The best skin care line

Again, I am trying to find a new product line. I've been using Cures and although Cures is a good line, I want a line that is more results driven. I have sensitive skin and rosacea and so far the only line that has helped improve my skin is  Control Corrective . That is HUGE to me! I want to give my clients the best, but I want the cost to be reasonable as well. Can you help me with suggestions on products that you use and what you think about them and dislike about them? Thank you!!!

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Permalink Reply by Shelley Dodt on December 28, 2013 at 4:37pm
Farm House Fresh has a new facial line that is inexpensive and is used by great spas. Their masks are yummy chocolate and mud pumpkin scrub. You can get a sample pack for $15 plus shipping.
Permalink Reply by ella kurr on December 30, 2013 at 4:49pm

Those products look absolutely beautiful and the packaging is so cute! I'm very intrigued. What are some of your favorites? The sweet cream body cream in the glass cruet is absolutely adorable.

Permalink Reply by Amy Sherman on December 28, 2013 at 7:18pm

I was in the same boat all thus year. I love botanical science! Highly recommended by another etsy here and they rock!

Permalink Reply by Nina on December 30, 2013 at 1:28pm
:)
Permalink Reply by coldsalineplexus on December 30, 2013 at 4:51am
There is no one best line. Instead, you'll need to focus on what lines are the best match. If your personal skin troubles are representative of the issues you see on the table, then go with what is working for you. If your clients' concerns are quite different from your own, you'll want to get really specific with what results you want out of what products (I.e., a night cream that tightens, a serum that helps with large pores), and start researching the ingredients that will help you achieve those results, and then apply that ingredient knowledge to your selections. Remember you can carry bits and pieces from different lines, and some great lines don't have minimums.
Permalink Reply by Nina on December 30, 2013 at 1:26pm
I have a feeling that this response is going to be very long (as it always is when I write about products lol), but you asked so here are a few suggestions:)...

I am absolutely in-LOVE with the lines Eminence, and Botanical Science (private label). I have very sensitive skin myself, suffered from acne when I was younger, spent hundreds of dollars on different products and derms, nothing worked. So I took matters into my own hands and researched & studied ingredients. Long story short, I cleared up my own skin by getting the right stuff based off my research, but then realized that my skin had gotten very sensitive from the hell I put it through with all of the harsh products and chemicals I was using before, and almost anything would set it off - cause it to blow up in rashes and/or redness. It's still sensitive but I rarely have any of these outbreaks, unless it's an internal reaction, or I come in contact with a really strong cleaning chemical, etc. But even when it does happen, now I know which products to turn to, to keep it under control. I have found that Eminence & BSI have worked for me personally, to keep my skin feeling not just under control, but amazing, and therefore I started using them on clients, who have noticed the same effects. I am not a fan of Cures because of some of their ingredients. I have also tried a few "control corrective" products before, I currently have 2 of their toners I use here and there for bigger selection purposes. They are nice, a little bit pricy, but I definitely think that these products blow them out of the water, as far as being more result-oriented. I will tell you a little bit about them.

For Eminence:
I attended the trade show in Philly, and went to 2 of Eminence's classes and learned a TON of useful information, which speaks a lot for the line. It's good when they are so informative over not just their products but ingredients in general because that usually shows that they also formulated their products very well. I actually find this line to be very result oriented, and this is the line I turn to for most of my sensitive and acne clients, besides a select 8-10 products from BSI (will write about next) and like I said, even myself.
I fell Inlove with Eminence about a year ago, when someone suggested it to me, because of the sensitivity problem I was having, and because of their pure, effective ingredients. So I researched the line and tried it, and for awhile, I didn't know anything about the line other than the fact that their ingredients are top notch and approvable, and my skin loved them. So, when I got to the show, attended their classes and learned more about the line, I was even more impressed, and I can go more in-depth about it if you would like.

The thing that separates this organic line and most other organic lines is that they do not use a water base. The first 7/8 ingredients listed on a product are what count the most. Often you will see "Aqua" or "Water" listed as the first ingredient in many products, especially organic, that means that the product is pretty much 90% water, so how can it be that effective if it's mostly just water right? See Eminence, does not contain all this water, it uses the effective beneficial ingredients as a base instead, which makes them a bit more effective, and result-oriented.
I will say, the products are a little bit pricy (you can find them cheaper at trade shows and even Amazon, but you have to be careful with amazon, It's okay as long as you order them from the "Eminence Organics" seller.)

