Neutrogena Acne Proofing line

Last week I shared my experience with the Deep Clean Purifying line, and I'm excited to team up with Neutrogena yet again to tell you about their Acne Proofing line. 

Goodness knows I can always use some help in fighting and preventing acne; it's something I've struggled with since my early teen years. After bouts of intense treatments and every medicine, cream, and serum in the books, I now get only mild, hormonal breakouts that are far more manageable. And that's why I adore products like those in the Neutrogena Acne Proofing line.

Sent in a nice convenient package was the daily scrub and the gel cleanser, two products that I'm glad to have in my arsenal to assist breakouts in finding their way in to oblivion. These products contain maximum strength salicylic acid to help fight pesky zits, while playing nice with the skin's barrier, and preventing future breakouts all at the same time. 

My favorite of the two is the daily scrub, which feels so lovely on the skin. It gently scrubs away impurities, and leaves my face feeling smooth, tingly cool, and refreshed. 

Both of these are easy to find at your local drugstore or Target, retailing for $8.49 each. Check them out if you can use some help fighting mild acne, and let me know what you think.

Neutrogena Deep Clean Purifying line

It's no secret, I'm a skincare junkie - so needless to say, I was excited when this PR package from Neutrogena showed up at my door for me to try. 

These two products you see above are part of the Purifying line, aimed at removing oil, residue, makeup and other impurities from the skin. To do just that, you've got a cooling gel scrub and a daily cleanser/mask. 

This is an excellent combo of products. The scrub, which I've used a couple times per week, has the perfect amount of scrubbies (anyone else annoyingly picky about the cleanser to scubbie ratio of their exfoliators? 🙋). I love that when I wash this off, it leaves my skin feeling cool and extra smooth. I can see this scrub becoming a new favorite. It costs around $8.49 for 4.2 oz. 

The mask/cleanser is quite the economical approach to skincare. It costs around $8.49 for 4.2 oz (now that's a value!) I've tried it both ways, and I like them both equally. As a mask, it is cooling and dries within 10 minutes or so. After washing it off, my skin felt extra clean. As a cleanser, it also felt cooling and refreshing, especially before applying a full face of makeup. 

Both of these products are formulated with salicylic acid, meaning they'll help tackle blemishes, but also pull out any yuckiness in your pores. I found both to be gentle, not drying the way some products with salicylic acid can be. 

Find these products at Target or Amazon.

Exuviance SkinRise Bionic Tonic

You probably already know, I'm a bit of a freak about skincare. I love it and I think it's never too early or late to start taking really good care of your skin.  Proper care can make a drastic change in the texture and appearance of your skin if you use products with the right ingredients.

The SkinRise Bionic Tonic is a skin treatment packed full of amazing ingredients to improve the quality of your skin such as antioxidants, PHAs, Vitamins A, C and E, cucumber, eucalyptus, and green tea extract. This combination of ingredients works to moisturize, prevent visible aging, refine, and protect the skin from free radicals and environmental factors. It's loaded with good stuff to help you maintain a radiant complexion. 

Use is simple. After cleansing your face, grab one of the toning pads (a jar comes with 36 pads) and apply it all over your face and neck. Rub any remaining product in to the skin. Each pad is thoroughly soaked with product so you get plenty to cover your whole face and neck.  It also smells pleasantly light and fresh. 

So far, I've enjoyed using the Bionic Tonic. My one gripe is it will leave your face feeling sticky, so I only use it at night - I'd never put it under makeup. In the morning, after using the Bionic Tonic, I notice my dark spots look lighter and flare ups look less inflamed. Does my skin look more radiant? Time will tell with extended use. 

You can purchase the Exuviance SkinRise Bionic Tonic ($45) online at exuviance.com and in stores at Ulta.

Rituals HAUL!

If you haven't heard of Rituals, you aren't the only one. Rituals is a brand that seems to have stayed under the radar, but lately I've seen them popping up everywhere. After a browse on the Rituals US website and reading through the selection of different scents they offer, I made an impulse order and I am so ridiculously happy with everything I purchased.

First off, isn't the packaging gorgeous?! I love the attention to detail and how luxurious it all looks! I'm so guilty of judging a book by it's cover, but hey - it paid off. 

You're probably thinking - WTF, 3 body butters? Girl, you crazy! But if you saw my last empties post you know that I GO THROUGH IT! I swear! And besides, Rituals had a deal that if you spent over $30 (I think?), you got a free body butter. All of these retail for $25 each, but I got them on sale for $20 a piece (and one free). 

