Naturalla Beauty

I was first introduced to Holiskin last year and, more than a year later, I still can't say enough good things about this brand!  With simple formulations, affordable prices, and a focus on sourcing the BEST quality organic and wild crafted ingredients, Holiskin is a line that really resonates with me.  

The company launched a few new products this spring and I've happily been trialing the Sensitive Skin Facial Cleanser* and Holiskin's first mask creation, the Cacao Seaweed Facial Mask*, and, once again, I'm impressed!



Sensitive Skin Facial Cleanser
Oil cleansers are my favorite way to remove makeup and the Sensitive Skin Facial Cleanser is a real gem.  With a base of organic apricot kernel, camellia, meadowfoam, and castor seed oils, it's gentle and suitable for all skin types.  I prefer traditional oil cleansing (dry skin and a wet washcloth), but it also works well for dry oil cleansing, which I've seen talked about a lot recently.  

The key to good oil cleansing, for me, is to take a couple minutes to really massage the oil into the skin before taking it off, and the Sensitive Skin Cleanser has the perfect slip and viscosity for that.  It glides over the skin easily, but it's not so thin that it just runs off your face.  It removes every last trace of makeup and grime and leaves skin feeling soft and hydrated.  

I usually double cleanse with a second cleanser after any oil, but I wouldn't say it's an absolute necessity with this one, as it wipes away cleanly and doesn't leave a noticeable film behind on the skin.  The chamomile lavender scent -- heavy on the chamomile and light on the lavender -- is also beautiful, and perfect for winding down at the end of the day.  

Cacao Seaweed Facial Mask
With only three ingredients, this blend of organic raw cacao, organic wildcrafted seaweed powder, and kaolin clay is simplicity done just right.  Kaolin is a gentle white clay that detoxifies and purifies the skin, while raw cacao and seaweed are both packed with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that nourish the skin and fight against free radicals and other environmental stresses.

Holiskin suggests mixing the mask with honey or coconut milk, but I'll admit, I haven't actually tried it with either of those.  Instead, I've mixed it with plain water and hydrosols.  Both worked great, and I'm sure honey and coconut milk would too.

Because kaolin is such a gentle clay, I don't find the Cacao Seaweed Mask to be supremely detoxifying, but it definitely pulls some junk out of your pores and I can visibly see that they look cleaner after using it.  This would be a great option for sensitive skin or anyone that finds most clay masks overly stripping or drying.  

A final thing to note is that the seaweed smell is quite pronounced, even when mixed with hydrosols and essential oils.  I love what seaweed can do for your skin, but it's admittedly not my favorite smell in the world.

The Bottom Line
Two great new additions to Holiskin's line!  The Sensitive Skin Facial Cleanser is an all around winner and the Cacao Seaweed Facial Mask is great too, as long as you aren't overly sensitive to the smell of seaweed.  

I also spotted a great deal on Holiskin's Instagram just as I was putting the final touches on this post -- $15 off any purchase of $20+ on the main Holiskin site with the code SPECIAL15.  Good for 3 days only.  I'm not seeing the Sensitive Cleanser on there, but I'm sure Holiskin can hook you up if you get in touch!  

Face masks were the product that first sparked my love of skincare and they're still one of my favorite skincare items to experiment with.  Most recently, I've been trying out the Rejuvenate and Detox Masques* from Argillaceous Naturals, a family-run skincare and cosmetics company that sells on Amazon.

Both masks are powder products that you activate with water.  You get a TON of product, and there's no need for preservatives since the masks are kept dry until each individual use.  This also helps the ingredients stay extra fresh and potent, and gives the masks a longer shelf life than most pre-mixed products. 



Rejuvenate Facial Masque
The Rejuvenate Masque is a hybrid between a clay mask and a hydrating and brightening treatment.  Rhassoul, one of the gentler clays, works to draw out dirt and impurities, while cucumber extract provides a dose of hydration and vitamins, and colloidal oatmeal soothes and nourishes the skin.  Goat milk powder also gently exfoliates away dead skin cells and cacao and grape seed extract provide antioxidants and boost circulation.

All these great ingredients come together to create a mask that simultaneously cleans and nourishes.  The Rejuvenate Masque leaves my skin looking fresh, bright and healthy.  It's not intensely detoxifying, but it does keep pores clear, while simultaneously adding that je ne sais quoi glow.  It also smells incredible - like chocolate pudding for your face!



