Don't you just love 'em? I sure do. And now, inspired by Grayburn's post Current Lemmings, I'll show you mine. Thanks Grayburn for the prompt!



"My current list of lemmings consist of a few items that I think will be perfect for the Summer. What about you? What are your current lemmings?" /Grayburn/





1.) Clinique Naturally Glossy Mascara in Jet Brown (02)

Judging by the customer reviews on MUA this is exactly what I need and the mascara I've been looking for all my life. Unfortunately, here in Hungary it costs twice as much as in western parts of Europe or in the US which is why I'm waiting for it appear again on Strawberrynet. You see, I saw it about a months ago, but I didn't have the money to buy it, and by the time I got paid, it was gone. (And there was weeping and gnashing of teeth...)

What I want from a mascara:

1. it should be brown (=natural), as I have medium brown hair and eyebrows so black mascara usually just looks fake on me.
2. it should make my lashes, well... "naturally glossy"
3. I don't want it to lengthen at all: my lashes are long enough on their own, just not very visible
4. can add volume, but it's not compulsory either
5. shouldn't be waterproof

 

A few weeks ago my Dad got himself a new razor, and upon using it he started experiencing a burning, itching sensation on his chin accompanied by redness and dry skin. He came to me asking for something that would alleviate his symptoms, and I immediately started searching in my vast collection of skin products. As someone who has dermographic skin (more on that in a future post) I was familiar with his problem and long years of battling red, itching, irritated skin prompted me to give him a small bottle of Weleda’s Calendula Baby Oil. It wasn’t really that particular product that I had confidence in (though of course I do trust Weleda very much) but more of the fact that it is an unscented, PH-neutral fatty oil which makes it one of the least irritating substances I know of.

I could have given him plain and simple jojoba oil (or any other oil or butter for that matter) instead and the results would have been the same: redness gone, skin calmed down in a matter of minutes. That is simply because they’re all substances which do not produce any considerable chemical reactions when coming in contact with one’s skin, and they are the gentlest, most neutral substances available.

During my teenage years I once decided to wax my chin and the area above my lip with sugar wax strips at home (I was young and foolish, all right?). It is one thing that probably all my neighbors were immediately informed of my attempts through excessive curse words (*blushes*) screamed at the top of my lungs. Another thing, however, was that the “treated” area turned into a real exhibition of swollen, red, burning and utterly painful skin, a reminder of my stupidity, and would not calm down no matter what I tried. (And I had several tricks up my sleeve, believe me.)

For example, I had heard somewhere that lavender oil had calming and soothing properties which I was desperately in need of, so I mixed some lavender essential oil and jojoba oil and applied it to the sore area. If anything, that made my skin hurt even more.

Then I remembered that I had some Aloe Vera juice at home which is often described as some miraculous stuff, capable of improving any skin condition. I put some on, screamed some more and that’s when my skin started to look truly horrible. (Aloe Vera has a slightly acidic PH which in cases of irritation may prove to be too much.)

So there I was, abandoned by everyone else’s Holy Grails, desperate to transform myself into something presentable before the weekend was over. I had previously washed off both treatments and my skin stated to feel dry and parched. After the disastrous results I got from the “gentle” stuff, I was not much inclined to apply a not-so-gentle moisturizer, so I shrugged my shoulders and slathered on some jojoba oil hoping for the best and not really expecting any improvements in my condition anytime soon. I went to bed unassumingly and woke up in the morning only to find that the tortured skin on my face decided to forget about the whole incident overnight and had mostly forgiven me for the inhumane treatment. Since then I have used several kinds of oils and butters successfully in times of skin emergencies. (Sweet almond, olive, and apricot kernel oils, cocoa butter and even plain unsalted butter when nothing else was available.)

This, then, is how I discovered the healing power of oils/butters and how I came to realize that even wonder-products might prove to be too harsh when dealing with irritated skin, and also that the gentlest, most soothing thing is probably sitting on every family’s kitchen counter.

