Coola Rose Essence Tinted Mineral Sunscreen Review

I know many of you are familiar with Hautelook.com. If you aren't, it's a website you sign up for and they have sales that last for a few days and you can generally get good deals on clothes that would otherwise cost a fortune. I saw one day that they were having a Coola sale. And if you aren't familiar with Coola, they are company who makes organic sun care products. They can be quite expensive, so I jumped on this sale as soon as I saw it. 

I ended up getting the Coola Face Rose Essence Mineral Sunscreen. This particular sunscreen has a tint and is SPF 20. Here's what the product claims to do:

My thoughts: The first thing I love about it is that it is chemical free and is certified organic. The less chemicals the better! The tint is quite light, so darker skinned people should be warned before trying this out since it only comes in one shade :(. It blended very easily and it did not leave my face sticky or dry, it had a nice natural finish to it. I like to wear this if I want to even my skin tone and protect my face for a day at the beach. The wear time was good, I still had a decent amount on my face even after laying out and sweating at the beach. If you go in the water, that might be a different story. I use this from time to time when I don't feel like wearing a full face of makeup or in between products. The bottle claims to be light enough to wear under makeup, but I wasn't too fond of that feeling. I tried it but it felt like my skin couldn't breathe with so much product.

The only real issue I had with this product was the scent. I'm not too fond of floral scents and it stuck on my face for hours, and when I applied powder over it, it smelled slightly metallic.

Overall I was impressed! Organic products have a tendency to disappoint me but this one definitely did not.

Best for: Light sun protection when out in the sun. A light tint and light sun protection for everyday use. Lighter skinned people. Evening out skin tone for daily use or in between products. People who are looking for a good organic/chemical free sunscreen or light tint.

Would I recommend it?: Yes, as long as a slight floral scent does not bother you. And the shade thing might be a problem for a lot of people, since the tint is so light and it only comes in one shade.

Where can I buy it?: 
Coolasuncare.com

My Winter Skincare Must Haves

My skin always gets a little drier in the winter months, but this year it just FREAKED out for some reason. I've never had such dry skin in my life (mainly on my face).

I had to change 2 main things in my makeup/skincare regimen: my cleanser and my foundation.

I was using the Cerave Hydrating Cleanser, which worked well for my skin in the summer (it get's dehydrated a lot), and MAC Pro Longwear foundation. My skin was starting to get very dry when it started getting cold, but once I switched from my Revlon Colorstay foundation to MAC Pro Longwear, my skin was very unhappy.

But on the bright side, I think I found the products that make my winter skin happy!

1. Mario Badescu Facial Spray- I've been using this since the summer, and it just works wonders. I only use night cream every other day, and in between days I just spray my face with this before I go to bed. I learned this trick on Youtube: If your skin gets little flakies on it throughout the day, take a makeup brush (stippling, powder, foundation, or whatever), spray a little makeup setting spray on it, and brush it over the flakey part. It won't get rid of the problem completely, but it will temporarily make the flakes less noticeable.

2. Body Moisturizer- The rest of my skin also gets pretty dry in the winter, so I make sure to moisturize after I get out of the shower because the hot water tends to dry out my skin more. My favorite is the Secret Wonderland scent from Bath and Body Works!

3. Mario Badescu Collagen Moisturizer- I got this as a sample when I filled out the skin care analysis questionairre on the Mario Badescu website, and I bought the full size of it when there was a Mario Badescu Hautelook sale. This is probably one of my favorite moisturizers because it doesn't make my skin too greasy, absorbs quickly, and has an spf of 15. It also works well for me in the summer and winter so I don't have to switch moisturizers (like I did for facial cleanser).

4. Yes to Carrots Nourishing Cleanser and Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser- I had used this before but I stopped using it during the summer because my skin didn't need the extra moisture like it does in the winter. This was the main thing that saved my skin, the only dry parts I have no are around my nose and above my eyebrows, as I do year round. I am in LOVE with this cleanser during the cold months. I also bought the exfoliating cleanser to use a few time a week just to get rid of any dead skin cells.

