Category / skincare

by Lani

The Dark Edit 🌙 🌙 🌙

How are you all doing and feeling this holiday season? I’ve been a bit busy with my PhD and graduate studies planning however I still feel super grateful for so many things in my life.

In this part of the two part series I have two recommendations for skincare Elemis Superfood Blackcurrant exfoliator and Elemis Peptide Plumping Pillow Facial and one candle recommendation Foundry Mistletoe.

What I appreciate about the blackcurrant exfoliator is that it is gentle enough for every day use, nondrying, nonirritating because it does not leave my skin red, its vegan, and it effectively gets rid of any gunky oil or impurities on the skin with gentle circular motions. Additionally, it does not require aggressive scrubbing and it is currently on sale on the site Mankind for $28, this is the link.

Elemis Peptide Plumping Pillow Facial feels pillowy unsurprisingly. I love the subtle relaxing smell sweetened by jasmine and sweet orange for the ultimate at-night destress experience. I am a sucker for gel moisturizers because they instantly absorb into the skin rather than sit on top. This overnight face mask does not disappoint because it provides that instant hydration. A key ingredient is Peptide4, as we all know from basic biology peptide chains naturally occur in amino acids and the peptide4 ingredient derived from yeast helps add more of it to the skin to boost the overnight skin revitalization process.

My candle recommendation smells like a winter forest, the mistletoe candle from the brand Foundry. I purchased mine from Bed Bath & Beyond. I recommend this $6 candle because the throw is fantastic for the cost. The scent is christmassy, warm, and woodsy. I love the mercury glass jar it comes in and the size of the candle. It is about the size of a large navel orange. I’d make a great last minute gift for yourself or a friend.

Happy Holidays, take care of yourself ❤

by Lani

The Bright Edit

TODAY is a Beautiful day ~

This is the start of a two part series consisting of The Bright Edit & The Dark Edit blog posts. In this post I share reviews of morning related products.

Here’s my morning playlist that consist of upbeat songs to sing in the shower and while getting ready.

A great way to wake up your face in the morning is to double cleanse with cold water. A scrub mask can exfoliate and brighten the complexion in the morning. I’ve been using three different face scrubs recently. One of which is the Klairs Youthful Glow Sugar Mask. This vegan mask has grapefruit extract, raspberry seed oil, and shea butter. What I like about this mask is that you can control the exfoliation amount with the dampness of your face. The instructions state to apply the product on a damp face, I find that if my face is super damp the mask acts as a moisturizer and if it is less damp the sugar crystals remain harder and the mask acts more as a physical exfoliator.

The mask is on the course side as a sugar scrub so I do like and prefer to use it on my upper body. I love using it on my underarms and upper body as it leaves it with a sugary grapefruit clean scent and exfoliates the skin effectively.

I can see a difference in how bright my completion looks after using this mask for 10 minutes.

I hit the jackpot and Sokoglam sent me the Missha Time Resolution serum for free with my purchase. I’d been eyeing this serum for a while so I was super excited to try it out. Surprisingly, the product actually turned out more impressive than I anticipated. The serum makes my face feel extremely soft. I’m unsure why it works so well for me. I typically find that Korean serums on Sokoglam are kind of hit or miss for my sensitive skin because many products have fragrance. Sometimes my skin reacts super negatively to fragrance others times it just slightly gets irritated or not at all. But this product does not have any fragrance.

The key ingredient is mugwort extract for hydration. Mugwort also has anti-inflammatory properties as well. This serum is the perfect morning skincare product because it hydrates and calms redness. It leaves my skin with this butter-baby soft feeling, that does not feel weighted or as if it is just sitting on top of my face. It is the perfect 1st step skincare. ❤

Pictured wearing Venessa Mooney Skort-Dress – THE ORIGINAL ELISABETH and For Love and Lemons pink cover dress

What are your favorite morning skincare products?

by Lani

Collagen Beauty Powder

Vital Proteins Beauty Collagen in Strawberry Lemon flavor tastes delicious and it makes my hair and skin softer. The price is $25 and the container lasted me a month and a half. The directions state to use two spoons and mix in water but I typically only added one generous spoon and a half of spoon more. I did not take it every day, more like 2-3 times a week, and I made two servings each time to share with my mom.

