As a complete skincare junkie, I often find that in my spare time, I am looking into new products, new brands, new technology and all round new things to look into and potentially try in the future. I am forever adding to my skincare wish list – things I want to try, to sample, to see and there are certain technologies or new brands which I just want to find out more about. In this day and age, our world has become so globalised and information is so accessible due to technology, it is so easy to discover new brands, products and scientific advances in skincare and beauty. I stumble across new and exciting things all the time and I thought I would share some of my latest skincare related finds that have recently caught my attention.
Retrouvé Luxury Skincare
Image Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/13/t-magazine/fashion/retrouve-beauty-jami-morse-heidegger.html
This whole entire line excites me greatly – mainly because the packaging is just so damned sexy! It looks so luxe from the gorgeous black linen texture of the box to how well thought out and airtight the actual product packaging is. However, its just not the packaging that is exciting, it is also the high concentration of active ingredients that sound amazing as well in this luxury skincare range.
Retrouvé was founded by former Kiehl’s heiress Jami Morse Heidegger, who after selling the company to L’Oreal in 2000, found that none of the products on the market were what she was after and needed for her maturing skin. Using her own knowledge of skincare formulations and enlisting a former Kiehl’s cosmetic chemist, Jami was able to formulate, for her own personal use, a range of skincare products using ‘mixtures with the highest possible concentration of effective ingredients‘. Her friends started to notice how amazing her skin looked and Jami found herself sharing samples of her personal range with friends. This lead her husband to encourage her to create her own line and in 2014, Retrouvé was launched.
The line at this point in time, is a simple and small collection of 5 products – a cleanser, a serum, an eye concentrate, a facial moisturiser and a face cream all which contain highest levels possible of the best and potent anti-ageing ingredients. It truly is a luxury product as most products in the range are at the USD$400 mark, with the exception of the Luminous Cleansing Elixir which is at USD$75.
Image Source: http://retrouve.com/
Whilst I will not be purchasing any of the serums or moisturisers any time soon due to their price point and the fact that I am not at that stage where I need such potent anti-ageing ingredients, the Luminous Cleansing Elixir is high up on my wish list of things to buy. The brand is relatively new but I think there are plenty of exciting things to come.
Find out more at: http://retrouve.com/
AQUA+ Skincare Anti-Pollution Cream
Image Source: http://aquaskincare.ca/
As many of you know, Anti-Pollution skincare is something that I show a lot of interest in (if you are curious, see my blog post here), so when I stumbled upon the AQUA+ Skincare Anti-Pollution Cream on the Kickstarter website not too long ago, it really piqued my interest. The cream is made from ingredients derived from nature and also uses an ingredient called Glycofilm Pollustop. What this ingredient does is it acts as a transparent protective film over the skin that acts to shield and protect the skin from pollutants. It is a non occlusive film and it allows the skin to breathe and also to stimulate its own natural defence mechanisms. Not only does this moisturiser have this new technology in the form of Glycofilm Pollustop, it is also packed full of antioxidants and moisturising ingredients and boasts some anti-ageing qualities.
From what I have read so far, AQUA+ cream is meant to be quite light weight and sink into the skin quite effortlessly (this appeals to me greatly) and it also claims to be quite good for those with sensitive skins as it has no chemical irritants. The ingredient list looks relatively ‘clean’ and full of lovely botanical extracts:
Aqua, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Glycerin, Dicaprylyl Ether, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower), Oleosomes, Xanthan Gum, Biosaccharide gum-4, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Citrullus Vulgaris (Watermelon) Fruit Extract, Olea Europaea Leaf Extract, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Algae Extract, Lens Esculenta (Lentil) Fruit Extract, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Sodium Lactate, Sodium PCA, Cera Alba, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Tocopherol, Carrageenan, Citric Acid
As mentioned in my anti-pollution skincare post, it will be quite interesting to see how this branch of the skincare industry develops in terms of technologies and research and I think this moisturiser definately falls under that category for me. I can’t wait to find out more and to see where this company goes in the future.
For more information go to: http://aquaskincare.ca/
New Sunday Riley Products
Image Source: @sundayriley (Instagram)
I am a huge fan of Sunday Riley and when beauty blogger, themakeuprepublic noticed new Sunday Riley products at her local Sephora store in the US, I could not help but get excited. She got the scoop on these products before Sunday Riley had even announced in on their Instagram account!
