Our Black Friday promotion is buy one item get one item for 40% off. The promotion will be taken off the equal or lesser valued item. To make sure to get the maximum discount, ideally have items of equal value in your order, and make sure your order has even numbers of items, not odd.
If planning to order multiple items, you may find that it is helpful to split your orders into separate orders to maximize your discount.
We try our best to combine orders that are going to the same address but to help please email info@sabbaticalbeauty.com or add a note to your order if you would like your orders combined. However, as this is a busy time, we cannot guarantee that this will be done,
If your combined orders equal over the $125 free shipping we will issue a refund for the shipping charge after your order has been shipped.
Please only select "Local Pick-up" if you live in the area and are able to pick-up during our open hours
Our typical store hours are Tuesday-Thursday: 12pm-4pm, Friday 12pm-6pm.
The sale starts Wednesday, November 22nd at 8am EST and ends Tuesday, November 27th at 12am EST. You can get early access either by joining Backstage Pass or signing up for text messages. We will not honor the Black Friday discount after this time.
No codes will work in combination with the Black Friday Sale code, so if you have rewards, promos or gift codes that you would like to use save them until after the sale ends
We try our best to keep our inventory as accurate as possible, but there are times where when many people are shopping at one time, items may be oversold. If this happens we will email you to notify that an item as went out of stock and will offer to refund or replace the item with another item of up to $10 more than the original purchased item
Due to high volume of orders during this time please expect shipping lead time to be 5-7 for your order to be filled and another 5-7 days for UPS to deliver your order via ground UPS shipping
If you select any type of priority shipping this does not reflect the fulfillment time which is 5-7 days.
As this is our busiest time of the year, we may send you a pre printed card instead of a handwritten note. We will switch back to handwritten note cards after the Black Friday sale is complete.
If you have more questions, please email us at info@sabbaticalbeauty.com. Thank you so much for supporting our small business this holiday season!
Dropping June 25 at 12pm ET: The Sabbatical Beauty Summer 🌞 Skin Collection! This limited edition of the most summery scents and textures will take your Summer Glow to the next level!
This Summer we’re dropping 5 delectable goodies:
🌞 Blueberry Cleanser. Made with a fragrant base of blueberry fruit distillate, this luxurious low-pH cleanser washes without stripping and nourishes with the potent antioxidants of blueberry. Only one batch available, as our suppliers have discontinued the key ingredient!
🌞 Mermaid Jelly Mask. This 5 minute mask is powered with 90% fermented sea kelp for potent antioxidant and anti-aging benefits. It’s like dipping your face into the best of the ocean.
🌞 Sake Bomb Splash Mask. This potent acid toner will change your skin in one application: look fresher, more relaxed, with diminishing of fine lines and dark spots.
🌞 Rose & Hyaluronic Acid Serum. Made with rose hydrosol and hyaluronic acid, this serum helps soothe redness and irritation and has deep deep hydration effects. Sinks into your skin in an instant.
🌞 Cucumber & Aloe Mist. Summer irritation? Just too hot? Use this beautifully scented cucumber mist to slough away all that heat.
Thoughtfully Formulated, Botanical Rich and Crystal Charged Skincare
Heal your skin for the Holidays with that incredible crystal glow
Click to skip to the crystal queen collection
Embracing My Inner Crystal Goddess
When crystals erupted into Instagram a few years ago I was one of the people who rolled my eyes at this “woo woo bullshit.” I mean, I've never been inclined to spirituality. The closest relationship I've had to it was resisting a Singaporean Methodist-Presbyterian type of Christianity foisted onto me growing up. And as a former academic who took a lot of pride in her Ph.D., being considered "unserious" or (even worse) -- a Goop-wannabe! was anathema to my bones to take something like crystals seriously.
The Universe, however, had other plans for me early this year. A little shop selling crystals opened up on my way home from working out. And the moment I stepped into the store, I suddenly was transported to my childhood, when I was entranced by rocks and gems, and how I used to love staring at and touching.
I picked up the stones and looked at the descriptions. And instead of going "wtf is a stone of magic," I thought, can't hurt to try. And they just felt so good in my hands. I bought some to experiment with.
And when I started reading about them, how the stones physically felt for me corresponded in a really uncanny way to how Crystal Healing books said that they were supposed to feel. Rose Quartz is supposed to be the stone of unconditional love, and when I meditated with a rose quartz stone, I could feel that its sensations felt like love. The stone seemed to radiate this peaceful, calm and nurturing energy, and I could feel it even more intensely when it was in my hand than when I was simply near it. Obsidian is a type of volcanic glass that's supposed to be deeply protective and truth enhancing. And when I felt it--I'm always the most attracted to it in among black stones--I could feel its energy seeking truth ripping my skin like a knife.
I was blown away. And, when I get blown away by something, if you know anything about me, I research it to death. Like, Sabbatical Beauty is literally the result of one (okay many) of my research rabbitholes.
And so I went even deeper down the rabbithole, considering the properties of crystal healing and-- since I'm always thinking about skincare formulations and how they can make the Sabbatical Beauty community feel better, that's where I went.
But first: How do crystals work?
How Does Crystal Healing Work?
I'll give it to you straight--I've found very little reputable peer reviewed standard medical research specifically on crystal healing. This is probably going to change in a few years with the advancement of the field of biofield therapy, which is a field of study that aims to translate energy medicine practices into something allopathic medicine can understand.
What I can do instead is give you a summary of some of the most compelling explanations of why they work that I've read. All with, however, the caveat though that in my research and in my own experience, crystals really are like magic. You have to want to believe. Because if you disbelieve, you're not going to feel their magic. And as you and I know, science doesn't deal with magic. (If you've a peer reviewed study somewhere that says otherwise, please hit me up in comments because I'd love to see something that argues that science and magic are the same.)
Crystals are supposed to help heal through energy exchanges. Many mystical, esoteric and ancient forms of religion and medicine express the concept of the "subtle body:" that the body exudes patterns of energy which are not yet documented within allopathic science. In Tantric Yoga this is known as the system of chakras -- spinning wheels of light energy that emanate from our bodies that are invisible to most people.
This concept of energy is said to be a universal life force. It spans many cultures and concepts: qi (气) in Traditional Chinese Medicine, prana in Ayurveda, mana to Polynesians, ka to Egyptians, light in Christianity. Because crystals are created through the expending of tremendous amounts of energy (the pressure that pushed magma from the earth's core to the crust to form minerals and then later interlocking crystals), they are said to contain that energy. And the distinctive lattice structure of crystal formation means that crystal atoms all follow the same orderly arrangement. Combining that tremendous amount of energy radiating to you with the same pattern of atoms means that crystals are able to send you certain kinds of healing energies very strongly via subtle energy: specifically, through vibrations.
I know, even I thought that I was losing my mind at many points.
But the strength and pull of crystals was undeniable. Because of their physical power. Because I can feel different vibrations from different types of stones when I hold them.
And because I grew up in Asia, where Traditional Chinese Medicine is taken seriously as a branch of healing, crystal healing started to just "click" and make sense. Jade has been used for centuries as a symbol and talisman for protection in Chinese families, and Chinese people have used crushed pearls topically and internally to brighten and even skin tone (part of why I have three types of pearl in my Chang E Silver Moon Pearl Serum).
Which led me to think--surely I should experiment with how my skincare can be supercharged with crystal healing. Because I know that if they helped reach me emotionally in these ways, they certainly could help my community members as well.
So and after doing more research on the safe use of crystals in skincare products, I formulated, and tested with fifty Sabbatical Beauty human testers what you now see:
The Crystal Queen Skincare Collection.
The Crystal Queen Skincare Collection
Ekaterina Luxury Cream
Ekaterina LuxuryCream. I've been making Ekaterina since 2016, and bring it back for every holiday season. It is seriously the most indulgent thing I have ever made, which explains the price tag.
Ekaterina contains three types of gold -- colloidal gold (small, microscopic gold particles suspended in distilled water), fermented gold (yeast that has been enriched with gold and then harvested), and 24 karat gold flakes for the touch of extra luxury. It also contains four types of caviar -- white caviar extract, caviar extract, caviar oil, and caviar oil extract as the Omega 3s in caviar are known for helping with anti-aging and dullness. And I've topped off the cream with white truffle extract--high in vitamin B complexes that are essential for skin health.
Travel Size 0.25 oz $75 | Full Size 2 oz: $175
Rose Quartz Cleansing Cream
Rose Quartz Cleansing Cream. I've been wanting to make a cleansing cream that allows you to take off makeup without needing to wash your face, and this cream is the result. It's made with primarily Rose Hydrosol (helps redness, gentle, anti-aging) washable Shea Butter (deep hydration) and Castor Oil (good for acne) and charged with a real piece of Rose Quartz at the bottom of the jar. You can use this to take off makeup with wipes, but you can also wash off the cream. Because it's so nutritious, you can also mask with it.
Travel Size: 0.5 oz $20 Full Size: 2 oz: $60
Rose Quartz Healing oil
Rose Quartz Healing Oil. This is an experiment to see if adding crystal power to an original product will actually increase its effectiveness. I've basically put my discontinued Rosehip Healing Oil in a rollerball stuffed with Rose Quartz and topped with an actual Rose Quartz rollerball here. Why? Because the original oil contains Rosehip Oil, Borage Oil and Evening Primrose Oils--high in Gamma Linoleic Acid which speeds wound healing and helps scarring. And Rose Quartz is the stone of unconditional love. And as the saying goes, love heals all wounds. So I want to see what the vibrations of love can add to healing your skin!
One Size 10ml: $40
Dorothy's licorice mask ii
Dorothy's Licorice MaskII. I've reformulated the original Dorothy mask to make it easier to spread and less clumpy, and to maintain the original brightening power of licorice. The first two ingredients are licorice extract and licorice powder, as licorice contains an compound known as liquiritin which helps to even skin tone.
Other active ingredients in this mask include honey for tamping down redness and healing skin irritation, and rice bran oil for extra emollience and anti-aging properties.
Travel Size 0.5 oz $25 | Full Size 2.3 oz $75
Wise Old Crone Facial Oil
Wise Old Crone Facial Oil. This is an attempt to revisit and supercharge an old product with some radical feminist energy. The contents are my Sleeping Beauty Oil --one of my powerhouses with Camellia Oil (skin identical, rich in oleic acids and Omegas 3, 6 and 9), Blue Tansy Oil (anti-inflammatory, balancing, helps acne, redness and irritated skin), Retinol (anti-aging and helps acne), Sea Buckthorn Berry Oil (Helps skin regeneration, elasticity and acne) and even more. But when I made Sleeping Beauty, I wasn't aware of the rape culture origins of the fairytale.
So when deciding to bring back the formulation but charged with Lapis Lazuli this time--both in the rollerball and in the bottle, I decided to change the name to Wise Old Crone. Especially with the addition of lapis. Crystal healers say lapis is a stone of inner truth, self-awareness and acceptance of that knowledge, dignity in friendship and social interaction. And here you have the same formulation but charged with lapis both in the bottle and as a rollerball. A physical embodiment of wisdom as beauty.
One size 10ml: $75
Lavender Amethyst snow
Lavender Ameythst Snow. To those who love the original Snow Sleeping Cream, this is the Fall 2019 remix: with lavender and amethyst. I've swapped out the chamomile hydrosol and snow fragrance for lavender hydrosol and lavender essential oil in this formulation because lavender helps you to relax and sleep. I've also added blue peaflower to the formulation as it contains potent anti-aging antioxidants. It turns the cream a light purple which will fade over time. There's also an amethyst stone at the bottom of the jar as amethyst helps to protect you and soothe you to sleep.
Travel Size 5ml $20. Full Size 2 oz $75
GAIA Pressed Serum
I've often been asked to turn my Lift Serum (which firms, tones and lifts sagging skin) into a cream-- and here it is. It contains some of the most expensive and effective ingredients I've ever experimented with: Ceramide 1 and Ceramide 3. Other actives include: red Irish moss, fermented copper, Kombu extract, pea peptide, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5 (synthetic peptide for firming skin), Barley, sandalwood and pomegranate sterols. This has been a SB tester favorite.
Warning: it also has a pungent odor. I tried reformulating it but testers were clamoring for the original to come out, so here it is in all its effective glory!
Travel size 5ml: $47 | Full Size 1 oz. $147
Crystal facial rollers
Get ready for Crystal Roller Time. You've seen these everywhere recently and that's for good reason. In Asia, they've been used for centuries because crystal rolling is believed to soothe and calm skin and has anti-aging benefits. In contemporary science facial massage with a roller helps your skincare to better absorb, to relax you with a massage and also to stimulate collagen building and firm and lift your skin.
In this collection we're releasing three flavors of crystal: Rose Quartz (because who doesn't want to rub some unconditional love on your face), Green Aventurine (good luck, soothes emotions) or Amethyst (protection, soothes anxiety and calms nerves). Bccause when you can charge your crystal charged skincare further with good vibes, why not?
Crystal Rollers: $30
Soothe Mindfulness Cards
Soothe Mindfulness Cards. And finally, we're excited to partner with Erin McCarthy, Ph.D. to launch her Soothe Mindfulness Cards! Erin is a philosophy professor at St. Lawrence professor and Fellow at the Life and Mind Institute, and she runs mindfulness workshops for frazzled people. In this set of cards, you'll get 14 quick mindfulness-on-the-go cards that will teach you how to redirect and soothe yourself even in the most difficult moments.
Each card centers around a different practice: Grounding (Red), Gratitude (Yellow), Energize (Indigo), Joy (Purple), Breathe (Blue), Open (Orange) and Love (Green). You get two practices in the whole deck.
To use: Take a deep breath. Shuffle through the cards. Pick one random card, and read. Do the exercise and relax.
One size: $20.
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https://sabbaticalbeauty.com/blogs/blog/events-in-philly2019-08-23T09:35:32-04:002022-09-08T01:58:25-04:00SB Events In PhillyAdeline Koh
OCTOBER 2019
Crystal Workshop
Saturday October 26, 1-2.30pm, Tickets $10
Crystals have become popular for their healing energies.
In this Self-Care Saturday event, you'll get:
- To learn how crystals can be used to charge and boost your skincare,
Join us on Saturday Nov 2 for a seaweed celebration class! Mix up a fresh ahi poke appetizer with Kiki Aranita of Poi Dog and learn to make a seaweed mask using the same, nutrient-rich seaweed with Adeline Koh of Sabbatical Beauty while sipping on a complimentary champagne cocktail. Enjoy a 20% discount on Sabbatical Beauty products after the event.
Noon to 1:30pm Location: Sabbatical Beauty, Bok Building, 1901 S. 9th St #308 Philadelphia PA 19148 $55 includes fees, all materials and a complimentary cocktail
Shop with a unique selection of inspired local artisans - including us!
Get to know the people who have made your products -- all the way to production to your hands!
No tickets or registration needed.
Next Made@Bok Market date: Saturday, November 30, 12pm-5pm
No tickets needed -- come and enjoy!
NOVEMBER 2019
Try the Korean Beauty 10 Step Regimen!
DATES TBD
Interested in the Korean beauty skincare regimen but overwhelmed? Come and let us help you!
In this Self-Care Saturday event, you'll get:
- To learn the basics of the Korean beauty regimen,
- To learn which products work best for your skin type,
- To try the entire Korean beauty regimen (you'll be double cleansing, masking, using serums and more!) with Sabbatical Beauty Shop
- A glass of red wine or hot tea,
- A 20% discount to shop the entire store while you mask and enjoy the regimen!
Come find out how skincare can be self-care.
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https://sabbaticalbeauty.com/blogs/blog/make-an-appointment2019-08-14T23:19:24-04:002022-09-08T01:58:31-04:00Make An AppointmentAdeline Koh
Placed an online order? Use this appointment scheduler to schedule a pickup!
Masks are still required in our shop for everyone's safety.
Our Brick & Mortar Shop is now open for in-store shopping! Check our FAQ page for the most recent hours.
Want some dedicated help from our team while shopping? Make a reservation for a Private Shopping Appointment using the scheduler below.
Restocking Fee: Please note, if you fail to pick up your local pickup order within a month of ordering, we will return your payment to you minus a 40% restocking fee.