I love mixing it with some filtered water store bought ice and drinking it in the morning after a cup of hot water with lemon. It tastes refreshing and somewhat sweet. There is no vitamin, cardboard-like taste nor is it overly sweet, it simply makes water taste slightly fruity. I once added it to a smoothie and I do not recommend drinking it this way because the fruit and veggie flavors clashed and tasted unpleasant. Its best as directed in fresh water for a light drink with a collagen boost!

This collagen powder is solid online at Walmart, Target, Walgreens, Sephora, and more. Now that I’ve tested the waters I will surely buy more to continue drinking it throughout the late fall and winter.

by Lani

Fenty Beauty Products 🌰

*Pictured above wearing SPF eyeshadow not Fenty, wearing Fenty mascara and setting powder

I purchased a box of Fenty goodies in October. I got Pro Filtr Instant Retouch Setting Powder in the shade chestnut, Full Frontal Volume, Lift & Curl mascara in Cuz I’m Black, Match Stix Shimmer Skinstick in Beach Bum, the Moroccan Spice Eyeshadow palette, and Total Cleans’r Remove-it-all face wash.

To start off with the setting powder I love that it easily blends into my skin. My face suddenly got too dark for my foundation from the sun so I wanted this to make my face match my current complexion with this powder. I like that the powder looks natural on and I can still see my skin underneath. It also is light enough in coverage to achieve the glass skin, dewy face look.

The Total Cleans’r Remove-it-all face wash is non-drying and fragrance free. I like to use it with other products for a double cleanse. Not much to say about it besides the fact that it is in line with Fenty’s universal one-for-all brand in that it does not irritate my skin and effectively washes my face and makeup off.

The Shimmer Skinstick in Beach Bum is orangey and peachy in color. The pigment is buildable and shimmery.

As for the Moroccan Spice palette, the eyeshadow is sheer. Its an everyday light coverage palette with subtle buildable pigment. The perk this palette has is its range of colors, it truly is a one-stop-shop for day to night looks.

This is awesome given that I got it on sale for only $29. Though I expected stronger pigment from the colors on par to Pat McGrath, I actually now appreciate this palette for daily use. I especially appreciate that Fenty included solid plain colors without glitter because many others from popular brands like Pat or Tom Ford in my experience only offer glitter shadows in palettes.

some of the glitter shadows on my mom’s arm

Pictured below is a day and night eye look only using Fenty. I am not good at makeup so I usually prefer more pigment to use one color all over my eyes. I also prefer little fall out because I frequently make mistakes and struggle to blend as my nervous Gemini energy really jumps out while doing makeup. I did experience some fall out but it is was not extreme.

The mascara is just the same as the palette light but buildable. See mascara close and eye shadow close up below. In short, all of the makeup products I tried are light and buildable and excellent for natural everyday looks.

Thanks for reading!

Fenty Review

by Lani

Skin Cottage Spa & Eminence Skin Probiotic Moisturizer Review & Spa Shower tips 🌿

https://theskincottage.com/

I visited a small spa in Los Gatos, CA called The Skin Cottage. I highly recommend this spa because the owner Donna uses Eminence products for her facials. The spa is open now with the protocol of signing a health form beforehand and she offers online booking. I love that her spa is a small single room space with an entrance lobby and restroom because it makes the facial experience more relaxing.

I dislike day spas with full hair salons and other services because they tend to be louder by nature of the other activities happening at the same time. Her small space ensures privacy and cleanliness. The spa room has a heated bed and small storage space for your belongings. She does extractions and only offers one basic facial as of this post.

Eminence is a brand I’ve used since I was a teenager and I think this brand is special because of their emphasis on using natural plant ingredients and fruits in their products. In addition, the vast range of products they carry is also an asset.

Anything you need, you can get from Eminence from heated body lotion for cellulite to face mist, from sour cherry masks to face lotion like the one reviewed here made with yogurt! The pricing is also a bonus because though the brand is luxurious prices are not exuberant.

Eminence Clear Skin Probiotic Moisturizer is cooling. Only a pea size amount is needed for application and it can be mixed with water. A key ingredient is cucumber water for hydration. I like this product because my forehead tends to breakout easily from hair products and daily stress and this helps prevent regular irritation. It is a great buy for hormonal, acne prone, or teenaged skin.

