I've heard Vitamin C is one of the best ingredients against age spots and hyperpigmentation so I bought the best selling Vitamin C serum on Amazon which happens to be Oz Naturals 20% Vitamin C serum. Its an affordable $20-something 1fl oz bottle. It comes with a dropper too!
The serum is 72% organic. Its a clear watery gel like serum. It has no scent and it absorbs quickly onto the skin. The ingredients isn't too bad either. First ingredient is organic herbal infusion follow by organic aloe and vitamin C. There's also witch hazel, vitamin E, organic jojoba oil, hyaluronic acid, ferulic acid, and a amino acid blend.
Overall, I think this is an OK serum. I didn't see much of a difference to my dark spots, but I feel that my skin does look a bit healthier. It is mostly of ingredients that said to be good for you without too many other ingredients that are fillers, questionable, or harmful. Its also affordable so I think I will continue to use this, and I will look into their other serums and products.
I enjoyed their Jojoba scrub, so I wanted to try this scrub out. Like the other scrub, this one also contains jojoba wax beads which are an environmentally safer type of microbeads than the plastic ones in cosmetics. They're pretty small like course black pepper so definitely be careful not to get them in your eyes.
I love the smell of this scrub though since it smells fruity, and they smell like Starbursts candy! The scrub is gentle, and didn't feel harsh on my skin. It does a decent job of exfoliating as well. Directions say to use it after cleanser, and use up to 2-3 times a week. Its 95% organic, vegan, and first two ingredients are aloe juice and coconut oil. I quite like it more for its fruity scent which isn't strong just moderate.
Overall, I do enjoy this scrub and would probably use it instead of the Jojoba one since I didn't see a different between both of them other than smell and color. Michael Todds has a small 40ml bottle of it so you can give it a try and see if you like it!
This cleanser is advertised to exfoliate, remove impurities and all types of makeup. Its a white milky cleanser that doesn't lather or anything. Its like massaging lotion to your skin that doesn't absorb it. It doesn't strip your skin or anything either which is nice. I can kind of feel the cleanser smooth out some bumps, but not much.
I like how gentle this cleanser is. It didn't irritate me or break me out. It has a lime like smell to it too though it is light. I does clean my face, but that's pretty much it. Its suitable for all skin types, its vegan, and is 70% organic. It didn't work that well with my clarisonic though unless I use a lot which I don't want.
Overall, this is a good cleanser. A good option for those wanting gentle exfoliation, and organic ingredients.
Tata Harper is a all natural skincare brand. I've tried their sample set which is priced at $11 which is kind of pricey for 8 samples. It is a really good to try and see how you like their products though. I've already made a few posts about some of the samples:
Resurfacing Mask
Repairitive Moisturizer
Rebuilding Moisturizer
Regenerating Cleanser
Replenishing Nutrient Complex
Rejuvenating Serum
I gave the eye cream to my mom so I didn't get to try it. The Hydrating Floral Essence is a facial spray that didn't do anything for me. It did kind of smell like mosquito repellent too. The sample spray itself was hard to use too.
Overall, I am impressed with the results of some of the products. The ones I recommend are the Resurfacing Mask, Regenerating Cleanser, and Rejuvenating Serum. You can buy some of their products on Sephora, but they don't carry everything from them unfortunately.
This is a semi translucent pinkish gel mask that's advertised to give you instant glow. You put on a thick layer and leave it for 20-30 minutes (10 for sensitive skin). You can also put it on blemishes and leave it on overnight. It has aloe, willow bark, and witch hazel so it definitely has the usual acne fighting ingredients.
I have used it on a small pimple overnight and throughout the day, and it had dried it up within 24 hours which is impressive to me. Definitely recommend it for spot treatment. As for the mask I didn't see a significance difference from the one time I did it. Perhaps if I had more of the product to have a thick mask on there might be a difference.
The full size is $55 for a 30ml jar of the mask which it not bad compared to their other products. I would recommend it!
