Mas Vitaminas, Por Favor: Day by Day Beauty Vitamin C Serum Review

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial. 
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Last week, I babbled on and on about the benefits of vitamin c serum. I even backed it up with multiple sources, including here, here, and even here, to name just a few. I ended my babble fest with a review of one of the many of hundreds of vitamin c serums out there. After all.. since they know that it's the current hot shit, every single skincare line on the planet is going to hop on the vitamin c serum bandwagon. Every. Single. One of them.

Today I'm going to review another #vitamincserum by Day by Day Beauty.  Being the skin product junkie that I am, the first thing I noticed about this serum is its texture- thin and watery. When applying , definitely make sure that you put it in the palm of your hand instead of the top of your hand, as you will def be wasting product. Come to think of it, these guys were nice enough to provide me with a separate cap, as well as a pump top. So, you messy beauty application people have the option of applying the product directly with a cotton round or the like (though I don't like to do this, as it wastes product. And, you need the product more than your cotton does, dontcha). Also, unlike the previous serum I tried, this one doesn't have any fragrance. Which can be nice, if you're sensitive to scents.

After applying this product, I did feel a super mild tingle. THE tingle that I've heard so much about when using vitamin c serums. I was actually almost disappointed that I didn't feel it at all with my previous vitamin c serum, but I swear, I did with this one. But its a good tingle, because you feel the vitamin c doing its awesome, exfoliating, glowifying, anti-aging job, and that is just awesome! Super boo to looking our ages, right?!

I also compared ingredients between this serum and my previously reviewed vitamin c serum. While there do share some common key ingredients (witch hazel, plant derived hyaluronic acid, aloe leaf), there were also some interesting differences in the two. For example.. the first ingredient of this product? Agua (psssssst!- that's water for you non-Spanish speaking, people. You're welcome). Yep, the first ingredient of this product is water. Not a good sign in the esthetician world. While a little bit of water is often seen somewhere in the ingredient list, seeing that as the first ingredient and and and we know that ingredients go in order from highest percentage to least, we know that this product is.. gulp-- watered down.

But okay, maybe that sounds too harsh. While it cannot be denied that the first ingredient is water (I'm even nice enough to prove it to you skeptics that I'm providing you with the ingredient pic link here), there are also some pretty cool ingredients that stand out in this particular vitamin c serum. Such as.......

- Gotu kola: Oh, this lovely herb. So many uses, but that's getting off topic. Used topically on the
      skin, my homeboy heals wounds and evens skin tone. Also, it's an anti-inflammatory.

- Horsetail plant: strengthens connective tissues, fades fine lines

- Geranium extract: Tightens skin

- Dandelion extract- Astringent, detoxifies --> anti-blemish

These key ingredients, in a nutshell, work together to brighten and tone the skin, while ridding it of nasty little breakouts. Pretty awesome. The conclusion? This vitamin c serum is quite different from the previous vitamin c serum that I reviewed. This one is odorless and feels more potent. Interestingly enough, the main ingredient is water, so one would think that its less potent..stranger things have happened. This product also has some pretty bad ass ingredients in it. What it really comes down to, my friends, is preference. Are you the type of person that can't stand any fragrance whatsoever? Really into the above ingredients in your products? Well, then, go for it. You need to jump on the vitamin c bangwagon eventually anyway... don't you?

These people really, really love their Day by Day Beauty vitamin c serum. Wanna love it too? Buy it here.

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I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Saucy Skincare Review: Valentia "Even Glow" Vitamin C Serum

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial. 
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Vitamin C serums... like I mentioned in my previous post, vitamin c serums are one of the hottest ingredient trends currently in the beauty industry. Now, we all know what vitamin c does, right? ... or do we just know that its yummy and in citrus fruits and is, apparently, really goddamn good for you.. after all, its a vitamin, so knowing that its good for you is a no-brainer. But, what exactly does it do for your skin?

Well well well. Lucky for you, I'm a total nerd. So much that I honestly and truly really do love researching skincare ingredients and what they do for your skin. So, I start by simply googling "benefits of vitamin c in skincare" ...and I get almost 3,000,000 results. So yeah, that's that. You can discover the benefits of vitamin C in skincare on beauty / wellness oriented sites, like here, here, and here. Even Dr. Oz believes in the benefits of vitamin c! And, for you huge research nerds like me that need a more reputable, medical oriented source, you can check out the many benefits of vitamin c here, here, and here (though some would debate that WebMD is certainly not a reputable source.. my psychology professors at Suffolk University would definitely not approve of WebMD in any of my research papers, but I do have an NIH research article linked up there too, sooo..)