According to themakeuprepublic, 2 new items are now available – Martain a water-gel mattifying toner for those with oily/combination skin and a new face oil called U.F.O which contains 1.5 salicylic acid, again great for oily/combination skin. Rumour is out that U.F.O is out to replace popular facial oil Artemis. Of the two new products, I am most excited about U.F.O as I have been contemplating another Sunday Riley oil for sometime now, and I just don’t know which one! I have a feeling that U.F.O will be a great addition to my skincare stash.
To find out more about these products (nothing is available on the Sunday Riley Website or on Sephora yet) check out themakeuprepublic blog post on these two items. She’s purchased them and can gives you a great first impressions post.
Marble and Milkweed
Rose and Chamomile Honey Cleanser
Image Source: www.marbleandmilkweed.com
Jasmine Green Tea Masque
Image Source: www.marbleandmilkweed.com
I am obsessed with anything to do with matcha green tea. I LOVE green tea in anything, whether it be the tea itself or some delectable dessert with matcha flavouring, I am all over it. Green Tea boasts amazing health qualities as it is packed full of antioxidants. I recently stumbled upon Marble and Milkweed on my Instagram feed and I have to say, the products in this brand’s lineup sound absolutely beautiful. One of these products is actually a Japanese green tea mask which is high up on my list of things to try next!
Marble and Milkweed is an American brand that uses beautiful all natural and where possible organic ingredients to create beautiful blends of skincare and tea. The brand is the brain child of Briar who has a culinary background and believes that there is a connection between apothecary and the kitchen. A lot of her creations for Marble and Milkweed stem from inspirations in the kitchen through her culinary work, smells and also years of self taught understanding about plant based skincare.
The products that I have earmarked for next time are the Jasmine Green Tea Masque which aims to deeply cleanse the skin in the most gentle way. It comes in a beautiful light protected glass jar and that shade of green is to die for! The other product that really piqued my interest is the Rose and Chamomile Honey Clay Cleanser which somewhat reminds me a lot of May Lindstrom’s the Honey Mud Cleansing Silk but at a much more affordable price tag. I love the combination of honey and clay but the botanicals extracts in this sound amazing. Marble and Milkweed use ultra nourishing Rosehip Seed Oil and Rose Otto extract and combine it with ultra calming German chamomile. This product sounds great for those with sensitive skins and the ingredients sound wonderfully soothing and relaxing.
Check out this stunning range at: http://www.marbleandmilkweed.com/
Amazinger Face by Zoe Foster Blake
Image Source: http://www.musecanberra.com.au/events/
I have such a girl crush on Zoe Foster Blake – beauty guru, founder of skincare brand Go-to Skincare, former beauty editor, author, wife to funny man Hamish Black (of Hamish and Andy) and mother to possibly the cutest baby in the world after my nephew. She seems like she really has it all in all aspects of her life – career, family and love and she is someone I truly do admire. She has worked hard to get to the position she is in and definitely does not seem to take it for granted. She is also ridiculously funny (if you have the time, read her descriptions for her products on the Go-To-Skincare website or her blog zotheysay). I think of Zoe as the Australian version of British beauty columnist, Sali Hughes (of Pretty Honest), except Zoe’s much funnier.
Back in 2010, Zoe wrote a beauty book (or beauty bible) called Amazing Face which is filled with heaps of product recommendations, beauty and skincare tips and things that are just worth knowing in both the areas of skincare and beauty. Just recently, the newer, revamped, edition of this book called Amazinger Face has just been released in Australia. Zoe Foster Blake felt that she needed to rewrite a lot of Amazing Face as her stance on somethings in the beauty industry have changed (like the type of sunscreen she uses), products have changed (or discontinued) and there are now better products available. The beauty industry has also changed quite a bit since 2010 as technology has changed the way we access beauty (ie. via blogs, Instagram, Twitter) and she herself has written a lot more beauty content since the release of Amazing Face.
The new, better and longer titled: ‘Amazinger Face’ was released at the end of last month and as soon as it comes back into stock on the Booktopia website, I will be purchasing this as I love Zoe’s witty and humorous way of writing. I am not sure what the content itself will be like but I think it will most definitely be an interesting and humorous read. It also looks like a beautiful addition to my very bare, non existent bookshelf in Shanghai!
What are some things that have cropped up recently that you are excited to try? Is there a new brand which has really appealed to you? Let me know in the comments section below as I would love to hear!
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