Juice Beauty Cleansing Milk and Antioxidant Serum

Posted by:  Jordan

I have been meaning to review these two products for a couple of weeks now, and since Juice Beauty’s Friends and Family event is going on right now until midnight tonight, 5/21/12, I wanted to get this review posted in case you wanted to take advantage of the 25% discount and free shipping (use code FF2012).  I won both of these products in a contest that Juice Beauty was having on their Facebook page.  I suggest you like their page because they’re often doing fun giveaways on it, and you know I can’t resist a giveaway!

Now, if you’re still clinging to your “gentle” Cetaphil cleanser, please do me a favor and toss it out for something that isn’t filled with nasty chemicals.  Replace  it with a truly gentle, organic cleansing milk, like this one.  I love the creamy texture (different from the Juice Beauty Organic Facial Wash that Emily really likes which is more oil/water, and she says is amazing!).  The scent, like all Juice Beauty products, is fruity and delicious.  I like to use this cleanser both morning and night–yes, it even removes makeup completely (I use a wash cloth to help exfoliate and remove stubborn eye makeup).  One note from my trials–I once applied this cleanser to my dry face to remove makeup and then got into the shower a few minutes later and used my Clarisonic to remove the cleanser.  For some odd reason it made my sensitive skin get very red and irritated for about a half hour afterwards, which has never happened before or since.  It must have been the powerful organic extracts that performed a mild chemical peel, because it did the same thing to my skin that the Green Apple Peel mask does after I use it (which is not a bad thing–it just gets it kind of red because the fruit acids are exfoliating).  So, if you’re going straight out after your shower, maybe don’t apply the cleanser and let it sit on your skin for 5 minutes like I did (unless you want the mild acid exfoliation!)

The other product I won was the Antioxidant Serum.  This is a gentle, daily serum that is wonderful for sensitive skin.  The formula is very light-weight and soaks in immediately, allowing you to put your moisturizer on right afterwards.  It’s hard for me to comment on the efficacy, though.  I don’t notice a dramatic difference after using this serum for the past 3 months (and I still have more than half the bottle left!), but the point of this product isn’t an overnight improvement; rather, it’s to keep your skin healthy by feeding it with antioxidants to prevent free radicals from forming.  I love this serum and I would definitely recommend it for younger people who want a daily preventative serum.  Since my skin is redness-prone, I’d like to try the Soothing Serum next to compare the two.

Thank you, Juice Beauty, for the fun giveaway.  I love my winnings!  If you’d like to try these products too, don’t delay–the Friends and Family event ends in just a few hours!

Another Winner of a Product: Marie Veronique Organics Everyday Sheer Coverage, Plus a Giveaway!

Posted by:  Jordan

We’ve got another product review from Marie Veronique Organics to rave about!  Plus, you can enter to win them; what could be a better way to start your Fall skincare regimen than by winning luxurious, natural products  from MVO?!

Over the summer I was in love with the Moisturizing Face Screen SPF 30, which you can read about here.  I’m still loving that tinted moisturizer, but now that the weather is getting cooler and I’m spending more time indoors (plus with my first baby due in just 3 weeks I’m trying to conserve my energy and rest up!), I’ve found myself gravitating towards the Everyday Sheer Coverage with an SPF of 20.  It’s slightly more lightweight than the Moisturizing Face Screen, but offers more anti-aging support, thanks to the powerful antioxidants like green tea and coffee berry extract.   While the Moisturizing Face Screen offers more sun protection with 20% zinc oxide, the Everyday Sheer Coverage still offers substantial protection with 16.6% non-nano zinc oxide.  I find the Moisturizing Face Screen to be a heavier application than the Everyday Sheer Coverage due to this increase in zinc oxide.  I love how this product evens out my skin tone, but still looks completely natural.  You will still need a good concealer for any dark circles, scars, or discolorations you’d want to cover up (and for that I recommend Vapour Organic Beauty’s Illusionist Concealer).   Everyday Sheer Coverage used to be known as Anti-Aging Day Serum, but after changing the name to more aptly describe it, plus changing the ingredients slightly in order to give it a little face-lift, it’s now known by its current name and retails for $50 for a 2 oz bottle.  You can choose between 4 shades (light works for me, but I received a sample of the medium tint as well and I find that right now, after having just a tad of summer color on my face, combining the light and medium tints works best.  But in a few weeks I’ll probably be using just the light tint.  But don’t worry too much about getting the exact matching shade for your skin–this product is so sheer and blendable that it’s almost idiot-proof!)

