Tag: skincarereview

How to Use and Clean Reusable Makeup Remover Pads

Published on by Lee3 Comments

If you use micellar water, toner or any kind of makeup remover in your routine, you probably go through a lot of makeup-removing pads. While these cotton rounds might seem better for the environment than makeup wipes (which are often made of non-biodegradable materials such as polyester), filling your trash with so many single-use pads can have a negative environmental impact, too. This is why we love using reusable makeup pads. Not only are they eco-friendly, but also they help you save money in the long run. 

Garnier has made reusable rounds even more accessible with its launch of the Micellar Cleansing Eco Pads. The rounds, which come in packs of three and cost less than $10, are made of soft microfiber. Each pad can last up to 1,000 washes and help effectively and gently remove makeup and impurities without leaving any residue behind. We’re obsessed! Here’s how to use one in your routine. 

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STEP 1: Saturate the Pad 

Apply your makeup remover or toner of choice directly onto the pad. Our current go-to makeup remover and morning cleanser are the Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water with Vitamin C. 

STEP 2: Swipe on Skin

Gently sweep the pad over your skin (it’s safe to use the pads over your eyes) until all makeup is removed or you’ve saturated your skin with your toner. 

STEP 3: Clean Your Pad

After each use, hand wash the pad with soap and water until clean. You can give it a deeper clean once a week by tossing it into the laundry. Lay the pad flat to dry. We like to store them in a soap dish or a small mesh laundry bag to keep them dry and hygienic. 

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A Love Letter to Matte Red Lips

Discover the art of matte red lips — soft edges, velvety finish, and layered depth create a modern, intimate statement. From gentle prep to sculpted application, this love letter to red lipstick shows how to wear it with confidence, elegance, and quiet power.

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Pros Agree That Jade Roller Benefits Go Far Beyond De-Puffing Your Face

Published on by Lee2 Comments

These days, it’s near impossible to scroll through your social media feed without coming across a beautifully-styled photo of a jade roller. But according to skin-care pros, jade roller benefits extend far beyond solely making for a pretty picture.

Jade face rollers for beauty facial massage therapy. Flat lay on marble background

Jade rolling has long been a practice in traditional Chinese medicine. The stone is believed to have healing properties and be a sign of power and immortality. Over the last few years, the tool has made its way into beauty stores (and onto Instagram feeds) in the Western world, thanks in large part to its de-puffing abilities. ” In the simplest terms, a jade roller is a facial massage tool,” says Jessica Briggs, the VP of marketing for Ecotools. “What makes it special is that it’s made from natural jade stone which has both spiritual and physical benefits, and is known for its purifying and detoxifying qualities.” And pros say that jade roller benefits include things like lymphatic drainage and improved circulation. Here’s what you need to know.

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Jade roller benefits

1. Detoxifies and reduces puffiness

“Lymphatic drainage” is one of the buzziest wellness terms of 2020 (we called it in our Trends!), and jade rolling is one of the easiest ways to do it at home. Using the tool to massage your face can help reduce some of the fluid buildup, doing away with puffiness. Roll the massager toward your lymph nodes—which are located in your neck, slightly behind your ears—to help stimulate lymph movement.

2. Brightens and firms skin

Jade rollers massage the superficial layer of the skin, and if you pop them in the freezer to cool them down they can “calm irritation, tighten pores, and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles,” says Miami-based board-certified dermatologist Stacy Chimento, MD. There are some claims that jade rollers can help your skin absorb topical ingredients more effectively, but there isn’t enough research to fully support this theory.

3. Relaxes facial tension

If you’re a big-time jaw clencher, treating yourself to a DIY jade roller massage can help do away with some of the tension the habit leaves behind. “By putting gentle pressure on your face and neck it helps reduce tension,” says Briggs. Use the smaller end of the roller to gently massage along your jaw line, and you’ll feel an immediate release of whatever stress you’re holding in the area.

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4. De-puffs your under eyes

After a long night of crying, drinking, or eating salt, if you ever wind up with your eyes puffy, a simple jade-rolling routine can help. Massaging the area with the smaller end of the tool can help even out some of the fluid, and it will work double-duty if it’s fresh out of the freezer, since cold temperatures help to constrict blood vessels, which helps to prevent the flow of fluid into the tissues.

