fave products // pai skincare for sensitive skin

Finding quality skincare for sensitive skin can be a tricky task, but I always find myself returning to Pai Skincare for their soothing, effective products. Whenever I feel like I want to get back to basics, or just give my skin a break from too many active ingredients, Pai is one of my go-tos, and always leaves my skin feeling calm, hydrated, and happy.

Pai’s Light Work Rosehip Cleansing Oil works to remove dirt and other build-ups and gently refreshes your complexion, all without stripping it of the essential moisture it needs. It’s packed with rosehip fruit extract and omegas 3, 6 & 9 to nourish the skin and give you a radiant glow. I love that it’s gentle enough to use on the eyes, and there’s no need to scrub or rub too hard to achieve clean skin. Just massage the oil onto your dry face (enjoy the at-home spa experience!), and rinse with warm water to reveal soft, smooth skin.

I love to follow it up with Pai’s Instant Kalmer Sea Aster & Schisandra Ceramide Serum. It’s truly the perfect serum for hyper-sensitive skin, combining both anti-aging and soothing ingredients that work to give you that ideal glow. Sea aster and wild oat are super calming, and help reduce redness and irritation, while ceramides help strengthen the skin barrier. Instant Kalmer leaves my skin feeling super hydrated, and I love that it’s free of fragrance and alcohols! This is also a great serum to reach for if you suffer from rosacea or eczema.

Pai Skincare’s mission is to do the right thing for you and your skin. By creating products that are so natural, ethical and sustainable, they have goodness built right in. What could be better?!

 * 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 // natura bissé stabilizing mask, essence & serum concentrate

Natura Bissé is a Barcelona-based skincare brand that creates some wonderful, high quality and effective products. Their stabilizing set is one I’d been eyeing for a while, as it seemed like the perfect combo of cleanser, toner/essence, and serum to help combat breakouts or problematic skin. After incorporating this trio into my routine for a while now, I’m definitely loving the results!

The Stabilizing Cleansing Mask can be used as either a daily cleanser as part of your normal routine, or a weekly clarifying mask for something a bit more thorough. Kaolin clay, menthol and zea mays work to gently remove makeup and debris, while salicylic acid helps unclog pores. I love its creamy texture, and thanks to aloe vera, it doesn’t leave your skin feeling stripped or dry.

The Stabilizing Resurfacing Essence is powered by a trio of exfoliating acids, including AHA, PHA & BHA, that work to gently remove dead skin cells and unclog pores. This is great for those with oily or breakout-prone skin, and can be used daily post-cleansing. Whenever my skin is acting hormonal, I reach for this, and apply it with a reusable cotton round all over. I’ve definitely noticed a more even toned and balanced complexion!

Next up is the Stabilizing Anti-Aging Concentrate, which is essentially a firming, oil-control serum that produces “retinol-like” results. Yes please! Once again, three exfoliating acids work their magic to leave you with glowing, radiant skin. I’ve found an overall brighter complexion after incorporating it into my routine for a few weeks! Also important to note- all of these products are careful not to disrupt the skin’s natural pH levels, which can cause further irritation. So key! Definitely look into adding some Natura Bissé to your routine to boost your skin’s overall radiance and glow.

 * 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 // omorovicza even tone serum

Uneven skin tone. Never a fun thing to deal with, but a condition that is all too common when it comes to skincare. There are many ways to treat it, from using specific ingredients in your everyday products to more intensive treatments like peels and lasers. While lasers may be more effective, they are also more expensive and need to be done regularly to really see results. I think a good first approach is to add a highly effective product to your daily routine and see if you get the results you’re looking for. Even Tone from Omorovicza is is a daily serum for uneven skin tone that targets all the causes of unevenness, working to improve the homogeneity of your skin. If you’re suffering from any hyperpigmentation (think age spots or sun damage), applying this serum regularly can help correct that, as well as smooth the overall texture of the skin.

A key ingredient at play here is amber microalgae, which works its magic to target areas of excess melanin only, preserving the skin tone. Plus gentle exfoliating acids like mandelic and gluconic help stimulate cellular turnover, resurfacing skin texture to smooth the complexion. I’m a big fan of niacinamide as well, and always seem to be impressed by products that contain it. Its ability to help reduce post-blemish discoloration and redness, while also balancing sebum production and clearing the complexion is super clutch. Paired with Omorovicza’s patented Healing Concentrate, which is a mineral elixir containing Budapest’s thermal waters that help boost collagen and elasticity, you’ve got yourself a really impressive serum to add to your routine! What’s great is that while Even Tone is super potent and effective, it’s also gentle enough even for those with sensitive skin. It’s formulated for both light and dark skin tones, and can be safely used in your morning and evening routines. A more even skin tone and refreshed complexion is in your future!

