fave products // fresh beauty black tea age delay serum, eye concentrate & mask

Black tea in your skincare products? Yep, you heard me right! And not for the first time either. Remember this Fresh Beauty Black Tea Kombucha Facial Treatment Essence from a while back? This age-delay, anti-pollution toner is great for fighting pesky environmental stressors that cause your skin to age. I was and still am a big fan to pat some on post-cleansing! Lately I've been trying out some more products from Fresh's black tea line, and am happy to say I'm super pleased with the results! 

Let's start with the Fresh Black Tea Age-Delay Firming Serum. It works to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, offering an overall corset-like effect on the skin with its lifting and tightening properties. Ingredients like black tea ferment (aka kombucha) and extract, blackberry leaf extract and lychee seed extract fight free radicals that increase signs of aging while also improving your skin's elasticity. I love the combo of a super concentrated blend of peptides along with the antioxidant-rich honeysuckle leaf extract- this baby is no joke! I definitely feel like it helps define and contour the skin with continued use.

The serum pairs wonderfully with the Fresh Black Tea Age-Delay Eye Concentrate, which is great for any puffiness and dark circles you may have, and is also extremely hydrating for the delicate skin around the eyes. Black tea is obviously at play here as well, along with noni fruit juice, a powerhouse ingredient known to retain and increase moisture and protect the skin. The cooling formula is great for use both morning and night!

Whenever I feel like I need to take it to another level, I reach for my Fresh Black Tea Firming Overnight Mask. This leave-on mask provides intense moisture to dehydrated skin, and leaves you with a firm suppleness come morning. In addition to the ferments and extracts featured in most of the black tea products, the mask boasts belle de nuit extract, which is a real game changer when it comes to soothing and rebalancing your skin. Plus, super hydrator hyaluronic acid is present to provide and lock in ample moisture! I love waking up to wonderfully hydrated and plump skin. Now I'm craving a kombucha- thanks Fresh Beauty!

 * This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, it won’t cost you a penny more, but I’ll earn a small commission. This allows me to continue to generate content for you, and helps keep the site up and running. Thanks for your support! 

fave products // perricone md cold plasma+ face serum & eye cream

I’m all about a super-concentrated, highly potent serum or cream. You know the ones. They’re packed full of multi-tasking, powerhouse ingredients that promote youthful, radiant skin and give you that glow you crave. I’m happy to say that Perricone MD Cold Plasma+ Face Serum and Eye Cream do exactly that, plus more. They use a proprietary liquid crystal (fancy!) delivery system for faster and deeper penetration of ingredients. Practically any skin issue, like loss of radiance, uneven texture or tone, discoloration, redness, enlarged pores, fine lines, wrinkles, or loss of firmness, can be vastly improved with these babies. I love that the face serum is super smooth and creamy (feels like a finishing cream!), but the concentrated formula gets to to work quickly boasting all its anti-aging benefits. Copper tripeptides, vitamin C ester (the highly stable, easily absorbable form of antioxidant-rich vitamin C), and omegas 3, 6, and 9 come together to work their magic here, and the proof is in results. My skin has been feeling super plump and baby soft. Really so, so supple! The eye cream uses the same ingredients, but also targets the appearance of dark circles, puffiness, and crow’s feet! Both Perricone MD products are fragrance free, making them perfect for those with sensitive skin like mine. A little goes a long way, so although the price is steep, each jar should last you quite a while. Let me know if you end up trying them out- you won’t be disappointed!

