Annmarie Gianni Skin Care – A Product Review

During the month of February, I tried out another set of skin care products.

This set was given to me as a gift to enjoy and not necessarily for a review.  Overall, I’ve enjoyed the products, so I thought I’d put together a review for you.

The brand is Annmarie Gianni Skin Care.  Her tag line is organic, natural, and wild-crafted.  Seriously, how could you resist a tag line that has the words “wild-crafted” in it?

I had three products to try out.  The first was the Aloe-herb Facial Cleanser.  The second was a Neroli Toning Mist and third, the Herbal Facial Oil.  I used the cleanser and the oil every morning and every night.  I used the toner less often, probably once every couple of days.

Annmarie Gianni – Cleanser, Toner and Moisturizer

Scent

Each of these products has a fairly strong scent.  I was not surprised, given the “wild-crafted” theme.  The scents are herbal and last for a few minutes.  However, even with the strong scents, I didn’t notice them for long.  For the record, they aren’t unpleasant.

Aloe-herb Facial Cleanser

This cleanser has the consistency of a thin lotion.  I experimented with different amounts and eventually settled on using two pumps each time I washed my face.  As you can see from the photo, two pumps from the bottle is not too much in my hand.  The cleanser does not foam up at all.  Rather, it coated my skin with a thin film until I washed it off.  I always find non-foaming cleanser and soaps to be a little deceiving.  I was brought up thinking that foam and suds were signs of effectiveness.  The cleanser washes off very easily, leaving skin clean, despite the lack of suds.

Aloe-Herb Facial Cleanser

Neroli Toning Mist

This toner has a citrus scent, which I love.  I ended using a couple of sprays each time and I found that it was enough to cover my skin well.  It’s light and refreshing.  It also never caused my skin to break out!

Herbal Facial Oil

I’ve used many face oils in the past couple of years.  I went so far as to start making my own, which I have come to love.  This oil worked fairly well for me.  I found it to be a little on the thick side, so I used a scant single pump each time.  I found that any more than that was too much for my skin and I would end up feeling like I had greasy skin. Again, the scent is on the strong side, but pleasant.

Herbal Facial Oil

Effectiveness

Like I said earlier, I like the set overall.  My preference would be to have a slightly thicker cleanser and a slightly thinner oil.  I think that would work a bit better for my skin.  Having said that, I had clean and moist skin all month while I was trying this out.  Perhaps it’s time for me to break out of my norms and get used to something new!

Packaging

The cleanser and the facial oil are both housed in dark glass bottles with pumps.  The dark glass (Miron Violet Glass) helps to protect the oils.  When I originally opened up the gift bag, I noticed that there was a little mesh bag of fresh lavender included.  It’s a lovely touch to the presentation of the products.

Ingredients

The entire Annmarie Gianni Skin Care line is made with natural, organic and wild crafted ingredients.  The ingredient list for the cleanser was included right on the bottle.  Here’s the list:

Love, aloe vera juice infused with (Lavender flowers, calendula flower, life everlasting flowers, hyssop, lemon balm, neem leaf, olive leaf, plantago leaf), coconut oil, cocoglucoside (coconut oil & glycerin), vegetable glycerin; aspen bark extract; ruby grapefruit oil, lemon oil, green mandarin oil, xanthan gym, rosemary oleoresin

I love that the first ingredient is Love!  I also love that the she explains right on the bottle what things like cocoglucoside are.  I always take a lot of comfort in knowing what I’m putting on my skin and this list of ingredients helps with that.

Aloe-herb facial Cleanser Ingredient List

The sample of the toning mist was simple too small for an ingredient list.  A quick look at the website told me everything I needed to know about the toner.  It has a total of two ingredients, Love and pure organic neroli distillate.  That’s my kind of ingredient list!

The facial oil didn’t have an ingredient list on the bottle, which I found disappointing.  However, I suspect it’s an issue of space on the label.  I found the full ingredient list on the website:

Love, herb oil (grapeseed oil, life everlasting, green tea, gotu kola, rosemary, calendula, lavender, milk thistle, lemon balm, licorice root, roobibos, hibiscus, rhodiola, gingko, plantain, amla, ashwaghanda, acai, goji berry, horsetail, comfrey leaves, comfrey root, rose petal, echinacea, ginseng, lotus, boswellia, blue violet), fractionated coconut oil, oleic sunflower oil, olive oil, aloe vera oil, passion fruit oil, tamanu oil, carrot seed oil, vitamin E tocopherols, evening primrose extract, seabuckthorn berry extract, red raspberry seed oil, cranberry seed oil, rosehip extract, calendula extract, buriti fruit oil, sandalwood oil, jasmine sambac oil, bergamot oil, blue chamomile oil, rosemary oleoresin. Organic or Wildcrafted.

