When it gets hot, it’s always good to take time to cool down 😎 Maybe it can be taking a nice nap or going for a walk, or maybe adding some cooling skincare to my routine. 🧊

I recently received Real Barrier’s Cica Relief Fade in Serum from @realbarrier_global @go.picky @pickyrewards in exchange for my honest review. I’ve been testing this out in my nighttime routine for the past 2-3 weeks in my morning and nighttime routines to come up with my thoughts.

Time to Fade Your Blemishes

Cica Relief RX Fade in Serum currently retails at $26.88 USD on Stylevana for 50 mL. You are supposed to use this serum to heal scars and soothe your skin so that it can be hydrated and stronger. If you are prone to breakouts and have a difficult time fading out blemishes like myself, then you might enjoy adding this serum into your skincare collection. The key to the serum’s fading superpowers lies in its TECA-CERA which contains centella asiatica and ceramides to quickly soothe and protect your skin barrier from environmental stressors.

Having centella asiatica be the center focus of this serum makes complete sense for your acne needs. Centella asiatica has been used in medicinal practices for wound healing and inflammation because of its anti-bacterial properties. It also helps retain the moisture in your skin that is essential for proper wound healing and for a protective skin barrier.

Not only is this serum formula great for your skin, it is gentle enough for sensitive skin and environmentally friendly. You can purchase refills of this serum so that you can switch out the serum container and reuse the external part of the packaging.

To get a better understanding of why Real Barrier’s serum is perfect for you, take a look at some of their other ingredients:

• Butylene Glycol: This ingredient is a humectant that draws in moisture and keeps your skin hydrated throughout the day.
• Asiatic Acid: Derived from centella asiatica, this form of acid is used for reducing the appearance of wrinkles and boosting collagen production to get firmer, bouncier skin.
• Vitamin Tree Fruit Extract: This ingredient is also known as sea buckthorn, which contains vitamin C. Vitamin tree extract can lighten up hyperpigmentation, lightly exfoliate your skin, and boost collagen production.
• Arginine: Arginine is perfect for dry skin because it provides much-needed moisture and can fight signs of aging by minimizing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

By the way, you can purchase this product at a cheaper price and with 10% off your total if you buy it with my discount code INF10OHMY at Stylevana. If you purchase at least $59 USD worth of your Kbeauty essentials on Stylevana, you can get 15% off your order with that same discount code. I do receive a small percentage of the commission if you use my code.

A Serum Made for Soothing

Recyclable and Sturdy Packaging

This serum has a unique packaging design. Not only is it sturdy enough to bring for traveling around, it is also reusable. Real Barrier also carries refills of this serum that you can pull out and replace. You can keep the exterior part of the packaging and the product will dispense product just fine. Each serum refil costs $27.00 USD on Stylevana.

I also want to note that the pump of this serum packaging is really good. I was trying this out for my first impression video that is posted below, and the pump can make the serum almost fly out of the dispenser. It’s quite powerful so keep this in mind if applying the serum straight to your face.

Clear Gel

The product itself is a clear viscous liquid that is a mix of a gel and water. It has a sort of thickness to it, but spreads so well into my skin. There is very little scent to this product, so it doesn’t give you a headache. People who prefer unscented products will love this one for sure because it is very straightforward to just working well for our skin.

Dries with No Trace

Using this product was very nice! It reminded me of a hyaluronic acid serum due to its consistency. However, the product manages to seep well into my skin without leaving a tacky feeling like an HA serum.

The finish of this serum reminds me of aloe vera gel because it basically disappears on your skin. You can forget you applied this serum sometimes because your skin is left feeling super smooth. The no trace to this serum also means that it won’t affect your makeup if you’re thinking of using this in the morning.

Oh-So Perfect for the Summer

Another reason this skincare serum reminds me of aloe vera gel is because of the sensation. I find that this product does leave a cooling sensation, which is common for centella asiatica products. The wound-healing properties of the superstar ingredient make this a great solution for when you experience those dreaded sunburns. If you’re not prone to redness or stinging from sun exposure, you can also have fun using this to cool down. I put a lot on my arms while testing and loved the cool feeling especially in this heat!