Things to consider when you choose a product to soothe irritated skin:

• should be PH-neutral, unscented (this means no essential oils for you!), as gentle as possible
• should not form a chemical reaction with skin, should not be abrasive (well, duh!)

Let’s look at some examples. When my Dad asked for a healing ointment I did not have jojoba oil at hand, but I had several kinds of Weleda body oils to choose from. These are the things I considered:

1. Sea Buckthorn Body Oil (Read more about this oil here!):
   Definitely not the best choice since it contains sea buckthorn extract which is high in Vitamin C, an acid itself. (I once treated my sore nose with this stuff: never again, as the song goes…)
   
   
2. Wildrose Body Oil (Read my review here!):
   Contains rose essential oil which is a possible skin irritant and which, by accident, also has a high Vitamin C content. It’s not a very masculine scent either…
   
   
3. Calendula Baby Oil:
   This stuff is pure sesame oil in which calendula flower petals were soaked. It is therefore PH-neutral (not much vitamin C) and has hardly any scent except that of the sesame oil, but it possesses the healing properties of Calendula flowers, thus an obvious choice.

 

You must have heard it at least once: “Use cosmetics only on the body-parts that they were developed for.” You heard it and it made sense, after all, a body-lotion might just be too harsh to use on your face. That is because us consumers need body lotion in much larger quantities than facial moisturiser, and while cosmetic companies can afford to create facial products using pricier and better quality ingredients (they will sell those beauty products in small quantities costing relatively more than body-products) they just cannot do the same when it comes to cosmetics of which we need bigger bottles. Therefore, they will often add fillers such as mineral oils, or in the case of make-up, talc. They will also put in ingredients which your body might still tolerate but your face most likely won’t.

Thus, I was properly shocked when one morning back in high-school I saw one of my classmates apply body-lotion on her face, explaining to me that the skin on her face is so dry that normal moisturisers won’t work anymore. I refrained from suggesting that treating her face with body-lotion is not very likely to help her case either, and might even worsen things (if it hasn’t already). For years, the image of her putting that cheap lotion onto her otherwise beautiful (and acne-free!) skin haunted me, and served as a deterrent from using cosmetics inappropriately.

But what if I was wrong? Lately I have been re-evaluating my standpoint after deciding to experiment a bit and be more open-minded when it comes to the rules set up by cosmetic companies. I’m not telling you to grab the nearest and cheapest body-lotion and start using it on your face from now on, especially not before taking a good look at the ingredients list. I strongly advise you to refrain from doing such a thing. But what if you do take a look at that list and find that all the things the product contains are perfectly safe to put on your face, or even better, your skin is simply bound to benefit from them.

Here’s a very brief list of cosmetic products I dared to use on my face and have not regretted in doing so:

1. Weleda’s Wild Rose Body Oil
   I bragged enough about this stuff in a previous post so I shall not repeat myself here.
   
   Let the ingredients list be enough to convince you:
   
   Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Prunus Amygdalus (Sweet Almond) Oil, Rosa Moschata Seed Oil, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Fragrance (Parfum), Limonene, Linalool, Citronellol, Benzyl Alcohol, Geraniol, Citral Eugenol, Farnesol
   
   
2. LUSH Skin Sin Body Lotion:
   Yes well, there were times when the wind was harsh and the weather was cold and I had no proper moisturiser at hand, and I had to turn to something that had some natural oils and butters in it to protect my fragile skin. Thus, I put Skin Sin on my face and neither did my skin look like an oil-slick nor did it break out, burn, swell or experience any adverse reactions to the body lotion. I was properly amazed, of course, and it was the first time I questioned the beauty rule on top of this post.
   
   Skin Sin body lotion contains:
   
   Water (Aqua) , Almond Oil (Prunus dulcis) , Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao) , Glycerine , Stearic Acid, Tagettes Oil (Tagettes glandulifera) , Tangerine Oil (Citrus reticulata) , Chamomile Oil (Anthemis Nobilis) , Lavender Oil (Lavandula hybrida) , Triethanolamine , Cetearyl Alcohol , *Citronellol , *Limonene , *Linalool , Perfume , Methylparaben , Propylparaben
   
   * Occurs naturally in essential oils.
   
