Sephora Skin Care Recommendations!
07/12/2012 | Reviews!
*Good for acne prone, discolored, and oily skin
Cleansers:
1) Kate Somerville DTX Daily Cleanser
The great thing I love about this cleanser that it takes off a lot of make up, oil, grim and dirt. Active ingredients in here are phytic acid (which helps with fading discoloration on the face as well as acne scarring), Aloe (calming and hydrating), Salicylic Acid (BHA, helps clean out pores), and Lactic acid (removes dead skin cells). It also has botanical extracts to de-congestion the skin and vitamins to nourish like vitamin c! Great for acne prone skin!
2) Milk Proteins Foaming Cream Cleanser
This is my current cleanser. One of the things I love about Korres is that the majority of the ingredients of his products are natural! Made without parabens, sulfates, synthetic dyes, petrochemicals, phthalates, GMOs, and triclosan. This cleanser feel absolutely creamy, light, gentle, and milky. Removes over excess of oil and large amounts of makeup. Doesn’t leave the skin feeling dry, but I always recommend a moisturizer right after! It has lactic acid also known as milk proteins to help not only nourish the skin but clean above the surface of the skin, eliminating any type of debris on the skin. AND YOU CAN USE IT AROUND THE EYES *for those who wear eye make up*!
Serums:
1) Christian Dior Capture Totale One Essential
Okay, let me start off by saying that this stuff right here saved my skin! How? It has triglycerides, lactic acid, castor oil, salicylic acid, and sodium hydroxide to eliminate 7 billion toxins in the skin! This basically boots any type of serums and/or moisturizer you put on top of it (so you would use this first and put your other products on top)! This serum stimulate cell turnover giving a more radiant complexion, alleviates dark spots, strengthens the firmness of the skin making the skin look more smoother and younger-looking! I use it twice a day, morning and night! My skin looks more radiant and clearer after a 3 week use!
2) Enlighten Me Pigment Lightening Serum
Now since I’m acne prone, I’m definitely prone to scaring after the blemish has faded away. This serum from Ole Henriksen smells like fruits! Why? Because it’s natural! Everything you smell from this brand is 100% natural extracts from lemon, mulberries and oranges. The active ingredients are THC which stands for Tetrahydrocurcuminoids which lightens shades of discoloration breaking down melanin production, vit. c which increases collagen production and lightens/brighten the skin, lactic acid which exfoliates the skin and increases cell renewal! I saw my scars fade away within weeks! Love this stuff!
Moisturizers:
1) Fresh Umbrian Clay Oil-Free Lotion
Umbrian clay is very unique to Fresh and Fresh is the only company that has Umbrian clay in it’s products. This mositurizer is oil-free, non-comedogenic, and very light weight! It is easily absorbed into the skin and whatever you smell is 100% natural, similar to the Ole Henriksen products. This moisturizer helps with regulating the production of sebum (so great for oily skin types), prevents pores from being blocked, and balances the pH of the skin. Why would you want to balance the pH on the skin? Because pH: Potential of Hydrogen, the norm of a balanced pH on the skin is 4.5 to 6.5, which is relatively close to water which is 7. When we do this our skin is less irritated to products, it doesn’t get to basic or acidic, and evens out the oil control. It’s loaded with antioxidants, so it repairs the damages caused by free radicals too! Great to use under makeup!
2) Ole Henriksen Sheer Transformation
I use this moisturizer at night because it has properties that help with cell renewal and this ingredient called Acti-White which prevents and corrects discoloration and evens skintone with an effective combination of pea extract and sugar. This helps with any type of discoloration whether it’s sun spots, age spots, hyperpigmentation or acne scarring. With gradual use of this you will see a difference! The texture of it is like whipped cream, yet it is absorbed into the skin really fast, doesn’t leave a greasy film and hydrates really well over night! Filled with anti-oxidants and fruit acids to gently exfoliate and hydrate!
So there’s my recommendations! Let me know if I should do make up or hair care too! :D
LA's Fashion Elite Reveal Their Summer Beauty Picks
We fell hard for Natalie Alcala last fall, when the LA-based writer and blogger spent a week guest blogging for us. In fact, we loved her posts so much that we asked her to be a contributing editor. In addition to blogging for us once a week, she’ll also be writing for the Birchbox Magazine and keeping us up to speed on all things fashion, beauty, and fun.
Greetings from Las Vegas! I’m one of 30 official bloggers at MAGIC—the world’s top marketplace for apparel and accessories. It’s been a true blast out here bonding with some of LA’s top fashion influencers. (Check out the #RoadtoMAGIC blog here to follow our adventures.) I checked in with four of my lovely trip mates to see what beauty products they can’t get enough of this summer.
Bethany Struble of Snakes Nest
1. Homemade Rosewater: “I literally make it over the stove. I love it because it’s so light and all natural. I use it as a toner, too.”
