It’s that time of month again where I start to wrap up my favourites, empties and of course my latest skincare discoveries. The month of June has been a fairly busy one for me – preparing my younger sister’s 21st Birthday, being a support to a friend in a time who needs it most, preparing for a few upcoming trips, planning some upcoming (and exciting) blog posts and of course returning home to celebrate my sister’s birthday. I sometimes wonder where on earth my day goes as before I know it, the end of the day has arrived or like at this point in time – its the not only the end of the week but also the end of the month! Some of the tragic events that occurred over the course of this month have made me realise that time ticks over fast and that life – life is so precious. We never know when it finishes, and because of that we must cherish every moment, whether it be in own solitude, with friends or with family. I feel that my life is racing ahead of me and sometimes I need some time to sit back and reflect so that I can truly appreciate everything and everyone around me. Basically, I just need slow down!
I have mentioned many times in the past, one of my favourite ways to slow down (other than cooking and baking) is actually trawling social media. Its a really good process for me that actually gets me to sit still for a second and enjoy mindless trawling. Trawling can either be my own personal account to see what my friends in my everyday life are up to or via my @orchidsandpeonies account where I like to see what my Instagram friends are doing as well as seeing what brands are up to or of course what brands there are waiting to be discovered.
In June, I have come across 3 really interesting brand and concepts. One is probably one that you have heard before, but the story (or person) behind the brand is quite remarkable that I had to share. The other two are very new on the skincare market and have a very ‘green’ approach to beauty. I hope you enjoy!
Planted in Beauty by Well Within
You can’t help but be intrigued and excited when two beauty executives from ultra luxury beauty brand La Prairie come together to create their own skincare line. Founders, Lynne Florio and Renee Tavoularis have more than 20 years experience between them at the luxury swiss label (and many more years of experience in the beauty industry before that) making them more than qualified to launch their own skincare passion – Planted in Beauty by Well Within. The driving force between this move? Both Lynne and Renee saw their lives shift towards adopting a more healthier lifestyle focused on wellbeing. Renee had always had an interest in a healthy lifestyle, so much so that she became a certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and Wellness Expert. Lynne had a realisation that ‘living a healthier, less stressful and more rewarding life’ was the best way she could be ‘my best self for me and my family’. Both founders had often discussed the topic of collaborating to create their own beauty and wellness brand that not only represented them but where their own passions in life were going, thus Planted in Beauty by Well Within was born.
So why is the brand called Planted in Beauty by Well Within? Well, put simply , Well Within (or www.wellwithinbeauty.com) is actually Lynne and Renee’s well rounded beauty and wellness brand and website that offers products, education and support on how people can live and practice a healthier lifestyle. Planted in Beauty is Well Within’s ‘collection of plant-based skincare, created with the belief that wellness and beauty are inextricably linked’. All products in the line use ingredients that are derived from nature and contain high levels of organic ingredients and draw from innovation and science to create 7 products that are efficacious. Products that interest me most are the Firm + Smooth + Brighten Reparative Complex, an all in one serum that contains a mixture of some really interesting botanical ingredients such as Lotus Flower, Green Algae and Wintergreen (an extract I have not heard of before) and the Soothe + Soften Cleansing Emulsion which looks to a be a beautiful blue cream cleanser (yes BLUE!) that just looks so calm and tranquil.
What I personally adore and love about Planted in Beauty by Well Within is their approach to healthy skin – the emphasis that good skin is indeed a well rounded approach. Healthy radiant skin is everything from the products that are used to your diet and of course lifestyle factors such as stress. By offering a website that gives this well rounded support gives a really unique user experience. You can not only purchase skincare products but also download guides on nutrition and find links to wellness coaches within the area. As co founder Lynne puts quite simply “We want to help people become the healthiest version of themselves. We are addressing beauty as nature intended — from the inside out”. I also love how the brand embraces aging, there are no marketing claims in any of the products to ‘reverse the signs on aging’. Renee has been found saying:“Instead of fighting aging or anti-aging, we embrace healthy aging—even celebrate it,” with Lynne adding that “They’re appealing to those who are more concerned with feeling good than ‘fixing sick.'”.
There is no doubt that Planted in Beauty by Well Within have a really unique, realistic yet well rounded approach to skincare and healthy skin. With a focus on all round wellbeing and healthy aging, this is a skincare line/online community is one that I will watch with much interest as it’s a breath of fresh air in the industry.
Planted in Beauty by Well Within has only been recently launched (in April in fact) and can be purchased via their website.
