Thursday, March 28, 2013

let's talk moisturizers.


I realize this isn't the best photograph ever taken, but I'm working with my iPhone 5 and this is about as good as it's going to get for awhile, until I can look in to a decent DSLR. But in any event, welcome to my collection of moisturizers! What's that? I have five? Is that overkill? Each serve a different purpose, and if you have ridiculous skin like I do, you're going to want options. You might want to invest in a day moisturizer that works well under make-up, and you absolutely want a good night moisturizer to lock all of that water in to your skin after a good cleanse. 

Going from left to right, I'm going to try to be as short and sweet as possible. (It's not possible.)

If you haven't seen Simple at your local drugstore, I suggest giving a few of their products a test. Their brand name says it all. Simple Skincare. No fragrances. No color. It is made to keep those nasties that irritate the skin far, far away. This is the Simple Hydrating Light Moisturizer (varies around $10, depending on your local drugstore price). It has Pro-Vitamin B5, which helps restore, soften, and smooth the skin, and Vitamin E, which moisturizes to improve skin condition. I'm not a genius; I copied that off of their site. I use this moisturizer during the day or night, but especially when I want something extra light and when I'm having bad skin days. It is nice under make-up because it sinks nicely in to the skin and doesn't break me out. I know I'll be using this more during the summertime when I'll be using moisturizer, sunscreen, and a primer before any make-up. It's possible that the product I'm going to talk about next replaced this one, but this is definitely the drugstore equivalent to...

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Face Moisturizer ($22) is simply lovely. First Aid Beauty has a lot of the same claims and the same philosophy as Simple Skincare, but for dry patches or dry skin, I see a huge difference in smoothness and hydration while using First Aid Beauty over Simple. I realize the pricetag is hefty, but being so thoroughly impressed and satisfied with a wide range of products from this brand, I think I was willing to fork out the cash. Like the Simple Hydrating Light Moisturizer, it's thin, almost gel-like. This is my every-day moisturizer. I wear it under my make up. I add two drops of Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate to this baby, and rub it generously in to my skin before I go to sleep. I've already raved about the Midnight Recovery Concentrate, but paired with this moisturizer, I have notice a vast difference in my skin. If I had to choose one moisturizer to use for the rest of my life, it quite possibly would be this one. 

Now, I have heard a lot of talk about Origins VitaZing SPF 15 Energy-Boosting Moisturizer with Mangosteen ($35). Some people reviewing it on Sephora.com loathe it, and a lot of the YouTube beauty community worship the ground it could walk on if it had little tiny Origin legs (they'd probably be their signature green). And if it had little tiny Origin legs and was running away, I'd run after it full throttle. If only if it weren't so damn expensive! I love Origins. I wish I could own the entire store, but I think I go way too quickly through the entire tube before I have to go to Sephora to purchase another one. Here's another thing about this moisturizer, I've heard a lot of people say it's more like a very light-coverage BB cream? They specified that they had fair skin, and I know the moisturizer has a sheer tint, but this is something I have never experienced. I have much more olive/tan skin though, so I simply wanted to put the warning out to anyone who was looking in to purchase this. It smells amazing, like a true mango... none of that artificial fruity smell that comes from a lot of drugstore body washes. It's much thicker than the previous two, but it is creamy and light on my skin. Don't even get me started on the fact that it has SPF in it! I mean, it's wonderful, truly. If my beauty obsession wasn't funded through my student loans (I know, let's not talk about it), I would treat myself to this every now and then. I try to keep it stocked in my collection at all times, and I use it on a bare face and when I go to yoga, but... man, I'm done talking about it. I have too many feelings about a moisturizer. 

Well look who it is! It's the star of the show! The moisturizer that prompted this entire post! Why, it's Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre ($22, that's what I paid for it on Amazon anyway, but it is a French pharmacy brand). Truth time? This is probably my third bottle, mostly because the second was shared with my Mom. If you haven't heard about this moisturizer yet, you haven't been watching enough Pixiwoo. They swear by this stuff, and hell, I do too. I spent an entire winter without it, trying other moisturizers and falling in love with Origins, but this is pretty damn amazing stuff. It's a heavy duty moisturizer, but it sinks so quickly in to the skin. I think now that my skin is more hydrated and I make sure it's locking in a lot of the water it takes in (not to mention the amount of water I'm drinking every day), this moisturizer may very well work wonders, if I remember it to be as good as it is. It doesn't have a gel consistency; it feels much more like a lotion. It smells fancy, it looks fancy... hell, it's French. I don't know if I need to say anymore. If you have any questions, leave them below in the comments. 

Finally, First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream ($12-28) is a lotion for he face and body. I mentioned in a previous post how it helped my itchy, dry legs through the winter, but I don't know if I really went in to detail about how it has helped my skin. These days, I tend to use it as more as a body lotion, but I was curious how my face would react to this product the first time I bought it. This is how I found out my skin was dehydrated. I didn't even know it was dehydrated until I woke up after smearing this on my face the night before! My face felt smooth. Blemishes looked as if they faded ever so slightly after using it for a week. My redness was diminished slightly, and not one flake on my face! I still use this from time to time, if it is extra windy out and I know my skin needs a barricade from the weather, or I feel like I need extra moisture because I wasn't drinking enough water that day. I cannot stress how important it is to drink a ton of water throughout the day, especially for your skin. But this cream will not be for everyone, especially everyone's face.

Just remember to tailor your skincare to your needs and expectations. If you feel like your skin is oily throughout the day, be sure that your moisturizer and primer is oil free. If you feel like your skin is dry and flaky, get a moisturizer that smooths and regenerates the skin. There's always the perfect product out there for you; it just takes forever to find it. I'd love to hear what you guys use as a moisturizer, and if you have suggestions! My bank account thanks you in advance! 

4 comments:

  1. I swear by Khiel's Blue Herbal Moisturizer. It has a little bit of salicylic acid to reduce acne blemishes, reduce the appearance of pores all while leaving skin fresh and moisturized. I mean, Andy Warhol was a fan of the Khiel's Blue line. I meannnnn....

    http://www.kiehls.com/Blue-Herbal-Moisturizer/542,default,pd.html

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    1. I WAS GOING TO LOOK IN TO IT, but the lady at the Kiehl's store here in Boston was so mean to me! She didn't want to help me at all. It was silly. I was so enthusiastic when I popped in too.

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  2. I'm really happy to read this post! I've been using a plain old Eucerin moisturizer for day and Neutrogena Naturals Night Cream at night and I've been happy enough...but I'm running out of both and am ready to treat myself to fancy skin products during the bar. I'm lucky that my skin is pretty healthy already and I've never had oily/dry/acne issues but I'm worried what Bar Exam stress will cause...so you've kind of sold me on the Embryolisse. HEY SPONSORS: SEND HER FREE PRODUCTS.

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    1. OKAY. So I've been using the Embryolisse for the past week now, and now I remember why I went for another product. Don't get me wrong, I really, really love it. But I think if I use it consecutively for too many days in a row, my skin starts to feel a little oily at night. I think that's why I'm going to start switching between my First Aid Beauty Face Moisturizer and the Lait-Creme. I'm also kicking myself for not buying this for the winter. Stupid, East Coast.

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