 |
| (Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters) |
 |
| (St. Paddy's Manicure with Sinful Colors Irish Green) |
 |
| (Sinful Colors Irish Green & Icing Happy Go Lucky) |
 |
| (Close up of Sinful Colors Irish Green & Icing Happy Go Lucky) |
 |
| (St. Paddy's Manicure featuring Icing Happy Go Lucky glitter polish) |
 |
| (Four-leaf clover with L.A. Color Art Deco in Green) |
Today’s Word of the Shay is SKINCARE. How we take care of our skin is something very personal, one person’s holy grail product is another person’s trash. Skincare routines vary greatly from person to person, because everyone’s skin is different and reacts as such. Then how does one find their best routine, their most beloved products for their skin? Trial and error!
The trial this time around is the Sea Pure line from H2O+ sea-derived skincare. These products were sent by Beauty Stat for me try out, but I assure all opinions are my own and based on my firsthand experience with the products.
According to the makers, this line is designed to uncover healthy cells and naturally stimulate your skin's cellular renewal cycle to fade age-related imperfections. It's described as sea pure natural anti-aging.
I tested five different products for two consecutive weeks, including the creamy facial cleanser, gentle refining polish, renewing prep tonic, deep moisture cream, and perfecting eye cream. I’ll talk about each product separately and finally do a round up of my overall opinion of the line at the end. Also, keep reading for a coupon code towards the end!
To start things off, I feel it’s important to describe my skin. My skin type is normal to dry, most areas of my face are “normal” but I do get dry flakey patches here and there. Currently those dry areas are my upper lip, my forehead (between my brows) and around my nose. The cold weather of the fall and winter months make my dryness more of a problem during this time of year. In addition, I have a tendency to break out, the last year or two my skin has suffered from many blemishes and right now my skin is trying to recover from a breakout of tiny bumps over my forehead. If you have a similar skin type or issues, hopefully this review will be helpful for you.
This is quite a long review, as there is a lot to cover, so that being said, on with the show…
The first step in this routine is to cleanse using the Sea Pure 98% Natural Creamy Facial Cleanser, the directions tell us to massage onto damp face and work into a lather, then rinse. It claims to remove makeup, surface debris and environmental impurities with amino acids, apple proteins and sea moss. Below are photos of the product on the back of my hand, and in use, lathered upon my face.
The creamy facial cleanser lathers quite well into a light foam that feels nice on the skin. It’s not super bubbly, but as you can see in the photo, it has a type of frothy lather that seems to work well. Personally I like this, since I prefer a cleanser that lathers over those that do not. The creamy facial cleanser left my face feeling fresh and clean, with no residue afterwards.
One of the first things I noticed about this product was the scent, not because it was overly strong, but because I really liked it. It has what smells to me like a sweet soft lemony smell. Not a strong lemon that’s reminiscent of floor cleaner or disinfectant, but rather like the lemon filling you’d find in a lemon cake or pastry.
Next I used the Sea Pure 98% Natural Gentle Refining Polish, this one I was surprised by, I haven’t tried a product quite like it before. H2O+ tells us this product is made to massage away dull surface cells and reveal visibly brighter, smoother, glowing skin with bamboo extract and sea moss. It’s the “scrub” type product in this line, used for exfoliating the skin’s surface. This is a breeze to use, the directions tell us to massage over damp skin in a circular motion and rinse. The polish has a similar citrus smell (like the cleanser), but a little stronger, still very pleasant.
Below are two photos of the product, the first shows the polish straight from the tube, and the other spread out a little (to better show the texture), and lastly I’ve included a photo of the product in use.
I’ve tried a few scrubs in my day, but this one was different. I’ve used harsher, once a week type things to exfoliate, (like St. Ives Apricot scrubs), which have large rough particles, and I’ve use gentle everyday scrubs that have much smaller rounded bits. This product isn’t quite either, in my opinion it combines the best of both worlds.
