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Two new additions to my eye cream arsenal

For the past several weeks I’ve been trying out two new products on my never-ending quest to find the perfect eye cream—and while I’m not sure either of these are perfect (for me, at least), both are absolutely worthy of being shared with you.

Vital-C Serum, $48, The Body Deli: OK, so this isn’t technically an eye cream. It’s a serum, and it’s not just for your eyes. I bought this bright orange serum on my trip to Palm Springs a few months ago, and I’ve been using it somewhat religiously since I got home. (My first product from The Body Deli!) The texture and color remind me a bit of a runny egg yolk—it’s very slick—but my skin loves it, and it feels so good. Plus, this little serum contains some powerful antioxidants: Rovisome Vitamin C, CoQ10, and allantoin, all of which work to increase elasticity, reverse free radical damage, and reverse sun damage.

Weleda Pomegranate Firming Eye Cream, $33: This eye cream came in my last Goodebox. I really like that it’s creamy and soothing, although I do have to be extra careful not to get even a tiny amount in my eyes (it stings!). I tend to use this eye cream when I wake up with especially puffy eyes—the macadamia nut oil and sunflower seed oil are great for reducing swelling, and the pomegranate oil works well to smooth fine lines. This is also a great option for people who tend to wear a decent amount of eye makeup—since it’s absorbed quickly, you don’t have to wait long before applying a concealer or eyeshadow.

Would you try either of these eye creams—or have you already found your perfect eye cream? —Aleigh

(Top image via beyourpet on flickr, product images via The Body Deli and Weleda)

This post was shared April 18, 2013 under Skin, tagged , , and has 2 comments

Beauty Obsession: Leaf People

No visit to the Roaring Fork Valley is complete without a hike around the Maroon Bells.

On our trip to Colorado a few months ago, Ian and I drove into the mountains to visit the Roaring Fork Valley, where my parents used to live. It had been more than ten years since I’d been back for a visit, and I still can’t believe how much things have changed. Case in point: there’s a Whole Foods in Basalt now! (Amazing.)

I get pretty excited to check out the beauty department of any Whole Foods store, since they make such a point of including lots of local products on the shelves. That’s how I stumbled upon Julie from Leaf People. She had a booth set up to offer demos of her new product line. Knowing I had to fly back home (and that my luggage was already overflowing), I snapped up the one product I most wanted to try.

What I tried: Peony Green Tea Eye Serum, $45

First impressions: Peonies are my favorite flower of all time (at my wedding, I carried them in my bouquet and wore one in my hair)—but I didn’t expect this eye serum to smell one. Surprise! It totally smells like my favorite flower. I also really like that the serum rolls on, which makes for easy application in your delicate undereye area.

What caught me by surprise: For starters, I like the ingredients list. The primary ingredients are white peony, green tea, and helichrysum. White peony has anti-inflammatory properties, which helps get rid of undereye puffiness. Green tea is an antioxidant, helping to rid dark circles. And helichrysum has antibacterial healing properties. (Check the full ingredients list here.) Aside from pure ingredients, one requirement I have for any eye cream: it has to feel good. This little serum fits the bill. Plus, all of Julie’s serums are cold-pressed and include botanical extracts and therapeutic oils—she calls her product line “a raw food diet for the face.”

Bonus: This little serum lasts a long time. I’ve been using mine every day for almost four months, and I still have plenty of product left.

To celebrate the grand opening of her new website, Julie is offering 20% off her entire line through the end of the year! Just enter the code “celebrate2012” at checkout. And if you spend more than $75, you’ll get free shipping, too. —Aleigh

(Top image via Indigo+Canary, product image via Leaf People)

NOTE: I only write about the products that I think are truly worthy of being shared with you. View my full disclosure here, and my review policy here.

This post was shared December 5, 2012 under Skin, tagged , , , , , , and has no comments

Beauty Obsession: Vapour Organic’s Illusionist

A look I cannot pull off: the smoky eye.

