beauty mask – Stylishly Zen

Beautifully Zen -Volition Tumeric Brightening Polish Review

Published on January 31, 2019January 31, 2019 by soreiyaLeave a comment

There are a few things in life that I could honestly say that I am obsessed with:

Travel? Check!

Food? Double Check!

Interior Design and Architecture? Absolutely!

Turmeric? Without a doubt!

Now obviously my turmeric obsession is completely different then all of the others, and I realize that it is a bit of an odd one to have. But the truth is that I have been interested in the benefits of turmeric since I was a child. When I was younger, my mum and grandmother introduced me to the idea of exfoliating with a paste that had turmeric in it to help to achieve beautiful, glowing skin. Frankly, I would do it everyday if it didn’t leave my hands and nails a bright yellow hue. Even before I started studying nutrition, I was aware of the benefits of including turmeric in my diet, needless to say turmeric has been a staple in my pantry and on my plate for many years. (You can read about the benefits of turmeric here)

A few months ago, I was wandering the aisles of Sephora when I came across Voliton’s Turmeric Brightening Polish. Despite the fact that I has never heard of the brand or this scrub, I immediately grabbed a bottle and headed to the cashier to pay for my new found discovery.

Having used this scrub periodically over the past few months are here is my honest review:

Volition is a cool beauty company that make products thought up and created by real people just like you and me. If you go to their website, you can vote on beauty ideas suggested by regular people and they develop the product. In my opinion, the idea of creating a turmeric exfoliant is brilliant and had I been aware of such a company, I would have voted for this product myself.

The packaging, like all of Volition’s packaging includes a little introduction and picture of the person that came up with the idea for this product – I love that they get credit for their great ideas! Other then that, the packaging is nothing out of the ordinary but I will say that the rose gold coloured cap on the bottle is pretty.

Fragrance – there is no scent making this product idea for people with sensitivities with highly fragranced products

Texture – this is where I was disappointed. The bottle states that this product is for face and body but the texture is quite grainy. The exfoliants are quite large which I find are better suited to use on the body as it would be too harsh to use as a facial scrub. I like to use it as an extra scrub step when my skin needs a little extra attention and follow it with a good moisturizer.

I really wanted to love this product especially since it contains my favourite all star miracle spice, but unfortunately I can’t honestly say that I do. It is effective as a body scrub but there are many others on the market that work just as well and are less expensive.

Stylishly Zen rating – 2.5/5

I hope that you have a beautiful day! XXS

Clean Beauty Product Review

Published on May 25, 2017May 24, 2017 by soreiya1 Comment

It is becoming easier to be a clean beauty product junkie. I discover a new line almost every week! While not everything that I use is “clean”, I have made a concerted effort over the past few years to minimize my toxic load from chemicals in cleaning and personal products. It’s not alway easy as clean beauty is a fairly unregulated industry, and the term is often just tossed around as a buzz word to attract attention. Many products are not as “clean” as they pretend to be. While I haven’t found all of the clean beauty products that I have tried to be effective, there are some great products out there. I recently picked up two new clean beauty products to try out: Herbivore’s Blue Tansy Resurfacing Clarity Mask and Farmacy’s Honey Savior.

Herbivore Blue Tansy Resurfacing Clarity Mask

Herbivore is a brand that has been on my radar for quite a while, but this was the first opportunity that I had to actually try a product from the line. This beauty line is well known for it’s oils, clarity mask and body scrub. Founded by a husband and wife duo in their Seattle kitchen, the line is made with organic, high quality and food grade ingredients. I chose to try the resurfacing mask first because exfoliating has always been one of my favourite beauty rituals (seriously, I am obsessed). The Blue Tansy Resurfacing Mask is advertised to exfoliate, smooth and resurface the skin and it’s active ingredients include Blue Tansy Oil (natural anti-inflammatory), White Willow Bark (natural BHA), fruit enzymes (natural AHA) and aloe leaf (natural complexion soother).

I was a little skeptical when I first applied the clarity mask. There was not really any tingling and the texture was completely smooth. I generally prefer a manual exfoliant so I was hoping for a bit of “grit” in the mask. Nevertheless, I left the mask on for 20 minutes then washed it off with warm water and a clean wash cloth as per the directions. My face felt smoother but the effect wasn’t anything spectacular. There is a tip sheet that comes with the mask and it suggests to use the mask everyday for 3-4 days (on the website it says every other day) and then reduce usage to a few times a week. I decided to use it everyday for four days in the hopes of seeing some great results. By day three the results were noticeable and by day four my skin had a softness to it that I hadn’t seen in a very (very) long time. I am so impressed with this product! I am hopeful that it has positive long term effects as well – I will do a follow up post in a few months. The price ($48 CAN) is fairly average for a chemical exfoliant from Sephora and a little goes a long way so the jar should last quite some time. I can’t wait to try more products from this line in the future!

