I was in Clearwater, walking around the mall with my friends and the Origins store (a boutique really, inside Dillards) just callss my name. I had no intention on buying this, I swear, but I was drawn in by the realization of 1) my skin was not oily-comination (newly found dry patches) and 2) my skin was in desperate need of something. What I was using was not working.

I was torn between the Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash and the Zero Oil Deep Pore Cleanser. I decided on the Checks and Balances simply because I didn't want to make those dry parts worse. This cleanser claims that "Broad Leaf Kelp Extract discourages excess oil production, while Wheat Protein balances and protects dry prone zones." I think that's true. I don't feel like a grease ball (sorry for that image), and my dry patches are nonexistent. It quickly became a staple in my daily skincare routine.

Now this claim I have a little bit of issues with: "Skin feels comfortably refreshed after cleansing, never tight, pulled or parched." It does feel tight after using it. Not as tight as some other cleansers I've tried, but enough to say that the claim is false, at least in my experience. I still felt the need to reach for my toner and moisturizer.

I've mentioned this before, usually I can only use a cleanser for a month before my skin says forget you, and decides it wants something different. I'm on month number two, and still going strong.

A little goes a long way, and I love the scent; spearmint. It's not too strong, and doesn't linger, although my husband did say that he smelled it on my skin. I don't smell it, though.

I read reviews after I bought it (a bit backwards, yes), and prior to doing this review, and they said that it doesn't foam up very much. I wasn't expecting shampoo level foam, but the Checks and Balances certainly is frothy. Foaming isn't a huge factor to me, personally. I actually prefer less foam in my skincare routine.

Overall: My skin does seem a bit less oily than before, and the dry patches have slowed down. My spots began to disappear after religious use, and hardly any new ones appeared which is a HUGE plus in my book. My face feels clean and refreshed. I recommend this to anyone who is combination to oily, or even combination to dry (the site says its for all skin types), and to anyone with mild acne problems. I do not recommend this for someone who doesn't like spearmint, mint, or scented products. I would also be a bit careful if you have dry skin. It may be too drying, but I can't test that for sure.

I love it, and I will be repurchasing this product, and I may look into that Zero Oil cleanser now that Origins has earned my trust.

facebook | instagram | pinterest | google+ | twitter | bloglovin'

Skincare Medley

I haven't made a skincare post in over a year, and it's changed quite a lot since then. I've cut a few things out, and decided that less is more. My skin has gone from straight up oily to combination. Skincare is something that I honestly don't mind spending the money on. I've tried countless cleansers, and I hate to say it, but it's the more expensive ones that work for me.

My skin is finicky, and likes it when I switch up the products. Talk about annoying. What works for one month, will probably not work for the next one. I do have a problem with acne, I'm not going to lie. I've had it since middle school, and while it's not severe (it's actually quite mild), it's still annoying.

My current routine consists of my exfoliating cleanser from Mark. I wont be using this one for too much long, I haven't seen it in the catalogs for several months, and I think they discontinued it. It lathers up, but without drying my skin out too much. I do feel tightness, but by the time I apply the toner, the tightness is gone.

The newest purchase, Origins Checks and Balances is one that I bought on a whim. I walked into Dillards with mild curiosity; thinking about the rave reviews this brand has been getting in the blogging community. It was this product that made me realize that I was dealing with both oily, and dry areas. I figured, why not? I love trying out new skincare items, and the scent is amazing. I love spearmint, but I was nervous when I first put it on. My last experience with spearmint didn't go too well. I was using a mask (Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque) and it caused some pretty bad breakouts. But so far so good, I've only been using it for a few days, but I'll get back you on my final thoughts.

Confession time: I skip the toner step 90% of the time (like my made up statistic?). I'm trying to incorporate it more into my skincare routine. My skin still feels tight from the first cleanser, and it's in desperate need of hydration. A few pumps of the Boots No7 Beautifully Balanced Purifying Toner fixes that. Also, when searching for it online, I see that they no longer have it (Target and Ulta). Oh joy, yet another thing I'll be searching for soon. It's at the point that whenever anything Boots goes on sale I repurchase items because they're probably being discontinued (at least at Target).

Lastly my moisturizer. I currently use the Boots No7 Beautiful Skin Night Cream for Normal/Oily. I use it in the morning, and at night (shhhh, it's a secret).

One thing I do not do is an eye cream. I do have dark circles (genetics, of course). I really have no idea what to get. I have it set in my mind that a lot of eye creams and serums are gimmicks. I don't even know how I got in that mindset.

So, for now this is what I'm using. Have any toner, exfoliating cleanser, oil-free moisturizer, or anything really that you want to recommend me trying? I'm pretty open to anything, as long as it's not super super expensive. I do have my limits, but I'm willing to expand them for skincare. It is, after all, probably the most important thing since it's the physical me. Wait, what? What am I even saying? I don't know, the idea was there, but the delivery failed.

Oh goodness, I think the spearmint is going to my head. If you have anything you want to recommend, let me know. I'm also trying to be more active on Instagram. I've given up on FB. 

Toodles!

facebook | instagram | pinterest | google+ | twitter | bloglovin'