Affordability

With each of these products, a little goes a really long way.  For that reason, they will each last a long time.  I can’t get a great feel of exactly how much I’ve used in the past month, mainly because the Miron Violet Glass is so dark!

The Facial Cleanser is the more economical choice, if you’re looking for a deal. For about $25, you can get a 50 mL bottle.  I imagine that bottle would last a few months.  The Facial Oil, on the other hand, is a bit more pricey at about $35 for only 15 mL.  Though I only used one pump at a time of the facial oil, I find the price quite a bit more than for the cleanser.  And having said all of that, my personal opinion is that these products are priced within a reasonable range.

For what you pay, you are getting an effective product that is made with natural ingredients, free from all unnecessary chemicals.  Knowing that I’m using safe cosmetics on my skin goes a long way in my books.

My Recommendation?

If you’re looking for skin care products that are free of unnecessary chemicals, this is definitely a set to try out.  You need to be willing to accept a different texture for the cleanser.  If you can get past that, this might just work for you.  I would definitely recommend giving it a try!

Annmarie Gianni Skin Care

Evande Facial Care – A Product Review

For the month of January, I have been using a whole new set of skin care products.  It’s the Evande Skin Care Set.  This set was sent to me free of charge.  In return, I’ve been using it religiously so that I could provide you all with my personal review of the set.

Scent

The scent of any skin care product is really important to me.  I have to like it or I simply won’t use it.

The scent of the Evande set reminds me of a light baby powder.  It’s a very feminine and delicate scent.  I love the way it smells when I put it on.  I also love that I catch a whiff of it every once in a while throughout the day.

Each of the products in the set has the same scent, so they work really well together.

Evande Cleanser and Make-Up Remover

The soap-free cleanser is light and creamy all at the same time.  It works well as a makeup remover.  The hardest makeup I had to remove was some lipstick that had lasted beyond its best before date.  It was very sticky on my lips and felt horrible.  A dab of the cleanser/makeup remover allowed me to wipe it off in one swipe.  So yes, it works as a makeup remover.

As a cleanser, it is gentle on my skin.  After I’m done using it, my skin feels clean without that dreaded squeaky clean feeling.  My skin doesn’t feel dry afterwards, either.

Evande Cleanser

Evande Alcohol-Free Pore Minimizing Toner

This is the only toner I’ve ever been able to use without breaking out.  In fact, I had all but given up on toners until I received this set to try.  I figured I had to give it a try in order to do a complete review.  To my surprise, my skin didn’t react poorly at all.  I love spraying this toner on my face and neck after cleansing.  It seems like such a lovely way to ensure my skin stays moist.  I am totally hooked.

Evande Face and Neck Moisturizer

The moisturizer is light.  I just need a little bit for my face and neck, especially after the toner.  It leaves my skin well-balanced and hydrated, but not greasy or feeling heavy.

Evande Face and Neck Moisturizer

Effectiveness

This skin care set has served me well for a whole month.  It’s been cold and dry for most of the month and my skin has been well hydrated throughout.  The cleanser is gentle and the moisturizer is nourishing.  It’s exactly the right combination I need to keep my skin clean and moisturized.

Packaging

The packaging is simple.  The pumps for the cleanser and moisturizer and the spray nozzle for the toner make each product really easy to dispense.  I personally like the clean look of the white bottles and the touch of gold classes it up a little bit.

Ingredients

The Evande brand uses the tag line, “Feel the Natural Elegance”.  Evande prides itself on creating products that are great for your skin without using harsh unnecessary chemicals.  On their website, they have listed the chemicals that are prohibited from use in their product line:

•    DEA (Diethanolamine)
•     Dyes
•     Mineral Oil
•     PABA
•     Parabens
•     Paraffin
•     phthlates
•     Sulfates

I love that Evande uses more natural substances to create their products.  They also clearly list all their ingredients right on the back of each bottle.  I’ve also reproduced the ingredient list below, in case you’re interested.

