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Ilia The Necessary Eyeshadow Palette Review + Swatches

February 10, 2020 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Ilia Beauty is a brand of makeup and skincare that I’ve been investigating lately. I really love their concept of delivering clean beauty with high-impact colors. Their products have been hitting Instagram and so far, I’ve only heard and seen really good things about their stuff.

I was particularly interested in their clean eyeshadow palettes because I really love the cohesiveness of the colors in each of the compacts even though so far, they’ve only released two eyeshadow palettes which cater to those with warm or cool skin undertones. Also, clean eyeshadows are very important especially for those who tend to react or are sensitive to non-clean ones. However, most of the clean eyeshadows I’ve tried in the past tend to lack good pigments and staying power.

These Ilia eyeshadows are talc-free, sulfate-free, SLS/SLES-free, paraben-free, formaldehyde-free, cruelty-free, etc. Also, they are vegan and their packaging is recyclable. The texture of each shade is quite velvety because it contains Jojoba Seed oil. Each compact contains six shades that are a mixture of nude and neutral tones together with deeply pigmented colors, while the finishes are a mix of mattes to mildly shimmery ones.

The Necessary Eyeshadow Palette (0.05 oz: 38 USD)

Cool Nude – This may be made for those with cool skin undertones, but anyone with neutral or warm undertone can pull this off as well.

Warm Nude – The shades of these remind me a lot of Urban Decay’s Naked Heat, but with cleaner ingredients.

I definitely think that these Ilia eyeshadows are not your typical basic neutral eyeshadows. They may be on the neutral side but their colors are definitely dramatic and highly-pigmented. Their lasting power is really good considering that they’re made of clean ingredients, and on top of that, there is no fallout. So far, I’m very impressed with these.

I happen to have a sample of Ilia’s Liquid Light Serum Highlighter in Nova (0.5 oz: 42 USD) which is a soft gold shimmer. There is a lot of buzz about this gel highlighter lately and that’s because this highlighter is really wonderful and totally versatile. The consistency of this is actually quite creamy, thus, making this very easy to blend on the skin. There are a lot of ways you can use this highlighter. First, you can use this as a basic all-around highlighter where you can highlight the high-points of your face. Second, you can mix this with your favorite foundation and customize your glow. Third, you can use this as a lid topper, and last but not the least, you can use this on the collarbone, shoulder, and everywhere on the upper body for maximum highlighting effect. What I also love about this highlighter is its lasting power and its good adherence to the skin which can pretty much last the whole day. On top of that, this highlighter is also made of clean ingredients.

The Ilia brand of beauty and skincare has very good high-quality products that don’t compromise color impact and saturation while being made of clean and natural ingredients. I find this brand to be very promising and I hope they will keep making more exciting clean beauty and skincare products soon.

Have you tried this brand already? What are your favorite clean beauty brands?

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Youth To The People. The Youth Minis Kit Review

September 11, 2019 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Ever since having tried and being impressed at the YTTP Superfood Cleanser, I felt like I needed to check out what other products this brand offers. It seems like Youth To The People (interesting name, huh?) is one of those brands that does clean skincare very very well and is also very innovative at it. Therefore, I decided that the best way to get a first impression of some of their bestsellers is to try their limited edition The Youth Minis Kit (48 USD).

This kit contains five of YTTP’s favorites/bestsellers, and they are made with the concept of being vegan, gluten-free, cruelty-free and overall made of clean ingredients. Speaking of ingredients, these products are mostly based on our superfoods, so they’re great for all skin types. Also, the minis in this kit come in clear glass packagings that are recyclable and I love their minimalistic/simplistic design.

Here now are my thoughts about these products.Superfood Antioxidant Cleanser: This cleanser is the first I’ve tried from YTTP. I’ve got several samples of this a couple of months ago and had enjoyed it so much. It’s one of those cleansers that you know you’re going to keep as soon as you first lather it on your face. One of my first impressions of it was the fact that it smells soooo good, so clean, and it just feels so nice. It’s got a good blend of kale and spinach that smells vegan and fresh. It’s so lightweight and it foams well, so it feels overall clean on the skin. It won’t strip any of the natural oil on the face, so no worries about being very drying at all. My oily-prone skin loves this and I’m sure anybody can use this. I think this cleanser should be a keeper.

Superberry Hydrate + Glow Oil: This oil also smells divine. Like fresh sweet berries you just can’t get enough of. It isn’t sticky and it doesn’t feel heavy on the face. It actually feels more like a dry oil and just a few drops of this can give you that instant glow from within. Also, this doesn’t irritate my skin and I love to apply this either at night or in the morning to lock in skin moisture.

