Beauty

Genuine Beauty Guide: March Favorites

Beauty | 2.4.2015 | Katja Kokko

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Choosing my favorite products for March was extremely challenging, and I hemmed and hawed over my picks for quite a while. The following goodies finally made it to my list.

Wild Rose Beauty Balm*

I had a bit of surgery done a few months ago, which left me with a fairly visible scar resembling a fat earth worm. I began treating it with the Wild Rose Beauty Balm as soon as the infection was gone, and am amazed at how quickly the scar has begun to heal; the fat little worm is now flat and painless. I’ll still have the red stripe there, of course, but perhaps – by continuing to oil it twice a day– it might also lighten more quickly.

The Wild Rose Beauty Balm is excellent for treating scars and irritation; it also works as a face mask or, with the muslin cloth that comes with the package, a cleansing balm. A multipurpose product that one should always keep in the bathroom cabinet and seeing as I’ve just ran out, the sample sized jar from my trip to London is a lifesaver until I get my hands on a new one. A tip for you travelers: the balm does not count as a liquid.

I used other tricks to care for the scar while it was still inflamed, but I’ll share those with you a bit later.

RMS Beauty Eye Polish Lunar & Seduce*

You’ll probably recall my skepticism regarding RMS Beauty’s Eye Polish cream shadows. I used them to create a makeup look about a month ago, skipping brushes and powder products entirely. I’m planning on testing how a plain cream shadow would work with a bohemian summer look (in the summer), but for daytime looks, I always go for powder shadows. I can’t get my eye shadow to stay in place the whole day without properly priming my lids, but the eye polishes make great primers for powder shadow, and I am completely hooked on them – just as I thought. Two shades stand out from the rest, mostly because they match the eye shadows I like to wear; the pale Lunar is perfect for priming light eye shadows, while the medium brown Seduce is great for creating a more intensive, yet daytime-appropriate, look.

I usually start by using a foundation to even out the color of the lid, after which I set it with loose powder. I then pat eye polish over the entire lid, up to but not over the crease, carefully pressing the powder shadow on top of it with the help of a brush. The eye polish will suck in the powder shadow, deepening its color and making it stick like glue.

Cattier Milky Shower Oil*

I got to test Cattier’s new Milky Shower Oil, and I am sold. Many shower gels wash too much, leaving the skin tight afterwards – especially when used to shave one’s legs. Oils on the other hand tend to clog the razor. The look and feel of Cattier’s shower oil is more milk than oil; it doesn’t dry out the skin, and is perfect for shaving one’s legs with. Add in the sweet mango scent and the affordable price, and we might just have ourselves a new favorite.

Khadi Violet body oil*

If you’ve been reading the comments lately, you might know that I’ve fallen for Kahdi’s lovely Ayurvedic products . They will be featuring on the blog shortly. Included in the brand’s wide range of wonderful products are body oils, which I’ve been using a lot lately; they combine not only aromatherapy and nourishing vegetable oils, but also Ayurvedic Indian herbs. Knowing how fanatical I am about herbs (the stranger, the better), you can only imagine how psyched I have been about Ayurvedic herbs like shatavari and anantmool.

The oil gets its scent from vanilla, ylang-ylang, sandalwood, and violet. The double effects of these essential oils – providing aromatherapy for the mind, as well as the caring, nourishing, and healing properties of each oil – make their application far more pleasant than your basic pharmacy-brand cream.

The Organic Pharmacy Honey & Jasmine Mask*

I praised the Honey and Jasmine mask to the skies in a recent introduction post to the holistic skin care brand, The Organic Pharmacy. This mask is the first hydrating mask that I’ve really fallen in love with. Not only does it leave the skin feeling amazingly soft and nourished, but also smooth and bright looking. A wonderful humectant, honey binds moisture to the skin, making the skin cells plump, and sort of elevating the facial features – the effects can be seen as well as felt. To get the best results, I suggest using the Enzyme Peel (or another AHA or enzyme-enriched peel) before applying the mask. It’s also nice to notice that with the complete change my skin has undergone, I have little need for purifying masks anymore.

Neal’s Yard Remedies Mahonia Clear Skin Formula

This product is not yet available in Finland but I can assure that it is worth purchasing from Neal’s Yard Remedies’ online store. I’ve been curious about this complexion-brightening mahonia tincture for ages now, and couldn’t help but bring one home with me from London. A few days later, my skin began breaking out with the kinds of impurities that I haven’ seen since last summer. I had pimples on my jaw, neck, the back of my neck, my forehead, and even my ears. Realizing the breakout had to have something to do with the tincture, I paid it no mind – it was literally just setting things in motion. It’s now two weeks later, the impurities are all but gone without me having to resort to any magic potions (ok, I’ve been using Juice Beauty’s Blemish Be Gone roll-on stick to wipe them out), my complexion is bright and healthy-looking. I’ve still got about half a bottle of tincture left, and I intend to take it as a course.

Detoxing the body from within, the tincture gets rid of toxins and impurities and balances the digestive system, as well as killing all kinds of parasites and critters. Signs of its effect are not only manifested in the skin, but also include reduced congestion, and feeling lighter. Its ingredients include mahonia, marigold, globe artichoke, gotu cola, schidandra, and thyme – centuries old medicinal herbs used to treat various ailments, from lipid and carbohydrate metabolism disorders to digestive issues in general. The chemical effects of tinctures are so many that you could fill a book with them, and as I lack the expertise required for such a task, let’s call this a layman’s summary to it all. Should you be curious, you can find masses of information on the subject by doing a bit of googling.

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*Affiliate link

Photos Katja Kokko

Translation Katja Nikula

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