The first body butter I got is Honey Touch: Indian Rose & Himalaya Honey. It has a faint rose scent and is definitely sugary sweet. It's a fresh scent and smells like something you'd buy at a spa. Magic Touch: Cherry Blossom & Rice Milk is very lightly scented, and won't interfere with your perfume. It has that typical "rice milk" scent, if you know what I mean. Touch of Light: Patchouli & Cardamom was initially what sparked my interest in the brand. Patchouli and cardamom are two scents I love, and this smells amazing. It's not too heavy on either of the scents, so if you love fragrances like this pick it up NOW because this is a limited edition product! 

Shower oils are one of my favorite ways to hydrate my skin when I'm running late or am too lazy to use a lotion post-shower. And since Shanti Shower: Indian Rose & Sweet Almond Oil combines two more of my favorite things (almond oil & rose) this was a no-brainer to add in to my cart. This is probably my least favorite scent of the 4 products I purchased, but it's not bad in any way! It's very very sweet and I'm interested to see how long that scent lingers after use. 


Have you ever tried anything from Rituals? If you have, let me know what you loved!

Insta Natural Vitamin C Toner & Eye Gel | Review

I am a self-professed skincare junkie. As much as I love makeup, I thoroughly enjoy washing it off at the day's end and pampering my skin. So naturally, when given the chance to review Insta Natural's Vitamin C facial toner, and Youth Express eye gel, I couldn't say no. 

Insta Natural's Vitamin C facial toner is comprised of three main ingredients: sulfur - to penetrate deep in the skin and increase elasticity, witch hazel - to purify the skin and reduce the size and appearance of pores, and vitamin C - to strengthen the skin and reverse signs of aging. 

I am always looking for products to minimize the appearance of pores, as I do have noticeable pores, and I found this toner to be a nice addition to my skincare regimen. I didn't notice any extreme pore-minimizing properties, but my skin definitely felt tighter and my pores were less noticeable. My one qualm with this toner is the smell. If you are sensitive to smell, this has a very strong orange-pine type scent (can't quite figure out exactly what it smells like to me). 

The real gem of these two products is the Youth Express eye gel. I am continually trying new eye creams in the hopes of finding something that helps with the dehydration lines I am prone to, and I have to say I was blown away by how this eye gel performed.

Right off the bat, I assumed this wouldn't work for me. How is a gel going to work for a girl who battles dry under-eyes? I don't even know how, but this gel dramatically reduces the appearance of fine lines underneath my eyes. I use a little dab on my ring fingers and smooth it gently on to my eye area. It dries, and leaves kind of a sticky feeling that does go away after an hour or so. I use this morning and night and have had such a positive experience with it so far. It also performs well under makeup.

I would highly recommend trying out this product if you have fine lines you want to diminish. 

Both the Vitamin C toner and Youth Express eye gel are available for purchase on Amazon. 

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Barefaced Mud Mask | Review

The second I laid eyes on the Barefaced Mud Mask ($24.98, 6oz), I knew I had to have it. How cute is that packaging? And the play on words? Love it! Mud masks are excellent to incorporate in to your skincare routine because Dead Sea mud is full of nutrients, salt and natural minerals that are shown to have healing properties for the skin.

This mud mask claims to tone and tighten the skin, exfoliate and unclog pores, draw out oils and dirt, and moisturize skin to stimulate collagen to fight wrinkles. 

This dark brown mask smells just like something out of Aveda. I absolutely love the earthy, herbal smell. The texture has a bit of grittiness to it and it dries rather fast, within 10 minutes. The packaging says to keep the mask on for 15 minutes and rinse dry with warm water. 

This mask makes your skin feel really tight (and has a cooling effect) as it dries, and when you rinse it off the gritty texture softly exfoliates the skin. Afterwards, my skin felt super soft and really clean and refreshed. 

I'm a BIG fan of the Barefaced Mud Mask. While I knew I loved the packaging, I didn't anticipate to love this mask as much as I do. In fact, it just might be my new favorite! The way my skin feels after using this mask is unbeatable. I'd highly recommend this product! 

What's your favorite mask? Let me know!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Current Skin Care Regimen

With summer in full swing, I've changed up my skincare to match the season. The hotter weather makes me more oily in the T-zone, but I've found a routine that works well for me during the Minnesota summer time. Here's what I've been using.

Every morning, I begin by washing my face with the Yes to Carrots Daily Cream Facial Cleanser ($7.99). This is a really light cleanser that has the consistency of a lotion. It doesn't foam up or lather much, rather just slicks over the face, hydrating and cleaning. I wouldn't use this as a night time facial wash as I don't think it would remove makeup well, but in the morning, when my face is already mostly clean, this does the trick.