Stylishly Zen Beauty Rating: 4.5/5

Honey Savior by Farmacy

I have been a a fan of the Farmacy brand since I first discovered it a Sephora early last year. There is a lot of science behind this brand, and I absolutely love how much information they provide about the brand on the packaging. According to the box the products are cultivated by farmers and activated by scientists (there is even a picture!). Free of parabens, formaldehyde and artificial colours many of the Farmacy products are powered by their trademarked Echinacea Greenenvy Honey.

Honey Savior is advertised as an all-in-one skin repair slave that is rich in amino acids and B vitamins to help smooth dry skin giving it a renewed, healthy and nourished appearance. Honey is a great natural hydrator so it makes sense to have it in it a salve. I love using a salve to moisturize my feet before bed, and given my love of the Farmacy brand I was more then willing to give this one a try. In terms of quality, the texture of the salve is a slightly more liquid then others that I have tried which would make sense as it’s primary ingredient is castor oil. The less viscous texture means that a little bit of the product goes a long way, and it’s easier to use then a thicker version. I found it surprisingly helpful with helping to revive my tired aching feet after a long day – within 15 minutes the aches and pains were a distant memory. I am not sure why it was so helpful with this issue, but I am grateful nonetheless. The one downside of this product is the price ($44 CAN)! That is a lot of money to spend on a salve even if it is clean beauty. I am hopeful that this tube will last a long long time as you only need to use a very small amount at a time.

Stylishly Zen Beauty Rating: 4/5

Overall I was happy with both of these clean beauty products aside from the price of the salve (clean beauty needs to be more affordable). If the Blue Tansy Resurfacing Mask continues to be effective then I would definitely repurchase but I am not sure about the salve. As much as I love the Farmacy brand, the higher price point a little hard to justify. I am hopeful that this tube will last a long long time!

I hope that you have a beautiful day! XXS

Glow Getter Homemade Mask

Published on November 24, 2016November 23, 2016 by soreiyaLeave a comment

I love beauty DIY’s and homemade masks are no exception. Not only is making your own masks cost effective, but masks that you create at home are more natural and safer for both your skin and your overall health. This honey and papaya mask is one of my favourites and it is very easy to make. You probably already have most of the ingredients in your kitchen. There are many different versions of this mask online, but after trying a bunch of them I came up with this one using my favourite ingredients. I have been hooked on it ever since! Just ten minutes will help to leave your skin happy, hydrated and glowing. Like with all beauty regimens, consistency is key so try using this mask once a week for long term results.

Some of the benefits of the ingredients in this mask include:

Papaya – this beta carotene rich fruit is filled with powerful enzymes that help to combat free radicals on the skins surface. The alpha hydroxy acids in papaya help to dissolve dead skin cells by acting as a mild exfoliator.

Lemon – this natural astringent helps to tighten pores and lighten acne scarring.

Raw honey – is extremely hydrating which is perfect for the drying cooler temps

Turmeric – helps to tone the skin and is anti aging as it fights free radicals on the surface of the skin.

Ingredients:

3 teaspoons of fresh papaya

1 teaspoon of raw or manuka honey

1/2 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon of turmeric

Directions:

Mash the turmeric with the back of a fork and combine it with the remainder of the ingredients.

Apply to clean skin with a brush. Turmeric can stain the skin so applying it with your fingers may result in yellow nails and fingers.

After 10 – 15 minutes gently remove the mask with warm water and a wash cloth. Continue with the remainder of your skin care regimen.

Bonus Tips:

It is best to use this face mask at night as some of the ingredients can increase skin sensitivity. Make sure that you use sunscreen during the day to help protect your skin.
For people with sensitive skin, it is best to do a skin test first to ensure that your skin doesn’t react to this face mask.
You can use this mask all over your body including your neck and legs.
Refrigerate any leftovers and use it within two days.
Some people may find that the turmeric has lightly stained their skin (this really depends on your skin tone), cleansing your face should help to remove the colour.

I hope that you have a beautiful day! XXS