Designed for all the angry, rebellious babes out there who want to rage out while they chill out. With flawless complexions, of course.
A while ago a feminist meme was going around the Internet about an amazing Sea Hag body wash.
A product that would be a cocktail of amazing skin-loving ingredients. Basically something that would allow you to vent your righteous rage while sporting the best skin of your life.
Red Irish Moss (Chrondus Crispus) is a seaweed that grows on many Atlantic coasts. It has been shown to antibacterial, antimicrobial and antiviral, and can soothe inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis and burns.
Fermented Sea Kelp is widely known as an ingredient that helps your skin rebuild itself from damage and glycation, and is increasingly been shown to help retard the aging process. Fermentation makes the nourishing ingredients in the sea kelp more bioavailable to your skin and helps it to absorb better.
Honey
Honey is purifying and antibacterial -- specifically, topical application helps to build a better skin microbiome because it inhibits the growth of pathogenic (bad) bacteria and increases the activity of commensal (bacteria).
For this reason, honey is extremely soothing for skin and will help to diminish redness and irritation and to soothe and heal acne.
Licorice Root
Licorice Root is a powerful discoloration agent. It can help with dark spots, scarring and evening skin tone. Licorice root extract also contains the antioxidants glabridin and licochalcone, which have powerful anti-aging and skin-soothing properties. Licochalcone also helps to balance oil production.
Meghan Brown on Witches Brew
Sabbatical Beauty Tester
"Wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow.
Smell - reminds me of something very botanical / earthy. It's a very grounding scent.
Feel - very very bouncy, this reminds me a TON of the Mermaid Mask! I love it!
While masking, it feels tingly / warming on my skin. I'm hoping that's a good thing. It ended up with a kind of cooling effect while it dried. I felt like it was a little difficult to wash off, like it kinda just wanted to go from dry to slimy. I basked in the slime though. Also since I have super dry skin, my skin felt really nice afterwards but it did feel slightly tight and dry.
BUT LOOK AT MY FACE AFTER USING IT
I feel like as long as I do my deep treatment overnight hydration after this mask, it will be perfect.
Sea Witch's Brew Mask drops on October 7. Sign up to get early bird dibs here.
Fall -- the time of cooler days, autumn leaves, pumpkin spice lattes, smart coats and cozy sweaters.
Now if only your Fall skin could cooperate as well.
As we transition from the heat of the summer, many of us will find our skin starting to dry out. We'll start feeling our skin pull tight against our face, maybe even get some dry flaky patches. We may even see more angry acne appear, as our skin struggles to deal with the sudden lack of humidity and heat.
This season, I've designed the Autumn Moon 🌚 Collection to nurse your skin through the transition, so that your post-beach summer glow will gently evolve into a more peaceful, reflective radiance.
And to structure this, I'm returning to some Traditional Chinese Medicine principles in designing this Collection and every item included within it.
WTF is Traditional Chinese Medicine and Why Should I Care?
When I was a little girl growing up in Singapore, the Western doctor (or what you'd call your Primary Care Physician in the U.S.) was always my mother's first port of call whenever me or my brother came down with something. But, whenever we'd tried Western medicine and it didn't work, my mom would bring me to see the Traditional Chinese Doctor. And usually, whatever the regular Western doctor couldn't cure, the TCM doctor usually would.
One of the key principles that dominate Traditional Chinese Practices is the concept of Yin & Yang.
Yin and Yang are two abstract polar categories that are used to describe how things function in relation to one another. Chinese medical theory believes that yin and yang appear as two facets of all things and all conditions. While the yin category represents cold, rest, responsiveness, passivity, darkness, interiority and reception, the yang category represents heat, light, stimulation, movement, vigor and increasing. Yin also represents feminine energy and Yang masculine energy.
While summer heat is a yang season, the turn to fall marks the start of yin --which translates into a movement towards the cold and dark. Many of the skin conditions (dry, tight skin, inflammation and irritation) involved with this transition manifest from yin and yang imbalances.
The Autumn Moon 🌚 Collection has been carefully curated for you to nourish your yinas we transition from the potent summer yang. It encourages you to be receptive, rather than reactive to change. It encourages you to conserve your energy, by letting go of what does not serve you any longer.
Careful use of the Autumn Moon Collection to nourish your yin energy will help you to transition from being a sun-kissed beach beauty to the Moon Goddess you naturally are.
But what does nourishing your yin energy even mean?
This would mean to encourage heat within your body to settle down. It means to conserve your energy and preserve it for the upcoming cold in the Winter.
It also means in terms of the Autumn Moon Collection, to move into the space of energy, to be receptive, expansive and calm. All elements which will help us, as we move towards the start of the academic school year in the United States, which generates both excitement and anxiety.
Nourishing your yin will mean more moisturized, happy skin, and a tamping down of redness and inflammation.
1. We start off your Autumn Moon routine with our low pH Rose Foaming Cleanser. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, roses can be both warming (yang) and cooling (yin). We're using the yang energies of the Rose to break up stagnant energies and move them to where they can then be released to restore skin balance, and then the rest of your skin nourished with more yin ingredients.
2. Once a week, self-care with our brand new Pumpkin Spice Mask. Pumpkin is known as a yin food that works to dispel dampness in Traditional Chinese Medicine. In allopathic medicine, pumpkin contains a cocktail of essential fatty acids (for making your skin taut and bouncy when it risks being dried out), copper, tocopherols, Vitamin A and E Zinc and Selenium. In early tests this mask has seriously brightened skin and lightened dark circles. The mask also contains licorice extract to brighten and a fruit acid complex for gentle AHA exfoliation and deeper ingredient penetration.
3. Last year I made my very first Witches Brew Mask. This year, I upped the ante by making two types of seaweed central to its base (Red Irish Moss and fermented Sea Kelp), both of which are nourishing yin as they cool down excess yang energy. and turned it into my Sea Witch's Brew Mask. Sea kelp (seaweed in general) has crazy anti-aging effects and give you clear, brightened skin immediately. Will also help with acne. You can double mask with Pumpkin Mask for a special treat, or even use them one after another. (Oh yeah, I almost called it Sea Hag Serum after the meme lol. It is made in a similar feminist spirit.)
4. Our seasonal Fall-only Apple Cider serum is a potent serum for brightening and discoloration. To make this serum, we combined both Apple Extract with an Apple Alpha Hydroxy Complex. The main Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) in Apples is malic acid, which helps with the shedding of dead skin cells, making it easier for actives to penetrate. Apple Extract works along with the Apple AHA complex to help with evening skin tone and discoloration. This function of lightening discoloration is further enhanced with Cinnamon extract, which naturally helps inhibit tyrosinase activity, which is imperative for the production of melanin.
5. Skin-microbiome ultimate happiness, baby. If you know us, you know we're huge advocates that maintaining a skin microbiome is key to great skin. Our Microbiome Pressed Serum contains food for your good skin bacteria in the form of Beta Glucan (prebiotics), as well as some mad fermentations including fermented saccaromyces yeast, resveratrol, cocoa and more. Use this as a moisturizer - testers have said nothing has helped their acne like this little wonder.
6. Finally, because it's fall, you need a sleeping pack -- a last step to seal in all the goodness while you sleep overnight. Donkey Milk is a Korean beauty wunderkind, because it contains important vitamins and minerals to heal the skin. This little Donkey Milk Sleeping Pack has tamped down redness and acne overnight, and also has quick healing, firming and skin regenerating properties. It's made up of 80% donkey milk.
7. And a special treat: a Jade Guasha tool, to massage your face and restore nourishing yin energy throughout. This jade guasha tool is actually green aventurine, which is commonly sold as jade. Green aventurine is thought to be a lucky stone, inviting good luck and prosperity into your life. It also calms negative emotions and releases healing energies for heartaches. This guasha tool has been acquired via fair trade means. We'll be teaching you throughout the next few months how to use this tool to maximize all your SB products!
7. Our brand new luxury Chang E's Silver Moon Pearl Serum. Chang E is the Chinese Goddess of the Moon, who represents beauty, femininity and all yin qualities. I've tried to complement that by making a serum in a base of colloidal silver (calms redness, speeds healing), three types of different pearl extracts to build luminescence and ethereal glow, and genuine silver flake. Chang E also comes with a few beautiful moonstone pieces in it, for you to admire as you wear the serum, and to collect when you finish the serum.
The beach is the only place in the whole world I can just BE. I don’t want to do anything. I don’t think about anything. I have no desire to look at a screen. I. Just. Am.
In the early stages of designing this mask, I went into it full beach bum style. I love spending all day at the beach. I pack some food, pitch a tent, and I’m good from morning til sunset. With a clear mind and a lazy body, I plop myself down on a blanket and just chill. This is what I call “resetting.” And living in Silicon Valley where everything is fast paced and tech is everywhere scrambling my energy, I NEED to reset. The ocean cleanses me. The sun recharges me. I feel brand new after a day at the beach.
Not only do I feel brand new on the inside, but I look brand new on the outside too!
The Deets
My skin LOVES the beach. The mix of purifying salty air, exfoliating sand and healing ocean water is nature’s perfect skin care. My entire body and face feel smooth, looks even in tone and even acne subsides after a day at the beach. And my hair! I know technically it’s dirty, but it’s perfect! It’s full bodied and falls perfectly in subtle waves. Beach Marissa is perfect Marissa. So much so that I don’t wash my face or hair for at least a day after going to the beach because I don’t wanna mess with perfection.
Not everyone is fortunate enough to spend as much time at the beach as I do (and it’s still not enough btw), so I wanted to bring the beach to all of you!
90% Sea Kelp Bioferment
Marissa’s Mermaid Jelly Mask is made with 90% sea kelp bioferment. 90% SEA KELP BIOFERMENT. You might as well just dip your face in the ocean. The second ingredient on the list is chlorella, which is a nutrient dense algae in powder form. So basically, you got seaweed and more seaweed. Take a look at all the benefits this 5 minute mask will give your skin:
Skin Benefits
Sea Kelp Bioferment Skin Benefits
It’s fermented, therefore bioavailable. Bioavailability means that it can absorb into the skin at deeper levels, increasing effectiveness immediately and over time.
Soothes inflammation caused by acne, rosacea, eczema, sunburn and bug bites
Contains vitamins A, B1, B2, C, D and E
Contains minerals: zinc, iodine, magnesium, iron, potassium, copper and calcium
Reduces redness
Firming
Collagen boosting
Oil control
Hydrating
Detoxifies
Probiotic - fermented food is good food for your existing good bacteria on your skin!
Chlorella Skin Benefits
Super antioxidant!
High in vitamins A, B, C and E
Detoxifying
Rich in omega 3 fatty acids
Contains minerals: iron, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus, and calcium
Boosts collagen
Strengthens elasticity
Contains lipids and amino acids for rapid skin regeneration
Anti-inflammatory
Brightening
Firming
How to use Marissa’s Mermaid Jelly Mask: Apply generously to cleansed damp face. Laze about like the fabulous mermaid you are for 5 - 10 minutes. Rinse off with cool water. Keep in fridge for a cooling effect!
I LOVE that is a 5 minute mask. I don’t have to “plan” my skin care routine for the day. I can wash my face, slap it on, change my clothes, then rinse it off! You get soft #babyskin in less time than it takes to make a cup of coffee!
Victoria Walsh
Sabbatical Beauty New Product Tester
This mask went on cool and light, with a light sea scent that's clean and refreshing.
This picture is just after rinsing off the mask. My very dry skin feels soft and hydrated, and my cheeks are rosy because my skin is happy! No burning or hives! I adore the Marine serum and this mask takes that feeling up several levels!
Tang Siow Leng Carol
Sabbatical Beauty New Product Tester & Brand Ambassador
This picture is right after masking with Marissa's Mermaid Mask! I love how the mask leaves my face feeling super smooth and soft! It also brightens up my face from within! I am certainly saving my money for when the collection launches so that I can grab more of this mask ❤
Cindi Kraycar
Sabbatical Beauty New Product Tester & Brand Ambassador
The mermaid mask dries quickly, which is nice because it doesn’t take too long to mask with it (about five minutes or so), and the result is glass-like smoothness. It is a gem.
Colors that are opposite each other on the wheel neutralize when mixed together. Neutralize means it turns into a brownish, fleshy, nude color.
After years of working as a professional makeup artist, I noticed one of the most popular lip glosses I sold was a green one! Women who had bright red or pink lips would use green lip gloss to tone down the natural pigment of their lips for more of a nude look.
Look at the color wheel. See where red and green are? Science is pretty neat, huh?
Nude is not a One-Color-Fits-All shade.
Usually when we see a color labeled as “nude” is a light - medium shade with a neutral (equal parts red and yellow) undertone. But here’s the problem: “nude” is supposed to be the color of your skin! And newsflash, Fashion Industry: PEOPLE COME IN ALL DIFFERENT COLORS.
Me modeling for ISSO boutique in San Francisco wearing ZERO makeup
From Urban Decay’s “Naked” line to nude pantyhose, the fashion industry (which cosmetics also falls under) doesn’t try to hide it’s narrow minded, colorist mind set. That’s why the launch of Rihanna’s Fenty makeup line was SO pivotal in the industry! It changed the way other cosmetics brands developed and marketed their products! Because Fenty refused to use WHYTE as the default model, their foundations blew major, long standing brands out of the water! All of a sudden we started to see more brown models advertising a “wide shade range” they always had, but didn’t market. Boo-hoo, losers. That’s what happens when you erase people of color from your branding.
Anywho
That’s why I wanted to create a cosmetic product that not only fit into my lazy, casual lifestyle but also catered to ALL PEOPLE OF EVERY COLOR.
And not only does this amazing avocado oil packed lip tint give you the perfect ‘“No makeup, makeup” pout, it also intensely moisturizes dry, chapped lips. Avocado oil is rich in fatty acids and vitamin E to nourish and soften your skin. Mas Aguacate Lip Tint can also be used to soften cuticles and dry patches! Plus, you know...Avocados! You can’t get more California than that #amirite?
Our reviewers were a little weirded out by a green lip tint at first, but it quickly became one of the most favorited lip balms SB has ever produced! See what they’re saying:
Tang Siow Leng Carol
SB Tester and Brand Ambassador
Lippy version of a healthy green smoothie that ALSO makes your lips nude? Mas Aguacate gotchu! Packed with hardworking avocado oils, my dry flaky lips are now moist and plump. That's a guilt free and cruelty free indulgence I can enjoy 24/7!
Cindi Kraycar
SB Tester and Brand Ambassador
It’s green and oh so moisturizing. And the tint gives me just the right color to calm my tone down just a tad and give me a more casual look. Perfect for a no makeup girl.
Dale Katherine Ireland
SB Tester and Brand Ambassador
Mas Aguacate Lip Balm keeps my lips hydrated, smooth, and calm so that I can get my chill vibe on. Mas Aguacate Lip Balm is my go-to balm because it stays with me, keeps my lips smooth and hydrated, blurs my hyper-pgmintatbon, and it even doubles as a cuticle balm in a pinch!
Of all the products in my Chill Vibes Only Collection, the story behind Marissa’s Moon Glow Essence Mist is the most personal.
I’ve always been freakishly balanced. Even when I do things in excess (which is often) I balance it out by countering it excessively. Ex: I’ll consume absurd amounts of sugar one week - cake, bubble tea, ice cream, cookies - then the next I’ll go on a super annoying health kick where I’m eating that leafy green stuff and only drinking water until my family puts on an intervention.
That being said, Marissa’s Moon Glow Essence Mist was originally called “Sunbeam and Moon Glow Essence Mist” but the title was too long haha. The 2 main ingredients are Lotus and Jasmine extract. Lotuses rise in the morning and Jasmine bloom at night; hence the name. It also represents my balanced nature of Strong and Reliable MOM and Unapologetic, Sensual Woman.
