#WeAreTesting: Supermood Natural Holistic Beauty

With the secret organic ingredients, such as Chaga mushroom, deriving from faraway Finnish forests, Supermood have chosen to implement a holistic, sensory approach to their facial products. Personally, I’m always more curious to test products that offer a soothing experience for all the senses, and these products are here to prove organic beauty doesn’t need to be less fabulous than your other luxury beauty counter friends. During the course of 10 days, in this competitive rabbit-and-tortoise style race for better, improved skin, I religiously applied these Supermood Holistic Beauty products every day, or some, like the Youth Glo luxury peel, 2-3 times a week, as per instruction.

As a foreword, I haven’t been gifted with exactly the best skin type — sensitivity and occasional allergies and redness are common guests unwantedly ghosting on my delicate facial area, especially before the approaching winter season. For years on end, before I could even think of any decorative cosmetics products I’d like to possess, my best friends were only the strongest apothecary products, promising their best to fight against allergies, rashes and unwanted blemishes. Not so long ago, I turned my beauty counter, then consisting of all kinds of fabulous chemical-induced products, into a cruelty-free, green beauty haven, and I’ve only encountered beneficial effects and lasting results after adapting to that change. 

SUPERMOOD Natural Holistic Beauty, 2016. 

SUPERMOOD Natural Holistic Beauty, 2016. 

Here is what I encountered on my 10-day journey of testing these six wonderful Supermood products.

1. Beauty Sleep Sweet Pillow Scent - Calming Herbal Scent for Sweet Dreams

Each night, just before prepping for bedtime, I sprayed 3 drops gently on my linen pillowcase and let the mist absorb for a few minutes. Although in the beginning, the aroma, reminding me of a mixture of lavender and moss handpicked from Nordic forests, might be slightly off-putting because of it’s strength, it quickly fades away and transforms itself into a milder, more delicate version of itself, awakening your senses to an aromatic experience featuring a herbal bonanza. All these nights, as if by magic, I fell asleep instantly and woke up all freshened and bright, so it surely is more effective than all sleeping pills combined, with a mind-at-ease blissful sleep guaranteed. 

2. Beauty Sleep Absolute Bliss Serum - Youth Restoring Sea Fennel Serum

More often than not, it’s hard to find a serum that has that ideal, balanced texture — not too thick, not too liquid-y. The scent, boasting mild notes of sea fennel, also comes across surprisingly calming, not irritating. The serum is meant for overnight rejuvenation, aiming to deliver youth restoring qualities. By morning, the face is well moisturised, wrapped into a healthy glow and prepared to absorb all other products just perfectly. 10 points out of 10 go to mild, calming scent and light texture, exactly the basic comforting necessities you want to take into bed with you, all extra additives have been left out. 

3. Beauty Sleep Youth Restoring Eye Serum with Sea Fennel Stem Cells

This overnight product ideally pairs with the Beauty Sleep Absolute Bliss serum. Yet it differentiates from the original facial serum by featuring a slightly thicker, creamy texture, which suits well the delicate skin surrounding the eye area. To avoid any irritation, I applied it very carefully with small drops in a circular mode. Waking up, the blue circles around the eyes, which usually derive from excessive hours spent staring at the computer screen and are difficult to get rid of just overnight, had faded away, and it truly seemed to fight redness. In addition, it soothes and softens the eye area, helping to get rid of fatigued skin cells.

4. Youth Glo Luxury Peel with Natural AHA-Acids and Fruit Extracts

I would like to highlight the first thing I appreciate is that the scent is again very mild and delicate, completely contrasting to what you would usually get with, although super-effective, yet chemical peel products. It is recommended to hold the product only for 60 seconds during the first times of use. You don't feel any effects during the peel, other than slight chemical reaction on the surface of the skin. Then the face, slightly irritated from the effects of bioactive ingredients, turns completely burnt red. For preserving your own sane mind, I sincerely recommend avoiding mirrors at that stage. After 30 minutes or so, the redness should gradually diminish, although some patches of redness and irritation may remain, hence this serves as the perfect pyjama-party, pre-sleep peel. I really wouldn't recommend using it on other occasions than before bedtime, when your skin can afford to have its ‘downtime', get restored and repair the healthy glow by the morning hours. After waking up, the skin tone is true-match-all-the-way even, and there are no irritations at sight. What a bliss!

