These are translations of my German blogposts Bio-Gurken-Maske von Beauty Garden, Camellia Flower Antioxidant Cream Mask von SanDaWha and Beauty-Trend: Masken in Stiftform. Enjoy!
Organic Cucumber Mask from Beauty Garden
I discovered Beauty Garden at this year’s Vivaness trade show; the French brand was exhibiting at the booth of organic beauty certifier Natrue. I must admit that the company’s product concept didn’t really pull me in at first but then I smelled the cucumber face mask, and wow! This is true garden beauty! I put the Organic Cucumber Mask on my internal shopping list, in case I ever came across a store carrying the brand.
Beauty Garden was launched in 2014 in the Limousin region of France. The company doesn’t just manufacture cosmetic products, they also offer a range of herbal teas which are grown and harvested from the brand’s own garden and fields. The beauty line-up comprises around 16 Natrue-certified products which include a hand cream with calendula and a face cream with carrot.
In the end I didn’t buy the cucumber mask in France but in Helsinki, during my recent trip to the Finnish capital – Finnish organic supermarket chain Ruohonjuuri is actually stocking Beauty Garden together with several other French beauty brands that are not available in Germany. And when I saw the cucumber mask on the shelf I simply had to buy it!
Beauty Garden has really put a lot of thought into the packaging design of their cosmetic products: the mask jar is made from recycled glass and protected with sustainably harvested wood. The labels are printed with plant-based colours and with the exception of the lid’s inner layer, the mask jar is plastic-free. When you recycle it, however, you have to separate the packaging into its individual components which isn’t ideal.
The mask has the most amazing fresh cucumber scent – I love it! The fragrance comes from the cucumber juice that is included in the formula (it’s listed in second place on the INCI declaration); other than that the mask is fragrance-free.
The creamy mask has a light green colour and an almost solid gel texture, courtesy of agar agar. Use a small spoon to scoop some of the mask out of the jar and apply it to the skin; I like to cover my entire face with a thin layer. The cooling, fresh effect is very pleasant, especially in the current summer temperatures! After around 15 minutes I rinse off the cucumber mask with lukewarm water (the mask doesn’t dry, it stays creamy).
Afterwards my skin feels hydrated and silky-soft – this organic cucumber mask is a classic moisturising mask. The formula contains sunflower oil and shea butter so you also get a portion of lipids. In this hot summer weather my (slightly dry) skin didn’t need any additional moisturiser afterwards, but I imagine that a few drops of oil to seal in the moisture would also work well. The cucumber mask should also do a good job as after-sun care or to soothe redness or irritated skin.
The jar of Beauty Garden’s Organic Cucumber Mask contains 50 ml; I paid 29.99 Euro at Ruohonjuuri. In France the Le Masque Bio au Concombre fraîcheur is priced at 22 Euro. You can find more information on the Beauty Garden homepage which also offers a shop finder. I don’t think Beauty Garden is widely available in Germany as yet, but at least I found it in Austrian online store Sonnengrün (the company also has an offline store in Vienna).
I think you could probably mix your own cucumber mask with a similar recipe but it’s so convenient to buy it ready-made in a jar. Somehow it’s surprising to me that there are so few cucumber-based beauty products – after all, cucumber is a classic home beauty remedy…
[Click here for the original German article: Bio-Gurken-Maske von Beauty Garden]
Camellia Flower Antioxidant Cream Mask from SanDaWha
Finally the Camellia Flower Antioxidant Cream Mask from Korean brand SanDaWha is available in Germany! I first tried it out on my summer trip to Seoul and immediately liked it.
Let’s start with the exciting texture: the product might be called “cream mask“ but it’s not a classic cream mask as we Europeans understand it. No, this mask looks like delicious fruit marmalade, the clear jelly-like texture is tinted a very light yellow and contains little pieces of camellia flower. And such a heavenly floral scent!
Once you apply the mask there’s an immediate cooling effect which lasts for quite a while and calms the skin. These oil-free jelly masks are perfect for summer! If you want to boost the cooling and soothing effect you can gently massage the mask into the skin for 2-3 minutes. Leave the mask on for 10-15 minutes – it doesn’t dry so there’s no tightness; instead the fresh texture is absorbed into the skin. In fact, I had the impression that my skin was actually sucking up the moisture! A real hydrating boost. Afterwards I gently washed off the last traces of the mask with lukewarm water. I recommend the mask for any skin type that requires hydration rather than lipids.
