My skincare routine with Dermoplant- lovely french natural beauty brand

As a french native, I am always interested to follow what is new on the french organic beauty market. I heard about Dermoplant via Twitter and after a quick browse on their website I decided to write to them and asked for a few of their samples. Not only was their answer fast and positive, but they sent me a beautiful package of their complete range. I was really stunned!
Roxana, the founder of Dermoplant explained me that she invested lots of her time and energy into developping her range: from researching the perfect ingredients to get the perfect textures! It was a long journey, but resulted in the beautiful range Dermoplant that was launched in 2012.

Dermoplant is a mid-range priced Ecocert certified skincare line that is free from SLS, parabens, phalates or mineral oil. It aims at restoring radiance, luminosity, hydration to all types of skin. All the products of the range feature some of the top skincare ingredients and to name only a few, you can find: healing Aloe vera, nourishing Shea butter, regenerative Argan oil, hydrating hyaluronic acid. Some of the skincare products also contain Hibiscus oligopeptides that act like natural Botox by plumping and lifting the skin. A collection of wonderfully soothing plant oils such as Almond or Apricot kernel oil can be found too.

My skincare ritual starts every morning and evening using the Cleansing milk Celest, a gentle and soothing make-up remover that lifts away dirt, impurities and any debris. The smell is extremely pleasant and calming. My skin really loves it and I believe this milk will be extremely well tolerated by very sensitive skins too. I apply a bit of milk onto my fingers and massage with circular movements before removing it with my muslim cloth and lukewarm water. I then gently pat my face dry. Toning is the second step in my cleansing routine. The Tonic lotion Celeste is wonderfully calming and soothing thanks to Calendula and Chamomilla extracts and is gently scented with the same delicate aroma. Alcohol-free and suitable for sensitive skins too. I apply a few drops on an organic cotton pad and massage areas such as cheeks, forehead, chin. My skin is left refreshed, hydrated and nicely prepare for the treatment to follow. Boosting with Argan oil and Hibiscus extracts, the Lifting cream Celeste is a creme de la creme. Rich yet rapidly absorbed, this cream is a wonder for the skin. It does not feel heavy at all and provides plant nutrients to improve skin moisture and appearance. Skeptical to use it at the begining, I was so pleasantly suprised.
Once or twice a week, I use the Gentle scrub Celeste. Love, love, love. Really. This is a onctuous cream that needs to be applied onto dry skin. It slightly warms up and melts easily under massage which helps the tiny apricot microspheres do their job: removing dead cells and restoring skin glow. The skin is left super smooth. Again, if you have been reluctant using a face exfiolant, I highly recommend this one. This is one of my favorites!

Every evening, I use the Serum lifting Celeste onto cleansed face, an aloe vera-based gel packed with sodium hyaluronate, glycerin, and polysaccharides. The texture is so smooth that the gel sinks immediately into the skin. In addition to instantly replenishing, the serum evens skin tones and smoothes the appearance of premature wrinkles. An intense serum that becomes quickly another of my favorites!

Except for the cleansing duo, all products feature airless packaging that delivers the right amount of product per use and that works perfectly well.

Struggling to find any fault, Dermoplant skincare line has been a joy to use and I do hope they plan to extend their range in the future!

Have you heard of Dermoplant? what is your current skincare routine?

Strolling through Geneva, Switzerland- Aesop

Over the Christmas break, I went on a little trip to Geneva- nice and relaxing city, not too far from my hometown in France. While strolling in the city center, I came across a beautiful beauty shop (far from being swiss): Aesop. I knew this brand and without any prejudices decided to step-in and "see".

Aesop is an australian company created more than 20 years ago that aims "to create a range of superlative products for the skin, hair and body. The company is committed to using both plant-based and laboratory-made ingredients of the highest quality and proven efficacy".
The signature shop is beautiful: clean design, soft light, attention to details... The customer service was really great and I was granted happily granted with a lot of samples.