Okay. So, now that we know that you can find nearly 3,000,000 articles relating to how vitamin c is uber awesome for your skin, let's some it up, shall we?

Vitamin C...

- Protects skin cells from UV related damage
- Strengthens skin's barrier response
- Promotes collagen production
- Reduces inflammation

What this basically means is that topical vitamin c will make you look younger and more radiant. More than consuming 1,000 oranges and cute little clementines will. It will also not only help protect against future environmental damage, but can actually help reverse some of the bad stuff you got going on already (wrinkles, sun spots, acne scarring).

Valentia Skincare was nice enough to send me a bottle of their even glow vitamin c serum to review, so here goes. The first thing that I noticed about their product was the smell. Most vitamin c serums that I've used don't really smell, but this serum actually smells like fresh oranges. A huge plus! The texture is very watery, and the instructions say that you have to shake the bottle before applying since some of the ingredients settle on the bottom. I use about 5 drops for my face and neck every night, though I really need to get into the habit to apply to my decollete as well. The product absorbs pretty quickly too, as serums usually do.

After using this product for a few weeks, I am sad to say that I didn't notice much of a difference in my skin. I know, right?! Skincare FAIL. But, have no fear! Its only been a few weeks. It may need more time to do its magic. Anyway, this is a 20% vitamin c serum. Pretty potent. Plus, remember- almost 3,000,000 google results advocating how awesome vitamin c is for your skin. PLUS it has all sorts of other cool natural ingredients, such as seabuckthorn oil, hyaluronic acid, rosehip oil, green tea extract, and plant stem cells. What's not to love?

Conclusion: Give vitamin C serums a chance, guys. The research is there. This product is packed full of good stuff to the skin, so, though I may not have seen dramatic results instantly, I know that I'm giving my skin some fun-lovin' attention. Oh, and btw, you can expect to see more vitamin c serum reviews in my future. I already have two more on the way ;)

ta da!

 

 I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Matcha: An Uber Potent, Uber Good-For-You Kind-Of Fancy Tea

There are tea people and there are coffee people.. then there are tea enthusiasts. The tea enthusiasts not only probably know what matcha is, but can tell you wayyyyy more about matcha than I can, from different variations and strains to flavors, whatever. I mostly know of matcha tea because I've heard that that is what Starbuck's uses in their green tea latte. 

Either way, matcha is pretty awesome because it's like the king of teas. It's way more potent than regular tea (even regular green tea!) and contains a ton more antioxidants (137 times, actually) than any other form of tea. Matcha comes in a powder form and that is certainly the case with the two different brands I've tried, by Kiss Me Organics and Matcha DNA. 

The cool thing about this coming in powder form is that it makes it that much more versatile than other loose leaf teas. I've been super into smoothies lately, so I throw some matcha powder in my morning breakfast smoothie. I drink it as a latte, with milk and honey, since matcha tends to have a bitter flavor on its own. I even have a friend who makes this amazing matcha green tea lemon shortbread cookies and they are to die for. 

Everyone needs some matcha in their life (and maca, but that's another story, and a future blog entry, I'm sure). You can purchase a 4 oz bag of Kiss Me Organics matcha green tea for $25 on amazon. Alternatively, a 10 oz bag of Matcha DNA's fabulous tea is $24.71. That's almost the same price; however, this size is over double the other brand. I've tried both kinds, and they're both fabulous.

Saucy Skincare Review: Azure Naturals Ultimate Hyaluronic Acid Serum

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial. 
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Hyaluronic acid. Just one of the current, hot items in skincare (along with vitamin c serums and argan oil for skin/hair). So, what do you know about hyaluronic acid? As a licensed esthetician and current nursing student, I know that hyaluronic acid is naturally produced by the skin. It's a little complicated to know exactly how hyaluronic acid works (and super boring), so I'll spare you the nitty gritty details and keep it simple--> hyaluronic acid basically bathes between your skin cells. It provides lubrication in our body (hyaluronic acid is actually also used as an injection for osteoarthritis treatment, as it keeps the joints from smooshing against each other. Betcha didn't know that!) Sounds amazing for our skin, right!? Of COURSE. Unfortunately, as we age, our body produces less and less of that lovely anti-wrinkle magic.

