Meraki Silky Mist Body Lotion Review #WeAreTrouva

In my post last month about depression and anxiety, I mentioned how self-care is sometimes just the medicine I need to pull myself out of an emotional funk. And this week has definitely been one of those times. I've been able to put on a smiling face for those around me, but in the quiet of my home I've been distant and fighting to hold back tears - for no real reason.
Today, I'm going to share a simple item that has been added to my self care routine, and really made these past few dark and dismal days into something calm and relaxing.

I was recently offered the opportunity to try a product of choice from Trouva, a homeware and lifestyle boutique in the UK, from their newly added line - Meraki. While checking out the line on Trouva's site I immediately noticed how simple and sophisticated the packaging looked, and the sounds of the product scents - White Tea Ginger, Silky Mist, Linen Dew, and Cotton Haze - immediately brought my mind to a bright and cheery spring day. I chose to try the Silky Mist Body Lotion.

I chose this Meraki body lotion because a) I really wanted to get into the habit of using body lotion again and b) I was drawn to sea buckthorn as an ingredient.

Sea buckthorn is an excellent ingredient for healing the skin. It is using topically to treat a wide range of skin conditions from acne to eczema, sunburn, bedsores, cuts and skin ulcers, and even for anti-aging and skin discoloration.
Sea buckthorn, along with a few oils and glycerin - give this lotion a creamy healing application that truly hydrates the skin.

The lotion has an orange floral scent to it - that fades away quickly. It's easy to pump - the pump itself is well built, it does not slip or bend while in use.

The lotion has a very smooth texture - and this is something that I've truly enjoyed. Being able to easily massage a lotion into my skin that hydrates, smooths, and calms my skin has been most enjoyable after being emotionally burnt out all day. This lotion absorbs quickly, and does not leave a greasy film on my skin - but instead leaves it feeling supple and smooth, even once morning arrives.

Disclaimer: No monetary compensation was received for this post. The Glitter Chic blog will always provide honest opinions, beliefs or experiences on products reviewed. If you have any questions, please contact me at gothickornchic at gmail dot com. This post may contain affiliate links, marked with an "*" and I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase using one of those links - which costs nothing to the consumer but does help this site. The disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Intro to Asian Beauty | Individualized Treatments

Welcome back, my beautiful friends, to the long-awaited third post in my "Intro to Asian Beauty" series!

Seriously, I had these posts planned out quite nicely, but then my depression hit like clockwork and my plans fell apart. So here we are, three months past the second post in my series, hoping to hit the ground running.

In this post we're going to discuss the thinner layering items of our skincare routine. We've already talked about first essences, which will be your first real hydrating layer - and moisturizers, which will be your workhorse hydrator and help seal everything in. These layers will fit in-between those layers and treat individual skin concerns such as acne, hyper-pigmentation, wrinkles, scarring, and brightening.

1. The Basics: Cleanser, Toner, Moisturizer & Checking Ingredients
2. Build Up The Basics: Oil Cleansers, First Essences & Sunscreen
3. Individualized Treatments - YOU ARE HERE!
4. Overnight Healing: Spot Treatments & Sleeping Packs

In this post:
>Essences
>Serums
>Ampoules

Where they'll fit into a routine:

Oil cleanser > Cleanser > Toner > Vitamin C > BHA > AHA > Prescription Treatment > First essence > Essence > Serum > Ampoule > Sheet mask > Eye Treatment > Emulsion/Lotion > Cream > Spot Treatment > Sleeping Pack or Sunscreen

Innisfree Apple Juicy Cleansing Oil Review

This is a long overdue post, that I really don't know why I never finished before, but since I'm nearly out of my current bottle I figured I better get it up now. This is one of the very first cleansing oils I ever used, but the first one that worked well for me and I actually enjoyed using. I've been moving on to different oil cleansers lately, but this one will always be special for showing me how enjoyable oil cleansing can really be.

Before we get started, I want to note that this post does contain affiliate links. If you click these links and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission. This is what helps fund this blog and everything I do here - including purchase review items and host giveaways. 

