Ladies (and possibly gent: Dad, are you reading?), may I present to you my latest haul from my beloved Herbivore Botanicals?
I fell in love with this brand’s simple and striking design and now that I’ve been using their facial serum (check out my review) for the past three months, I can vouch for the quality, purity and simplicity of their all-natural ingredients, too. When I recently saw that Herbivore Botanicals had restocked its shop with some new products, ranging from exotically scented body oils to a blue tinted facial serum (blue!) my credit card practically jumped out of my wallet. I don’t treat myself to an overabundance of things, but these well-designed products double as countertop decor, so it’s a deal, y’all.
The products I picked, their Luminous Body Oil in Neroli Blossom and their Activate Deep Pore Cleanse Mask, both introduced me to new ingredients I’ve never used or applied to my body/face – and so far, I’m loving the results!
Luminous Body Oil in Neroli Blossom
Herbivore Botanicals describes their Luminous Body Oil in Neroli Blossom ($32 for 4 oz.) as “summery,” and that was enough to sell me. I had no idea what neroli was when I discovered this body oil, but if a scent can get me in the summer state of mind, let’s just go on and bathe in it, shall we?
While I can’t say that this simple and beautiful bottle of body oil comes with an ice cold shandy and sunglasses, I can tell you that it applies smooth and slippery, even on dry skin, which I love. It glides easily over the body, moisturizes very well (even on elbows, if you use a little extra) and absorbs quickly without leaving a greasy feel. Apricot kernel, golden jojoba, organic rosehip and vitamin E oils all provide nourishment and moisture to the skin. Man, I am on a rosehip oil kick these days…! I love the way it feels, and whether in a facial serum or a body oil, it is so easily massaged into the skin.
And yes, the scent is spot-on summer in a bottle. I LOVE it, and it’s so unique. It’s subtly sweet with a heavy dose of spice, and conjures images of Wayfarers, hazy days and short-shorts. Neroli (or orange blossom) brings the floral scent, and grapefruit essential oil also provides a bright, sharp note. The overall summery sweetness is a little bit reminiscent of Fruit Loops – I’m hesitant to write that because I recently likened Osmia Organics’ sweetly scented spot treatment to Fruit Loops, too. Do I have broken scent receptors that mistake essential oils for sugar cereal?!…I will work on my scent vocabulary and try not to write these entires while hungry anymore.
The body oil is also available in Egyptian Jasmine - which I almost bought! - Ylang Ylang and Vetiver.
Activate Deep Pore Cleanse Mask
Uh, this mask ($34 for 2 oz.) is powerful. Holy crap. After I mix up and apply this dark knight to my face, I can literally see the dirt on my face lifting off my skin. It’s like holding a magnet over metal filings, except the mask is the magnet and the gunk on my face = the filings. WHAT. AWESOME. I suppose it could also be the powder particles, but I noticed that this phenomenon was happening over the “trouble” spots on my face. Either way, a cool effect!
The mask arrives in powder form, and you need just a teensy bit of water to bring it to a gooey consistency. I love what Herbivore Botanicals has to say about the rationale behind this powder mask:
We formulated this to be a concentrated mask that can be freshly mixed up quickly before each use rather than a traditional wet mask that has been pre mixed with water and steeping in chemicals and preservatives prior to use.
…and for that, we thank you, Herbivore!
So. What’s in this baby that leaves the dirt in my pores clinging onto my epidermis for dear life? Dead sea clay and activated bamboo charcoal both draw out and absorb impurities from the skin, leaving you feeling super clean. This was my first encounter with tourmaline, which is the first-listed ingredient of this mask: it’s a gemstone crystal that Herbivore Botanicals says, when rubbed into skin, becomes negatively charged on one end and positively charged on the other, aiding ingredient absorption and increasing circulation. Lastly, a tiny amount of essential oils give this mask a subtle scent (jasmine and blue yarrow).
If you’re looking for a luxurious mask that provides a serious pore-cleansing, give this one a whirl!
One word of caution: this mask leaves a bit of a black-colored residue on my face, even after I’ve rinsed thoroughly and applied a generous amount of toner + cotton. For that reason, I’d advise using this mask at night, since the residue seems to disappear by morning. (On my sheets? Into my skin? #unsolvedmysteries)
Luminous Body Oil in Neroli Blossom ingredients:
Apricot kernel oil, golden jojoba oil, organic rosehip oil, vitamin E oil, essential oils of neroli and pink grapefruit
Activate Deep Pore Cleanse Mask ingredients:
Micronized tourmaline gemstone, dead sea clay, activated bamboo charcoal, essential oils of jasmine and blue yarrow