As the weather is changing I definitely need a little boost of moisture underneath my Everyday Sheer Coverage, so for that I really enjoy applying 3 drops of the Anti-Aging Oil Plus right after washing my face while it’s still slightly damp.  This stuff is so luxurious!  It contains a bounty of good-for-you fatty oils which are too numerous to even list.  By layering this underneath my Everyday Sheer Coverage, I’m all set for the day–not a trace of dryness or mid-day oiliness on my skin!   I’m not sure if I’m benefiting from some end of pregnancy good-skin-hormones, or if it’s just the glorious high-quality Marie Veronique products I’ve been using for the past few months, but my skin has honestly never looked better.  I’m sure it will go through yet another change in a few weeks once this baby arrives, but until then I’m just going to be thankful!

Now, on to the really fun stuff–the giveaway!  The extremely generous people at MVO have offered to ship our winner a full-size 2 oz bottle of Everyday Sheer Coverage,  and a 1 oz Anti-Aging Oil Plus (Total value $130!).  All you have to do is leave a comment below about why you’d love to win these products.  You have a week to enter; the contest will end on Wednesday, 10/12/11 at midnight EST.  The winner, chose by random.org, will be announced on Thursday, 10/13 (pending I’m not in labor, in which case I apologize for the slight delay in announcing our winner!).  Sorry, but only residents of the US and Canada can enter this contest.  Are you really excited to win?  If so, for extra credit you can “like” Marie Veronique’s Facebook Page and/or Product Junkies Rehab’s Facebook page.  Just be sure to let us know in the comments what you’ve done so you can get the extra entries (if you’re already a FB fan, let us know that as well–it will still count for an extra entry as we love our old readers as well as the new ones!)  Good luck, and I can’t wait to announce the winner because I know you’re going to fall in love with these products, just like I have!  

UPDATE – Gift with Purchase: Not only can you enter to win these amazing products, but if you want to buy anything, you can use the special Gift with Purchase for trying Everyday Sheer Coverage: Receive a free 1/4 oz Anti-Aging Oil+ with purchase of Everyday Sheer Coverage (choice of 4 tints).  Use “Special Offer” code at checkout: ProductJunkiesRock.  Code will expire 10/15/2011

 

 

 

 

 

Naturopathica serums and SPF moisturizer

Posted by: Jordan

There is something noteworthy going on with my skin right now. I haven’t been this happy with it in a very long time. I’m not sure if there’s a divine 2nd trimester pregnancy hormone at work, or if the Naturopathica serums and day-moisturizer I’ve been using for the past few weeks are just that incredible. My skin hasn’t looked this clear since the carefree, party-all-night-and-still-look-bright-and-rested days of my twenties. Coincidence? Perhaps…but as a product junkie I immediately credit my latest skincare product!

Of course, I do still get the occasional hormone-related blemish near my chin which I’ve been treating with my Weleda diaper cream, but overall my skin has shown a great improvement in its smoothness (I had these tiny little bumps on my forehead for a really long time that were especially annoying) and a noticeable reduction in redness!  Again, this could coincide with some hormonal changes, but I’m going to give at least some credit to the Naturopathica products I’ve been trying lately.

I’ve tried out three 100% natural serums: the Geranium Regenerating Serum, the Plant Stem Cell Serum, and my favorite–the Carrot Seed Soothing Serum.  I have been applying either the Geranium or the Plant Stem Cell serum at bedtime under a Weleda night cream, and then the Carrot Seed serum under Naturopathica’s Lavender Protective Moisturizer, SPF 17 in the morning.  I’m loving this moisturizer as a day cream because it goes on lightly and doesn’t feel a bit heavy or greasy (key for the hot days we’ve been experiencing lately), and it adds a bit of added sun protection under my mineral makeup.  Plus the lavender scent is so pretty and refreshing!

Naturopathica is a holistic, local NY skincare company (their East Hampton spa looks incredible on the website!). The products aren’t exactly bargain-priced–the 1 oz moisturizer is $28 (2.5 oz bottle is $58), and the serums are all between $40-48–but the quality and results seem to reflect the price fairly.  I’m officially a huge fan!