The Innisfree Apple Juicy Cleansing Oil is a "deep cleaning oil for smooth and healthy skin" according to Innisfree's website. This oil, like other cleansing oils, is used to remove dirt, sebum, makeup and sunscreen effectively from the skin. What makes oil cleansers unique to simply oil cleansing, is that oil cleansers contain emulsifiers that allow you to mix the oil with water while on your face, and rinse it away like a regular cleanser.

Ingredients: (copied from Innisfree) - CETYL ETHYLHEXANOATE, TRIETHYLHEXANOIN, POLYGLYCERYL-10 DIOLEATE, HYDROGENATED POLY(C6-14 OLEFIN), PEG-8 GLYCERYL ISOSTEARATE, CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE, PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRAISOSTEARATE, PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRAETHYLHEXANOATE, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, HYDROGENATED POLYISOBUTENE, CYCLOHEXASILOXANE, PYRUS MALUS (APPLE) FRUIT EXTRACT, CITRUS UNSHIU PEEL EXTRACT, ORCHID EXTRACT, CAMELLIA SINENSIS LEAF EXTRACT, CAMELLIA JAPONICA LEAF EXTRACT, OPUNTIA COCCINELLIFERA FRUIT EXTRACT, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, FRAGRANCE.

This cleansing oil comes in a sturdy clear, green tinted plastic bottle with a pump. I love the pump on this bottle - so much so that I've actually used these to move other products into that have a more crappy pump or no pump at all. It's well made, doesn't slip, and gives an even and clean dispense of product.

The oil itself, as the name suggests it might, really does have an apple scent to it. It's fresh and not overwhelming, but if you are highly sensitive to scents this may be bothersome to you.

Something I really loved about this oil is that it's so smooth and easy to work onto the skin. I use two pumps that I apply to my fingers and just apply it evenly to my face, and lightly over my eyelids and lashes lastly.

I use gentle massage to work the oil into my pores to loosen up dirt and hardened sebum, and to remove any makeup or sunscreen I'm wearing.

Something I love about this oil is that it's effective enough to not only soften up clogs in my skin, but it lubes my pores enough to allow them to pop out of my pores.

This is a great affordable cleansing oil, and it's one that's free from mineral oil for those who do struggle to find effective oils without that ingredient.

Find it at Jolse, Amazon* and Memebox*.

Disclaimer: No monetary compensation was received for this post. The Glitter Chic blog will always provide honest opinions, beliefs or experiences on products reviewed. If you have any questions, please contact me at gothickornchic at gmail dot com. This post may contain affiliate links, marked with an "*" and I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase using one of those links - which costs nothing to the consumer but does help this site. The disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

AHC Climax Pool Cleanser Review

You all know I love trying new cleansers, but I've been very good at practicing restraint in buying new ones lately as I've found a few that I really do love. The AHC Climax Pool Cleanser is one I bought while I was on my search. Did it live up to my expectations?

Before we get started, I want to note that this post does contain affiliate links. If you click these links and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission. This is what helps fund this blog and everything I do here - including purchase review items and host giveaways.

A pool cleanser is a thick, syrupy cleanser that requires just a small amount to cleanse the skin. It's gummy texture pulls makeup, dirt, oil, and impurities from your skin with gentle massage onto dry skin, but if you use too much cleanser it becomes useless as it's too slippery and not gummy enough - so it does require some practice to perfect using.

The scent of the AHC Pool Cleanser is fresh - like a clean soapy smell. It's isn't too strong but it's definitely noticeable.

The cleanser is frosty white in color - not completely opaque but it does have a tinge of color to it.

As I mentioned above, it has a gummy, sticky texture. It's like a gel, but it's runny and reminds me a bit of honey but a little thinner.

Pool cleansers like this one are supposed to be great at removing makeup, but I'm not a regular wearer of makeup - so I can't judge how well this really does work in that department. For a light application of bb cream however, it works perfectly!

What I love most about this cleanser is it's ability to gently pull away dead flaky skin and loose clogs from within my pores. This is where it's gummy texture really comes into play.