The Repairative is for dry and mature skin. It a nice moisturizer, but it is a tad heavy for my skin since my skin isn't dry enough for this. Even in the winter time. I really haven't seen any different in my skin with this moisturizer though.
The Rebuilding moisturizer is for oily and combination skin, and its a perfect for my skin type. My skin felt pretty balanced, and I even saw my skin get more even and less dull. So a definite significance in my skin compare to the Repairative one.
I did breakout a bit while trying out both of these though its probably hormonal. Also both moisturizers are $100+ which is highly pricey. Not entirely sure if they're really worth the price.
This Regenerating Cleanser is also a treatment cleanser that brightens and exfoliates for daily use. It's advertised to be a 4-1 cleanser that purifies, minimize pores, preserve hydration, and boost glow.
Have to be honest, at first when I tried this the product looked like puke to me, haha. Luckily it smells quite citrus-y with a hint of alcohol. It has a orangey-tan color and has a watery and creamy consistency. There's also tiny red sand like specks that is probably the apricot seed powder that they advertise that it exfoliates the skin. It does give the cleanser a bit of a grainy texture but its not too grainy that it feels rough on the skin. Its quite gentle though its probably due to the size.
I quite like the cleanser. The first couple tries it did make my skin feel pretty soft. It helped buff away rough spots in my skin. After using for a few days I have noticed it did make a difference to my skin. It looked more even and brighter. I normally believe cleansers just get rid of the grime off your face and nothing else since that's all they really did for me, but this cleanser actually did more to my skin.
There's a 125ml bottle for $75 on the Tata Harper site, and a 50ml for $38 on Sephora. It is pretty pricey, but if you can afford it I highly recommend it.
This is a roll on oil product that's advertised to make your skin radiant and protects the skin from the environment due to all the vitamins and minerals. The scent sort of has this light chemically floral scent. Or maybe its medicinal? Its hard to describe but I do not mind it though it seems some people find it unpleasant.
The oil has like a green tea like color, and the roll on dispenses e oil very thinly that I could hardly tell if its applying oil on me at all. Because of the very thin layer I was able to use it for quite a long time. Even though it applied thinly, it did still make my skin feel the oiliness. That was when I used it twice a day, but if I just use it at night the oiliness doesn't really matter. Using it just only at night seems to be good enough for me since I don't get oily nor do I get dry. Its a good balance this way for me. Since its winter it seemed appropriate time to use it and it has kept my skin from drying out, but the oiliness is not a pleasant feeling especially during the day. I have combination skin though my skin can get dry during the winter so I may just need to only apply to the dry areas. I didn't really see much difference in my skin from using it though. I actually had a bit of a breakout while using this at first, but it could just be hormones?
I even tried it on my body like my super dried up elbows and it really helped with that area as well. Overall, I do find this to really help with chapped skin so would recommend to those who have dry skin. It seems great for the winter, and has kept my skin from drying out. A more affordable cream would probably do the same, though I do like this product's natural ingredients better than creams with a bunch of scientific names. Otherwise I don't really see much significant difference when using this.
I got a sample pack to try this brand out. It is a all natural skincare company, and they're also expensive. The sample pack is $11 for a little bag of 7 samples.
The rejuvenating serum is their antiaging serum with collagen so its mainly for reducing wrinkles while making your skin more radiant. I am not at the age to have wrinkles so I can't say its effectiveness, but so far I do see that my skin is more healthier looking. Even my enlarged pores look less noticeable. The sample only gave me about 3 days worth of product, and results have been pretty good to my surprise. It says it provides the skin with antioxidants and vitamins as well as hyaluronic acid. It helps protect your skin from environment damage, and supports elasticity and boost firmness.
