I love me some Vitacost! Seriously, if I cannot find what I need at my nearby retailers, (and at a reasonable price!) I look to Vitacost. They have hundreds, (probably more like thousands) of mostly healthy products. Many of them are organic, gluten free, vegan and kosher:) They pretty much have something for anyone and more than likely more than what you need!
For a while now, I've been on an active quest to find better and more natural skincare products. I'm 34, and have noticed that the older I get the weirder my skin becomes. In my 20's I used to have combo/oily skin, but once I hit 30, EVERYTHING changed (I'll touch on the other stuff in a different post). My skin soon became sensitive, dry and the hyperpigmentation I had for years seem to become extremely noticeable. I went out to places like Ulta and Sephora, and bought tons of products (high end and drug store) that either generated moderate to mediocre results. I tried Bliss, Dermalogica, Korres, Philosophy, Neutrogena, Cerave, Olay, Garnier, bareMinerals, Peter Thomas Roth, Roc and so many, many more. I never found anything that I was happy with or that reacted well with my skin. I don't really know what to say about my skin, except it's kind of funky. When I was younger I could use Clean and Clear products and not think twice. However now that I am a lady of a certain age, I have to be more careful with what I use.
About a month ago I purchased a few items that had been raved about on YouTube by Shannon Sullivan (
Glamour Wonderland) and Kendra Jorde (
vlog with Kendra). I was curious because they too were trying to make the move from harsh chemical laden products to more gentle non-abrasive natural ones. Also, their skin looked amazing! So glowy and healthy.......I wanted that! So, off to Vitacost I went, figuring I had tried pretty much everything under the sun, there was little I had left to lose.
YS Eco Bee Farms Raw Honey, Thayers Witch Hazel Rose Petal with Aloe Vera, Acure Organics Leave-in Conditioner Argan Oil Plus Argan Stem Cell, Heritage Products Rose Water, Devita Solar Protective Moisturizer with SPF 30, Andalou Naturals Age Revitalizing Serum Fruit Stem Cell and Acure Organics Argan Oil.
Here are several more Andalou products I purchased. These actually came in the Age Defying kit.
Lots of products, but how do I use them?
Let's start with the YS Eco Bee Farms Raw Honey. Instead of using an ordinary cleaner, I use this instead. Yeah, you heard me right, slather the honey all over your face and let the sweet goodness soak in and then remove with warm water. Now, I generally use this in the AM, but I have used it at the end of my day as well and it removes makeup, specifically eye makeup surprisingly well. My skin looks freakin' fantastic after I use this. There is a dewiness that I haven't seen in years and did I mention how soft your face will feel? Yeah, it's awesome! (Side note: It also works great as a leave on mask. It may get a bit messy, but the end result is so worth it.)
The Thayers Witch Hazel is so soothing. I use this right after I've cleansed my face to remove any trace evidence of makeup and dirt that may be left behind. You will be amazed how much stuff is still sitting in your skin after washing it. The smell is a lovely and light rose petal scent, and it leaves my skin feeling very invigorated, not dry, itchy or tight.
The Acure Leave-in Conditioner is something I use right after I get out of the shower. I spray this on my hair and use it to help comb out the tangles. I like how it works, but the scent is a bit unusual. It works wonderfully at detangling my hair, but I have noticed that if I apply too much, by hair feels a bit weighed down and oily. So, I have to use this a bit more carefully.
Heritage Rose Water is a great skin pick me up. Especially with colder climates and the excessive use of heat in the home, this spray is great for adding just the right amount of moisture and relief I need. I spritz this on mid-afternoon to freshen up my face and sometimes I even use this right after I have applied my makeup to set it. Great product!
Devita Solar Protective Moisturizer with SPF 30 is another great product that works so well under my makeup. Most facial SPF's cause my face to turn an even lighter shade of pale than I already am. But this one really doesn't do that. It also is not shiny or itchy. Most popular drug store and high end products have this way of making my skin feel like it's crawling with spiders! I don't know what causes this reaction, but it's super aggravating. Thankfully there are no creepy crawly spider sensations with this product. Very pleased!
Andalou Naturals Age Revitalizing Serum Fruit Stem Cell is pretty good, I think. I like the way it feels on my skin after I apply it, however when I use it under my makeup I have noticed that it balls up:( The directions say to apply morning and night, which I do, except I use a sponge to apply my foundation, rather than a brush. This method alleviates the balling issue. The only thing is I haven't really noticed if it's done anything for my skin. It hasn't caused any reactions, but as far as treatments go, I'm not sure what it's doing. Still, I have noticed it makes for a good primer, so I will continue using this until it's gone. However, I am not certain I'd repurchase.
Acure Organics Argan Oil is not something I have used enough to give a proper review, So I'm going to hold off on this for now.
Now on to the Andalou Age Defying kit. I bought this mainly because I am in my mid-thirties and am noticing things like fine lines, sun spots and just general dull skin. I thought this would be a good fit for me. The products are all gentle and moisturizing, BUT- I think I might have jumped the gun in buying these. While I suffer from dry skin, the moisturizing products in this particular line are a bit too much for me. I end up feeling and looking too greasy. They do make my skin look lovely and healthy, but I feel this kit would better serve someone who is older. Now, I'm sure I will return to this line in a few years, but for now I think I may pass it on to my sister who might get better results from it.
The round up.....what will I keep on buying? For sure the YS Eco Bee Farms Raw Honey, Thayers Witch Hazel, Heritage Rose Water and Devita Solar Protective Moisturizer with SPF. I was super impressed with these stellar items! Once I have empties of these, I will be repurchasing them.
The rest? Well, I feel the Acure Leave-in Conditioner might be too heavy for my fine hair. I think there might be something else out there that will work better. The Andalou Naturals Age Revitalizing line was a bit too mature for my skin. So, I won't be buying those products.....(
HOWEVER, I did end up buying the Andalou Naturals Brightening kit and I had much better results. I will post a review of this later on as I found it in a different store....)
So, all in all I think that I have found some winners! This makes me very happy and my skin is so much better for it. I have the glow and healthy complexion that has been missing for at least 5 years now. My confidence is back and there are now many days when I forgo the foundation route and just apply the Devita sunscreen and go about my day. As a busy mother, like so many of you, this is such a wonderful luxury.
Hopefully this was helpful to you guys!
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