I have wanted to sit down and write a review for this product for several weeks now, and it’s been killing me that I haven’t physically been able to.  My arm is feeling a little better today so I figured I better jump on it!  When I first read about the new Boscia Luminizing Black Mask, I thought—WHAT ON EARTH?  It’s literally black in color and it stays that way the entire time it’s on your face, so I was very intrigued.  You know what they say about how curiosity killed the cat?  Only this time my curiosity yielded much better results.

This is a unique mineral-rich peel-off facial mask, and the first of it’s kind from the Japanese skincare line—known for their preservative-free and botanically based product formulas.  The purpose of the product is to help refine the look of pores and reveal a bright and smooth complexion after peeling off.  Let’s take a closer look!

The product dispenses from a tube, and you might be shocked by it’s appearance and texture.  Montmorillonite clay contains 67 beneficial minerals and contributes to it’s unique color.  The “feel” of the mask in it’s liquid form is a thick and gooey glue-like texture.

When applying the mask, I have to make sure I apply it in a thick, even layer.  Here, I have it on the back of my hand—but the first time I used it, I didn’t have it coated very evenly on my face which made it a little bit difficult to peel off completely.  You can clearly see with the camera’s flash where the product wasn’t applied as thick as it was in other spots.  You might wish to keep this in mind with your first use in order to achieve the full “peel-off” experience.

It takes about 15 minutes to dry completely on my face, and it dries down to a shiny, rubbery appearance.  I have no experience with liquid latex, but for some reason the sight of my face made me think I had painted my face with it!  It could take a little bit longer to dry on your skin, depending on your climate and how thick you apply your mask.  For illustrative purposes, this thin layer on the back of my hand took 10 minutes to dry before I peeled it off.

I’ve spared everyone the horror I witness after I peel the mask off of my own face, it’s almost like I can see impressions of every single little hole left behind from all of my ginormous pores!  There’s a completely fascinating “eww!” factor involved with this product for sure.  Instead, you can check out all of the lines on the back of my hand (I guess I need to invest time in more frequent moisturizing/sunscreen on the back of my left hand as well).

Results: I will say that while it does not remove all of the debris that’s clogging up my pores in one shot, there are often a few spots visible on the mask after I remove and carefully inspect it (of course!) that are indicitive of the trapped sebum and gunk that plague my complexion.  I’m happy to bid that junk adieu!  My skin definitely feels softer and smoother after use too.  I’ve come pretty close to removing the mask in one piece by starting at my forehead, babying it around my temples, and then pulling down very carefully—and each time I use it I challenge myself with how few pieces I can remove it in, the least is two.  It’s kinda fun in my own demented way!

Words of caution: I’ve experienced a few ouchie-dance moments when I’ve applied it too close to my hairline and I ended up pulling some of those baby hairs while peeling it off, and let’s just say that wasn’t fun.  I definitely recommend being mindful of the peach fuzz on the sides of your face too.  This mask definitely adheres to the skin and causes some pulling when removing it, so I wouldn’t recommend applying it to any peeling or broken skin.

Boscia Black Luminizing Mask (2.8 oz) retails for $34 and is available at Sephora and Sephora.com

Take the quiz: What Does Your Skin Really Need?

An editorial sample was provided by the company and evaluated to determine my opinion of the product in this post.  Please see the Disclosures page for further information regarding my policies for using editorial samples.

I recently had the pleasure of learning all about Four Truffles, a brand which I found truly impressive!  While this line of skin therapeutic, argan oil-infused, and natural organic bath & body products is completely worthy of a dedicated review (which is coming), I wanted introduce everyone to the real beauty behind the brand first…

Quite an impressive accomplishment all on it’s own, Four Truffles was recently awarded with the Ladies’ Home Journal “Do Good” Award, for being a company that cares.  Steeped rich in philanthropy, this female-owned and operated company is all about giving back.  In addition to donating 10% of their profits to women’s and children’s causes, Four Truffles sources their high quality sustainable ingredients from female-owned cooperatives in Morocco and West Africa.  Which in turn, contributes to putting the women in those cooperatives one step closer towards self-sufficiency.  One of their current causes is Bridges of Hope, and Four Truffles founder Ana Soriano is also dedicated to continuing the efforts to help provide relief for the people of Haiti.  Sadly, it’s not something we hear much about anymore–even though the needs there are still very real.

