This is a physical manual exfoliant. It uses walnut shells and an enzyme exfoliant. You leave it on your face and then scrub it. I find it to be gentle enough for my sensitive reactive skin.
The reason why I started loving this product is because I saw its power. I had a clogged pore that looked like a pimple or face mark. There was a bump on my skin. Over time I noticed it was shrinking. I continued to use this product once a week and I noticed that the "face mark" continued to shrink until whatever was clogging that pore was gone.
I'm a regular girl with a love of all things natural, organic, and good for you. This product is a definite staple in my skincare.
I saw first hand how it removed dead skin cells and revealed my best skin. My skin is left feeling soft and bright and definitely smoother. It is a great quality product.
First, I would like to say that I was able to buy a sample of this product. I enjoyed the soft aroma of apricots and I didn't think the ground apricot seeds were too abrasive as others have expressed in their reviews. Although I personally do not like to exfoliate daily.
I bought this product in my quest for a natural cleanser with excellent ingredients and that would remove all the makeup off my face. This product does not do an effective job at removing makeup. It leaves the skin feeling soft but you need to proceed with a different cleanser if you had makeup on and that defeats the purpose of this cleanser for me. It is better suited as a second cleanse once you have already removed your makeup to exfoliate your skin. Unfortunately, I don't think this product works for my sensitive acne prone skin.
The product definitely does not leave the skin stripped of moisture as some cleansers do. I didn't notice a minimizing appearance of my pores within this month of use, but with time it might. I did find my skin was less dull.
In my personal opinion the product does not work as an every day morning cleanse because of the apricot seeds. It doesn't work as a nighttime cleanser because it doesn't remove all my makeup. At the price point it is found I think it would be better to find an alternative cleanser that effectively removes makeup.
If you wear none to a little makeup I think you will enjoy this product. It smells wonderful and leaves your skin feeling renewed. I love the ingredients in the product and this is a great company to buy from.
Tata Harper- Nourishing Oil Cleanser
This is a gentle cleanser that is supposed to cleanse your skin and dissolve makeup. I think it is a gentle cleanser. It leaves your skin feeling very soft. It is full of wonderful ingredients that are beneficial to the skin. The aroma is very fresh.
Although I enjoyed this product it did not work towards completely removing my makeup. It does however remove some. I always felt the need to go in with another cleanser after using this to completely remove my makeup and therefore felt it defied the purpose of this product. I wanted the ingredients that were placed to cleanse to penetrate my skin and yet I had to wash them off to fully cleanse my skin.
I think this product may work best as a morning cleanser. However I feel divided as to if I would repurchase. I'm not sure if my pores love this product and with the $64 price tag I think I would enjoy a product that would be multifunctional for me.
Jane Iredale's Amazing Base Loose Mineral Powder: This mineral foundation has an SPF 20 and provides medium to full coverage. It leaves a powdery look on your face when applied that can be diminished with the usage of a hydration spray over it.
I use the color Warm Sienna and I can also use Golden Glow which is a tiny bit darker. In order to get medium to full coverage I like to use a beauty blender with it. With the Chisel Brush I find the coverage tends to be lighter for me and I like more coverage. The Amazing Base scores a 3 on Skin Deep.
Jane Iredale's Longest Lash Thickening and Lengthening Mascara: I find that this mascara accomplishes what it claims to do. It definitely makes my lashes look thicker and longer naturally. I think it is best to use this with the lash conditioner, but you can also use a more economical mascara that scores low on Skin Deep Database to use as a primer for it. There is a trick to applying this mascara. You shouldn't apply it like traditional mascaras. What I do is squeeze some of the product onto the brush and then proceed to brush it on my lashes. I will make a video of this soon and show you the difference. This scores a 1 on Skin Deep.
Jane Iredale Pink Lip Pencil: This is liner does a great job in lining my lips with different shades of pink lipsticks. It goes on smooth and blends easily. This scores a 1 on Skin Deep.
Zuzu Luxe Blush in Sunset: I love this blush shade. It reminds me of Jane Iredale's Whisper blush. It has some shimmer that provides a nice glow. It scores a 2 on Skin Deep.
Ilia Beauty Lipstick in Neon Angel: It has a beautiful pink shade that has to be built to its vibrancy. Therefore, if you do not enjoy bright lipsticks you can leave it toned down. I love vibrant pinks so I build the color up. The texture and consistency of this lipstick upon first application doesn't easily glide over your lips, instead it clings to your lips. I'm not sure if this makes sense. I would recommend applying a balm before the lipstick to help it apply more smoothly. Yet, subsequent applications have been very smooth. It has almost a velvety feel. I love this lipstick. Once applied it has lasting power and feels moisturizing. I would like to definitely try more products from this brand.
Sun Touched is a coral toned shade. It is recommended for fair to medium-dark skin with olive or golden undertones. As artist Kjaer Weis describes it, "It gives a youthful look as if you have been kissed by the Sun." I couldn't agree more with this description.
I love the color of this blush on my medium toned skin with yellow undertones. This blush is easily blendable. I use my fingertips to apply on the apple of my cheeks. It melts with the warmth of my fingers and applies very smooth. The color lasts on my cheeks and it leaves a wonderful glow. The packaging is also luxurious and stunning. Kjaer Weis is part of a refillable system and on your second purchase you can buy the refill and save.
My skin is very sensitive and I experienced no breakouts from this blush. Sometimes When you try more natural products you feel like you have to sacrifice that luxury feel or performance of contemporary brands. With this product you know you are getting the best in both performance and luxury. I highly recommend this product.
