Origins Super Spot Remover Acne Treatment

I have been using the Boscia Willowbark Breakout Treatment for quite a long time now and like the results that I get from it and how it doesn't irritate my skin.  I usually get maybe one or two breakouts a month and my skin issues are sensitivity and dryness and therefore I do not need a heavy acne treatment and prefer to completely stay away from products that contain any very strong ingredients.  The only product that I need in my skincare regime to care for my occasional blemishes is a spot treatment and one small bottle will last me a very long time.  I liked the more natural formula of the Boscia treatment and wanted to try another brand with a similar formula.  I decided to try the Origins formula after looking through all the treatments on Sephora website and ruling out those that promise to be much too strong for my skin.

I was actually considering buying another tube of the Boscia but since I am always switching products up, I ordered the small tube of Super Spot Remover Acne Treatment from Origins.  I have been getting very nice results from the Origins products that I have been trying over the past few months and I was more than happy to order another product from this line, I wish that I still had a full Origins store around me instead of just counters at Macy*s and Sephora. 

I ordered this product from Sephora and all descriptions and details are from this website.  "A blemish-busting acne spot treatment with salicylic acid.  Red PMS pimple? Bad joke breakout? Heal, fight, and fade it fast. Just dab on a dot and feel blemish-busting salicylic acid instantly help speed healing while anti-spot technology helps visibly correct post pimple darkening. Skin-calming caffeine and red algae help relieve irritating redness. And to help keep skin looking spotless, super exfoliators eliminate excess oils and pore-clogging debris."  This formula is deemed to be safe all skin types.

I ordered this bottle right before I was due to get my monthly blemish so that I could use it right away.  I had one medium-sized blemish on my chin and used this product on it at night and then once again in the morning.  After the first use, I could see that the blemish had gone down in size and the red hue was much lessened.  Two uses got rid o the whole blemish and cleared the whole area up, I was very happy that this product worked quickly however the blemish was not a large one.

I would only recommend the product to people with skin similar to mine, it works very nicely on occasional blemishes and skin that is not considered to be acne-prone or oily.  I don't think that this product would strong enough to clear up persistent acne problems or very oily skin that leads to blemishes.  I very much like this product but I would not recommend it to those who have larger acne issues than mine, this product is best for very occasional breakouts and those who have problems with more traditional acne ingredients causing dryness and redness to the skin.

Another Origins winner for me...I think I will keep ordering more items from this company and I need to visit a store than carries more of the makeup items than the counters currently do!

photo courtesy of Sephora

Origins GinZing Energy Boosting Face Moisturizer

I finally started to settle into my summer skincare regime and have a series of products that work well together and with the self tanner formula that I use and I will continue to keep this same skincare regime until after Labor Day.  My latest addition to my summer skincare regime is one that I would use all year long and might be my new favorite product in my line up.  I have used and loved the Origins GinZing Eye Cream ever since it was first released in early 2010 and I was so excited when I saw a facial moisturizer in this same formula on the Sephora website.  This skin cream formula immediately went onto my Most Wanted list and I waited on their email list until the product was back in stock for me to order.  I ordered it the other week and now I finally have one of my most coveted skincare products in my hands and I have been testing it out for two days now.

So far this year has produced two skincare products that I have instantly wanted, this skin cream and the night cream from Philosophy.  I wanted both of these products for exactly the same reason, I have other products from these companies with very similar formulas and have gotten great results time and time again and I believed that the new products with from these same lines would give me very similar results.  So far...I have not been let down!

The GinZing Eye Cream was my first introduction to the Origins line and it started my relationship with this brand very well.  This is one of the best eye creams that I have ever used, both for the texture and the benefits.  It hydrates and absorbs very quickly while brightening my under eye area and reducing the appearance of my puffy eyes in the morning.  If a single eye cream can do all the above, I can only imagine what a face cream in this line could do...

"A facial cream to instantly hydrate and rev up radiance.  This lightweight, oil-free facial cream is fortified with legendary skin-boosters like panax ginseng and coffee bean to jumpstart hydration levels. Lackluster-looking skin is rapidly refreshed and revitalized to create a healthy, vibrant glow."

This is a gel-cream hybrid product, a texture that is one of my personal favorites because it hydrates very well yet is light enough to sink in quickly and begin working instantly.  I wasn't even aware that the product had this texture until I opened the pot up and started applying it to my face.  I use a nickel-sized drop of product to cover and hydrate my whole face and this is the perfect amount of someone with dry skin, if your skin is normal or oily you could get away with using less of the product.  It sinks in instantly and immediately I can see the increase in the hydration levels of my skin and the texture shows immediate improvement.  This formula is oil-free and I really think that every single skin type would benefit from the use of this product, it hydrates my dry skin but it light enough for anyone to use.  That might be my favorite aspect of the product...

