and always keep it on hand. But by the end of the bottle, I need a break from the scent (and yes, I only buy the travel sized bottles) Something really need to be taken in moderation. I don’t know if you can see what is in the bottle, but the remaining product will be gone before the weekend is over. There is both relief and sadness. And a wish for a different scent.
My eye cream this week was frustrating. Since eye cream takes so little to apply, I had high hopes for this little tube of Clarins to last a bit longer. Using it morning and night I started it last Saturday and used the last of it yesterday. It seems to be a really good cream. My skin liked it. It absorbed well and didn’t leave me feeling greasy. there were no clogged pores. I just didn’t use it long enough to really see any results. Would i use it again? Sure. What i used seemed to be pretty nice. But now the sample is empty and a new eye cream must be tried.
Also pretty much empty is the Volition sunscreen. It is a great weightless sunscreen. There is really no gap in use though as the last time i bought sunscreen i went ahead and picked up several tubes. I do want to use up a couple of samples though, so I may use them up before I open up a new tube of the Volition sunscreen. Rest assure, it is not going to be gone for long.
And to round up the morning we have my Crest Gum Detoxify. My dentist recommended it, my teeth feel clean and my breath is fabulous. What else is there to say?
Okay, lets take a look at the non repeat night time products shall we? First off I love my Makeup Eraser. Right now it looks a little bad, but it is going into the wash this afternoon and it will be as good as new. I really want to get a set of the smaller cloths so I can use one a day and thus always have a clean make up eraser, but as the one i have is in such good shape I just haven’t broken down and done it yet. I need to though. But for now, this is fabulous. I’ve had this one well over a year and no matter what it looks like going into the wash, it always comes out looking like new.
The Rodial Dragon’s Blood Cleansing Water works like any other micellar water. It is no better or worse than any of the others I’ve tried. While i like micellar waters, I didn’t notice anything that would make me buy this one over any other. I think there is enough for a week in the bottle so I will probably use it up this week and then not repurchase. I will purchase micellar waters again, just not this one.
Something else i will not be purchasing in the full size is the Clive Cleanser. To give it it’s due, it is a nice creamy cleanser that goes on well and stays in place like a cream until you add water to foam it up and wash your face. It smells like straight up perfume. I know it cleansed and I could feel my clean skin, but the scent did not make me think clean. it made me think I just splashed a rather cloying perfume on my face .I know it has all sorts of things I like, but it is still a hard no for me based on that scent.
The Herbal Dynamics Beauty I love. It is a fantastic serum. I was getting some sun sensitivity, so I switched to only using it at night and the issue was resolved. It is almost gone and it will be very hard not to immediately reorder it. Only the fact that i have several other serums I need to try out is keeping me from immediately repurchasing this serum. It has really helped with my fine lines, especially the giant line across my forehead that I refer to as my stress crack. It is still there as nothing is going to remove it, but it is more of a line than a canyon. I love this serum.
The Neutralyze has also impressed me. I am currently using it as a spot treatment in the areas where I tend to get clogged pores. It has helped clear away several of those clogged pores and kept them from getting clogged again. And all without over drying the skin. I found this very impressive. It is on the sticky side though, so when you apply it, put it on and then let it sit. Give it at least an hour before you apply your night cream and go to bed and all is well. If you don’t give it this time you will stick yourself to your pillow case. So take your time.
While there is still plenty of product in the bottle, I am going to rotate it out this week so that I can give another Neutralyze product a try out. The brand sent over several products for me to try out. So next week I will be trying out their exfoliation pads to see how they work. it will be interesting to see the differences in the formulas and if the serum is as sticky or if it dries the skin more. I am actually looking forward to it.
My Elemis Pillow Facial has been fabulous. Becuase I am using it more as a night cream than a mask, I need very little of it so there is still plenty of product. It is slightly floral in nature but it is a light fresh scent that smells like lightly floral skincare rather than perfume. Oddly i felt cleaner after applying this than I did when using the cleanser. Plus it is Elemis and you know I am a huge Elemis fan.