The polish has a nice creamy consistency and the particles used to exfoliate are extremely fine granules, but unlike other daily scrubs, they’re not rounded. For me, this is perfect, the refining polish is scrubby and abrasive enough to remove the dead skin and get rid of any dry flakey patches, but since the particles are so very small, it remains gentle enough for daily use without irritating my skin.
The toner in this line up is the Sea Pure 96% Natural Renewing Prep Tonic. One of the great things about this toner is that it’s alcohol free, this is great for those of us with dry skin. Alcohol can strip the skin and leave it feeling dry and tight. The tonic is supposed to revitalize skin and enhance the effectiveness of moisturizers with cell-renewing amino acids, alpha hydroxy acid and sea moss.
I absolutely love how this product smells, I’ve smelt something similar before, a facial cleanser cloth I believe. I can’t really put my finger on the scent, it’s hard to describe, it’s a little bit sweet, but not overpowering.
Below is a photo of the tonic poured into it’s bottle cap, just your standard clear liquid, and also the bottle’s pump dispenser. I personally prefer having a pump for my toner than any other type of packaging. Directions state to sweep over cleansed skin using a cotton pad.
I used this tonic after cleansing and polishing my skin with the other H2O products, but I also gave it a try on my skin after using only a facial wipe to cleanse and remove makeup (to really test it out), and I was impressed by how much it managed to pick up that the cloth had left behind. The renewing prep tonic left my skin feeling refreshed and not tight or dry at all.
After prepping with the tonic, I applied the Sea Pure 98% Natural Deep Moisture Cream. This cream claims to help visibly repair damaged skin and stimulate healthy cell growth with cell-renewing amino acids, jojoba seed extract and Atlantic sea flora. It aims to smooth and maintain soft, supple skin.
This again has the same citrus/lemon scent as the facial cleanser. Below are two photos of the Deep Moisture Cream, (in the jar and on the back of my hand). As you can see the cream is quite thick and will stand in peaks. Although it states it’s gentle enough for all skin types, oily-skinned readers be advised that since it’s on the rich side, it might be too much for you.
This is a pretty thick moisturizer, rich and nourishing, but not super heavy. It’s not as heavy feeling on the skin as for example Cetaphil normal-dry moisturizer, which I’ve used before. This leaves my skin feeling a little tacky, it’s definitely one of those moisturizers that you know is there, it doesn’t disappear completely into the skin, even hours later my skin still feels freshly moisturized.
The cream works well for my dry skin especially now that it’s cold out, but still be careful not to use too much, you need very little to cover your entire face.
The last product I’ve been testing out is the Sea Pure 98% Natural Perfecting Eye Cream. This product is made to visibly repair and refresh the delicate skin around the eyes (again with cell-renewing amino acids, jojoba seed extract and Atlantic sea flora). They tell us the targeted formula fades the look of wrinkles and helps tired eyes appear bright and refreshed.
As far as scent here, it’s a similar citrus scent but it’s very light in this case and takes a backseat to a typical cream product smell. See below for a photo of the product.
This eye cream is much lighter feeling than the deep moisture cream, it absorbs fast and leaves the eye area very moisturized and nourished. I quite like the texture and it leaves the delicate tissue of my eye area feeling nice with absolutely no irritation.
You only need a TINY amount of the cream dotted along the under eye area. The above photo shows far more eye cream than you would actually need to use, you could probably do both eyes three times with this amount.
Now for a little information, you can purchase these H2O+ products and more at www.h2oplus.com, here’s the round up of how much product your getting and the pricing.
*H2O+ Sea Pure Creamy Facial Cleanser 118mL/4 U.S. fl oz $20.00 U.S. *H2O+ Sea Pure Gentle Refining Polish 75mL/2 U.S. fl oz $30.00 U.S. *H2O+ Sea Pure Renewing Prep Tonic 210mL/7 U.S. fl oz $18.00 U.S. *H2O+ Sea Pure Deep Moisture Cream 50mL/1.7 U.S. fl oz $40.00 U.S. *H2O+ Sea Pure Perfecting Eye Cream 15mL/0.5 U.S. fl oz $32.00 U.S.