How to use a jade roller

In order to reap the most of your jade roller benefits, you’ll want to be sure you’re using it the right way. “In terms of technique, make sure you aren’t applying undue pressure and pulling the skin, this goes double for downward strokes,” says Dr. Chimento. “You can start with the nose and eyes and gently and thoroughly cover the face with the massage tool emphasizing the forehead and cheekbones.” Briggs adds that you can use the tool with or without skin care, focusing on an outward, rolling motion on your face and neck, which helps push tension and swelling away from the center of your face and encourage circulation.

Most jade rollers come with a larger end and a smaller one, each of which serve different purposes. The larger one is great for use on your cheeks, forehead, and jawline, and the smaller one can be used under your eyes and around your nose. Some also have a textured side as well as a smooth side, which Dr. Chimento is a fan of using for light physical exfoliation (just be sure to limit yourself to a few times a week with it so you don’t over exfoliate).

A few other pro tips, depending on what you’re looking for? “If you want to really gain the maximum benefit out of the jade roller, I suggest placing your tool in the freezer or fridge overnight and massaging your face in the morning,” says Dr. Chimento. “The combination of massage and cool application will help not only break up fluids from overnight, but also tighten your pores, and calm the skin from minor irritations or puffiness.” Briggs also suggests warming the tool with water, which will help open your pores for improved skin-care absorption.

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And one more thing? “Always make sure to clean your tools before the next use,” says Briggs. The best way to do it is by washing with a gentle soap and patting dry.

Our favorite jade rollers

1. Herbivore Jade De-Puffing Facial Roller, $30

Photo: Herbivore

2. EcoTools Jade Roller Duo, $19

Photo: EcoTools

3. Bullex 100% Natural Jade Face Roller, $7

Photo: Amazon

THANK YOU FOR READING AND SUPPORTING BEAUTYLEEBAR. THE LOVE IS DEFINITELY RECIPROCATED.

BODY CARE HACKS WITH KYNCARE

Published on by Lee1 Comment

In our latest edition of BeautyLeeBar hacks, we’re sharing ways to shortcut your body care routine. The reality is that sometimes there’s just not enough time to apply our tried and true regimen. In these cases, we can rely on fast tweaks that still bring solid results. Scroll down below to find out body care tips on how to get better smooth skin by using Kyncare. 

WHAT IS KYNCARE: KYNCARE is a brand that was created by Kyndall Sands who is an Artist and a YouTuber. She created this brand for those who are struggling with Eczema but couldn’t find reliable products. Of course, Eczema is the main reason that KYNCARE was born but if you have dry skin, really if you suffer from troubled, problematic skin then this brand is definitely for you.

Below we’re highlighting eight resourceful body tools and tips to adopt for healthier, smoother skin. Maximize your time with the body care hacks Team BLB swears by below.

• Apply moisturizer while the body is still damp from the shower. This locks in moisture, and applying lotion to damp skin takes half the time rubbing it in.

Kyncare OATS + HONEY BODY CREAM ( $18 ), is a thick, creamy, and luxurious body lotion that makes dry skin a thing of the past. Creamy oatmilk, honey, and almond come together to create this comforting scent. The fragrance doesn’t irritate the skin and doesn’t cause any breakouts.

• Use coconut oil as a shaving cream. It’s all-natural and leaves skin smooth and moisturized.

Kyncare COCONUT CREAM BODY OIL ( $12 ), heals chapped skin. Coconut Cream Body Oil uses Avocado oil to hydrate & moisturize your skin all day, and leave you with the long lasting scent of creamy coconut. You will be smelling like a snack all day and night!

It gives a cool summer beach vibe; very light and smooth on the skin. Primp Tip: Combine the Vanilla Body Butter Cream, it is AMAZING!! You will feel like you are on a tropical paradise island drinking a Pina Colada ❤

• If Lee tries out a serum or cream for her face but doesn’t necessarily love it, she’ll use it on her body so that she’s not being wasteful.

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• Use lotion on hands and feet and wrap them in socks for 20-30 minutes. It will heat up the moisturizer so that it penetrates deeper into the skin. The result: hands and feet that are soft, smooth, and ready to be touched.

GARDENIA BODY CREAM( $18 ), has a subtle, floral blend of gardenia and delicate jasmine. The type of cleanness and freshness that you will feel on the daily and nightly is unexplainable. Before you dip your feet into all that goodness, make sure you exfoliate exfoliate exfoliate. GARDENIA FOAMING SUGAR SCRUB ( $12 ), is formulated with sugar and foaming whipped soap, the sugar scrubs will leave your skin feeling fresh & smelling delicious! Lather onto a loofah or between your hands and buff onto the skin. It makes you smell edible & the consistency of the scrub is light a fluffy, not too rough, but still exfoliating. Love it! The packaging is cute as well. 10/10 recommend.

