Finally trying Osmia Organics after a half-year of writing this blog is sort of like Dorothy reaching Oz. (Except in our story, he really is a wizard.)
Osmia is a stand-out natural skincare + soap brand formulated from pure, gentle, all-natural ingredients. The products feel luxurious and are super effective. The ingredients are ultra-pure and thoughtfully curated.
A quick bit of background, because this meticulously formulated brand deserves explanation. Osmia, started by the incredible Sarah Villafranco, MD = “sense of smell.” And the website reads: “Every Osmia product is made with utmost attention to the scent and its aromatherapeutic benefits.” Well, ain’t that the truth. These products smell sweet, herbal, compelling and soothing. I’ve never met an Osmia product that my nose didn’t like. But there’s a deeper meaning in those beautiful smells, y’all:
Stop what you are doing and really see the color of the sky. Notice the taste of your coffee, even if it’s the same type you drink every morning. Feel how your child’s hand feels in yours – soft, little, warm. Hear not only the music, but the silence that happens when you turn off the music. Because if we don’t sense our lives, and all the precious beauty that can be found in a regular old day, well that’s really just silly.
Yep. This brand’s philosophy rules. And you know what else does? THE PRODUCTS. Here’s what I received in my haul:
- Black Clay Facial Soap
- Detox Exfoliating Mask
- Luster Lip Gloss
- Whisper Lip Gloss
- Spot Treatment >> an all-time fave. Check out my review over here.
- Purely Simple Face Cream >> I just ran out of my sample and I’m sad. Check out my notes here.
Black Clay Facial Soap
This is the first bar of facial soap I’ve used since my mom bought me the ol’ amber slab of Neutrogena in middle school. No joke. It has been a while!
Osmia’s facial soap ($22 for 2.25 oz) is pretty much the creme de la creme – one of those can’t-go-wrong, universally-loved products (one of Osmia’s MANY!). This bar will be a staple on my bathroom shelf.
I’ve been using this facial soap for a month now. For me, it’s 100% gentle enough for everyday use, and the ingredient list also carries me through days where I’m broken out, oily or just a little worse for wear: black clay helps draw out impurities. Avocado, organic almond oil and other gentle ingredients nourish the skin. There’s even mineral-rich dead sea mud in this baby! I find it to be a moisturizing (and amazing-smelling) bar. Bonus points = it’s beautiful, don’t ya think? I’d wear this textured beauty on a rope around my neck.
In terms of storage, this baby-sized bar fits perfectly into a glass spice jar with clamp lid that I had lying around. It sits vertically in the jar so there’s no gunkiness and the bar doesn’t sit in its own water. You could always get a soap saver or a soap dish, too. IF YOU’RE BORING! (I’m joking. That is a good idea…you’ll want to preserve this bar down to the last nubbin!)
Detox Exfoliating Mask
Feeling oily? Battling acne? This is the mask ($50 for 1.4 oz) you put on when you’re done messin’ around. In fact, Osmia cautions that you should only “use once a week, twice at the most.” But that’s all you need, because this mask packs a major punch.
Add water to turn this powder into a deep brown paste and apply on your face and neck. (If you spring for this product, it’ll ship with a neat little ceramic dish and stirring spatula!) I love that this mask smells like rich cacao while applying. Osmia recommends keeping it on for 15-20 minutes, but I usually only wear it for about 10. At that point, my skin feels a little itchy and warm and it’s time to wash it off. This mask doesn’t irritate my skin, but like I said, it’s stronger than any other mask I’ve used.
The best part = the results. This mask leaves skin thoroughly exfoliated and absolutely glowing. I battle hormonal acne one week out of every month and I’ve been reaching for this mask repeatedly. It keeps oiliness at bay for a while and leaves skin feeling completely cleansed, inside and out. I mean, peep those ingredients: manuka honey and clay were two of the ingredients I featured in my recent post on battling breakouts naturally. Bamboo charcoal also draws out toxins, and walnut shells and olive leaf powder work as exfoliants (be gentle!).
If you have sensitive skin, I’d recommend giving this mask the ol’ inside-of-the-wrist test before applying to your whole face. But if you’re like me and your skin needs an aggressive SLAP IN THE FACE (literallyl) every now and then, try this one out!
Luster + Whisper Lip Glosses
Jam in a jar. These lip glosses ($18 for 0.3 oz) are sweet and and have beautiful berry colors…like jam. They’re relatively sheer but still carry a pretty, red-with-a-bit-of-pink pigment (Luster is a bit bolder than Whisper). All-natural colorants for the win!…beet root and alkanet, the same punch-colored powerhouse behind my beloved Fat and the Moon Lip & Cheek Stain. Their ingredient list keeps lips moisturized (vitamin E…and Osmia actually calls out pomegranate as a key moisturizer in this gloss), which means you definitely do not need to apply a balm beforehand. Love that! Especially in the morning, when it’s a miracle that I don’t apply black Sharpie to my face. I’m just reaching for anything, usually in the dark, that can differentiate me from the undead.
These glosses are NOT sticky…which is such a welcome respite from all of the glosses that gunk up your hair, your hands, inside of your purse, etc. Oh, and it’s scented with vanilla bourbon c02. Just save it for your lips, don’t dump this pretty product in your cocktail glass. Resist the amazing smells. GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF.
Black Clay Facial Soap ingredients:
saponified oils/butters of olea europaea (olive)*, elaeis guineensis kernel (palm kernel)*, mangifera indica (mango), prunus amygdalus (sweet almond)*, cocos nucifera (coconut)*, ricinus communis (castor bean)*, persea gratissima (avocado)*, and simmondsia chinensis (jojoba)*, coconut milk*, dead sea mud, hematite (australian black) clay, proprietary blend of essential oils*, and rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) antioxidant*, GMO-free vitamin E oil
Detox Exfoliating Mask ingredients:
rhassoul cosmetic clay, fuller’s earth cosmetic clay, australian pastel pink clay, black walnut hull (juglans nigra) powder*, bamboo activated charcoal powder, raw cacao (theobroma cacao) powder*, raw manuka (leptospermum scoparium) honey powder*, olive leaf (olea europaea) powder*
*28.5% certified organic ingredients
100% ingredients from nature
Luster + Whisper Lip Gloss ingredients:
botanically-infused** ricinus communis (castor bean) oil*, GMO-free vitamin E oil, beeswax*, cupuacu butter*, pomegranate sterols, cucurbita pepo (pumpkin seed) oil*, mica, [helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil & lecithin & yeast extract]*, vanilla bourbon co2*
*83% certified organic ingredients
**botanicals may include powders of organic beet root, organic annatto, &/or wild-harvested alkanet root
**Osmia Organics’ full size products and samples featured in this post were generously sent to me for review by the product manufacturer. Check out our policy on product reviews.