After washing and drying my face, I then apply the Yes to Blueberries Eye Firming Treatment ($15.99). This is a great eye cream for daytime; it's lightweight and works nicely under makeup. You might remember this eye cream, as I professed my love for it in a favorites post a while back. 

Before applying my makeup, I combine 2 pumps of the Kiehl's Abyssine Lotion (a now discontinued product - sorry, I feel guilty for even bringing it up!) with half a pump of the Neutrogena Oil-Free moisturizer ($11.99). The Abyssine Lotion claims to diminish the effects of aging and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It's not quite moisturizing enough for my skin, so I include the half pump of Neutrogena moisturizer to assist with that. I like this combo of moisturizers for summer because they both have SPF.

In the evening, I begin by wiping my eye makeup off with a cotton pad and eye makeup remover (which changes frequently, so it's not pictured) followed by wiping my face makeup off with a makeup wipe (also changed frequently so not pictured here). Once all the makeup has been removed from my face, I use my handy dandy Clarisonic with one pump of the Simple Foaming Cleanser ($7.49). Because this cleanser is so foamy, it works really well when using the Clarisonic. This cleanser is fairly basic, but it gets the job done just right. I think this cleanser would dry my skin out if I used it in the morning, but as I moisturize heavier at night, this works perfectly.

Once my face is clean, I like to use an eye cream. I've recently been using the Benefit It's Potent eye cream ($34) and I absolutely love this stuff. It helps brighten the under eye area and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. I'm quite prone to fine, dehydration lines under my eyes and this stuff works a miracle on my under eye area! I've got just a little sample that I received in the 2013 Benefit Advent calendar, but I just might have to get the full size once I run out.

To fully moisturize the rest of my face, I've been using the Yes to Cucumbers Calming Night Cream ($14.99). This has that typical Yes to Cucumbers smell, which I like. It feels lightweight, but does an awesome job of hydrating my skin. It's also a good price for the amount you get! I sometimes swap in some face oils instead of the Calming Night Cream when I feel my skin needs it, but I use the cream most often as I think it provides the perfect amount of hydration for my skin in summer.

What's in your skincare army? Let me know if you've tried any of these products!

pureSOL Konjac Facial Sponge

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

The pureSOL Konjac facial sponge is unlike anything I've tried before. Made from natural, biodegradable pure vegetable fibers, this sponge is perfect for people with sensitive skin. It's marketed as good for all skin types, which I can definitely see to be true. 

One of the coolest things about this facial sponge is that it's 100% natural and eco-friendly. It's free of parabens, sulphates and chemicals... something that's become quite important to me as of late. Once you've used the sponge for 2-3 months (it's recommended shelf-life) you can throw it in your compost or add it to a flower pot! Even the packaging is 90% compostable. 

Using this thing may look odd or intimidating but it's super easy. All you do is run the sponge under water until it becomes completely soft (it's rather tough and hard when you take it out of the package). Once it's soft you can wet your face down and use just the sponge to cleanse your face, or with your favorite cleanser - which is how I used it. 

The sponge feels very soft when rubbing it against the face. If your skin is sensitive or doesn't do well with something as exfoliating as a Clarisonic, this is the right tool for you. It's so gentle and it almost doesn't feel like it's even exfoliating! Once you're done washing, squeeze it out real good (it took me quite a bit to thoroughly rinse out the soap each time) and hang it up! It conveniently comes with a string attached and a suction cup hook. Let it air dry and repeat for your next washing. 

This sponge claims to improve skin texture through exfoliation, brighten skin with the natural woven fibers, and prevent spots & breakouts thanks to the added bamboo charcoal which absorbs added sebum and other yucky stuff that builds up on the skin.  

The Konjac facial sponge costs $10.95 and you can get yours off of Amazon. 

Overall, this is a nice product. I like everything about it, but unfortunately for me and my skin type this sponge just isn't for me. I personally prefer more exfoliation (I love my Clarisonic!) and deep cleansing than the Konjac sponge can offer me. I think that this is probably an answer many of you with sensitive skin are looking for. My one gripe is that it seemed to suck up my face wash so I had to squeeze it out quite a bit while rubbing it over my face. 

 While overall I think this is a really cool product that's really original in the skincare industry, I'll stick to my Clarisonic because I need a deeper exfoliation than this provides me. 

Have you tried the Konjac facial sponge? Let me know! I'd love to hear how it works for you!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.