YÜLI Panacea Elixir Review

YÜLI is a natural skincare brand from the USA I came across last year and it stood out to me as the products are high performance yet use clean, high quality and pure grade ingredients in an innovative and advanced way. The products are created in small batches in YÜLI's lab located on their farm and this attention to every detail creates a line that is highly potent and effective. 

Clean brands have come a long way in recent years, there are some exciting brands emerging that are challenging the natural skincare arena and YÜLI to me is definitely amongst those brands that are doing things differently. The aesthetic is minimalist (which I love) and it means business!

I placed an order for two of their products, the Panacea Elixir and the Cell Perfecto PM (review of this to come).

The Panacea Elixir is a toner for normal to combination, oily and blemish-prone skin. The base of the elixir is crafted from 'organic and wild-crafted botanical hydrosols and flower water that contain living nutrients and are incredibly active'.

YÜLI describe this toner as a 'multitasking toner that rebalances skin, refines skin texture, primes skin's delivery system for corrective regeneration, delivers intense lasting hydration, and decongests skin of excess sebum, toxins, & waste. Made from the finest botanicals collected from around the world, this toner truly is a cure-all!'

With the promising sounding description and ingredients I had high expectations for this product, but unfortunately was left feeling a little disappointed as this for me was a bit underwhelming. It is nice for a toner, feels gentle, hydrating but I was expecting a little something extra, to take it from the realms of ordinary to something I want to absolutely rave about. I haven't found a great many toners that I really get the urge to repurchase (Caudalie Beauty Elixir, Trilogy Hydrating Mist and Liz Earle Skin Tonic are amongst my repurchased toner list).

It comes in a handy spray bottle and 3 different sizes - 10ml trial ($12), 50ml ($36) and 100ml ($68).

Ingredients:

D-Aloe barbadenis, R. damascena (Rose) hydrolat*, H. italicum (Helichrysum) hydrolat*, L. angustifolia (Lavender) hydrolat*, H. virginiana (Witch Hazel) hydrolat^^, A. millefolium (Yarrow) hydrolat^^, frequency enhanced water, C. sativus (Cucumber) extract, N. officinale (Watercress) extract*,Papaya Enzymes, Trace minerals complex, Colloidal silver

* Organic
^^ Wildcrafted

Despite my slight disappointment with this toner, I am still curious to try their other 2 variants (Cocoon and Metamorphic).

I bought this directly from the US site (so was stung by customs and Royal Mail handling fee), but YÜLI is also available from amazingy.com which ships from Germany.

www.yuliskincare.com

& Other Stories Canvas Taupe and NARS Douceur Blush Comparison

The & Other Stories store in London is a lovely set-up, I like how the beauty section is laid out so that you feel invited to come and have a play with all the products (and having a large sink close at hand to wash off when you run out of skin to swatch on is a nice touch). About a month ago I was browsing beauty, having quite the swatching session going on and I came across this little blush in the shade Canvas Taupe and immediately my mind sprang to my beloved NARS Douceur blush, as it has that similar dusty rose tone. I always get a lot of use out of these sort of shades so off I went to the checkout.

I was curious to see how Canvas Taupe measured up to NARS Douceur, as this has probably got to be one of my all time favourite blushes, it's just one of those shades that you don't need to think about as it goes with just about any makeup look.

Side by side they look incredibly similar, Douceur appears ever so slightly warmer (as you can see I have made quite a dent), but it's only when swatched you can see more of a difference.

Top - & Other Stories Canvas Taupe, Bottom - NARS Douceur

Top - & Other Stories Canvas Taupe, Bottom - NARS Douceur

On the top is the & Other Stories Canvas Taupe which on the skin shows up as a little paler and pinker in tone. Douceur below is slightly deeper and warmer which works better on my skin tone as it shows up more where as Canvas Taupe is a touch pale, although as it blends in nicely I do still use it.

Texture wise both are nice and smooth (although I think as my Douceur has been used a lot the texture has gone a bit drier now then when it was new). Wear wise the NARS wins hands-down as it lasts longer and fades evenly where as Canvas Taupe goes a little patchy.

Despite the wear I do like Canvas Taupe and there are a couple of other shades I would quite like to get, and Douceur, no doubt requires a repurchase!

www.stories.com

www.narscosmetics.co.uk

S5 Replenish Serum

S5 Skincare's Replenishing Serum has got to be one of the most silkiest oils I have ever used, it is a ridiculously smooth consistency that I have been loving using in the evenings, especially after a clay mask as it's very nourishing and excellent for massaging in.

This particular serum is targeted for dry and scarred skin as it is rich in Omegas 3, 5, 6, & 7 that help dryness, elasticity and scarring. My skin is normal to combination with dehydration and is blemish-prone with scarring left from past acne.

S5 Replenishing Serum has Arctic Sea Buckthorn Oil which is naturally rich in Omega 7 and Omega 3. I take PharmaNord's Omega 7 Sea Buckthorn Oil supplement and I find it excellent for my skin and it has helped improve my acne so I hold this ingredient in high regard and was excited to see it included in this serum.

This also contains High Altitude Rosehip oil which is rich in vitamin A that helps to regenerate and heal the skin; Desert Pomegranate Oil which has anti-oxidant properties and helps reduce inflammation and accelerate cellular regeneration; and lastly Desert Argan Oil which is rich in Omega 6, 9 and tocopherol.

One thing that takes a little getting used to is the scent as even though it's naturally derived, it is unusually strong although after a while I don't notice it as much as when I first started using it.

Even though this is plenty nourishing on it's own, I prefer it under a moisturiser as I feel it kind of seals in the goodness of the serum and as you only need a few drops I have found this has lasted quite a while.  

 

Overall this has been a beautifully healing oil that hasn't aggravated my skin but helps to calm it and as the name states is 'replenishing', especially when I feel like I need something extra.

Ingredients:

Coco-Caprylate, Rosa Rubigiosa Seed Oil*, Hippophae Rhamnoides Oil*, Punica Granatum Seed Oil*, Argania Spinosa (Argan) Kernel Oil*, Parfum (Natural, Low Allergen Fragrance), Tocopherol. *ingredients from organic farming

 

www.s5skincare.com