For now, I have just started my new business, so I am not carrying the full line, I am collecting as I go. I have a little bit for each skin type. I am technically using my own skincare line (through the private label Botanical Science) as my 1st main line, but one day I would like to have just as much Eminence as I do the private label, because I get nothing but awesome feedback from my clients after a facial with Eminence. The Botanical Science definitely assists with this though, so about BSI....

(I know I write a lot, I'll try to keep it shorter this time lol)

Botanical Science:
I discovered this line when I was being trained in school. Once again, I was having some sensitivity issues back then, and I found this to be the only line in school (there were 2 others, Sothy's & Nathuropathica, probably spelt that wrong) that would help, not break me out or clog my pores, and not worsen my skin. This became the only line I would use on clients in school as well, and once again, nothing but great feedback. That is when I decided that this is the line I want to use for my own little business one day.

I have a few select favorites and must haves - like their "oxygen cleanser" and "complex C serum" that I use on daily basis, which is directed towards rosacea and acne, protection against the environment, and gives anti-aging benefits. Then there are honestly a select few that I do not like and will not order (because not every skincare line can be perfect right).
There are about 8-10 BSI products I turn to along with Eminence for sensitive and acne skin types. I usually always mix it up, unless someone is getting one of my "organic facials". These products are not organic, they are naturally based, and do contain a few traditional medical ingredients, but no harsh chemicals. The rest of the BSI line is more directed towards my anti-aging clients, or my clients who are sensitive, but still want the anti aging benefits. And, I also direct it towards my very very dry, and irritated clients.
Once again, I can go more in-depth about this skincare line if you are interested, and I can message you about some of my must-haves etc. So far, I have passed BSI on to two people here on ASCP, and they both absolutely love it:)

The super good thing about BSI, is it's not so pricy at all. In fact if you ever decide to retail these products; you can make anywhere from 2-5x the amount you paid for them, knowing you are selling good quality, result-oriented products. For example you pay about $7 for retail sized cleanser, and they have a suggested price of $18-$25, or you pay $15 for a serum, and the suggested price is $35-$55. I usually go somewhere in between, depending on which product it is. And the professional size products are very very decent prices too. AND you put your own name on these products since they are private label, so these become YOUR products.
I highly recommend that you go to www.botanicalscience.net, put in a request for a username and password, and check it out! And no, I do not make any commission or anything for recommending these products, or at least I haven't asked about it, I just love them. Also, if you ask, they will send you a free sample kit of all of their cleansers, toners, masques, and moisturizers. (Serums unfortunately don't come in sample sizes). This way you can try some of them out, and see if you really like them before you order.

I hope this helps, and feel free to ask me any questions you like! :)
Permalink Reply by ella kurr on December 30, 2013 at 4:47pm

At first I fell in love with the idea of Eminence as well, but it irritated my skin like mad. I actually feel quite the opposite about this line. I would avoid it for sensitive clients because some of the plant based ingredients can be quite irritating. I love the idea of this line, but when it comes to results, I just don't see them. Which products do you find to really deliver results within the Eminence range?

Permalink Reply by Amy Sherman on December 30, 2013 at 9:45pm

I had the same response with Dawn Lorraine.  I'm quite well known for dealing with sensitivities in my area and I had a HUGE increase with not just irritation but blisters! Ack! So, I have started using the botanical science products and I love them.  But I agree with an earlier poster. It depends on what you are using it for. I had a hard time with this when finding a new line because not ONE line and EVERYTHING that I wanted. and I HATE having to pick and choose. I also didn't want something that somebody could buy online or through say Sephora or Penny's.  It's a hard road! Good Luck!

Permalink Reply by Nina on December 30, 2013 at 11:15pm

Very interesting. Maybe you were allergic to one or 2 of the ingredients used, unless you've had an allergy test and know exactly what you are allergic too, there's never any way to really tell. Or, was it a peel that you used? The peels, and even a few other Eminence products are not all meant for sensitive skin, that's just like any line. Just because something is organic, doesn't mean it won't irritate, you are correct about that. However, I see that in most of their products, they don't use too many botanicals or essential oils at all, see some botanicals and essential oils are usually what irritate, because they have fragrant properties. Then, some botanicals and essential oils can be the opposite, highly soothing, and effective. It's all about doing your research I guess, to know which one is which. Even some extracts like "algae extract" can be irritating too. Maybe you just weren't using the right ones for your personal skin type, or, like I said, you could be sensitive to an ingredient or two in particular. It's happened where some people have sworn by a product, then I go try it, and break out in hives. 