Lightens Blemishes

I have seen a slight improvement with my blemishes since I use this mainly at night. They’re not as visible from afar and are also close to fading out. I can say that I have not experienced any breakouts while using the Real Barrier serum due to the antioxidant and anti-bacterial properties in the ingredient list.

In terms of redness (which is a usual occurrence for me), you can see a noticeable improvement because my face looks soothed and dewy after using the serum. This serum can alse be a good recommendation for after you exfoliate your skin so that it less dry and less irritated, which the combo for pimple formation.

Would I repurchase?

Yes! I really wish I had a product like this when I started my skincare journey since I had a disrupted skin barrier. The ingredient list is perfect if your skin is really dry and flaky. I would recommend this for hormonal acne since blemishes can be hard to get rid of for that.

Would you try out this serum for yourself? What are your thoughts? Let me know down below.

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Do you also switch up your makeup for the summer?  Like my skincare routine, I usually go for more lightweight products during the summer to not clog my pores. This also means going from full-coverage foundations to light/medium-coverage ones.

Making the switch to lighter coverage makeup has also been made by a lot of people since they are transitioning from the full-glam-to-the-gods Instagram makeup to the simpler, natural-looking makeup. We’re getting tired of putting in so much time applying makeup and going ham with eyeshadow or highlighter. So, finding makeup treasures that work easily and quickly is a dime a dozen.

I was recently given the Hydromaniac Glowy Tinted Glow Hydrator Foundation by @urbandecaycosmetics and @influenster to test out in exchange for my honest review. I wasn’t obligated to make a blog post regarding my experience with this product, but wanted to share my thoughts here. This more in-depth review is made for people who are interested in reading customer experiences prior to buying new products. I’m one of those product researchers too, so I get it.

Are You a Hydromaniac, Too?

What is a hydromaniac really? Urban Decay defines a hydromaniac as someone who is obsessed with keeping their skin feeling and looking hydrated. This definitely official term can also be associated with dewy makeup, glowy makeup, or golden hour makeup. So basically, Urban Decay’s Hydromaniac Glow Tinted Glow Hydrator Foundation is supposed to bring out the inner beauty of your skin so it can shine.

The Urban Decay Hydromaniac Glowy Tinted Glow Hydrator Foundation costs $33 on Sephora USA and is designed to provide medium coverage while giving you a healthy glow. The foundation is supposed to be a lightweight formula that makes your skin feel more hydrated after 24 hours of wear due to the nourishing ingredients that are also used for some of your must-have skincare products. It’s supposed to be that

Infused with nourishing ingredients, this lightweight tinted moisturizer foundation leaves skin feeling super hydrated while minimizing pores with a blurring effect. This dewy foundation delivers a healthy glow that looks like real skin for a no-makeup, makeup look and wears for up to 24 hours. Urban Decay even tested its foundation with 281 participants and reported that 85% of them loved the product because it kept their skin looking fresh all day.

This tinted foundation gives you a luminous glow and keeps your skin glowy thanks to its key ingredients:

• Kombucha Filtrate: Detoxifies and nourishes your skin. It contains vitamin C, which lightly exfoliates your skin and boosts collagen production to eliminate signs of aging.
• Marula Oil: Hydrates your skin and seals in moisture to protect it from environmental stressors and free radicals.

Get Your Dose of Liquid Dew

Travel-Friendly Packaging

Like the dewy blush liquid that I also tried from Urban Decay, I also liked the design of the foundation packaging. It is a larger plastic tube that is also TSA-compliant so you can make this your foundation of choice while going on your summer escapades.

The Hydromaniac Glowy Tinted Glow Hydrator Foundation also has a pointed nozzle tip to pinpoint areas of application where you want to apply your drops of glow. I used this multiple times and noticed that the foundation remained clean and hygienic due to the nozzle point. Other foundations get messy over time because of the lid (usually a regular squeeze bottle or a pump). I hate having to clean the inside of the lid to get rid of the dried-up foundation, so shout out to the Urban Decay team for being so attentive.