• If you’re going out at night and showing skin, use body oil for extra glow—and you can add a dollop of a liquid highlighter to the oil for seriously sexy skin.

PASSIONFRUIT SPLASH BODY OIL ( $12 ), uses Avocado oil to hydrate & moisturize your skin all day, and leave you with a long lasting tropical smell. This body oil is very light and smells like heaven. It feels amazing especially after a nice bath. Try pairing this with Gardenia Body Butter! It is the best combo ever! These two scents compliment each other very well.

• After applying your daily sunscreen to your face, make sure to wipe the remainder on the tops of your hands and chest. These areas get overlooked, but they’re in desperate need of SPF too.

• To naturally get rid of ingrown hairs, exfoliate, then use a dry brush, and a tweezer.

PINEAPPLE MOISTURE SCRUB ( $16 ), slough off dry, dead skin & leave your skin feeling ultra moisturized and baby soft. Kyncare juicy moisturizing scrubs are perfect for those who want exfoliation AND silky skin even after leaving the shower.

• Always wash your face and body after you condition your hair so you don’t have lingering product on your skin.

Lee didn’t find many reviews on this brand but from the videos that came up, all of the feedbacks were positive and uplifting. She will be going back for more, can’t wait to see what new products are going to be in the KYNCARE catalog! Each jar is handmade in small batches in-house so be patient and read the directions carefully.

Have you purchased from KYNCARE? If so, what was your experience like and what did you get? Comment Below!

MOISTURISING VS HYDRATING

Published on by Lee8 Comments

Raise your hand if you use the words hydrating and moisturizing interchangeably. Yes, a lot of us do that all the time.

When it comes to the beauty industry, there are a lot of terms to be learned. And the biggest culprits we’ve noticed falling into this category are the words ‘hydrate’ and ‘moisturize’. While they both address the importance of nourishing our skin, they should not be treated as the same thing.

Which is why we’ve put together a simple guide detailing the difference between the two, to ensure that you get optimum benefits out of both.

Dry versus dehydrated skin – is there a difference?

Yes.

The term ‘dehydrated‘ is used to describe lack of water, while the term ‘dry’ loosely translates to lack of oil. Hence, dehydrated skin needs to be hydrated (as it lacks water), and dry skin needs to be moisturized (as it lacks oil).

Hydrating adds moisture to the skin

If there’s one thing that Korean skincare has taught us is that hydrating makes all the difference when it comes to healthy and glowy skin.

When skin cells are well hydrated they swell to be plump, bouncy and reflect light effectively. If water flows out of the cells they become dehydrated and can shrivel up, which leads to lackluster skin. Imagine your skin cells are mini water balloons. In their healthiest state, they are full of water, firm, bouncy, plump and reflect light.

Now imagine these mini balloons have a slow leak where the water is steadily escaping. What happens to the balloon? It loses its rounded plump shape, it is less bouncy and as the water gets low it shrivels up and becomes dull looking.

Even if we find the leak and patch it up, the skin still needs a fresh infusion of water to refill what’s been lost. In addition, it needs support to hold onto the water.

This is where skin hydrators come in. Hydration refers to the amount of water in the skin. And hydrator are products formulated with special ingredients to increase the water content of the skin.

And what are these special ingredients? Humectants. Humectants absorb moisture from the environment and deliver it down to the skin’s layers, facilitating hydration. Glycerin and honey are some great examples.

Therefore, hydration replenishes all the water that the skin has lost and adds some more for good measure.

So, up the water content of your skin by incorporating a hydrator into your daily routine and drinking enough water. A water-based daily cream like TATCHA Water Cream ( $20 ), hydrates the skin deeply while lending it a moisturized finish all through the day. Not only will doing so help your skin regain its proper moisture balance, but will also increase the powers of your moisturizer.

Moisturizing locks moisture into the skin

Hydration is a like a glass of water for your skin. It doesn’t matter how many glasses your skin drinks every day, if there’s nothing keeping this water in, it’ll evaporate, leaving your skin dry.

Enter moisturizing. Moisturizing forms a barrier on the skin that locks water in so it can’t run away anymore and works towards retaining what moisture is present on the skin at the time of application. By forming a protective seal on the skin’s surface, moisturizers are able to reduce the risk of the evaporation throughout the day.