The full bottle is 30ml for $95 and I think it may be worth it. I find this to work better than the Genefique serum. The serum is like a thick cream, and it absorbs rather quickly too. I saw reviews saying it has a overwhelming scent which I didn't get at all. I am sensitive to scent, and this really didn't bother me. Its a herbal floral scent and it can be a bit strong if you smell it directly, but it disappears for me quickly so I don't smell it all day. I definitely think its worth trying the sample to see how it works out for you.
I really liked Michael Todd's serums so I am slowly going to try the ones suited for my needs. This Concentrated C is to protect your skin from UV sun damage, reverse signs of aging, and hydrates your skin. Says its good for all skin types except oily.
Michael Todds is the best skincare brand I've ever tried yet. I can't even remember when my skin was this well behaved. Not to say my skin is flawless, but it definitely made me feel better about my skin. I have moderate acne, and sensitive combination skin. I have many enlarged pores, sun spots, and the occasionally irritation.
This C serum is lightweight and has a mild scent. It goes on smoothly and has definitely made my irritated skin calmed down practically overnight. I don't find this serum super hydrating, but its a light moisturizer feel. Although it is winter right now so the dryness of the season is a factor here. I really do like it paired up with Michael Todd's Blue Green Algae Toner, but I don't think the serum would perform as well without the toner. I say that mostly because the toner helps my acne with its anti-flammatory and anti-bacterial features. These both together has help keep my skin looking healthy, and less troubled. I do have to be loyal since if I don't use it for a few days I'd breakout.
I think compared to the Antioxidant Carrot serum, its about the same in effectiveness. Hopefully I will try the whitening serum. I did order it during their Black Friday/Cyber sale but unfortunately I was refunded due to it being sold out.
I've been hearing some good things about this organic skincare brand so I wanted to try it out. Luckily there was a deal going on because the regimens are half off and you get 15% as well when you sign up for an account and their newsletter. So I got a $150 regimen for $60! The deal seems to be on most of the time so not entirely sure if it will actually end or not cause so far I haven't seen it completely end. They send you ongoing sales around every month or so.
So far I'm really loving it because it had quick results better than what I've used before. I realized later that there are smaller versions of the regimen sets which the site label as "discovery kits". So if you want a more affordable kit option go there. They don't have it in the regimen I got for they have it for all the others.
Now I'll briefly describe my skin - I have combination skin and quite prone to acne as I get breakouts from every other day to weekly. My skin is sensitive and gets irritated by something from time to time. Also have large pores, lots of blackheads and age spots.
I bought this regimen because I haven't seen a acne regimen that targets people with sensitive skin before and was curious how it worked on my skin. Most of the acne products I've used are harsh or include acne ingredients that don't work for me at all which is salicylic acid. Yes, it doesn't do anything for me sadly. So I use tea tree acne products since they did do something for me, but not all tea tree products are the same so there were lots of misses than hits.
So the first few weeks of trying their products it was quite up and down. It impressed me with the results, but then I also got irritated though whenever that happens I really have no clue what caused it. I've heard great reviews on the Blue Green Algae toner though it does sting on irritated skin so please don't be dumb like me and use it when irritated! This toner does has a strong scent, but I don't find it bad at all. Can't really describe the smell as its just smells greenish, haha. Also the toner is quite big with 250ml. The toner is clear and it's practically like water though water isn't listed on the ingredients list at all. Most of the ingredients are extracts and the top ingredient is organic aloe leaf juice. The other ingredients are organic kelp extract, organic blue green algae extract, hyalronic acid, black willow bark extract, acai fruit pulp powder, dead sea salt, tea tree oil. See the Michael Todd's site for a complete list of ingredients. I like pouring a bit onto my palm and patting the product on my face. Though the design of the bottle makes it a bit leaky with the way I use it. I honestly don't find it hydrating, but it does make my face feel clean and matte without that drying feeling. Not sure if it doesn't anything to my acne since it is antibacterial, but if I use it with the Antioxidant Carrot serum it makes my skin a bit of a healthy glow as well as reduce my acne. I like this serum the best out of the regimen because obviously it gave me the most results. Its a anti-oxidant serum said to balance the skin and rejuvenate it. The first ingredient is black willowbark extract follow by, strangely, hydrogenated vegetable oil. There's also rice, lemon, green tea, apple, carrot, acai, tea tree oil, lavender oil, and vitamin B3, E, A, and C. The bottle is 30ml and the product has a much milder scent than the toner. I can't really explain the scent. The serum is clear like and it absorbs quickly. The bottle has a pump and sometimes the product does stay at the opening and dry up. I've been using the toner and serum daily for awhile, and my skin has been behaving pretty good so far which is amazing! I do get acne, but they are not that big of a deal since they either tend to be small or just one or two pimples. Over time I can tell that my acne is occurring less and less, and when I do get irritated or have a rash its not as harsh on the skin as when I first used them.