For the amount of product you receive, how little of it you have to use daily, and the quality of the goods, I think these are a pretty decent value. They’re definitely not a steal ($40 for a moisturizer isn’t cheap), but they’re not overpriced either. I’d consider these reasonably priced. (Here’s a bonus: H2O+ has also been kind enough to supply us Beauty Stat bloggers with a coupon code to pass onto our readers, so if you’re interested in trying these products, keep reading till the end).
This line of products first intrigued me because of how natural it is (96-98%) and I think the more harsh chemicals and nasty things we can avoid putting on our skin, the better.
After only two weeks of use I can’t comment on any of the anti-aging aspects of this line, but there is a lot about it that I do like. When using all the products together daily my skin felt clean, refreshed, and hydrated. Visibly my complexion looked fresher, brighter and just plain better overall. During this time I was recovering from a breakout and even though this line isn’t designed to clear up blemishes, it didn’t agitate my skin or make it worse, it allowed my troubled skin to heal and clear up on it’s own.
PROS:
-Left my normal-dry skin clean, fresh, bright and hydrated
-100% vegan, biodegradable and cruelty free. Made from FSC Mixed Sources (well managed forests and other controlled sources)
-Free of parabens, synthetic fragrances, petrochemicals, phthalates, and sulfates. 96-98% Natural ingredients
-Scented nicely without being too strong or overwhelming
-Good amount of product
-Nice quality packaging
CONS:
-Availability, you may purchase these products online at www.h2oplus.com, but finding them in person might be a little difficult. (Here’s a tip, if you’re in Canada, check your Sears they just might be one of the 71 across the country to carry it)
-Not sure how well the products, specifically the moisturizer would work with oily skin (if you have oily skin and tried these out, let me know!)
-The pump on my particular bottle of toner sticks and squirts a little too forcefully, which can make a mess and waste product, if not careful
VERDICT: BUY!
I definitely consider this a successful experience with the H2O+ Sea Pure line of products. And I would recommend them to anyone who has similar skin to mine or who is interested in trying a line that’s focused upon being natural.
The real test of a product, in my opinion, is whether or not you would repurchase after finishing your initial item, in the case of the H2O+ Sea Pure line, I would. If I were only able to buy one product from the range, I would purchase the H2O+ Sea Pure Gentle Refining Polish, it really worked wonders for my skin.
If you’d like to try one or all of these products, here’s something to sweeten the deal for you: Get $10 off your H2O Plus purchase of $30 or more when you enter promo code 100275 at checkout. But act fast, this coupon code will expire on 11/20!
I’ll be continuing to use this line and will update further down the road when I feel enough time has passed to be able to comment on the long-term effectively of these products. I hope this review has helped out anyone looking to try something new with their skincare. Thanks for reading!
Today's Word of the Shay is AWAKENING. Dictionary.com tells us that Awakening means “the act of awaking from sleep”, “a revival of interest or attention” or “a recognition, realization, or coming into awareness of something”. To that I say Wake up! Gimme your attention and become aware of these fabulous nail colours!
The China Glaze Awakening Collection contains three great shades for guys and ghouls alike (corny I know), just in time for Halloween. With sparkling finishes and fun Halloween themed names I definitely had to get my hands on these, and then these on my hands!
You can find these at many online shops (e-tailors) and in various beauty and nail stores, prices will vary. I purchased mine at my local Sally Beauty Supply for $6.49CAN per bottle.
Read on for the description of each color, my thoughts on the polishes and of course the swatches!
Ick-A-Bod-Y is a coppery orange glitterama! It’s a brown-green base that’s packed full of orange sparkle. I decided to just do two coats here to allow you to see –a little- of the base through the glitter, most predominantly on the ring and pinky fingers. I think it’s definitely wearable at two coats for those who hate to go to three. At three coats the base isn’t really noticeable and you have yourself full power glitter nails. No matter the number of coats you go with, this is a beautiful polish and perfect for Halloween and Autumn in general. The consistency here is on the thick side for sure, and gets a little goopey if you try to fuss with it too much. My advice, don’t fight with it to try to get thin coats, when you just go with it and let it do it’s thing it’s much easier to apply and works quite well.