It seems like I’m always complaining about the dark circles under my eyes, but they’re truly my very own personal Enemy No. 1. They’re genetic (thanks, Grandpa), they’re purplish-blue, and they’re here to stay.

Even if I am perfectly rested and hydrated, if I don’t pile on the concealer, I constantly hear the same refrain from my co-workers, people I run into during the workday or weekend, etc.: “You look so tired!” “Are you getting enough sleep?” “You must be working so hard!”

Truth: I might be tired. I might not be getting enough sleep. I definitely do work very hard.

But when I’m feeling happy and refreshed, not tired, and not overworked, the absolute last thing I want to hear is someone commenting on the fact that I absolutely do not look as if I am feeling any of those things.

So. Before I discovered natural beauty, I spent years on the hunt for the perfect concealer. It was like searching for the holy grail—except I think in this case, the holy grail is actually an eye cream that makes them disappear entirely! (That search is ongoing as well.)

I never found the one, but I did settle on a combination of concealers, which I varied depending on whether I paired one with liquid foundation, tinted moisturizer, or mineral makeup. Now that I’m firmly in the natural and organic beauty camp, the hunt is on all over again. I blogged about my last discovery a while ago, and now I’m ready to share my latest find in this epic battle to defeat my dark undereye circles. Read on for my review!

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This post was shared September 20, 2012 under Makeup, tagged , , , , and has 1 comment

Beauty Obsession: 100% Pure Red Wine Resveratrol Eye Cream

Since the skin under your eyes is some of the thinnest skin on your body, it shows every sleepless hour, every ounce of dehydration. It’s one of the first places on your body to show signs of aging, and it’s one of my biggest skin woes. My dark undereye circles are my least favorite inheritance—it’s pretty easy to trace them straight back to my mom’s dad. (My sister has them too.)

Before I switched to natural beauty products, I tried just about every single eye cream (and concealer) on the market. It’s the one product I’m pretty religious about applying at least once or twice a day—sometimes three times! And now that I’ve made the switch to natural cosmetics, I’ve renewed my search. I’m planning try as many natural eye creams as possible. So far, this is the first one that’s been worthy of a review.

What I tried: 100% Pure Red Wine Reservatrol Eye Cream, $25. Resveratrol is the antioxidant in red wine that is suspected of being the key to red wine’s ability to help prevent damage to blood vessels, reduce inflammation, and help prevent blood clots—perfect for a girl who can use all the help she can get fighting puffy eyes and dark undereye circles.

First impressions: There’s an awful lot of packaging here, but it’s made of cardboard and is recyclable. Inside, the little jar that contains the eye cream is glass. I like that 100% Pure’s products are vegan, and the ingredients list makes me happy:

Organic Rosa Centifolia Flower (Rose Hydrosol) Water1, Organic Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Juice) Leaf2, Vitis Vinifera (Grapeseed) Seed Oil, Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Seed Oil, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Resveratrol, Wine (Red Wine) Extract, Organic Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract3, Sodium Ascorbate (Vitamin C), Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Vitis Vinifera (Muscadine Grape) Skin Extract, Lonicera Caprifolium (Japanese Honeysuckle) Extract, Hyaluronic Acid

What caught me by surprise: It smells fruity! If you’ve ever been to a winery (I’m married to a wine expert, so this is something I have done many times), you know that sort of grape-y, earthy smell that greets you when you enter a cellar that stores aging wine in barrels? That’s what this stuff smells like.

Bonus: After a few weeks of using it, I can definitely tell a difference in the elasticity of the skin under my eyes, and I think the discoloration has slightly faded. I’m definitely going to use up the entire jar before I try a new eye cream.

Do you have a favorite eye cream? Is there one you’ve been wanting to try that I should add to my list? —Aleigh

Want to read about more of my beauty obsessions? Here’s where you can find them.

(Image via 100% Pure)

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This post was shared January 10, 2012 under Skin, tagged , , , , , , and has 5 comments