Dr Barbara Sturm
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Dr Barbara Sturm is a name that is pretty famous in the world of aesthetics. She is the doctor who pioneered that infamous vampire facial, a procedure that many celebrities swear by. This is the procedure where blood is withdrawn from the body and then injected back in to the face. She is also infamous for the ever so interesting MC1 Cream, a customised cream (that also costs USD$1 400) that takes the same proteins from the bloodstream which are then blended into a moisturising cream. In an article written by The Coveteur, Dr Sturm explains: “The MC1 cream uses a technique that harnesses the white blood cells in the patient’s own blood to produce healing factors including anti–Interleukin-1 (IL-1) and TGF-beta, which address the signs of skin aging. IL-1 naturally reduces inflammation, while TGF-beta strengthens the tissue and stimulates collagen growth.” Oh and on top of all that she’s a qualified orthopaedic surgeon and did I mention she has a skincare line?
That’s a pretty impressive list of achievements if you ask me.
With a practice in Germany, Dr Barbara Sturm is very well known or her innovative non-surgical approach to looking younger and of course her work with molecular cosmetics. It is this sort of work and the popularity of her infamous ‘blood cream’ that she decided to create her own skincare range to achieve the most optimal results with a simple routine and minimal amount of products. She found that her clientele absolutely adored her MC1 cream and when asked for suggestions of products to go with it, she couldn’t recommend anything as she had personally not found anything she liked. This was her catalyst to create her own line of skincare.
The Dr Barbara Sturm skincare line combines my two favourite things in skincare – the latest in skincare science and powerful botanical ingredients. Using her background in surgery, Dr Sturm used her expertise to create formulations that work on a cellular level to help protect and regenerate the skin. Her skincare line in general has a lot of science behind it and this is something that Dr Sturm prides herself on. Her line focuses a lot on hyaluronic acid, as it is an ingredient she works with so often in her aesthetic practice. She had always wanted to have a hyaluronic acid for post treatments, which is why her Hyaluronic Acid Serum was one of the first products she ever created after her launch of MC1. The Barbara Sturm Hyaluronic Acid Serum is different to other serums as the technology in its it effectiveness is considered to be quite superior. This serum made is up of short chains and long chains which allow the pure hyaluronic acid to penetrate into deeper layers of the skin. In fact, the short-chains go into deeper layers right away. This works to restore hyaluronic acid and collagen in these layers of the skin. The longer chains, will sit on the skin’s surface which will give the immediate plumping effect and also act to moisturise the surface of the skin.
What I find interesting about the Dr Barbara Sturm line is the science and research behind it. Yes the line is expensive (her Hyaluronic Acid Serum is USD$300) and it is definitely a line that I myself will have to work up to save for. I am curious to see if her products are as potent as they sound. One thing is for sure though, the level of research, real clinical practice and experience from Dr Sturm herself is impressive. She truly seems to know what she is doing and how things work on a molecular and cellular level and has made some seriously significant break throughs in her career.
The Dr Barbara Sturm line can be purchased from Amazon (#ad).
3RIFIC
3RIFIC is a skincare brand from Singapore that aims to be different in an oversaturated skincare industry. Their point of difference? 3RIFIC focuses on three key products that help to make a skincare routine more streamlined, thus believing it is a more effective way to care for the skin. These include the already released Premium Facial Oil and Radiance Revitalizing Cream (both having already won some awards!). The third product in the range is the Brightening Serum Concentrate, which will launch later in the year. Each product in the 3RIFIC line can be used on its own or incorporated into an existing routine and each product in the line is geared towards promoting long term skin health.
Whilst 3RIFIC is a very new skincare brand, the brand prides itself on being as natural and organic as possible, something which I find relatively new and rare in the realm of Asian beauty brands. Made in Japan, 3RIFIC’s prized ingredient and innovation is the use of the Japanese “superberry” known as the Haskap berry. This berry is said to be high in antioxidant activity as well as work as a wonderful anti-inflammatory when consumed. Studies have shown that this unique berry contains extremely high levels of anthocyanins, vitamin C, phenolic compounds and other antioxidants. I personally find the use of the Haskap berry quite interesting in the line, as this berry fruit (much like a blueberry) is still relatively unknown to many westerners but has been consumed and used for centuries in places such as Japan and Russia. In fact, Haskap berries were known by the ancient Ainu people of Japan as the fruit of long life and good eyesight.
The simplistic 3RIFIC aims to be inspired by nature and is simple in their approach to skincare. The line hopes to create an easy to follow routine that is effective. I love the fact that the line emphasises that it can be added easily into an existing routine as a booster or to be used on its own! Simple in attitude, design and approach to skincare!
The 3RIFIC line can be purchased directly from their website here.
Have your heard or have tried any of these brands before? What do you think of these discoveries? Feel free to leave a comment below!