I can see an evident change in my skin from the use of this product, I already discussed the improvement in the overall texture but I also see a different in the clarity and radiance of my skin.  I was happy to see that my cheek redness was reduced and my skin is brighter looking overall, this product makes me look as though I came back from a relaxing vacation and am fully rested (even though the exact opposite is usually true), this is a great cream for someone who has skin that responses negatively to stress.  My skin tends to get dull when I am stressed from work and/or school but this product counteracts all of that.  As much I am reaping the benefits of it now, I am really excited to see how it performs in the winter and early spring, this is time of the year that the weather and school do a number on my face and I have dry skin that often look dull and gray.  I will be buying more of this product at that time to see just how well it performs when my skin is at its worst.

photo courtesy of Sephora

Current Favorites!

The last month has consisted of me trying product after product to keep the reviews coming and looking forward to what I am going to be buying this summer.  Over the past few weeks, a few winning products have emerged and I am going to be paying tribute to my current favorite products and why I love them.  I have been all about color and skincare the past few weeks, I have been using up most of my current perfumes in order to open some new ones up and the same is going for most of my body products, I can't buy any new bottles until some more space is cleared for the current products that I haven't even opened up yet.  My five favorites therefore are taken from my skincare and color purchases so hopefully the next time that I write a favorites list up, I will have more fragrances in it.

My current favorites!

China Glaze Nail Lacquer in Sea Spray - "Unleash your inner color with China Glaze...your longwearing professional nail lacquer choice!  Longwearing formula with hardeners features great coverage and DBP free.  China Glaze Nail Lacquer makes nails look spectacular and dries in seconds.  China Glaze offers the latest technology in formulas and color selection."  Sea Spray is a shade from their spring Anchors Away collection that was released in early 2011, I was introduced to this collection last year when I purchased White Cap (still a favorite shade) and now I have added Sea Spray and Ahoy! to my collection.  Sea Spray is a lovely pale gray blue shade with a hint of a shimmer finish.  I started wearing this shade in early spring and have been wearing it ever since.  The best way to describe this shade is to tell you to look at the sky right before it begins to rain.  This shade is a new neutral for me.

Stila Sheer Color Tinted Moisturizer Oil-Free SPF 20 in Fair - "A tinted, oil-free moisturizer with a hint of color.  This water-resistant moisturizer is packed with sun protection and just enough color to even skintone.  The light, hydrating formula is ideal for all skin types and comes in natural, see-through shades.  Application is a cinch and the coverage is long lasting, leaving you with a perfect finish every time."  Fair is the lightest shade in this product and it turned out to be a perfect match for my skintone.  I only purchased this product to use when I am in a hurry, since my normal routine doesn't work well for busy morning.  However with me being on vacation from work this week, I have been using it almost everyday for a bit of extra coverage while I run errands and hang out, it is working its way into being a VIP of my traincase.  This product covers better than many tinted moisturizer formulas and lasts throughout most of the day.  It hydrates just enough for my skin to be soft and smooth, even though I have chosen the oil-free formula.  I am really liking this formula and being able to have a bit of coverage when needed but not looking made up.

Origins Gin-Zing Refreshing Eye Cream - "A clinically-proven eye cream that instantly de-puffs and reduces dark circles.  Late night?  Long flight?  Look tired all the time?  This natural, clincially-proven morning-after eye cream instantly reduces dark circles.  Unsightly bags and puffiness virtually disappear.  And Origin's  proprietary complex of caffeine from coffee bean.  Panax ginseng, magnolia extract, and natural optic brighteners rapidly wakes up, refreshes, and and restores radiance to tired eyes.  Best for all skin types."  I use this eye cream at night and the Cliniqe All About Eyes Rollerball during the day to take care of my puffy, allergy eyes.  This product helps to reduce my puffiness and my dark circles.  This is one of the few eye creams that I have worked with recently that actually helps dark circles look better and not just easier to cover up with makeup.  In addition to helping reduce both puffiness and dark circle appearance, this product helps to moisturize and to brighten the entire eye area.  This is simply one of the best all-in-one eye creams that is on the market today and I recommend it to almost anyone that needs help choosing an eye cream formula.