Detox Facial Masque
The Detox Facial Masque improves upon the traditional pairing of bentonite clay and activated charcoal by incorporating colloidal oatmeal and citric acid.  A lot of clay masks will recommend mixing with apple cider vinegar, since the acidity of the vinegar works to counterbalance the extremely alkaline clay, but Argillaceous Naturals accomplishes the same thing with citric acid, so you're fine to use just water.  The citric acid also helps gently slough off dead skin and debris, while colloidal oatmeal soothes skin and gently buffers the clay - without affecting its drawing power - for a mask that effectively detoxes and pulls out impurities, but won't leave skin feeling raw, chapped, or overly dry.

Detox masks can sometimes be a bit much for my sensitive skin, but I haven't had any issues with this one.  I do experience some minor tingling/stinging when I first apply the mask - likely caused by the citric acid - but the sensation dissipates within the first couple minutes and my skin is never irritated or inflamed when I remove the mask.  A thoughtfully formulated mask, it's excellent for clearing blackheads and clogged pores without damaging or stripping the skin.

The Bottom Line
I'm super impressed with both masks!  The Detox Masque is a champ at addressing clogged pores and more problematic skin and the Rejuvenate Masque is a wonderful gentle treatment that noticeably brightens and refreshes. 

Argillaceous Naturals unfortunately only ships within the US right now, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed they'll expand shipping in the future so everyone can get their hands on these fantastic masks!

Lavish is a rich hydrating treatment specifically formulated for dry, stressed, sensitive, reactive, inflamed, irritated, and/or mature skin.  With 18 active ingredients, it blends together anti-reactive herbs, restorative oils, and moisturizing butters.  Beta-glucan is a polysaccharide with strong anti-anflammatory and antiaging properties and a proven track record for reducing skin irritation and redness, and Lavish takes full advantage with three sources: organic oatmilk and reishi and maitake mushrooms.   To complement these three, the mask also contains cupuacu butter, rich in antioxidants and great for moisture retention, as well as organic oils of baobab, pomegranate, perilla, and pumpkin to soothe irritated skin.  Blissoma products are also always packed with beautiful herbal infusions and Lavish is no different.  Organic St. John's wort, astralagus, self heal, and passionflower are included, all great for soothing sensitive skin and promoting healing.  

The mask has a thick cream consistency, but it doesn't immediately sink into the skin like a moisturizer would.  And, though rich and hydrating, it doesn't feel heavy or occlusive on the skin.  Lavish doesn't have any added ingredients for scent and the scent is just mildly herbal from its other ingredients.  

Circling back around to my skin reaction from this past weekend, Lavish worked like a charm.  My skin had stopped burning after washing off the original offending product, but I was left with splotchy red spots, scattered bumps across my cheeks, and generally irritated, unhappy skin.  Lavish felt cool and soothing as I applied it and my skin absorbed most of the product in the 20 minutes I had it on, leaving just a thin layer to wash off.  After rinsing, I was left with plump and hydrated skin, and both the redness and bumps were gone.  After using Lavish, I think anyone would have been hard-pressed to tell that I'd had any kind of skin reaction that day.  

The Bottom Line
I've only used it the one time so far, but I foresee Lavish becoming a "must have" product in my skincare stash.  As anyone with sensitive or reactive skin can attest, skin reactions are awful, awful things, so a product like this that's able to quickly tone down irritation and bring skin back to a calm, healthy place can be pretty indispensable.  

I'm looking forward to using the mask for more regular maintenance-type uses too.  Blissoma talks about using Lavish regularly to build up skin resilience and I'm curious to see how it'll fare in that regard.  I also think it will make an excellent hydrating treatment through the upcoming winter months.  

Have you used Lavish before?  What are your favorite products for sensitive skin?

Raw Gaia is a UK skin care line that's passionate about making 100% natural products that really work.  The ingredients lists are short, but they're packed with pure, minimally processed, unrefined and organic ingredients.  I was generously sent a couple products to review: the MSM Beauty Spray* and Raw Chocolate Face Pack*.  After reading a number of positive reviews from other bloggers and skimming the glowing testimonials on the company's own website, I was really eager to give these a try!