Evande Ingredient Listings

Cleanser and Make-Up Remover:

Water, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Cetyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Cocomidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Vaccinium Myrtillus (Bilberry) Fruit Extract, Saccharum Officinarum (Sugar Cane) Extract, Acer Saccharum (Sugar Maple) Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Citrus Limonum (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Aloe Barbedensis Leaf Juice, passiflora Edulis (Passion Fruit) Extract, Phyllanthus Emblica (Amla) Fruit Extract, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Glycol Distearate, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Fragrance

Pore-Minimizing Toner

Extracts of (Marigold, Chamomile, Rosemary, Cucumber, Elder, Arnica, Linden, Cornflower, Matricaria, St. John’s Wort, Hops, Horsetail, Pine Cone, Mallow, Ivy, Pellitory, Burdock, Sage and Soapwort) in Water, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel), Glycerin, Propylene Officinarum (Sugar Cane) Extract, Acer Saccharum (Sugar Maple) Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Aloe Barbedensis Leaf Juice, Laureth-23, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Fragrance

Face and Neck Moisturizer

Water, Glycerin, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Cetyl Alcohol, Petrolatum, Dimethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Aloe Barbedensis Leaf Juice, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Almond Butter), Silk Amino Acid, Ficus Carica (Fig) Extract, Kigelia Africana Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Niacinamide, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Retinyl Palmitate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glycol Distearate, Coco-Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Propylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol,  Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Tetrasodium EDTA, Fragrance

I looked up this brand on the Good Guide and on Skin Deep.  Unfortunately, it was not listed on either site, most likely because it’s such a new brand.  I’d love to know how these products rate on either of those sites.

Affordability

Is this magic skin care set affordable?  In short, YES!

Each bottle contains 200 mL of product.  My best guess is that, after one month, at most, I’ve used about one-quarter of each bottle.

You can buy the whole set of three for $24.99!

Honestly, I didn’t even look at the price until it was time to write my review.  I was floored when I saw how well priced the set is.

Would I Recommend Evande?

Yes – I most definitely would.  I’ve had a great experience using this set for the past month.  My skin feels great and I’ve finally found a toner that works for my skin!  I also love the clean packaging and the great price.

Perricone Product Review – Part II

This is the Part II of my three part review of my Perricone skin care products. Check out the first part, and the contents of my Perricone stash, here.

For this part of the review, I’m going to focus on the three moisturizers I have in my stash of Dr. Perricone products.  As you see below, I have three items:  More Than Moisture SPF 30, Face Finishing Moisturizer, and the Advanced Face Firming Activator.  I have been using all three for the past few weeks.  Check out my thoughts on each one below.

More Than Moisture SPF 30

First of all, the scent in this cream is heavenly.  Every time I use it, I detect hints of cocoa butter and orange.   It smells really rich!  Perhaps that contributes to my feeling that it’s also a bit of a heavier cream.  It’s not greasy on my skin, but definitely feels like a thicker moisturizer.

I have used this cream every time I’ve gone out for a walk.  It does a good job of protecting my skin from the sun.   It’s lovely to have a cream that acts like a sunscreen, but doesn’t smell too strong or feel heavy on my skin.

Face Finishing Moisturizer

This cream comes in a jar with a little spatula.  The cream is more gelatinous and a bit thicker than the other moisturizers.  I guess that’s why the spatula is included.

The moisturizer felt the thickest out of the three that I tried.  It also provided the most moisture out of all of them.

This cream has a floral scent.  Fortunately, it’s not overpowering.  While I’m not usually a fan of floral scents, I quite like this one, probably because it’s not that strong.

Advanced Face Firming Activator

This is the one cream that I had used before.   As soon as I opened it, the scent brought me right back to the time when I was first introduced to this cream.  It was such a memorable time that I’d like to digress slightly here and tell you about it.

A short side story…

Remember the 2010 Winter Olympics?  Well, I was there!  For real!  I was one of fifty people that my company sponsored to volunteer at the Olympics.  I worked with a group of people in the head office.  Our job was basically to help people keep motivated, especially those in the head office who didn’t get a chance to be at the events.  It may not sound like much, but it was a great job.  The easiest way to motivate people was to give out free tickets.  We handed out lots and my team also attended lots of events.

Here’s a photo from one of my first days on the job!

Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics

Back to the Advanced Firming Face Activator

I was saying…the scent brings me right back to the first time I used it.  Similar to the SPF cream, I smell a bit of cocoa and a bit of citrus.  It’s a light, refreshing scent. (and to me, smells of the Vancouver Olympics!)

This cream is the lightest of the three.  It moisturizes well, without feeling heavy on the skin.

Which One Do I Like Best?

Well, it depends!  I really like each of these creams.  They all serve a different purpose for my skin.

I like using the SPF when I’m going to be outside.  It does a great job as a sunscreen.