Affordable Spa Shower / Bath Guide

Have you taken a spa shower and bath at home yet? I highly recommend you do because it can promote relaxation. The smallest thing you do for yourself in the week and can have a major impact. One great tip to have a spa shower is to use essential oils. Adding about three-to-five-drops of lavender oil to the sides of your shower creates an aromatic experience.

Another great thing to use in your bathroom during a shower or bath is eucalyptus oil. Inhaling eucalyptus promotes respiratory health and relaxation, try mixing some water and eucalyptus oil to burn on an oil burner.

This is the lavender oil I use from Amazon and this is the eucalyptus oil

A bath bomb I like using is the Dove lavender ones that can be purchased from most supermarkets or drugstores in the US. It makes a great addition to a bubble bath liquid of your choice. Additionally, as previously recommended St. Ives has great affordable body washes for under $4. The most recent one I purchased is sea salt and kelp, this wash has gentle exfoliation.

I got more rose water from Nandi Care since I love using it on my face and in my hair to refresh. This business was kind enough to send me a new body soap bar sample before its released and I ADORE it because it has the perfect amount exfoliation. I used the bar on my shoulders during a bath and it clarified my skin perfectly and is not too rough or too soft.

Additionally, though the bar is brown it did not leave a stain behind in my shower after use. I really hope this store releases this product soon because I want to purchase two more.

One last spa bath tip is to always finish off with some lip balm. I recently picked up Vaseline Rosy Lips and I love how hydrated my lips feel with use. What do you do for yourself to relax during the week? ❤

by Lani

Revitalizing Face Serum ~ 80s Beauty Resurrection Playlist 🎃 🍁

HAPPY MONDAY! ❤️ 

I made my first blog playlist devoted to upbeat self-care music. There’s a strong retro wave happening in music right now from American pop to k-pop. I thought an 80s style beauty playlist would perfectly compliment fall leather jacket weather and hydrating skincare recommendations.

Here is my Cannabliss Revitalizing Face Serum review:

Revitalizing Face Serum
Have you tried the face serum from the line Cannabliss?

The organic skincare line Cannabliss is awesome because they use organic ingredients. This face serum specifically produces actual results in one bottle purchase from my experience. Some products only work with continual use and may not even kick in until after two purchases but this serum is on par with Honeymoon Glow in that the results show in the first week.

Starting with the bottle itself, it has an airless pump to keep bacteria out and promote a longer shelf-life. This is an excellent feature for those who like to use minimal skincare and prefer to stretch the use of pricey products.

Secondly, the ingredient list is top notch and free of synthetic fragrance, dyes, and parabens. The serum is clear and lightweight. It absorbs into my skin rather than just sit on top of it. After using this serum for three days pigmentation disappeared from the side of my face and my cheeks became plumper.

My skin also feels smoother. I wanted this product to recoup after breakouts and skin sensitivity and it helped my skin bounce back. I no longer have texture from the breakouts or skin sensitivity. I think this is a solid product to use for a skin “bounce-back” after any issues. ❤

by Lani

Sokoglam Sheet Masks, Sensitized Skin Products & Coffee Oil 🍉🧖🏾‍♀️☕

My sokoglam sheet mask collection is growing! Here are my thoughts:

  • COLLAGEN ESSENTIAL LIFTING & FIRMING SHEET MASK – These masks are thicker than the standard sheet mask. They help plump out your skin with hydrolyzed collagen. A key ingredient is beta-glucan, it can help cool and relax the skin and reduce redness. Read more about beta-glucan here, written work reviewed by a dermatologist. 
  • PACKH.D.P PHOTOREADY TIGHTENING CHARCOAL MASK – This black mask is the same brand as the collagen ones listed above. These masks contain pomegranate, charcoal, and adenosine extracted from yeast. The ingredient adenosine has anti-aging properties. Read more on adenosine here. 
  • PIBUWANG MASK – REST (5PACK) – I’ve blogged about these vegan sheet masks before. Back then, I enjoyed using them but did not understand the hype. Recently my skin became irritated and the mask did effectively soothe my skin within two days and they minimized the appearance of discoloration from irritation.
  • BRIGHTENING SHEET MASK SET – I have not tried every mask in the set yet. I do love that the selection of masks can change with availability, this way it feels like a surprise when purchasing. This $19 set comes with five different sheet masks!