Lightweight Consistency

The formula is not scented and has a lightweight consistency. I wouldn’t say that it is sort of watery like Urban Decay’s dewy liquid blush because it seemed a little thicker like a BB cream.  If I had no idea what the product name was, I would call this a BB cream because it is lightweight enough to wear on top of blemishes and pimples to hide some hyperpigmentation. You can easily spread this out with your fingers and it will blend out on your skin. BB creams also usually are tint mixed with various skincare ingredients, if you haven’t taken the time to see what they are.

Blends into My Skin

Urban Decay did an impressive job of sending a foundation that blended into my skin, even with different lighting. The color match for me was perfect! Since this is a light/medium coverage foundation, I was able to build this up to cover light blemishes and make them barely noticeable.

I would notice a slight lightness in the foundation to my skin if I tried layering more product for making the foundation more high coverage. That didn’t really work. If I want to layer the foundation more, I’ll probably do so in the winter when my dry skin could use more hydrating ingredients to seal off irritation and free radicals.

Your skincare prep can also play a part in the effectiveness of this foundation. If your skin is more on the flaky side of the skin type spectrum, I would suggest trying to exfoliate the night before wearing the foundation. The formula is lightweight so it can cling to flaky skin and not hide the texture, so just a note to keep in mind. It will not hide the appearance of texture, but can hide the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, and blemishes/discoloration. Also, use moisturizer sparingly to create a light layer of moisture because the slipperiness of it can cause some patchiness during foundation application.

My Skin but Better

With the vegan and cruelty-free formula and the use of kombucha and Marula oil, my skin looked hydrated, bouncy, and glowy! There were times when I looked in the mirror and thought my skin was like a Barbie doll. It looked so smooth and glossy, maybe what Barbie’s skin would look like if she did her makeup.

The first time I tried this foundation, I also got compliments from my relatives because my skin looked so nice. My relative said my skin looked glowy and didn’t seem like there was any skin texture from afar. Of course, I told my relatives about this foundation so she could add it to her shopping cart.

Longlasting Glow

I wore this multiple days in hot weather for at least 6-8 hours or so and my makeup still looked great and glowy. Topping my makeup off with setting spray also helped out with keeping the foundation on my face, but the foundation did well when I did forgo days of not using setting spray, too. My skin also did not break out while using the foundation and looked calmed and moisturized. Baby smooth skin was possible while wearing and after wearing this foundation.

Would I repurchase?

I think this is well worth the $33 price point for a product that gives great coverage and makes me look more awake. If you want a break from foundation and are looking for an alternative that looks great and promotes a healthy skin barrier, consider trying this one out. The ingredients in this product also have anti-aging properties that make this impossible to say no to.

This formula didn’t break me out and actually was perfect for my dry skin. The only caveat to this product is that the foundation doesn’t contain SPF. Therefore, I would suggest applying your sunscreen first before using the foundation.

What are your thoughts on this foundation? Would you try it?

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What is your favorite way to eat fruit? Now that is starting to get warmer, I’ve been going back to making smoothies (but I’m literally always cold 😂). I even have been trying to branch out my fruit horizons by mixing it with Greek yogurt. The journey to liking Greek yogurt is sort of getting there haha. My favorite new way, however, has been through the power of skincare!

I always love seeing how fruits are being used to make new skincare, so I was so excited to receive the new Vegan Active Berry First Essence from @drceuracle_global @dr.ceuracle @go.picky and @pickyrewards in exchange for my honest review! This product was integrated into my morning and nighttime routines for two to three weeks before I came up with the following opinions.