If you like getting warm fuzzies knowing that you’re contributing to the bigger picture with your beauty purchases and/or want to experience how incredible these indigenous high-quality ingredients can make your skin feel, this would be a brand to watch.  Four Truffles is definitely a “do good” brand!

It seems like slapping “Brazilian” in front of the name of a beauty treatment instantly makes it the hot new thing, like– has anyone had a Brazilian Blowout yet?  And we all know what a Brazilian wax is!  This whole Brazilian thing isn’t necessarily a bad thing, I mean have you ever tried Brazilian cuisine?  I’d love to visit an authentic churrascaria to enjoy delicious Portuguese barbecue any day of the week, and bring on the arroz carreteiro too!  Case in point, there were high hopes that this Brazilian Peel would rock.

This product isn’t for everyone, so let’s talk about who this will be great for:

The ideal candidate…

… has aging skin that is dull in texture and tone, and might even have some sun damage and acne scarring.

… isn’t happy with the strength of other over-the-counter peel products they’ve tried in the past because they just weren’t “strong enough” to deliver the results they wanted to see.

… doesn’t have overly sensitive skin!

Now with that out of the way, The Brazilian Peel is a 30% glycolic peel enriched with acai (that’s 5x stronger than most doctor-endorsed glycolic products) for deeper, longer, stronger, and fast-acting results!  It has been clinically proven by Advanced Home Actives that you’ll start seeing visibly brighter, smoother, softer, and more firm skin after just 1 use!

Here’s what I can speak to on that since I completed my first treatment last Thursday:

Quite possibly, the most difficult part of using this peel (for me) was figuring out how to make the applicator work!  I had a true dunce moment for a second because apparently I have issues with following directions.  After it was working–the plunger pushed out the contents of both tubes.  At that point, the product meets in the palm of your hand and immediately starts producing warmth as the peel is activated.

I applied the contents on my freshly cleansed, dry skin and was so surprised at the bite this peel had.  I LOVE a peel with major bite, call it some kind of sick torture I force myself to endure!  On a scale of 1-10, I would say this was about a 6.5 in terms of burn, but it was truly just a few seconds before it cooled down as this peel buffers itself with a built-in neutralizer.  After sitting for 10 minutes, I rinsed it off with cool water and then applied my nighttime moisturizer.  My skin was instantly brighter and felt smoother, but I think the evidence was clear the next morning when I woke up.  My face had the brightness and clarity that can only be achieved after a facial and I was very impressed.

When I purchased this from Sephora at the tune of $78, I was hesitant because it’s the equivalent of $19.50 a tube and I don’t know about you, but I can’t exactly use a 20 spot as a washcloth if you get my drift.  I’ve purchased peels that are just as expensive, if not more–but I received more than four uses out of them.  But then again, they weren’t as aggressive as this and trust me… you wouldn’t want to do this more than once a week!  The only side-effect I had was some very minor peeling on the top of my nose, and it’s evident that it just needed to come off anyway.  I’m already eager to follow up with week 2 this Thursday, I can only imagine the de-gunking that will be taking place!

If you’re suffering from lackluster skin that needs a boost and you crave the burn that a potent peel delivers, the Brazilian Peel is likely for you.  This will increase your skin’s sun sensitivity, so the use of sunscreen is a must as with the use of all AHAs.

Check out more anti-aging skincare product reviews

My pal Dilara is definitely the most environmentally responsible friend I have.  She even makes her own laundry detergent!  She’s also a natural product aficionado, so who better to review the Bioelements All Things Pure line?  Here’s the skinny:

I recycle. I eat locally-grown produce and meat. I was bringing my own bags to the grocery store before it was fashionable. I’ve been known to smear an avocado on my face for the sake of beauty. Needless to say, when I got a hold of Bioelements All Things Pure line, I couldn’t wait to try it!