Sensitized Skin Products:

Three sensitized skincare products I’ve enjoyed using:

Art of Skincare Hale & Hush Soothe Essence – This is a life-changing essence, no exaggeration. It makes a major difference when my skin appears irritated out of the blue. I first discovered this product as a sample. I used it when my skin became irritated with bright red bumps on my cheek. By the next morning, the irritation disappeared entirely after using this essence. I purchased it as a full-size product for the first time. I’ve used it to soothe skin irritation and I’ve found that it always helps.

The key ingredients are birch tree extract, which has inflammatory properties, sunflower seed oil to hydrate, and mirabilis Jalapa extract to support the skin barrier and more.

Art of Skincare Quick Recovery Sample Masks – This $23 set is a great way to try out different masks and see how your skin reacts. The avocado mask is gentle and moisturizing, the pudding tapioca and rice mask can help smooth out skin texture, and the pumpkin mask cleanses pores and improves skin blood circulation. Check out the links to the individual masks below. My personal favorites are the Pudding Apeel Mask and Splendid Dirt Pumpkin Mask.

1.)Guac Star Soothing Avocado Mask

2.)Pudding Apeel Glycolic Mask

3.)Splendid Dirt Pumpkin Mask

BEAUTY OF JOSEON Green Tea Serum – This serum has centella asiatica to calm down redness and irritation, green tea as an antioxidant, and panthenol from vitamin B-5. Read more on panthenol here.

BODY – Anese Coffee Oil – This vegan oil formulated for the bum with watermelon oil and coffee beans. It can help reduce cellulite. It soothes dryness or irritation on your skin and leaves it feeling supple, most notably when used in combination with a scrub beforehand. ❤

by Lani

Peter Thomas Roth

I’ve tried out four Peter Thomas Roth products: the Potent-C Face Lotion, Vita-E Eye Cream, and Thermal Therapy Duo. Here are my thoughts on the products:

I think Peter Thomas Roth excels in eye creams. Though the reviews for Vita-E Eye Cream, pictured in the pink bottle below, are low on many sites due to the product’s texture, I love it!

See butter-like texture here

This eye cream MUST get melted down between your fingers before applying it. This is due to the product’s cold butter texture. I want to continue using this eye cream because I’ve noticed a difference in the sides of the eyes. In the past, there was a faint wrinkle on the side when I smiled wide and now I’ve noticed that wrinkle is gone. I know this is due in part to diligence overall in my skincare routine but I really think this eye cream helped make a major stride in the youthful appearance of my eyes.

Though I favor this eye cream, my mother loves the collagen eye cream from this brand and believes it has helped create a firmer look under her eyes.

Lastly, what I love about this eye cream is that it is formulated to protect your eyes from screen use on your laptop and phone that can cause premature aging. I definitely think it is a great product to look into as a student or someone working from home with a laptop or computer.

Moving on to the Potent-C Face lotion, pictured in an orange-silver container, this orange-colored face lotion formulated with excellent ingredients like collagen, ginger root extract, and turmeric. The key ingredients listed on Dermstore are ferulic acid, which is an antioxidant, Vitamin E, and THD ascorbate, which is a strong form of Vitamin C used primarily on aging skin. Potent-C has 20% THD making this one of the strongest products on the market. 

Overall, I like how this face lotion brightened my appearance, but I do not consider it a favorite because I prefer DHC collagen cream (which I’ve previously blogged about). However, I know I can reach for this product in the future.

The Anti-Aging face wash is an exfoliating gel that effectively cleanses my skin but it does dry out the lower half of my face. I think the texture is on par or maybe even better than Le Mieux Exfoliating Gel. I highly recommend looking into this face wash because it has helped minimize the congestion of my skin on my forehead. Some reviewers with sensitive skin claim this face wash broke them out so be sure to check out the ingredient list and those reviews if your skin is sensitive. My skin is sensitive but this product did not irritate my face. I think this face was is best suited for oily skin. I’ve been using it only on my forehead and on my shoulder blades to prevent skin congestion during the summer.