I guess I just personally feel that natural outweighs chemical as far as sensitivity goes (as long as you are using the right natural of course) because chemicals are chemicals. Not all chemicals are bad, no, but in most chemically based products, actually just about every chemically based product that I have seen, they have contained more bad chemicals than good.

The products I use contain pretty neutral ingredients, I am very interested to know, which products did you use that irritated you?

I will tell you about a few of my favorite Eminence products, that I really feel work for me and/or my clients.

  • Probiotic Cleanser - for acneic skin/ break outs. I find this very gentle yet very effective in treating acne with yogurt (contains lactic acid, and a huge source for probiocts), sweet almond milk, and cucumber juice...next product to order is going to be the probiotic masque
  • Bright Skin Cleanser - I use this for sun damaged skin, or skin with hyperpigmentation issues. This one is very special to me, it contains Natural Hydroquinone, which is a more gentle tyrosine blocker. (Tyrosine is an enzyme that causes hyperpigmentation). And it contains more gentle skin lighteners such as Bearberry Extract. I have the moisturizer, and masque to go with this, same concept.
  • Strawberry Rhubarb Dermafoliant- this is probably one of my absolute favorites. I use this for any skin type, it's a rice based exfoliant, that contains more gentle exfoliating ingredients such as lactic acid, and gentle purifying ingredients such as rhubarb, strawberry, and oats which also soothe
  • Blueberry Soy Exfoliating Cleanser- I actually just used this earlier on, because I am under the weather and my skin isn't happy, very dry. I also use this when it's that time of the month... It contains Soy Milk which contains vitamins and is also good source for estrogen, which helps prevent and treat hormonal break outs.  Then Blueberry Juice gently deep cleans, and Grape Extract hydrates.. This exfoliating cleanser doesn't contain beads, and my skin feels so good now opposed to what it felt like when i woke up this am.
  • Raspberry Pore Refining Masque - this is personally my go-to facial masque at the moment. It's the season of dryness. But my dry skin not only needs to be super hydrated, but it needs a good tightening and cleansing as well once a week. These qualities are very to hard to find all in one masque. This one has it. I use this for all skin types, mainly in need of pore refining, and revitalizing. With Raspberry, Blueberry and Blackberry Juice, and Honey, nourishing, yet gently tightening ingredients
  • Calm Skin Arnica Masque - best masque for highly sensitive skin, that I have used yet. Shea Butter, Marigold, Arnica, all truly soothing ingredients, and I believe it contains Rosemary too. There's actually something very special about rosemary for Rosacea, it kills the bacteria that causes it. 
  • Strawberry Rhubarb Masque - for hydrating purposes, it has hyaluronic acid (from marshmellow plant for a better penetration rate), repairing Shea Butter, Grape Seed which lubricates, Strawberry, and Rhubarb for very gentle disinfecting properties
  • Firm Skin Acai Masque - I have witnessed amazing anti-aging, and firming benefits right infront of my very own eyes when using this masque on people. With Acai Berry, Hyaluronic Acid, Blueberry, Raspberry, Seabuckthorn Berry...
  • Strawberry Rhubarb Serum - I use on all skin types, especially those that clog easily yet are in need of hydration. Same concept as the Strawberry Rhuarb Masque with the hyaluronic acid, and it has aloe. And it is very light.
  • Blackberry Pore Refining Serum - same concept as pore refining masque. I've used this on my T-zone area, mainly on my nose, where I noticed I had larger pores, for about month, and noticed a huge difference.
  • Oil-free Sugar Plum Revitalizer - This is aboutt the only moisturizer I will ever use on my skin. Since, my pores do clog easily. I can use this on literally any skin type, that's what's so great about it. Main ingredients are Plum Nectar, Watercress with hydrates and soothes, Green Tea, and Rosehip. 
  • Rosehip Tonique, Stone Crop Hydrating Mist and Wild Plum Tonique, Sweet Red Rose Tonique, all only contain 3-4 ingredients, my favorite is the Stone Crop & Rosehip, found them to be the most soothing, these ones do all contain natural salicylic acid, but I never found it to be irritating, even on my own sensitive skin

Just about all of the products do contain their "Biocomplex": Vitamin A, Vitamin C Ester, Vitamin E, Coenzyme, and Alpha Lipoic Acid

I use two of their peels,

Bluberry Firming Detox Peel: This peel is absolutely amazing. However, it is nottt recommended for sensitive skin. I just had to try this on myself though, and sure enough I felt tingly the first 2 minutes I had it on, took it off, and I was bright red, it looked like I had gotten a sunburn. I figured this was normal, as with any peel, and I felt more comfortable knowing that healthy ingredients were causing this, rather than damaging chemicals. The redness went away within 15-20 minutes. I will admit I was a little worried for a few. But I felt the smoothest skin I've ever felt in my life, it looked firm and healthy, as I witnessed on the model at the Eminence workshop I attended, no wonder clients are willing to spend anywhere from $60-160 for this at high end spas. I use this on all skin types, except highly sensitive. The paprika and AHA's can be too sensitizing.

