I wanted to make a quick blog post reviewing some of the skin care and beauty product transitions I’ve made recently. For those who don’t know what I’m talking about, since my Cancer diagnosis I’ve really taken a step back and looked at my environment and researched extensively (which I’m still doing continually) about the products I use on a daily basis and the toxins that have crept into my life. I wanted to make some major changes to hopefully help ward Cancer from returning, and I’ve actually enjoyed it a lot. In general I have always been interested in health but learning more about how our environment effects our health has been an eye opening experience. So I’ve gone ahead and transitioned into clean household products and beauty products. I wanted to write a little review here on one brand in particular that I’ve been loving, in hopes that it helps anyone that is interested in doing the same.
Just to note – this post is in no way sponsored! However I am a BeautyCounter consultant because I believe in their mission so much, no pressure but if you want to purchase any of the products I discuss below be sure to enter my name as you consultant- Danielle Tropsa #shamelessplug
BEAUTYCOUNTER
I found this brand through good friends of mine, Danielle and Rachael. They told me about BeautyCounter’s mission of bringing cleaner beauty to the masses and it felt like something I really wanted to support and get behind, so I checked them out and ended up ordering a TON of stuff. Mainly skin care since this is such a prominent routine in my life, but I did pick up a few makeup items too which I’ll talk about below. If you’re less interested in specific product reviews my overall impression of the brand is great. I’ve tried quite a few natural, plant based products and this one knocks it out of the park. I have noticed a difference in the way my skin feels and looks after using them. Especially going through treatment, my skin has had some really bad days recently, but this product is giving it life back.
Here’s what I got in my initial haul and what I personally think of each one. Some items I’ve yet to try but I’ll go through the ones I use regularly –
Countermatch Collection:
First of all this collection has the cutest packaging! I’m a sucker for turquoise so I was sold just by looking at it. That aside, let’s get down to the actual product. This collection includes an Adaptive Moisture lotion, Eye Rescue Cream, Intense Moisture Serum and a recover sleep cream. So that alone pretty much sums up my nightly routine….but are they good?
This line have three key ingredients to give us skin benefits:
- Hydration – derived from green olives, squalene helps moisturize and improve elasticity
- Nutrition – Arginine which is found naturally in beetroot gives skin the nutrition it needs for more vibrancy
- Oxygenation – green rice supplies phytic acid to help the skin breathe for a more natural glow
My main obsession in this line is the Intense Moisture Serum. If you’re like me and you have super dry skin (especially since going through treatment) this serum will save you. After I tone my face I’ll use this serum and I can immediately feel the difference. It dries down nicely too so your skin isn’t left feeling sticky, instead mine feels soft and slightly dewy. Obsessed! The only downside to this, and I think this may be a personal preference, is the applicator. I don’t love eye dropper type applicators, to me it makes it hard to get the right amount of product out of the bottle. It’s certainly by no means close to a deal breaker! I love the product enough to deal with that.
Next in this line I’ll dab on the Eye Rescue Cream under and around my eyes. I’ve actually seen a difference in how my dark circles look after using this. When I wake up I feel like my eyes look less dark and sleepy. Maybe there are other factors involved but I would like to think that this moisturizer has something to do with it! Again like the serum this cream isn’t too thick and doesn’t leave your eyes feeling sticky or caked. A couple more great things is – 1. I love that it has a pump! It makes it so easy! 2. A little goes a long way! So this product will last you a while if you use it sparingly which is all you need.
The last two items in this line are face moisturizers. I use these interchangeably and I love them both. The Adaptive Moisture Lotion I tend to use either on nights where I know I’ll get plenty of sleep or when my face doesn’t need to seal in as much moisture as other days. Or I’ll use this as my day time moisturizer too. The coolest part is the formula adapts! Since I’m not scientist I am directly lifting this claim off the packaging “Breakthrough Bio-Mimic Technology harnesses the unique life-giving properties of plants to exactly match the structure of skin”. Sounds amazing to me! And honestly it does make my skin feel super soft after using it. Like I said above in my general review, using these products together has really made a difference for my skin. And have I mentioned everything smells UH-MAZING!
The Recovery Sleep Cream is the last item in this line which I interchange with the Adaptive Moister Lotion. This one is a thicker cream which I can still feel when I wake up the next morning. This isn’t a bad thing – again if you have drier skin like me this product would really work for you. Anyone with more oily skin may want to avoid using this all of the time since part of the base of this product is oil.
Counter Time Collection:
The next line I use the most is the Countertime Rejuvenating Collection. Again I kind of interchange when I use this with the above mentioned Coutnermatch Line. So it really just depends on what I’m feeling or if I need some extra moisture (I’ll use Countermatch) versus more of a radiance (Countertime). But honestly I love everything I’ve used so far!
So with this line the ingredient of focus is:
- Jambu – this plant is found in Brazil and is known for its remarkable reparative abilities. This ingredient is key in this line to help stimulate skin cell turnover, repair skin’s architecture and create a barrier against pollutants. Sounds like all the things I need while going through Chemotherapy treatments!