The Bioelements All Things Pure line is certified by the Natural Products Association. That means each of these products meets the standards for natural ingredients, safety, responsibility and sustainability. While some beauty products boast about not testing on animals, these guys go above and beyond that by vowing not to use artificial colorants or synthetic fragrances. They also package their items in glass bottles instead of plastic which is much more environmentally friendly and protects the longevity of the product. The box itself outlines the ingredients one by one along with a description of its beauty benefits.  And get this—all the products have about 12 ingredients or less. With so many scary stories you hear in the beauty industry, it makes me feel good to know that I know what I am putting on my face each day.

Very rarely do I find an entire line where I find all the products are to my liking. I’ll be honest–the cleanser didn’t seem like much to me at first glance, but after one use I was a believer. It not only removed the day’s dirt but it took off my eye make up too! My favorite product in the line was the Eye Oil.  For my desert of a face, this stuff was a much-welcomed oasis. Make sure you only use this one at night though. As the name states, it is oil so if you try to put eye make-up on afterwards it will slide right off! One pump gives you much more oil than you need for both of your eyes so I would massage the extra on the rest of my face or my neck. But then one night I had an epiphany and rubbed it into my cuticles. Hello hands!  Following it up is the luscious moisturizer with just the perfect amount of weight to it. My only qualm is you would need to pair the moisturizer with an SPF or only wear it at night since it does not contain any sun protection. Bioelements also has a scrub included in the line that does a great job of exfoliating. However, even though it is gentle, I would suggest only using it once a week.

Whether you are looking for a product that is natural or environmentally-friendly—or both—this is a great skin care line. Even if you aren’t to the point where you bring your own bags to the supermarket, I am sure you will appreciate pure, honest products that are effective.

Check out more eco-friendly beauty product reviews

An editorial sample was provided by the company and evaluated to determine my opinion of the product in this post.  Please see the Disclosures page for further information regarding my policies for using editorial samples.

There’s some exciting news in Beauty Junkie land!  Readers of Woman’s World will spy a few quotes from yours truly on suggestions for affordable, yet effective facial masks.  Check out page 44 in the May 10th issue on newsstands now for the beauty masks that made the cut!

Exfoliating before using a self-tanning product is an essential step if you want to ensure a streak-free application with even color development.  I have to admit, it’s pretty tempting to skip in the essence of time!  What’s even worse is when you take the time to exfoliate before sunless tanning and your skin is coated in an oily residue which ends up botching up your efforts.  Talk about watching all of your hard work go down the drain!  Don’t get me wrong, I love the way my skin feels after an intense scrub with a little bit of oil left behind to soothe and hydrate my dry skin, but before tanning–not so much.  In search of a better way to exfoliate prior to self-tanning minus the oil slick, Kristin and I tried out a few products to see if they were good candidates for the job.  Here’s what we discovered:

• Honeycat Cosmetics Calypso Kitty Pineapple Scrub

I wanted nothing more than to taste this incredible body treat, it smells divine!  Even though there are carrot and rice bran oils in the mix, Calypso Kitty absorbed right into my skin after use.  With pineapple, mango, passion fruit, and coconut blended with dead sea salt, this is one of the drier salt scrubs I’ve used and it rocked.

• Ole Henriksen Loofah Body Scrub

I chose this one because of it’s different texture–the gentle abrasive quality in this scrub comes from walnut powder, natural loofah, and jojoba beads in a creamy base.  Another thing I really like about this one is how refreshing it feels, menthol gives a little bit of a cooling sensation which will be perfect once summer rolls around!  If you need a good scrub but prefer something without salt, this might be a good choice.

• Red Flower Japan Ohana Gingergrass Bamboo Scrub

Kristin enjoyed this one, although she was skeptical at first because it looked like coffee grounds and the fragrance was an intense ginger and fresh cut grass scent.  But when it was all said and done, it left behind sleek, polished skin (even on tough elbows and knees) and prepped for a sunless tanning session without the grease.

• Get Fresh Lemongrass Mineral Body Scrub

This scrub was so rich and creamy that I was afraid it would definitely make my skin greasy to the touch.  Instead, it felt extremely smooth and conditioned.  Plus, I LOVE how fresh it smells, it really smells like lemongrass which perked me right up.