The Thermal Therapy Duo makes a lovely gift. Both products work wonderfully. The facial scrub is layered onto your clean dry face and then activated after 3 minutes with wet fingers. The water on your fingers will make the mask warm as it gently exfoliates your skin. The face lotion is standard and moisturizing without a strong scent and formulated with Hungarian thermal water. I like using these products to cleanse and moisturize my skin when it feels congested.

What are your thoughts on the brand Peter Thomas Roth? ❤

by Lani

Amazon Skincare Finds🍒

Amazon Skincare Finds

Bliss Mighty Marshmallow Mask – This fluffy pink mask almost looks like the stuff Teletubbies used to drink. It feels soft on my skin and it did not burn when I applied it to my face after waxing. The key ingredients are Marshmallow Root Extract, Vitamin C Powerhouse Blend, Olive Leaf Extract, Lime, Lemon, Pine and Eucalyptus Oils, and Zinc PCA.

It appears it is sold cheaper by ULTA but it is currently out of stock. The Bliss site itself has email sign up discounts.

Bliss Mighty Marshmallow Mask

https://www.blissworld.com/mighty-marshmallow-brightening-face-mask/

Matcha Mood Mask – With key ingredients green tea extract and aloe vera this vegan mask both soothes and strengthens your skin with the antioxidant green tea. The texture is like green tea ice cream. It has no strong scent or irritants. It is also formulated with vitamin B3. Vitamin B3 helps with skin water loss and can lessen the appearance of wrinkles by smoothing out your skin texture. What I enjoy about this mask is that it does not leave my skin feeling dry afterwards like most clay masks or clarifying masks do.

Matcha Mood Mask

Jeju Green Tea Mask – These sheet masks are formulated with green tea jelly. The green tea extracts help soothe irritated or red skin, and it helps prevent breakouts with antimicrobial properties! I used this mask while taking a bath and it felt like the ultimate expression of self-care.

**I will link these masks at a later time, for some reason they disappeared off Amazon, this is where I bought them from – https://amzn.to/2Va8Z5l **link works masks available on Amazon again

Honorable Mention – Cherry Lip Mask

This lip mask has key ingredients honey, cherry essence, and coenzyme. What coenzyme does is diminish damage to your lips created by environmental factors like sun exposure. I love that the mask does not feel greasy on my lips. It has a light and pleasant cherry scent. ❤

*Amazon affiliate links used in this post*

by Lani

Turmeric & Banana Mask 🍌

I purchased the Turmeric and Banana tightening mask from the Art of Skin Care, it is a small business run by women just like Nandi Skincare (see my previous blog post, I can’t wait to get more rose water from them!).

I’m happy to have discovered the Art of Skin Care business because they sell Le Mieux face wash (which I also blogged about too, check out my skincare tag).

The key ingredients listed on site are banana pulp and peel added for their antioxidants, turmerones from turmeric oil to brighten the complexion, echinacea purpurea, which is a flowering plant, to prevent sagging skin, and bentonite and illite clays to clarify the skin.

Detailed Ingredients List: “Water/Eau, Pumice, Glycerin, Kaolin, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Musa Pardisiaca (Banana) Fruit Powder, Echinacea Purpurea Extract, Parfum*, Corn Starch, Musa Sapientum (Banana) Fruit Flakes, Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract, Illite, Decyl Glucoside, Xantham Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzoic Acid, Sorbic Acid, Citric Acid. *Natural fragrance derived from 100% natural sources”

This Turmeric and Banana tightening mask is so awesome to use before dermaplaning. I love to use an ice cube from my freezer on my face to de-puff and then dry my skin and layer this active mask on. My routine is I wait for the mask to dry and then wash it off as a tightening pre-treatment before dermaplaning. The results are stunning, my face is super tight, clear, and bright afterward!

This mask is active so it does cause a little bit of a burning sensation and it leaves my nose slightly red afterward. However, the burning feeling is tolerable and it decreases as it dries. This is the reason why I always use it before dermaplaning because I imagine it would burn too much after exfoliation.

I recommend giving this mask a go if you’re in the market for an affordable skin tightening treatment, the sticker tag is $30.00. ❤