I am so excited about the Honeybee Gardens Cosmopolitan Eye Shadow Palette. The color pay off is great for they are very pigmented and the colors I think would work on many skin colors. I wore them with the Jane Iredale champagne eye gloss as a primer and they lasted all day. The palette's colors are:
Kashmir a matte brown
Satin Sheets a sparkly gold
PS Pink a matte medium pink
Angelic a sparkly pale pink
It also brings a bamboo brush-sponge
I love that it scores a 2 on the cosmetic database. It retails for $29.95 but I was able to get mine half off so watch out for sales.
I also got the Honeybee Gardens lip pencil in island spice. This is a very versatile neutral brown. I can use it with different shades of lipstick. I like the texture. It's not too hard nor too soft. I love that it scores a 1 on the cosmetic database.
The last product I tried was the Physician's Formula Fakeout mascara. I like that the ingredients are pretty green. Unfortunately it leaves me with raccoon eyes. I find myself having to wipe under my eyes constantly trying to avoid this but usually fail miserably. I don't think I will be repurchasing this product unless I can't find another cost effective and "clean" alternative. Any "clean" mascaras and that perform well please leave suggestions below. My go to mascara is Jane Iredale's longest lash thickening and lengthening mascara. The cost is $33 and I would like something that would cost less and if possible perform better. I did like the combination of both of these mascaras together, but again I don't want to go around with raccoon eyes.
I have been using Jane Iredale Glow Time and Smooth Affair for about a year. According to the Jane Iredale website "Glow Time covers blemishes, minimizes pores, disguises wrinkles and smoothes and brightens skin."
"Our mineral-based formula nourishes your complexion and helps protect skin from UV and free radical damage.
Provides Broad Spectrum SPF 25 and UVA P++ protection that is water resistant for up to 40 minutes
Available in 6 shades: BB1 (Fair), BB3 (Light), BB5 (Light to Medium), BB7 (Medium), BB9 (Medium-Dark to Dark), BB11 (Very Dark)
Grapefruit Extract promotes luminosity and skin radiance, minimizes appearance of pores and wrinkles, and may help to fade uneven pigmentation.
Apple Extract is a skin-smoothing antioxidant that exfoliates, refines and rejuvenates the skin.
Sunflower Seed Oil is rich in moisturizing vitamin E.
I love that this product has an SPF 25. Most sunblock blocks my pores and causes me breakouts. This product did not do that. I loved its natural full coverage (your skin still looks like skin only better) and that only a little bit of product is needed to cover my face. Its consistency is thick when you try to smooth it over your face. In my personal opinion it does not glide like for example, Tarte's Amazonian Clay foundation which is more like a mousse to me. Now, although it feels thick it doesn't feel heavy when it is applied over your face. It felt very light on. Due to its consistency it is very important to moisturize your face properly. I apply it using my fingertips instead of a brush because I the warmth of the skin helps it to smooth over better. On me I think this foundation BB cream will last around 2-4 hours without retouching. When I use Jane Iredale's pure pressed base and the Balance hydration spray it lasts longer. I like it for an everyday quick look. My morning routine is usually very quick using these products. I spoke to a personal shopper on how to achieve a more flawless airbrushed look and she gave me some tips I will be implementing and updating you soon. I have worn this while being out in the sun in Florida and have not gotten a sunburn. I haven't noticed a reduction in the appearance of my pores and I don't really have wrinkles yet so I can not comment about these statements. I use glow time with Jane Iredale's primer Smooth Affair.
According the Jane Iredale's website:
"Smooth Affair has anti-aging properties that even skin tone, minimize the appearance of pores and increase luminosity.
Skin feels nourished and looks smoother. Makeup goes on more easily and lasts longer. The light, fresh fragrance is uplifting.
Grapefruit Extract promotes luminosity and skin radiance.
Apple Extract is a skin-smoothing antioxidant that helps maintain skin’s youthful elasticity.
Green and White Tea Leaf Extracts and Royal Jelly are anti-aging and anti-inflammatory.
Aloe Leaf Juice soothes and calms the skin.
Algae Extract is anti-aging, firms the skin and prevents moisture loss.
Smooth Affair has a very fresh flowery scent. It is not overpowering and I really enjoy it. It is wonderful to find products with so many natural and beneficial ingredients. It definitely helps the Glow time apply more smoothly. Its consistency is that of a lotion and it feels a little like the Korres primer (silicone free) to me. Its like a light lotion that is easily and quickly absorbed. Maybe it smoothes over time with prolonged usage but its not something that you put on and you feel your face smoother like silicone containing primers. Overall I like it but it is not my HG primer.
Side note: Before applying these products I wash my face with La Roche-Posay's Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cream cleanser and then use Kahina Giving Beauty's Facial Lotion. Then I proceed to use Smooth Affair followed by Glow Time.
On the left is Glow Time in BB7 and on the Right is Smooth Affair.
For comparison purposes I am a NC35 in MAC and can use both BB5 (lighter- like Warm sienna Jane Iredale Pure Pressed Foundation) or BB7 (darker-like Golden Glow Pure pressed foundation). I do find that mineral foundation tends to be forgiving in terms of color shades on skin, but BB7 tends to be my exact shade when blended in. I think it gets a little darker during the day which is why on my next purchase I will try BB5.
I will try to upload a picture with just my face prepped soon.
I hope that you find my review helpful.
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