Okey dokey, the Ziba Shop is up and running again!

I am currently selling some really great natural and organic French skincare products.

But check back again soon, as I will be adding more to the shop.

Eventually, the shop will have many unique and niche beauty products from around the world. They’ll all be carefully selected by me. And if you read my product reviews, then you’ll know that I have some high standards!

Please keep in mind that for now I only ship to the U.S. and countries in the European Union. Prices are in dollars. Shipping is a flat $7. Unless you buy products worth over $100.

Then in that case, shipping is free AND you get a cake.

Visit the Ziba Shop: http://www.ziba-shop.com

YAY!

Let’s cut to the chase.

Alorée’s CC Cream Second Life is a flop.

This is really too bad because Alorée happens to be one of my favorite french natural and organic skincare brands.

To be fair, I’ve NEVER had a good experience with any BB creams. And CC creams are supposed to be the evolved version of BB Creams. But this nonsense needs to end right now.

No matter how far up the alphabet you go, if you have a crappy cream then you’ve got a crappy cream. CC. DD. EE. Whatever. Crap is crap.

Now I love Alorée. In fact I’m in real awe of the science and technique behind their skincare products, which harness the anti-aging powers of chlorophyll. I’m a big fan of their moisturizers, serums and masks. I’ve even met the créatrice for goodness sakes. And she’s a really nice lady who’s obviously dedicated herself to providing quality skincare products.

Unfortunately, the few positive qualities found in Alorée’s CC Cream are easily outnumbered by the negatives.

What Is It: Alorée CC Cream Second Life Complexion Perfector with SPF 6

The Description Reads: A day cream that provides an even, perfect coverage while also enhancing the skin’s natural glow. It is a complexion perfector with the benefits of a daily, anti-aging formula.

Claims To:
- Provide instant and natural skin coverage
- Conceal any blemishes
- Suit all skin types (including sensitive skin)
- Reflect light to provide a soft glow
- Protect against external attacks, sun rays and premature signs of aging (with SPF 6)
- Excellent as a make-up base

Ingredients:  AQUA (WATER), HORDEUM VULGARE (BARLEY) SEED WATER*, GLYCERIN, DICAPRYLYL CARBONATE, CI 77891 (TITANIUM DIOXIDE), VITIS VINIFERA (GRAPE) SEED OIL*, GLYCERYL STEARATE CITRATE, OLEA EUROPAEA (OLIVE) FRUIT OIL*, MAGNESIUM SILICATE, FRAGRANCE (PARFUM), CI 77491 (IRON OXIDES), HORDEUM VULGARE (BARLEY) LEAF EXTRACT, POLYGLYCERYL-3 STEARATE, HYDROGENATED LECITHIN, TRIHEPTANOIN, GLYCERYL DIBEHENATE, GLYCERYL BEHENATE, TRIBEHENIN, SODIUM LEVULINATE, TOCOPHEROL, XANTHAN GUM, CI 77492 (IRON OXIDES), PHENETHYL ALCOHOL, SODIUM ANISATE, CITRIC ACID, CI 77499 (IRON OXIDES), MONOSODIUM CITRATE.

* Sourced from organic farming

First Impressions:

Alorée’s CC Cream has real quality ingredients. A lot of the BB creams out there are loaded with silicones and other synthetic ingredients which allow them to act like foundation. But then they contain few other ingredients to support the claims of all their purported benefits.

Not so with this CC Cream. The Barley Seed Water and Barley Leaf extact contains the chlorophyll compounds which provides the skin with oxygen. And the grape seed oil and olive fruit oil contain anti-oxidants.

But the sun protection factor, weighing in at a measly 6 SPF is almost a joke.

My Experience:

The first thing that I noticed about this product is the scent. It reminds me of apple flavored candy, and I have no idea why. Other girls hate the scent. But I LUV it.

The next thing that I noticed about this cream is that it dries quickly. If you look at my swatches below, the photo on the left shows the cream 3 seconds after I put it on my arm. It’s already dry. This makes it really hard to apply.

Because it dries so quickly, the cream starts peeling and caking off right away. The more I try to smooth it off, the more I end up peeling and caking off little bits of it. Not good!

You can see how cakey my skin looks in the closeup photo of my face (btw, closeups are never a good look).

Results:

Along with making my skin really cakey, flaky and resemble melting wax–this cream did not conceal my blemishes. So scratch that claim. I can almost fool myself into believing that it gives me a more uniform complexion, if I happen to be standing 10 feet away from the mirror!

The cream does provide sufficient moisture throughout the day. But, after a little bit of time my face starts getting a greasy sheen. And the worst part? Even though the tint is “universal nude,” after a few hours my face starts taking on this orange tint.

What I Like About It:
- The scent
- Good moisture
- Good ingredients
- Nice packaging
- Natural & organic

What I Don’t Like About It:
- Sigh…
- Where do I begin?
- Dries too quickly
- Peels and cakes off
- Does not conceal blemishes
- Greasy sheen
- Orange tint
- I look like a third-generation oompa loompa

How Much: €12.50 for 13ml tube / €32.00 for 40 ml tube

Would I Buy It Again: No! Luckily, I only picked up the small tube and bought it at a very discounted price.

Conclusion: I really do think BB creams are just one of those passing beauty fads.