• Shobha Exfoliating Cloth

Aptly dubbed “mother nature’s washcloth”, this is Kristin’s little gem.  Made from all-natural fibers, this cloth works much like a loofah and without any additional product (but can be used with soap if desired), so it definitely won’t leave behind a slick residue to interfere with a perfect tan.  The cloth is both bacteria-free and machine washable, so it’s got some life to it and should last about a year.  Another plus–there won’t be any product left in the bottom of your tub when you’re finished!

• eight Dry Brush Body Treatment

Similar to the Shobha, this exfoliates without any product as well, but it’s also very different.  You actually “brush” your body with it and it loosens all of the dead skin, in addition to increasing circulation and stimulating the glands.  This is used prior to entering the shower or bath on dry skin with a dry brush–hence “dry brush”.  It’s incredibly effective and while the skin does become more pink than when it does with a salt scrub, it really just glows after it has settled down!  This is paired with an amazing skin-softening body moisturizer with 14 essential ingredients that’s perfect to use daily for optimal skin health, or to extend the life of your tan.  (If tanning immediately after dry brush treatment, wait until the next day to start applying moisturizer.)  Available in Ginger Lime or Lavender.

I hope you’ve been able to find a new exfoliation option among these products that suits your skin’s fancy.  Do you have any pre-sunless tan rituals or products that you find work best?

An editorial sample was provided by the company and evaluated to determine my opinion of the product in this post.  Please see the Disclosures page for further information regarding my policies for using editorial samples.

Whether you prefer long-lasting color, super glossy shine, or sugary-sweet flavor–check out these fabulous lippies to make your Valentine’s Day kisses that much more irresistible.  If you don’t have a Valentine–no worries…your lips will still look just as kissable, if not better.  Don’t they always want what they can’t have?

philosophy Kiss Me exfoliating lip scrub & facial — This gentle, mint-sugar scrub is a must for a flake-free smooch!  Enriched with skin softeners like olive oil, sweet almond oil, mango seed butter, and shea butter–it makes lips baby smooth.

Rimmel London Lasting Finish Kiss & Stay Lip Gloss — Words like “long-wearing” and “lip gloss” together in the same sentence are very rare!  Kiss & Stay is a two-step long-wearing lip gloss that defies the odds.  Apply a coat of color and add a layer of pearly shine for color that doesn’t budge.  For extra-kissable lips, check out shades English Rose and Enduring Love.

Cosmoholic Cosmetics Gift Box Set — If you prefer the color saturation of a lipstick, but like the ease of a gloss, check out these Cosmoholic liquid lipsticks that smell delish and look divine!  Use Prudish Pink for your daytime look, and wear Rockstar Red after the sun goes down.

Hard Candy Button Your Lip — At just $8, this lip gloss pen with bonus lip liner is just too cute to pass up!  If you like the added dimension a wet-look lip gloss gives, check out Pixie for the perfect pearly-pink lip.

Tinte Flavored Lip Shine Kit — Tinte gives new meaning to “lips like sugar” with this delicious set of four lip glosses!  Enjoy flavors like Pink Lemonade, Double Bubble, Cake, and Peachie Sheen for yourself, and your Valentine can have the leftovers.  Double Bubble is a pale pink that I can’t get enough of, and smells so much like the real thing that the only thing missing is the actual bubble!

Bobbi Brown Cosmetics Brightening Lip Gloss — If you want to skip all the sweet stuff and go straight for the prize, check out Bobbi Brown’s new Brightening Lip Glosses in Popsicle (rosy pink) or Nectar (pink-coral).  Light-reflective yet very sheer, these create an optical illusion of fuller lips and wake up your makeup look!  A perfect example of when function meets beauty.

An editorial sample was provided by the company and evaluated to determine my opinion of the product in this post.  Please see the Disclosures page for further information regarding my policies for using editorial samples.

Garnier welcomed two new products into the Nutritioniste line recently, The Brusher Gel-Cleanser and Resurfacing 3-Way Cleanser are the first two cleansers in the Skin Renew collection.  It’s been ages since I’ve used a Garnier skincare product, so long in fact that I can’t even remember what it was!  So welcome back Garnier, let’s see how you did!

First up,  The Brusher Gel-Cleanser is in a very interesting looking little bottle.  You’ll identify it right away by it’s funky top, nine rows of rubber bristles that somewhat feel like a koosh ball.  Remember those?