Yam & Pumpkin Enzyme Peel - This is another peel I wouldn't really use on highly sensitive skin, or very active and irritated acne. Fairly sensitive, maybe. It's up there with the Blueberry Detox Peel, just a little bit less sensitizing.

I plan on ordering the Rosehip Exfoliating Masque to use as a peel for more sensitive skin types. I could go on and on about the rest of my Eminence products, and the ones I want to order, etc, but I know I already wrote a whole lot, and I don't want to bore you (lol) So, so far, I have had a lot of luck with this line. Hasn't let me down yet. Once again, I am very interested to hear which ones you have tried, and did not like.

Permalink Reply by ella kurr on December 31, 2013 at 2:43pm

The product that irritated my skin the most was the Eight Greens Whip Moisturizer. I have sensitive combination skin and this moisturizer left irritation all over my cheeks.

I tend to feel a bit iffy about products in large jars where you have to dip into them because it just seems so unsanitary to me, inviting lots of bacteria in the jar. I know you can use a spatula, but I also don't like exposing the rest of that luscious product to oxygen every time the jar is opened.

The Rosehip Exfoliating Masque also irritated my skin, but I think I just react badly to rosehip in general.

I have done pumpkin masques on my clients before using real pureed pumpkin mixed with my own special blend of other ingredients and it  yielded beautiful results. With some things in the Eminence line, I have to wonder if I can make something similar myself (Example: Pureed pumpkin mixed with a couple drops of essential oil, honey, milk or yogurt for the lactic acid). I realize that a lot of things in their line would be next to impossible to replicate (very easily anyway) because of ingredients line stone crop that are not accessible for most people.

Now about the "biocomplex," I feel like that is a lot of marketing hype. A lot of the natural ingredients (fruits, etc) contain their own natural derivatives of vitamins A, C, E, - and some contain alpha lipoic acid. At first, I totally went for this and wanted to exclusively use Eminence on my skin, but I guess it would take a lot for me to come around to it again. I love organic ingredients like you do, but it is disheartening because my sensitive skin tends to scream when I apply products that are all organic and remain calm with something created in a lab. Go figure.

I have to admit though, I'm really interested in trying that Probiotic Cleanser.

Permalink Reply by Nina on December 31, 2013 at 5:36pm
Okay, I think I just might possibly know why the stone crop whip moisturizer irritated you, it has corn germ oil just the fourth ingredient in. That can be a very sensitizing ingredient to those with your skin type. It also contains lavander oil, and lemon oil. Lavender oil has very theraputic benefits, for aromatherapy purposes, but the truth about lavander is it's a fragrant oil, so once again, those with your skin type can break out or get an irritation from it, especially on the face. I used to put lavander oil all over my face, before I knew better, wondering why it wasn't working. Similar effect with lemon oil. The stone crop hydrating mist, just has stone crop juice, and 2 other neutral ingredients in it, so I have no problem with that, but I would not try the stonecrop moisturizer on myself, or anyone with our skin type for that matter.

I also just saw that the original Rosehip exfoliating masque has cone germ in it as well. They did make a new one. So that could have possibly been it.

Since you like organic products as I do, I have a recommendation, maybe try avoiding products with essential oils in them for now, just on your face. Some essential oils are great, but because of their fragrant properties, many are sensitizing and many people are allergic and don't even know it, so since you wouldn't know exactly which oil in particular your sensitive too, safest best is to just avoid all of them for now, and just see what happens. Can't hurt to try this. I recommend trying extracts instead, once again there are some extracts that can be irritating too, such are horsetail extract, lavander extract and algae extract. But I find most extracts to be more neutral, and non-pore clogging. It's complicated with ingredients because, Chamomile can be pore clogging, but chamomile extract is not pore clogging. Like I said, best bet is to do some research on ingredients. Then compare the products to your research. I'm not going to lie and say it's not a pain in the ass. But it may be worth it for you. Now, I have developed a huge interest for it, and I actually enjoy studying them.