MSM Beauty Spray
MSM, often called the beauty mineral, is an organic sulphur compound that's anti-inflammatory and very beneficial for skin repair.  When taken internally, MSM can help with a whole host of things - everything from arthritis and joint health to strengthening hair and promoting radiant skin.  By applying MSM topically, as in Raw Gaia's MSM range, the MSM is directly absorbed by the skin, thereby maximizing its skin benefits.

In addition to MSM, the Beauty Spray contains wild crafted argan oil, organic rosehip oil, and wild crafted frankincense water and essential oil, all blended together to create a gentle spray that I think would suit just about any skin type.  The Beauty Spray is described as a light moisturizer, but I like to use it more as a hydrating toner.  It's a liquid spray with some oil in it (I recommend shaking it before you spray!), but it's definitely more on the watery side.  It's not hydrating enough for my skin to use it on its own, but I love using it either to dampen my skin before applying an additional face oil, or as an intermediate toning step between cleansing and moisturizing.  It smells like frankincense, but it isn't overly strong or overpowering in any way.  

Raw Chocolate Face Pack
The composition of this mask is a potent mix of organic raw chocolate powder, red clay, organic turmeric, and organic amla fruit powder.  The clay tones and decongests your pores, while the chocolate provides a boost of free radical fighting antioxidants.  The amla powder gives a high dose of vitamin C, great for increasing cell turnover and brightening the skin, and the turmeric is both anti-inflammatory and very effective at evening skin tone and fading hyperpigmentation and scarring.  

It smells phenomenal - just like chocolate - and it felt lovely and cool while it was on.  It wasn't overly drying and I was looking forward to radiant, glowy skin when I washed it off.  Unfortunately, what I found instead was that my entire face had been stained orange.  Bright, bad fake tan, Snookie orange.  I'm guessing it was the turmeric - in combination with how fair my skin is - but, needless to say, it wasn't a pretty sight.  I got the color off by washing my face a few times with Evolve's Gentle Cleansing Melt, but my skin doesn't thrive on a lot of touching/scrubbing, so by the time I'd gotten all the orange off, I felt like I'd probably negated many of the benefits of the mask.  I've been reluctant to reach for it since, so I'm not sure how I feel about this one.  I'll make sure to post an update once I've used it some more.

The Bottom Line
I'm conflicted on the Raw Chocolate Face Pack, but I'd wholeheartedly recommend the MSM Beauty Spray.  I don't generally fall hard for toners or sprays, but I really like this one.  I could definitely see myself buying a full size in the future.  If your skin is more on the oily side, it might even work as a light moisturizer.

Have you used anything from Raw Gaia?  Any tips to prevent the face pack from staining so badly?

I've become pretty passionate about face masks during the last few months, but I think it's an obsession that's fully justified.  I can't tell you how much the overall appearance and condition of my skin has improved since I've been religiously masking twice a week.  Today I want to introduce you to one of the newer masks in my rotation: Blue Orchid Botanicals' Renewal Mask.  



Rosehip extract is highly anti-inflammatory and full of Vitamin C, leaving your skin soothed and bright.  

Green tea extract is packed with Vitamin E and other antioxidants and is a fantastic anti-aging ingredient.  

Lemon peel contains Vitamin C and natural AHA's that exfoliate, tone, and brighten.  

The combination of the two clays and these three power ingredients leaves the skin feeling clean and detoxified, but also plump and radiant.  I've definitely noticed an added brightness to my skin following a treatment with this mask.

I also love the versatility of dry powder masks, since they're so simple to customize to suit your individual skin needs.  My favorite mixing combination for the Renewal Mask has been water with just a few drops of jojoba oil.  The jojoba oil prevents the mask from drying quite as solidly - making it that little bit more gentle - which is something my skin has appreciated this winter.  Blue Orchid Botanicals also suggests mixing it with aloe vera, yogurt, or avocado, which all sound like great options as well.



The Bottom Line
Blue Orchid Botanicals' Renewal Mask is a great mask to have in your arsenal!  Clay masks are some of my favorites and this one does a great job deep cleaning the pores without ever feeling overly harsh or stripping.  The added benefits from the rosehip, green tea, and lemon peel are fantastic and my skin is noticeably brighter and more luminous after using this product.

Have you tried anything from Blue Orchid Botanicals?


Disclosure: Product provided for review.  I was under no obligation to write a positive review in return for free product, nor was I compensated for this post.  All opinions are my own.