More Anti-Aging Gems: A Review of La Deesa's 2.5% Retinol Serum and 72% Peptide Eye Serum

Say you're super into anti-aging. Like, it is the one single thing that you want to focus on with your skin. Anti-aging, anti-aging, anti-aging. 

Now, say that you can only use two products on your skin... okay, maybe three. What would those three products be that truly target anti-aging? 

I know that my three would DEFINITELY include the following (and I think most people would choose the same.. at least, I hope so!) : 

1) Retinol 

2) Eye treatment

3) Sunscreen

Lucky for us, the La Deesa folk bangs out two out of three of those products by gracing us with their 2.5% retinol serum, as well as their 72% organic peptide eye serum. Voila!

Let's start with their retinol serum. This bad boy not only contains a 2.5% concentration of retinol, but also includes a concentration of 10% hyaluronic acid to help plump and hydrate the skin. In addition, it also includes jojoba oil, aloe vera, vitamin e, green tea... in fact, here's the full ingredients list: 

Organic Herbal Infusion, Organic Aloe (Barbadensis Leaf), Cassia Angustifolia Seed Polysaccharide (botanical hyaluronic acid), Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel), Pentylene Glycol, Phospholipids, Retinol, Polysorbate 20, Potassium Phosphate, Hydroxyethyl Cellulose, Carrageenan Gum, Organic Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba Oil), Triticum Vulgare (Wheat Germ Oil), Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Organic Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea), Wildcrafted Resina Propoli (Propolis), Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Ethyl Hexyl Glycerin.

I love the super hydrating ingredients, as well as the antioxidants in this product. In addition, this has  witch hazel in it, which helps fight blemishes. Yay!

This product is your basic serum. It's odorless and comes in a glass, amber-colored bottle. I don't have to use that much to cover my entire face after cleansing and toning. I like to put it on when my face is still just slightly damp- I'm a huge sucker for saving product and, by applying while slightly damp, the product glides on the skin better.. meaning that less product is needed. 

You can purchase a 1 oz bottle of La Deesa's 2.5% retinol serum on amazon for $19.95.

La Deesa's eye peptide serum is also $19.95- but this stuff will last way, way, wayyyy longer, since it's just for the eye area. 

Plus, this stuff doesn't flake, like other eye serums I have tried!

I personally am becoming a bigger and bigger fan of eye serums. I like to use them as an extra anti-aging fighter, applying under an eye cream, day and night. It's like an extra "oomph." And, since serums are typically more concentrated, I know that I'm giving my eye area plenty of hydration and beauty attention. 

La Deesa's eye serum contains loads of anti-aging ingredients, such as vitamin e, green tea.. and the most potent ingredient, an "herbal infusion," consisting of geranium, gotu kola, dandelion, and horsetail. Here's the full ingredients on this guy: 

Organic Herbal Infusion ((Organic Gotu Kola, Organic Horsetail, Wildcrafted Dandelion and Wild Geranium), Organic Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Aloe Vera), Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel), Cassia Angustifolia Seed Polysaccharide (botanical hyaluronic acid), Hydroxyethyl Cellulose, Carrageenan Gum, Kosher Vegetable Glycerin, Silk Amino Acid Complex (Sodium L-Pyrrolidone Carboxylate, Sodium Lactate, LArginine, L-Aspartic Acid, L-Pyrrolidonecarboxylic Acid, Glycine, L-Alanine, L-Serine, L-Valine, L-Proline, L-threonine, L-Isoleucine, L-Histidine, L-Phenylalanine), Organic Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba Oil), Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Ethyl Hexyl Glycerin.

This product really will last you months and months. I use about half of a pump for each application, which I dab under and above my eye (I've even been trying to get in the habit of applying this slightly above my browbone as well, as I've been reading more about the benefits of doing this). It's a great investment to look a bit younger! 

You can purchase a 1 oz bottle of La Deesa's peptide eye serum on amazon right here.

GoPure Naturals Youth Glow Eye Gel: A Review

Using a specialized product for the eye area is so essential. I've been using an eye cream since I was 24 and I actually sort-of wish I started earlier. You see, the skin around the eyes is super thin- one of the thinnest areas on the entire body. Plus, its constantly being exposed to sun and environmental toxins. PLUS, we're always abusing our eye muscles by squinting in the sun (we do it WAY more often than we think, I promise you). All of these things make it crazy important to protect the eye area using a product formulated especially for the eye area, since it needs something different than the rest of our body.