First in this line I’ll use the Rejuvenating Face Cleanser . This not only smells great, it also feels silky smooth when you’re using it. Which I actually really love. It’s not super lathering its more of a milk type of cleanser, but it works great and usually can remove 99% of my makeup the first pass.
Another way to cleanse your face which is probably my favorite product of the entire brand is the Cleansing Balm. Oh my….this stuff is amazing. It melts into the skin and washes away all make up without removing moisture. But it doesn’t stop there….this product can also double as a face mask! Which I’ve used several times already. Note – a little goes a long way so use sparingly so you don’t waste product. Trust me you’re going to want it to stick around for a while.
Next comes the Rejuvenating Toner Pads. This is your first line of defense for your skin after you’ve cleansed it, so tone tone tone! These are so convenient because they come as pre-moistened pads. Also I need to mention they smell like cucumbers which is so refreshing!
After this I use the Rejuvenating Radiance Serum . I LOVE SERUMS. Here’s a little tip – you can layer serums! The skin benefits more from the layering of serums because they can sink in better than moisturizers so layer it up. I usually use this serum with the intense moisture from the Countermatch collection and let that sit for a couple of minutes before I put my moisturizer on. My skin feels amazing from it! I highly recommend this serum i love the formula and it has a very slight shimmer to it.
Last comes the moisturizers. In this line there is a Rejuvenating Eye Cream and a Rejuvenating Night Cream . The eye cream is amazing and I interchange between this and the Countermatch Eye Rescue cream. Using both I’ve definitely seen a difference in brightness around my eye and fine wrinkles have gone down. That’s a thumbs up from me! And the night cream is equally as good as the recovery sleep cream, however this product is less thick so it sinks into the skin more noticeably than the recover cream. Depends on your preference but both are great products to try! I would say chose based on your skin type…oily skin you would be better off with the Rejuvenating Night cream and dry skin benefits more from recovery sleep cream.
Makeup:
I went on to purchase a few makeup products from Beautycounter and I’ve had pretty good results. Here are my thoughts:
Tint Skin Hydrating Foundation – I use the shade Linen 2311. I really love this foundation. I have always been one for the more natural dewy look vs full coverage. This falls in that category. It is buildable so the coverage can get thicker but it’s never going to be a full full coverage product like other foundations. I found the best application is with a beauty blender vs a foundation brush. Since it’s more on the shear side the beauty blender helps to make it look more even across the face.
The Key Ingredient in the foundation is Hyaluronic Acid, which sounds scary, but is actually SO good for the skin. It is naturally found in almost every skin cell and can soak up to 1,000 times its weight in water releasing this into the skin throughout the day! This helps skin retain its natural barrier to seal in essential hydration.
Next I tried the touch up Concealer Pen in light. This shade is a bit too dark for me, I like to go lighter under my eyes to brighten them up so that was my first mistake. Personally I also don’t love the pen applicators for concealers. They are a bit messy and hard to get the right amount on the skin. The formula of this product is pretty decent though. It’s a bit heavier, so it does have good coverage and it will crease under the eyes if you don’t eliminate excess product with a blender, but I like how creamy it is. I have dry dry skin so creamy products work well for me, and I tend to not set them with powder otherwise my makeup starts to look cakey. With this concealer I found that it works well with not setting it and it holds up to not creasing throughout the day. I also like that the shade I got has an orange undertone which helps combat the blueish under-eye colors I tend to have.
Lastly I tried the Powder Blush Duo in Flamingo/Apricot and a few Sheer Lipsticks in the shades Raisin, Rose and BC Red. The blush duo are great colors! Flamingo is definitely bolder and definitely pops. Apricot is more of a natural flush color which I tend to lean towards. I sometimes use them in combination to get the best of both worlds. My only complaint about this blush is it does take some effort to blend out. Once it’s blended though it looks great! I would say prepare to reapply because I’ve found that it doesn’t hold up all day. These colors are always completely matte so have a good highlighter on hand if you like more of a glowy look. The sheer lipsticks are pretty much as they sound, but the color is really buildable which I love! Coming from the matte liquid lipsticks obsession it’s a bit of a transition for me to use a lipstick which is not long lasting, but I do like how easy they are to reapply and the packaging is SO cute. I feel super bougie and fancy pulling it out of my bag. It’s hard to pick a favorite of the three shades I got they are all very different, but I will say Raisin is definitely the one that needs the most building in order to look even. When it’s built though the dark brown shade is beautiful, I highly recommend these lipsticks if you want a clean product with good pigmentation and moisturizing abilities.
That’s it for this review! Let me know down in the comments or over on my IG page (link below) how you liked this and if you want me to do more. Happy to share my thoughts on the products I’m testing out if that helps.
Thanks for reading XOXO,
Trops
WEARS TROPS 