And finally we reach the lips. To be honest, I forgot to apply this lip mask most of the week. It slipped behind some of my day time skin care and I didn’t see it. So I forgot to apply it. My lips aren’t that bad, but i can certainly feel the difference. They are a bit dry and I feel the need of both a lip scrub and a lip mask. I will probably roll in a lip scrub this week, just because i need one. Usually I only use them in the winter as just applying the lip mask is all I really need. But I skipped the lip mask and now need the scrub.
Lesson Learned.
So my darlings that was this week in skin care. For many of the products in this week’s line up this was their last showing. Some will return and others will not. Either way i will be rotating in several new products this week. Isn’t that exciting? Well as exciting as I really want my skincare to get anyway. Let’s hope we get some good products and no skin irritation. that’s the sort of excitement I can live without.
I’m sure at this point everyone knows I do love sample sized products. I love the ability to try out new things without purchasing the full size right at the get go. Partially, I like the economics of it. With hair care especially, I tend to like some pretty pricy products.
(I also like some really good inexpensive products too actually. I tend to go more for what works well with my hair than anything else and one of my all time favorite products is actually the $8 One Hit Wonder Spray from The Mane Club.) While cost is a factor, I also don’t like to waste product and I really like to only purchase what I know I’ll use. I’ll pay more if I know I will use and like a product. I also have no snobbery against the drugstore products if they perform well.
With hair care, I find some of the pricier products work better than some of the inexpensive ones and some of the pricier products aren’t worth their price tag and are beaten hollow by the drugstore. Sometimes it is by brand. I know that pretty much anything by Kerastase is going to work for my hair, but that I have to be really careful which products I use from Davines. Some of Davines products work well for me, others are just horrific.
And then there is scent to consider. In the summer time when my hair is mostly tied up and out of the way it isn’t an issue. With my hair down, I really have to live with the scent of my hair products.
Annmarie Skin care is a brand that I really like. Their masks are fantastic and products I repeatedly buy. Their Aloe Herb Cleanser I not only purchase for myself but ended up sharing with several family members who now use it a their go to face wash. Currently I am loving the anti-aging serum.
However, I have never tried any hair care item from them. In fact until they sent the samples to me me, I didn’t realize Annmarie Skincare made shampoo and conditioner. The set I was sent is their Sweet Sunrise shampoo and Conditioner. It is actually the travel size set I believe.
The set comes in metal bottles that I tend to think of as canisters rather than bottles for some reason. I do like that they are metal (with plastic pumps) as metal is more recyclable especially where I live. I’ll have to take off the plastic pumps but I can recycle the metal bottles very easily. Although to be honest, as I am traveling for thanksgiving, I may just use the bottles as travel shampoo and conditioner instead of recycling them. The pumps lock down and then there is a plastic collar to make certain they stay locked down which I like for travel. I’m also a fan of reusing a container as many times as possible before sending it to recycling in the first place.
I shouldn’t be surprised that Annmarie Skincare has the kind of bottles that can be both reused for a while and easily recycled. They have a real attention to their ingredients and sustainability that I really like (as well as liking the actual products)
But I do think of them as a skin care brand. So how did they do with the shampoo and condirioner?
washed, air dried and combed through only. No other styling or products
Well actually. The pumps worked well, although I have to say I do wish the metal bottles had some kind of ridge or groove in them to make the a little less slick in the shower. The metal was a little slick, but it ended up working well.
The shampoo and conditioner set are called Sweet sunrise and I think that is an accurate name. The shampoo is a sweet citrus that is reminiscent of orange juice. It is light and not overly sweet. Its scent is strongest when it suds up and then fades as the lather is rinsed away. I was expecting a similar scent from the conditioner, but there was no trace of orange with it. It had a light creamy scent that seemed to have a hint of honey to it. It didn’t smell as strong as honey, more like it was stored in a closed cabinet with an open jar of honey for a while and it picked up a light tint of scent. It didn’t have the sweet heaviness that I associate with honey, but just that light honey-esque memory, if that makes sense.
close up. I was impressed by the amount of body
This slight scent faded as soon as the product was rinsed out.