The Lotus
We’ve all been through some shit. I had a pretty rough childhood and faced many adversities from abandonment issues to abuse, being “the poor kid”, and just simply existing as a first generation mixed Asian American female. Even though ALL the cards were stacked against tiny quiet Marissa who didn’t like to make waves, once day I just said “Fuck this.” And just like a delicate lotus flower fighting its way through dense heavy mud, I bloomed into this courageous woman I never thought I could be! I worked my ass off to get what I wanted. I stopped dimming my light. I was just exactly who I was meant to be without fear. All women are lotuses. We just haven’t all bloomed yet.
Jasmine Reminds me not to fall into the “Mom Trap”
There’s this odd idea that once a woman becomes a mother, they have to completely change into the image of 50s sitcom housewife. No more revealing clothes, going dancing with friends, watching their language, or anything else that expresses who they are beyond MOM.
That’s bull-caca wrapped in the judgement of women brainwashed by the patriarchy. Yeah I said it.
I mean it’s cool if you were already conservative in your actions and appearance. But to completely change just because you had a baby?
Look. I have been a full time Stay-at-Home-Mom of 5 for 17 years. I like to cook, knit, sew, help my kids with their school projects, have family game nights and when I have the bandwidth, do thoughtful and loving acts of service for my husband. BUT I am also a woman. A woman that loves to dance, wear low cut shirts, get drunk in public and be sexy. Yes. Sexy. I mean… that is what led to motherhood in the first place, no?
I love being a woman and embracing my sensuality and sexuality. The intoxicating aroma of Jasmine (also believed to be an aphrodisiac) reminds me that I am still Marissa, not just Mom. Even when I look in the mirror and see baggy eyes, a messy bun, stained shirt and 2 babies on my hips staring back, nothing brings me back to myself faster than the scent of Jasmine. I close my eyes and the fragrant night bloom takes over my body and I sway weightlessly as if I’m snuggled in a hammock under the stars. Every woman identifying person should often be feeling herself this way. It’s essential.
Skin Benefits
Hindus believe that India’s Sacred Pink Lotus aka Holy Lotus is where God Creator Brahma was born from. For centuries, Pink Lotus has been used in rituals, medicine and skin care. Benefits of Pink Lotus for skin include:
Pore tightening
Oil control
Complexion Brightening
Hydration
Improved Elasticity
Jasmine, or Sampaguita, is the national flower of the Philippines (where my dad is from). These tiny fragrant shrubs are naturally found in warm or tropical climates and is used for medicinal teas, natural fragrance and skin care! Benefits of Jasmine for skin include:
Evens skin tone
Antioxidant
Lightens dark spots
Softens skin
Reduces scars
Prevents acne
Marissa’s Moon Glow Essence Mist is becoming a favorite amongst Sabbatical Beauty Testers. See what some are saying:
"It brightens and tightens my skin, and I swear it makes me glow like a moon goddess (which I am fairly certain Marissa, in fact, is). I have been less oily since I started using it, and have even been able to move from a full-coverage foundation to a TINTED OIL!!!!"
Rae Muhlstock
Sabbatical Beauty Tester
"II love Marissa’s Moonbeam Mist!! I need this to go into production immediately!! I usually use it as a first serum. It sinks right into my skin and it feels so smooth. Anything I apply after goes on smooth and sinks right in. It’s also perfect for when I’m lazy at night sometimes and don’t wanna do a full routine. I just do a couple sprays after cleansing and go to sleep. I will buy this.
Jackie Pritchett Flavors
Sabbatical Beauty Tester
"Great as a light serum in a shortened routine (my preference in the heat of summer) as well as a midday pick me up. My face feels fresh and bright immediately. Plus. You could also slather me in jasmine any time, so the smell is just heavenly. I only wish I could smell it all day after application."
Molly Daniels
Sabbatical Beauty Tester
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I’m a mother of 5 curious, assertive, and fearless kids.
On most days I have no time for myself.
As much as I would love to indulge in my full 10 step K Beauty skin care routine, it’s just a fantastical daydream as all my limbs seem to be occupied at any given moment.
Enter my Sake Bomb Splash Mask!
A splash mask is the Korean skin care product trending its way into the mainstream Western beauty world. You pat it on in the shower, leave on for 15 seconds to 10 minutes, then rinse off before you turn the water off. 15 seconds with this super potent mask will have you glowing like you just stepped out of the spa instead of your bath tub!
Lazy Summer Days with The Ultimate Glow
The main ingredients in the Splash Mask I designed for SB are sake extract and hops extract, hence Sake Bomb! A sake bomb is beer with a shot of sake in it. I love hot summer nights, chillin’ on my patio with ice cold sake or beer and cutting up with my husband and friends - because why spend hours getting ready, paying for a sitter or having to pay for a ride home?
Aside from being my 2 favorite recreational beverages, sake and beer do amazing things for your skin.
— Marissa
Sake Benefits For Skin
Helps Dark Spots
Fades hyperpigmentation (sun spots, age spots, scarring)
Softens Skin
Softens skin like a baby’s bottom
Anti Aging
Reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
How Beer and Hops Help Your Skin
Balances Oil Production
No more oil slick!
Brightening
Brightens skin for a radiant glow
Heals Acne
Calms angry acne by being anti-inflammatory
Formulation
And EVEN THOUGH these ingredients are already incredible, Adeline Koh, Founder, Master Formulator and Genius Mad Scientist of Sabbatical Beauty, added glycolic acid to the recipe! Like… a lot. You pretty much get a glycolic facial treatment in seconds.
Application Tips
That’s why you have to make sure the mask is
1.) Applied to a wet face and
2.) Rinsed off.
You may feel a tingle and that’s normal, but if it starts to burn - time to rinse it off! How long you keep it on depends on the strength of your skin, so make sure spot test first.
My First Time
The first time I used this mask, I stepped out of the shower BEAMING skin! My skin felt smooth and matte. No sticky. No oily. No bumpy. While my skin felt tight in the shower while the mask was one, once I dried off the tightness went away!
My skin felt comfortable in every way. The Sake Bomb Splash Mask also shrunk my pores more than any other product I’ve used.
I literally had my ideal perfect skin!
I’m not the only one who fell in love with Sake Bomb Splash Mask.
Check out what our testers are saying!
“Sake Bomb Mask...WOW! I've used it the last two days in the shower (after double cleanse with VCO + Rice Against The Patriarchy) and it has cleared out the very prone acne area on my chin! This will be a game changer this spring (if it ever comes), and definitely during the summer! Really excited for the release as it will definitely be on my list of things to get!”
Jennifer Miller
Sabbatical Beauty Tester
"Sake Bomb is the BOMB! I love the way it makes my skin feel like glass after applying it. The tingle let's me know it's working and it's never been too much. I've used in the shower and out. I get the best results in the shower. I think that is due to the steam opening my pores. Either way I love it!"
Dawn Travesio
Sabbatical Beauty Tester
"Sake Splash is the only mask I am bringing with me on a trip to Spain. I can't believe how much I love this stuff...My pores seem smaller, my complexion brighter and more even. I believe it is one of the products I have been using recently that has allowed me to make the thrilling switch from a full coverage foundation to a light tinted oil. I am so pleased and must have a full size as soon as humanly possible!"
Cannabis Sativa Massage Balm was inspired by my love for cannabis and facial massage. Being a native Northern Californian, weed culture was never really taboo because it is so mainstream. Marijuana was an amazing herbal remedy for pain, anxiety, lack of focus and just chillin’ with my family and friends. I wanted to bring that same comfort to all of you!
The Deets
Cannabis Sativa seed oil, the main ingredient in my massage balm, is made of cold pressed hemp seeds. It is high in antioxidants and omega 3 and 6 fatty acids and is also anti-inflammatory. Hemp is non-comedogenic (won’t clog pores) and fast absorbing making this the perfect facial oil for dry and oily skin types alike. Hemp is bred to be low in THC.
With a dreamy slip and cushy texture (Thanks to Master Formulator Adeline Koh), Cannabis Sativa Massage Balm gives the perfect glide for facial massage. Facial massage helps to stimulate blood circulation and collagen production, giving you a radiant complexion and firmer tone.
Facial Massage Infographic
How To Massage Your Face!
Why Facial Massage Will Give You Tauter, Younger & Healthier Skin
My Guide To The Best Facial Massage Products
Facial Massage Techniques Part 1: Getting Started
Facial Massage Techniques Part 2: Target Areas
Facial Massage Techniques Part 3: Neck & Decolletage
Sabbatical Beauty Testers of my massage balm have reported the following:
Less oil production
Perfectly hydrated once super dry skin
Less acne breakouts
Faster acne healing
Reduction in redness
Healed chapped skin
Soothing feeling
"I use it on my crusty heels of my feet and they are softening up very nicely!”
Gretchen McKay
Sabbatical Beauty Brand Ambassador
"It has literally restored my ever-cracking cuticles back to life!”
Geula Ferguson
Sabbatical Beauty Tester
"I use it on my 2yo eczema spots and my elbows/feet. It's so moisturizing and so nice."
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https://sabbaticalbeauty.com/blogs/blog/marissas-chill-vibes-only-collection2019-06-04T09:38:10-04:002019-06-04T09:54:44-04:00Marissa's Chill Vibes Only CollectionAdeline Koh
Summer. By Marissa.
Clock out, throw all fucks away and exhale…
Marissa’s Chill Vibes Collection is the ultimate self care for lazy summer daze.
Through my first ever collection designed for Sabbatical Beauty, I tell a story with each of my products - Where I came from. How I enjoy life. My evolution.
I want people to know that it’s ok to be lazy. We’ve all struggled through so much in our lives that we deserve a damn break without making our skin suffer. Sure an hour long skin care routine is wonderful, but it’s not practical. That’s why I created multifunctional products that are highly effective without requiring more than 5 minutes a day.
No one wants to spend an hour getting ready while on vacation.
I know when I’m going to the beach or amusement park, I just want to shower, brush my teeth and go! That’s why I designed the Sake Bomb Splash Mask. Just 15 seconds of masking in the shower gives you a fresh out the spa radiance!
Looking a little oily or feeling dry? Let the essence of sensual Jasmine and fresh lotus rehydrate parched skin. Marissa’s Moon Glow Mist can be used as your toner, essence, facial mist, makeup setter and sheet mask supercharger!
I have a love/hate relationship with makeup. I love how makeup looks on me, but I hate putting it on and even more; taking it off! So even though I’ve been a professional makeup artist for 15 years, I hardly wear any. I designed Mas Aguacate! Lip balm with a green tint to neutralize your bright red or pink pout for that trendy no-makeup makeup look! Avocado oil moisturizes while matcha powder gives you a perfect nude lip.
I LOVE the ocean. The beach is the only place I can be still and clear my mind. My favorite thing to do is take a nap with my feet grounded in the sand and let the salty breeze whisk all my worries away. At the end of the day, not only am I relaxed, but my skin looks and feels amazing! Marissa’s Mermaid Jelly Mask was designed to give you that same feeling even if you’re miles away from the beach. 90% Sea kelp bioferment will brighten, and even skin tone, increase collagen production, and drench parched skin with cool hydration!
Ready for a night cap? We can’t all be on vacation this summer, and that’s why I wanted to bring the vacation to you! When you can’t make it to a resort spa, treat yourself with the ultimate self-care practice of facial massage. My relaxing Cannabis Sativa Massage Balm is fast absorbing and calming. Perfect for facial massage or anywhere else on your body!
Whether you're traveling, working, or just chillin' at home all summer, these products will keep you feeling your best with minimum effort!
Peace, Love and Light,
Marissa
Watch my Chill Vibes Only exclusive live reveal!
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https://sabbaticalbeauty.com/blogs/blog/rice-benefits-for-skin2019-05-02T17:53:41-04:002019-05-03T13:14:40-04:00Rice Benefits For Skin: How I Designed The Carol Serum For Your Skin MicrobiomeAdeline Koh
What are rice benefits for skin? And do they actually work?
Asian cultures have harnessed the power of rice for centuries for its brightening and anti-aging power.
Watch Marissa explain to you all the benefits rice can bestow onto your face:
This week, I'm going to address the topic of your skin microbiome (which is connected to, yet separate from your gut microbiome) and how I tried to design the ultimate topical skin microbiome serum.
So: this week, I'm going to:
Explain WTF your "skin microbiome" is and why you should care about it if you want that kbeauty cloudess skin and to understand if what you're using can be used by your skin to actually heal from within,
But UNLIKE me who has dry AF sensitive skin, Carol's skin is oily/combination. Which means, given her sauna-like living conditions year round, she's probably never going to be able to tolerate my Sake & Rice Sleeping Pack, which I designed for post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, age spots and maximum hydration.
SO: Carol's Sake & Rice Probiotic Serum has the following:
THREE types of rice (fermented rice, sake, hydrolyzed rice proteins) for intense brightening powers. sake contains kojic acid, an essential element to fading dark spots and anti-aging, while fermented rice and hydrolyzed proteins are proteins that have been rendered small enough to penetrate deeper in your skin, thus having a more intense effect.
Fermented White Willow Bark: White Willow Bark is where the Beta Hydroxy Acid, Salicylic Acid is derived from. Fermenting the white willow bark predigests it so that the beta hydroxy acid is more easily absorbed into your skin, which regulates your oil production and may also contribute to the reduced appearance of spots and scars.
Fermented Lemon Peel. Lemon peel is concentrated with antioxidants, which are celebrated brightening agents. Fermenting the lemon peel allows your skin to better absorb its good qualities.
Niacinamide (vitamin B3) & N-acetyl Glucosamine: This is a potent combination for lightening age spots and scars.
Panthenol (vitamin B5), maintains your healthy skin barrier so that it doesn't get too dry or too oily
Fermented Bamboo, for deep hydration and to improve serum texture
Ginger, Garlic, Wasabi extracts, Fermented Coconut & Fermented Radish - to naturally preserve the product.
Why did I decide to love on rice so much that I used three types of rice in the Carol's Sake & Rice Serum? Because as you remember from Marissa's video ABOVE ^, you know that rice is a ridiculously effective natural ingredient for hyperpigmentation, and I know how much Carolbrightening her skin tone and evening her complexion.
Also, because age spots often plague Asian women as our first signs of aging, I knew a topical product that would help any discoloration would be #1 on her list!
And, most of all, I needed to make a serum that would work optimally with her skin microbiome -- a developing new field of dermatology and cosmetic research.
WTF Is My Skin Microbiome And Why Should I Care?
Ok, so cool about the serum. Why am I making you suddenly read about the skin microbiome?
Because the answer as to whether topicalskincare ingredients are actually effective at all -- has everything to do with your skin microbiome!
One question skincare bloggers and Redditors are obsessed with is the question: can skincare products actually penetrate deeply enough into your skin to work?
Skin care bloggers and many forums claim that many ingredients cannot actually penetrate the skin deeply enough for the good stuff to be used. For example, I've heard claims that collagen (which is formed in your dermis, and is critical to all types of skin renewal (plumping, firming, diminishing fine lines, helping redness) is too large a molecule to actually work when you apply it topically. Because it is too big to actually be absorbed.
So, just like you would ask about collagen, you should ask: would the rice extract in each of my ingredients be able to be processed by your skin at an effective enough topical level?
In other words, how do you know if the rice extract in skincare products actually penetrate deeply enough to brighten your skin and even your skin tone?
The answer lies in understanding your skin microbiome.
Now that you know answering the question as to whether topical products are effective lies in your skin microbiome, WTF is your skin microbiome anyway?
In summary: allll the invisible, teeny bugs that can't be seen by the human eye that live on the surface of your skin (allll the way down to the deepest layers of your skin.) These bugs are known as your microbiota, and they live in symbiosis with your skin. Living in symbosis means that they work in tandem with your skin--these microbiota get food from your skin, and the byproducts of the microbes' digestion makes yummy things like proteins that your skin needs to function well.
A single square centimeter of the human skin can contain up to one billion microorganisms (including bacteria, fungi, mites and viruses). While bacteria only makes up 0.1% of this billion (1 million organisms per square centimeter), they are considered the most important organisms because of the symbiotic role they play with human cells. You can find bacteria not only on your skin surface, but all the way down the skin layers (in the deeper layers of the epidermis, the dermis and the dermal adipose tissue <--that's all the way DOWN until it ain't skin any longer).