 * 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 // glo skin beauty bio-renew EGF drops & cream

Hi y’all! I’m back after taking most of the summer off from blogging & posting- it was a busy one over here with work stuff, baby stuff, toddler stuff… You know the drill! Fear not, however, as I’ve been testing fun new products along the way regardless ;) Glo Skin Beauty is a new-to-me brand that comes highly recommended from dermatologists, and actually got its start in the treatment room 20+ years ago. They recently launched some innovative products that caught my eye, so I jumped at the chance to try them out. Formulated in partnership with leading NYC dermatologist Dr. Dendy Engelmen, these products utilize EGF, an epidermal growth factor that promotes cellular repair and also happens to be 100% vegan! The Glo Skin Beauty Bio-Renew EGF Drops are formulated as a serum that work to restore, strengthen and rejuvenate the skin. Cell regeneration is accelerated, leaving you with overall smoother, glowier skin. Plus, the drops contain a multi-peptide complex that minimizes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, all while hyaluronic acid adds ample hydration! Sign me up! I’ve been using the product for a few weeks now, and I have to say I’m super pleased with the way my skin is reacting: my skin barrier feels (and looks!) rejuvenated and more hydrated. Feel free to start slowly incorporating this into your routine by mixing a few drops into your other moisturizers or serums for a boost of restorative benefits. Or you can choose to use it full strength as a solo reparative serum- your choice!

Following the EGF Drops, I’ve been finishing my skincare regimen with the Glo Skin Beauty Bio-Renew EGF Cream (a Dermstore exclusive!). This newly launched moisturizer is a next-generation, skin barrier repairing treatment that’s clinically proven to deliver stronger, brighter, smoother, and firmer skin in just one month (!). Along with the vegan epidermal growth factor, the cream contains a phyto-retinol complex, which is a plant-based retinol alternative that is safe for use while pregnant and breastfeeding. It has many of the same benefits of retinol, but without all those nasty side effects. During pregnancy, I’m all about a product that can work it’s retinol-magic without containing potentially harmful ingredients, so this was a big bonus for me. After a few weeks of using the EGF Cream, my skin looks more even-toned, less dull, and more glowy all around! Not to mention that smooth, baby’s bottom texture! I definitely recommend trying these out, pregnant or not! They’d make a stellar addition to any top shelf.

 * 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 // obagi elastiderm facial serum

Obagi newbie here. This brand is new to me, but one that has piqued my interest for a while now. A little background: Obagi dedicated to utilizing formulations backed by skin care science and innovation. They offer powerful formulas that not only focus on restoring the skin, but promoting overall skin health each and every day. They can help out with a variety of concerns including acne, discoloration, dry and aging skin. I love a highly effective serum, and as I near my mid-thirties, anti-aging products that work their magic are super appealing to me ;)

Enter Obagi Medical ELASTIderm Facial Serum. The main goal of this serum is to support skin elasticity and improve signs of skin bounce back. It’s formulated with patented Bi-Mineral Contour Complex™, a super scientific-sounding ingredient that harnesses two minerals, zinc and copper, with malonate for firmer-looking, more resilient skin. Ingredients are suspended with FlexFluid™ technology, creating a soft, elegant and lightweight product experience that increases signs of skin elasticity in just 24 hours. If you’ve been experiencing that “crepey” looking skin, or struggle with any other issues related to aging skin, I definitely recommend adding the Obagi ELASTIderm Facial Serum to your routine. I’ve been using it morning and night, on a clean, toned face and neck, and it absorbs quite nicely and makes for a nice base for your next step of moisturizer or face oil. I’ve definitely noticed a positive change after just a few weeks of using it, so I think it’s safe to say it’s earned its place on my top shelf! Plus, this pairs lovely with the Obagi ELASTiderm Eye Serum as well, so check it out!

 * 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 // furtuna skin rituale luminoso transformation set

Furtuna Skin had been on my must-try list for quite some time now. So I was super excited to get the opportunity to try out a specially curated set, known as the Rituale Luminoso Transformation Travel Set, which includes a micellar essence, a face & eye serum, and a moisturizing face oil. For those who don’t know, all of Furtuna Skin's products originate on their own organic farm in Sicily! This set includes sweet-smelling, wild foraged botanicals designed to help transform your skin.

Furtuna believes in the fundamental pillars of skincare, and that is reflected in the dual action formulas of each of these products. First up, in pillar one, you’ll prepare skin with Acqua Serena Micellar Essence, a cleanser and toner in one that removes impurities, balances pH, and soothes for a radiantly bright complexion. Pillar two involves treating the skin with Porte Per La Vitalità Face and Eye Serum, a dual-use, supercharged treatment for the face and eye area that absorbs in a flash for an instant glowing transformation. Key hydration comes into play in pillar 3 with Due Alberi Biphase Moisturizing Oil, a two-in-one bioactive blend for plumping moisture, antioxidant protection, barrier moisture repair, and Vitamin C to help support skin’s natural collagen synthesis. These three essentials create a transformative ritual (like the name of the set implies) that leave skin luminously smooth and protected, while helping to soften fine lines and restoring the skin’s overall resilience.

Thanks to natural ingredients like olive oil and anchusa azurea, both of which are packed with vitamins and fatty acids to nourish, rejuvenate and soothe your complexion, you’ll be saying hello to glowing, luminous skin in no time. Not to mention, this set is already the perfect size for on-the-go, so you can take it with you on all your travels as well. Since Furtuna is not exactly a budget-friendly brand, it’s also a great intro set to get you acquainted with the brand, in case you’ve been interested in trying it out for yourself!

 * 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!