As a natural beauty lover, I always check the product composition of any beauty product I come across. It is for me a good way to see where the company stands. Aesop is not an entirely "natural" beauty company as I came across silicones, polysorbate 80 and preservatives such as phenoxyethanol or methhylchloroisothiaxolinone in some of their products.
However, there are a few products that are surely cleaner than others. For instance, the Parsley seed face cleansing oil designed for combination skin is a unique and solely blend of botanical oils and essential oils. I tried one sample and was quite happy with it. Slighty astringent on the T-zone, it is non drying on the cheeks or the other areas and removes the make-up well.
I also had an eye on their face and body oils. The parsley seed anti-oxidant facial treatment bursts with nutritive fatty acids and anti-oxidant ingredients while the damascam rose facial treatment aims at soothing and regenerating dry skins. Sounds like great products but haven't tried them yet.

If you want to have more informations about Aesop, visit their website. All product compositions are clearly displayed, so no bad suprises. You clearly know what to expect.

What do you think of Aesop? have you tried it?

Stay tuned for the 2nd part of this post :-)..and the results of my swiss beauty journey.

Introducing Hifas da Terra

I am really thrilled to write about a brand/company that you have probably never come across and neither had I...until a few weeks ago. They are called Hifas da Terra. They sent me a beautiful package of very interesting beauty goodies, honey and chocolate and I am very much looking forward to trying and reviewing those really soon.

Who are they?

Hifas da Terra is a spanish small biotechnology company based in Pontevedra, west of Spain, closed to the portugal border.

What do they do?

Hifas da Terra are specialised in organically cultivating all types of mushrooms such as Shiitake, Oyster mushrooms or king trumpet mushrooms.

What are the benefits of mushrooms?

For those who are less familiar with fungus, mushrooms such as Reishi, Cordyceps, Shiitake are actually been found to be super rich in anti-oxidants and polysaccharides that play a strong role in the body immune defense system. Mushroom extracts can be used as a skincare ingredients. In addition anti-inflammatory properties, they are supposed to do wonders on dull-looking skins via boosting the skin regeneration processes.

What do they offer?

With their incredible expertise in mycology, Hifas da Terra have developped amazing ranges of products that include their star ingredient: the mushrooms.

    Food vegan gourmet comprises a wilde range of organic certified products. From sweet chocolate and honey to exciting sauces and spices, it has all been made to make you discover a very unique experience.

   Micosalud food complement are Ecocert certified superfood natural supplements and bring you the best immune boosting-nutrients and anti-oxidants from mushrooms.

   Mico garden are home kits to grow your own mushrooms.

   Micosalud Dermocosmetics were developped to heal and protect skin using the super anti-oxidant properties of Reishi and Cordycerps. It comprises a serum, soaps, and a large collection of body whool sponge.

If you are as curious as I was to know more about this brand and all the incredible mushrooms have to offer, please visit their website for more information and have a little browse. For all my UK readers, Hifas da Terra should launch in the UK very soon, so watch this space.

As a beauty lover, I am really intrigued by their skincare/bodycare range Micosalud Dermocosmetics which is free from parabens, artificiel fragrances, phtalates, DEA or sulphates. I have never ever tried any creams/beauty related products using mushrooms extracts (and I have tested many things so far) and I am about to test some of their products, which will feature on my blog soon.

I will start using the Mico-serum, a unique face serum designed to calm and heals skin thanks to a intelligent mix of mushrooms extracts, argan oil and amino acids. I am also very curious to try the limited edition of the 100% biodegradable Sponge edition, a body exfoliating handmade Mico-Soap sponge made of natural whool and silk which contains Reishi soap and is aromatised with calendula and lemon. As a perfect partner to the sponge, I also received a body soap Mico-soap enriched in Reishi, argan oil and red clay. Everything sounds really lovely, fresh and purifying at the same time.