   
3. Alverde Lime&Cocoa Shower Cream
   Today, I had this idea to use this smooth, non-lathering shower cream as a facial wash in order to remove my make-up without drying out my skin too much by stripping it of its protective layer of oils. In short, it worked like a dream: all the make-up was gone and my face was super soft and hydrated after washing. I could best compare Alverde’s Shower Cream to LUSH’s cream soaps because instead of detergents they both rely on their natural oil and butter content to remove grime from your pores and lift dirt off your skin. Another success story!
   
   List of ingredients is as follows:
   
   Aqua (Water), Glycine Soya (Soybean) Oil*, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Xanthan Gum, Parfum**, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Extract, Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime) Oil, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Tocopherol, Limonene**
   
   * ingredients from certified organic agriculture
   ** from natural essential oils

Have you ever owned a cosmetic product that you did not use according to the instructions provided by the manufacturer and it still worked well? Please let me know, I’m curious!

alverde

 

I love Statcounter...

No I really do. It tells me such interesting things. Things that make me cry but which are interesting nonetheless.

For example, I bought aforementioned oil three days ago and wanted to write a review about it that instant (because it is that good!) but then I got sidetracked by other things and decided that perhaps I should give this blog a new look before posting anything.

Bad idea. A few minutes ago I checked my stats and they say that someone landed here yesterday looking for a review of Weleda's Sea Buckthorn Body Oil. I know that she (or he) will never come back but at least now I'm determined to tell you guys all about it.

So yesterday I went out to purchase a second bottle of Weleda's Wild Rose Body Oil and while at it I also bought the Sea Buckthorn Body Oil because 1.) I adore the smell of the hand cream from the same line and 2.) I wanted something that would help some scratches (courtesy of my cat) heal faster. Of course we all know that the extract of the sea buckthorn plant has considerable healing powers when it comes to scars, scratches, cuts and bruises, which is due to its extremely high vitamin A, C and E content and its essential fatty acids.

"Studies conducted in 20th century confirm numerous beneficial nutritional properties of Sea Buckthorn. The berries appear to be an unsurpassed natural source of vitamins A and several other carotenes, vitamin E and several other tocopherols. Sea Buckthorn berries are second only to Rose hips and Acerola in vitamin C content. They are also rich in several other vitamins, including B1, B2, K and P as well as in numerous flavonoids. Furthermore, the berries have remarkably high content of essential fatty acids and phytosterols."

/Source can be found here./

Other great sources of information on sea buckthorn are:
Wikipedia's article
Article II

Upon opening the small 10 ml bottle (I got the miniature bottle but it's available in a 100 ml brown glass bottle too) the uplifting aroma of the oil instantly hit my nostrils: it is a delicious orangy scent which is mostly sweet but it has a slightly bitter edge to it at the same time. Like I said, I knew and loved this smell already thanks to their hand lotion. The oil itself is orange colored and let me note that Weleda's oil is not pure sea buckthorn oil: it is sea buckthorn extract diluted in sesame oil, the same thing as any other company would offer you. In any case, it is still very effective.

Upon putting it on my hands I instantly felt some of its beneficial properties: my skin felt softer and any dry patches and cracks I had up until that moment were instantly gone. (The weather's getting really cold and windy here in Hungary.) After having used it for three days now I can safely say that it is indeed capable of healing cuts and wounds because the scratches are healing much faster than they usually do. (I have dermographic skin, which means all my cuts heal much slower than the average and usually leave a scar, so if I say this stuff is effective then I believe it is a well-founded claim.)

I've also found that I can apply this to my face the same way I do Weleda's Wildrose Body Oil in the evening (see Current Favourite on my blog's navbar) and wake up in the moring to beautiful, well-rested complexion and find that my scars (from zits) have faded considerably.

