.:: CybeleSays ::.

Meet M Lab. It Just Might Change Your Life

Here’s one making its US debut – Milbar Laboratories or M LAB. Hailing from the UK, this cosmeceutical line touts 45% to 70% clinically active ingredients in all of their anti-aging products. What does that mean? Well, the average luxury product line has anywhere from 10% to 20% active ingredients. Active ingredients are also called “performance” ingredients and these are the ones that do the work in a product (think worker-bees) to conquer whatever your concern is – increase firmness, reduce the appearance of wrinkles, improve texture, etc. Do the math and it almost sounds too good to be true. It reads quality but are the products really better than the ones you are probably using? I’ve been on the regime of the following for the past three weeks:

Anti-Aging Cleanser ($60/6oz)

Anti-Aging Toner ($60/6oz)

Anti-Aging Eye Cream ($170/.5oz)

Anti-Aging Treatment Cream ($260/2.4oz)

One thing I know for sure is the overall texture of my skin is fantastic. I didn’t know it was looking so sullen until now! As far as wrinkles, I thankfully don’t have many noticable ones but those I do have around my eyes definitely seemed smoothed out. So if you need a boost for your overall appearance, I can recommend these ones. On M Lab's website, they tell you what % of active ingredients each contain and I felt somewhat more educated about this cosmeceutical line after reading their material.

There are a few other face products in the line, a body cream and even a Travel Collection ($130/6-piece), which is a great way to try all the products without the huge $ commitment. I think we’ll be hearing more about this line in the coming months. All @ mlabonline.com

AMALA Shines In A Sea Of Confusion

Natural, organic, pure …what product doesn’t scream one of these on their label these days? Where does it stop? I recently tried a body scrub that smelled so good - the packaging was great and the company philosophy was about using natural aromatherapy ingredients and fine spices like “ground cinnamon” and “crushed cloves.” I was starting to write the scrub up when I looked at all the ingredients. Argh! White petroleum, Mineral Oil! How can a company’s mission be to “provide 100% safe, all natural elements” blah, blah, blah and then put those really bad ones inside? Don’t get me wrong, I have used products containing those ingredients and have no real issue with them. What I have a problem with is stating something and turning around and delivering another. So needless-to-say, my dander was up when I got to this AMALA skincare line. Let’s investigate, shall we?

The name is pronounced AMA-la, like Pamela without the P. They come to us from Germany and take their name from the Sanskrit word for “most pure.” Their products are certified organic by Ecocert (like our Natural Product Association but to the 10^th power. Ecocert doesn’t mess around). Phew, I’m calming down now. Amala believes in using whole plant ingredients and the products are 100% free of synthetics, chemical preservatives (expiration date stamped on the bottom of each box) and their line is the first to be formulated with exclusive organic emulsifiers. There’s really so much more to this line then what I have here so if you curious, you can read it on their site.

Onto the products – they come in three categories: Purify, Hydrate and Rejuvenate, depending on your skin’s needs. For the face, there’s Cleansers, Toners, Moisturizers, Mattifiers, Eye Treatments, and Yogurt Masks in each collection to name a few. Right now, the Purifying line is the only one available to purchase on their site with the other two rolling out September 1^st. They even have products for the body, one of which was my favorite out of the few I tried. The Detoxify Body Butter ($27/1.7oz) was really nice feeling but I wasn’t too wild about the earthy-crunchy scent. I was able to overlook it, as it didn’t linger. My skin didn’t feel greasy at all, just soft and hydrated, which must be due to the fig and olive oil. I even gave it the ultimate test by shoving my arm in front of the SO to touch. He also approved. 

As with any “natural” line, especially this proven one, spot testing is recommended – just because it’s natural or plant-based doesn’t mean it’s gentle. All @ amalabeauty.com

A Brit Organic

Here’s a new line you probably haven’t heard of yet but with organic everything making headlines everywhere, this is one you should pay attention to. SOPHYTO is a Vegan line that comes to us from the UK and contains 95% certifiable organic ingredients. And it is the first professional line to receive the UK Soil Association certification, which has to do with using authentic organic formulas.