The lovely package also features a 100% certified organic Cordiceps-flavored chocolate and honey. Original and suprising, I aim to appreciate those little goodies during a special occasion.

What do you think of this range? have you ever tried a line containing mushrooms? Reviews coming soon!

Aurelia Probiotic skincare miracle cleanser

After reading so many positive reviews about Aurelia skincare miracle cleanser, I decided to take the next step and try it! Hourra!
I went to a fabulous shop here in the Netherlands called Real Skin Care which is not located too far from Amsterdam in a lovely dutch town called Bussum (I will be dedicating a special post to make you discovering this lovely beauty boutique and her owner Melanie).

If you have been following my blog, you may know that I have been in love with JooMo face wash (I have already re-ordered 2 of their cleansers!). Having said that, I am always open to new things and especially new cleansers! So, what do I have to say about Aurelia miracle cleanser?

Product name: Aurelia miracle cleanser
Certified: no
For: all skin types
Texture: cream
Price: £34.00 for 120ml

The Aurelia miracle cleanser is a magnificent creamy white cleanser. Smooth. Onctuous. Perfumed like heaven due to a carefully blend of essential oils (bergamot, rosemary, chamomille, eucalyptus to name a few). I love the frehsness yet the softness of the packaging. Tres feminin. It comes in a dark tinted pot and an antibacterial bamboo muslin cloth is provided to perfect the cleansing.

In regards to the composition, the cleanser combines an expert blend of vegetable emulsifiers, probiotics and botanicals oils/butters. Probiotics include:
- the Bifidus ferment lysate sort of a new "ingredient" in skincare. I think that not much research have been proven its benefits for the skin apart from maybe reducing skin sensitivy but I am looking at more papers/articles which may give more evidence.
- probiotic proteins (often extracted from milk), which are also present in the cleanser act as a skin conditionner.
The cleanser contains berry wax, a vegetable origin base which is obtained from the peel of a japansese fruit. Needless to say that this compound is very emollient for the skin. Rich in regenerative african Ubuntu Mongogo oil and extra nourishing shea and cocoa butters, the creamy concoction glides on the skin lifting away make-up, dirt and impurities in a very gentle manier. Kigelia fruit extract has extra-toning properties while softness is ensured by the Baobab fruit extract.
Although the bamboo cloth is really effective cleansing accessory (yet super soft), I would have prefered a sligtly more exfoliating flannel.

Aurelia miracle cleanser is a thumb up for me. I look foward everyday to use it morning and evening. The end result is fantastic: glowing and smooth looking face.

This brilliant product does not come cheap, that may be the only downside.

++ super glamorous and gentle cleanser
- pricey

My overal rating: 8.5/10

Composition: water, dicapryly carbonate, cetearyl alcohol, glycerin, cocoglycerides, Butyrospermum parkii (Shea butter), glyceryl stearate, cetearyl glucoside, Rhus verniciflua peel (berry) wax, Theobroma cacoa (cocoa) butter, Kigelia africana fruit extract, Hibiscus sabdariffa flower extract, Adansonia digitata (Baobab) fruit extract, lactose (probiotic bifidoculture milk extract), Lactis proteinum (probiotic protein), Bifida ferment lysate (probiotic culture), Schinziophyton rautanenii (Ubuntu Mongogo) kernel oil, panthenol (Pro-Vit 5), sodium ascorbyl phosphtate (vit C), Rosmarinus officinalis leaf oil (Rosemary essential oil), Citrus aurantium bergamia peel oil (Bergamot essential oil), Anthemis nobilis  oil (Chamomille essential oil), Eucalyptus globulus leaf oil (Eucalyptus essential oil), xanthan gum, sodium stearoyl glutamate, tocopheryl acetate, benzyl alcohol, dehydroacetic acid, citric acid, limonene, linalool *
*naturally occuring in essential oils
What do you think? Have you tried it yet?