While I do think this cleanser works well once you figure out exactly how much you need - for me, it's about a half tablespoon - it really pulls impurities and dirt from your skin. However, I receive the same type of results from my regular oil cleanser, so for me this isn't really necessary since oil cleansing requires less specific measuring and technique to get good results.

If you're interested in purchasing this cleanser for yourself, you can find it at Memebox*.

Have you tried this, or another pool cleanser before? What were your results?

Disclaimer: No monetary compensation was received for this post. The Glitter Chic blog will always provide honest opinions, beliefs or experiences on products reviewed. If you have any questions, please contact me at gothickornchic at gmail dot com. This post may contain affiliate links, marked with an "*" and I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase using one of those links - which costs nothing to the consumer but does help this site. The disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Nots 28 Remedy Review #QDepot

You may have seen me post on Instagram about testing out an acne-based skincare kit. The brand of the kit is Nots, which I've actually tried in the past, but only one product. After trying that one product I was very interested in trying more from the brand, but alas, it was not so easily obtainable in the States, so I moved on. I was thrilled when Q-Depot, a Korean cosmetics online shop, reached out and offered to send me more of their products for review!

This Nots 28 Remedy beauty box features deluxe samples of a four-piece line geared towards acne-prone skin, which I just happen to have. Included in this box is the:
>Acne Pore Deep Cleanser
>Balancing Toner
>Intensive Serum
>Repair Cream

The Acne Pore Deep Cleanser is the Nots product I had tried before. It actually came in an early Memebox, when they were still shipping out amazing boxes direct from Korea to the US. This is a higher pH foaming cleanser, but when used after an oil cleanser I find it doesn't strip my skin, and actually leaves it feeling soft and looking brighter. It contains salicylic acid to help fight acne, and contains a few calming and hydrating ingredients as well like beeswax, aloe, licorice, and camellia oil.

It's creamy with a pearlescent sheen to it, and a bit of a fresh clean scent.

It spreads onto skin easily on its own, and feels very smooth.

But it's really great if you're looking for a cleanser to build up foam with. Just a short time in my bubble net got me a handful of foam, and it felt so light and fluffy against my skin.

The Balancing Toner is thicker than a western toner, and is designed to prep the skin for the coming steps in the routine. It contains a few calming ingredients that are beneficial like centella, camellia and many food-based extracts, and also contains niacinamide which helps brighten the skin.

It has a watery gel-like texture which is very easy to spread onto the skin and absorbs quickly. However, it smells strongly of alcohol, which I'm very sensitive to, and it does sting my skin when I apply it. I think someone with not-so-sensitive skin wouldn't be bothered by it.

The Intensive Serum brings more acne fighting ingredients to your skin with willow bark and several plant based extracts, and again contains niacinamide to help brighten up your skin and any acne spots on your face.

It has a thick gel texture that is very smooth and feels watery once you start to rub it in. This serum also smells like alcohol, but it does not seem to irritate my skin. After application, I do notice my skin usually looks brighter at this point in using this system.

The final step is the Repair Cream which also contains niacinamide for brightening and lightening uneven skin tone and hyperpigmentation. It also contains tea tree oil and salicylic acid for combatting acne, and many extracts to help soothe and hydrate the skin.

I found this cream to be thick and creamy, while maybe a bit waxy. It has a refreshing scent due to the tea tree, which makes it almost minty. It gives a sense of calming and cooling down my irritated skin.

It spreads very thinly, and absorbs into the skin easily. It leaves my skin feeling soft and hydrated, and looking bright and calm. It doesn't leave my skin greasy and if I use it during the day I am able to wear sunscreen over the top without any pilling or streaking.

While I am sensitive to alcohol and prefer low pH cleansers - I do think this could be a good option for anyone with acne who has less sensitive skin than I do. I really did love the cream in this kit, and found it was beneficial to my skin while I used it.

You can find these Nots products, and other Korean skin care on Q-Depot.

Disclaimer: No monetary compensation was received for this post. The Glitter Chic blog will always provide honest opinions, beliefs or experiences on products reviewed. If you have any questions, please contact me at gothickornchic at gmail dot com. This post may contain affiliate links, marked with an "*" and I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase using one of those links - which costs nothing to the consumer but does help this site. The disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.