Origins Clear Improvement™ Active charcoal mask Review

Hi girls, 

What can be a little treat for your weekend? A relaxing bubble bath, a good dinner, or a movie?
 Every girl can treat herself with all of those plus a good facial mask. What do you expect from your skin, after a whole week exposing to the sun, wind, and dirt? If it look dull, it is normal. Even we wash our faces everyday, a detoxifying mask that effectively cleans your pores and prevents you from potential acne is necessary every week or every two week at most.

Activated charcoal is known to have the power to draw out dirt, oil, toxins and impurities from the skin. Origins has a top seller product containing this magic black:

Clear Improvement™ Active charcoal mask

This mask is so gentle that you may want to use it no matter it is summer or winter, though it sounds more attractive in the summer when you feel the oil on your skin more often. Anyway, let me tell you how it is, and it is up to you when to apply.

This mask, with the main ingredient charcoal, as expected, will be black. It is actually more like dark grey. It looks thick but it goes smoothly on your skin. If you apply a very thin layer, it will dry so quickly. If you apply a thicker layer, it may take around 5 minutes to dry. For me, a nice even coating is good enough. Your skin will feel a little tight, but not uncomfortable. You will even like it, a bit warm and tight feeling gives you a signal that the mask is working. 

The mask is designed for 10 minutes leave in. I highly recommend that you wash your face with your regular cleanser, put a warm cloth on your face to open pores, put the mask on, let it work, rinse with warm water and with cold water as the last step to tighten the pores. You will feel the difference on your skin. It will be brighter, smoother and some people say it will be firm. Your skin is no more dull and this mask, once a week, is going to prevent you from developing blackheads and enlarged pores.

One more thing I like about Origins masks, that is you can just apply the mask and will be free to do anything you want. Because it will be either dry on your skin or your skin will absorb it like a moisturizer ( this is true for Origins Drink up mask, which will be reviewed later). You don't have to worry that your mask will leave mark on your clothes or you have to stay still to keep the mask stick on your face.

 It is even better now when Origins introduce the travel size version - Mask to go. It is limited edition, so don't miss it if you are planning for a vacation :)

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Origins Toner review

If you care about your skin, you must know there is one kind of treatment called Toner. It can have different names such as treatment lotion, purifying lotion, tonic, or just toner. The names are based on both its usage and on the way the companies want to advertise their products. But don’t be confused, just consider it as the second step in your skincare routine after your face wash, and you will be good to go for your moisturizer. 

In fact, some people consider it as an extra step to make their skin totally clean. Some people wonder whether they need toner or not. The answer is "It depends", but it depends on what?

First of all, you must read the label to see what its usage is, or what it will do for your skin. Some toners are for oily or acne-prone skin and they usually deep clean your skin, or purify your skin to help prevent oil and pimples. Some others for dry skin type may help hydrate your skin and prepare you for the next step which is applying serum or moisturizer. 

Secondly, it is up to you to use toner or not, and at which time during the day. If you have normal skin type and don’t usually put on make –up, then a good cleanser is enough for you. You don’t need extra step for cleaning your skin every day (though you still need face scrub sometimes), and your skin doesn’t need more moisturizing from a treatment lotion, unless it comes in a set which provides a specific effect such as lifting or brightening your skin. Also, I don’t usually use toner in the morning since I don’t find it necessary when my skin is not too oily or dirty (or maybe laziness is another reason)

Here are 2 of my favorite toners:

Zero oil Pore Purifying toner

This toner leaves you with a super clean skin. You may not like it in the winter if you have extremely dry skin when the season comes, but it is great in the summer. Any remaining grime, dirt, or oil that your cleanser may have missed will be removed with this toner. Honestly, it smells a bit like alcohol and creates a cooling effect on your skin when it dries; but some people said when they get used to it, they feel like the smell really cools them down in the hot summer. It does tighten your pores, and make your skin look clearer and brighter. The Salicylic acid in the toner also helps remove dead skin cell, prevent you from break out, and if you do have some occasional pimples, they may go away faster.