5. A good lip butter/balm- My lips need a little extra attention in the winter time. I always keep a chapstick, lip butter, lip balm, etc., with me when I'm out and apply it when they start to feel dry. I also apply before bed and when I wake up in the morning. I have so many different ones I use I can't even choose a favorite, haha :)

6. A lip scrub- This is especially important to get all of the dead skin off your lips. If you are applying lip balm to your lips but don't get rid of the dead skin cells, the lip balm won't do much. There are tons of DIY lip scrubs you could do, but I'm kind of lazy and I use Sara Happ's the Lip Scrub.

7. Revlon Colorstay Foundation- Since I couldn't afford to get the foundation I wanted (Vapour Organic Beauty foundation), I switched back to my Revlon Colorstay for normal/dry skin. It was a lot nicer to my skin than the MAC Pro Longwear was, I'll have to use that one in the summer instead.

Well that's all of my winter skincare items. Well not all of them but the most important ones :) Does your skin get dry in the winter? What helps you keep it hydrated and healthy?

Do You Use Toners?

When I got my Mario Badescu samples, a toner was included called the "Special Cucumber Lotion". I hadn't used a toner really before, except a while back I did use a Clinique toner that stung like crazy! I looked over my samples, and noticed the second step after cleansing was to use this Special Cucumber Lotion. I knew it was a toner, but I had no idea what the purpose was. So, I referenced my handy little booklet they included and looked up the mystery product.

"Refreshing, disinfecting and deep cleaning astringent that is effective in drying up existing acne blemishes while preventing new eruptions. Sulfur and soothing Cucumber help to fight against oily build-up and bacteria that can cause acne."

Alright, so it cleanses my face...after I already cleansed it? I was pretty confused at this point. So I decided to skip this step my first few days of using the skincare line. Unfortunately, it was around that time of the month, which meant that minor breakouts were starting to appear around my chin. Not huge pimples, just several small whiteheads. I figured I'd give the Special Cucumber lotion a shot. I used it in the morning and at night after cleansing. The first thing I noticed after the first day of using it, my skin wasn't as oily as usual! When I woke up the next morning, my whiteheads were pretty much gone.

Then I looked at the rest of the toners and astringents listed in the booklet, and there are so many options for different skin types! So I learned, toner is not necessary in one's skincare regimen, but it's definitely something to look into if you have problem skin! It's like one of those products (like face primer for me), where you don't realize or think it's necessary until you stop using it, and then you really see what a difference it makes.

After further research, I learned that toners are supposed to get rid of any residue the cleanser may have left behind, so that moisturizer will be more effective. If you get dehydrated skin like me, you may want to look into a good toner (with no alcohol! Don't want to add to the problem).

Toners can also help balance the pH of the skin after you cleanse it, so if you get oily skin throughout the day, a toner could help you out.

My toner isn't going to be one of those products that I HAVE to repurchase as soon as I run out, but I definitely notice it benefits the overall condition of my skin.

*Arielle commented and wanted to know if there was a difference between a toner and astringent. From what I've gathered, an astringent is much more harsh and generally contains more alcohol than a toner, and can dry or irritate skin more. Toners are more for everyday use and astringents are for a few days out of the week. That was kind of a grey area so please comment and let me know if this is wrong :)

Do you use a toner? Do you feel it is necessary? What toner do you use?

Do You Use a Skin Brush?

The first time I heard about something like this was when I was introduced to the Clarisonic. It's kind of expensive so I haven't bought one for myself yet, but my facialist uses it on me and it feels like it's doing a good job at deep cleaning my skin. Other brands have come out with similar, more affordable tools, but from reading reviews Clarisonic still seems to be in the lead.

My question is: Do you use a skin brush tool? What brand do you use? Do you feel it is worth it?