But, have no fear! Hyaluronic acid (which, btw, is not obtained through humans, but, in this case, plant derived) now comes in lovely little serums that can be applied topically to the face and neck. Like this one by Azure Naturals, for example. It has all your key beauty ingredients in it, giving you a nice, potent dose of everything awesome. Check them out below:

- 20% vitamin C (the most common percentage for any vitamin c serum)
- 11% hyaluronic acid (see above, silly)
- Vitamin E (a wonderful fat-soluble antioxidant)
- Ferulic acid (a plant-based antioxidant with antibacterial properties)
- Organic aloe (soothing, healing)
- Amino complex (a nice mix of different amino acids)

...plus a bunch of awesome stuff. For example, no water, no fillers.. no bs! Just uber concentrated, yummy skin goodness :)

The texture of this serum is thin, clear, and absorbs very quickly. I find it best to pat it on the skin right after washing, while the face is still damp. I typically use about two pumps of serum every morning. Since beginning to use this product about three weeks ago, my skin looks more radiant and hydrated. Of course, this does not mean that you don't need to drink as much water- duh. Maintaining beautiful skin contains a lot of components, including a balanced diet and, of course, getting your daily water intake.

#AzureNaturals hyaluronic acid is a great choice for those looking for a wonderful booster for their skin. I love love LOVE that their are no fillers or bullshit in their ingredients- just pure, botanical ingredients formulated to go right into the epidermal layers.

Plus, you can order your Azure Naturals' Ultimate Hyaluronic Anti-Aging Serum right here on good ol' amazon, and its on sale right now for $19.95! Your skin totally deserves it, let's face it (haha.. get it? FACE it? I kill myself!!!)

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I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Turmeric- another one of those magical "super powders," for good reason

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

...and I'm not afraid to say it.

So, turmeric. Curcumin. I'm sure you've heard of these lovely little herbs before. Or... not? See, I'm kind-of one of those holistic / natural / crunchy people. I've taken ayurvedic classes before. I always research herbs to treat "this and that" before I go ahead and take some synthetic crap from the pharmacy. With that being said, I have definitely heard of turmeric before. I've heard of curcumin. They're (it's?) supposed to work wonders.

Okay, a little bit of background info on these bad boys. Curcumin is actually in turmeric. Curcumin is the super potent awesome stuff whose small amounts are in turmeric. Curcumin is the good stuff that's located inside of turmeric.

I guess that means that you should probably have some idea of what turmeric is then, huh. Turmeric is is in the ginger family. It is an herbaceous perennial from Southeast Asia. Since, like, forever, turmeric has been used to treat all sorts of illnesses and yucky stuff. Just check out my links: here, here (ohhhh- cancer.org!), and here, to name just a few. Seriously- do a google search for "turmeric" and your search engine will explode with all sorts of "oooo, turmeric, the cure-all for everything!!" type of links.

And you might roll your eyes. You might thing "yeahhhhh, okay, turmeric.." but you must remember- people have been using it for years for a reason. For everything from bacterial infections to cancer treatments... plus, it's an awesome anti-inflammatory, which makes it great for, like, everything from breakouts (hellloooo, I'm an esthetician, of COURSE I'm going to mention breakouts first- and you KNOW that I've got your attention now) to.. well, anything that causes your skin to get all red and crazy.

Anyway, back to the review. Nutraviva's turmeric curcumin capsules complement my crunchy, but "not really I'm not a hippie, I used to be punk rock, I CAN'T be a hippie" lifestyle because of the following perks: non-GMO (screw those GMOs!). Vegetarian capsules. Plus, it does this thing with the curcumin (remember: the good stuff) that makes it basically easier to absorb into the body- unlike other turmeric capsules that just kinda chill and end up getting excreted in your urine without realllllly doing anything that  good. This stuff doesn't do that- instead, our bodies absorb all the good stuff into our bloodstreams, really putting the stuff to work. I dig it.

I'm a big fan of this product. Since taking it, I basically just felt way healthier, since I am aware of the loads and loads of benefits of turmeric. The only real downfall is that the recommended daily dosage for this product is to take three capsules a day- which is kind-of a lot and hard for me to remember, since I basically just taking my multivitamin and evening primrose (which I highly recommend for all the ladies, btw) in the morning. Now I have to try to remember to take this turmeric business two other times a day. Ah, well, #firstworldproblems.

Anyway, educate yourself. Cancer is outta control, for real. Even you anti-crunchy people out there gotta look out for your health. May as well take some simple steps and consume some uber good-for-you herbs that certainly won't do anything bad  to you anyway, right??

Get your Nutraviva turmeric right hurrrr.
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I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
#Imarketing at its finest

 Well well well.. if it hasn't been forever and a day. I'm starting this blog back up after, well, a really long time. I'm not sure how often I'll update it, or how long this will last, BUT in the meantime I'm going to start "poco a poco," little by little.. so, we'll start by posting a few product reviews.

I know, SO boring, right!? Whatever, I got free shit and you'll read my honest opinion. PLUS, you know I'm a huge beauty product junkie, so.. #win.