As far as creating your own products, I too have the dream to do that one day. It's not as easy as you think though. For example, Eminence grows their ingredients in a very special way. They harvest without using any pesticides, chemicals etc in a large designated area... Many "natural" skincare lines do not grow their ingredients without all of that junk. So honestly, the only way you're really going to know whether the ingredients your mixing together in your products are truly pure and organic or not, you'd have to grow them yourself, or find a very very well trusted company, to do it for you/with you, which costs a lotttt, and I mean a lot of money.

Also, I still recommend you check out Botanical Science. One etsy here that I recommended it to, due to the fact she was having a similar problem as you, now uses it for her oncology patients, and she loves it. Amy, who commented above is another etsy I recommended too, with the same sensitivity problem, and she loves it as well. Also, just a future idea - BSI gives you the opportunity to come up with your own products, you tell them what you want, what ingredients, and they do the research and manufacturing etc for you, send it to you when they are done, and if you like it, the amount that you paid them to make it, is applied to your order of the product. If you don't like it, you send it back and they try again. This is just an idea you might want to look into in the future, they harvest most of their ingredients as well, however they are not completely organic, so like I said, the only way for you to really get exactlyy what you want, and the only way for you to truly know you're getting, is to kind of grow and harvest yourself. One day, I personally would love to do that, but it takes a lot of money, time and patience, so for now I'm not even really thinking about it, I'm giving my clients the best I can, because if I lose focus of doing what I can with what I have and what's available to me right now, then my long term goals, and dreams will never happen.

The skincare world is tricky. I hate saying that probably 75-80% of the products you see out there, are ....you know. But that's the truth. I can send you a few legit websites on ingredients that may help you in choosing a skincare line if you would like, because when it comes down to it, that's what the products are truly all about. It's the ingredients that count, not the bottles or marketing hype as you said. Good luck:) have a happy and healthy new year and if you have any questions about anything feel free to ask me anytime.

PS, one more thing, the probiotic cleanser is great. However, I personally wouldn't use it every single day. It's gentle, and extremely effective, but it's also strong at the same time if you know what I mean? It's not strong in a way it's going to irritate because it's just the opposite, it's strong as in there are so many effective ingredients, that it just becomes unecessasary for me to use every single day. If I had acne, I would maybe use it daily. If that makes sense. I use it, as well as the oxygen cleanser from BSI to double cleanse 2-3 times a week. That's also just because I am set with the daily cleanser that I've been using for a year, which believe it or not, isn't even organic or professional. It's just the one basic basic cleanser that I have seen with absolutely no pore clogging or irritating or too strong ingredients and it's called Cerave, from CVS or Walgreens $15. It's the one and only drugstore product that I would ever spend my money on, and I swear by it, and after recommending it to soo many people, they now swear by it too. Packed with ceramides, niacinmide and Hyaluronic acid. 2-3 times a week, I use my oxygen cleanser, or probiotic cleanser if I'm breaking out before I cleanse with this (that's double cleansing), for a little extra, deeper cleaning since Cerave is soo gentle. The rest of the days, I just use Cervae. And of course I exfoliate 2x a week.
Permalink Reply by ella kurr on December 31, 2013 at 6:28pm

Thank you for your very detailed and helpful reply. You are like a fountain of good info! I almost mentioned what you said about lavender oil in my reply above. I know some people on this board are not a fan of Paula Begoun, but have you ever read what she has to say about lavender oil? She actually doesn't like the Eminence line at all.. and points out that they add lavender essential oil to many of their products.. and notes that lavender oil is damaging to the skin instead of helpful.

It's so funny you mention CeraVe because I also almost mentioned this in my top post but decided not to because we were talking about higher end products. The CeraVe actually made my skin react much worse than the Eminence. I think it was the niacinimide and there is another ingredient (ben something.. it's a long one can't think of it at the moment) that I read can be very irritating to some people. So I unfortunately avoid CeraVe as well and I use the Cetaphil cleanser. I've actually tried all the products that CeraVe makes. Even my dertmatologist recommends it! But after I stopped using it, my skin is much calmer. My skin is sensitive like a baby's... like when they go outside and the cold air hits their cheeks and it makes their skin irritated, my skin is THAT sensitive. lol..

I will definitely look into the Botanical Science. I think I know what you're saying about the Probiotic cleanser.. it's potent, right? If I recall correctly, aren't a lot of Eminence's products meant to have a little water added to them because the products are so potent? I added water to the Eight Greens Whip Moisturizer (just a few drops). Do you add water to yours and dilute them some when you use them?

I'm a hobbyist gardener and yes, you're so right that growing your own products without any pesticides at all can be a lot of work... I always say that I like to know where everything comes from and it's so worth it, but at the same time, it is a ton of work.

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