The Camellia Flower Antioxidant Cream Mask is manufactured by Korean brand SanDaWha which comes from the island of Jeju in the South of Korea. Jeju is THE dream island for many Asians; I also want to visit it one day. SanDaWha’s product range is built around the red camellia which is indigenous to Jeju – „Sandawha“ is the Korean word for camellia. The company produces its own camellia seed oil and camellia extract. These two ingredients have an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect on the skin and the SanDaWha products usually contain a high percentage of both.
The Camellia Flower Antioxidant Cream Mask is based on camellia flower extract, together with soothing niacinamide, panthenol, liquorice root extract, centella asiatica, tea leaf extract, camomile, vitamin B6, knotweek and Baikal skullcap. Some of these extracts stimulate collagen production, others help with hyperpigmentation. I guess the best way to describe the effect would be with the trendy term „anti-pollution“. Pentylene glycol has been added for an extra boost of hydration (and as a preservative) while glycerin, saccharide and aloe vera help to moisturise the skin. Essential oils of rose and jasmine are responsible for the wonderful floral fragrance.
All SanDaWha products are vegan, including the mask. I received it as a press sample; a jar of the Camellia Flower Antioxidant Cream Mask from SanDaWha contains 100 gr (it’s a pretty big jar) and costs 48 Euro. In Germany SanDaWha is available directly from the brand’s German distributor or through organic online stores such as Naturdrogerie, Blanda Beauty or najoba.
I like the mask so much that I use it several times a week, especially when we’re having a heatwave (my skin can always use a bit of moisture). Afterwards I simply apply a bit of a facial toner (if I follow an oil-free night care routine) or I lock in the moisture with a few drops of face oil. The mask jar also includes a small spatula.
[Click here for the original German article: Camellia Flower Antioxidant Cream Mask von SanDaWha]
Beauty trend: Stick Products – 3in1 Regenerating Mask Stick from La Rosée
Today I’d like to introduce a trend product: the 3in1 Regenerating Mask Stick from organic French beauty brand La Rosée! I bought the mask in Paris a while ago and finally got around to posting my product review. Better late than never!
La Rosée is from Lyon and was launched by two pharmacists. The brand’s line-up comprises ten face and body care products; I particularly liked the afore-mentioned Masque en stick régénérant which, as the name suggests, is a mask in stick form.
3in1 Regenerating Mask Stick from La Rosée
The 3in1 Regenerating Mask is a clay mask for sensitive skin. The formula is based on water and white kaolin clay and packaged in a twist-up stick format which makes application super easy and convenient – unlike the more traditional creamy clay masks, the stick won’t leave any traces of clay on your fingers or in the wash basin!
I lightly swipe the stick across my face several times; the mask texture is really creamy and quickly covers the skin with a nice and even layer. Leave the mask on for around 5 minutes (it won’t dry or harden out) and then rinse it off with lukewarm water. My skin didn’t feel dried out at all; I only needed a hydrating toner afterwards. However, a friend of mine with more mature skin also tested the mask stick and she felt that on her skin it wasn’t quite as moisturising.
Although white clay is considered to be a gentle ingredient it also absorbs sebum and can therefore have a slightly drying effect on the skin. The scent is a combination of floral and rose notes; somehow very French (and maybe not 100% natural).
I paid 16.90 Euro for my Masque en stick from La Rosée; here’s the brand’s online shop. The website also includes a store finder; I didn’t see any German stores listed but in France the La Rosée products are sold in pharmacies and parapharmacies. I bought my stick at the Printemps department store in Paris.
Products in stick form
Stick products are such a big trend at the moment; not just in the deodorant sector but also in face cleansing (for example from Korean brand Neogen or US brand Yes to), as a shampoo (like the Shampoo Stick from French salon brand Cut by Fred) or in sun protection (the sun sticks from French brand Alga Maris, for example, or from US brand Salt & Stone and French brand Evoa). The clay mask is the latest iteration of the stick product concept and niche brand La Rosée is not the only company doing it: in the US market, mainstream brand Oil of Olay recently launched a range of Face Clay Mask Sticks. I think it’ll be just a matter of time before other beauty brands are also offering stick face masks.
[Click here for the original German article: Im Beauty-Trend: Masken in Stiftform]
See you soon,
Julia
