Iremia in Iremia Skincare translates to mean tranquil or serene, and this is an apt description of what you can expect from this gorgeous, clean, ultra-soothing line. Elaine Li, the founder and formulator of Iremia Skincare, knows the challenges of sensitive skin firsthand, having struggled with eczema, hypersensitivities, and redness as long as she can remember.  She knows how frustrating it is: to purchase a product specifically designed to be “sensitive” only to have it sting and burn on contact, to discover after making a purchase that harmful ingredients are deceptively hidden in proprietary blends rather than declared, or to finally find a sufficiently gentle formula only to discover that it has little impact on skin, or worse, is merely causing more problems (e.g., breakouts).  Iremia Skincare was born out of frustration with these limited options for sensitive skin.  When Elaine found no workable solutions for her skin on the market, she created her own.  Iremia Skincare offers what has been largely missing from the industry:  gentle yet effective, healing skincare for sensitive skin.  Based on my experience using this line, Iremia Skincare is proof that gentle and effective do not have to be antonyms in skincare.

Iremia Skincare embraces a less-is-more philosophy in which each ingredient is carefully chosen, and each of the line’s products is designed to deliver multiple benefits.  Rather than suggesting dozens of products for an elaborate routine (that may end up overtreating sensitive skin), Iremia Skincare keeps things clean and streamlined, with just three multitasking products: a Soothing Lotion, a Protective Cream, and a Restorative Facial Oil.  In crafting Iremia’s exceptional formulations, Elaine relied on clinical and scientific studies as well as ingredient notes she had meticulously taken over years of trial and error while searching for a workable solution for her skin.  As a devoted working mom of two children, it was imperative to Elaine that Iremia products be pure enough for children’s delicate skin and also multifunctional enough to streamline the routine of a busy working mom like herself.  As a result, Iremia Skincare is unique in the fact that it is extremely gentle and pure, yet still high-performance, delivering many benefits in each product.

I had the chance to try two of the three products in the Iremia Skincare line:  Soothing Lotion and Restorative Facial Oil.  Both have been matches made in heaven for my dry, inflammation-prone, sensitive skin.  Below, I will tell you about each one.

Iremia Skincare Soothing Lotion

Iremia Skincare Soothing Lotion

Iremia Skincare Soothing Lotion has a luscious texture that is rich and creamy but sinks into skin easily, leaving just light hydration behind.  Soothing Lotion has a faint-yet-delicious natural scent from its beautiful botanical ingredients, and it feels amazing on contact—even on skin that is compromised due to sensitivity, dryness, or both.  In addition to providing nourishing hydration, Soothing Lotion is also truly calming and efficiently eases inflammation and irritation.  I saw a lovely turnaround in my skin after using Iremia Skincare Soothing Lotion for four days; redness/irritation and flakiness from dryness steadily healed, until my skin was as serene as ever.  In just a few days of use, my complexion felt dramatically soothed, more comfortable, and nourished.

In the short time I have been using this luxurious gem, I have come to count on it to calm and hydrate my skin when it’s at its fussiest with redness or flare-ups of inflammation.  Soothing Lotion quickly, gently, and effectively calms, heals, and hydrates my sensitive skin at it’s most challenging.  On occasions when my skin is being well-behaved, Soothing Lotion is a beautifully nourishing moisturizer that glides on and sinks in for lasting hydration.  I find it to be pure, effective, and versatile.  Having studied Soothing Lotion’s ingredients, I know that the benefits do not end with soothing and hydration; with regular use, several actives deliver anti-aging benefits in addition to hydration and soothing.  What is the secret to this luscious healer?  I have to credit Elaine and her meticulous approach to ingredient selection and formulation.  This is a truly multipurpose lotion appropriate for sensitive skin!

Iremia Skincare Soothing Lotion’s beautiful blend of carefully-selected ingredients includes:

• Shea Butter—derived from the nutrient-rich nuts of the African Karite tree, this active is highly emollient, healing, hydrating, anti-inflammatory, contains natural vitamins A, C, and E, and even delivers skin-strengthening and anti-aging benefits by boosting collagen production
• Aloe Leaf Extract—used topically since ancient times for its healing and soothing capacities, Aloe is anti-inflammatory, hydrating, soothing on contact
• Grape Seed Oil—rich in flavonoids, including those called proanthocyanidins (PCOs), excellent free radical scavenger
• Calendula Flower Extract—with active components including flavonoids, polysaccharides, triterpenes, carotenes, and more, Calendula Flower Extract is proven to be soothing, anti-inflammatory, anti-irritant, and hydrating
• Lavender Flower Oil—improves circulation and thus facilitates the healing process
• Manuka Honey—naturally rich in a variety of B vitamins, reinforces skin’s ability to regenerate, offsets free radical activity, improves healing, and increases fibroblast ability
• African Mahogany Tree Bark Extract— clinically proven to strengthen the skin and significantly reduce wrinkles after 56 days of use

