Green Beauty Finds: Evodia Gentle Facial Cleanser

My skin is moody! I don't know about you, but I am always trying to keep up with my ever changing skin. Usually I struggle with combination to oily skin and clogged pores. While clogged pores are always a thing with me, lately my skin has been slightly dry in certain areas on my forehead, around my nose and my mouth. While I have found a few products that work well for me, many of them are quite expensive, so I'm always looking for something more cost effective that also performs well and is vegan! Natural skincare is really all about trial and error. Experimenting is key, but when a moisturizer costs 50 bucks, that's not so easy. 

A few weeks ago I happened to be at TK Maxx and I always love browsing through their beauty section. Nothing gives me a bigger thrill than finding a rare beauty brand for a bargain...clearly I need to get a life!

On my latest TK Maxx trip I happened upon, what later turned out to be, a real gem. A gentle, but thorough, facial cleanser, that properly cleanses my skin without stripping it of its natural oils and leaving it soft and smooth. In my opinion, cleansers are the most important step in my skin care routine. They can have such a huge effect on how my skin feels and behaves and how well it absorbs other products.

Evodia (www.evodia.com.au) is an Australian brand that uses no animal products in their skincare and also doesn't test on animals - two very important issues for me. They do ship internationally as well but check your local TK Maxx to see if they might still have it in stock. The cleanser is priced at 14.95 AUS Dollars on their website and I picked it up for 6.99€ at TK Maxx. What I love most about this cleanser is that it effortlessly removes all of my make up while being extremely gentle and soothing. The gel does not foam up but is slightly slippery, so there is no need for lather. It might only be my imgaination, but my skin looks and feels brighter and smoother after using this product for three weeks. I am very impressed and already went back to the store to pick up another one!

The moral of this story.....check your local stores! You don't need to order anything expensive online, like I have done so many times. Skin is very fickle and it's probably going to take you a while to find something that suits you. You don't have to spend hundreds of dollars in the process. Also check your local organic gorcery store or markets, you never know what you might find!

Skincare Favourites: Cactus Skincare

My philosophy when it comes to skincare: KEEP IT SIMPLE!!

My bathroom set up - this is all I use!

I see all these people online using 20+ skin care items. To be honest, I don't have the time to spend 30 minutes on my skincare morning and night, but ingredients and quality are very important to me. Last year, I stumbled on Cactus Skincare through a youtube video. I checked out the brand and saw that they have an amazing sample service! I wish every brand offered this!! On www.cactusskincare.com/samples you can get a week's worth of samples for only $5 (AUD). That's a joke. Seriously!! So, I went ahead and tried the samples and I absolutely LOVED them! Everything smells amazing, is very gentle and made my skin glow. 

Since then I have purchased the combination skin bundle (http://cactusskincare.com/collections/bundle-packs/products/combination-skin-bundle-pack) and the Gentle Exfoliant (http://cactusskincare.com/collections/products/products/gentle-exfoliant). 

On to the products: 

cactuskincare.com

The combination skin bundle includes

1x Lemon Myrtle Cleanser

1x Light Balancing Creme

1x White Clay Mask

1x Nature's Anti-Oxidant Creme

Let's break it down:

Lemon Myrtle Cleanser - This cleanser, while great, is my least favourite product of my Cactus Skincare range. It doesn't remove make up, not even slightly, and it leaves a bit of a film on my skin. That said, it is gentle and great for sensitive skin. It doesn't strip my combination skin, but doesn't clog my pores either. While I do like it, it's not worth ordering all the way from Australia for me. I've tried cleansers that have worked just as well and are easier to get a hold of. 

Light Balancing Creme - First of all, I am in love with the citrusy scent of this creme, but I particularly enjoy that it is light and hydrating at the same time. I have used all of the products for almost two months now and this creme has balanced my skin out from combination to normal. I don't get any dry patches but not oily in my t-zone throughout the day, either!

White Clay Mask - This is a great purifying mask for all skin types. It is gentle but efficient and leaves my skin feeling silky and smooth. Before I tried the samples, I was doubtful that this mask would be for me, as I find clay masks usually very drying. This does not dry me out at all, but it cleans my skin thoroughly!

