Image Courtesy of Carenonline.com

I’ve been using The Answer’s Ideal Eyes Anti-Aging Eye Cream for several months now. While typing up Wednesday’s review of Karen’s Botanicals Perfect Lotion, I realized (after mentioning and then attempting to link to my review of the eye cream) that I’ve yet to actually review this fantastic product.

Ingredients (provided at carenonline.com)- “Rose hydrosol*, sunflower seed oil*, helichrysum hydrosol*, meadowfoam seed oil, plum kernel oil*, jojoba oil*, rosehip seed oil*, blue/green algae extract*, mango seed butter, distilled water, vegetable glycerin, macadamia nut oil*, emulsifying wax NF, green tea extract*, vitamin E, essential oils of elemi* and carrot seed*, rosemary extract and grapefruit seed extract.
*Certified organic ingredient.”

I couldn’t find this product in the Cosmetic Safety Database so I searched each ingredient individually. A disappointing amount the ingredients had large data gaps (which means they haven’t been “assessed for safety in cosmetics by industry panel”), and two of the ingredients had hazard scores higher than a 3 (emulsifying wax NF* & grapefruit seed extract). At least most of the ingredients sound like things that are found in nature, right? I’m taking a great deal of comfort in that.

*I’ve just been informed by Ellen Holder, creator of The Answer, that “the emulisfying wax used in The Answer for Skin’s products is EcoMulse, which is EcoCert approved for use in organic products but there is no where on EWG’s Skin Deep database to specify this.” She also said that The Answer For Skin uses “a combination of rosemary extract and a tiny bit of grapefruit seed extract to prevent mold and bacteria growth–a must for an eye cream.” All of this sounds logical, and it also eases my mind. And who better to hear it from than the creator of the product line?

Some great things about this product:

1. It contains organic ingredients.

2. It’s free of parabens.

3. I will definitely be reusing the tiny glass jar that holds this product.

Product Description (also provided at carenonline.com)- “The Answer’s Ideal Eyes anti-aging eye cream is your best defense in fighting the aging process around the eye area. This thin-skinned area is often the first place to show signs of aging and needs powerful, yet super light and gentle, ingredients that can penetrate quickly and easily.  Ideal Eyes contains an arsenal of nature’s best anti-aging fighters.   Essential oil of elemi [EL-uh-mee] is highly regarded for boosting collagen support, reducing the look of fine lines and wrinkles and has cell-regeneration properties, rejuvenating wrinkled, sagging skin.  Combined with vitamin A-rich carrot seed and antioxidant-rich sea algae and green tea, this nourishing eye cream feeds the skin of your delicate eye area.  Moisturizing plant oils of meadowfoam, rosehip, macadamia, and sunflower seed are rich in vitamins A, C and E and rich fatty acids.  It’s like a complete balanced diet for eye area.”

Price- It’s a little pricey at $27.95 for .5 oz. Fortunately, I managed to snag a 5 ml sample size for around 5 dollars before they stopped offering it at carenonline.com (which was an amazing deal, because I’ve still got half a jar after using the eye cream once a day for months). Use this product sparingly as the directions suggest, and you’ll be much more likely to get your money’s worth.

Performance-I recommended this product to a friend, so I’m obviously a fan of it. I used it as a daytime eye cream before discovering Perfect Lotion, and I loved that it made my under eye area glow. When used sparingly, it never caused my eye makeup to run. I currently use it as a nighttime eye cream, and it fills this role just as dreamily. It’s gentle and soothing, and I feel good about the possibility of it preventing and/or delaying wrinkles.

Scent- It doesn’t have much of a scent at all, but I guess it very faintly smells like cinnamon.  Who knows why that’s the case, since cinnamon is nowhere to be found on the ingredient list.

Rating- 8/10. I subtracted one point for each of the two questionable ingredients.

Would I purchase this item again?- I won’t rule it out completely, but I might go for something with even better ingredients next time…especially since this product isn’t sold in a try me! size anymore. I’m afraid it’ll go bad before I even use it all if I splurge for the .5 oz jar!

Image courtesy of Greenearthsociety.com.

You all know that I love a face mask, right? Lately, I’ve been using Evanhealy French Rose Clay to satisfy my mask-related needs.

Ingredients (provided at evanhealy.com)- “Rose clay (Kaolin)* that has been sun-dried, purified and ground to a very fine, velvety powder and Moroccan rhassoul clay (Moroccan lava clay).

This product receives a hazard score of 1 to 2 on the Cosmetic Safety Database, depending on product usage.

Some great things about this product:

1. It’s fluoride, preservative, cruelty, and sulfate-free!

Product Description (also provided at evanhealy.com)-

• “A natural alternative to harsh acid treatments
• French Rose Clay with rhassoul is a gentle exfoliating and polishing treatment appropriate for all skin conditions
• Actively draws pimples and blackheads to the surface, detoxifies bacteria, minimizes appearance of pores, absorbs excess oil leaving skin clear, clean and refreshed.”

Price- It’s 21.95 for 2.1 oz, but I got a try me size (which is a 7-10 day supply or 0.1 oz.) from carenonline.com for $5.95. It’s out of stock there, but they also sell it on the evanhealy website for 2 dollars cheaper. I don’t feel like a complete sucker for paying a little more, though, because I also got some other samples that were different brands at the same time and probably ultimately saved money on shipping. Sorry for all the extra info; that was probably unnecessary.

Performance- To apply this mask (and in following the directions provided on the carenonline.com’s product page), I’ve been putting a penny-sized amount of the clay into one palm, wetting the fingertips of the opposite hand, coating them with a little clay, and applying the clay to to my already wet face in upward strokes. After waiting 15-20 minutes, depending on how impatient I’m feeling, I’ll wash it off with cool and/or cold splashes of water. Since this mask has a slight drying effect, I sometimes skip toning and moisturize immediately after removing the mask. It just depends on how my skin looks/feels. Overall, I love what this mask does for my skin. I usually do this mask before bed, and my skin tone always seems more even the next morning. I also like how firm it makes my skin feel. Hopefully I still have several years before I have to start worrying about wrinkles, but I love anything natural that is supposed to combat premature aging. If I had to complain about something other than the price, I’d probably say that I wish it weren’t so easy to make a mess with this clay. I guess masks are inherently messy, though, and that’s not at all a deal-breaker for me. In fact, it’s hardly worth mentioning.

Scent- The scent is very, very light, but I guess it smells like clay.  It reminds me of a library for some reason. Do libraries smell like clay? Also, I wouldn’t recommend trying to smell this stuff. I think I sniffed it into my eye somehow, which was unpleasant at best.

Rating- Call me a cheapskate, but doesn’t 22 dollars seem like a lot of money for a face mask? I’m subtracting a point for the price, but this clay still deserves a solid 9 out of 10.

Would I purchase this product again?- Sure thing! I might even splurge for the full-sized jar next time.

Click the link to get your own bottle of Evanhealy French Rose Clay!

Image Courtesy of Delias.com

I ordered some adorable and on sale shoes for myself today, and I can’t wait to wear them!

A piece of news that is more relevant to this blog, however, is that I also ordered some health and beauty product samples by brands that I rarely or never review. The brands are Lily Organics, evanhealy, The Answer For Skin, and Skin; the products will be tested and reviewed shortly after they arrive.