5. Egoboost One Minute Facelift Serum

This product surely stole the show! The first time applying it can succumb your skin to a chain of chemical reactions, whereas the delicate Chaga mushroom scent only complements the product’s promising effectiveness. After at least a minute of absorption time, the product lifts the cheekbones a millimetre higher each time and offers bold definition of the facial contours. I've never encountered my cheekbones to be so clearly defined and toned, than after applying this wunderserum! In the first place, I didn’t quite seem to comprehend what the fun aspect of Supermood is about. The answer lies in this Facelift serum! You have to try this, it's so effective. Fun found in elevated cheeks in a minute. 

6. Youth Glo Radiance Serum - Luminous Serum with AHA-Acids and Firming Moth Bean

Before the ten days, I would be the person blocking all their pores with layers and layers of heavily applied foundation. After familiarising myself with this Glo Radiance Serum, gone are the days! It has become the best part of my morning routine consisting of transforming myself from a Quasimodo-like,  — one eye blue, another red, craving-caffeine-like-there’s-no-tomorrow —, to a Lets-Start-This-Motivating-Day-With-Glowing-Skin Queen. I hardly wear thick layers of makeup on my face anymore. It seems somewhat irrelevant, when skin can boast an even, irritation-free surface without. If this effective, calming product is not the best thing happened to mankind, it's at least the best thing ever happened to my face. 

During these test days I learned that beauty really does begin from clean skin, which has been taken care of inside out, in a 360-degree way. Your dearest beauty products should not only look good, but offer pampering care for all senses. If you happen to be the person, like myself, who is extremely fuzzy about textures and scents, then this might just be the right everyday beauty range for you. And who could resist these wonderful, yet whimsical glass bottles and pastel packaging? It’s good to know honest products can actually honestly deliver. I found all that’s missing is a little bit more time for our phone-switched-off-it’s-me-time elevating beauty routine… 

After all, outer radiance can only flourish, when inner harmony is in place. 

#WeAreTesting: Artisanal Apothecary by Evolve Beauty

Artisanal producer of green cosmetics, Evolve Beauty from Hertfordshire, UK, shares their expertise on the benefits of hand-crafted, natural beauty blends. Their organic apothecary range so far consists of facial, body and hair products. All their products are vegan, cruelty-free and produced in small batches, to ensure the freshness of superfood based ingredients. 

Hyaluronic Serum 200, Evolve Beauty UK. 

Hyaluronic Serum 200, Evolve Beauty UK. 

Savant tested their most popular products — Hyaluronic Serum 200 and Daily Renew Facial Cream with Argan oil for a week. The delicate pomegranate-infused serum with rose petal scent gave our skin a nice healthy glow and repaired the skin’s uneven surfaces when applied overnight. The Daily Renew cream, scented with delicate coconut aroma, offers 24-hour protection against irritation and is perfect for preparing the skin for winter, when it is more receptive to dryness and eczema.

What are the benefits of organic facial oils and serums?

Using Organic skincare is highly recommended. Not only are organic products better for the environment, containing no nasty ingredients or synthetic fragrances, but they are more earth-friendly and truly repairing your skin texture. Synthetic ingredients can cause irritation and, ultimately, ageing of the skin (inflamm-ageing). 

What's the most popular product out of your own range?

Our most popular facial product is the Hyaluronic Serum 200. It contains 200mg of low molecular weight Hyaluronic Acid which has the ability to retain 1000 times its weight in water. It also contains Organic Pomegranate extract, which softens and protects. It has been delicately fragranced with organic rosewater. 

What could be the reason behind our beauty counters turning more organic and fuss-free? Why do we now care about what we put on our faces as much as we care about what goes into our bodies? 

Same as above really — fuss-free cosmetics give therapeutic and more effective results. Customers are becoming more and more aware of the effect of synthetic ingredients in they beauty products and are therefore turning to organic en masse

"Plants that survive in very harsh environments have developed special coping mechanisms — think about the rainforest, where it’s very hot and humid… perfect place for bacteria to grow! Some rainforest plants have the ability to fight off bacteria when applied to the skin."

Name your other organic go-to products and brands that deserve a shoutout. 

This is slightly biased, but I’ll say S5 Skincare! S5 is a range of organic cosmeceutical products based on ingredients sourced from the 5 most extreme ecosystems. Plants that survive in very harsh environments have developed special coping mechanisms — think about the rainforest, where it’s very hot and humid… perfect place for bacteria to grow! Some rainforest plants have the ability to fight off bacteria when applied to the skin. Fascinating!

Besides beauty, what other  'green lifestyle' principles are represented in your everyday life?

100% organic food! Also, cleansing products that are as natural as possible.

Daily Renew Facial Cream, Evolve Beauty UK. 

Daily Renew Facial Cream, Evolve Beauty UK. 

How did you do the testing and find out which combinations would actually work together? 

