Ayur Medic Retinol Cream and Enrichment Cream

I love this pair. The line was created by Dr. Raj Kanodia- a plastic surgeon in Los Angeles. The day cream is pretty basic but it didnt make me break out at all. The retinol cream is also pretty great and left my skin feeling soft in the morning. I think night time creams are pretty important because your skin heals itself while you sleep. This one says that it's for resurfacing and blemish control and I feel like it did exactly that.

Intelligent Nutrients Anti-Aging Serum

This is a face oil thats meant for every skin type. It feels great and absorbs really well in the winter. I was using it as a serum at night until I got a pimple. I'm not 100% if it was this product that was to blame but I'm pretty sure it was. Now I only use it sparingly on top of another lotion or just on my neck.

The best part of this product is that it's totally organic and food grade! All the ingredients are plant oils. I've been hearing lately that you should only put on your face what you would put into your mouth. I love this idea of "feeding" your skin!

Avene Thermal Spring Water

This spray is pretty useful year-round. In the summer when it's super hot, I like to spray it on at the end of the day and then wipe the dirt off my face. It's like a mini face wash. Or it can just feel refreshing whenever...

This winter, my skin got really dry when the weather started transitioning from fall to winter. I was also using retin-a for a few days during that time so my skin was kinda flaking during the day. So I keep a bottle at work and it was a skin saver. The mist is also so fine that your face isn't dripping wet after a spray. My only complaint is that the nozzle broke on one of my bottles so i ended up making a hole in it and watering my plants with it.

Toleraine Ultra Intense Soothing Care

This is a great basic moisturizer for the winter in LA. I dont break out and my skin never feels dry. It's also great because it has no parabens, fragrance or alcohol. I love the way that it's packaged too. It's never exposed to air because the lotion is in a plastic bag within the bottle.

That's my major qualm with $150 eye creams that come in a jar: every time you open the jar, the cream is exposed to air!

SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF and SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic

I like to switch from one serum to the other. They both protect you from sun damage and I've read that the Phloretin also helps correct existing sun damage. According to EWG, the CE Ferulic rates a 3! That's pretty low on the toxicity scale. As my skin ages, I notice that using these products as the first layer helps keep the moisture in. These two serums are another product that I cant go without and so far I havent found anything better. I hear that La Mer has an amazing serum but it's like 150 dollars per ounce. Eeek!

Andalou Citrus Kombucha Cleansing Gel

This product is 73% organic, free of sulfates, petrochemicals, parabens ...etc. It's pretty all-natural and is aloe based. It's also pH balanced and hypoallergenic. It also contains kombucha enzymes and lots of antioxidants. It all seems lovely; however for a product that is on my skin for about 30 seconds twice a day, is my skin benefitting from all that good stuff? I'm not sure. It is a basic, gentle gel cleanser that i'm confident has nothing bad in it. My skin feels clean and soft when I use this and the smell is nice. Compared to the Mychelle cleansers, this line is way cheaper for a comparable or even better product. It was about 13 dollars for 6 ounces.

La Roche Posay - Anthelios SPF 50 Mineral Ultra Light Fluid

So I've been looking for a fluid, non-whitening mineral sunscreen that is cheaper than $40/ounce like the Clarins sunblock. I thought I had found it in this product. It promised to be non- whitening. However on my medium-colored complexion it cast a slight whitish tint. Perhaps on a lighter skin person it might not be a problem? Bummer...

Kate Somerville Exfolikate

This is definitely one of my basics that I keep buying over and over again. It's a great mask that leaves my face exfoliated and soft. It's an easy mask that you leave on your face for 30 seconds. I only use it at night though because it leaves my skin a little rosy and probably more vulnerable to the sun.