A New Way to Retinol

Vegan Active Berry First Essence sells at $35 USD for 50 mL on their Amazon storefront. The essence is designed to help provide moisture to your skin so that it can reveal younger-looking skin and moisturize your skin barrier. As the product states, Dr. Ceuracle uses the power of berries to the fullest–from seed to extract–so that your skin reaches its potential to glow. For people who are in need of deep hydration or in search of a product that deals with blemishes and signs of aging, this essence might be your favorite.

By the way, you can purchase this product at a cheaper price and with 10% off your total if you buy it with my discount code INF10OHMY at Stylevana. If you purchase at least $59 USD worth of your Kbeauty essentials on Stylevana, you can get 15% off your order with that same discount code. I do receive a small percentage of the commission if you use my code.

This essence is a unique product compared to other skincare I’ve seen because it contains

• Resveratrol Capsules: Made from French grapes, these capsules revive your skin and give a nice glow since resveratrols are antioxidants.
• Grape Seed Oil: This oil is made from used Port Wine grapes and gives intense hydration to seal in moisture and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
• Cranbetinol: This is a cranberry-derived peptide alternative to retinol (Vitamin A). If you want to avoid the flaky skin and dryness that can come from retinol or want to avoid retinol because it can be animal-sourced, then trying cranbetinol and retinal can be a safer alternative.

Who Knew That Grapes Were Great for Skin?

Eye-catching Packaging Design

I couldn’t get my eyes off of their lovely sleek packaging! It literally looks like a lava lamp in my skincare collection because the essence is mixed with the resveratrol capsule beads.

This essence bottle is made out of glass, so it is heavier than other essences and more fragile. If you want to ensure the essence remains potent for longer, I would avoid storing this in areas with frequent sun exposure and high temperatures.

Like a Fruit Jelly

I actually loved testing this on my hand because I noticed that the formula comes out as a clear, viscous texture (in between watery and jelly) that was easy to spread on my face and neck. The texture reminded me of those Konjac jelly drinks due to the clear color and jiggly jelly consistency.

The scent was very clean and light, maybe a light fruity note that was enjoyable. I would say that it smells lightly of grapes because of the product’s ingredients, but not the artificial grape that you would find in candy or drinks. Probably kind of like a juicy red grape or a Kyoho grape, if you know what I am talking about.

Fresh, Juicy Skin Guaranteed

My dry skin loved this formula! It would look very glowy and be left with a slightly tacky finish, making it easy to absorb moisturizer or prime up for makeup. This formula is also very lightweight, so I do believe that this essence can work for sensitive skin and mature skin that can get clogged pores from thick formulas.

My skin didn’t break out using this product, so it is good for dry and sensitive skin. The cranbetinol and grape seed oil were perfect for my dry skin and made it look flawless. I looked more awake and my skin did have a plump and juicy appearance.

Where Did This Product Go Sour?

Difficulty Dispersing All the Gel

If you’re more nitpicky with formulas, maybe you wouldn’t like the gel capsules. It would take some time for rubbing and dispersing the gel beads of resveratrol, so just keep that in mind if thinking to put makeup on afterward.

If you plan to use this without using makeup or for your nighttime routine, then this should not be an area of concern for you. The clear part of the essence blends like a dream to make your skin look juicy and firm. The gel capsules are so minuscule that you wouldn’t notice their breakage unless you pulled them up with a magnifying glass.

Improvement of Product Experience

The little hole for releasing the product would make it hard to get the essence out. It can take some time to get the essence out around the initial uses since there is less air in the container. This issue is also very minor since it wasn’t a huge bother to me. I know some people may dislike the product for this reason, so I am mentioning it here.

If Dr. Ceuracle is planning to update the product design over time, I would suggest adding a pump that equals a recommended usage (1 pump of product equates to 1 proper serving). I used 2-3 drops of essence on my damp skin so that it was easy to absorb and take in moisture.

Would I repurchase?

The product itself is a little pricey, but I think I would since there is a lot of essence. I estimate this will last 3-5 months (maybe more if you have other products). Also, the small hole isn’t a huge issue for getting the product out. I think this is perfect for dry and aging skin because of the antioxidants and retinol-alternative ingredients.

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