As it dried, my hair just smelled clean and fresh. There was no real orange or honey scent left behind really. Which is kind of nice. Especially as I have started wearing perfumes again.
I know I’ve gone through my procedure for testing shampoos before, but as a quick reminder, on the first shampoo and/or conditioner test, I use no other products and I let my hair dry naturally. (That way i don’t have to worry about heat protectors). So with this first test i let my hair dry naturally and then I combed it out. Mostly I was looking for tangles.
There were none. The comb pulled through my hair well with no issues. There was a great shine and good body to it as well. There are a few fly aways, but not as many as I would expect and I didn’t feel the immediate need to reach for the hair oil to tame the top down.
In general I was quite impressed with these hair products from a skin care line. I am also looking forward to using the rest of the sample size up. Given the large size of the sample (which I really think is the travel size rather than an actual sample size) and how little I used of the products I should be able to use the Sweet Sunrise Shampoo and Conditioner Set samples for two to three weeks, possibly a little longer. This should give me a really good idea of how they perform over time. (I wash my hair every other day, if you are trying to figure out product usage). Along the way I’ll test them out with other products and see how they perform when teamed up. As for now I am very happy with the initial use. I’ll let you know if they continue their good work until the end of the sample size. I have pretty high hopes for this one.
Ah Friday, the day I get to indulge my love of skincare and talk everyone’s ear off. I do try to control myself. Not everyone needs to know my love of hyaluronic acid. Or do they? I don’t know, perhaps it may help. And isn’t that what this is all about?
Okay, let’s kick off with a most egregious error on my part. Looking through this list you may not notice anything strange, but something is missing. It is the eye cream. I finished the ESPA eye cream and didn’t add in a new product. The reason is that once I finished it I thought – I need to add this onto my list of products I want to repurchase. At the moment I have quite a few eye creams to go through as subscription boxes went eye cream crazy for a bit, so it will be a while before I get around to reordering. The ESPA eye cream is one that tops the list though.
So, since I didn’t have a pen and paper with me I set the tube back on the skin care shelf to come back to later instead of putting it with the empties. And then I left it there. I picked it up periodically throughout the week and then set the empty back down thinking – that’s right I need to add it to the list. It is now on the list, and a new product will be added next week.
To be honest that is really the only change in the morning line up. I have about a week left on the Annmarie serum and I am already dreading running out. Even though the serum is a little thicker than i would expect it absorbs really well and my skin looks really good because of it. It is one of those serums that I just love to use. It has a nice herbal scent and it just plain feels good on the skin.
I did notice something interesting with the Missha Time Revolution essence this week. The lower the essence drops in the bottle, the more comes out of the top when I dispense it into my hand. I think that happens because the product falls through the empty portion of the bottle to smack into the dispenser top with more force now that there is less product in the bottle. I am trying to remember to turn it up gently so the product is against the dispenser cap before I shake it into my hand. This dispenses less and will make it last longer. And I am all for making this essence last longer. With the weather change I have been spending more time outside and even though I still use my lovely Volition Sunscreen, it is a lot of sun on my skin. The essence really helps calm my skin after too much sun. Or irritation of any sort actually. It really is just good to have around, as well as being part of my skincare line up.
Even when i ignore gravity and shake out more than I need, I just apply the essence to my neck and upper chest so it is all goo. Just something I thought was interesting. And something I didn’t even think about before the product dropped lower in the bottle.
This week the night time line up had two changes. One was the use of a sample sized cleanser from Tony Moly. It is simply called Moisture Boost. It is a gel to Water cleanser and as expected it comes out as a clear gel that melts to a liquid with the heat of your palm. It s scent is slightly reminiscent of a citrus scented hand sanitizer. The citrus is very light and faint though. It doesn’t really foam. And I;ll be honest, while that isn’t technically necessary, I like my cleansers to foam.
