Meet Munemi Imai of MUN…plus, a discount code!

Mun Skin Care

A few months ago, I had the pleasure of not only getting to try the gorgeous, amazing and truly magical No.1 Aknari Brightening Youth Serum from MUN, a luxurious organic skin care line. I treated it as if were gold in a bottle because it was just. That. Glorious. Containing the age-busting prickly pear seed oil (also called “Aknari”) paired with rose and argan oils, this is not your run of the mill serum. It’s luxurious, and perfect for a nighttime beauty routine. Paired with MUN’s No.11 Anarose Rejuvenating Rose Toner… this combination hits it out of the park. One of my favorite finds of last year, hands down!

Instead of a long love letter that is 800 words long (I could do it, I tell ya!), I am going to share a Q&A that I had the pleasure of conducting with MUN’s founder, Munemi Imai. Not only is she a badass high profile makeup artist, but she has a wealth of knowledge on powerful organic skincare ingredients. And…she’s kind. And awesome. READ!

No.1 Aknari Brightening Youth Serum has truly glowing reviews across the board. What makes your formula stand out among other natural serums? How did you develop it?

What makes it special would be the main ingredient, prickly pear seed oil. When I first came across this oil on my first research trip to Morocco in 2010, I was amazed by the fast results I saw on my then-developing under-eye dark circles and fine lines…and also how it made my skin baby soft.

Prickly pear seed oil is loaded with high contents of essential fatty acids and antioxidants; it is the king of the oils for anti-aging.

It’s also rich in amino acids, which stimulate collagen production to promote faster cell turn over. It has vitamin K, which is beneficial to brighten under-eye dark circles and also promote skin elasticity. However, there was a challenge to this amazing oil…

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Five Products from Kahina

Kahina-Cleanser-and-Argan-Bowl

…between the two of us, we can really work our way through (nearly) a whole product line. Some may call it addiction or obsession, but we call it…research.

Kahina Giving Beauty is a brand that we as a green beauty blogging duo (read: seestars) have coveted since we launched Unsullied back in November 2013. Has it been that long? Oh my.

Jennifer dove right into it shortly after we launched and bought/reviewed Kahina’s eye cream, and gave a great primer on the brand in general. Check it out. The basics: Kahina = a high quality argan oil-based line that’s also mission-based, empowering and giving back to the Berber women who harvest and produce the argan oil. Pretty freaking awesome. Cue the music: These are a few of our favorite things…

Fast forward to a few months ago, when we worked with Kahina’s team to identify some products from across their line that would work with our individual skin types and needs (and wants…). We each sampled a handful of products, *including* their liquid gold argan oil – the lynchpin of the entire line – and are sharing with you the best of what we think Kahina has to offer! These are not budget products, so beware – but Kahina is doing some great things by offering fair wages to the women who extract their argan oil. That’s worth paying for.

Kahina-Cleanser-and-Argan-White

Jennifer’s Picks

Oh, Kahina.

In addition to testing out the two products that I review below, I also tried the Fez Body Serum, which didn’t totally delight me in the scent department. But these two products delighted me in the…”everything” department. All the departments. They’ve both been indispensable for dealing with winter weather and subsequent skin dryness. THE BOMB.

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Bottled Beauty: Herbivore Botanicals Facial Serum

Herbivore Botanicals Facial Serum

Etsy is a goldmine for handcrafted, natural skin and beauty products. I could spend hours on Etsy. Wait, wrong verb and tense. I do spend hours on Etsy.

Hence where I discovered Herbivore Botanicals! Man, if I could award a “Best in Show” superlative to any of my natural skincare products, it would go to these guys. Their super sleek, geometric branding caught my eye immediately. SO LOVELY. The good news is the nutrient-rich oils and all-natural ingredients that they pack into those beautiful little bottles are just as good as what’s on the label. Feast your eyes.

I’ve only tried out Herbivore Botanicals’ Facial Serum ($36 for 1 oz.), but I’ve perused their Etsy page at length, and I have high expectations for all of their all-natural soaps, masks and more (I mean…worse comes to worse, it’s still going to look pretty on your countertop. Joking!). I selected their Organic Pink Clay Floral Facial Mask to include in my green beauty swap with Mayah of Call it Vanity. You can read her input over there!

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