 * This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, it won’t cost you a penny more, but I’ll earn a small commission. This allows me to continue to generate content for you, and helps keep the site up and running. Thanks for your support! 

fave products // true botanicals nutrient mist

I don't know about you, but come summer time, I find myself reaching for a refreshing facial mist on a pretty regular basis. I love a good mist anytime of year, but if it's hot and humid out, literally nothing feels better on my skin! Whenever mine needs a bit of a pick-me-up, a spritz of this True Botanicals Nutrient Mist does just the trick. This one is packed with nutrients and antioxidants, including green & white tea, algae extract, and kombucha, which help to hydrate, nourish, and repair the skin. Even better, these ingredients help fight free radical damage, keep your skin nicely plump, and leaves you perfectly dewy and glowing! For something a bit more affordable, and also more basic, I really enjoy Avène Thermal Spring Water Spray as well.  I always keep a mist or spray in my purse for that extra boost when I'm on-the-go, and it's especially refreshing at the beach on a hot summer day!

fave products // sunday riley juno hydroactive cellular face oil

 
 

Remember when oil was considered the bad guy, and everyone thought putting oil on your face was an almost certain cause for a break out? Everywhere you looked, skincare products were boasting oil-free this, and oil-free that. I'm so glad that myth has been debunked, because to be honest, high quality oils offer some serious benefits for your skin: preventing dryness, reducing fine lines and wrinkles, and promoting skin's firmness and elasticity to name a few! 

Take Sunday Riley Juno Hydroactive Cellular Face Oil, for example. This essential oil is an antioxidant and superfood powerhouse that gives you that beautifully, radiant glow your skin craves. It works to protect and enhance the skin with a botanically active blend of cold-pressed superfood seed oils, including blueberry, cranberry, red raspberry, and broccoli seed oils. I've found it to be super hydrating and nourishing thanks to the antioxidants (which fight those free-radicals!) and omegas (3, 6, & 9!), but at the same time it feels light and soothing on my skin. Combined with Vitamin A & C, which help fight signs of aging by increasing collagen production and brightening the skin, and essential amino acids, your complexion will likely be more luminous than ever before.

Other than its awesome hydration and protection power, I really love that Juno is formulated without parabens, sulfates, or phthalates. I personally try not to use any products with these ingredients, as they can be highly irritating to my sensitive skin. At this point it's safe to say that Juno has (deservedly!) earned a prime spot in my skincare routine and medicine cabinet!

glow facial mask

While I have a daily skincare regimen that I like to follow, I also have some "once-a-week" or "once-a-month" rituals that are just as important. Face masks can be a great way to hydrate & rejuvenate your skin, and these days you can find them in several versions- think sheet, gel, or clay. One of my favorite ways to mask is by creating my own in the comfort of my own kitchen! That way, I know exactly what's going into it, as well as the benefits each ingredient offers my skin. Think about it this way- you cook your own food to control what you put into your body, and to nourish it from the inside out. Creating your own face mask allows you to take the same approach, and nourish your body from the outside, in! While it may look like baby food, I'd happily eat this mask any day (it's that delicious)! My glow facial mask will help take your skin from dry & dull to healthy & glowing! It boasts many impressive qualities to help your skin look & feel its best- Greek yogurt acts as an anti-inflammatory & can calm the skin; avocado works as a soothing moisturizer; oats are used to exfoliate & remove dead skin; apple cider vinegar has anti-inflammatory properties & helps reduce redness; lemon juice acts as an astringent to brighten & tighten skin; honey fights off bacteria & hydrates, leaving your skin soft & supple; turmeric reduces inflammation & pigmentation, and is high in antioxidants. So as you can see, this is a nutritional powerhouse for your skin. Glowing & radiant skin awaits, so get to masking!

Glow Mask:

  • 2 tbsp Greek yogurt, plain & unsweetened
  • 1/4 cup avocado, mashed
  • 1/4 cup rolled oats
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp raw honey
  • 1/2 tsp ground turmeric

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, making sure everything is incorporated evenly. Set bowl in refrigerator or freezer for 15-20 minutes to chill, which allows ingredients to come together & adds a bonus cooling effect bonus for your skin. Massage evenly onto skin, and leave it to set for 15-20 minutes. Scrub off thoroughly with warm water. Pat skin dry. Spritz face with rosewater & moisturize. Makes enough for two masks. Can be kept fresh in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

*Because turmeric can stain your skin if left on for a long time, you may want to wear gloves when applying this mask. Also be sure to fully remove it when rinsing (a wash cloth helps)!

**If you prefer a smooth mask, you may choose to blend before chilling. Pulse until no chunks remain, and the oats are pulverized.