As I explained in last month's blog post, microbiologists are only now starting to understand how these skin microbiota (the bacteria on your skin, as well as in different parts of your body, like your gut and vagina) may play a critical role in helping us to understand how disease occurs and develops in the human body.
Your skin has both good and bad bacteria living on it. And together with your skin cells, this forms your "skin microbiome" - an environment where microbiota live in communication with your skin. A healthy microbiome is one which contains a great diversity of bacteria, and is rich in commensal bacteria.
An unhealthy microbiome is in dysbiosis, and as you can see from figure 1, dysbiosis leads to an impaired skin barrier, which can result in redness/inflammation, acne, rosacea, overly dry or oily skin, and more.
As microbiologist dermatologists like Whitney Bowe [2] have said, to maintain a healthy skin microbiome, you need to throw out those hand sanitizers and anything labeled antibacterial. Because "antibacterial" gels, lotions, sprays etc. get rid of all the bacteria on your skin -- good and bad. (Natural antimicrobials like honey or tea tree oil are fine, use those in place of a gel thats marketed as "antimicrobial."
Why avoid artificial antimicrobials? Because scraping your skin of all your good bacteria can mean leaving it more open to threat--and making it easier for bad bacteria to come and take over.
It also means, however, trying to add good bacteria to your skin, and the food for good bacteria.
And this is How I Designed TheCarol's Sake & Rice Serum: designing the serum that will most quickly restore the health of your skin microbiome when topically applied. Effectively, by designing probiotic skincare.
Probiotic Skincare
Note: while Carol's Sake & Rice Serum is the very first product of ours to be marketed as probiotic skincare, even though the majority of Sabbatical Beauty products are actually probiotic -- because we use so many fermented natural extracts in our products, and in high percentages too!
What defines the field of probiotic skincare?
Probiotic Skincare can contain 3 types of probiotics:
1. Probiotics, or live bacteria. Those pills you eat? The bacteria in yogurt? Live. But the FDA has made the presence of bacteria in cosmetics illegal, so we can't go that route. (Yes, I know that there is a venture funded beauty company selling a spray with live bacteria; I don't have the venture funding to go down that risky route. So don't @ me about this.)
2. Post-biotics. This is bacteria that has been killed, or lysed. In our Sabbatical Beauty extracts, we normally have the bacteria working on fermenting a natural extract (in the Carol Serum, fermented rice), and then "lyse" the bacteria. This way, your skin gets both the benefit of rice in terms of what it naturally contains, as well as the metabolites of the bacteria, or the predigested rice products of the bacteria, which your skin needs to do the difficult work of cell regeneration properly.
3. Prebiotics, or the actual food for the live good bacteria present on your skin right now. If you feed the good bacteria food it actually knows and loves, it will reproduce madly - helping to improve the dysbiosis of your skin microbiome, and helping with overly oily or dry skin, signs of aging, redness, irritation, acne and more! (Scientists are currently studying the ideal skin prebiotic, or skin "good bacteria" food, and beta glucan is key. Beta Glucan is a key part of my Lift Pressed Serum now in development (A reformulated Lift Pressed Serum will be coming the May Sabbatical Beauty Testers. Join the Sabbatical Beauty Facebook group to find out how to join Testers).
Three Types Of Rice For The Perfect Probiotic Serum
With designing for your skin microbiome in mind, I chose three types of rice extracts which would most benefit your skin!
Fermented Rice: Fermentation increases the bioavailability of nutrients in the rice bran -- the most nutrient rich part of rice, But also the most difficult to digest.
Fermentation increases the bioavailability of nutrients because the commensal bacteria have already predigested the rice for your skin, and produced their metabolites -- what comes out of their digestion! Your skin needs these metabolites, which act like predigested food to the existing bacteria.
But because no live bacteria are allowed in your cosmetics by the FDA, the bacteria is then lysed, or killed. But because the rice is already predigested, your skin can more easily use all the good stuff in it that works to brighten and tone your skin.
(Fermented RICE: INCI name: Lactobacillus/Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bioferment) Use code SABBATICAL to save 10% off this ingredient at our supplier, Formulator Sample Shop).
Existing SB products with fermented rice:
Sake
Sake Extract: What happens when rice ferments long enough? You get sake, which is basically ricewine, since alcohol develops from a long fermentation period.
So here: you're getting the results of a long rice fermentation. Sake is the "miracle ingredient" in Japanese skincare; it is said that skincare companies only discovered how miraculous sake is while observing the hands of manual workers making sake. While their faces were elderly and lined, their hands were still young and smooth.
The magic ingredient in sake is the development of kojic acid in the sake process, which inhibits melanin production, thereby lessening the appearance of age spots and evening skin tone.
Remember how I talked about collagen earlier? About whether it can actually permeate the skin? Well, in researching collagen molecule size I came across hydrolyzed collagen, which is a popular oral supplement. Hydrolyzed collagen would be proteins hydrolyzed small enough that they might be able to penetrate to the lower levels of your skin, depending on the mode of delivery.
So, borrowing from that, I added hydrolyzed rice protein to your Carol's Sake and Rice Serum, which are proteins small enough that they might be able to permeate the lower levels of your epidermis.
I'm honestly not sure that if it 100% would, and how far down your skin the proteins can permeate -- and would love to figure it out if someone could suggest an experiment!
Adeline Koh, Ph.D. is the founder and CEO of Sabbatical Beauty, a small-batch, handcrafted Korean-beauty influenced company based in Philadelphia, PA. Sabbatical Beauty has been featured in media outlets like Allure, Slate, Shape and many more.
Our products contain higher percentages of active ingredients than the majority of products on the market. This means you can see amazing differences very quickly, and with only a scant amount of product.
Our products are manufactured in-house by a small team of women in Philadelphia, PA, in small batches, with love.
Our products are never tested on animals, just Adeline and Sabbatical Beauty employees.
Everyone who works for Sabbatical Beauty earns a living wage.
WHAT DO PEOPLE LOVE ABOUT SABBATICAL BEAUTY?
Our stuff works. And works quickly, period. And we sell sample sizes, so you don't need to commit a lot financially to test if a product works for your individual skin chemistry.
Our mission as a feminist company is not to sell you skincare as something that you need, but rather a routine that will help you with prioritizing yourself and own needs for self-care.
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https://sabbaticalbeauty.com/blogs/blog/cloudless-skin2019-04-03T16:25:39-04:002022-09-08T01:58:32-04:00Achieving Dat Cloudless, Chok-Chok BTS-member Skin with Crispy Potato Smashies from the Chrissy Teigen CookbookAdeline KohMore]]>
So while helping one of my favorite Sabbatical Beauty customers troubleshoot her routine into achieving that cloudless, chok-chok skin every Korean skincare aficionado is after, I realized a fantastic way to explain to you my new skincare research obsession. This obsession of mine is on the microbiome: new developments in microbiology that are radically affecting cutting-edge skin care.
Why is understanding the microbiome critical to getting that kbeauty glass skin? Because microbiome research is causing a seismic shift in dermatology. Meaning: what you’re going to be putting your skin in the next five-ten years will be fundamentally changing because of this shift. Or, in other words-- only through your microbiome will you find the way to achieving the ultimate chok chok almost biteable k-pop idol skin!
Now that I’ve sold you on reading at least this far, you’re probably saying: ok fine. So wtf is the microbiome anyway? The term “microbiome” refers to microorganisms that live in a particular environment. Your gut has a microbiome, and scientists are only starting to understand how critical the gut microbiome is to your overall health. Your skin also has a separate microbiome. And for that matter, so do different parts of your body -- your mouth, nose and even your genitalia! Properly feeding and caring for your microbiome is fundamental not just to good health--but to that glowing skin we all crave!
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s go back to the original skin consultation I was having with one of my favorite customers and now friend, Carol Tang.
Treat Your Skin Like The Empress She Truly Is
If you don’t know who Carol is, she’s one of the most beloved members of our tight-knit skincare community. Carol is from tropical, sunny Singapore, is my age (we both just turned forty!), and has been beset by oily skin and large pores since her teens. Although Sabbatical Beauty had achieved the miracle of transforming what she used to call a permanent “oil slick” to more combination skin, she still wondered if she could regulate her facial oil production even more and maybe reduce the appearance of her clogged pores, which still bothered her enough for her to refer to her nose as a “strawberry”.
The Lovely Carol
As I talked to Carol about her skin, we both realized how much mainstream beauty products catering to oily and acne-prone skin had actually made her oily skin even worse.
The reason for this is twofold. First, as most dermatologists recognize, most customers with oily skin overcleanse their skin in an effort to remove excess oil. Overcleansing the skin dehydrates it. And your skin treats dehydration as an attack (in dermatology-speak, an “insult”, which I find hilarious. I always imagine your skin in a pearl-clutching outrage because of some “insult upon her character”, which makes me smile).
Your skin treats this dehydration as an attack -- because if your skin is dried out, it cannot form an effective barrier between your insides and the outside world. So, in an effort to protect your body, your skin produces even more oil to act as a protective barrier. And what do you do in response? You try your best to remove that barrier through cleansing again, because your skin feels too oily! Overcleansing is a vicious cycle that ironically leads to even more prolific oil production.
The second reason is that most of the skincare products marketed to consumers with oily skin is much too harsh, and has the effect of making your skin feel that it is under even greater attack (in dermatological speak, this is called when your skin’s barrier is even more compromised). “Oil-free” cleansers, sold to folks who are worried that putting oil on their face will cause even more oil to freely flow out of their pores, are often harshly alkaline, meaning that they disrupt your skin’s naturally acidic barrier (Your skin’s natural pH is acidic, and is generally between 4.2-5.6). When you put a harshly alkaline cleanser on your face, you disrupt your skin’s acidity, making it more hospitable to bad bacteria that can cause acne. (The good bacteria likes an acidic pH, the bad bacteria likes it more alkaline). The reasons why most brands do this is because customer’s feel that a “soapy” cleanser cleans more deeply than something which isn’t as sudsy. But making cleansers soapy actually makes them more alkaline-- you need low-pH to maintain your skin’s health, and low-pH cleansers are generally not satisfyingly foamy the way the high pH ones are.
Another example of how mainstream skincare products for “oily” skinned folks actually make skin even more oily-- ingredients like alcohol are often near the top of the ingredient list. This is done because alcohol evaporates quickly, which helps to reduce the feeling of being sticky and cloying. But by doing that, alcohol also takes the water that is already in your skin away with it as it evaporates, making your skin even more dehydrated. The net effect of this is that when you put on, say, an alcohol-based toner, your oily skin will feel light and matte at first, but in a few hours you’ll feel even more oily than before you started. Because your toner dehydrated your skin, your skin is producing even more oily to counteract the damage you’ve done to it.
Carol’s routine was already massively improving her skin because of her switch to using Sabbatical Beauty exclusively. Her skin had changed from oily to combination in under a year, and products were absorbing a lot better than they were in the past. And we were trying to further troubleshoot her skin by giving her more moisture in her routine, instead of taking it away, which regulated her oil production even further, because her skin was no longer dehydrated.
I commented to Carol, that her skin was really smart because even though she had been trying to harm it unintentionally, it was resilient enough to defend itself from her dehydrating attacks--by making her even more oily.
Carol then commented that her skin was “so scheming”, because it resisted her best efforts to tame it of oil by producing even more oil, which had us both falling apart laughing. We then compared our skin to the ways the Empress Dowager is represented in Hong Kong and Taiwanese television dramas we both watched as young women in the 1990s. In these dramas, the Empress is a scheming, manipulative powerhouse that you’re encouraged to both dislike yet have a ton of respect for due to her tenacity!
Leaky Gut, Leaky Skin: Understanding Your Gut-Brain-Skin Axis
And then I realized the perfect way to explain how microbiome research to you guys: because your body works exactly like a kingdom: with different centers of power, all which have their own autonomy and their own power. And your skin, as an Empress, is one of those centers of power.
This is what in microbial dermatology is called the gut-brain-skin-axis, or, simply put, what you eat is linked to your mood, may contribute to brain disorders like epilepsy, Alzheimers and Parkinson's, and even whether you may suffer from skin conditions like acne, eczema and psoriasis.
What I’m calling “centers of power” here are the various nervous systems contained within your body. While you’re probably familiar with your central nervous system, which lives in your brain, you probably did not know that your gut has its own independent nervous system, called the enteric nervous system, and that your skin (along with your joints and muscles) even has its own nervous independent system called the somatic nervous system.
The Gut-Skin-Brain Axis
Microbiology research has shown that these nervous systems do not function just through what your body does alone, but through the very important help that the microbes that live in these environments provide. Everywhere you look, there are microbes: tiny little microscopic bacteria invisible to the human eye, that live in symbosis with the human body. Specifically, your body helps to provide these microbes with the food they need to survive and an environment safe from other predators. In turn, these microbes make important byproducts (known as “metabolites”) from this food, which we humans cannot manufacture on our own, and which we need to function.
Microbiome research is fundamentally changing dermatology because these metabolites actually make up what scientists now say is a language -- a language which allows these microbes to communicate with us, for our gut, brain and skin to communicate with each other, and for us even to communicate with the bodies of other creatures! Looking at things on a microbial level, it looks like your skin actually thinks and talks to your brain. And that it’s a two way street -- your brain also talks to your skin. Correspondingly, what you eat will affect what your skin looks like, because if you have digestion issues, this will translate into your skin being less able to defend itself as your gut and brain are busy trying to heal your gut and brain from the digestion disruption.
You’ve probably heard of leaky gut syndrome. Microbiological studies have repeatedly shown that an overpopulation of undesirable bacteria, and not enough good bacteria in your gut, means that your intestinal barrier may be compromised. This leads, among other things, to potentially painful problems with digestion, and scientists are now conjecturing that it can also lead to brain disorders like epilepsy and Alzheimers because of the language which your gut communicates with your skin.
You can also have leaky skin, which is when your skin’s natural barrier is compromised. I gave some examples above with Carol about how the way most oily skinned-folks treat their skin actually leads to a compromised skin barrier, through the use of harsh alkaline cleansers, excessive cleansing and more. When your skin barrier is compromised, harmful substances can pass through your skin. A compromised skin barrier is at fault when you have rosacea and eczema. What happens is that your skin can’t retain moisture because its barrier has been broken. This allows allergens and irritants from the environment to deeply penetrate your skin and trigger inflammation -- an immune response from your skin that results in redness, sores, dry scaly patches and more.
Moreover, stress hormones like cortisol work as part of that microbial language between microbes and different parts of your body. So if your skin is stressed, your brain will be stressed, and in turn, your gut. And if you eat things which do not provide enough food for your gut microbes, or don’t have enough good gut bacteria, this is going to also show up on your skin.
What all this means is that one of the most effective ways to improve your skin is to eat things that will help to heal your gut microbiome-- meaning, help proliferate the good bacteria in your gut by adding more good bacteria (through fermented foods and probiotics) and by eating things which provide food for that good bacteria to thrive (such as fruits, vegetables and sources of resistant starch, like potatoes).
How I Eat To Get Dat Glass Skin: My Not-Static Principles Of Eating This Way
Since I’ve started on my microbiome research, I’ve fundamentally changed the way that I eat to heal my gut microbiome. Not just has this led to improved skin, it’s also changed my life in other ways. I’ve had the following results which may appeal to you: more energy, improved mood, and better fitting clothes.
I’ve achieved the following results just by eating alongside the principles I outline below:
Try to cover at least ½ your plate with plant fiber. This means fruit and vegetables. This plant fiber provides your good gut microbes with important food (“prebiotics”) that it needs to produce the metabolites that your body needs.
Grains and starchy vegetables are okay, but the best ways to consume them is either through fermenting them, or by cooking and cooling them, which increases their resistant starch content. Resistant Starch is ideal good microbe food, and cooked and cooled rice and potatoes are good sources of resistant starch.
Reduce the use of sugar and most sugar substitutes, except for stevia and sugar alcohols like erythritol. Sugar and the majority of sugar substitutes encourage bad bacteria and suppress good bacteria. Honey, especially natural and unprocessed honey, or maple syrup, are also good substitutes as they are prebiotics -- they provide food for the good microbes.
Eat animal protein sparingly-- I usually have a palm sized amount or less.