While my skin did feel clean, this isn’t the best cleanser for getting makeup off. It suggests morning use and I think that is because it really isn’t good at removing makeup. For makeup removal I just relied mostly on my Makeup Eraser followed by the Micellar water. this cleanser was mostly a follow up more so i could test it out rather than because it was removing anything but the last bits of makeup remains.
The other change was in the Neutralyze. At the moment I am using it as a spot treatment for my trouble zones rather than spread a layer over my entire face. I really think it is helping in the areas where I tend to get a lot of clogged pores. I’ve noticed fewer clogs if nothing else. I’m trying to avoid using my Herbal Dynamics Beauty Chamomile and Cacao Clearing Mask at the moment so that I can see if the Neutralyze can work them out and thus far I think it does seem to be doing some good. Pictures are hard to take of it as the clogged pores are more of a texture than anything else so it is really hard to see. But the bumps are receeding. Or being removed I suppose would be a better term.
The cream is very sticky though so if using it, remember to apply it at least an hour before going to bed otherwise you will feel like you are velcro-ed to the pillow case. Give it its time to sink in and do its job. After all the pillow case doesn’t have any clogged pores it needs to get rid of, why should it take a share of your treatment?
And so my darlings that is it for this week’s skincare line up. There weren’t many changes but I think I have several products that might at best make it to the end of next week before new products need to be rotated in to fill the gaps. So change is coming. And as soon as this posts, I am writing down the details of the ESPA eye cream and I am putting a new cream to try into the bathroom. Promise.
For those looking to try something from Versed Skincare Weekend Glow is now available in a mini size on VersedSkin.com! Shop their powerful brightening toner for uneven skin tone, for just $7.99!
This toner targets dark spots and those lingering post-acne marks (you know the ones). It’s perfect for treating hyperpigmentation! The full-size is still available, for $17.99. But the mini is great for both travel and for giving the product a trial test to see if it works for you. You know I love the minis!
Good morning my darlings and welcome to the weekly skincare line up. Here we discuss all of the products currently in motion in my line up. This week there isn’t a whole lot of change, but as many of you may recall from the recent posts, the weather is starting to change where I live and the products will do the same. Well, some of them. I have a couple of products I have actually been holding off trying out because I knew it was the wrong time of year for them and soon, soon they will be brought to the light. But let us first look at what we’ve got going on right now shall we?
Okay lets take a look at the line up. The Native deodorant is doing very well. This week there was not a lot of exercise due to rain and when I finally did get out and walk, the weather was cool enough that the deodorant was not put to the ultimate test. I think from here until Spring the deodorant can more or less coast.
There were two Annmarie skincare products in the morning line up. the first is the Aloe Herb Cleanser. It has a bright lemon verbena scent that just really suits the morning. It is a good gentle clean that really takes off the remnants of my night time treatments and just leaves me with good clean skin and a scent that wakes me up. it is the scent that makes me want to use it in the morning as to me it is more of a wake up scent then a get ready for bed one, so that’s how I use it.
As for the Annmarie Serum, that too has a nice wake up and shine herbal scent to it although this has a bit more rosemary in it I think. The serum is thick, but it absorbs fairly quickly. Only a little bit is needed so I am only about half way through the sample sized bottle of the anti-aging serum. My skin loves it and I am happy to use out the rest of the bottle and add it to my repurchasing in the future list.
This week I didn’t find myself reaching for the toner in the morning. I’m not entirely certain why. I used it at night, but not during the day. I enjoyed the Missha Time Revolution essence though. even without the need to do sun damage repair. My skin drank it in and then the serums went on top. It worked very nicely and I really enjoy the product.
