new face masks – The Beautorialist

WANT A RADIANT COMPLEXION? THINK LEMONS

July 27, 2016 by The Beautorialist, posted in Skincare, Uncategorized

I remember one of my childhood friends used to spray a ton of lemon juice and water in her hair to get those natural looking sun-kissed highlights. If you have ever done that then you most likely know that if you spray a mixture of lemon juice in your hair, it will become lighter and brighter. The same is fortunately true when you apply lemon juice to your skin; fresh lemon juice, not the concentrate from the bottle. Lemons act as a natural exfoliant, thanks to the concentrated amounts of citric acid; while Vitamin C works to brighten. Lemon juice will lighten dark spots and freckles and reduce oiliness. The anti-fungal properties in lemons will also treat acne. You also get the added benefits of calcium and magnesium. It truly is a super fruit!

A lemon enzyme facial or a fruit acid peel are some of my favorite ways to get my skin glowing. Lemon infused facial treatments can be easily overdone, however. The trick is to use it in an occasional treatment and not as part of your everyday routine. Lemon juice is harsh. If it will strip away the enamel from your teeth, it will strip away more layers of your skin than you actually need it to. You must also never expose skin to direct sunlight if you have any sort of concentrated lemon product on your face. It will cause your skin to become sensitive or could cause a phototoxic reaction, which is true for any type of acid used in facial products. Everything in moderation is my motto!

So what type of product should you use? I have found that you will get the best balance of effective yet gentle, with a mask or peel. Then you can control the amount of time you have the product on your face. If you have sensitive skin, start out slow and then work your way up to more frequent use.

Here are my top picks for the best lemon based facial products!

Fresh Vitamin Nectar Vibrancy Boosting Face Mask $62

I love this new facial from Fresh! It works so effectively and is one of my new favorite go to facials. It is 50% concentrated crushed fruit! You can see the bits of lemon. That is a ton of natural fruit AHA! My skin just looks glowing after. The recommended usage for this product is leaving on for 10 minutes, but I would start out with 5 and see how your skin reacts. I am used to regular exfoliation treatments, so for me it is a perfect pick me up. It smells fruity too.

Ole Henriksen Lemon Strip Flash Peel $48

This is great for those of you with sensitive skin. It is a combo of glycolic, lactic, and lemon citric acid; but also contains licorice extract, which will work to soothe any skin irritation.

Neogen Dermalogy Bio_peel Gauze Peeling Lemon $27

These little pads pack a punch; they are double-sided and work amazingly! One side of the pad applies the product, and the other sloughs the dead skin cells away. This product contains lemon and several other fruit acids along with other chemical exfoliators. These are great if you are just trying fruit acids for the first time; you get a months worth of product for under $30. I love how fresh and fruity they smell too. I like that these travel well. The pads are soaked with solution, so if you wanted to take a few in a separate container you could. Then you wouldn’t have to worry about wasting product or taking the entire jar with you.

EmerginC Vitamin C+Retinol Mask $50

I have been using this product for years and it has yet to let me down. This is a sort of clay based mask. Aside from the lemon extracts, fruit acids, and retinol, there are some great antioxidants in this formula including green tea extract. This mask works so well to brighten and retexturize at the same time. It is quite powerful, so those with sensitive skin, I caution again to start out slow. I love this mask in the Winter too as it helps to combat flaky skin.

If you haven’t tried a lemon facial product before, you can’t go wrong with any of these. My face adores them! Just a fair warning: All of that lemony scented product may cause you to develop an unhealthy lemon meringue pie fetish!

NEW FACE MASKS FROM BOBBI BROWN

April 29, 2016 by The Beautorialist, posted in Skincare

Who doesn’t love a good face mask? A truly well formulated one can do wonders for numerous issues you might be having with your skin. There seems to be 100+ mask options for every type of problem from dryness, to dullness, acne, redness, enlarged pores, excess oil, and everything in between. With so many choices available it is difficult to choose just one. There are too many great ones!

I must have tried over 100 different face masks in my lifetime so far. What I have found over the years, is that I have always gravitated towards face formulated for dryness, exfoliation, and detoxing. Which is why Bobbi Brown’s new trio of face masks is so ideal, they address all 3 of those issues.

Skin Nourish Coral Grass and Green Algae Moisture Mask $47

This mask is my most absolute favourite out of the three, and I will never be without it! It is so deeply mositurizing and soothing, yet it is pretty lightweight. Your skin just drinks up the nourishing natural oils, butters, plant extracts, and proteins.

Everyone should know by now that algae is extremely good for your skin, and green algae is one of the main ingredients. Aside from the algae, coral grass is the star component to the mask. Coral grass, also known as eucheuma cotonii or “sea bird’s nest” is a type of seaweed that is extremely rich in enzyme nutrients, calcium, iron, and proteins. When applied topically, coral grass will help to generate collagen production and protect it, as well as lock in vital moisture. This would be perfect to use after any in office microdermabrasion treatments or chemical peels.

There are also numerous health benefits to eating coral grass as well, and it is being touted as the next “big health food”. Don’t be surprised if coral grass starts popping up in all kinds of new skin care products.

After using this mask my skin was plumped, more even toned, and perfectly moisturized. The directions say to rinse it off after a few minutes but, I leave it on all night for a twice a week, overnight deep treatment. You do it for your hair after all, why not for your face? I truly cannot say enough about this one.

Instant Detox Hawaiian Sea Water and White Clay Mask $47

Clays in skin care are all synonymous for detoxing. Unfortunately, I have found that most of them are also synonymous for overly drying my skin out in the process of detoxing. That is why I love this one, it did not dry out my skin at all! I was just left with soft and clean skin.

Some detoxifying masks also tend to burn, and with this one all I felt was a slight refreshing tingle.

As for my pores, I noticed a difference, but nothing to write home about. There has yet to be a mask invented that will completely eradicate your pores for all time.

The white clay intrigued me, as I have never used a mask that contained it, and I find that the white clay is easier to work with when rinsing off. Black clay masks have become very popular as of late, but they can sometimes be a pain to remove; the black residue seems to linger.

This is a perfect option for someone who wants to detox but also has sensitive skin.

Radiance Boost Superfine Walnut Grain and Orange Oil Exfoliating Mask $47

I was a bit skeptical and cautious when I first tried this one. I was thinking “okay walnut grains…..I hope not like the go to apricot scrub of my early teens”. Obviously that was before I knew better. I was so pleasantly surprised by this one however, the grains really are superfine. My skin was retexturized and very smooth.

The addition of Vitamin C rich orange oil gives an antioxidant boost and extra exfoliation. For such an intense formula, I was surprised that my skin wasn’t slightly irritated. I would however, caution those who have a sunburn to not use this mask until after the burns have healed. I can imagine it would sting!

This trio has the makings of being the only mask collection you will ever need!

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