OPI Nail Lacquer in You Callin' Me a Lyre? and Pirouette My Whistle - "The world leader in professional nail care."  Both of these shades came out recently with their New York City Ballet collection released mid spring.  I put both of these together since I prefer to wear both of them together, I have worn each one alone but they pack a huge punch when used together.  You Callin' Me a Lyre? is a pale peach pink cream that is the epitome of the natural nail look and Pirouette My Whistle is a fine silver shimmer suspended in a clear base.  The combination of the two creates a natural nail look with a bit of pizzazz that keeps it from being boring.  I can get three to four full days wear from this combination so I use it at least once a week.  I have really been getting into OPI polishes lately and my shopping shows no signs of stopping...

Illamasqua Lipstick in Test - "Let your lips speak volumes.  Indulge in colour-intense lipstick with a highly pigmented formula, available in a choice of flawless finishes, from creamy matte to iridescent finishes.  Illamasqua Lipstick glides on smoothly and doesn't give up without a fight for the perfect all-night pout.  A must have for professional makeup artists, and those who want to make a statement."  Test is a "soft pink chocolate" with a matte finish.  For those of you who remember my initial review on the Illamasqua Lipstick formula, you will remember that I went on a near-rant about this shade and how it was described on the Sephora website (to sum it up - it looks nothing like what is pictured/described on the Sephora website and use the Illamasqua website for accurate descriptions) and I decided that I never would have purchased it had I known exactly what it looked like.  Application at full strengh produces a warm pink nude mouth with a matte finish, what sets this product apart is that it has a very full pigmentation and is not as subtle as I had been expecting, greatly reducing the amount of ways I could wear it.  I originally wanted a sheer, my-lips-but-better shades when I ordered this and not a shade with strong pigmentation.  However, recently I have been applying this shade with a bit of lip balm underneath, reducing the pigment strength and have been wearing it with all types of colored eye looks.  Even sheered out, this product lasts for several hours and stays color-true the whole time.  I love this lipstick formula and am happy that I have found another way to wear it!

These are my current favorite but I know that they will be changing again within the next few weeks, as I type this I am letting my newest shade of Illamasqua Nail Varnish dry and I just received a big Sephora order two days ago (complete with skincare and the 500 point perk of a Too Faced palette) and I will be working on getting some new fragrances and body products out.

photo courtesy of Sephora

Origins GinZing Eye Cream

You might remember my raving about getting good samples when I talked about the Nude Facial Cleansing Oil and how much I loved to get samples of products that I already really wanted to try. That theme occurs again in this entry. I read about this product last fall and it went right onto a Most Wanted list. However, I was buying some Prescriptives early last November and it was right when Macy*s was having a beauty event and I was lucky enough to receive a generius sample of this packed up in a box with many others.

Here are the product details from the Origins website, "GinZing Refreshing eye cream to brighten and depuff. 86% brighter appearance. 80% reduction in puffiness. Late night? Long flight? Look tired all the time? Prepare to become one of the perky people! Nature's clinically-proven morning-after cream instantly reduces dark circles. Unsightly bags and puffiness virtually disappear. And Origins proprietary complex of Caffeine from the Coffee bean, Panax Ginseng, Magnolia Extract and natural optical brightners rapidly wakes up , refreshes, and restores radiance to tired eyes."

This is a first for me, trying out a skincare product from Origins. I don't have much from there and what I do have is mostly body products and makeup brushes. I wasn't quite sure what to expect but I honestly was expecting a fair product that helped with depuffing and somewhat with dark circle reduction and undereye brightening. The texture of the product was the first aspect that really pleased me. It has the gel-cream texture that I liked so much in Caudalie's eye cream expect that this one is bit easier to spread than the other.

So other than the wonderful texture, how did this product measure up? Actually quite a bit better than I expected. This make be a bit shocking but I prefer it to the Caudalie eye cream overall and may have found the best depuffing and overall brightening eye cream so far. The directions say to apply this eye cream in the morning or whenever needed. That for me is twice a day, in the morning and at night. After about a week or so, I noticed that the puffiness under my eyes was much reduced. After about two more weeks, I noticed a reduction in the dark circles and the overall lightness of the area. Another huge plus is that this eye cream didn't dry my skin out at all. I was a bit let doww when I went to look this product up on the Origins website though. My sample came in a squeeze tube but the product itself is housed in a tub. I really prefer the squeeze tube and the texture of this product is really suited to the squeeze tube so I wish they would have packaged the full size product just like they did the sample.

However, that isn't a serious enough flaw for me to not purchase the product because the other qualities of this product are superior to all that I have tried so far.

photo courtesy of Origins