2. Benefit Hoola Bronzer: “This is a non-shimmery bronzer in a natural brown hue.”
3. CoverGirl Lash Blast Mascara: “I love it because it’s so cheap and fantastic.”
4. Urban Decay Naked Palette: “It has every color you need! It’s so versatile.”
5. Benefit Posietint: “It’s the perfect shade of pink for your lips and cheeks.”
Kate Somerville® 'Quench' Hydrating Serum
Okay, fine. I’m now in my thirties and have made that transition from Oily to Combo/Normal to the dreaded DRY skin. I know… there are upsides and downsides too all types of skin. For me, the upside to dry skin is getting to use Kate Somerville’s ‘Quench’ Hydrating Serum. For you regular readers, you already know I am huge fan of this skincare line. And I continue to discover little gems in her collection.
Over the last couple of years, I have become even more aware of the effect skin condition can have on the way makeup looks (and photographs). One of the major factors for foundation or tinted moisturizer is a well hydrated face. Quench has a hydrating complex that seals in water, resulting in a dewy, luminous complexion.
The texture is a silky serum, but it will not cause shininess. The effect is more satin. There also is a vitamin A product in here: RetiStar™. For those of you who worry about irritation from vitamin A products, let me assure you - this is the most mild vitamin A product I have ever tried. It is great way to introduce the product into your regimen.
Love the way my face feels after using this and a little Kate Somerville® Goat Milk Cream. Swoon!
“Austin was biased," said Kate firmly. "You know he has called twice a day?" "I shall see him tomorrow," Philippa said, as she had said for three days. "In any case, what did he say, including the bias?" "It partook," said Kate, "of the nature of a full-scale cursing against one Crawford of Lymond, but whether for sins of omission or commission is not entirely clear. You wouldn't like to clear up the point?" "No," said Philippa. "If you don't mind." "I do," said Kate. "I don't care to have my second-best bedroom looking like the den of a hibernating bear. In fact, I am beginning to feel like the gentleman who killed his sister with his bare hands for weeping on a day of official rejoicing.”
—Dorothy Dunnett, Checkmate (loc. 12634).My Acne Scars
Let me give you a bit of history about my acne scars. I’ve had horrible acne from the beginning of high school up until my junior year of high school. It covered mostly the side of my face and parts of my cheeks. It was always red and very irritated. I eventually saw a dermatologist and after numerous visits my face began to clear up, but I was still left with scarring.
Not too long ago I had just finished my D-Scar Scar Diminishing Serum by Kate Somerville. At first I was skeptical, but for the price I paid ($45 from Sephora) I was willing to give it a shot.
The packaging and serum work together to give the best results possible. All you simply do is turn the top onto “on” and squeeze the amount of product you need then gently roll the roller ball applicator onto your scars. The roller ball helps massage the serum into the skin improving texture and diminishing the appearance.
This isn’t a miracle product so results do not happen over night. It took me at least four weeks to notice that my scars were not as visible or as red as before. By the 8 week my deeper scars became less apparent. The texture by then was also smoother than before.
I do plan on buying this product again, but if possible I would like to find a cheaper alternative.
Disclaimer: I did buy this product myself and I am not being paid to write this.
Kate Somerville: My Skin Care
There is absolutely no doubt about where my complexion achieves it’s highest altitude of results with Kate’s variety of skin care products I have commenced using since May of this year (2011).
One of my favorite products continues to be the “Quench” simply because it hydrates my skin and leaves it completely satisfied without drying me out later in the day. It is an amazing companion for daily makeup users like myself who need that longer lasting look with our cosmetic products. It grabs onto the makeup very well and provides a smoother base w/ any liquid foundation. I prefer to use a moisturizer though right after quench, preferably the “Nourish” or “Oil-Free” moisturizer from Kate Somerville, to complete the hydration and skin care process.
I absolutely feel so grateful for having my skin improve so vastly since my commencement of using KS products and I strongly urge you to rush to any Sephora store near you and sample the line so you can see for yourself! Or come visit me at the Times Square
Location (ie: Broadway) and I will give you a free skin care consultation and samples to accompany the consultation and I gaurantee you’ll be not only a KS client once we are done but a firm believer in the entire line. (It seriously works!)
Proud believer & an ambassador for natural beauty!
Team Intros: Meet Tammy!
A native of Silicon Valley, Tammy spent her very first day in NYC at the Birchbox HQ. The newest addition to our Tech Team, Tammy came to her field by accident—after finishing her college pre-med coursework early (who does that?!), she occupied her time by enrolling in a computer science class. The rest, as they say, is history. Here in New York, Tammy is anxious to satisfy her coffee addiction by determining the best coffee microroasters around. Have any suggestions for her? Let us know in the comments!
Tammy Hwang, Technical Product Manager
Hometown: Los Altos, California
Fun fact: I can ride a bike, but only barely. It’s always questionable if I’ll survive the experience without cuts and bruises (so far, I haven’t).
Beauty Confession: The best thing about having bangs is not having to pluck my eyebrows.