Soothing Lotion Full Ingredient List: WATER/AQUA, CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE, GLYCERYL STEARATE, COCO-CAPRYLATE CAPRATE, DICAPRYLYL ETHER, SODIUM OLIVOYL GLUTAMATE, BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII (SHEA BUTTER), CETEARYL ALCOHOL, CETYL ALCOHOL, STEARYL ALCOHOL, CERA ALBA, SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS (JOJOBA) SEED OIL, VITIS VINIFERA (GRAPE) SEED OIL, ALOE BARBADENSIS LEAF EXTRACT, GLYCERIN, PHENOXYETHANOL, IODOPROPYNYL BUTYLCARBAMATE, KHAYA SENEGALENSIS BARK EXTRACT (AND) MALTODEXTRIN, XANTHAN GUM, TOCOPHEROL, LAVANDULA ANGUSTIFOLIA (LAVENDER) FLOWER OIL, CITRUS MEDICA LIMONUM (LEMON) PEEL OIL, CALENDULA OFFICINALIS FLOWER EXTRACT, HONEY( MANUKA), SODIUM STEAROYL GLUTAMATE

Iremia Skincare Restorative Facial Oil

Iremia Skincare Restorative Facial Oil

Iremia Skincare Restorative Facial Oil is an antioxidant-rich multivitamin for the skin that strengthens, soothes, and balances.  The luxurious blend of 11 beneficial oils leaves skin feeling incredibly soft, smooth, hydrated, and plump.  As with the Soothing Lotion, there is no added fragrance, and yet Restorative Facial Oil naturally has a subtle, delicious scent from its blend of fresh natural actives.  The vibrant orange hue of the blend hints at the nourishing antioxidant goodness delivered to skin with every drop.  The texture is light, and it sinks into skin quickly rather than leaving a greasy residue.

Each of the 11 oils adds value to the overall formulation of Restorative Facial Oil, but some highlights include:

• Avocado Oil—nourishes dry skin and provides a rich source of Vitamins A, B1, B2, D, and E
• Camellia Oil—highly antioxidant, emollient, and anti-inflammatory
• Jojoba Seed Oil—soothing and anti-inflammatory and excellent for eczema-prone skin
• Rosehip Fruit Oil—rich in essential fatty acids that help regenerate and repair damage to skin
• Sea Buckthorn Fruit Oil—rich in antioxidants, provides vitamins A, C, E, beta-carotene, and plant sterols, as well as healing Omega 7

Restorative Facial Oil is a wonderful hydrating oil blend with a full range of soothing, antioxidant, strengthening, and skin-plumping benefits.  Both the aesthetics and the performance of Restorative Facial Oil are magnificent.  This product is elegant and enjoyable to use and has left my skin calmer and better hydrated than before I started using it.

Restorative Facial Oil Full Ingredients: HELIANTHUS ANNUUS (SUNFLOWER) SEED OIL , PERSEA GRATISSIMA (AVOCADO) OIL, CAMELLIA OLEIFERA (CAMELLIA) SEED OIL , SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS (JOJOBA) SEED OIL, ARGANIA SPINOSA (ARGAN) OIL, ROSA CANINA(ROSEHIP) FRUIT OIL, HIPPOPHAE RHAMNOIDES (SEA BUCKTHORN) FRUIT OIL ,TOCOPHEROL, CYMBOPOGON MARTINI( PALMAROSA) OIL, ROSA DAMASCENA FLOWER OIL, PELARGONIUM ROSEUM LEAF OIL

CONCLUSION

Iremia Skincare Soothing Lotion and Restorative Facial Oil

With pure, clean formulas and carefully selected ingredients, Iremia Skincare offers gentle-yet-effective healing solutions for reactive, sensitive, or inflamed skin.  Soothing Lotion offers calming hydration that quickly resolves flakiness, redness, and/or inflammation, while also delivering antioxidant protection and a proven anti-aging active.  Restorative Facial Oil, in turn, provides well-rounded topical nutrition and skin-plumping hydration in an elegant, quickly-absorbed blend of 11 beneficial oils.  Together, this duo serves as a high-performance, streamlined skincare routine that dramatically improves the condition of sensitive skin.   Both products are available at Natural Avenue.  Highly recommended!