I was initially concerned that the bristles would be too stiff and scratch my skin, but they’re actually quite soft and flexible.  If it’s a concern of yours, you’ll see what I mean when you feel it!  I’ve been asked to compare it to the L’Oreal Go 360° Clean facial cleanser scrub-let, but I can’t because I haven’t tried it yet.  These are definitely more like long massaging “fingers” if you will, not so much a scrub-let in my opinion.  To use The Brusher, I simply twisted the collar of the bottle counterclockwise, moistened the brush, lightly squeezed the bottle to allow some of the cleansing gel to come through the slit, closed the collar, and then applied it by lightly massaging the brush on my face in small circular motions.  The initial squeeze of cleanser was plenty, this doesn’t require you to keep squeezing the bottle while you’re using it (that would be a mess and a half!).  I wouldn’t rely on this to remove all of your makeup if you are the type of gal that runs straight for her cleanser without using some sort of makeup remover first, it’s not going to provide a super-deep clean all on it’s own if you’ve got primer, foundation, and the whole nine yards on, and we should all probably be using a makeup removing wipe of some sort anyway!  But what it did do for me was massage and stimulate my skin (making it look brighter), cleanse effectively, and provide extremely light resurfacing benefits.  This will not take the place of your exfoliation treatment products, in my eyes–it’s really more like an extension of and an added benefit of using the cleanser…an upgraded version of good old-school manual cleansing.

I do like the formula of this gel, it lightly foams from the brush movements and didn’t make my skin feel tight or dry after cleansing.  I have combination skin–oily t-zone, normal-to-dry everywhere else, so it was a good fit.  It also smells pretty darn good–kinda fruity, very clean.  After a week of use, I found it to be pretty gentle, yet stimulating thanks to the brush.  If your skin just seems a little “blah” and you prefer gel-based cleansers, I would say give this one a shot.  You may either love the whole brusher idea, or not like it at all and I think that might be the deciding factor for you.  The reason I like the brush is because I feel like it’s waking up my facial skin’s circulation and telling it to get perky!  To be completely honest, I would be interested in the cleanser all on it’s own minus the brush, even if it wasn’t marketed as The Brusher Gel-Cleanser.

Not to be forgotten–the Resurfacing 3-Way Cleanser, this one is completely different in concept!  It’s packaged in a tube, and the formula can function as a cleanser, a pore-purifying mask, or an exfoliating scrub.

Right away, you can spot the blue-green micro-beads and see that this is a creamier texture.  This formula is kaolin-clay based so it’s really helpful in pore-purification due to kaolin’s oil-absorbing benefits.  The micro-beads feel pretty small and aren’t overly abrasive, and I’m pretty sure that they’re polyethylene (a standard ingredient in many physical exfoliating products with “beads”) since I see it in the ingredient listing.  For my particular skin’s liking, I wouldn’t be able to use this in both my morning and evening cleansing rituals because I found it to be just a little drying outside of my t-zone area after a few uses.  This may actually be excellent news however for someone who is constantly struggling with oily skin.  On the other hand, I would be able to use it on alternating days as a mild exfoliation treatment or as an oil-absorbing mask in my t-zone area once a week–so it definitely is a 3-way multi-purpose product.

One of the things I really enjoyed when using it as a quick purifying mask was a little bit of a cooling sensation.  You’ll find menthol and peppermint leaf extract in the ingredients, which I love in skincare treatments for that very reason.  In my experience with trying out the Resurfacing 3-Way Cleanser, it wasn’t the best choice for a facial cleanser from the Skin Renew collection for me–my skin actually preferred The Brusher Gel-Cleanser, and your skin may be completely the opposite.  Comparing the two formulas in my opinion would be like comparing apples to oranges and you might not have a need for both.  My hopes are that by sharing my experiences, you’ll be better able to make a decision if either one of the new Garnier Skin Renew cleansers are right for you!

Have you had a chance to try these out yet?  If not, which one do you think would benefit your skin the most?

An editorial sample was provided by the company and evaluated to determine my opinion of the product in this post.  Please see the Disclosures page for further information regarding my policies for using editorial samples.