Reviews Beautyblog - Page 36 of 60

I’m (still) very interested in natural and organic cosmetics. Even though nowadays I use both synthetic and natural products together, I prefer organic ones in my skincare.

Now I’m no expert when it comes to ingredients, but I still read INCI-lists and recognize some ingredients that I love, because I’ve noticed that they suit my skin really well. These are ingredients like aloe vera, jojoba oil, shea butter, argan oil and birch sap. You can find a lot of these ingredients in natural skin care products.

By the way, I think it’s funny how in cosmetics it’s always advertised, that the product contains some plant-based ingredient, but when you look at the INCI-list, it’s actually listed at the very end. Meaning, that the product doesn’t really contain that advertised ingredient as much as one would think. But when you look at natural products – the advertised ingredients are actually the first ones on the list. Meaning, that the product really contains a lot of that advertised something.

In lotions and creams it’s obviously not just about the ingredients – what’s important is how the product performs. How does it feel on your skin? Does it apply smoothly? Does your skin feel lovely afterwards? With synthetic cosmetics the feeling is usually pretty lovely – silicones bring special smoothness to the skin. I feel like that’s one of the things, that kind of separates synthetic and natural cosmetics from each other, how they feel on the skin.

Natural cosmetic industry is advancing all the time however and now there are products, which can make your skin feel and look smooth. I have found a particular brand, which has made a good impression on me. The products make my skin feel lovely.

products are pr-samples

I got a few products to try out from Mia Höytö from a pr-company called Sugar. Now that I’ve tried them for a few months, I can share my experience and crush on them: they are just lovely!

Mia Höytö is ecocertified cosmetic brand from Finland. The packaging of the products is simple yet beautiful – which is obviously the first thing I pay attention to. A beautiful jar in the bathroom makes you happy by just being there and it’s nice to keep at sight (I own so much cosmetics, that hiding them seems impossible anyway). I consider these luxury products, even though they are not that expensive.

Earlier I talked about the fact, that my skin feels lovely using these. The consistency is made to be so good, that the product slides well on the skin and leaves a nice soft finish. I remember talking about this with my friend and with Mia Höytö (yes, her – the amazing woman behind the brand!) at the organic cosmetics convention – the serum we tried there felt like silk on our skin – totally different to any other natural products we’ve tried. In other words: it kind of felt like it had silicones in it (even though it absolutely does not contain them).

Out of the three products that I tried, that particular Lumous -serum rose to be my favorite. It’s very lightweight, it absorbs quickly and it suits my skin type. I use it under my cream daily.

I also tried Valo -eye cream. It felt nourishing and very moisturizing without being too heavy. A little goes a long way with this one, so a small jar lasts long.

The third product I tried was Helmi -mask. I used it this way: I applied it on dry skin, let it dry so it becomes see-through and then with damp fingers and circular movements I exfoliated my skin, before rinsing it off. If you want the treatment to be gentler, you can skip the last part and just rinse it off. Or if you’re in a hurry, you can just exfoliate your skin and skip masking. The mask absorbs impurities, exfoliates and brightens the skin. I like this mask, when I want to treat my skin gently. It doesn’t feel as efficient or drying as some of my other purifying mud masks, but especially during Winter, it’s only a good thing.

Altogether I liked the products and I think they are lovely – so if you’ve thought of trying them out, I recommend.

product pics: me
photos of me: Inka Lähteenaro

Highlighters – a threat or an opportunity?

I know, it might sound silly. What bad has tiny pieces of glitter ever done to you? What’s wrong with some shimmer? If your skin type is normal and your skin is straight from the heavens, the answer is: nothing. Keep on glowing and maybe skip this one. Or actually don’t, ’cause I have found a product, that looks beautiful on every skintype.

The threat, the problem, that I’m talking about it is this: with problematic skin such as oily skin or acne-prone skin, there are imperfections and therefore texture on the skin. Texture is glitter’s worst enemy. I mean – they love each other, but just can’t seem to get along that well. They highlight each other’s bad sides, all those bumps and wrinkles. So actually the same goes for mature skin – you don’t want to enhance your wrinkles with glittery products. So hear me out.

highlighter that suits problematic acne oily skin — See how the light hits my face (cupid’s bow, tip of the nose, chin)? It’s not light, it’s the highlight. And it doesn’t emphazise texture!

As you may well know, my skin is oily and I suffer from acne. I also suffer from texture, badly. So I’ve had not-so good experiences with most highlighters, usually the powdery ones, which look chalky and chunky on my skin, highlighting my skin issues. Though I’ll admit, I’ve still used those highlighters. Because I am a woman after all and I need to glow.

My dear sisters had noticed this and with all the love they got me a highlighter, that doesn’t highlight any texture. They said it loud and clear: “This doesn’t highlight your skin texture”. Gosh, I love them.

~ links are adlinks

Swatches of Maybelline Master Strobing Stick in Nude Glow.

The product that I got – and what I’ve been binge-using (is that a thing?) lately is Maybelline Master Strobing Stick. My shade is Nude Glow, which is a bit warm beige colour. There is another shade available, which is more pink and beautiful on fair skin, I bet.

What makes this strobing stick wonderful and suitable for all skin types is it’s unique texture. It’s not a powder, but not a cream either – it’s the perfect in between. It’s not chalky in glitter. It reflects light beautifully and it almost makes your skin look wet. As stated before, it doesn’t highlight skin texture, but makes you look glowy and beautiful. Obviously it doesn’t hide your skin texture either, so if you have uneven skin, you’re still gonna have uneven skin after applying this. But it looks way better than most highlighters.

I usually add it with my fingers, but if I want a heavy glow, I just add it straight on my cheekbones with the stick.

What else? Well, I feel like it lasts well on my skin, I like the packaging and I like that it’s very affordable being a Maybelline product.

Have you had problems with highlighters? Have you tried this one?

Maybelline Master Strobing Stick ($6,59)