Dry vs. Dehydrated Skin

Before I went to get my facial, I just thought I had combination skin, where I was dry in some areas and oily in others. Well I found out that my skin was actually dehydrated, and I also learned that dehydrated skin and dry skin are two different skin issues! I'm not a dermatologist or anything, so all of this information is the result of what I've gathered from my facialist, research, and person experience. Warning: post may be long.

That chart pretty much sums it up for you lazies, so that you don't have to read multiple paragraphs trying to figure out what I'm saying. Basically, any skin type can become dehydrated, including oily skin. It's caused by external factors, where dry skin IS your skin type, and that's just the way it is.

Before I got this facial, I noticed that my skin gets somewhat oily throughout the day, like normal, but random dry patches were showing up on my face. I would get dry around my nose, mouth, eyebrows, and hair line. I think the cause of my dehydration was the cleanser I was using (Yes to Cucumbers Calming Facial Cleansing Gel), because I switched over from the Yes to Carrots Daily Cream Facial Cleanser and did not have a problem with dryness at all.

Exfoliating is essential. You can moisturize all you want, but if you don't get rid of the dead skin cells, your moisturizing will only help the dryness on the surface.

If your skin gets dehydrated often, it might be good to invest in a good facial hydrator, which is something you either mix in or put on before your apply your moisturizer. The hydrator will help replenish nutrients in the skin and pull your moisturizer deeper into your skin so you get maximum moisture. The only one I've tried is the SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel, and it worked amazingly for me but I'm sure there are cheaper alternatives.

Drink a lot of water. Probably didn't need to be said.

Stop using any facial products that may be harsh on your skin. Look especially for products with hyaluronic acid in them, which will help the water bind with your skin. I started using CeraVe's Hydrating Cleanser with hyaluronic acid and it's definitely helped to keep my skin hydrated throughout the day. Look for other products such a moisturizers or skin boosters that contain hyaluronic acid.

I hope this helped clear up some confusion! Has your skin ever been dehydrated? What products do you use to keep you flake-free?

I Tried It! Mario Badescu Skincare

Ever since I tried that Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs, and Rosewater (looong name!), I've been very interested in the Mario Badescu skincare line since it seem fairly affordable and I've read some good reviews on that line. (My experience with the facial spray also confirmed that it was a good brand, but a separate post on that later).

I filled out the skin care analysis on the website, and got an email asking if it was ok that they sent free samples (yes, every one of you can do this too! Just fill out the questionairre and put a valid email address). A week or so later I got my samples, which included the Enzyme Cleansing Gel, Special Cucumber Lotion, Ceramide Herbal Eye Cream, Collagen Moisturizer (spf 15), a Flower and Tonic Mask, and a Kiwi Face Scrub.

I've tried all but the Flower and Tonic Mask and the Kiwi Face Scrub, and I am so impressed! I haven't been committed to a skincare regimen for a while now, mainly because I haven't found one that totally works for me. I have dehydrated (NOT dry skin), which can be hard to work with at times. I'd been using a sample of SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel that my facialist gave me (retails for $70!) to keep my skin under control.

During the time I've been using these samples, I haven't had to use the B5 gel at all! If I can find products that are cheaper than $70 that do the same job, you best believe I'm going to invest!

The only problem I ran into was when I first started using these samples, a few whiteheads popped up around my chin. They were gone within 2 days though, and didn't turn into horrible mountainous pimples :)

With the samples, a little booklet was included that listed ALL of their products, what their purpose is, what skin types they are good for, and prices. They also send you a card that lists products they recommend for you, day and night skincare instructions for the products they sent, and how to apply each one.

I am definitely considering ordering some of these products when my samples run out. (Things like the Special Cucumber Lotion and the Ceramide Herbal Eye cream will last a LONG time, because you don't have to use a lot of them). Good products and good customer service, I'm pretty much sold. I would definitely recommend anybody to go fill out the skin care analysis online and see how you like their products.

What do you think? Do you use Mario Badescu? What is your favorite skincare line?