Being so chalked full of glitter, the texture once dry is rather gritty and rough, and like a lot of super glittery lacquers this one will chip pretty easily if knocked around a little. Both of these problems are combated by sealing in the goodness with a thick topcoat (my favorite is Seche Vite), it will smooth out the top, protect against chipping, and add a nice shiny finish. For the photos, I used only two coats of Ick-A-Bod-Y and nothing else, no base or topcoat, I personally prefer it with the glossy finish the topcoat will give, but to each there own.
Mummy May I is a blackened purple base with pinky-purple glitter. Its personally what I consider the least “Halloween-ish” of the collection (purple is an everyday fav here), but it’s still very fitting with the theme because of it’s dark appeal. It has quite a bit of glitter, but nowhere near the amount of Ick-A-Bod-Y. This polish was just slightly on the thick side as well (not as much as Ick-A-Bod-Y), but you shouldn’t have a problem with the formula, it remains relatively easy to apply and should be opaque in two coats, no real need for a third. The glitter here does give a bumpy finish, so I suggest using a topcoat again. Photos are two coats of Mummy May I, no base or topcoat.
Zombie Zest is a dirty yellow-green with green and golden chartreuse microglitter. It’s like dirty olive and bright chartreuse are having a naughty romance on your nails, and the result is spectacular. This polish has a lovely depth, and so much shimmer and sparkle, it’s my favorite of this collection. Unlike the others, I did three coats here. Two coats is still pretty, but a little sheer, so I’d peg this one a 3-coater in my books. The glitter here is not chunky or large particles at all. The formula is smooth, not thick or runny, a real joy to work with and since the glitter is very fine (micro) it dries down to a smooth finish. In the above photos, I opted to use three coats of Zombie Zest, and I did top it with Seche Vite since I was planning on wearing this one for awhile.
Here’s the round up:
PROS:
-Frighteningly fun & fabulous names
-Festive fall colours
-Glitter lovers delight, 3 different variations on gorgeous glitter polishes
-2 of the 3 offerings are pretty opaque in 2 coats (All *can* be worn in 2 coats without looking bad at all, Zombie Zest just remains a little sheer)
CONS:
-All 3 lacquers have some sort of glitter effect, no non-glitter finishes
-2 of the polishes are on the thicker side (especially Ick-A-Bod-Y)
-2 of the lacquers dry with a rough texture (can be a problem for those who choose not to wear a topcoat)
-At least 1 of the selections is not as chip resistant as most China Glaze Lacquers (Ick-A-Bod-Y)
-Glitter polishes are notoriously hard to remove (That applies here with the exception of Zombie Zest since it’s microglitter, Mummy May I takes a little elbow grease, and Ick-A-Bod-Y with it’s full force chunky glitter is the most difficult)
VERDICT: BUY!
If you like glitter, head out and grab the Awakening Collection while you can, as they are indeed limited edition. If you’re not a glitter person, then pass on these shades. My favorite of the three is Zombie Zest, it’s a beautiful colour and easy to work with, but even Ick-A-Bod-Y which has the most cons, is a great polish. Most of the downfalls here apply to ANY polish which is mostly glitter, but they’re small sacrifices to have gorgeous sparkly nails. Anyone who’s familiar with using glitters shouldn’t have a problem applying these polishes, those new to glitter polishes might have a little trouble with the thicker lacquers at first, but you should get the hang of it pretty quickly. I hope that helps anyone thinking about purchasing from China Glaze’s Awakening Collection.
Leave me a comment below and let me know how you feel about glitter polishes. What’s your favorite polish finish? What are your plans for Halloween, and will you be in costume?
Have a great day and thanks for reading!