Eat good sources of fat, which include high quality, grassfed butter, lard and other animal fats, avocados and olives -- but not in large amounts as they can slow digestion.
Eat some kinds of dairy. Fermented dairy is the best (yogurt, kefir, cheese), and high quality, full-fat, non-homogenized raw milk is also okay on this diet. Even though I sometimes have lactose intolerance issues, I do well with raw milk and fermented dairy.
Yes to all fermented foods and non-alcoholic drinks-- I’m especially addicted to Kombucha, and kimchi tuna stew is one of my favorite happy gut comfort foods.
Incorporate a probiotic pill daily--look for a pill that contains at least 50 billion colony forming units at the time of manufacture. (Here’s what I take).
Alcohol is fine, but only in moderation (not more than two servings at a time).
I've included an infographic for you below to remember the rules easily. Scroll past it to get to the Crispy Potato Smashies!
I want to emphasize that these principles are my own and adapted to my individual gut microbiome based on my experiments, and may not work for everyone. I’ve adopted them through the course of my gut research, but they are not comprehensive-- I will continue to revise them as I continue my own research and experimentation.
But one of the best things I’ve found, is that unlike the majority of fad “healthy” diets currently en vogue, that carbohydrates are fine, especially if they come from whole food sources. As long as you cook and cool them to increase their resistant starch content, or ferment them so they are easier for your body to digest, you can have carbs. Just remember that the highest source of plant fiber is resident in green leafy vegetables, so make sure to have a good amount of greens with those carbs!
Which leads me, finally, to why Crispy Potato Smashies will help you to achieve that cloudless, chok-chok BTS-member skin.
My Gut-Healing, Chok Chok Skin Getting, Crispy Potato Smashies Recipe
One of my favorite things to eat are french fries. Crispy Potato Smashies -- which I first learned about from Chrissy Teigen’s new cookbook, Hungry For More are essentially boiled and baked crispy little potatoes. Imagine if a baked potato and a French fry had a baby, and that very tasty baby was very good for your gut microbiome.
That’s my adaptation of Crispy Potato Smashies below.
Why and how this recipe leads to you getting some chok chok skin:
Potatoes are naturally high in vitamin C (good for your skin), and in resistant starch, which your gut microbes use as food.
Cooking and cooling the potatoes will increase the amount of resistant starch in them
Boiling and then baking allows you to use less oil, as excessive amounts of oil are not good for your digestion
Cooking with fresh herbs increases the amount of antioxidants you’re ingesting, also a great source of skin health.
Also, I trust Chrissy Teigen to come up with deliciousness. First of all her Thai garlic pork congee is epic (the original version), secondly, I love her politics and thirdly, her hilarious twitter account make her one of my favorite celebrities.
SO: this is my version of Chrissy Teigen’s Crispy Potato Smashies, redone to up the flavor AND to increase its goodness for your gut (and skin!) microbiome.
Duck Fat Crispy Potato Smashies With Fresh Rosemary Recipe
Ingredients:
Baby potatoes (about ½ pound, or 200g)
Salt (as needed)
Water to boil potatoes (as needed)
Rosemary (2 fresh sprigs. You can use dried in a pinch, but reduce to 2 tsp.)
Duck Fat (2 tbsp)
Instructions:
Add enough water to cover the unpeeled baby potatoes, and salt the water until it’s as salty as the sea.
Boil unpeeled baby potatoes until u can stick a fork in one easily, about 15-20 minutes.
Drain potatoes. Return to pot or mixing bowl. Add 1 tbsp of duck fat and toss until melted, and fresh rosemary leaves. Toss until well distributed.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or oil it, so the smashies won’t stick. Then smash the boiled potatoes flat (SMASHIES, geddit) with the back of a spoon or fork. The palm of your hand is good if that's what you have. You want lots of fuzzy sides, the more texture you create, the more than will crisp up in your oven for absolute Maillard-effect deliciousness.
5. Place smashies in fridge for at least 8 hours or until completely cool. (This is how you increase the amount of resistant starch in them.)
6. Spread smashies onto a baking sheet, and cook at 425F/210C until done (about 20 minutes, depending on your oven.) Flip once to get crispy deliciousness on both sides.
7. Taste. Top with more salt as desired and serve.
8. NOM.
And now... here's an infographic for the Crispy Potato Smashies recipe!
The next step to achieving that Chok Chok, Cloudless Skin through understanding your microbiome?
Sign up for the Homebrew Revolution - where in Phase 1, or what I am calling the “Carol” semester (yes, the Carol mentioned above!), I will be teaching you how I formulated the Carol Serum just for Carol’s skin concerns -- oil reducing, skin tone evening and anti aging, through my microbiome research!
Want to read more about the gut-skin-brain axis and the role the microbiome plays in your skin health? I've listed some good references below. It isn't an exhaustive list, however. Note that microbiome science is still in its infancy and many of its conclusions are limited to small human studies or animal models.
So as part of my gift for my fortieth birthday, my sweet husband gifted me a facial at my favorite spa in the USA, Rescue Spa, where I saw my favorite esthetician, Magda!
When we were geeking out over new stuff in skincare, she told me about a hack that I knew would work really well for you if you're suffering from irritated, reddened skin from winter dryness, if you overcleanse too much because you have oily skin, and if you want to diminish the appearance of those fine lines.
Want more dedicated advice and skincare tips? Make sure to join our exclusive Facebook Group for tips and tricks, user reviews and more! 💞
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https://sabbaticalbeauty.com/blogs/blog/homebrew-cosmetic-chemistry2019-02-27T22:04:53-05:002019-05-18T22:00:50-04:00Homebrew Beauty Revolution: Cosmetic Chemistry in Your KitchenAdeline Koh
This is the story of how my anger at the beauty industry made me start the Homebrew Beauty Revolution. [1]
In this blog post, you’ll hear a tale of how toxicity conducted at different levels of the beauty industry drove me to create the most radical experiment I’ve ever conducted in my life.
My name is Adeline Koh, former professor and founder of Sabbatical Beauty, a small batch, luxury, Korean beauty inspired beauty company. I founded Sabbatical Beauty in 2016, and we achieved a gross annual revenue of $780 000 in 2018. [2]
The Homebrew Beauty Revolution is my experiment to answer my research question below.
Research Question
Is it possible to radically change the beauty industry, so that we can get better beauty products and stop all the toxic infighting?
What if we acted by working together instead of tearing each other apart?
Introduction
I have 2 reasons for conducting this experiment.
TL;DR, it's because Imma Mad.
Reason 1: Because Beauty Companies Think We’re Stupid
Imma Mad #1. In 2012, I was obsessed with the Sephora skincare section. I used to stare longingly at all the high-end, magical skin potions highlighted in Sephora’s different brand sections. Sunday Riley’s amazing facial oils and exfoliants. Tatcha’s beautiful Geisha packaging. Tata Harper’s sleek and gorgeously scented cleansers and masks. Herbivore’s minimalist aesthetic. All of them spoke to me in different ways with their beautiful packaging and appealing branding. And these continue to be some of my favorite brands till today, unlike the majority of high-end skincare.
I would walk through each aisle slowly on weekends, pausing to gaze on each product and its pretty, expertly-tailored-to-the-late-millennial-woman’s-aesthetic packaging. The beauty products looked like little diamonds in the spotlight. The bright spotlights of the store would catch the sparkle of the plastic packaging, making each product appear like a beautiful gemstone encased in a jewelry display booth.
I wondered what it would be like to be like Sunday Riley, who first started her line by mixing up experiments in her kitchen and giving them to friends and family to try. Or to be like Tiffany Masterson, who developed Drunk Elephant because she couldn’t get the exact mixture she wanted at Sephora. And I would dream of making my own potions one day, and of much how I would enjoy the process.
That dream ended up coming true. I started making my own skincare serums, moisturizers, oil balms and more in my own kitchen, in 2015. My skin changed, the way it hadn’t with all the other skincare lines I’ve used my whole life.
My skin in 2011. No makeup, no filters.
My skin in February 2019. No makeup, no filters.
My friends, awed, wanted their skin to change like mine had. So they bugged me to sell to them, which I first did at cost. And their skin changed. My experiments were so effective in changing their skin that they started nagging me to start my own beauty brand. And I did, with the launch of Sabbatical Beauty in late 2015.
In the process of starting Sabbatical Beauty, I took a class on cosmetic chemistry. In the class I heard the teacher pronounce that the active ingredients in most products were nothing but “fairy dust.” That they were only included for marketing purposes, and not in percentages large enough to make them therapeutically effective. [3]
More magic, less dust in our skincare please.
And that made me mad furious.
Furious that the people who were formulating these products for us had so little respect for our intelligence. Furious that they thought we could be sated with clever marketing and scientific babble. Furious they thought we did not, would not, and would never know better. Furious that they thought we were too vain and empty headed to care, or ever know better.
And that is Imma Mad #1: why I want to conduct this experiment to prove that teaching you to homebrew your own beauty can only be good for both beauty consumers and beauty products.
Reason 2: Because I’m Sick Of Toxicity Of The Beauty Industry.
If you’ve ever known anyone with a Ph.D., you’d know that they probably are nerds. Incredibly obsessive nerds. Majorly, incredibly obsessive nerds. So majorly, incredibly obsessive that sometimes they turn their research interests into completely new careers. Mea culpa: I quit my job as a tenured Associate Professor of Postcolonial Literature and Digital Humanities and my role as Director of the Digital Humanities Center in 2017, because Sabbatical Beauty had grossed a multi-six figure gross revenue in 2016.
Me in 2011 in my past job as a professor. I'm with my dissertation advisor, student and fellow colleagues, on a panel I organized at the National Women's Studies Association. I'm the second one from the left.
My obsession that spawned Sabbatical Beauty started in 2015, a year after Into the Gloss first published the article featuring Charlotte Cho, owner of Soko Glam, and the 10 Step Korean skincare regimen. I was inspired by the products, the regimen and the entire concept. The product names recalled all the Asian herbs I used to have to eat to boost my health, as a child growing up in Singapore. Ginseng. Sake. Goji berries. Bamboo. Every child with an Asian parent knows of which I speak, because they’ve been forced to down bitter herbal tonics in the name of improving their health or doing well in their finals.
And the entire 10 step regimen sounded sooooo soothing. I was exhausted after a whole bunch of academic political battles (spoiler: white male professors who were at the top of my digital humanities subfield were furious that I was leading the vanguard in pointing out the whiteness, and maleness of the field) , and that sounded like something that I could enjoy meticulously performing while in the bath, another one of the ways I sought to relax.
I was desperate for a way to deal with my persistently dry, yet oily and acne prone skin. I grew up in Singapore, which is hot, humid and tropical all year around. When I arrived at the University of Michigan in 2001, I went from never having seen snow before to landing in the middle of January in a snowy Ann Arbor with four foot high snow drifts. I was completely confused. I didn’t know how to dress for the snow. I didn’t know how to walk in the snow. Or that my sneakers would get drenched--and I would freeze--if I tried walking with them in heavy snow.
Most confused of all was my skin, which went from oily adolescent skin in tropical humidity to a -20F January Michigan. And I had no idea how to deal with flaking, red, constantly irritated skin.
So I basically ignored my suffering skin. And just put up with red, inflamed skin every winter, while constantly feeling tight and uncomfortable with heated rooms and arid air.
In 2010, when I landed my first full time professor gig, I’d decided--I’d had enough. I was going to try and solve this once and for all. My skin had gone from just red and irritated to my having really bad acne.
So I went to a dermatologist. Who took one look at me and declared that I was allergic to all moisturizers. (No joke, according to a Google search I made of the derm when I was writing this article, apparently says to all of her patients. Still. Lol.) She told me, basically, use moisturizer and you’ll have acne. Stop using moisturizer and start using my acne treatments instead to get rid of the acne.
Those of you with dry skin know what happens when you’re using a prescription acne treatment. Usually your skin dries TF out. And mine did, and I was forbidden to put moisturizer on it. It hurt like crazy, because it was so dry and tight for a while. Eventually I got used to the tightness, but the dryness just got worse. The acne treatment got rid of my acne, but it didn’t get rid of my dry skin, and in fact made it worse --coupled with the sudden lack of moisturizer, I still went around with red blotchy skin on most days.
Until I created my own Sabbatical Beauty products.
However, beginning Sabbatical Beauty was so hard that I almost quit in my early days.
When Sabbatical Beauty was in its infancy, US-based Korean beauty bloggers and the whole of Asian Beauty Reddit led an entire rampage against me, accusing me of having “stolen” a recipe from one of their own.
This Asian beauty blogger vs. me drama started in January 2016. Sabbatical Beauty, my unknown baby company that I had just literally started was featured in a Slate article, “Radical Self Care: Meet The Feminist Academics Who Love K-Beauty” in January 2016, while I was stuck in Chicago for the Modern Language Association annual meeting. [4]
The Slate article went viral.
Sabbatical Beauty was getting an unheard of number of web hits and more sales than I ever thought were possible.
This made the U.S.-based Korean Beauty Blogging scene uncomfortable that my brand -- a Korean beauty influenced line -- had come into being and gotten publicity without their blessing. So: they went on a rampage against me. They accused me of stealing a recipe from one of their own, even though a simple comparison of each product’s ingredient list would easily show that this was false.
The attacks were swift and felt extremely personal and aggressive. They wrote some hit pieces on the poor journalist who’d written the piece, declaring her a “shill” for my products. They were mad that she had cited their pieces in her article, berating her for lumping them with “feminists.” [5]
They only stopped when I posted a conversation between me and the blogger I was alleged to have stolen from. The conversation clearly showed that the blogger declared my recipes my own and not stolen.
Which brings me to: Imma Mad #2: Toxicity in the beauty industry is bad for everyone’s skin.
Instead of being scared that I was a competitor, what would have happened if instead of defaming another maker, the Korean Beauty Blogging community had embraced me?
Which brings me back to my Homebrew Beauty Experiment.
Is it possible for us to get rid of this toxicity by embracing one another and seeing each other as community members to be helped, rather than evil enemies to be vanquished?
Hypothesis
Toxicity sucks
We can get rid of toxicity by teaching other people how to make beauty safely and effectively.
We can make money doing so
It’s not a zero-sum gain. By teaching the ordinary person how to make skincare, the beauty industry will GROW rather than stay stagnant, with companies fighting over their market share.
Methods
Very soon, I am going to share a recipe for my brand new product, the Sabbatical Beauty Carol’s Sake and Fermented Rice Serum on the Internet for free.
I designed the Carol's Sake and Fermented Rice Serum for my friend and SB customer, the lovely Tang Siow Leng Carol.
I’m also giving exact weights and quantities needed, and links to buy all my supplies and equipment.
I’ll even be releasing formulation videos and doing a “Make With Me” live YouTube video for my audience for the serum.
Heck, I’ll even be releasing a kit to make it easier for you to make that serum along with me.
Results
I have just started the experiment, so I do not yet have results.
However, the following are my predictions:
I expect to show that there is a ton of interest among beauty consumers in making and customizing their very own skincare products. In a way that does not water down the process, but teaches them exactly what to do and to do it safely.
I expect to show that far from being disengaged, flighty folks, people who love the beauty industry are interested in serious science when explained clearly and well.
I expect to show that ordinary people, when given the right tools and right education, can be taught to formulate effective skincare. And that they want to.
I expect this first experiment will show that the time for the Homebrew Beauty Revolution is right now.
I expect that together, we are going to do to the beauty industry what craft beer did to the beer industry. [6] To re-envision the beauty industry the way it was because big beauty dominated the landscape: small communities of women and men passing on cultural knowledge and tradition, while having fun with one another. Instead of how it currently is, with virulent lies and backstabbing rampant, just to maintain power.
Discussion
If the expected results were to come to pass, they would show that democratizing the beauty industry -- by radically sharing and teaching one another as a feminist act--can only mean two things: better skincare and beauty products, and happier consumers.
In other words, that yes, the beauty industry can be democratized, and that the only winners are: all of us!
Because all of us are sick of the big brands that think their consumer is disinterested, and so put barely anything effective in their products. Just to keep profit margins high enough.