Superfood Hyaluronic Acid (Air-Whip) Moisturizer: This has a nice, fresh, light scent that is quite similar to the YTTP Superfood Cleanser. This moisturizer may be light but it packs on moisture. My skin absorbs this easily and it keeps it moisturized all throughout the day. I never had any irritation issue with this so far, like some reviewers mentioned. I do think that this is a very nice option as an everyday face moisturizer.

Adaptogen Deep Moisture Cream: With Ashwagandha and Reishi as some of its ingredients, this cream is meant to calm and soothe sensitive or irritated skin, while delivering intense moisture at the same time. Upon my first impression, I did notice that this cream does not have any scent and it does feel very creamy on the skin. I feel like I could also use this cream everyday or I could use this whenever my skin suffers a breakout or any irritation.

Superberry Hydrate + Glow Dream Mask: This is probably my second or could be third (Glow Oil) favorite product from YTTP. This mask contains antioxidants and Vitamin C as some of its main ingredients and it smells really really good, apart from being so creamy and moisturizing. This coats the skin and makes it feel smooth, well-hydrated, and plump. This works best if used overnight and I must tell you, this yellow-toned moisture-rich cream is so addicting to use.

Overall, I feel like I could switch most of my favorite skincare products to this line. YTTP really makes clean skincare products that work great for all skin types, and since clean skincare seems to be the thing nowadays (which is really what we should all be going for hopefully), I believe you guys should really try something from this brand, if you haven’t already.

Are you into clean skincare as well?

This Youth to the People Minis Kit is currently available at Sephora

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Samaya Skincare Kapha Hydrating Cleanser & Anti-Ageing Cream Review

July 24, 2019 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Hey guys. A few months ago, I talked about one of my favorite skincare finds that caters to natural and clean ingredients – the Samaya Skincare. Apart from creating products that blend the benefit of nature, they’re also based on Ayurvedic principles. You can read more about their background and skincare principles in my previous review HERE. In that review, I mentioned that my Dosha and overall skin constitution totally belongs to the Kapha range. The products in the Kapha range mostly have a nice soothing earthy scent and they work really well in restoring the natural balance of my skin. Recently, I had a chance to try the Kapha Anti-Ageing Cream and the Hydrating Cleanser. Here are my thoughts.

Kapha Anti-Ageing Cream (50 ml: £89) – This moisturizer has a lightweight feel with a soothing earthy scent. It feels very spa-like and it goes on creamy. The packaging is in a thick glass and it’s very easy to use. I love that my skin absorbs this easily and it leaves no sticky residue nor any whitish film. I don’t find the scent obtrusive at all and it’s actually quite relaxing. For my oily-prone skin, this works really well in maintaining its moisture and it doesn’t exacerbate the oiliness. For me, this is just what I need as a perfect everyday moisturizer because its consistency feels just right, that is, not too thick and not too thin. On top of that, it really makes my skin supple to the touch. Some of its main ingredients are Aloe Leaf Extract, Vitamin E, Ashwagandha Root Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, and Sandalwood Oil to mention a few.

Kapha Hydrating Cleanser (100 ml: £70.80) – The first thing that came to mind when I first tried this cleanser was how hydrating this cleanser felt. It is probably one of the most moisturizing and creamiest cleansers I’ve ever tried, and it’s just what I needed from a skin-drying long-hour flight. My skin suffers from blotchiness and dry spots whenever I’m on the plane too long, and also when I’m adjusting to my destination’s climate, air quality, and weather/temperature. It’s often during these times that I think a nice creamy cleanser will do the job in bringing back hydration to my skin. Oh well, thank goodness I think I now have a creamy cleanser to love. This Samaya Kapha Hydrating Cleanser will not only be good for my long-haul flights, but I can also see a lot of usage of this product in the coming Winter when my skin will get very dry. Additionally, this cleanser gently removes makeup and it works for sensitive or even oily skin, but if you tend to have dry skin, then this product is definitely meant for you.

This creamy cleanser comes in a tall, slim, heavy, glass bottle and its pump has been recently redesigned. In this review, I received the old pump design but I never really had a dispensing issue from it. Some of its ingredients are Turmeric Root Oil (Anti-inflammatory/Antioxidant), Saccharide Isomerate (lasting hydration), Gotu Koala Oil (stimulates collagen production), Sandalwood Oil (softening) and so much more.

Overall, these two all-natural Ayurvedic products from the Samaya Kapha range of skincare are very well-done and they both deserve to be a staple in everyone’s daily skincare routine simply because they truly deliver and their ingredients are fab.

For more information about the Samaya Ayurveda Skincare, please visit their website samayaayurveda.com

* Products provided by Samaya Ayurveda Skincare. The reviews, photos, and opinions herein are solely mine.