Hello everyone!! I hope you've all had a great Christmas season and winter break. I just came back from a mini vacation with my family to Bellevue, Washington. We pretty much did nothing at all except to eat and do a little holiday shopping.
One particular restaurant we stopped by was called Ruth's Chris Steak House. My family ordered three different steaks to share--all at medium. Unfortunately for my sister and I, we didn't quite like the steak cooked at medium...we're just not used to that sort of flavor. My parents, on the other hand, really enjoyed the steak. We also ordered a salad, which was delicious! The tuna was soft--unlike other restaurants'...
We also ordered a cheesecake to share for desert. That was probably one of the best cheesecakes I've ever had! AND the presentation was extra special and cute~ <3
Also, lucky for us, there was little Christmas parade during our stay! It was such a cute and festive time--made me so happy and excited! I haven't seen a parade, much less a Christmas one, for such a long time. The girls in the parade were dressed in such cute red, white, blue outfits with little bobs, and there were guys were playing the drums and dancing on the street! hahaha, such a festive experience! Made Christmas seem much more like Christmas~
Hello everyone! I'm currently at home and chilling! It's been such a blessing to be able to sleep in everyday and eat yummy, home cooked meals! (I've been having chicken curry with rice for lunch recently!! So delicious~~). Anyways, on to the main topic :)
Today, I will be doing a quick review of some additions to my skincare routine: InstaNatural eye gel, eye serum, vitamin C serum, and retinol cream. InstaNatural is a skincare brand with a vision to provide "safe, effective, and affordable skin care products." It uses organic and natural ingredients, and their products contain no sulfates, parabens, or alcohols! Isn't that wonderful?
If you take a look at the Amazon reviews, you'll see that InstaNatural has a great reputation. All the aforementioned products have a 4.5/5 rating or higher! I don't know if I have ever seen such high ratings before on Amazon! So, when I received these products, I was very excited to try them out.
Before I dive into the reviews, I want to let you know the order in which I use these products. After washing my face with the Philosophy Purity Made Simple cleanser (from Black Friday!) and applying the Etude House toner, I use either the eye serum or eye gel, then the Vitamin C serum, and lastly the Retinol cream.
Youth Express Eye Serum
Amazon rating: 4.8/5
This serum has a beautiful orange color (probably due the natural ingredients) and has a pleasant citrus smell. Don't worry, this color doesn't stain your skin! The kojic acid is used for its whitening/brightening effects, while the hyaluronic acid gives the serum a very moisturizing property. The caffeine has anti-inflammatory properties that helps reduce eye-puffiness and dark circles. Lastly, vitamin C has protect again pre-mature aging.
MY OPINION:
This serum is definitely verymoisturizing! After using the serum, my eyes seem as if giving a sigh of relief. This is moisturizing aspect is great for me, because my skin has been feeling very dry and dehydrated recently. Furthermore, I only use one drop for both eyes--meaning this product can last for a long time. After using it, I do feel as like my eye area seems brighter! I can't say anything about the serum's effect on wrinkles or fine lines, though!
InstaNatural's vitamin C serum is great. Although it is vitamin C serum, it also contain other, good-for-your-skin ingredients. The ingredients include: vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, ferulic acid, and vitamin E. The latter two ingredients are good to look for in any vitamin C serum, because they help stabilize the unstable vitamin C. Once again, hyalauronic acid is great for its moisturizing properties. The serum also includes many healthy oils that nourish your skin.
MY OPINION:
I really enjoy using this serum. Like the description on Amazon states, the serum is thicker than the typical water-based serums, so the product is easy to spread and absorbs quickly into the skin. After using this serum, my face feels moisturized and smooth! I typically use 3-4 drops for my face, so one bottle will last a good time! Additionally, the price for the serum is GREAT! $16.75! Most vitamin C serums are extremely expensive, so this one is great for gals looking to save money~ There are a couple downsides: after applying the serum, my face feels a little sticky. However, this stickiness shortly disappears after the serum absorbs into the skin. The other downside is that, maybe due to the oils in the serum, my face seems to be a little more oily than usually. And with this oiliness, my face seems to break out a little more (but not badly).
The retinol cream actually has more than just retinol. There's vitamin C, green tea, hyaluronic acid, jojoba oil, and shea butter. Retinol (vitamin A) promotes the growth of skin cells and can counteract signs of aging. Retinol also increases the skin's production of collagen, which helps make the skin appear more plump and elastic. Green tea is a natural antioxidant helps reduce breakouts and helps soothe irritated skin. It also helps with dark eye circles! Hyaluronic acid, jojoba oil, and shea butter all have great moisturizing properties.
MY OPINION:
This cream is quite wonderful. The morning after using this cream, my skin definitely felt more elastic and "squishy." :P I felt like my skin was noticeable brighter, too! Unfortunately, the only downside I noted was that this cream isn't quite as moisturizing as I had hoped. Maybe since it was a cream, the consistency wasn't what I was used to--moisturizers/lotions/emulsions--something more liquid-y. The cream is almost like a body butter consistency, so it doesn't spread as easily as typical moisturizers.
Since winter time can be quite drying for the skin, these products are great addition to for any skincare routine! Hope you guys will have the opportunity to check these products out!
