Skin Care

Prairie Bliss Botanicals Caffeine Fix Eye Serum Review

~ Michele Raiyne ~ 1 Comment

The skin around the eye is thin and the first place to show signs of aging. After finishing YBF Skincare’s Correct Eye Cream, I was looking for an eye treatment that wasn’t such a heavy hitter, as my eyes are pretty good – a few fine lines and can look tired in the mornings with a bit of discoloration and a bit of puffiness especially after too little sleep.

Prairie Bliss Botanicals is a small Canadian spa company based in Saskatoon, SK that makes a number of all natural and organic skin care products. After reading the description of the Caffeine Fix Eye Serum, I wasn’t sure what the texture was going to be like. It’s called an eye serum, but the description says it is a “rich eye cream.” When I bought this serum, there was no ingredient list on the website or on the bottle I received, so I emailed the company asking for the ingredients. They responded to my email within the hour saying they couldn’t provide me with ingredients as it was propriety information. I see that the website now lists the ingredients; however, it is a hover list and has a copyright label, so I’m not sure I’d be allowed to list it fully here. Please see their website for a full list of ingredients. I’ll go through the primary ingredients though.

bliss caffeine fix

Primary ingredients: Organic coffee, vitamin E, grape seed oil

I’m not sure if the company uses coffee, coffee bean oil, coffee extract and/or caffeine. Depending on what is used, there are lesser or greater amounts of caffeine and fatty acids. For example, coffee bean oil has a small amount of caffeine, but is rich in fatty acids, and smells like coffee. Caffeine on its own has no smell. Caffeine can help reduce eye puffiness as it enhances circulation. Caffeine is an antioxidant and helps protect the skin against UV radiation.

Vitamin E is an antioxidant, fighting free radicals and helping prevent wrinkles. It is a good moisturizer for the skin.

Grape seed oil is an anti-inflammatory and an antioxidant. It has fatty acids, helping improve wrinkles and may improve scars and marks. It contains vitamins C, D and E.

Directions say to apply a small amount after moisturizing – after moisturizing the eye or face I’m not sure. It seems a bit redundant to use two eye products as the Caffeine Fix is plenty moisturizing.

The serum is packaged in a dark blue bottle, protecting it from light. It uses a pump which could have been better. I found that the pump was not very easy to push down smoothly, and way too much product would very suddenly come out as the pump eventually was able to be pushed down. It is very light yellow in color and is an oil serum, not a rich cream. It smells amazing; just like a cup of freshly roasted coffee. I didn’t really like to use it in the morning as it took a few minutes to absorb fully and if I got too much (which was easy to do with the pump) I found it could be a bit irritating if it got too close to my eye and just looked too oily, so I ended up just using it at night. I’ve used it so far for about 3 months. In the morning my eyes look less tired, less puffy and feel so moisturized, soft and smooth to the touch. I didn’t find too much difference in fine lines or under-eye darkness (may need to use it longer to see these results).

I don’t think I’d buy this again, as I much prefer an eye cream to an oil serum, but Caffeine Fix is very moisturizing and helps the eyes look more awake. This will last a long time as such a small amount is needed and it is very fluid (however the pump is not as smooth as it should be which leads to wasted product).

Akita Face Wash Review

~ Michele Raiyne ~ Leave a comment

Akita is a skincare company founded in Turkey specializing in rose water and rose oil skincare. They have four different product lines; rose, lavender, cacao and unscented and use natural plant-based ingredients. I bought a number of Akita’s rosewater products, and the 100% natural face wash with rose water was the first one I tried.

rose cleanser1

Ingredients: Aqua, potassium oleate, glycerine, rosa damascena flower water, potassium salt of coconut fatty acid, olive oil, potassium citrate, rosa damascena flower oil, panax ginseng, salicylic acid, glycolic acid, green tea extract, potassium sorbate

A bit more detail on some of the ingredients – Potassium oleate is a salt and a fatty acid that prevents ingredients from separating. The rosa damascena flower water is rose water made from distilling the petals. Rose water is apparently anti-aging and moisturizing, smooths fine lines is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. Potassium citrate is the salt form of citric acid used to naturally preserve products and adjust acidity. Panax ginseng can help tone and brighten skin. There is salicylic acid and glycolic acid, BHA and AHA respectively. Salicylic acid helps breakouts, blackheads and skin texture as it can clean deeper inside the pore and glycolic acid can be effective in treating fine lines and uneven skin texture and tone.

I like the ingredient list and was hopeful this would become my go-to cleanser. This product claims to clean dirt and oil from deep within pores while not over-drying skin. The website says this cleanser is oil-free, but it does contain olive oil and rose oil.

This cleanser is a very pale yellowish color and smells like those small bottles of body wash one would find in an economy hotel (not the best smell). It doesn’t suds up too much. As a cleanser, it does its job well.  On the first use as I was rinsing I was struck by how much friction there was between by fingers and my face. It was actually difficult to trace a smooth line across my cheek with my finger without the pause of the friction; there was definitely a very squeaky clean feeling (not in a good way). The cleanser seemed to rinse well, so I was unsure if this friction was due to leftover residue or if the cleanser stripped my skin that much. Once my skin was dry there was still the squeaky feeling, which mostly went away after spraying my face with a toner. I used this in the morning and evening and by about the fifth day my skin felt very dry and by the seventh day the skin on my nose started flaking. I used it for three more days and then had to give up using it as a face wash. I tried using as a body wash, but this also made my skin feel dry and overly squeaky on rinsing. So unfortunately, this rose water cleanser did not work for me. I have since used Akita’s hand cream, roll-on deodorant and 100% pure rose water which I quite liked (the hand cream is a new favorite).