I love the Advanced Firming Face Activator for the morning.  It’s light and moisturizing.

Finally, I really enjoy using the Face Finishing Moisturizer at night time.  It’s thick and moisturizing and is perfect for overnight rejuvenation.

Having said all of that, if push came to shove and I was forced to choose just one, I would go with the Advanced Firming Face Activator.  Not only does it remind me of my Olympic adventure, it also does a great job of moisturizing all day long.

Have you tried any of these moisturizers?  If you have, let me know what you think of them!  For those of you who want to learn more about these moisturizers, or see the ingredient list, check out the Dr. Perricone website here.

Perricone Products Review – Part I

A few years ago, I discovered Dr. Perricone and his line of beauty products.  I started using them and fell in love instantly.

Then, I started making my own skincare products and set the Dr. Perricone stash aside for a bit.  I found my stash a couple of weeks ago and realized that I still have some great products to use up!  Woo hoo!

Here’s what I have left:

Gentle Cleanser
Face Finishing Moisturizer
More than Moisture SPF 30
Advanced Face Firming Activator
Neuropeptide Deep Wrinkle Serum
Advanced Eye Area Therapy

My Perricone Stash

First Steps

I started back into this line with the Gentle Cleanser.  It’s a nice thick cleansing liquid and it’s light green in colour.  It feels pretty smooth on my skin.  I use about half a pump each morning and each night.  Even though I don’t use a lot at a time, I find that I have to work at rinsing it off my skin.  It’s got some sticking power!  A bit of rinsing and rubbing on my face will usually do the trick.

After using it for a few weeks, I’ve found it is strong enough to clean my skin, but not so overpowering that it strips my skin of all of its natural oils.  I don’t like the “squeaky clean” feeling on my face that some soaps and cleanser can give you.

I have always loved the packaging of the Perricone line.  I love the dark glass bottles.  The cleanser comes with a bottle cap and a pump, so that it’s both easy to travel with and to use every day.

Dr. Perricone Gentle Cleanser

How do Dr. Perricone products rate?

The first thing that I love about Dr. Perricone products is that they are paraben free.  Each package is clearly marked that the product does not contain any parabens.  I also looked up Dr. Perricone products on both the Good Guide and the Skin Deep sites. Please note that on both sites, the ratings are based on a limited amount of information for this brand!

Good Guide Ratings

On average, Dr. Perricone products have a received a 5.1/10 Health rating from the Good Guide.   However, when I looked up these specific products, I found that most of them received a rating of 7 or 8 for Health.  The one outlier that I found was the Face Finishing Moisturizer.  It received a 5.0 on Health, listing ingredients that cause a low level of concern.  Thankfully, the other products with the lowest ratings that pull the average Health rating down are not ones in my cupboard!

Skin Deep Ratings

On the Skin Deep site, there were three Dr. Perricone products listed that I was able to find.  On a 10 point scale, they received ratings of 3 and 4, which places them in the Moderate category.  Many of the ingredients that cause concern do so because they have associated with allergies and immunotoxicity.

Overall, I’m satisfied that the Perricone products that I have in my cupboard are safe enough to use on my skin.

Moisturizers and Serums

I’m looking forward to delving into the moisturizers and serums.  I’ll be sure to post my reviews once I’ve had a chance to try them each for a few weeks!  Stay tuned!

Carrot Seed Oil

Carrot Seed Oil is one of my favorite ingredients to use in my skin care products.

Properties

Carrot Seed Oil

Carrot Seed Oil has an earthy and sweet smell to it.  Its colour is yellow or amber.  I keep mine in the fridge to help extend its shelf life.

Benefits

Carrot Seed Oil is known to be a great additive to skin care products.  It can relieve stress and exhaustion, detoxify the liver, and also rejuvenate the skin.  This essential oil is also known to help fight many skin problems, such as psoriasis and eczema.

Carrot Seed Oil contains both Vitamin A and carotene.  In addition to being good for your hair and skin, it is also associated with good eyesight.

Uses

A drop or two of carrot seed oil in creams and lotions is worth it.  I have used this oil in my own skin moisturizers and it works great.  I have also tried this oil in my Night Oil.  Though I have not yet tried it, Carrot Seed Oil would work nicely in a blended bath oil.

I always use this oil sparingly.  A little goes a long way.

Note:  This is  not an oil to use during pregnancy.

Sources:

In addition to my own experience, information in this blog post comes from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrot_seed_oil

http://www.essentialoils.co.za/essential-oils/carrot-seed.htm