Unlike other skincare lines, these products are all water-based instead of oil-based, which definitely sounds better to me. Since preserving the formulas can be an issue when it comes to organic products, they have created to their own system that stabilizes it for up to three years. That’s pretty amazing.

They claim that each product is able to self adjust and handle a lot of different skin types and problems so you don’t need this one for that issue or that one for another. To me, that’s part of the confusion when looking at any line. The average person, me included, doesn’t really understand all that mumbo-jumbo.

Here’s what I tried and my thoughts:

Ultra Mild Silken Cleanser ($25/4.22oz) - this won’t strip the skin and it really removes makeup easily. Made for all skin types, even oily, and the cucumber and aloe smell is really pleasant.

Tone & Balance Super Bioactive ($25/8.45oz) – think toner. It’s also great for using after any kind of procedure like chemical peels or Microdermabrasion.
Mega Omegas Day Face Moisturiser ($38/1.35oz) – contains key fatty acids that are mucho skin beneficial: omega-3, omega-6, omega-9 and more. My skin really drank this cream in quickly. Read up more on this line @ sophytoorganics.com as there is a lot more to this line than when is written here. And why they put each products pH right on the box is pretty fascinating. 

Facial Euphoria

We loved The Youth As We Know It Moisturizing Cream when it came out last year and yeah, they’ve expanded the collection! I don’t think much will get by when you have this 5some on hand from BLiSS.

First up, we got the creamy The Youth As We Know It Cleanser ($30/6.7oz) and the The Youth As We Know It Toner ($28/6.7oz). There’s been much debate on whether or not the skin even needs a toner. I vote yes as I’ve read a few places that it resets the pH of the skin. I really like this next product in the collection called The Youth As We Know It Concentrate: Age Control ($70/1oz). This serum claims to release moisturizers two different times in the day. Wow! I guess I have to believe them since I couldn’t see it on my skin but I know my face did not seem dried out when I went to wash it at bedtime.
Then there’s the The Youth As We Know It Eye Cream ($75/.5oz), if you need it, and rounding it all out, slather on that Moisturizing Cream ($79/1.7oz). They say that products in a collection are usually made to work with one another, so I would give a few of these a shot. All @ sephora.com

Your Daily OILY Face

Gotta blemish or other unsightly existence on your face? ORGANiCS 101 wants to help. The line was created by a former ad exec/interior designer after a friend introduced her to Electrolyzed Oxidative water (Holy Water, as she calls it) and how it kept her skin acne free. She started the line based on it and the rest, as they say, is history.

Even as adults, we still can have issues so you need to get your skin on a daily regimin to help control oil. Start with their Corrective Cleanser ($24.50/7oz). This one won’t make your skin work overtime by stripping it dry. Next, spray on Steer Clear ($20/6oz) to reset the skin’s pH and add a protective barrier, as they call it. Lastly, apply their Break-Free ($24.50/2oz), which is their flare-up protection night cream, to rejuvenate and heal the skin. The line also offers a blemish dissolver, Spotless ($16.50/1oz), Dry-Cleaner ($22.50/4oz) and Fine-Tune ($33/4oz) face masks. If you want to be more green in everyday living, this is a start in the right direction. All @ organics101.com.

And kudos for such a pleasant and easy to navigate website!

Give Good Face

Leave it to LUSH to come out with a purse-friendly way to try their skin care. The new Fresh-Face Starter Kits ($19.95 @ lush.com) come with three of their top selling products to help Normal to Oily, Combination Skin or Normal to Dry Skin. The Cleanser is .7oz, Moisturizer .4oz and the Facial Toner is 3.5oz so you have a bit to give them a few go arounds.
And since Lush is earth friendly, they have a lot of suggestions on how you can re-use the tray that the three products come in. How fun!