Because we’re sick of brands that see us an an enemy, rather than a community member.
Because we’re sick of beauty secrets that remain secret.
Join Us In The Homebrew Beauty Revolution Experiment
Are you also sick of the same things?
Did this blog post resonate with you?
If so, check out the first phase of the Homebrew Revolution: The Carol Semester.
And what kind of nerd would I be if I didn't include an infographic breaking down this entire post?
Here you go, because ILU.
Of Course I Have Endnotes!
Homebrew Beauty Endnotes
[1] My thanks to Doniki Boderick-Luckey, Dorothy Kim, Marissa Rhoades, Carly Kocurek, Zelideth Maria Rivas, Valette Piper Bledsoe, Hayne Kim, Megan Burelle for comments on this piece.
[2] I’m telling you this not to show off, but to show you that I know what the heck I’m doing. I’ve formulated many effective high end skincare products that have sold out immediately upon launch and continue to have a rabid fan base. Enough for me to have quit my full time job as an Associate Professor of Postcolonial Literature & Digital Humanities to pursue Sabbatical Beauty full time.
[3] “Fairy dust” basically means that the majority of products on that Instagram-worthy skincare shelfie is not as it appears. “Fairy dust” probably means that if you were to manage to closely study the ingredient list, you’d notice that a gorgeously styled “Honey Skin Cream” would contain less than 1% of actual honey. Probably a lot less than 1%. Probably more like 0.01%.
[4] This is the annual professional meeting for literature professors.
[5] That appeared to me, both then and now, to be a very odd hill to die on:. bBeing upset for being called a feminist… These were women in their mid 20s to late 30s, getting angry for being called a “radical feminist.” One wonders if they would still be so angry about being called a feminist, under the Trump administration.
Adeline Koh, Ph.D. is the founder and CEO of Sabbatical Beauty, a small-batch, handcrafted Korean-beauty influenced company based in Philadelphia, PA. Sabbatical Beauty has been featured in media outlets like Allure, Slate, Shape and many more.
Our products contain higher percentages of active ingredients than the majority of products on the market. This means you can see amazing differences very quickly, and with only a scant amount of product.
Our products are manufactured in-house by a small team of women in Philadelphia, PA, in small batches, with love.
Our products are never tested on animals, just Adeline and Sabbatical Beauty employees.
Everyone who works for Sabbatical Beauty earns a living wage.
WHAT DO PEOPLE LOVE ABOUT SABBATICAL BEAUTY?
Our stuff works. And works quickly, period. And we sell sample sizes, so you don't need to commit a lot financially to test if a product works for your individual skin chemistry.
Our mission as a feminist company is not to sell you skincare as something that you need, but rather a routine that will help you with prioritizing yourself and own needs for self-care.
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https://sabbaticalbeauty.com/blogs/blog/luxury-skincare2019-02-25T08:53:51-05:002019-02-25T10:30:17-05:00Luxury Skincare: Is It Worth The Cost?Luxury Skincare: Is It Worth The Cost?More]]>
Learn To Read The Ingredients List Like A Professor
Go From Feeling Lost in Sephora to a Beauty Guru with My FREE Live Training Series
True or False?
You're not suspicious of the beauty industry
You think the cosmetic industry has your best skin at the top of its mind, not their profits
You think cheap skin care products work just as well as expensive ones
If you answered TRUE, then it's best we part ways now. Because the Learn To Read The Ingredients List Like A Professor free online training series is not for you.
But, if you answered FALSE, and you're curious about how you can separate facts from clever marketing,
If you're a super nerdy lady who loves to get down and dirty with research,
If you want to empower yourself to understand what's worth your time and money in the expensive skincare department, and what isn't,
And you really want to figure out what will just work on your hypersensitive, reactive skin,
Then you are in the right place JUST at the right time.
Go you!
My goal as a Ph.D., former professor and now small beauty brand owner is to empower you to make the best beauty decisions for yourself. Whether or not you ever buy a product from me is irrelevant. This FREE webinar series is the start of my skincare revolution.
WHO AM I?
My name is Adeline Koh, and I'm the founder and CEO of Sabbatical Beauty. I've transformed the skin of hundreds of women and men who have bought my products and used my techniques.
I've also created an immensely successful brand with zero loans and investor funding. I've grown Sabbatical Beauty from a grand total of $0 in revenue in 2015 to $780k in gross revenue in 2018.
And I want to teach you my expertise for free. Because I'm not interested in making money off you, I just want to empower you.
I know how to make the best skincare at the best price. I know what's worth it, and what is not. And what's sleazy marketing, and what's the truth. What's fake news, and what's New York Times worthy.
You can see some of the testimonials my customers have shared with me below.
Today You Get To Decide:
Today is the very moment you get to decide.
ONE. You can decide to stay where you are. Doing nothing differently, continuing on to think the entire beauty industry is just out to swindle you out of your hard earned money, while suffering worse and worse skin conditions.
TWO. You can gather your wits, suck it all up and decide to go it alone. YOU ARE AN ISLAND. You don't need anyone else! Well actually, yes I think you could do this. This will be better than option one, but may take you a while to get there.
THREE: OR, you could fling options 1 and 2 on the scrap pile and just decide to give me your email address below, so I can sign you up for my FREE online training series on How To Read The Ingredients List Like A Professor.
In as little as a week--how long the FREE training series will take--you're going to be empowered to make your beauty decisions like never before. And you'll never make a purchase that isn't worth it again.
The choice is yours...
FEATURED IN
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https://sabbaticalbeauty.com/blogs/blog/snail-secretion-filtrate-k-beauty-an-easy-guide-to-scientific-research-in-plain-english2019-02-22T08:20:00-05:002019-07-25T23:13:32-04:00Snail Secretion Filtrate & K Beauty: An Easy Guide To Scientific Research In Plain EnglishAdeline Koh
I never thought snail secretion filtrate would become such a big part of my life.
When I was ten years old, I accidentally stepped on a poor slug in my bare feet. In years to come I never forgot how gross the sensation was of feeling the slug under my foot. It still makes me squeamish today to think of it! Eewww… Anyway. Snail secretion filtrate, snail mucin, snail juice, snail extract. I don’t care what you call it.
Given that experience, I never thought that I of all people would be one plastering snail mucin on my face in the quest for better skin, let alone the wackadoodle witch manufacturing her own snail serum because she was unhappy with all the alternatives out there.
(^^ That's me experimenting in the SB lab.)
Anyway, I thought it would help everyone to understand how I went from snail skeptic to snail lover through a little survey of existing research. I admit I got a little carried away writing this post. What can I say, The Ph.D. did it to me, research is my happy place. Which is why this blog post has footnotes. Footnotes. In a freaking blog post.
In this blog post I summarize for you hours of research I’ve conducted on peer reviewed, scientific publications and patents in what I hope is in plain English.
Oh, and if you make it all the way to the end, I’ll drop you a link to a free glossary eBook our team just published on cult Korean skincare ingredients and what they can do fo yo face.
Ok. You’ve watched the video, but I feel you. You’re still skeptical.
From the standpoint of molecular biology, snail slime is simply put a magical healing cocktail of sweet chemicals to make your skin shine.
The magic chemical properties of snail slime come from its particular composition of glycosaminoglycans and peptides.
Glycosaminoglycans For Your Skin
If you buy a snail skincare product, you’re going to see something like “snail secretion filtrate” in the ingredients list. This “snail secretion filtrate” is the slime the snail produces while moving, after its been collected and purified and used in your skincare formulation. Snail secretion filtrate is naturally rich in are glycosaminoglycans. Big weird word I know, but glycosaminoglycans are polysaccharides (a type of carbohydrate) that exists as part of your skin’s “natural moisture factor.” Natural moisture factors help your skin retain its moisture, which contribute to whether your skin is going to feel tight and firm or dehydrated and wrinkled.
These magical unicorn rainbow glycosaminoglycans are nestled around other parts of the cell that help with the production of collagen and elastin, both of which are essential for tight, firm and smooth skin. Another more commonly known glycosaminoglycans ingredients within Korean beauty (and outside of it!) is probably one you know very well, Hyaluronic Acid! (Snail filtrate, btw, also contains hyaluronic acid).
The magical wound-healing properties of Acharan Sulfate have been getting a lot of attention within the scientific community (See studies from 2002, 2004, 2011) and has major implications for improving your skin.
Copper binding peptides are one of the hottest anti-aging ingredients in the skincare industry because scientific studies have shown that they have stimulated collagen production in normal skin [8].
Even the Ancient Romans Thought Snail Secretion Filtrate Would Heal Them
We’ve known about the healing properties of snail--which go from healing your skin to improving regular skin-- for ages. This snail obsession isn’t just for recent folks, y’all. Korean cosmetics scientists aren’t the only folks that have been in love with snail secretion filtrate, by far.
Snails as healing obsession -- for EVERYTHING, including skincare AND medical conditions -- goes back to antiquity.
The Ancient Roman Botanist Pliny the younger prescribed snails first boiled, then “grilled upon hot coals, and eaten with wine and garum.” Medieval medical texts document that our snaily friends were used to treat inflammation in the medieval Eastern Mediterranean, Ancient Greco-Roman and European communities by prescribing snails to treat a whole litany of ailments ranging from stomach pain to arthritis and skin diseases. [1]
This ancient obsession with our little snailed friends continued all the way into the nineteenth century. In 1817, a New Natural History Dictionary recommended the use of snails to soothe sore throats and make a beauty “paste” for women to “keep the surface of their skin smooth and brilliant” [2], while an 1840 French medical book describes various concoctions made of snail (sugared snails, snail chocolate) that could be to treat anything from a resistant cold to tuberculosis and intestine issues -- talk about a multitasker! People outside of Europe evidently felt the same; 19th century medical texts indicate that subcontinental Indians mixed fresh snail juice with water to make eye drops to treat conjunctivitis [3], while the 1827 medical text Pomacea lineata Spix noted that Latin Americans used a medical preparation of snails to stave off asthma [4].
Indeed, the Koreans themselves even predated their modern snail obsession: the 1791 medical text Omphalius rusticus Gmelin notes that Koreans on Jeju Island were using ground snail shell powder as a topical treatment for knee pain! [5]
And to add to all the ways in which natural medicine has embraced snail -- snail occupies an important role in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), one of the oldest and most well documented “ethnomedicine” systems that extend from antiquity till today. Ancient traditional Chinese medical texts argue that snails are part of a larger genus that can treat inflammatory conditions such as eczema, menstrual disorders, abscesses, arthritis, asthma and healing scalds and burns [6] . Snail ain’t no slouch.
Why is Snail Mucin So Big Right Now?
Now you know that the healing properties of snail mucin have been well known in traditional and folk medical traditions. But the current hype of snail slime stems from an unexpected discovery within the Chilean small-scale family business snail farming industry.
In the 1980s, Chilean businesses farming snails for the French consumer market (remember, the French love to eat snails!) discovered the healing properties of snail mucin when they noticed that their workers, whose arms and hands got easily cut while handling the sharp metal cages for the snails, experienced quick and no-scar healing when they applied snail slime to their injuries.
This even resulted in a Chilean snail cream that launched in 1995.
The hyper-innovative and competitive Korean beauty skin care industry noticed, and started devoting their researchers to studying whether snail secretion filtrate could be used to solve skincare woes. And these contemporary science studies showed that snail not only hydrates the skin, it also increases suppleness, hyperpigmentation, fights acne and keeps even rosacea at bay.
So, Should I Put Snail Secretion Filtrate On My Skin OR WHAT?
VERDICT: YES
Contemporary science, medical studies, pharmaceutical products using snail ingredients and registered patents over the last twenty years reflect the vericacy of this.
Snail secretion filtrate does indeed have amazing healing properties. Recent scientific studies and innovations show:
Snail mucin is amazing for skin; it may help with skin regeneration and stimulating dermal fibroblasts [8]
Snail juice is so miraculous that scientists have successfully used it to build a scaffold for human tissue replacement [10]
Elements within snail secretion filtrate have been used as an anesthetic. Peptides from the venom of sea snails are used to manufacture the anesthetic drug Zinicotide, and has been on the market since the 1990s.
Snail secretion filtrate is almost as good as clinical drugs in how it speeds wound healing and has antibacterial functions. [7]
Additionally, the numerous patents that have been filed over the last fifteen years involving snail secretion filtrate speak to the rubber stamp of approval modern science has placed on snail juice.
The Chinese filed patents in 2007 and 2011 for the use of snail mucin in skin regenerating cosmetics [11]
Korean scientists filed patents in 2012 and 2015 on the use of snail juice in antiaging [11]
A US patent was filed in 2014 that argued snail mucin could treat rosacea [11]
But Don't Put Live Snails On Your Face Please!
So, in essence -- while the scientific evidence behind snail skincare and the patent community show that there is reason why snails are such a cult K beauty ingredient, (and that you need it for your face NOW), also note the following:
DON’T PUT LIVE SNAILS ON ANY OPEN, INFLAMED SKIN. Clinical studies in which snail slime has been used as a wound healing agent have shown that pasteurized snail extracts should be used in lieu of live snails, as fresh snail slime may contain harmful bacteria. [11].
Are Our Snail Buds Hurt When We Harvest Their Mucin?
The honest answer to this question: it depends on the individual product and ingredients that go into making it.
Snail mucin in the Sabbatical Beauty Snail Serum come from small snail family farms in France and are not harmed in the collection of their muciny deliciousness.
So, are you gonna try snail on your face?
So, what do you think, are you going to try snail secretion filtrate? Or have you already tried it?
And finally: since you stayed till the end, here’s your free download to our eBook: a glossary of Korean beauty ingredients and what skin conditions they solve!
And because we love you, here's an infographic summarizing this blog post!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Adeline Koh, Ph.D. is the founder and CEO of Sabbatical Beauty, a small-batch, handcrafted Korean-beauty influenced company based in Philadelphia, PA. Sabbatical Beauty has been featured in media outlets like Allure, Slate, Shape and many more.
[7] Various in vitro and animal scientific experiments (Indonesia, Nigeria) that shown that snail secretion filtrate can be an adequate substitute for expensive synthetic wound-healing drugs have affirmed this.
[9] A 1998 clinical study showed that copper-binding peptides increased collagen by 70% (as opposed to creams enhanced within Vitamin C or retinol) (See: A. A. Abdulghani, A. Sherr, S. Shirin et al., “Effects of topical creams containing vitamin C, a copper-binding peptide cream and melatonin compared with tretinoin on the ultrastructure of normal skin—a pilot clinical, histologic, and ultrastructural study,” Disease Management and Clinical Outcomes, vol. 1, no. 4, pp. 136–141, 1998. View at Google Scholar)
A 2002 presentation also said that a copper-binding peptide facial cream reduced visible signs of aging after 12 weeks of application, improving skin elasticity, clarity, density and thickness (J. Leyden, T. Stephens, M. Finkey, Y. Appa, and S. Barkovic, “Skin care benefits of copper peptide containing facial cream,” in Proceedings of the American Academy of Dermatology Meeting, New York, NY, USA, February 2002)
A 2002 University of Pennsylvania publication showed that a copper-binding peptide eye cream tested on 41 women with sun damage for 12 weeks reduced lines and wrinkles and improved skin density and thickness (J. Leyden, T. Stephens, M. Finkey, and S. Barkovic, Skin Care Benefits of Copper Peptide Containing Eye Creams, University of Pennsylvania, 2002.)
A 2005 study where 67 women between 50-50 years old with advanced sun damage were given a copper peptide binding cream found that a twice daily application reduced fine lines, coarse wrinkles and mottled pigmentation. (M. Finkley, Y. Appa, and S. Bhandarkar, “Copper peptide and skin,” in Cosmeceuticals and Active Cosmetics: Drugs vs. Cosmetics, P. Elsner and H. Maibach, Eds., pp. 549–563, Marcel Dekker, New York, NY, USA, 2005. View at Google Scholar)
[11] See the patents filed over the use of snail in the last 15 years, such as
Chinese patent CN101181221A (2007) for the use of snail in cosmetics for skin regeneration and antibacterial function
Chinese patent CN104254318A (2011) for snail cosmetics using snails that have been fed red ginseng
Korean patent KR20130107386A (2012) on fermented snail extract and its use for anti aging effects
US patent US20170281690A1 (2014) was filed in the U.S. to patent the use of snail secretion for the treatment of rosacea
Korean patent KR101677546B1 (2015) for snail secretion in skincare
[12] Indonesia and Nigerian in vitro studies have shown the presence of harmful bacteria in fresh snail slime when used for wound healing.