The Charcoal Detox gel cleanser is a decent facial cleanser. Its super gentle and hasn't bothered my skin at all. Its has a mild scent and the cleanser is a tad runny. Its a translucent black gel cleanser with a lot of charcoal bits (I think) which aren't hard to the touch. It foams up a bit and doesn't dry my skin out after rinsing. So far I can feel it removes the dirt and all, but its not as great as the Shiseido cleansers. It is labeled to be a gentle cleanser and it is as its not stripping or caused any issues with my skin.This cleanser works pretty well with my Clarisonic mia since it can smooth out my blackheads on my nose rather easily. Plus with all the oils and extracts in this cleanser it makes using my Clarisonic mia a lot less stripping on my skin! The full price for the cleanser is $23 which is expensive for me to spend on a cleanser. I would considered repurchasing it if its on sale at a good price.
Next is the Jojoba Facial Scrub. This is the gentlest face scrub I've ever used! It really is not abrasive at all, and at time doesn't feel like its doing much though it smooths out my face just as well as other scrubs. Its dark grey in color with the usual thick globby consistency of many scrubs, and has tiny jojoba wax beads. I worry that these beads might get in my huge pores, but that hasn't happened yet. I mostly use it on my nose to rid blackheads. It hasn't completely rid of the blackheads, but its done just as much as other scrubs. The number one thing I like about it is that its gentle and doesn't sting my eyes! Before I used Origins face scrub which I have to use on dry skin, but its a bit rough and it stings my eyes a bit. Really glad to find a better scrub.
The last product is the Kaolin Clay facial mask. Now I use Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque as my clay mask, and that is also kaolin clay based. So far I really can't see a difference in the results between the two clay masks. The Mint Julep is a lot more drying though. The ingredients list between the two are quite different as well. Mint Julep is just: water, kaolin, bentonite, glycerin, zinc oxide, propylene glycol, sulfur, chromium oxide green, fragrance, phenoxyethanol, and methylparaben. Obviously the mint julep has fragrance, parabens, and coloring. As for Michael Todd's Kaolin mask the ingredients are: organic aloe juice, red clay, glycerin, with hazel, kaolin clay, epilobium angustifolium extract, black willowbark extract, olive leaf extract, green tea extract, sulfur, tea tree oil, and some other chemicals. As you can see its has a lot of extracts and not as much clay listed. This mask is like body cream, and it goes on kind of thin as with Mint Julep it is really thick since its really just clay. The mask also has different smells which I find quite funny. Out of the tube it has like a tea tree or willwbark smell, and it doesn't smell anything when its drying on your face. When you wash it it has a strong sulfur smell. The Mint Julep mask's smell tends to stay on my skin for hours after washing it off, but the Michael Todds clay mask smell barely lingers on after washing it off.The mint julep is a bright light green color while the Michael Todd's is more of a grey green color.
For an "organic" labeled product I find that they're such an affordable price compare to the skincare products at Sephora that double and triple the price with not much results. Overall I am very pleased with the products! I can't even remember the last time my skin behaved this well. I'd definitely recommend giving their products a try as I will be looking forward to trying out more products from them.