The ESPA eye cream I love as well but my sample size is almost out. I may be able to squeak out a use tonight, but tomorrow morning a new eye cream will have to be opened. While I like trying new things I am very sad to see this one emptied as it worked really well for my skin. I saw a reduction in the fine lines around my eyes and it is definitely a repeat purchase for me. The purchase will have to hold off for a while though as I have many eye cream samples to work my way through. For a time it seemed like i was getting eye creams in every subscription. Now of course they’ve tapered off. I’m sure in a month or so it will be a different product that seems to be flooding the subscription boxes. But such is life. For now, I have plenty of eye creams to use, but when I do get around to buying more, the ESPA one is actually the top of my list.
Now to the Seed moisturizer. It is a nice bottle and I love the pump. It is a great lightweight day cream. My skin likes it. My nose does not. It smells like damp hemp rope that has been sitting in the heat in the back of the shed for too long. The scent does fade after you apply it. I am pretty sure my nose can take using it until the bottle is empty, but I don’t think I would repurchase it. There are other products that work just as well, if not better, that my nose doesn’t mind my skin using. I would lean more towards repurchasing them than I would this. It is just a good light weight moisturizer though.
Okay, this week I mostly used the Makeup Eraser to take off my makeup. I then went in with the Rodial Draggon’s Blood Cleansing water and a reusable round to take off anything remaining. The Rodail works like any other Micellar water. To be honest i see no difference between it and any other micellar water I’ve tried. There are Rodial products that I would certainly spent the extra money on, but this cleansing water isn’t one of them. It is good, it just isn’t better than any other micellar water. Now if we were talking about the Rodial Sculpting gel it would be a different story. I LOVE that stuff and snap it up in any size. I’ve actually got a could of sample sizes in my skin care drawer waiting for me to use them. That is worth the Rodial price. This water, is not.
This week I also used the Comfort Zone gentle cleanser. It falls into the okay category for me. It is fine. There is no real scent to it and if cleanses the skin without a lot of residue but now that the sample is done, I probably won’t think about it again. It gets the job done, but it isn’t something I’d look for.
The Herbal Dynamics Beauty Hyaluronic serum I love. i am much happier with using it only at night. I don’t know if it was the cause of sun sensitivity or if it was another product, but I have no issues with it at night. I only need one pump for my face so that is what I am using. I am just below the half way mark on the bottle and already contemplating ordering a replacement. I’m trying to resist as I have several more serums I want to try out, but it is really hard since it is such a great serum.
And now we come to the Neutralyze. I am going to have to write a full post to do this product justice. It knocked my breakouts out very quickly. I have never had such breakouts cleared away this quickly before. I was very impressed. It is definitely going in my once a month product usage, but I am still using it for spot treatments on certain areas of my face and I thus far haven’t had any issues with the over drying of the skin.
Part of that may be the Caudalie Spray. My skin loves the elixer, but my nose isn’t a fan of the scent. Knowing it is good for me, especially when I am using a potentially drying acne cream, I go ahead and use it. if it had a different scent I would use it more, but i content myself with using it only as long as I use the salicylic acid based products. Great product, very medicinal scent.
Using the Elemis Pillow facial has helped as well. Because I have to use the Neutralyze at least an hour before bed, I have been applying a light layer of the Elemis just before bed and it has worked really well. Over all I am really pleased with the combination of products.
So that was this week in skin care. Some of the products weren’t my favorites, others are on the repeat purchase list. I’ve used up one of my sample cleansers and finished out a fabulous eye cream. All in all, not a bad week.
The line up for the the two week Annmarie Skincare Trial
For the past two weeks I’ve been testing out various Annmarie Skincare Products. They very kindly sent over samples for me to review. I have to say it was very interesting to test out not one, but an entire series of products from the same company at the same time. In case you haven’t heard of Annmarie Skincare, according to their website
We carefully select organic and wildcrafted ingredients — including herbs and plant extracts — to meet the highest standards of quality and effectiveness for your skin and body. We carefully audit our sources to ensure that they continue to meet our standards of purity and sustainability.