 

Summer Skincare Essentials

~ Michele Raiyne ~ Leave a comment

Skincare products I use to keep my skin protected and to prevent burns, breakouts and hyperpigmentation in the summer.

summer skincare

Just this summer I’ve started using the Natural Sunscreen Spray by Canadian company, Boo Bamboo.

The natural sunscreen Face Stick by Badger is convenient for kids to use and I use it on my lips.

Another sunscreen I’ve been using for a long time is the Sunforgettable mineral powder by Colorescience. It’s convenient and easy to reapply over makeup and other skincare.

After finishing Medik8 CE-Tetra, I’ve been using YBF-Skincare’s CE Concentrate that uses a 12% vitamin C trio.

To absorb excess oil on my face which gets more oily in the summer and is more prone to breakouts, I use YBF-Skincare’s Balance. This goes over other skincare products really nicely and can be reapplied throughout the day when needed. This product is one of my must-haves.

In the summer I don’t want to use a body lotion or cream that I would use in the fall/winter, and for the past few months I’ve been using Canadian company Deciem’s Hand Chemistry Hyaluronic Body Mist. This is a contiuous spray mist that smells lightly of lemons. This spray doesn’t last long in the 150 mL size container, but is worth the money and I usually buy it in threes.

Not quite a skincare product, but essential in the summer is a good deodorant. After finishing Akita’s rose water natural deodorant roll-on, I found Canadian company, Routine, that makes Routine Cream, quite an effective natural deodorant with many scents and four different formulas to choose from.

Herbivore Botanicals Pink Clay Exfoliating Mask Review

~ Michele Raiyne ~ 1 Comment

I bought the Herbivore Botanicals Pink Clay Exfoliating Mask a while ago and have used a few times now. This is a dusty rose colored powder that comes in a heavy clear glass jar.

herbivore pink clay

This mask claims to be for all skin types and is used to exfoliate the skin and to make it softer, brighter and glowing after use.

Ingredients: French Pink Clay, White Kaolin Clay, Organic Rosehip Powder, Organic Rose Powder, Organic Chamomile Powder

French pink clay is a mix of red and white clays. It is a mild clay for all skin types used for exfoliating, cleansing and softening. White kaolin clay is used as a mild exfoliant that softens skin. Rosehip powder can help repair damaged skin tissues as it contains omega 3, 6 and 9. Rose powder has anti-inflammatory and astringent properties to soothe skin inflammation. Chamomile powder is antibacterial and anti-inflammatory.

I have oily skin prone to breakouts and blackheads. I switch between two other clay masks, the Michael Todd Kaolin Clay Detoxifying Facial Mask and the Clarity Matcha Mask from Your Best Face.

I put about 3/4 tbsp of the Pink Clay Mask powder into a small bowl with about 1 tsp to 1.5 tsp water and mix with a spatula. The instructions say to add a few drops of water, but I definitely need more than a few drops. I find that the clay powder doesn’t mix into the water right away but sits on top and I need to let the mask sit for a few minutes to get it to combine. I use this in the evening. It has a very mild earthy floral smell. I find it goes on rather clumpy and thick in places even though it spreads relatively nicely. It dries fast and I let it sit for 7 to 10 minutes.I soften it with warm water and rinse. It rinses pretty well with a facecloth. There is no tingling or stinging sensation to my face as with other clay masks. My skin only got a bit itchy and tickly in spots as the mask dried.

I was quite impressed by the results even after the first use. My nose is always a bit rough due to blackheads, buildup and oils and after I rinsed the mask off, my skin was definitely smoother and exfoliated. My skin was a bit brighter and indeed softer, and I noted the glow the next morning. This mask lives up to the claims it makes; however, I find it very drying, and I have oily skin. The nice thing about powered masks is that they can be customized a bit. I add a facial oil by Your Best Face Skincare. You could also add manuka honey and/or rose water. I think it’s important to add that I don’t find the benefits of the mask cumulative, as with an antioxidant or vitamin C mask, for example, but my skin does need exfoliating every few days, and this mask does a great job and is very gentle.

Skincare Routine

~ Michele Raiyne ~ Leave a comment

It’s been a little over a year since I posted my skincare routine, so it’s time for an update.

morning routine
morning skincare routine
  1. Cleanse with Brad Sea Minerals Purify Healing Detoxifying Gel Cleanser.
  2. Tone with Your Best Face Uplift Toner Mist.
  3. About 4 to 5 drops of Medik8 CE-Tetra, let absorb for 2 minutes.
  4. Your Best Face Balance. This is for oily skin and absorbs oil throughout the day instead of using blotting paper.
  5. Colorscience Sunforgettable Mineral Sunscreen Brush SPF 50 in medium. I like this so much better than a lotion sunscreen.
  6. Michael Todd Knu Anti-aging Facelift Cream. I only use this on my neck.
  7. Your Best Face Quench Lip Treatment.
night routine
nightly skincare routine
  1. Cleanse with Brad Sea Minerals Purify.
  2. With the cleanser still on my face, I use the Foreo Luna 2 for combination skin on the cleansing side.
  3. YBF Uplift Toner Mist.
  4. Brad Sublime Youth Creator Radiance Concentrate followed by the Luna 2 on the anti-aging side.
  5. Micheal Todd Knu on my neck.
  6. YBF Quench.
weekly routine
weekly routine
  1. Two or three times a week I exfoliate with Your Best Face Prep Microdermabrasion.
  2. About twice a week I use a clay mask. I’ve been switching between Your Best Face Clarity Matcha Mask (mixed with Wedderspoon Mauka Honey and Bee Venom), Michael Todd Kaolin Clay Detoxifying Facial Mask and Herbivore Botanicals Pink Clay Exfoliating Mask.
  3. Once or twice a week I exfoliate with Michael Todd Wild Berry Exfoliating Peel.