Friday, January 16, 2015

Current Skincare Routine.

Like most things in my life, I like to change up my skin care routine every once in a while. I feel like your skin kind of becomes used to the way things are when you do the same thing for too long. (Kind of like exercising, your body gets used to your routine and it stops being effective) And I recently received some new products to test out, so I thought what better time to switch things up and let you guys know how its going for my (very picky) skin.

As Ive mentioned about a hundred times before in previous posts, my skin is pretty oily and prone to breakouts and blemishes. Not many products Ive tried actually help keep my skin clear and oil free.. So I like to try out a lot of different combinations of products to see what helps and what doesnt.
For the past month or so Ive been using these new products I had never really heard of before from a company called Malibu C. Their products are all 100% vegan and preservative-free. Which for me is huge! I love all natural cruelty free and vegan products, and I try to use them as often as I possibly can. Ive been a vegetarian for 7 years and an animal lover all my life, so vegan products will always be my first choice when possible!

"These products also contain the most innovative, free-radical-fighting, crystalized vitamin-technologies imaginable and effectively remove damaging environmental impurities, specifically those hidden in our water. These impurities diminish the vitality of both hair and skin but through Malibu C's powerful patented vitamin complex, we are able to gently remove damaging toxins and unwanted residue. As a result, hair becomes shinier and full of life while skin appears smoother, softer and more luminous."

When I first opened the box, all of the products had little plastic sleeves on them. Which
I thought was so cool! You wouldnt believe how many products Ive received in the mail that had leaked all over the box. So this kind of helps keep all of the stuff from oozing all over everything. They also all had those sticker things on the opening under the lid to keep them from leaking. But, as usual with my luck, the cleanser had a crack along the seam where the lid is, so that one still leaked a bunch. And I have to rest it against something upside down so it doesnt fall over and leak all of the product out. Which really sucks!!

The cleanser is the Malibu C Purifi Facial Cleanser. This cleanser is free of sulfates and is packed with antioxidants. It effectively removes makeup, even waterproof mascara, and cleans your skin leaving you with a clean and clear complexion!
As for the product itself, I really like the cleanser. It does a relatively good job at keeping my skin clean and clear, I also noticed it does control the oil pretty well throughout the day. Its by no means a miracle product. But Ive accepted the fact that I will never have perfect skin, and just finding products that control the breakouts and oil is basically what I have to do. And I think this is a pretty good product to do that for me! It might be a little pricey for some people in comparison to other products..but its almost on par with other higher end products. Actually a little cheaper than the Murad cleaner I often use. It will run you around $15 bucks for a 3.4 oz. squeeze bottle or $40 for the 16 oz. bottle with pump.

I also got to check out the Exfoliant Facial Scrub. Which btw, I love facial scrubs! They are one of my favorite facial products. I love how smooth and soft your face feels after a nice exfoliating scrub. So, this scrub actually uses finely crushed almond meal to exfoliate. So its a much finer texture than a lot of other scrubs, which Im not sure if that makes it work better or worse. Ive honestly only used the scrub probably twice since Ive got it, and thats really only because Ive been trying to use up another scrub I have. I did really like the way my skin felt after using it though. This one is a bit more expensive than the cleanser, however. Its $20 for the 3.4 oz. and $60 for 16 oz. A bit more than Im comfortable spending on a scrub, especially when Ive used an all natural product for less than half that price that I felt exfoliated better.. But thats just my preference!

After cleansing my face I like to use a serum on any break outs I have. And the serum Im now using is the Acne C Wellness Serum. Ive been using a serum from Murad for years, and I never really saw amazing effects. But this one I saw my breakouts clearing up the very next day! They obviously werent completely gone, but they were noticeably smaller. This serum is unlike any Ive used before. It actually comes in 2 parts, the serum bottle and a tube of activating crystals. When youre ready to use it you just pour the crystals into the bottle and shake it up. It says optimum results when used within 30 days of activation when stored at room temp, but you can store it in the fridge for up to 12 months. And I think that is so cool and very convenient because I only use a little bit at a time, and often dont use a whole tube or bottle in one month. It costs about $40 for a 30 mL bottle. (which according to my/google's calculations is just over 1 oz.) And its around $16 for .5 oz. of the Murad spot treatment I used before this, so for me its worth the money because it works much better!

And lastly, of course, I finish off my routine with a moisturizer. Like I said I have pretty oily skin, and most moisturizers just make my skin produce a crap ton of oil. But I also get dry spots around my mouth/chin and eyes, especially in the winter. (That often means I have to use 2 different products in different areas of my face) So Im trying out the Vital-Creme from Malibu C, which is for problematic sensitive skin. It is light weight , oil free and moisturizing. And that is often hard to find all in one product! Honestly, my only complaint -that isnt even really a complaint- with this moisturizer is the cap is a screw off cap rather than a pop top, as I call them, which really isnt a big deal at all its just odd to me that all of the other products (including the body lotion) are pop tops, but the face moisturizers are screw off. Other than that I really like it. It does bring out the oil a little quicker than when I use no moisturizers, but not too much that its shiny, slick and unbearable. And its worth it to have moisturized, healthy skin if you ask me! However, that of course comes at a price! It is $40 for 3.4 oz or a whopping $110 for the 16 oz. So, needless to say, I will probably not be buying this again..

All together I really enjoyed all of the Malibu C products that I received and I would love to make them my new go-to brand, but theyre just a little over my price range for all of the products. I could definitely see myself repurchasing the cleanser and the serum, but the other products I could really do without.

To check out these and all other Malibu C products go to MalibuC.com. And feel free to like them on facebook and follow them on twitter.

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Stay beautiful.
xoxo