I’m a big fan of their commitment to sustainability and was thrilled to be able to try out their products. Before I get into the individual products, let me go over the regime I’ve been following during the trial.
First up was the Aloe Herb Cleanser which I used twice daily, once in the morning and once at night. There was also the Anti-Aging Serum which I also used twice daily after cleansing. As AnnMarie Skincare provided me with two types of facial oil, I used the Herbal Facial Oil for the first week and the Anti-Aging oil for the second week. The oil I applied twice daily as well, applying it to my skin after the serum was given a little time to sink in.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays I used the Ayurvedic Facial Scrub. The final element to this skin care trial were the face masks. Two masks were provided. The first week I used the Illuminating Pearl Mask Monday , Wednesday and Friday and the second week I used the Purifying Mud Mask for the same three day system.
The only item I didn’t have with this line was a moisturizer so I used the Purlisse Blue Lotus Moisturizer since I knew how it performed from an earlier trial of the product.
Over all, I really enjoyed these products and I think they worked really well together. Individually there are some that I liked better than others. So let’s get into the individual products .
First up is the Aloe Herb Cleanser. It is an herb infused facial cream cleanser that smells of lemon verbena. Seriously, the scent alone is worth buying the product. It is a wonderful aroma to wake up to and equally pleasant to take off the day. But a cleanser isn’t just about scent, no matter how scent oriented I am. According to the product page…
The cleanser is creamy but doesn’t really foam up. It does however work well and smell amazing.
Cleanse and lift excess oil with this pH-balanced, aloe vera-based cream cleanser. Infused with beautifying herbs and a light blend of natural oils containing essential fatty acids, to keep your skin naturally hydrated. Gently removes makeup and impurities without drying or leaving any residue. Leaves your skin feeling nourished, soft and beautiful.
I have to say, my skin felt nourished and soft with no residue left behind. It isn’t the greatest at removing mascara, but it took down all other makeup with no problems. And then I did a quick clean-up of the raccoon eyes with the Makeup Eraser easy peasy. Since most cleansers have some issues with mascara, I’m willing to give it a pass on that, especially because of the scent.
Next up, was the Anti-aging Serum. Again this is a product I really liked. The sample vial had just enough product to last for the two week test. I took the eye dropper from an empty bottle of serum and used three drops of the serum for each application. It covered my face well, absorbed quickly and smelled deliciously herbal. I couldn’t identify any particular herbal scent but it is very herbal-ly smelling. I was very sad when the bottle was empty. I actually upended the bottle and tapped it on my hand to get the very last drops out of it befire I finally had to admit that it was empty. On the product page…
This versatile, aloe vera-based serum provides active nutrients for all skin types, firming and tightening the appearance of aging skin. Hyaluronic acid hydrates, while the herbal extracts buddleja davidii and edelweiss protect skin from environmental stressors. Life everlasting flowers soothe and refresh.
Perhaps I couldn’t identify the herbs by scent because I am unfamiliar with how most of the ones listed actually smell on their own. Either way I did see an improvement in my skin’s texture and while my fine lines weren’t magically erased, they didn’t get any larger and my skin had a healthy glow to it.
The anti-aging oil
Next up we come to the oil and I have to admit, I had a little bit of a problem with the oils. The scent of both the Herbal Facial Oil and the Anti Aging oil are sharply herbal, but despite the two oils smelling different from each other they both have a slight medicinal scent to their aromas that I didn’t find all that appealing. Perhaps it is the willow bark. In addition, they both have a slightly thick texture to them that I didn’t particularly care for. It is purely a textural issue as both products performed well.
The Herbal Facial Oil is…Specially formulated with cleansing botanicals, white willow bark and neem, this delicate herbal blend helps unclog pores and balances natural oils. Lightly moisturizing with a fast-absorbing grapeseed oil base. Leaves skin soft and smooth for a bright and beautiful complexion.
