Review: Origins Clear Improvement

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Masks have always been my so-called beauty crack (meaning that I could never have too many stashed away!). Although face masks are all the rage lately, I still prefer clay masks overall (mostly because apparently I am extremely impatient and can’t seem to wait 10-15 minutes without doing nothing at all). At least with clay masks I can still do other beauty regimens (like painting my nails!). I’m all about multi-tasking. I may also love clay masks more because I have naturally oily skin, and always feel like this sort of mask truly combats in soaking up some of my natural oils without drying out my skin.

What It Is: Active charcoal mask to clear pores.

What It Does: Unclogs and clears pores.

Active Ingredient: China clay and Charcoal

Verdict: As I mentioned above, I simply love clay masks because they always leave my skin ultra-clean and refreshed. I’ve always been a fan of Origins products, so was very psyched to receive this product in my Sephora Play monthly subscription for November. This mask is simply A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! It will make your skin feel brighter and smoother in less than ten minutes! This mask is especially effective for those who like me have oily to combination skin, but it’s gentle enough for even sensitive or dry skins to use as well as this mask (unlike some other clay masks) doesn’t leave my skin ultra-dried out but rather it leaves it feeling supple, hydrated, but not oily. In other words, it’s the equivalent of drinking a tall glass of crisp cucumber-lime water. A more effective way of using this product is to first use a warm, wet towel pressed against your skin to help open up the pores and then to apply a thin layer of the mask all over your face, concentrating mostly on your T-zone. This mask is gentle enough to use twice a week or you can use it on trouble spots more times throughout the week.

Price: $27

Where To Buy It: https://www.origins.com

By: Azzurra Nox

Top 5 Best Eye Creams!

If there’s one night time routine I never skip (apart from always removing my makeup before going to bed), is eye cream. I have to admit, I wasn’t always a fan and I had never tried it till I started working as a makeup artist a few years ago and was given some samples. Not wanting the creams to go to waste, and wondering if they hype behind them was true, I decided to give it a go. From that day on, I became a convert. I know list eye cream as a must-have for my night routine (along with lip balm).

I know there are many creams out there that promise the impossible, but if you’re going to invest in any sort of face cream, I’d say splurge on the eye cream. Here’s why. The skin around your eye are is the thinnest, meaning it’s also the first place to show signs of aging. Any sun damage, free-radical damage, and sleep deprivation comes in the form of crows feet. But there’s a way to combat this.

What you need is an opulent cream that locks in moisture and helps keep those dreaded crows feet at bay.

So, where do you start? Throughout the years I’ve come across over a hundred eye creams, varying in ingredients and price. I know everyone has different needs, but when I go to purchase an eye cream I don’t necessarily grab the one that’s “anti-aging,” but rather opt for the one that’s rich in moisturizing formulas.

Below are my current Top 5 Eye Creams and what makes them stand out from the rest:

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Skin & Co. Roma Truffle Therapy Eye Concentrate

Key Ingredient: Truffle Extract

Why I love It: This cream is thoroughly hydrating. It feels luxurious and has a fresh scent to it. It’s supposed to help diminish the the appearance of fine lines and crow’s feet. Whenever I put it on my skin feels extra moisturized.

Price: $66

Where to Buy It: Skinandcoroma.com

 

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Olay Eyes Pro-Retinol Eye Cream Treatment

Key Ingredient: Retinol

Why I love It: This cream doesn’t feel as thick as my usual go-to eyecreams do, however, retinol is a key ingredient when it comes to fight the first signs of aging. This cream promises to visibly reduce crow’s feet and help cell turnover in just four weeks. I’ve found that it definitely keeps to its word.

Price: $24

Where to Buy It: Target, Wal-Mart, Amazon, or CVS

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Origins GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream

Key Ingredients: Caffeine, Panax Ginseng, and Magnolia extract

Why I Love It: This cream is thick and refreshing. It’s focus isn’t on wrinkles, but rather it helps with de-puffing, brighten, and reduce dark circles. I usually put this on at night, but with caffeine being one of its active ingredients, it could also be used in the morning to wake up your skin. It leaves your skin feeling tingly and fresh.

Price: $32

Where to Buy It: Sephora or Amazon

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Burt’s Bees Renewal Smoothing Eye Cream

Key Ingredient: White Hibiscus

Why I Love It: This cream is lightweight but at the same time feels incredibly emollient. Unlike the previous creams, this one targets both wrinkles and dark circles. Another bonus is that the ingredients are all natural, which is one of the reasons why I love Burt’s Bees products so much. The texture of this cream is wonderful, it quickly absorbs into the skin without leaving any oily residue. I also used this cream when I burned my wrist with my straightening iron and it just so happened to be on my tattoo, and this cream helped the burn heal seamlessly without causing any damage to the tattoo. It’s seriously a very nourishing cream for your skin.

Price: $12

Where to Buy It: Target, CVS, or Amazon

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Bare Minerals Renew & Hydrate Eye Cream

Key Ingredient: Active Soil Complex

Why I Love It: This cream is incredibly rich. It makes my eye area very soft whenever I use it. It’s not oily and fast absorbing. This was the first eye cream I ever used and probably why I got hooked on eye creams in general. It does help tremendously with fine lines. Now, I don’t know how well this cream does on deep wrinkles, but if you’re between the ages of 25-40, then this is a good cream to use. I know that it helped prevent any lines to appear and any ones I did have, they magically disappeared after about six weeks or so. I only used the cream once a day, before going to sleep since I’m not a fan of using creams during the day.

Price: $39

Where to Buy It: Sephora, Ulta, or Amazon

By: Azzurra Nox