GoPure Naturals' sent me a bottle of their youth glow eye gel to review. GoPure claims that this product will decrease eye puffiness, as well as diminish dark circles and wrinkles. These are pretty common claims for any eye treatments. The question is, what makes this product stand out?

You all know that I am obsessed with my ingredients. Skincare ingredients are the same as food ingredients- you need to know what's in them so you know how nutritious and natural it is. Same thing.

Here's what's going on in this little package:

     • Matrixyl 3000 - A powerfully effective combination of two top anti wrinkle peptides making eyes look years younger by dramatically reducing appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

     • Plant Stem Cells - Deliver unique anti-aging effect. Reduce micro-inflammations and redness, evening-out the complexion and enhancing skin's translucency and radiance.

     • Hyaluronic Acid (Vegan) - known natural ingredient for dramatically reducing the appearance of wrinkles

     • Other ingredients: Jojoba Oil, Vegan Hyaluronic Acid, Amino Acid Blend, Wildcrafted Periwinkle, Organic Licorice, Wild Crafted Eye Bright, Wild Crafted Reishi, Organic Gotu Kola, Vitamin E

So, there you have it. I will say that licorice is often used to help lighten and even out skin tone. So, this can help with hyperpigmentation around the eye area, as well as diminish those awful dark circles. All the other ingredients listed are chock full of antioxidants, vitamins, and hydrating oils and components to really hydrate.

Upon using this product, I first noticed the smell... that familiar smell of CUCUMBER that are in so many eye gels I have used. I love this smell, it's so clean and refreshing! Plus, cucumber is known for it's soothing properties and help decrease puffiness (haven't you heard about placing cucumbers on puffy eyes? Duh!).

The texture of the product isn't bad either. It's not super duper thick, but its not watery thin. Upon using this product, the skin around my eyes immediately felt tighter. However, this makes me nervous for the awful flakiness I have discovered that many eye gels do. Makes sense- as the eye gel dries, you can literally see and feel the tightness. So, it tends to move around when more product is added on top of it. I hate that part...

After using this product for a few weeks, I have to say that I haven't noticed a dramatic difference in my skin's dark circles / puffiness. It doesn't feel a bit more hydrated; but, nothing special. Either way, there are some lovely ingredients in this product and, at $14.74 for a 0.5 ounce bottle, you can't really go wrong. Give it a shot!

The Luxury of Beauty Oils: A Review of Beautyoils.co's Camellia Oil

Let me tell you, I have been dying to try one of the many oils by Beautyoils.co. It's all these guys sell- various oils for, well, duh.. beauty! Hemp seed oil, pomegranate oil, you name it. So, when they sent me a bottle of their camellia oil to check out, ya best bet I was nothing less than PUMPED.

I've heard of camellia oils, flowers, and extracts as an ingredient in many moisturizers and face masks, but I've never actually used a camellia oil before. Furthermore, I didn't know all that much about camellia oil. I just know that I sorta mix it up with chamomile (they're two completely different things).

Camellia oil comes from the beautiful flower of the same name. Native to Japan, the Japanese initially starting using this as a cooking oil. Eventually, they began to notice the many beauty benefits this oil holds. It's rich in omega 9, polyphenols, vitamins, and plant proteins. Furthermore, the molecular structure of this gorgeous oil is similar to the skin, making it very easy to penetrate and absorb- without clogging the pores.

I love Beautyoils.co's simple yet chic label design- see the pic below. Every one of their fancy little numbers come in a bottle that looks exactly like this. No bullshit, all pure. Love it. Plus, their camellia oil is cold pressed, making it less processed and 100% camellia. The only thing I dislike is that this 1 oz bottle actually comes in plastic. It is dark amber, which is important to prevent early spoilage- however, plastic is more porous.

Either way, I do like this stuff. Beautyoils.co encourage its customers to either use the oil straight, or mix it up with a few other oils to create your own little beauty oil- how fun! Love this idea. I've been experimenting with a few different varieties, mixing a few drops of the camellia oil with grapeseed oil and rosehip oil. I apply this concoction to my face and neck every night and wake up with the most luxurious glow! Also, beautyoils.co offers their oils in a variety of sizes, making it super convenient and basically like a one-stop shop to create your own DIY beauty oil lab. ::drool.

Overall, I love this product and I am so excited to try other oils by beautyoils.co- the pomegranate and hemp seed oils are on the top of my list.

You can purchase a 1 oz bottle of beautyoils.co's camellia oil for only $9.95 right here.