While the Anti Aging Oil is described as… This luxurious, herb-infused formula delivers intense moisture to keep dry and mature skin supple and dewy. Antioxidant-rich seed oils — chia, goji berry, and broccoli — firm and tighten, while reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Jojoba oil resembles your skin’s natural oil, softening and conditioning mature skin. Your skin vibrates in perfect harmony.
When applying them I had to think ’this is good for me’ before I applied them. And they were good for my skin, even if I wasn’t the biggest fan of the scent or texture. My complexion is smooth and bright, my skin clear and kind of glowy. They really work well, but that scent and texture really threw me.
The scrub comes as a powder, which I like but it is a little too gentle a scrub for me.
The Ayurvedic Facial Scrub is designed for sensitive skin and is a very mild exfoliate. The product page describes it as…
This fragrant Indian herbal treatment with horsetail and fenugreek seeds exfoliates and softens. Mineral-rich Rhassoul clay from the Atlas Mountains of Morocco absorbs excess oil. This gentle but powerful treatment leaves skin revitalized, fresh and alive.
It has a similar scent to the Purifying Mud Mask, which shouldn’t come as a surprise since it has some of the same ingredients. Like the mud mask, it comes as a dry powder that you mix with a little bit of water to turn into a paste. The process made me feel like a mad scientist when I used it. It is a decent exfoliator and if you have sensitive skin, I can see this being perfect for you. It left my skin feeling fresh, but I personally prefer a slightly more exfoliating exfoliator. It was fun to mix though and I enjoyed playing around with the consistency.
I reviewed both the Illuminating Pearl Mask and the Purifying Mud Mask in separate posts so I’ll just link those reviews instead of going into great depth here ( Previous in depth reviews: PEARL and MUD), but to sum up both posts; I loved the face masks. The Illuminating Pearl Mask left my skin glowing and the Purifying Mud Mask left me feeling deep down clean. Personally, I prefer the Purifying Mud Mask, but I tend to lean towards more pore cleansing masks in general. Both are good and well worth trying out.
Of the products I used during this trial I have to say the Aloe Herb Cleanse, the Anti-aging Serum and the two masks were the absolute best and they are products I will be adding to my list of products to purchase. I loved how they performed and how they made my skin feel.
While the Ayurvedic Facial Scrub is not my absolute favorite, I have a couple of friends with sensitive skin who I will definitely recommend it to as I think it would be more up their alley than mine.
I think I would have to pass on the facial oils. Although they did lovely things for my skin, I just don’t think I could take the texture of them long term. I think if I purchased them, I would look for reasons not to use the oil. In all fairness though, my mother actually uses the Herbal Facial Oil for oily skin and she absolutely loves it. It is one of the few facial oils she can use that doesn’t leave her feeling greasy. Since a little goes a long way, and I was using two separate oils, I have some left over. She has already staked a claim on them and they will be leaving my bathroom and going straight to hers where they will be used and well loved.
Over all I really liked this trial and I loved the way my skin looked and felt. I found some products that I really liked and will be ordering and some that just weren’t for me. It’s always good when a brand that has such a good ethos also has good products and I was very pleased with Annmarie Skincare.
The Illuminating Pearl Mask from Annmarie Skin Care
Welcome to the Friday face mask. Let me tell you, I was more than ready for this break today. I think this might be the first time I’ve sat down since this morning’s post. I’m in the middle of editing a novel and so this week I let all sorts of other little things slide as I focused and they sort of piled up. So I tried to tackle them all today.
But then came the time of the mask and a moment of Zen in the day’s chaos.
I have to say I have really grown addicted to my Friday afternoon mask breaks. I actually find myself tackling tasks just so I can have them off my plate before my break which keeps me from procrastinating. Well any more than leaving them until Friday that is.
This week was the first week of my trial featuring Annmarie Skin Care products. They kindly send over several trial sized products for me to test out and I have been using them as my entire skin care regime for the trial. In the products they sent me there were two face masks so I will be using one this week and one next week so that I can stick with the same skin care line throughout.