United State Balancing tonic

It is not easy to compare these two, because they are both great. Though this one may give you a little more moisture than the other, it still controls oil and makes your skin feel squeaky clean but not dry. That is the reason I prefer this one in the winter. The only difference I feel between them is that I feel like the Zero oils is better in preventing acnes, and United state is better in balancing the skin just like its name says. It is gentle, refreshing and has nicer smell. The pore will be less noticeable is another great point. Finally, the skin is balanced and smooth without being oily. 

I can’t really tell a big difference between my two favorite toners, and I use them up to my mood. I may buy this one time and the other another time. A perfect world and Make a difference treatment lotion are generally good but are not the types of toner I can use every day. They will be reviewed soon in another entry, together with other products in the same skincare line.

Origins Cleansers Review

To me, a good cleanser is always a good start for a beautiful skin. And you may change your cleanser throughout the year to adapt to the season or weather. Though it is more difficult to identify whether a certain cleanser suits your skin or not, compared to a moisturizer, it may be the first factor irritating our skin and the foremost product which should be investigated when skin allergy happens.

I have been using Origins skincare since 3 years ago and so far I’ve tried four kinds of their cleansers in total and here are some reviews about them:

A Perfect World^™
Antioxidant cleanser with White Tea

This is the first Origins cleanser that I tried. My skin at that time was irritated, a bit dry and red due to my sickness. I was using different skincare brand but it didn’t work during that period. Then I decided to switch to Origins, picked up a more moisturizing and gentle cleanser and it didn’t let me down. It was amazing and helped improve my sensitive skin a lot.

Honestly, I didn’t like it the very first time I used. This cleanser is recommended for combination/dry skin and my skin is generally combination/oily, so I was familiar with those cleansers which give me “squeaky” clean feeling.

However, with this cleanser, after rinsing my face, my skin felt somewhat slippery. It was like I needed to wash my face more carefully. I find it a bit disappointing. However, when my skin was dried by towel, it felt soft and brighter and not greasy at all. And the more I used it, the more I loved it. It might be hard at first to determine whether your skin are totally clean or not, but once you get used to it, you will find this cleanser amazing. It doesn’t make much foam, but it does a good job in clearing all dust, makeup without over-drying your skin. Moreover, it does help even your skin tone, though there is no advertising line for this effect on Origins website. Plus, in terms of scent, it has a wonderful citrus-like scent and so fresh which makes you feel like your skin is enjoying a glass of iced lemonade.

After I finished one tube of A perfect world cleanser, my skin was improved and the summer came. Another cleanser that is good for combination/oily skin is what I needed. I switched to Zero oil cleanser and I loved it too. 

Zero Oil^™
Deep pore cleanser with Saw Palmetto & Mint
 

It was gel-based, very gentle even for acne-prone skin but removes dirt and oil so well. It doesn’t do a good job if you put on waterproof make-up, but it is perfect for daily use. Plus, the mint scent makes you feel fresh, especially in the summer. I especially love it for the morning face wash since it will get you ready for a hot and humid day. However, I still prefer A perfect world for night time because it seems to make your skin brighter and smoother. Moreover, if you have a boyfriend, you can share the Zero oil cleanser with him. He will love it and may accompany you to go buy the next tube. 

One more good cleanser for summer and combination oily skin is Check and balance, Origins’ best seller and most popular. 

I had good experience with this one. It didn’t make my skin dry, it removed dirt and oil better than the Zero oil. It has fresh scent that make you feel relaxed. Moreover, as Origins claimed, it is able to balance your skin. Even if your skin has both dry and oily areas, it still helps. There is no doubt it is good and if you still don’t believe, you can search for its rating on Origins website. However, A Perfect World cleanser is still my choice for the night (I want my skin at night to be more hydrating), and Zero oil is my friend in the morning. I love to have different cleansers for different time in the day, but only when you can afford to buy both cleansers at once. 

Stay tuned for the last cleanser reviews :)