Make Up Forever Waterproof eyeliner

Having oily skin, I am constantly in search of things that will not run. Eye makeup was strictly off limits until one day my friend Sooyun gave me Kiss Me's revolutionary "tubing" mascara. It's not really mascara in the traditional sense but like a plastic coating on your lashes. It's amazing since it doesn't run! I thought about using the Kiss Me eyeliner, which I have high hopes for but since the local Sephora store didn't carry it, I had to look for other options in the meantime. At the advice of a Sephora salesperson, I decided to give Make-Up Forever's waterproof eyeliner in black. She guarenteed me that it will last forever and that it was waterproof. Water is not something I am afraid of. I don't know how many people go swimming or cry all the time so I have no idea why waterproof really even matters. what I cared about was OIL!

So, anyways, because she was so convinced, I gave it a go.

Well, she was wrong.
This morning, I slide the liner over my eyes and it went on pretty smoothly. But this wasn't the read test. I don't take a look at myself every hour so I have no idea exactly when it started to deteriorate but by 5pm this afternoon, I had raccoon eyes. No good at all.

I plan on returning this tomorrow and ordering the Kiss Me eyeliner online.

I do like Bobbi Brown's cream eyeliner. Even that did better than the Make-up Forever but it's not perfect. I'll review that next.

Two Cleansing Gels I just used: Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel + Astara Blue Flame purifying cleansing gel

Astara blue flame purifying cleansing gel

These are the latest in cleansing gels I've been trying out. I have to say, I keep changing cleansing gels because I'm waiting for something to really wow me but I can't say I've met my perfect cleanser quite yet.

Dermalogica's special cleansing gel was pretty decent. It didn't make me break out. It didn't dry me out. And overall, it seemed to work fine in cleaning my pores and even taking my make-up off without me having to use a separate make-up remover, which I hate to do anyways. But I'm not super thrilled enough to buy the bottle again, mostly for two reasons. One, I didn't really like the way it smelled. It's very clinical smelling and although not too high on the EWG's scale of health concerns, it wasn't stellar either. Two, it has a really almost slimy consistency and it never felt like I was really cleaning my face. Of course, when I used a toner, it's not like I saw anything left behind so it was obviously doing it's job, but it just didn't feel good to use it.
So, having said my two reasons, it may seem like my decision to NOT buy this again is really based not on scientific proof of efficiency but rather how I perceive the product to feel on my skin. But then again, it is a skincare product so shouldn't I care how it feels? I think so.

Now, moving on to Astara's cleansing gel. I really love Astara products. I think their Blue Flame Mask is one of the best things around for combating my oily skin and I have sung the praises of it's work to many. I even have my husband hooked on this stuff. He walks around with his face entirely blue as if it's totally normal. anyways... I thought I'd give their Blue Flame cleansing gel a try since they share the same company and name sort of. I have to say, I was expecting miracles to happen. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite like that. The best thing about this cleanser is the way it smells. I love it! It's earthy, herby, grassy and just smells like you walked into an herbalist's mecca or something. Just really great. I loved smelling the soap as I rubbed it in my hands and washing my face always felt like this earthy experience, like I was doing something green and good for my face. Unfortunately, it didn't really clean my face as well as I would've liked. When I used a toner afterwards, it'd always come up with a little mellow yellow that had clung onto my skin. Still, to be honest, I'm really torn about this cleanser, mostly for the scent, and I wish I could buy it again. Unfortunately, EWG doesn't have this product listed so I can't really tell how good for me it is, but I probably won't be buying this again unless I'm seriously craving some herbally love.

I'm happy to report though , that I have two new cleansers gracing my sink and shower so I will be reporting on them shortly!

Kiehl's Ultra Moisturizing Eye Stick SPF 30

This is the best daytime eye "cream" I have found that I have used consistently for several years now. Granted, I don't really care about or need super creamy stuff and the only three criteria I had for a daytime eye cream was to have SPF, be easy to put on, and not melt down into my eyes where it can mingle with my hard contacts, which a lot of them do.
This was a perfect solution.
It's a stick! So i just smear it on and it's awesome. I love that it has such a high SPF and I think it works incredibly well. I also love the portability, the ease of use and the fact that it has never travelled down to my eyes throughout the day. This may very well be the eye stick of choice until I see any reason to move onto something more heavy duty.
Pretty good price too!

Haejung's Daily Regimen

I haven't had a pimple in months and my skin looks relatively good. So I wanted to remember what products I'm using right now.