WHY SABBATICAL BEAUTY?
WHY CHOOSE US?
Our products contain higher percentages of active ingredients than the majority of products on the market. This means you can see amazing differences very quickly, and with only a scant amount of product.
Our products are manufactured in-house by a small team of women in Philadelphia, PA, in small batches, with love.
Our products are never tested on animals, just Adeline and Sabbatical Beauty employees.
Everyone who works for Sabbatical Beauty earns a living wage.
WHAT DO PEOPLE LOVE ABOUT SABBATICAL BEAUTY?
Our stuff works. And works quickly, period. And we sell sample sizes, so you don't need to commit a lot financially to test if a product works for your individual skin chemistry.
Our mission as a feminist company is not to sell you skincare as something that you need, but rather a routine that will help you with prioritizing yourself and own needs for self-care.
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https://sabbaticalbeauty.com/blogs/blog/peytons-fifth-week-with-the-winter-box2018-12-24T01:24:00-05:002022-09-08T01:58:32-04:00Peyton's Fifth Week With the Winter Box!Adeline Koh
I would have definitely purchased the Deluxe Winter Box; the Burgundy Lip Tint is such a beautiful color and really moisturizes your lips. I often wear long-wear lipstick, which can be very drying, and putting Burgundy Lip Tint on afterward makes my lips feel so much better! The products work extremely well together, keeping skin hydrated, but also very clean and clear. I knew the products were going to work based upon my experience with Sabbatical Beauty skincare prior to getting the Winter Box products, but Radiance Serum is kind of a game changer.
Salutations! This is Peyton, and it’s the end of week 5 with the Sabbatical Beauty Winter Box. I have aging/combination skin. Over the past week here in Maryland, it has been down to 35 and dry, then it rained for 48 hours and the temperature went up to 60. It’s now sunny and 48. Apparently, you can cram at least three seasons into a week. raining for the past 48+ hours.
General Impressions
I have been using Sabbatical Beauty skincare exclusively since April 1, 2018. I love this skincare line as well as the company behind it. My skin has improved greatly since I started using these products; the crepey skin on my neck is far tighter, my skin’s pores are smaller, my skin is more elastic and hydrated, and I hardly have any breakouts anymore.
Changes since before starting Box routine:
The two-times-daily use of Radiance Serum really helped with evening out my skin. I have had a sun spot on the right side of my jaw for several years, and Radiance Serum has really lightened it. I also think my overall skin texture and pore size has improved a bit. I will definitely be buying Radiance Serum!!
AM Routine & PM routine
AM: Double cleanse with Bamboo Cleansing Balm and Rice Against the Patriarchy, apply Lift Serum (not in the Winter Box), I would ordinarily follow that with Radiance Serum, but I ran out, and I am using Pumpkin Spice Latte and Apple Cider Serum from the Fall Box as a substitute, apply Rosehip Healing Oil (Coming Soon!) to face, dėcolletage and backs of hands, use AAEGO (also not in the Winter Box) under my eyes and stroke any remainder over my eyebrows, and finish with Donkey Cream (and then sunscreen!). I also use Day Spa Body Cream (Coming Soon!) for hands, arms, and legs. If my hair is dry and/or flyaway, I will put a couple of drops of Coffee Hair Oil (Coming Soon!) in my palms and rub my palms over the top layer of my hair, the sides, and at the nape of my neck (which keeps my hair from getting tangled by the collar or hood of my coat.) I wear the Burgundy Lip Tint (Coming Soon!) almost every day; it’s a very flattering shade of burgundy.
I use the Botanical Gel Mask and the Milk Cream Mask once each week. I usually use the Botanical Gel Mask in the early part of the week, and the Milk Cream Mask in the latter part of the week. I am amazed by how soft my skin is afterward, especially after the Milk Cream Mask.
Things to note for people with your skin type/climate (remind people of skin type and climate) :
I think the crazy weather I’ve experienced in Maryland (warm, dry, cold, windy, very cold, wet) over the past 5 weeks while using the Winter Box products illustrate how well this group of products will work for multiple climates. The products also address my aging skin (I’m 50) very well by keeping my skin hydrated, even, soft, all the while fighting fine lines and wrinkles.
Did you think this was a good purchase? Would you have purchased the Winter Box?
I think the Winter Box is an excellent purchase. I would have definitely purchased the Deluxe Winter Box; the Burgundy Lip Tint is such a beautiful color and really moisturizes your lips. I often wear long-wear lipstick, which can be very drying, and putting Burgundy Lip Tint on afterward makes my lips feel so much better! The products work extremely well together, keeping skin hydrated, but also very clean and clear. I knew the products were going to work based upon my experience with Sabbatical Beauty skincare prior to getting the Winter Box products, but Radiance Serum is kind of a game changer. It’s not earth-shattering for me the way Lift is (which carried away my burgeoning turkey neck), but it’s overall evening and scar reduction properties are truly amazing.
Watch Peyton's Week 5 Winter Box Routine!
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https://sabbaticalbeauty.com/blogs/blog/carols-fifth-week-with-the-winter-box2018-12-24T01:18:00-05:002022-09-08T01:58:33-04:00Carol's Fifth Week With the Winter Box!Adeline Koh
Every reviewing journey seems like a lesson itself. Not only have I learnt to listen to my skin, see how my skin respond to the products I use, I have also learnt that even with the same product, I can use varying amounts to achieve various desired results: lesser during the day for just the right amount of hydration without making me oily, or more at night for ultimate pampering and supercharging it for maximum benefits.
Hi! I am Carol, I live in Singapore, where the climate is typically hot and humid throughout the year. I have aging skin that is oily combination, with plenty of discolorations and pores that are enlarged and always clogged.
General Impressions
To be really honest, when I first applied to be a reviewer for the Winter Box, I was pretty skeptical. Not about the efficacy of the products, but about how will a box of products that is curated to target hydration be suitable for someone like me, who lives in the exact opposite climate of Winter, and has skin that is nowhere near dry. And I am never more glad that I took the leap and applied.
The box contains an almost routine with the double cleansing items, two masks, serums and creams. It even comes with a lip tint and body cream AND a healing oil. So my goal was to see how I can use the box and tailor it to fit my skin needs.
Every reviewing journey seems like a lesson itself. Not only have I learnt to listen to my skin, see how my skin respond to the products I use, I have also learnt that even with the same product, I can use varying amounts to achieve various desired results: lesser during the day for just the right amount of hydration without making me oily, or more at night for ultimate pampering and supercharging it for maximum benefits.
The Winter Box not only gave me better skin, it also gave me a better outlook in life, and enabled me to seize opportunities with confidence.
Changes since before starting Box routine:
Right before I started using the Winter Box, I dare say the darker spots on my face have been very much faded from the use of other Sabbatical Beauty products that are good for lightening spots. But that being said, on the overall, there are still some spots here and there on my face, as well as dented patches that are old acne scars and really visible up close. After using Radiance from the Box, not only have my entire face brightened, my skin tone has evened out. The dark spots on my face were initially highlighted on a brighter face, but as my skin tone evens out, my face looks more balanced and even now.
Also, while using the oil cleansers have made it much more easier to remove the blackheads from my nose, they still come back. It was just that extraction is now a whole lot more easier than before because all the acid toners and oil cleansers have softened them. However, with Rice Against the Patriarchy Cleansing Milk, I found that the fine rice grains are small enough to effectively rid my pores of the clogged sebum. I especially love massaging my face with it now because I can literally feel them emptying my pores of the gunk!
For hair and body, I will apply Coffee Hair Oil (Coming soon!) and Day Spa Body Cream (Coming soon!) after showering.
Things to note for people with your skin type/climate (remind people of skin type and climate) :
I mean, this box has been curated with the special intention to hydrate skin during the harsh winter and prevent skin from flaking and drying, ya? Hence it is all about being rich and luxurious and ultra moisturising. So for anyone from a warmer and more humid climate like me, do bear in mind that our skins may not be as dry (though there are dry folks living in the tropics too!) and the humidity certainly makes waiting for products to be absorbed less fun and more time consuming.
To counter that, I use less of the same products in the AM as compared to PM. For example, for Radiance, I use only 2 drops in the morning for my entire face, but at night, I go all out and use up to 6 drops. And there are several new items in this Box like the Botanical Gel Mask (Coming soon!), the Milk Cream Mask (Coming soon!) and the Rosehip Healing Oil (Coming soon!), so spot test before using everything!
Did you think this was a good purchase? Would you have purchased the Winter Box?
I absolutely believe that the Winter Box 2019 is a good purchase! Not only does it contain a routine for double cleansing, a serum, a moisturising cream and a sleeping cream, it also contains two facial masks, a lip tint, a healing oil and a full sized body cream. Quite honestly, even though I have been given this Winter Box free of charge for the review, and I already own the products now, I will definitely purchase the box (and the individual items when they are available) when it is finally launched in January!
Watch Carol's Week 5 Winter Box Routine!
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https://sabbaticalbeauty.com/blogs/blog/deidres-fifth-week-with-the-winter-box2018-12-24T01:18:00-05:002022-09-08T01:58:33-04:00Deidre's Fifth Week With the Winter BoxAdeline KohBefore the Winter Box, I used a lot of drug store products. I didn’t double cleanse. Washing my face felt like a chore and something my skin had to recover from. My skin would feel dr dry and papery. Now, washing my face is a gift. My skin feels so and nourished. Adding the rest of my routine just amplifies what is already there. I’m more confidence going without makeup, and I feel like the money I’m spending on SB products is paying off with real results. I look younger and revitalized.
I live in Lexington, VA, which is wet and chilly right now. I used to describe my skin as dry with signs of aging and some hormonal discoloration over my upper lip.
General Impressions:
So I said that I “used to describe” my skin as dry, but the Winter Box has changed that completely. It’s hyrdated. It’s smooth. The wrinkles are shallower and softer. My undereyes are less puffy. Small wounds--a cat scratch or an opened blemish--heal more quickly. The real standouts for me are Radiance Serum, Bamboo Cleansing Balm, Rosehip Healing Oil, and the Coffee Hair Oil. Okay, and also Donkey Cream, which I have now purchased in full size. Basically, I want all these products in my daily rotation. I already bought another Bamboo Cleansing Balm, and I need to get a FS Radiance Serum. I used the last of it, and I am all sad face over this.
I feel like, in general, the Winter Box, combined with some other SB products, really combated and solved my skin issues, or what I perceived as skin issues. I feel like I’ve aged backwards. I look better now than I did 10 years ago, and I’m enjoying all the attention.
Changes since before starting Box routine:
Before the Winter Box, I used a lot of drug store products. I didn’t double cleanse. Washing my face felt like a chore and something my skin had to recover from. My skin would feel dry and papery. Now, washing my face is a gift. My skin feels soft and nourished. Adding the rest of my routine just amplifies what is already there. I’m more confidence going without makeup, and I feel like the money I’m spending on SB products is paying off with real results. I look younger and revitalized.
Specifically, the dry parts of my skin that make my makeup look awful are gone. Poof. Vanished. My makeup just glides on, and I’m using fewer complexion products (e.g., foundation) than I used to because my bare skin looks so nice.
Things to note for people with your skin type/climate (remind people of skin type and climate) :
I have dry skin that reacts to cold by getting even drier. These products have helped me not have chapped, papery skin.
Did you think this was a good purchase? Would you have purchased the Winter Box?
I would suggest getting the box, especially if you’re new to SB. This is a great way to learn about the products and develop a routine, especially with a wash-serum-moisturizer + sleep cream.
Watch Deidre's Week 5 Winter Box Routine!
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https://sabbaticalbeauty.com/blogs/blog/deidres-fourth-week-with-the-winter-box2018-12-17T09:34:00-05:002022-09-08T01:58:33-04:00Deidre's Fourth Week With The Winter BoxAdeline Koh
Along with the increased hydration, my skin is more resilient. Last year, I would have to re-apply moisturiser or use hydrating face mists periodically throughout the day. My makeup and the climate would drain all moisture from my face, and I would spend upwards of an hour applying so many products to try to restore it. But in the morning, I wouldn’t see great effects and would start all over again. Now, my skin seems to be working like skin should, protecting me from the weather. I credit the Winter Box for that.
Skin Type and Location: I have dry skin with signs of aging. I live in Lexington, VA, which is in the Blue Ridge Mountains, so it’s super cold and often wet.
General Impressions: Overall, the Winter Box’s products have not only made my thirsty skin more hydrated but more resilient. They work hours after application, so that even if I miss a routine, my skin still feels supple and moisturized. Whether I’m sick or so harried that I just fall asleep without doing my evening routine, it doesn’t matter. My skin will weather the, uh, weather.
Changes I’ve seen: Along with the increased hydration, my skin is more resilient. Last year, I would have to re-apply moisturiser or use hydrating face mists periodically throughout the day. My makeup and the climate would drain all moisture from my face, and I would spend upwards of an hour applying so many products to try to restore it. But in the morning, I wouldn’t see great effects and would start all over again. Now, my skin seems to be working like skin should, protecting me from the weather. I credit the Winter Box for that.
Any changes I’ve made: I’ve added Glow Pressed Serum, Winter Is Coming, and Bright Eyes to my routine.
Overall thoughts: I never thought my skin would feel comfortable, but it does. And not just comfort--GOOD.
Watch Deidre's Week 4 Winter Box Routine!
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https://sabbaticalbeauty.com/blogs/blog/carols-fourth-week-with-the-winter-box2018-12-17T09:24:00-05:002022-09-08T01:58:34-04:00Carol's Fourth Week With The Winter BoxAdeline Koh
Now that I am into the fourth week of using the items from the Winter Box, I have already decided which are the MVPs for me: Botanical Gel Mask, Milk Cream Mask, and Radiance Serum. These are the items that I will definitely be wanting full sizes of when they are launched! It has come to the point where when I think I want to be pampered, I think of Milk Cream Mask, when I want to ‘reset’ my skin, I reach for the Botanical Gel Mask and definitely, for all time brightening, Radiance!
Hi again! I am Carol, and I live in Singapore. The weather conditions here are eternally hot and humid throughout the year, and I have oily combination skin that is aging, has discolorations, and plagued with enlarged and clogged pores.
General Impressions
I am now convinced that the Winter Box is also suitable for the hot and humid tropics! I have been monitoring and changing how much Radiance and Donkey Cream I use daily so as not to use too much products to aggravate my oily combination skin, and to date, it has been working fine!
Changes I’ve seen
This week, I am continuing to be amazed by how Radiance is making my face glow! I mean, Radiance is aptly named because it delivers exactly that, RADIANCE! There used to be patches of darkened skin where acne scarring left their mark, and makes my face appears uneven in skin tone, but right now? It seems that the discoloration has been controlled and my face looks even and radiant! Also, to make sure I report on any changes I have seen so far, I was looking in the mirror to scrutinise my face just now and I realise that I could not find the one dented patch of skin on my face! I don’t even remember if that was left behind due to chickenpox scarring (from when I was a kid) or was it due to mishandling of my acne, but it was there. Like a crater left behind after the volcano erupted. But just now? I couldn’t find it! It has been on my cheek for so long, I took no notice of it since I started using Sabbatical Beauty but I couldn’t find it just now! Can it be due to Radiance?? I don’t know!!! All the SB products are ultra amazing but the ones that promotes healing is Radiance and it is the only product I am using A LOT of recently!!
Also, another happy discovery is that the Rosehip Healing Oil helps soothe post shave irritations! I have always hated shaving my legs because I always get rashes from the irritation and since I have the healing oil this time round, I thought ‘Why not?’ and went ahead to use it. And much to my joy, the rashes were gone the next morning! I will definitely be getting the oil again for future use!