The post Iremia Skincare: Tranquility for Sensitive, Reactive Skin? appeared first on The Beauty Librarian.

Beneath Your Mask, ecoluxe skincare line

Let’s talk about Beneath Your Mask, the phenomenal new skincare line from Ms. Dana Jackson.  If you haven’t read her personal story about her life-threatening battle with lupus and how that led her to start Beneath Your Mask, you are missing out on some powerful inspiration.  Please do yourself a favor and read it!  After you read her story in her own words, check out our exclusive interview here.

Ms. Jackson originally became interested in skin care out of a deep desire to heal the damage done to her skin by lupus-related weight changes and harsh medical treatments (i.e., chemotherapy).  She wanted products that were highly effective yet safe, non-irritating, and non-toxic such that they would not tax the immune system. Unable to find non-toxic products with the power to heal her skin in stores, Ms. Jackson decided to create them herself.  Through her exhaustive work as a formulator, Beneath Your Mask was born.  Each product in the line is crafted to restore and rejuvenate skin (or hair) while reversing the harmful effects of exposure to environmental toxins, health challenges, and stress.  The line—comprised of Polish Detoxifying Body Scrub, Indulge Total Body Elixir, Nourish Skin & Hair Serum, and Heal Whipped Skin Souffle–bridges the worlds of clean beauty and ultra-luxury and deep healing.  Using any one of these products is like a mini-trip to the spa; the scents, which are amazing and transporting, come from pure, steam-distilled essential oils.

In terms of the active ingredients in each of the line’s four products, Dana literally scoured the world to find the most restorative organic botanical actives available anywhere, such she sources her carefully-selected ingredients from 25 different countries.  All Beneath Your Mask products are free of phosphates, parabens, sulfates, toxins, GMOs, and synthetic colors or fragrance.  In one more example of exquisite attention to detail, every product comes packaged in dark violet Miron glass to lengthen its lifespan and increase the potency of active ingredients.

Now that you know a little about the “creation story” and uncompromising standards driving Beneath Your Mask, let’s visit each product.

Polish Detoxifying Body Scrub

I did not think I could love a body scrub.  I was wrong. Polish has the most divine texture of any scrub or exfoliator I have ever tried. The scent is exotic and alluring, and that is just one aspect of its considerable appeal.  On dry skin, Polish is a satisfying salt scrub exfoliator with nice initial grit that gradually transforms into a luxurious hydrating oil as you rub it in.  What you get is serious exfoliation and with a luxe hydrating finish.

I have very sensitive skin that generally cannot handle scrubs, but I fell so in love with Polish upon experiencing the way it melts into a rich oil, that I could not resist also using it on my face, multiple times.  Even with my sensitive skin, it was fine. You see, if you are in the mood for something gentle, Polish melts into a luscious liquid gold almost immediately when it contacts water. The result is a scrub that is miraculously adaptable and appropriate for all areas of the body (even the face) and all skin types (even sensitive). This kind of versatility is truly unique. With Polish, you can have anything from gritty exfoliation with a smooth finish to a rich and luxurious, face-appropriate cleansing oil. Either way, you get an amazingly nourishing, healing, and detoxifying formulation that leaves skin soft, smooth, and hydrated.

Polish is the first and only scrub I have ever loved. I have tried my share of products, and nothing else on the market even approaches it. A true multitasker, Polish is full of an array of healing ingredients to tackle signs of aging, inflammation, blemishes, free radicals, scars, stretch marks, and more.  In short, Polish is blow-your-mind wonderful.

INGREDIENTS: *Dead Sea Salt, §Aloe Vera, **Colloidal Oatmeal Flour, *Avocado Oil, Bentonite Clay, *Grapeseed Oil, *Sweet Almond Oil, †Golden Jojoba Oil, *Lemongrass Essential Oil, **Lavender Population Essential Oil, §Vitamin E, *Tea Tree Essential Oil

