Green Beauty Review : Maya Chia, Skin Owl, & Marie Veronique
Skincare is an obsession of mind. I tend to lean away from it because 'talking makeup' seems a bit vapid, but in reality your skin is an organ just like your heart & brain...And if products exist to make said organ look dope AF, then I'm all about it.
There is a misunderstanding that green, organic, or nontoxic products can't possibly be as effective as conventional beauty. Au contraire! Luckily, we live in a time where you can have it all : safety, effectiveness, even a feeling of luxury. I spend an inordinate amount of time browsing through Credo, reading reviews (then cross checking reviews) & scanning ingredients to find the absolute best products....products that I feel good about.
Below are the products I experimented with most recently.
Uhm...Kind of obsessed with this stuff. I found the Maya Chia Super Blend while looking for a new vitamin C serum. Vitamin C makes me look particularly glowy & youthful so I always have some kind of Vit C product on hand. When I read that natural astaxanthin (a key ingredient in the Super Blend), enhances the antioxidant actions of vitamin C and E, and is 65X stronger than Vitamin C in combating free radicals, I needed to try it.
This is the first time I've experimented with a pressed serum and I really loved it. I wore this in place of a moisturizer and didn't need to layer any additional oils. In fact, if I didn't put on makeup, I could still feel the serum on my face & neck HOURS later. (Never greasy, always hydrated.) The Super Blend is a little on the pricey side, but even while using it 2-3 times a day, it lasted for 2 months. I noticed my skin looked healthy & plump. I can't wait to try other Maya Chia products.
Marie Veronique's Exfoliating Cleanser smells really good (super earthy), but what really stood out was how it reduced the inflammation in my skin.
A few months ago, I went off of hormonal birth control (long story) & since then, my skin has lost its mind. In fact, my complexion is less predictable than it was when I was 15. It has been a lovely experience, as you can imagine. (So much sarcasm.)
When my face is breaking out, this gentle exfoliator seemed to reduce redness & puffiness. THANK YOU green beauty gods! Rather than just exfoliating & rinsing, I would leave the cleanser on for 3-5 minutes in the shower. This worked really well for me (keep in mind my skin is not overly sensitive.). I will definitely buy this again.
With the philosophy 'Where Skincare becomes Selfcare', I was really excited to try Skin Owl's minimalist product line. The Geranium Oil is supposed to 'boost radiance' and fight signs of aging.
Unfortunately, this oil just did nothing for me. It was just an oil and I've tried 20 just like it. I didn't notice any dramatic changes in my skin while using it. Maybe my bar is too high, but I expect my products to kick ass and show results. The Geranium Oil did not move the needle for me.
On a positive note, this oil provided adequate moisture and was easy to wear under make up. (I wear RMS concealer and an oil is absolutely necessary to blend smoothly.) Everyone's skin is varies and you may have a totally different experience with this product. Despite not loving this oil, I would still like to try more of Skin Owl's products.
I just got an enormous box from Credo so I will be posting another beauty review soon! If you have any questions on any of the above products, feel free to leave a comment below. Have suggestions for another round of reviews? I'd love to hear them!!
XX
Ellie