Morning: SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic (serum) or SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF (serum), Ayur-Medic Enrichment Cream and Clarins UV Plus HP (sunscreen).

Evening: La Roche-Posay Mela-D Serum and Ayur-Medic Retinol Cream.

Cleansers on rotation: Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant or Mychelle Apple Brightening Cleanser.

Eye cream (when I can remember to):SK II Signs Eye Cream.

Jane Iredale Lip Drink SPF 15

Who else makes a nice lip balm with a mineral sunscreen? Most lip balms use chemical sunscreens so for that alone, I think this one stands out. I love the smell and feel. Now let's see if it keeps my lips moisturized as long as Caudalie's lip balm.

Jonathan Product Shampoo Weightless Smooth and Conditioner

What's the point of labeling your product "VEGAN?" This duo rates a "7" on EWG's toxicity scale even though it "vegan." It's kind of annoying- I feel like it's a green marketing ploy. Well, I guess the two things don't have much to do with each other. Don't be fooled into thinking otherwise. It just means that it doesnt contain animal products. That's good to know if I ever decide to eat my hair products.

As for the actual products- yes, I liked them but I wont buy them again- I feel like I was suckered by the "vegan" label.

Mychelle Apple Brightening Cleanser

This sulfate-free gentle cleanser leaves my skin feeling nice and clean without overstripping. I've never thought that cleansers were that important in the overall skincare regimen and I still dont. I'm not too picky about my cleansers- usually I'm fine with any gel-based formula. I just like that this one has almost no toxic ingredients according to EWG's cosmetic database and that it's pretty inexpensive. As for the claims of brightening your skin? I doubt it...

Earth Science Herbal Tonic Mist

This is a mild, gentle toner that restores your facial skin's ph to 5.5. As a spray mist I actually couldn't stand the smell so I poured it into another bottle and used it with cotton pads. I've been told that your face will naturally balance itself out after a washing so I tend to use this toner only after an exfoliation. It's a nice basic, inexpensive product. I was looking into Phytomer's Rose Visage Toning Lotion which is also a nice, natural toner, but do I really need to spend $30 on a toner?!

Neutrogena Pure & Free Baby Sunblock SPF 60+

I like that it's a non-chemical sunscreen- the main active ingredients are titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. It's generally an OK sunblock however it rates a high "7" on the EWG Cosmetic Database. For a baby product, it sure contains a lot of toxic ingredients!

Yu-Be Cream (Yuskin A)

Another awesome glycerin-based cream. It's great for dry skin or chapped lips. It's a little thick for an all-over body lotion but perfect for smaller target areas like elbows or feet. In the jar, it smells a little menthol-y but the smell goes away pretty quickly. Some may find it a bit greasy for hand lotion but I'd say it has a silky texture.

Ahava Dermud Intensive Foot Cream

It's the best foot cream for dry feet. It even closes up cracked skin! It's nice to put it on at night before bed.

La Roche-Posay Lipikar Baume

This is an extremely rich cream for very dry skin. I love it in the winter or summer. It's slightly greasy but I dont mind too much because I feel like it really penetrates my skin's top layer and softens the dry spots. The first three ingredients are water, shea butter and glycerin- three very good things for your skin. It also rates a "3" on EWG's cosmetic database-which is a pretty low toxicity number.

Dermalogica Lip Treatment

Only used it because it was free...would not pay for it. A very mediocre lip balm...

Here are the ingredients: Anti-Ozonate complex, Shea Butter and Vitamin E. I guess anti-ozonate complex is a propriety blend.

Caudalie Lip Conditioner

The BEST lip balm for ME (matte yet slighty waxy), though I'm always on the lookout for a better one. My friend S says that Dr. Haushka has an awesome one. I'll have to try that one soon.

UPDATE: The first ingredient is Sunflower Seed Oil. I like that most of the ingredients are natural.

Decleor Vitaroma Wrinkle Prevention and Radiance Face Emulsion

Nice and thick and has a great aromatherapy-ish smell, but gave me pimples. Bummer. Now I just use it as a hand lotion.