*CERTIFIED ORGANIC

** ORGANIC

†WILD HARVESTED

§NON-GMO PLANT SOURCED

Indulge Total Body Elixir

Beneath Your Mask Indulge Total Body Elixir is aptly named.  This revitalizing, nourishing, and protective blend is a far cut above any other body oil I have seen or tried. Rather than scrimping on high-quality actives and/or using lots of unpronounceable fillers (as so many body products do), Indulge Total Body Elixir knocks it out of the park with a results-driven blend of 19 pure and carefully-chosen plant oils.  These high-quality plant ingredients include, to name a few, Baobab Seed Oil from Senegal (hydrates, firms, promotes elasticity), Pomegranate Seed Oil from Israel (powerful antioxidant, diminishes both wrinkles and blemishes), Camellia Seed Oil from China (balances, maintains healthy pH), Sea Buckthorn Berry CO2 Extract from Germany (fabulous for taming inflammation and promoting healing), Macadamia Nut Oil from the US (reduces inflammation and promotes healing), Tamanu Oil from Madagascar (anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antibiotic, and antioxidant properties), Myrrh Essential Oil from Kenya (anti-aging, revitalizing on a cellular level), Geranium Oil from Egypt (tightens skin, boosts UV protection, astringent and anti-inflammatory), and Carrot Seed Oil from India (balances and protects skin, offers rejuvenating effects).

What results is a multi-tasking, skin-transforming elixir bursting with a dynamic blend of anti-aging, balancing, healing, and antioxidant actives as well as beta-carotene and vitamins A, C, D, and E.  In addition to all the beneficial actives, Indulge is formulated to match skin’s natural lipid balance. I have never seen a body oil with such an impressive, beautiful ingredient deck. Indulge is the first and only body oil to impress me enough that I immediately wanted to put on my face.  (Yes, all things Beneath Your Mask are so well-formulated that I inevitably start applying them to my face.) Having used this decadent elixir on my face and body, I can tell you that Indulge absorbs easily, imparts a subtle radiance, and imbues skin with an incredible softness and smoothness.  Moreover, like all Beneath Your Mask products, Indulge is quite healing; it has helped calm irritation I had been experiencing and has also been soothing and non-aggravating for my blemish-prone skin.  In my mind, Indulge is green beauty’s premier body elixir.

INGREDIENTS: *Sunflower Oil,  *Baobab Seed Oil,  *Grapeseed Oil,  *Apricot Kernel Oil, **Camellia Seed Oil, †Golden Jojoba Oil, *Macadamia Nut Oil, *Sweet Almond Oil, *Tamanu Oil, *Pomegranate Seed Oil, †Sea Buckthorn Berry CO2 Extract,  *Ylang Ylang Essential Oil, **Lavender Population Essential Oil, *Grapefruit Essential Oil, †Myrrh Essential Oil, *Geranium Essential Oil, †Carrot Seed Essential Oil, *Lemongrass Essential Oil

*CERTIFIED ORGANIC

** ORGANIC

†WILD HARVESTED

§NON-GMO PLANT SOURCED

Nourish Skin & Hair Serum

Nourish is a comprehensive repairing and balancing treatment that achieves versatile benefits for both hair and skin in one magical blend. The ingredients are amazing and offer a wealth of ingredients both individually and together.  Here are just some of the highlights in this blend of 15 oils: Hemp Seed Oil from Canada (softens and strengthens hair, calms and pumps skin), Safflower Oil from Austria (promotes thickness and shine in hair, fights acne with high levels of linoleic acid), Rosehip Seed Oil from Chile and South Africa (revitalizes and reduces dandruff, provides hydration as well as antioxidants and essential fatty acids for skin), Macadamia Nut Oil from the US (prevents moisture loss and reduces hair’s brittleness, anti-inflammatory), Pomegranate Seed Oil from Israel (reduces build-up and dandruff, fends off free radicals and reduces skin inflammation), Neem Oil from India (increases manageability, prevents against acne scars), Lemongrass Oil from India (prevents dry scalp and hydrates skin), Lavender Oil from France (prevents hair shedding, antibacterial for skin), Tea Tree Oil (prevents build up in hair, protects against skin infections including acne while reducing inflammation), Carrot Seed Oil (strengthens and prevents split ends, healing and rejuvenating for skin) Sage Oil (combats hair loss, acts as an antifungal/antimicrobial/antioxidant/anti-inflammatory while providing hydration), and Rosemary Oil (balances scalp and stimulates hair growth, stimulates cell renewal and helps to heal problem skin) and Cedarwood Oil from Morocco (contributes to hair growth, protects and hydrates skin).

