Darphynia's Diary

I love Ursa Major skincare.  They were kind enough to send me some product samples to test out, and the brand is going on my Top 5 list.  Image courtesy of ursamajorvt.com  Generally I use whatever body wash I have when I shave.  I find that shaving creams leave an odd film on my skin.  The product never seems to stay as long as I need it to either, but this shave cream is awesome!  It stayed until I was done shaving, and did not leave my skin dry and filmy.  This product made me re-think my opinion of shave creams.  If you're curious and don't want to purchase an entire product, try out the Happy Camper set (I've listed it below as well). Image courtesy of ursamajorvt.com After trying several brands of face wipes, these have been my favorite by far.  First, I love that they are individually wrapped.  I can take them anywhere without the worry of having them dry out.  You know how it happens:  Wipes are in one p...

The older I get, the more my skin changes.  I went from never breaking out to breaking out (I guess my skin is making up for lost time), and I HATE it.  Nature's Chemist provides high-quality, organic, 100% pure essential oils to combat skin concerns.  Dr.  Lori Culberson, founder of Nature's Chemist, received her PhD in chemistry, and knows exactly what works.  She took the time to research the combinations and quantities of oils to create the most effective skincare.   Image courtesy of Nature's Chemist I must admit that I am fairly new to face oils.  I always thought that it would just leave my skin feeling like an oil slick...boy, was I wrong!  Not only have the breakouts all but stopped, I also don't have the dry patches that I did before, and the oils are very lightweight.  Prior to my absence, I was in the mountains, which completely dried out my skin (have you noticed that?).  These oils saved my face.  They als...

Whether you wear makeup daily or not, your skin definitely takes a beating.  Great looks begin with good skin; CellEssence has a great line of anti-aging skincare.  CellEssence sent me samples of two of their products: NUVACELL Wrinkle Repair Serum and Anti-Aging Skin Cream , to test out.  So much science has gone into their products, and they go beyond just superficial skincare.   Image courtesy of buycellessence.com Within a couple of days, I noticed a difference in my skin as a whole.  The eye cream made me look far less fatigued, and has decreased the look of dark circles.  For those of you who do not know, I have not been sleeping (or resting as I should) well for about a year.  Wish I had a before photo, because the dark circles under my eyes looked like mascara and eyeliner had run under them…needless to say it was not flattering.  The eye serum has also evened out my skin tone and reduced the look of the few lines I was be...

In the last week I have broken out more than ever before.  Growing up, I didn't have problems with blemishes; maybe the odd one every now and then.  Aging and medications can wreak havoc, and I think my skin is hating life right now.  Stress, lack of sleep, medication, and other issues have caused more breakouts than I care to think about.  It is not, by any means, horrible; it's just not what I'm used to.  I digress... Image courtesy of carolinechu.com Caroline Chu (I've loved her skincare for years!) released Look&Feel , and was kind enough to send me the system to try.  It is a fool-proof, two-step process for clearing up breakouts in order to reveal your skin's true beauty.  The natural clay, tea tree water-infused, non-foaming face wash helping to gently clarify the skin.  Just take a pea-sized amount and apply it to moistened skin in circular motions.  Make sure to pay more attention to problem areas.  I use it with th...