Burt's Bees Natural Toothpaste

It may be 100% natural but it's so haaarddd to squeeze out of the tube! And it's super thick...can't say I really like it. Probably wont buy it again. : (

Jason Natural Finishing Spray

I had high hopes for all things natural when I first began switching out my normal products for organic, natural ones. Jason's all natural, organic finishing spray made with aloe vera and bergamot was no exception. Just the idea of getting hair control while only spraying natural things like aloe into my hair seemed too good to be true... and it was.

I could blame myself, I suppose - my high expections. I had visions of Aqua Net strength spray able to hold hair in gravity defying lengths... but really, this was aloe. and bergamot. what did I expect?

At best, this is a nice spray that sort of coats your hair in a type of gloss so that they slightly stick together. At worst, it's the worst hair spray you've ever bought.

So I would say, if you don't need height (and who really does these days), and you don't need ultra control and say you just want to keep a style locked in (as in finish the hairstyle), then this "might" work for you. It's a hard call. I think it all depends on your past relationship to hair products and what kind of baggage you bring with you! :)

Juice Beauty Moisturizer

life could better...

After going through a serious desire to go all natural, I finally relented my moisturizers with hard to pronounce ingredients and decided to give two Oil Free Moisturizers a go. The Juice Beauty Moisturizer is the first one I tried. As you can see in the photo, I was about half done when I took the photo and now, after having turned the bottle upside down to get the very last drops ( i hate to waste), I can safely, definitively say, I DO NOT LIKE THIS MOISTURIZER. I am very glad I'm blogging about this because I know that had I not, maybe two years later, after general amnesia sets in, I will wonder if I should try Juice again for it's all naturalness but this time, I will not be fooled.

This moisturizer is basic at best. It is a moisturizer and yes it's oil free and that's it. Considering that even my oily skin needs a little more than just moisturizing, I found this to be extremely insufficient. Because of the dry weather here in SoCal, although I tend to be oily, I also need a bit of something else that other moisturizers usually provide. Maybe this is my fault. Maybe I'm asking for too much. Maybe I've already been spoiled by all the other multi-tasking chemicals that I'm used to. It's possible. I would only recommend this to someone who just wanted to moisturize. say, you got out of the shower and you could care less about your skin but you just want to stop that tight skin feeling so you reach for a basic moisturizer - well, this is it. But if you want anything else. I would not recommend this. In fact, I will probably never buy this again.

I hope the second one I'm trying doesn't disappoint. We shall see...

Clarins UV Plus HP

I love this sunscreen. Silky, fluid and light when you put it on...then dries to a matte but not overly dry texture afterwards. High SPF and oil-free. The only downside is that it's 42 dollars for ONE OUNCE! Is it worth it?

Labello lip balm

Creamy, moisturizing and healing. My second favorite to Caudalie's lip balm.

Dr Haushka Regenerating Day Cream

It felt really good and moisturizing as I put it on, but then after 5 minutes, my face got red and slightly flushed. I think all the essential oils might have irritated my skin. Though it calmed down after awhile, I dont think this lotion is for me.

Skin Medica Rejuvenize Peel

I got a chemical peel on Tuesday. It's the last of a three-pack that I bought. Good riddance- I cant tell if chemical peels are actually good for you or not. I'm on day 4 of the peel and I am in the thick of it. After a day of your skin soaking in the chemicals, your face starts to peel for about 4 days revealing a new layer of skin. However the new skin that is coming out is slightly red and dry. I cant tell if it's the weather or the peel but my face does not feel good. All this for one month of make-up free skin. And on top of it, your skin is ultra- sensitive to the sun so I end up feeling like a paranoid sun scared girl. If it didnt look so silly, I'd carry a parasol around. Well hopefully the redness will go away soon. I dont remember my skin getting so red on my last two peels though. I am slightly nervous... : (

UPDATE: It's been a full week and my skin looks good. It feels super soft and the sun spots look a little lighter. The general tone is more even and more absorbent. Now I just have to slather on the SPF 50.