There’s too much going in one product. They’re trying to roll in a cream that acts as a primer, illuminator, moisturizer, sunscreen, pigment corrector, anti-aging formula—all in one. But really, all you end up with is gobbledy goop.

And Alorée should not have fallen for a fad like this! I hope Alorée will keep working on great skin care products with the oxygenating powers of chlorophyll.

But please, leave the BB gimmicks to the real quacks out there. It’s a fad that must quickly pass and die soon.

Have you had any good experiences with BB creams? Which ones? I’d love to know. 

I love products by Andalou Naturals!

As do a lot of other people it seems…

One of the most common ways people have found their way onto this site is from searching for reviews on Andalou Naturals products.

Well, here’s another one for you. Today we’re going to look at an age defying serum for dry & sensitive skin: Andalou Naturals Fruit Stem Cell Revitalize Serum. 

Just to recap, Andalou Naturals is an American natural and organic cosmetics brand based in California. All their ingredients are verified non-GMO. And they are a cruelty-free brand, which means they do not test on animals. So thumbs up to all of that.

But what I especially love about Andalou Naturals is that their products contain an impressive combination of plant-based active ingredients!

Take this Revitalize Serum for example. Its active ingredients include Apple + Grape Fruit Stem Cells to renew, repair and regenerate skin cells. A cocktail of 8 super berries (açai berry, aronia berry, bearberry, billberry, black elderberry, goji berry, rosehips berry and sea buckthorn berry) which are rich in protective antioxidants. And Resveratrol Q10, which is another powerful antioxidant.

Ingredients: Aloe Barbadensis Juice*, Lauric Acid, Cetearyl Alcohol, Vaccinium Macrocarpon (Cranberry) Juice*, Vegetable Glycerin, Fruit Stem Cell and BioActive 8 Berry Complex*, Resveratrol, Ubiquinone (CoQ10), Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (Vitamin C), Hyaluronic Acid, Olive Squalane, Hydrolyzed Myrtus Communis (Myrtle) Extract, Lycium Barbarum (Goji) Glycopeptide, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Oil*, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Glyceryl Monolaurate, Vitis Vinifera (Grape Seed) Polyphenols, Borago Officinalis (Borage), Rosa Canina (Rosehip), Linum Usitatissimum (Flax), Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) and Hippophae Rhamnoides (Sea Buckthorn) Oils*, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Butter*, Aspalathus Linearis (Rooibos), Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis and Camellia Sinensis (White Tea) Extracts*†, Laminaria Digitata (Kelp) Extract, Allantoin, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Cyamopsis Tetragonolobus (Guar) Gum*, Phenethyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Oil*
* Organic
† Fair Trade

According to Andalou Naturals, all the ingredients in the serum work together in order to protect the skin from environmental damage, repair cellular damage, defy wrinkle formation, stimulate skin-firming collagen and elastin and improve discoloration for brighter, even skin tone and smooth texture.

How To Use: A.M. & P.M. Apply lightly on clean face and neck, prior to moisturizer.

My Experience: I’ve been using this serum for more than two months and I am now just finishing up with it. It’s a small bottle (1.1 fl oz), but I’ve made it last because I only applied it right after using my Clarisonic (which I now use once every 3 days).

I apply the serum on my face and my neck. Though my skin feels sufficiently hydrated with the serum alone, I do follow it up with my usual moisturizer. The scent is Very Berry. It’s really subtle, actually. But the berry scent is definitely there. The fluid has a runny texture, absorbs quickly and does not leave any stickiness.

The Results: When it comes to serums, my biggest skin concern has been these dark spots on my cheeks that were caused by acne. And after two months of using this serum, the results are quite subtle but they’re definitely there.

I have noticed that the dark spots on my skin have shrunk and faded ever so slightly. 

And as proof, I will terrorize you with my Before and After photos!

Now normally I would be tempted to hide these closeup photos of my rather imperfect skin. But I’ll sacrifice my dignity for the sake of objectivity and visual proof.

I call these my battle scars =)

In addition, whenever I use the serum, my skin tends to feel hydrated, smoother and has a nice glow the following day.

As for the part about preventing wrinkles… well, that’s a long-term effect which I can’t make a real assessment on within two months. But I will say this. For a product packed with sooo many anti-oxidants, its protective properties must have something to it.

What I like about it:
- Lightened dark spots
- Smooth, well hydrated skin
- Provides skin with healthy glow
- Packed with quality ingredients
- Natural and organic
- Good ethics behind Andalou Naturals
- Easy to scoop out the last bits of the fluid out of the bottle

What I don’t like about it:
- Nada! I have no complaints.

Would I buy it again: Yes, I would buy this again. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that this is the “miracle in a bottle” that Andalou Naturals claims it to be. But for a product that’s got so much quality and ethics behind it, and for the positive results that I’ve experienced (especially when it comes to lightening my dark spots), I’ve got to say… this serum is definitely worth it.

How Much: $24.95 on Andalou Naturals, $19.17 on iherb.com (1.1 fl oz / 32 ml)

PHOTOS

I bought the Revitalize Serum along with another tube of Andalou Naturals Daily Defense Facial Lotion.

To read my review of Andalou Naturals Daily Defense Lotion with SPF 18, go here.