That being said today’s face mask is the Illuminating Pearl Mask. It sounded like a very lovely option for a very gloomy day. It is a hydrating and brightening treatment which sounded just about perfect.
According to the product page…
This luxurious mask restores balance and harmony while creating the perfect beautifying ritual. Honey delivers complex nutrients and hydrating properties to visibly improve tone and radiance. Turmeric’s bioactive compounds leave your skin feeling calm, making this mask ideal for sensitivities. Skin brightening pearl powder enhanced with uva ursi and licorice transforms your complexion to have an everlasting glow.
Now I grew up with a family that believed in the power of honey. Scratchy throat? Have a spoonful of honey. Allergies acting up? Have a spoon full of honey. Have a cut and no antibacterial ointment in the cupboard? Smear some honey on that sucker and you’ll be fine. Seriously, I read a lot of Fantasy novels as a child and anytime anyone mentioned ‘magic elixir’ I pictured honey.
I also have a lot of friends who adore the benefits of turmeric and I distinctly remember a late night infomercial for a product called Pearl Cream, the ancient secret of Asian women everywhere. I can still close my eyes and hear the narrator’s voice. I also think I watched too much late night television as a child.
I will say that the Uva Ursi was a new one on me. According to the Penn State Hershey Medical Center it is an herb that helps to shrink and tighten the mucus membranes and reduce inflammation. So I can see why it is in the face mask given its intent.
So now that I have learned about a new herb, on to the face it goes!
The mask in the jar
As expected from something containing pearls, it has a slight iridescent sheen to it. The scent is an herbal-ly citrusy one and really very pleasant. I have no idea if that is the Uva Ursi but if it is I really want a couple of sachets to put into my linen closet. I could really get used to sheets and blankets with that sort of scent to them.
But that is something to look into later. For now, the mask.
The mask on my face, given it’s color it is not as spectacular a picture as some of the charcoal masks but I kind of enjoy having a friday where I don’t look like I’m getting ready to rob a bank
It has a light creamy texture and smooths over the skin well. There was no tingling of any sort but there was an itchy moment around my nose as the mask dried down over the fifteen minute window I was wearing it. It wasn’t an allergic reaction more of just an itch from the drying down. When I went to wash off the mask at first I thought it was completely absorbed. It left just a sort of shiny film on my skin. I washed it off and the scent of the mask, which faded as I wore it, roared back to life as I rinsed and rehydrated it.
Apparently my skin took all of the mask’s hydration.
when I went to wash off, it just looked shiny, my skin stole all the mask’s hydration.
Which is probably why my skin now feels super smooth and hydrated. I have to say, I really liked this mask. It’s a bit like a really good night cream that does its job in only fifteen minutes and it smells really good. I really didn’t need that much of the mask and I think that I on my next skin care splurge I would pick up a jar. At $59 it is on the higher end of face mask prices, but definitely worth it if you are looking for an extra special treat and a spa-like experience at home.
Clean and fabulous, even if my hair is sticking up like Alfalfa.
And like all of Annmarie’s skin care it is a clean beauty product made with sustainably ‘wild sourced’ ingredients. I suspect that means I won’t find a seed packet for Uva Ursi in my local garden center then. I am definitely putting it on my plant watch though. I’m always looking for new herbs to try out whether culinary or just for scent packets in the linen. I just have to figure out if it can grow here. Until then I will just enjoy it in the face mask.
And with that my quiet time is over and my next slate of things to check off my to do list before I call it a weekend has arrived. I hope everyone out there has a fantastic run to the end of the work week and an excellent weekend.
And as a reminder, if you are looking for something good to read this weekend, March First kicks off the Smashwords Anual Read an E-book Book Sale. All of my books are 50% off and some are even free. You can download them in any format including plain text. The sale runs March 1-7. And if my books aren’t to your taste, no worries, there are many fantastic authors participating in the sale and you are sure to find something to suit your tastes. Happy reading.
Ms. Mimsy Reviews 