How does Nourish perform?  Nourish actually leaves my hair looking healthier—providing subtle sheen and sleekness without leaving a greasy residue or buildup. In addition to smoothing fly-aways and restoring luster, Nourish also boosts hair’s manageability, conditions, and even successfully prevents dandruff when used on the scalp.  I have definitely noticed a difference. The benefits of Nourish for skin are every bit as remarkable.  As someone with dehydrated skin prone to blemishes, I love the way Nourish hydrates skin while balancing it, prevents blemishes, reduces redness and inflammation, protects from free radicals, and rejuvenates–all in a single formula.  Without question, Nourish lives up to its growing reputation as the most comprehensive skin and hair serum ever made. Beneath Your Mask Nourish Skin and Hair Serum can do it all; I have come to think of it as my complexion and hair cure-all.

INGREDIENTS: *Hemp Seed Oil, *Safflower Oil, †Rosehip Seed Oil, *Macadamia Nut Oil, *Pomegranate Seed Oil, *Neem Oil, *Lemongrass Essential Oil, **Lavender Population Essential Oil, *Tea Tree Essential Oil, *Peppermint Essential Oil, *Thyme Essential Oil, †Carrot Seed Essential Oil, *Sage Essential Oil, *Rosemary Verbenone Essential Oil, *Cedarwood, Atlas Essential Oil

*CERTIFIED ORGANIC

** ORGANIC

†WILD HARVESTED

§NON-GMO PLANT SOURCED

Heal Whipped Skin Souffle

Can you imagine a decadent whipped skin soufflé that hydrates and heals the driest of skin (even cracked skin), soothes away irritations and redness, minimizes signs of aging by promoting skin’s elasticity, and protects skin from free radical damage, all while also healing blemishes and marks left behind?  It sounds too good to be true, but I found it all in Beneath Your Mask Heal Whipped Skin Souffle.  Heal is one of the most nourishing moisturizers I have ever tried, and it’s also an incredibly effective healing skincare product.  My skin is always in need of some sort of healing, and Heal Whipped Skin Souffle always delivers; moreover, Beneath Your Mask’s Skin Souffle heals my skin where other high-profile healing lotions and creams have failed.

Of all my skin woes, the worst and most stubborn issue I deal with is cystic acne across my jawline. The blemishes take forever to heal, and even once they finally resolve, they leave behind angry red marks that can take months to finally disappear. I tried countless products to no avail until I used Heal Whipped Skin Souffle. This luxurious and creamy soufflé is the one and only product I have found that helps heal my cystic acne; not only that, it is so healing that it rapidly minimizes acne marks as well.  I have been amazed.

Keep in mind that Heal, the best acne treatment I have found, is not even specifically targeted to acne; it is just extremely effective at healing troubled skin, whatever the trouble may be.  Having tried dozens upon dozens of reparative skincare products in my efforts to heal lupus-related inflammation and adult acne, I have never found a product that restores my skin like Heal does.  How does Heal achieve its incredible results?  With a superb formulation that includes Shea Butter from Ghana (nourishes and reduces inflammation), Vitamin E from Spain (fends off free radical damage and assists in healing), Grapeseed Oil from the US (regenerative and anti-aging), Avocado (speeds up healing) and Sweet Almond Oils from Kenya (softens, draws out toxins), Golden Jojoba Oil from Israel (balances skin’s pH and treats acne), AEA Certified Pure Emu Oil from the US (anti-aging, anti-oxidant, and brightening effects), Lemongrass Oil from India (reduces inflammation), Lavender Oil from France (antibacterial and antioxidant), and Tea Tree Oil from Australia (treats acne, cuts, sores, and irritation).  All these carefully-sourced ingredients come together in a synergistic blend in Heal to deliver incredible healing results. In a line full of exceptional products, Heal has rightfully earned its place as Beneath Your Mask’s hero and most beloved product.  Heal Whipped Skin Souffle has got to be one of the beauty industry’s best-kept secrets; Heal is a gem for anyone with vulnerable or imperfect skin (read, anyone).

INGREDIENTS: *Shea Butter, §Vitamin E, *Grapeseed Oil, *Sweet Almond Oil, *Avocado Oil, †Golden Jojoba Oil, Pure Emu Oil, *Lemongrass Essential Oil, **Lavender Population Essential Oil, *Tea Tree Essential Oil

*CERTIFIED ORGANIC

** ORGANIC

†WILD HARVESTED

§NON-GMO PLANT SOURCED

CONCLUSION:  I give my highest recommendation to every product in the Beneath Your Mask lineup. This is a line you are going to want to experience for yourself; your skin and your senses will thank me!

Beneath Your Mask lineup

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