This week, I have cut down on the amount of Donkey Cream I am using because the weather is getting hotter again (where did all the rain go?). Since I am already oily by nature and Radiance by itself feels moisturising enough for me, I felt that it was ok for me to use lesser creams.
Overall thoughts
Now that I am into the fourth week of using the items from the Winter Box, I have already decided which are the MVPs for me: Botanical Gel Mask, Milk Cream Mask, and Radiance Serum. These are the items that I will definitely be wanting full sizes of when they are launched! It has come to the point where when I think I want to be pampered, I think of Milk Cream Mask, when I want to ‘reset’ my skin, I reach for the Botanical Gel Mask and definitely, for all time brightening, Radiance!
Watch Carol's week 4 Winter Box Routine!
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https://sabbaticalbeauty.com/blogs/blog/peytons-fourth-week-with-the-winter-box2018-12-17T08:34:00-05:002022-09-08T01:58:34-04:00Peyton's Fourth Week With The Winter BoxAdeline Koh
I am continuing to use the entireWinter Box. I started incorporating Dorian Gray’s Anti-Aging Serum into my PM routine last week, and I am going to continue to do that. I really like how the products work together, and I’m happy to report that my skin look amazingly clear and blemish-free. I am going to have to substitute a different serum for Radiance in the next day or two - I am thinking of trying Pumpkin Spice Latte and Apple Cider Serum (both from the Fall Box) instead.
Salutations! This is Peyton, and it’s the end of week 4 with the Sabbatical Beauty Winter Box. It’s been cold here in Maryland this week, staying in the 30-40 degree range, and it has been raining for the past 48+ hours. I have aging/combination skin.
General Impressions
I am continuing to enjoy the Winter Box products. I still have plenty of everything, except for Radiance Serum - I think I only have enough of that for one more day. I have been using it both AM and PM, on my face as well as my throat, so it’s not surprising that I’m running low. I typically get dry, irritated skin in the winter, but these products are keeping that from happening this year. My skin remains hydrated, smooth, dewy, silky, and youthful.
Changes I’ve seen: The sun spot I have on the right side of my jaw is continuing to lighten. I have continued to apply the Rosehip Healing Oil on the backs of my hands and also on my face to stave off skin irritation.
AM Routine & PM routine
AM: Double cleanse with Bamboo Cleansing Balm and Rice Against the Patriarchy, apply Lift Serum (not in the Winter Box), Radiance Serum, apply Rosehip Healing Oil (Coming Soon!) to face, dėcolletage and backs of hands, use AAEGO (also not in the Winter Box) under my eyes and stroke any remainder over my eyebrows, and finish with Donkey Cream (and then sunscreen!). I also use Day Spa Body Cream (Coming Soon!) for hands, arms, and legs. If my hair is dry and/or flyaway, I will put a couple of drops of Coffee Hair Oil (Coming Soon!) in my palms and rub my palms over the top layer of my hair, the sides, and at the nape of my neck (which keeps my hair from getting tangled by the collar or hood of my coat.) I wear the Burgundy Lip Tint (Coming Soon!) almost every day; it’s a very flattering shade of burgundy. .
I use the Botanical Gel Mask and the Milk Cream Mask once each week. I usually use the Botanical Gel Mask in the early part of the week, and the Milk Cream Mask in the latter part of the week. I am amazed by how soft my skin is afterward, especially after the Milk Cream Mask.
Any changes I’ve made
I am continuing to use the entire Winter Box. I started incorporating Dorian Gray’s Anti-Aging Serum into my PM routine last week, and I am going to continue to do that. I really like how the products work together, and I’m happy to report that my skin look amazingly clear and blemish-free. I am going to have to substitute a different serum for Radiance in the next day or two - I am thinking of trying Pumpkin Spice Latte and Apple Cider Serum (both from the Fall Box) instead.
Overall thoughts
Overall, I’m very happy with the results I’ve gotten from the Winter Box routine. My skin looks wonderful, and I’ve gotten numerous compliments on my skin.
Watch Peyton's Week 4 Winter Box Routine!
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https://sabbaticalbeauty.com/blogs/blog/peytons-third-week-with-the-winter-box2018-12-09T17:36:00-05:002022-09-08T01:58:34-04:00Peyton's Third Week with the Winter BoxAdeline Koh
The Winter Box products are continuing to work their magic. In spite of my experience with the Sabbatical Beauty product line, I was still surprised by how well they are lasting. A little bit of product goes a long way. Generally, I begin to get very dry during cold weather, but that has not happened this year! My skin is hydrated, smooth, dewy, and silky.
Hello! This is Peyton, and I’m at the end of week 3 with the Sabbatical Beauty Winter Box. Maryland decided to be mostly cold and colder this week, staying in the 30-40 degree range. I have aging/combination skin.
General Impressions
The Winter Box products are continuing to work their magic. In spite of my experience with the Sabbatical Beauty product line, I was still surprised by how well they are lasting. A little bit of product goes a long way. Generally, I begin to get very dry during cold weather, but that has not happened this year! My skin is hydrated, smooth, dewy, and silky.
Changes I’ve seen: After a brief bought of chin acne last week, they are now all gone and almost completely healed.
AM Routine & PM routine
AM: Double cleanse with Bamboo Cleansing Balm and Rice Against the Patriarchy, apply Lift Serum (not in the Winter Box), Radiance Serum, apply Rosehip Healing Oil (Coming Soon!) to face, dėcolletage and backs of hands, use AAEGO (also not in the Winter Box) under my eyes and stroke any remainder over my eyebrows, and finish with Donkey Cream (and then sunscreen!). I also use Day Spa Body Cream (Coming Soon!) for hands, arms, and legs. If my hair is dry and/or flyaway, I will put a couple of drops of Coffee Hair Oil (Coming Soon!) in my palms and rub my palms over the top layer of my hair, the sides, and at the nape of my neck (which keeps my hair from getting tangled by the collar or hood of my coat. I wear the Burgundy Lip Tint (Coming Soon!) almost every day; it’s a very flattering shade of burgundy. .
PM: wash with Bamboo Cleansing Balm and Rice Against the Patriarchy; I follow that with Radiance Serum, AAEGO, Rosehip Healing Oil (Coming soon!), Dorian Gray's Anti-Aging Serum, Donkey Cream, and then Snow Sleeping Cream, Day Spa Body Cream (Coming Soon!) for hands, arms, and legs. Carol, one of the other reviewers, uses Donkey Cream as well as Snow Sleeping Cream in her PM routine, and I decided to try it as well. It is working nicely thus far. I was a little concerned that my skin would become greasy with both products, but I needn’t have been.
Any changes I’ve made
I am continuing to use the entire Winter Box. I have started incorporating Dorian Gray’s Anti-Aging Serum into my PM routine, and have been pleased with the results. The minor breakouts I had last week are almost completely healed, and Rosehip Healing Oil seemed to have a great impact on the healing process - the little scabs from the acne were very even and easy to cover with concealer, and they healed very quickly.
Overall thoughts
Overall, I’m extremely pleased with the effects I am getting from the Winter Box! My skin looks fabulous, and feels even better. I’ve gotten many compliments about it over the past week.
Watch Peyton's 3 Week Winter Box Routine!
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https://sabbaticalbeauty.com/blogs/blog/deidres-third-week-with-the-winter-box2018-12-09T17:17:00-05:002022-09-08T01:58:35-04:00Deidre's Third Week with the Winter BoxAdeline KohIf you have SKIN--any kind of skin--I think this box is for you! Also, a word to all you folks who have oily but flaky skin. That’s usually because skin is still dehydrated. I had that too. Sabbatical Beauty has changed that. The best thing about this box is that you can put on as little or as much as you want, adapted to your skin’s needs.
Skin Type and Location: Hi,y’all! I’m in Lexington, VA. I have dry skin with signs of aging and some hormonal discoloration. Also, this week, I have a sinus infection, so I have a nose so tender from using a literal box of tissues. It’s a little flaky from all the tissue abuse.
General Impressions: If you have SKIN--any kind of skin--I think this box is for you! Also, a word to all you folks who have oily but flaky skin. That’s usually because skin is still dehydrated. I had that too. Sabbatical Beauty has changed that. The best thing about this box is that you can put on as little or as much as you want, adapted to your skin’s needs.
Changes I’ve seen: I feel like I keep repeating myself: My skin is supple and silky. Let’s talk about skin when you’re sick. I don’t know about you, but my skin suffers too when I’m sick, partly because I’m lazy from exhaustion but also because the meds wreak havoc on your skin. Decongestants dry you out, and that doesn’t limit itself to the grossness inside your sinuses; that’s your skin too. Sabbatical Beauty’s Winter Box has changed the quality of my skin when I’m sick. I give a lot of credit to Rosehip Healing Oil (Coming Soon!), which comes in the Deluxe Box, for keeping my skin healthy and supple while I’ve been sick and not as good at my routine. I have been rolling it all over my face, attending closely to my nose, twice daily, though more often to my nose. This morning, I applied Rosehip Healing Oil followed by Snow Sleeping Cream to my nose. I did that because my Donkey Cream is running low (NO!!!!!!), yet I wanted that extra love-n-care to my little snout.
AM Routine & PM routine
AM during week 3/sick week: wash with Bamboo Cleansing Balm and then Vacuum Cleansing Oil (VCO, not in the Winter Box). Apply Radiance Serum, Anti-Aging Eye Gel Oil (not in the Winter Box), Rosehip Healing Oil, and Donkey Cream. Periodically through the day, I apply Rosehip Healing Oil and either Donkey Cream or Snow Sleeping Cream to my nose to mitigate tissue abrasion.
PM: Bamboo Cleansing Balm, Rice Against the Patriarchy, and VCO. Mask with Milk Cream Mask (Coming Soon!). Apply Radiance Serum, AAEGO, Rosehip Healing Oil, Donkey Cream, and Snow Sleeping Cream.
Any changes I’ve made: This week, I’ve applied Rosehip Healing Oil a lot more.
Overall thoughts: I have turned to the Dark Side: I am a Sabbatical Beauty. No other product has helped me feel this good, even when I am so, so sick!
Watch Deidre's Week 3 Winter Box Routine!
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https://sabbaticalbeauty.com/blogs/blog/carols-third-week-with-the-winter-box2018-12-09T15:49:00-05:002022-09-08T01:58:35-04:00Carol's Third Week with the Winter BoxAdeline KohWith the Spring Box that I reviewed in March, I learnt how to ‘listen to your skin’, but with the Winter Box, I have learnt how to put on only what you need! To elaborate further, for the Spring Box, I learnt how to know what my skin wants and whether or not the product will make me oily or not. With the Winter Box, most of the items are rich and hydrating, which, by right, are more suitable for people with dry skin rather oily/combination skin. Going by the rationale that too much of a good thing is never really good, I played around with how much of the products I need to use and found a good balance!
Hi! This is Carol, and I am from Singapore! My weather here is always hot and humid with plenty of heat and rain. For my skin type, it is oily combination that is aging, and the pores are pretty enlarged and clogged.
General Impressions
I would say that the contents of the box complements each other really well. The masks preps my skin for better absorption of the serum and creams to come later. In fact, for someone whose skin is never dry, I would go so far as to say that the Winter Box is giving me hydration that I do not know I need until now!
Changes I’ve seen
This week, I think I am starting to see the effects of Radiance! So I started using it both AM and PM last week, and for a while, the discolourations on my face were more stark than before. So I did a bit of Googling and found out that when you use an effective skincare that evens skin tone, skin will brighten and even out in tone gradually, so any discoloured patches are more obvious before they even out as well. But visually? I can tell my face looks brighter and more ‘uniformly coloured’ than before I started on using all the Winter Box products!
AM Routine & PM routine
I have more or less established a fixed routine for both my mornings and evenings, and it is
I will also mask with the Botanical Gel Mask or Milk Cream Mask on alternate days, and use Day Spa Body Cream on my legs and elbows. Coffee Hair Oil is a godsend that both my daughter and I use after every time we wash our hair.
Any changes I’ve made
With the Spring Box that I reviewed in March, I learnt how to ‘listen to your skin’, but with the Winter Box, I have learnt how to put on only what you need! To elaborate further, for the Spring Box, I learnt how to know what my skin wants and whether or not the product will make me oily or not. With the Winter Box, most of the items are rich and hydrating, which, by right, are more suitable for people with dry skin rather oily/combination skin. Going by the rationale that too much of a good thing is never really good, I played around with how much of the products I need to use and found a good balance!
So right now, I am using the Rice Against the Patriarchy Cleansing Milk, Radiance and Donkey Cream for both my AM and PM routines. Changes? I scale down the amount I use in the morning so that skin will still enjoy the benefits but not enough to make me oily, and at night, I will pamper my skin and apply Radiance and Donkey cream according to what I usually use for my lighter SB products. And if I want extra indulgence? Apply more, seal them all in with the SuperCharge set and then pat on Snow Sleeping Cream at the end.
Overall thoughts
To date, I am loving both the masks from the Winter Box, Radiance and Donkey Cream are working hard to even and plump up my hopeless skin, but I have to confess that I have not been using enough of the Rosehip Healing Oil (mainly because the rest of the box already is that good!), so I will work hard to see how I can report back on this product!
Watch Carol's Week 3 Winter Box Routine!
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https://sabbaticalbeauty.com/blogs/blog/peytons-second-week-with-the-winter-box2018-12-04T19:28:00-05:002022-09-08T01:58:35-04:00Peyton's Second Week with the Winter Box!Adeline Koh
I think the products have had to work overtime because of all the crazy weather that has been thrown at me for the past week. My skin has remained hydrated, smooth, dewy, and silky, while also (for the most part) remaining very clear. Since I’m 50 years old, and battling visible signs of aging tooth and nail, that’s very important to me.
Hello! This is Peyton, and I’m telling all about week 2! I live in Maryland where it has been cold, dry, rainy, not as dry, sunny, overcast, down to 34, up to 61, and basically all the craziness that climate change has to offer. I have aging/combination skin.
General Impressions
First off, I love the Winter Box products. They were all new to me and this is the first time I’ve tried these particular products. They have been generally working very well on my skin and with my skin type. I think the products have had to work overtime because of all the crazy weather that has been thrown at me for the past week. My skin has remained hydrated, smooth, dewy, and silky, while also (for the most part) remaining very clear. Since I’m 50 years old, and battling visible signs of aging tooth and nail, that’s very important to me.
Changes I’ve seen: I have a small sun spot on the right side of my jaw which has lightened quite a bit. Thank you, Radiance! I have been under a bit of stress with family health issues, disturbed sleeping patterns, and intensive workshops, which contributed to my sprouting several small pimples on my chin. I’ve used the Winter Box products plus Camel Milk and Yeast Mask to dry those pimples up at night, and am applying Rosehip Healing Oil to the affected areas during my morning routine (this helps heal them from the inside as well as providing a good surface to apply makeup over.
AM Routine & PM routine
AM: wash with Bamboo Cleansing Balm and Rice Against the Patriarchy, apply Lift Serum (not in the Winter Box) Radiance Serum, apply Rosehip Healing Oil (Coming Soon!) to face, dėcolletage and backs of hands, use AAEGO (also not in the Winter Box) under my eyes and stroke any remainder over my eyebrows, and finish with Donkey Milk Cream (and then sunscreen!). I also use Day Spa Body Cream (Coming Soon!) for hands, arms, and legs. If my hair is dry and/or flyaway, I will put a couple of drops of Coffee Hair Oil (Coming Soon!) in my palms and rub my palms over the top layer of my hair, the sides, and at the nape of my neck. I love the Burgundy Lip Tint and use it almost every day.
I’m still using the entire Winter Box. I have been having a bit of skin upset that I think is more related to stress than anything else, and I’ve been using my Camel Milk and Yeast Mask as a spot treatment as needed.
Overall thoughts
I am really enjoying the Winter Box products. I’m going to continue to use my AM and PM routines as I have outlined above, and I think I’m going to incorporate Dorian Gray's Anti-Aging Serum into my PM routine prior to applying Radiance. Overall, my skin looks amazing, dewy, and youthful. I’m very pleased!
Click to watch Peyton's Week 2 Winter Box Routine!