SkinFix

I have recently modified my skincare routine. My skin is very dry and reactive, and it’s a challenge to find products that are both moisturizing enough and non irritating. Plus, of course, they need to be vegan and, if possible, in sustainable packaging. The ingredient list of so many of these products, however, often contains a laundry list of items that irritate my skin on contact, such as limonene, linalool, retinol, glycolic acid, alpha-hydroxy acids, ascorbic acid, essential oils, and so forth. And don’t get me started on fragrances.

After doing a fair amount of searching on dermatology sites, I found that many recommended products by SkinFix. To my pleasant surprise, I found that the company is PETA certified, which means all its products are vegan, uses recycled plastic and paper, has a refillable option (more about this later), and its products do not contain a very long list of irritating ingredients. The company works with an impressive list of dematologists. The icing on the cake: The company is Canadian and based in Fall River, Nova Scotia.

I’ve been using the Barrier+ Triple Lipid-Peptide Cream for a week now and am very pleased with the results. I need a rich, thick moisturizer, and this fits the bill; plus, there is no stinging, burning, or redness when I apply it. It has a very unique pump action that doesn’t actually use a pump, which means that (a) you are not exposing the product to the air, and (b) you’re avoiding the plastic spout and nozzle that most pumps have. You can buy a refill pod that fits under the pump mechanism, so this saves some plastic. They do use recycled plastic, so that’s a bonus.

They have products for different skin conditions, such as eczema and rosacea; I use the barrier restore line and it’s best suited to my needs. They send me a sample of the cleanser and it was very soothing; most cleansers, even those targeted for dry skin, leave my skin very tight. So far, I’m impressed.

Lush Naked skincare

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Lush is expanding its inventory of Naked products; 35% of its products are now completely package free. I have been using a number of their package-free body products, such as the King of Skin, for several years, but in the past week, I’ve tried their new Naked facial care products.

My facial skin is dry, delicate, and easily irritated. Most skin cleansers, no matter how gentle, dry out my face. I’ve found that using olive oil to cleanse my face, and wiping my face with an Erase Your Face cloth, has cut down significantly on skin irritation. Oil cleansing has become very popular. The most common method used is a combination of two parts castor oil to one part olive oil. You need to remove this oil with a very hot wash cloth, as castor oil is very viscuous. This method dried my skin out, as I found the hot wash cloth too harsh. I’ve had better luck with using plain olive oil and warm water. I was interested in trying the new Lush Naked Like a Virgin cold cream, which is an oil-based solid cleanser. The key ingredients are olive oil, jojoba oil. I apply the bar to my damp face, massage into the skin, and wipe off with an Erase Your Face cloth soaked in warm water. I then rinse my face with some more warm water and pat to dry. The bar does a good job of removing makeup, and my skin doesn’t feel dry or irritated. The only thing I don’t like about this product is the addition of fragrance which, sadly, is something that Lush insists on using for most of its products. The fragrance consists largely of Limonene. Fortunately, it’s a very mild scent and doesn’t stay on the skin once the oil is rinsed off.

I have been using facial oil for a long time; I make my own oil that consists of jojoba oil as the base, to which I add argan oil and rosehip seed oil. I use this facial oil at night in lieu of a serum. I find serums to be far too harsh on my skin, especially since many of them contain what they call anti-aging ingredients, which often serve to exfoliate the skin. My face can’t tolerate exfoliants. I find these serums to be both too irritating and drying. I layer a rich facial balm over the facial oil at night, as the oil isn’t enough. Travelling with facial oils can be messy, as I’ve had a few spills from the high altitude in a plane, so I was interested in trying one of the Naked facial oils. I was given a sample of Banana Oil, whose main ingredients are murumuru butter, banana, grapeseed oil, and mango butter. I’ve used the sample only on my neck so far: No irritation so far. I will try some on my face tonight, now that I know the cold cream doesn’t cause irritation. I am a little concerned about the fragrance, as this product is not washed off, so I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

While it’s easy to make my own products, I do need to buy a lot of separate items; for example three oils for my facial oil, versus one Lush naked bar. The bars would be very good for travelling, as well, as they would not count as liquids.

 

 

 

Cosmic Tree Essentials

Finding good quality vegan make-up and skin care that is made locally, and which won’t irritate my very sensitive skin, can be a tall order, but I am fortunate to have discovered Cosmic Tree Essentials, a company based in the beautiful Town of Wolfville, in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia. Cosmic Tree is recognized by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics as a Safe Cosmetics Champion Company. All products are cruelty free and vegan.  The picture above shows owner and creator Beth Thompson and her display in the Wolfville Farmers’ Market.  Some of Beth’s products can be found at Pete’s Frootique in Halifax, but I can’t get anywhere near the range of products here, so I also buy her products from her online store, and whenever I have the good fortune to travel to Wolfville. On a daily basis, I use her loose mineral face powder, eye shadows, blush, and lipstick.  I use also her Neroli Facial Cleanser and Meadowfoam Moisturizer.