Another thing you can do with this oil is enrich your hand lotion with it. Recently I found that Weleda's Sea Buckthorn Hand Lotion is not enough for me anymore (see here) so what I do now is smear some oil on my hand, put on some hand lotion and rub them together, thus mixing the lotion and the oil and creating the perfect wintertime cream for my hands. I guess I could put the lotion into an empty pot, add some of the oil and stir it until it all mixes; that way I wouldn't have to do this two-step process every time I want to pamper my hands. Perhaps I will too.

All in all, I definitely recommend this oil to anyone who would like to have soft, supple skin and perhaps less noticable scars: it has all the ingredients to perform well in this area and the scent is a great pick-me-up in the dark, cold winter.  

I wisited another huge retailer today. It was the second time actually, but it was only now that I managed to perfect the rute by which I can get there. Also, this time I had enough time to actually look around and notice some very interesting things. For example that the brand Queen Helene is actually available in Hungary too! What a wonderful discovery! At first I was a bit disappointed that their Mint Julep Mask is so expensive (and resides in such a huge container), but to my immense relief I found the last 56.7 gramm version which I immediately put into my shopping basket accompanied by a girly little giggle. :-) (Okay, don't take me seriously here: I don't ever giggle.) I put it on after I got home, and my first impression was how similar it really is to St.Ives's Mineral Clay Firming Mask, which is no wonder if we compare the list of ingredients: very similar. It has a minty-toothpasty smell and is quite thick but easy to apply once you get the hang of it. It dries pretty fast (especially if you put only a thin layer on as I did) and leaves your face clean and fresh after you finally manage to remove it. Overall, it really is very similar to aforementioned mask and has roughly the same benefits too.

EDIT (2007-12-02):

I'd been neglecting this mask up until very recently when two horrendously red zits suddenly appeared on my normally clear face. I decided to introduce a new member to my anti-acne arsenal and applied a thick layer of QH Mint Julep Mask to those two rascals. I left it on during the entire night and the zits look much calmer now: I would say that 50 % of the redness is gone and they're not as painful as they were the night before. I assume that this is the combined effect of the mask's active ingredients: zinc-oxide, sulphur and menthol.
Zinc-oxide: anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial
Sulphur: anti-bacterial
Menthol: soothing properties

I know that many people apply toothpaste to inflamed zits and leave it on overnight and I assume it works just as well because of its high menthol content, but I also hope that the other two ingredients have something to do with the mask's success. :-)

I also picked up a full sized (150 ml) tube of Freeman's Peppermint and Plum Foot Lotion (it's that good!) and a Cucumber and Waterlily Hand and Elbow Butter (125 ml). About the butter: the smell is unmistakably that of cucumbers, and while I really don't like "green" smells, I'm willing to tolerate it for the sake of the benefits. After applying just a pea-sized amount and rubbing it in, my hands are super-soft and perfectly moisturised. I'm guessing this could also be put to use as a foot lotion, either during the night or in cold-hard winter when our feet need all the help they can get to stay soft.

My other haul is a 30 ml packet of Freeman's Peppermint and Plum Foot Scrub. It smells delicious just like its counterpart the lotion, and does an amazing job at exfoliating and sloughing off all the dead skin cells. I've only tried it on my hands while dispensing the stuff into a jar, but I already like it very much. It has got enough pumice in it to be effective, not to mention that I find the size of the scrubbing particles perfect too: not too small but not too big either. Probably like grains of refined salt... I would not, however, recommend this one to be used on the entire body as it is too rough for that purpose and could easily irritate your skin.


Finally, I got myself a 10 ml sample of Weleda's Wild Rose Massage Oil because as you may have noticed I'm very much into rose scents right now, and also because the ingredients seemed pretty good. In fact, if you look at the ingredients only, I think it's safe to say that you could use this on your face too, which I intended to do. Now, on the other hand, when I actually applied the oil, it had an awful rancid smell to it which left me completely baffled: the expiry date seems to be more than okay (2009/02), and the bottle had definitely not been tampered with either. Also, the main ingredient is jojoba oil which is hardly capable of going bad. Is it just me then? I don't think so: it smells sour, bitter, the worst you can imagine, whereas all the reviewers on MUA were so enamoured with the smell that I tend to think the problem is not with me after all. However, my skin seems to tolerate it pretty well (no rashes, no itching, no allergic reactions whatsoever), so I think I'm going to give this oil another chance. After all, both jojoba and almond oil are excellent for oily and acne-prone skin, and all that rose extract can only add to the miracle.

