Mary Kay Botanical Effects Skincare review

Mary Kay is a world renown beauty company that has been around 49 years, since 1963. So they've had time to build up quite the reputation on their skincare and make-up line. I've tried a couple of their products, but have limit myself to only a few such as the "Satin Hands kit" and "Eye makeup remover"  (which I'll eventually review) because honestly I find their prices waaaaaay to expensive for my taste. So I am extremely selective as to what I'll try out from them. 

But recently they released a new "Botanical Effects" skin care line which caught my eye because it is: 

• Formulated for sensitive skin
• Hypoallergenic
• Fragrance free
• Rich in antioxidants 

It comes in three different formulas:

1. Dry: with flaxseed  and sea kelp extract for that extra moisture the skin needs. 
2. Normal: with frangipani extract which protects the skin from environmental stressors and water lily extract which provides antioxidants and minerals.
3. Oily: with white tea tree for purification and guava extract for exfoliation and provides salicylic acid. 

It has four steps:

1. Cleanser (4 oz. at $14)
2. Freshener (5 fl. oz. at $14)
3. Moisturizer (4 fl. oz. at $16)
4. Mask (4 oz. at $14)

I purchased  all four steps of the Balanced Formula

Steps and thoughts:

1. Cleanser (4 oz.) - It is a very light cream that does not lather up or create any foam. Personally, I am not liking this. I don't feel it cleanses my face properly. So I end up using a large amount of product to feel like is actually washing away some dirt. Because of this, I will run out of product in two months. And for $14 a pop, I find it is not worth the money.  Also, I know it doesn't clean up well because after I use the freshener, the cotton ball picks up a lot of dirt the cleanser left behind. I won't be repurchasing this.

2. Freshener (5 fl. oz.) - It is alcohol free so it does not dry up my skin. I love this. It feels like water, with the added bonus that it moisturizes the skin and leaves it feeling fresh and smooth. It also does a great job picking up any dirt left behind from the cleanser. I find it to be much better than a toner, which all that I've tried had alcohol in them and there for dried up my skin. This freshener is a keeper.

3. Moisturizer (4 fl. oz.) - It's very light and watery. A bit thicker than the freshener. So a little goes a long way. It does not have sun protection (so a sun lotion is advised) but can be used at night. Even though it does its job, I am not loving it for the price. So I will continue searching for something better.

4. Mask (4 oz.) - This is my favorite of them all. It is a deep exfoliate mask. You can either use it to exfoliate your skin in the shower and quickly wash it off, or leave it on as a mask for 10 minutes for a much deeper cleanse. This will leave your skin feeling soft, smooth and shine free. It left my face looking clearer after the first use. I also noticed that my cheek pores seemed smaller afterwards. This is another keeper.

Please let me know if you've tried any of these or any of their other skincare products and what has been your thoughts and experiences with them.

Scentsational Soaps Skincare Review

I have recently become obsessed with finding natural hand made soaps. To my surprise, it has been extremely difficult for me to find quality soaps in Puerto Rico, so I began my research online.

 And as I went through dozens of stores  (Lush, Cookiefortune, belle ame, bath and body works, the body shop, and so on), I stumbled upon one called Scentsational Soaps Skincare. Sarah and her son Chad are the owners of this business based in Florida.

Here is the link to her website: http://scentsationalsoapsskincare.com/Default.aspx

What captured my attention the most about them was their extremely affordable prices (compared to Lush) and all of the healing properties on all of their products! They offer a large variate of products such as soap bars, body butters, lotions, scrubs, whipped parfait soaps, even shampoos and much more. They're all natural and have different lines with goat milk, organic glycerin, shea butter, whipped parfait, honey bee, etc.

I must admit that I am very picky when it comes to scents, and I am always hesitant on buying online anything that depends mostly on this, but after watching many positive reviews on this company, and without trying out any samples, I decided to take the plunge and made a big purchase (at least, for me it was big).

They came through extremely fast. It took exactly 5 days to get to Puerto Rico. And before I talk about their products, I have to point out their amazing customer service. I had trouble with my address through PAY PAL, but Sarah handled the situation beautifully and was so kind and extremely generous as to send me 6 free samples and one free regular size soap bar!!

Really lovely person, I am very grateful for her patience and care.

I must say that I have loved every product so far to the point where I have replaced all of my soap bars and shower gels with theirs! Personally, I am not going back to commercial soaps, ever. I fully recommend them, specially for people who have very sensitive skin, and have skin conditions and complications such as eczema, acne, herpes, burns, wounds, dry itchy skin, and much more. 

So I purchased the following products:

• 1 Royal Jelly soap bar  (4.5 oz.) (fights depression +more!)
• 1 Long Island Beach House sea salt soap bar  (4.5 oz.) (gently exfoliates the skin!)
• 1 Eucalyptus soap bar (great for reducing stress!)
• 1 Peppermint soap bar (So refreshing and great for tired muscles, migraines and much more! I use it in the morning)
• 1 Chocolate Honey Decadence (4.5 oz.) soap bar (amazing moisturizer + more!)
• 1 Chocolate Honey Decadence lip balm (this is extremely moisturizing!)

I have tried all of them and overall I have to say that they are AMAZING. 

• The scents are wonderful and have a large variate from unscented, to frutty, to clean fresh, to floral, to herbal and others.
• They're moisturizing
• The Chocolate Honey Decadence soap and lip balm smells like genuine chocolate!!
• Their line of Goats milk lathers up the most with a very creamy texture

I will definitively be repurchasing very soon the lip balm and the Long Island soap (because will use them the most). The others will hold on for special occasions to relax, get rid of headaches, hot days, itchy days, and so on.

Freebies:

• French Kiss soap
• Strawberry Honey soap
• Midnight Safari soap
• Lemon Cookie body scrub
• Lime Margarita body butter
• Honey soap
• Propolis soap (full size bar)

My favorite out of these ones and will definitively buy full size are the

• Strawberry Honey soap, which smells amazing, I can pick up the strawberry scent
• Body butter, which is extremely moisturizing. The smell is very strong which for me is good because I like that the scent will last me quite a while.
• Body scrub's scent was the longest that lingered in my skin, out of all the products. Love to use it on my hands, feet and dry areas. 

Go to her website at: http://scentsationalsoapsskincare.com/Default.aspx and see for yourself!