Hence, moisturizing is non-negotiable (even if your skin is oily). For oily skin, choose a gel based moisturizer like KIEHL’S SINCE 1851 Ultra Facial Cream Mini ( $22 ) and ORIGINS GinZing™ Oil- Free Energy Boosting Gel Moisturizer ( $30 ). For dry skin, choose something that intensely hydrates like TATCHA The Dewy Skin Cream ( $68 ) and OLEHENRIKSEN C-Rush™ Vitamin C Gel Moisturizer ( $46 ). If you have combination skin, try FARMACY Daily Greens Oil-Free Gel Moisturizer with Moringa and Papaya ( $38 ), and TATA HARPER Hyaluronic Acid Gel Moisturizer ( $116 ).

What your skin needs

But you may ask if both moisturizers and hydrators provide our skin with moisture, how do we know which of the two our skin needs?

Well, the answer is both.

Dehydrated skin that is moisturized will still look dull and feel uncomfortably tight, without receiving hydration. And dry skin that is hydrated but not moisturized will still flake and have a rough texture. So, you need to stock up on both hydrators and moisturizers, or products that offer a combination of them together.

Hydrators and moisturizers are not just synonyms written on products as part of a clever marketing scheme, to make you buy more than you need. They really do have a purpose of their own and together, keep the skin looking plump and happy.

For best results, hydrators and moisturizers should be applied morning (before sunscreen) and night. You can apply moisturizing lotions or creams after applying your hydrator so it doesn’t peel.

Wait… here are 3 ways to hydrate your skin

DRINK PLENTY OF WATER. If you drink caffeine or alcohol drink that much more water. I find that I need an app to help me stay on track with my water consumption. Tracking my consumption and getting little reminders throughout the day has made a huge difference in the amount of water I drink. There are many water tracker apps that are free. For the ladies: Flo is a women’s health app, that supports women at each stage of their reproductive cycle. It tracks menstruation, cycle prediction, preparation for conception, pregnancy, early motherhood and menopause. And, you know what else it tracks? Water intake! Download Flo for free to start tracking.

MIST YOUR SKIN. Carry a small bottle of hydrosol in your bag or backpack to mist your face throughout the day. Look for with a hydrosol mist of aloe with floral or herbal infusions for the best overall skin pick me up. Try e.l.f. Soothing Aloe Facial Mist ( $8 ) which moisturizes and refreshes skin with invigorating scent. Perfect to start or end your day with, or even as a mid-day refresher. Like a cool glass of water for parched skin After Sun Soothing Aloe Mist ($20) provides breathable, lightweight hydration that skin will instantly drink up and MARIO BADESCU Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater ( $12 ) is another great choice! This floral face mist features complexion-loving rose and gardenia extracts, skin-softening bladderwrack (a type of mineral-rich seaweed) extract, and clarifying thyme extract to boost the complexion. Mist whenever, wherever for radiant and re-energized skin.

Note: Avoid any mists that contain alcohol. This can dry the skin and defeat the purpose of this hydration boost.] If you feel self-conscious misting yourself in public, you can always do it in the bathroom as a final refresher after you wash your hands.

APPLY SERUMS DAILY. Especially those that contain hyaluronic acid. I especially love to wear this in the morning to keep my skin supported throughout the day when it needs the most help staying hydrated. I rarely ever skip this step.

If you are in a hurry and need to cut down on your routine, find another way to shave off time in your morning prep and keep this step as a non-negotiable. Your skin will thank you today and years from now.

Choices of Serums: THE ORDINARY Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 ( $6.80 ), Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Serum ( $24.99 ), Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Serum ( $65 ), DRUNK ELEPHANT B-Hydra™ Intensive Hydration Serum ( $48 ), PAULA’S CHOICE Resist Hyaluronic Acid Booster Concentrated Serum ( $39 ), kiehl’s Powerful-Strength Vitamin C Serum ( $68 ), Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Face Serum ( $48 ), Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Booster Serum ( $80 ), Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II ( $103 ), CeraVe Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Face Serum ( $18.99) and L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Derm Intensives Hyaluronic Acid Serum ( $23.99 ).

Primp Tip: While you’re shopping, look for serums that have a one percent concentration of hyaluronic acid, as higher levels can cause skin irritation. And choose serums that have natural hyaluronic acid, plus vitamin C, without irritating ingredients, such as alcohol, sulphates, and parabens.

Have any other tips and tricks? I look forward to hearing how you get your daily hydration and moisture fix!