Let's Talk: BeautyCounter Facial Oil

Recently, I had a request to review facial oil. I have to admit that I didn't know much about facial oils, and the thought of them took me back to my teen days when my whole face seemed to gush oil! 😆 But, now that I'm older, I'm no longer an oil slick. I seem to have combination to normal skin, although my skin is frequently dehydrated (naughty me for not drinking enough water!). So, I decided to give facial oil a try.

A friend of mine (Christine) sells BeautyCounter products, and I bought the "favorites" box which includes a facial oil. BeautyCounter was founded by a woman who wanted safer and healthier skin care and beauty products. The company has consultants, like my friends, as well as pop up shops, direct sales, and throw socials occasionally according to their website. Safer and healthier products? Sign me up!

Anyway, the facial oil I bought is called "Hydrating Face Oil". Yes, pretty simple name, but there are terrific ingredients in this stuff! Here is a breakdown of their ingredient list using the common (and more recognizable for English speakers) names:

• Grape See Oil
• Rose Hip Fruit Oil
• Marula Oil
• Organic Argan Kernal Oil
• Meadowfoam Seed Oil
• Sea Buckthorn Oil
• Rose Flower Oil
• Orange Peel Oil
• Grapefruit Peel Oil
• Jasmine Flower Oil

Pretty simple stuff, huh? Each one of these oils has its own benefits when applied to the skin. For example, www.livestrong.com says:

  "...(grape seed) oil is extremely rich in beta-carotene and vitamins D, C, E. It also happens to have a concentration of essential fatty acids like palmitic, stearic, and linoleic acid. These fatty acids have performed well in clinical anti-wrinkle trials. They have also proven to be effective at minimizing the prominence and size of scars."

And, www.livestrong.com also says about rose hip oil the following:

 "For facial skin care, rose hip oil offers several benefits when applied externally due to its primary constituents: essential fatty acids, vitamin E, vitamin C and B-carotene, a form of vitamin A."

 "(Rose Hip) oil can penetrate due to the vitamin A, which has small enough molecules to go deeper into the skin. Vitamin A improves the skin's moisture levels and reduces wrinkles and fine lines"

 "(Rose Hip oil's) antioxidants, which combat free radicals that cause damage, and vitamin A, combined with the oil's essential fatty acids, help improve skin tone, texture and pigmentation. Sun exposure plays a role in decreased collagen, which vitamin C can help counteract. The oil is deeply moisturizing and aids in removing redness and irritation. These properties also make rose hip oil a possible treatment for facial rosacea."

So, there's no doubt about it that these oils are good for your skin, right? If I can get a little bit of these benefits, I'll be happier than a sow in mud!

The bottle comes with a dropper, and I typically use a whole dropper full at night. I put a little on my hand for each part of my face. But I have to admit, at first it felt weird putting oil on my face. I guess it's because I was brought up to avoid oil on your face, but it also felt pretty good. Typically, I use this as a night moisturizer so it has the most time to sink into my skin. Not gonna lie...you will feel and look pretty greasy at first, but give it some time to sink into your skin. The next morning I could not believe how soft my face felt! I'm dead serious when I tell you that I truly felt like I had new skin. The dehydration wasn't even a factor that morning. Any dry areas I had were not as easily felt as the night before and the oily parts were not more oily. It does have a funny smell at first, but the smell seems to disappear pretty fast. I really like it and would recommend this facial oil to anyone. If you'd like to order some, here is my friend's link (I am not affiliated with anyone nor do I get payment of any type for my review):  www.beautycounter.com/christinemcgee

So, this oil has really sold me on the benefits of facial oils. Do you feel the same? Have you had any facial oils blow your mind? I'm looking forward to trying more! Do you have any suggestions? Please leave me a comment!

Let's Talk: Urban Decay UD XX Vintage Nail Polish in Uzi

Urban Decay is on of those brands that loves the different and edgy. The first time I encountered the brand, I was at Sephora and thought the name was weird and kind of threw me off. I wasn't sure I wanted to buy anything from them. But, they proved themselves and, as you can imagine, I now have A LOT of their products! 😊

One of their products I have is a nail polish. The official name is UD XX Vintage nail polish and is in the shade "Uzi". From what I understand, this brand started its line with nail polish and lipstick. To celebrate their 20 year anniversary, they brought back some of their old nail polish shades, and "Uzi" is one of them. I bought mine directly from the Urban Decay website.



The bottle is really interesting. It's not one of those boring bottles with a black handle as many nail polishes end up having. It has a detail of a skull on top of the handle! In all my born days, I've never seen detail on nail polish like that , and it was a little spooky (which I don't mind at all).



And, oh my stars! The color is a BEAUTIFUL gunmetal color; a pearled dark gray. And, the formulation is amazing. I only had to use one coat! I can count on one hand how many times I've encountered a one-coat nail polish. What a time saver! I've worn it for about 5 days with no chipping. So, to say I'm impressed is an understatement! I'll definitely get more, and I'd suggest getting out there as fast as a hot knife going through butter to get your's!!!

Now, I've heard that these are limited edition, which is a shame because they are awesome. But, if you can get "Uzi", I recommend getting out there and buying it! It was well worth it for me!

So, have you tried this? Is it similar to the ones they made 20 years ago? Are the other colors a one coat polish? Please comment below and let me know your thoughts!!!

Let's Talk: Soap & Glory Hand Food

The brand Soap & Glory, made in the United Kingdom, is pretty new to me. They not only have skin care items, but also makeup. Today, I'll focus on one of their skin care products call "Hand Food".

Hand food is a hand moisturizer with their "Signature Pink Fragrance." I sort of bought this on a whim because their packing is adorable! It's in a pretty pink packaging and has an interesting tagline: "The Most Astonishing Hand Cream Ever? You Decide!" I don't know about y'all but don't companies usually demand that they are the best?

The packaging also says, "non-greasy, hydrating hand cream with shea butter, macadamia oil and marshmallow," Marshmallow?!? I thought with all those scents mixed together that it would have a smell that would gag a maggot. But, boy, was I wrong!!! I love, love, love the scent! Sometimes I just open the top to take a whiff!!! Is that weird? I don't care. I love the smell!

As far as formula is concerned, its semi-thick, which I appreciate. It chaps my hide when I get lotion that is mostly made with water. That being said, it is a bit greasy. It sinks into the skin eventually, but takes longer than other, more watery lotions. So, I think their explanation of being non-greasy is stretching the truth.

Does it help with dry hands? Well, yes, but I wouldn't say it's the most astonishing hand cream, I think I'm more impressed with the smell! 😊

Have you tried this? What about their other products? I'd love to hear your recommendations! Please leave me a comment!!! 😘