Nature's Anti-Oxidant Creme - The Nature's Anti-Oxidant Creme is my hero product of this whole range. It is literaly magic in a pot. I apply this at night, or when I need an extra kick of moisture during the day. It sinks in right away but is extremely moisturizing. Best of all, it acts as a skin healer. Whenever I have a break out, I apply this creme and it calms it down instantly! Applying this at night, I wake up in the morning with even, smooth and calm skin. This deserves my holy-grail award of skin care!!

------------------------------------

Apart from this combination skin bundle, I also purchased the Gentle Exfoliant. As the name suggests, it is extremely gentle and I prefer to use it before applying the White Clay Mask. It preps my skin for perfect absorption of the mask, but doesn't irritate it at all. Depending on how abrasive you like your scrub, you might not be a fan of this. It is extremely gentle, and almost acts more as a face massage than a scrub. I am a huge fan! I do not believe in scrubbing away at my skin layers, but I also have pores that clog easily. This gives me enough of a scrub to clean our my pores (gross!) but is still gentle enough not to irritate my skin.

Gentle Exfoliant - cactusskincare.com

If you have a look at the ingredient list of every product in the Cactus Skincare range, you will notice that they only use natural and high quality ingredients. These products are worth every penny, and on top of that, you get amazing customer service as well. No automated or mass emails, you can talk directly to Ryan and Deborah and ask them questions, approach them with your concerns and get their help and support in everything to do with skin. They give you instructions on how to use the products and depending on your skin type, you get a personalized skincare schedule as well. Every time I have ordered from their website or been in contact with them, I have received immediate replies and have always felt very well taken care of. 

If you are still looking for good, high-quality, natural skincare products that actually work, check out cactuskincare.com!

Michael Todd Skin Discovery Kit - Normal/Combination Skin

I've heard so much about Michael Todd and his organic skincare and I finally decided to order a try-me kit for my combination skin. This kit includes 

• Honey Oat gentle deep pore cleanser, 30ml
• Blue Green Algae Antibacterial Toner, 30ml
• Jojoba Charcoal Facial Scrub, 30ml
• Citrus Cream Moisturizer, 30ml
• Pumpkin nutrient-rich facial mask, 30ml

I have tried these products for a little over 2 weeks now and I still have a little bit left of every product. I love the individual sizes because they are great for traveling but also really give you enough product to thoroughly test everything over a longer stretch of time. I also received one pumpkin facial mask extra which you can see in the pic on the very left. It's actually a larger size than the one in the kit. While I'm very happy about the very large sample, I would have liked it to be something else because the mask is already included in the original kit.  

After trying every product individually and the whole range as a skin care regimen, I have to say that I am not as impressed as I expected to be. I initially came across Michael Todd because many posts on blogs and youtube videos are dedicated to this brand and they all speak highly of it. I was disappointed because the products did not work for my skin at all. The cleanser is not too bad but only average in my estimation. It actually left my skin red and feeling slightly dry and tight afterwards. The facial scrub and toner are, again, average and don't stand up to many drugstore face scrubs I have tried. The moisturizer actually failed completely for me. It made my skin greasy throughout the day, overly so. I had to powder every two hours or so to get rid of the shine. At the same time, my skin didn't feel particularly hydrated. The Citrus Cream Moisturizer gets a big miss from me!!

The one product I LOVED and would actually consider repurchasing is the pumpkin facial mask. It is slightly exfoliating but still gentle and leaves my skin feeling soft and gives it a nice even complexion. I was very pleased with the result and am happy about the second sample after all!

Have you tried this brand before? What are your thoughts? I would love to know! 

For the price of the product and the shipping from the States to Germany, I will probably not shop at Michal Todd again. The face masks are something to consider but there are many amazing ones easier to get where I live that do a similar or even better job. If you live in the States and Michael Todd is easy to get where you live, I would recommend trying out the Pumpkin Facial Mask.

Michael Todd Skin Discovery Kit for Normal/Combination Skin on www.michaeltoddtrueorganics.com

for $36