UPDATE (2007-09-15):

I've been using the oil for little less than a week now and I'm happy to say that I'm not experiencing any adverse effects; in fact, my skin has been behaving much better ever since I started to use this stuff. I had two very annoying zits at the time I first put it on (I haven't had any for ages): one was already in full let's-make-Izar's-life-miserable mode, while the other one was just starting to appear and by the looks of it it was gonna be a pretty nasty one. However, after only two days of using Weleda's Rose Oil (and only at nighttime) the former started healing while the latter suddenly disappeared into nothingness. I'm now using this oil day and night and I find it very beneficial for my skin: every morning I wake up with beautiful rosy cheeks and a well-rested complexion. I still find it very difficult to stomach its scent but the good thing is that it disappears very quickly so people around me don't even get a single whiff of it.

UPDATE (2007-11-05):

Yeah, well, umm... I still find the smell very overpowering when I put it on my face but I tried this oil on my body the other day and I was pleasantly surprised to find it smelling lovely on my skin. Actually, I think the smell is a dead ringer for LUSH's Fever massage bar.

So if you want to use this on your body then you should definitely give it a try.

Now, I hope to return to this store in the near future, and would really like to buy the following items:

1. Queen Helene Cocoa Butter Lotion
2. Queen Helene Almond Massage Cream
3. Freeman Grapefruit and Honeysuckle Hand Lotion
4. Nesti Dante Chocolate and Mint (or Chocolate and Coffee) Soap
5. 100% Natural French Soaps in the following scents: Musk (it turned out to be my favourite though I did not expect it to), Vanilla, Melon, Green Apple, Rose

 

Not many 10 ml samples are available in the stores and what I was really curious about (Almond Moisturising Face Cream) was ridiculously expensive. Finally I ended up with these:

• Weleda Calendula Baby Cream
• Weleda Calendula Baby Oil

I use the first one on my hands as it's quite thick and moisturising, and the second one is excellent for healing small cuts and scrapes because of the Calendula Flower extract it contains. All three products I've purchased so far are great for everyday use as they easily fit into my small cosmetic pouch and are practically lightweight. I guess I can say I'm pretty happy with my findings and will probably buy them again because they are so effective and practical.

By theway, StatCounter tells me that someone was curious about where to find Weleda products in Budapest. It may be a little too late now but here's a list of shops and addresses. Might just help someone, and these are ideal places to find many well-known natural brands too.

• Bio ABC (Budapest, 1053, Múzeum kőrút 19.)
• White Lotus Natural Cosmetics (Budapest, 1024, Keleti Károly utca 33.)
• Bio Csemege (Budapest, 1085, József kőrút 25.)

These are the best, but you can find an extensive list of retailers on Weleda's Hungarian website here. An in case anyone reading this blog is planning to visit Hungary, go ahead an ask me for detailed directions. :-)  

I also bought a 10 ml tube of Weleda Sea Buckthorn Hand Cream and I must say I'm very impressed. It is slightly yellow due to the sea buckthorn extract in it, it has a very nice, soft texture and sinks in well (especially after scrubbing my hands). Also, the smell is something amazing. It is a zingy mix of orange, tangerine and grapefruit which has the benefit of not being overwhelming, especially in such warm weather.

UPDATE (2007-11-05):
I still love this stuff, and while it was perfectly enough in the summer it seems my skin needs something more in the winter months. The fact that it contains alcohol may have something to do with that... I still love the smell though and I'm planning on buying the body oil from the same line.

I'm eager to try other Weleda products now. I'm hoping to get an Almond Moisturiser tomorrow and perhaps something from their Wildrose and Iris lines too.

Weleda