We work in very close collaboration with our ingredient suppliers, who advise us on formulation. Our little lab is also excellent at coming up with trump formulations! We are also running customer surveys to ask our customers, what they feel is missing from the range, and what they would like to see launched. 

Who is the target audience for green beauty?

Anyone and everyone. I see more people, who were accustomed to using only conventional skincare, now slowly turning to natural and organic, so we see everyone as a potential customer.

The beauty of the healing effect of organic beauty is that, in order to see the difference, you need to religiously apply the products every day, but after noticing the visible, lasting results that help us feel good in our own skin, this becomes a second nature.

http://www.evolvebeauty.co.uk

LUMI: Uniting Nature + Science in their Tundra Range — #EcoBeauty

Our skin health is something we often take for granted in the approaching winter months. Yet we all want to look and feel forever young, and that takes at least some effort. Instead of turning to quizzical chemical-packed serums and moisturisers, treating your skin with natural, organic beauty products can help to boost your skin’s own glow and enhance that desired, sleek au naturel look. Could Estonian cosmetics brand LUMI be the next innovation in skincare, taking you a step closer to preserving your youth?

Words: Johanna Raudsepp

LUMI: Tundra Range, 2016.

LUMI: Tundra Range, 2016.

I had the glorious opportunity to test out their new product line called Tundra over the past two weeks. Consisting of the AHA-BHA cleansing milk, AHA-BHA moisturising cream and yarrow mist with salicylic acid, LUMI’s Tundra is a complete skincare routine set. Their natural components, like willow, rosemary and hemp seed oil, form a combination that instantly revives your skin. I have never felt so confident in my own skin — during the test weeks, I didn’t reach for make-up even once! 

These all-natural products boast a distinct, aromatic scent — all three products take your senses into the tundra. It reminded me of a mossy forest and I could almost hear a crystal-clear river bubbling away in the background. What’s unique about these products is that the entire range is unisex, suitable for everyday use for both men and women. 

Curious to find out more about the products that have given my skin a healthy glow (and even added a pep to my step), I asked LUMI a bit more about their new Tundra range and the secret of beauty, of course.

You have released your new Tundra line. What inspired this product line? What makes it special?

Our aim was to create products for acne-prone skin, which would rejuvenate and be effective, yet natural at the same time. Research has shown that up to 85% of people have to deal with acne at some stage in their lives — 20% of whom experience this in adulthood as well.

LUMI's Tundra is special because of its carefully picked natural ingredients and a wholesome skincare routine set-up. It restores and renews, and battles inflammation. Naturally we believe that great skin starts from the inside. Nevertheless, your skincare routine should work on different fronts.

"By mixing botanics with safe, lab-made synthetic compounds, we can create a sustainable, environmentally-friendly product. Integrity is also important — the harmony between our body, spirit and senses."

The metallic green design of LUMI's Tundra symbolises development, growth and the path to becoming someone or something better. Just like the permafrost in tundra rivers hinders erosion, the excess keratinisation of the skin hinders its natural processes, creating a good surface for inflammation. Forget about the scrubs and products with different chemicals — natural moisturising products are what the skin actually needs.

LUMI: Tundra Range, 2016.

LUMI: Tundra Range, 2016.

At Savant, we believe that slow lifestyle with all its nuances will slowly but surely find its way to our everyday lives. So much so, that one day people will make educated choices about all their product purchases. How does LUMI envision the future of the world of cosmetics?

We agree – people will definitely be making smarter, more conscious choices about what they buy. We hear more and more about cosmetics that fight skin-stress and pollution. As natural resources aren’t infinite, we think the future will see more sustainable cosmetics. By mixing botanics with safe, lab-made synthetic compounds, we can create a sustainable, environmentally-friendly product. Integrity is also important — the harmony between our body, spirit and senses. 

"The metallic green design of LUMI's Tundra symbolises development, growth and the path to becoming someone or something better."

They say that first impressions are everything. If LUMI passed from us on the street, what would she look like? What is LUMI’s beauty secret?

LUMI is confident and sophisticated. She is an educated person, who has seen life, has good manners, but isn’t naive or stubborn. LUMI shares their knowledge and experiences with their friends, enlightening them with fresh ideas and new trends. LUMI is warm, open-minded, and Nordic in their mindset — modern and minimalist. The secret to her beauty lies in scientifically certified natural products, comprising of carefully picked ingredients, which she would recommend to friends or family any day. LUMI is inspiring, encouraging, motivating and enthusiastic, infecting others with their positivity. She is trendy, but always adds a personal touch to everything, making her unique. 

http://luminordic.com/en/