This Valentine’s Day, gift your skin some roses…
I’m a sucker for roses. I absolutely love those little devils. You can call me the ‘Rose Junkie’. I’m the girl that actually takes the time to smell the roses – because they smell so freaking good. They were the only flowers invited to my wedding so that the entire venue would smell like a rose garden! So it came as no surprise when I realised that some of my favourite beauty products contain roses. Life just got rosier.
1. Forest Essentials Facial Tonic Mist Pure Rose Water
Everytime my skin gets angry, I calm it down with Rose Water. So whether I have a breakout or a suntan or a rash, this is my go-to product to soothe and relax my skin.
According to Ayurveda, Rose Water is the best tonic for your skin. Well, I didn’t read no scriptures, but I can say that this stuff really soothes, hydrates and tones your skin – especially if you have been blessed with oily and acne prone skin.
I’ve used many different brands of Rose Water, but what makes this one ‘special’ is that it’s 100% pure. Good, unadulterated tonic made by steam distilling fresh roses. No other ingredients. No Parabens, Petroleum, GMO, Sulphates, Formaldehyde, PEGS, artificial colour, artificial fragrance. I used it during my entire pregancy and even on my baby! I literally ‘cleanse’ his baby face with this. It’s just so cooling and refreshing.
When you open the bottle, the smell of fresh roses overtakes your senses. It smells just divine. Like you died and went to heaven (ok, I may be exaggerating just a wee bit).
I use it as a toner every morning and night. You can either pour some on to a cotton pad and dab, or mist it over your face with a spray. Both work brilliantly at closing pores and prepping your skin for the products that will follow.
It also works over make-up to freshen it up and get that covetted dewy glow. Lightly spray over the powder to set it in and achieve a natural coverage.
Everytime I get me eyebrows tweezed or threaded, I soothe the tender skin with cotton pads soaked in ice-cold Rose Water. It removes all redness and bumps. This works anywhere on your body actually. So after a trip to the waxing salon, just pat some rose water over the sensitized skin to soothe it immediately.
Another awesome benefit, if you have puffy eyes or dark circles, just apply cotton pads drenched in this magic potion over your peepers and watch the swelling reduce right in front of your eyes. Literally.
2. Smith’s Rosebud Salve
By far the best lip balm I’ve ever used, and I’ve been using lip balms since I was 12! So that’s A LOT of lip balms. But once you try this, nothing else seems to even compare.
The strange thing is that the main ingredient is good old petroleum jelly, but it’s nothing like Vaseline. Vaseline tends to just sit on your lips, while this awesome stuff goes deep within, soothes, heals and softens lips, making them petal-soft (pun intended).
Oh, and it tastes absolutely yum. Brambleberry is my favourite flavour, while Mocha Rose comes a close second. It also has the tiniest hint of rose colour. You can’t really see it on your lips, but it makes your puckers look nice and ummm…rosey.
I use it every single night. My lips feel naked without being covered by this yummy goop. In fact, it’s bizarre but I’ve even woken up in the middle of the night to apply this – on several ocassions!
I’ve used this lip balm in the hottest of summers (I literally live on the equator), beach holidays, mountain ski-vacations, windy cities, dry airplanes…you name it – and it’s always worked – no exceptions. I also use it on my cuticles, elbows and other dry parts of me.
Whenever I’m gifting a friend some beauty products, I always throw this into the bag. And no matter what other goodies I’m giving, somehow everyone always tells me how great this tiny pot is.
And the packaging is super cute. Love the retro look. It also fits into every bag – even the tiniest clutch. The only con: If your hands are wet or greasy, opening the tin can be quite the ordeal.
3. Fresh Rose Mask
Since I’m such a sucker for roses, when I opened this jar and that heady sweet scent hit me, I was already sold. I bought it without a thought.
When I got home, I cleansed and toned my skin before applying a thin layer. The product is a strange-looking brown gel (the kind of colour bananas get with left out for a while) with actual rose petals and buds thrown in for good measure. The minute I put it on, I just had to sigh. It felt tingly cool, refreshing and relaxing – all at once. And I had to hold myself back from tasting it.
Strangely, the same experience continues even though I’m towards the end of the jar. Everytime I apply it, I feel exactly the same way I did the first time around.
You have to wash it off after 10-15 minutes with warm water. Cool water works fine too though it’s a tad quicker with warm water. Then just continue the rest of your skincare routine.
And what exactly does it do to your skin? It really calms it down and gives it a boost of moisture. I use it 2-3 times a week, especially after a hot day out in the sun to instantly cool my skin and reduce any redness. Though it does tend to tingle like crazy at the beginning. This is a great mask to take with you to a beach holiday. After spending hours in the sun and hanging by the pool, this is just the thing you need to calm your sun burned skin.
So should you buy it? Well, it’s expensive for what it actually delivers. This mask is more of a sensorial treat versus actually making a huge difference to your skin. So if you’re feeling indulgent, then go right ahead. But if you’re looking for results, then skip it. Would I buy it again? I just did.
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