One of my resolutions for 2015 is to take my skincare game to the next level. For some reason my skin started acting really wonky towards the end of the year with some massive breakouts that were out of the ordinary. I am talking about chin, cheeks (several locations) as well as my forehead, where I seldom breakout. I’ll blame it on hormones, nasty eating habits, drinking excessively (let’s hear it for the December bender y’all!) and not drinking enough water. Alas, 2015 came and I still had a few bumps on my forehead. Sure I break out occasionally each month to coincide with my period but that was a bit more perplexing that my breakouts were that severe. My mom thinks it’s those pesky hormones and stress.
After a hellish bout of breakouts, I vowed to pay closer attention to the products I have been using and toss those that were not working. Enter Pangea Organics, a skincare brand I have been using for the past year. I nabbed the Pangea Organics Himalayan Geranium & Pomegranate Balancing Oil and Turkish Rose & White Tea Eye Cream in December 2013 as part of a beauty haul. I didn’t expect these two products to become staples in my skincare routine but they did.
The Balancing Oil ($55) would be considered the star athlete in my skincare routine. Rich in naturally occurring antioxidants, essential fatty acids and vitamins, this organic and gluten-free cold-pressed oil tackles plumps up the skin and helps it retain moisture. It is the perfect addition to my beauty routine, which include starts with cleansing with a Clarisonic, a charcoal mask (currently loving the Bliss Multi-FACE-eted Mask and Origins Clear Improvement™ Active Charcoal Mask To Clear Pores), a toner, Balancing Oil, a moisturizer, eye cream and neck cream. I add my COOLA SPF 30 Face Sunscreen during the day. The Pangea Organics Balancing Oil is one of my favorite products that I have completely finished. It absorbs quickly into the skin and leaves it feeling beautifully soft. It’s my year round must-have face oil.
The Pangea Organics Balancing Oil absorbs into my skin quickly, and softens the fine lines and wrinkles on my face. It also helps with over drying that I sometimes have in the winter time. And it’s worth noting that Cleopatra used oils to enhance her beauty in harsh desert conditions. If it worked for a timeless beauty, it certainly makes the grade in my book.
I bought the Pangea Organics starter kit for oil/blemish prone skin and started using it in December when I started my epic breakout session. For nearly a month now, I haven’t seen a single blemish on my face. My skin feels amazingly soft and smooth and friends have noticed how much brighter my skin is. So what is in the kit?
– Australian Wild Plum & Willow Facial Cleanser
– Argentinean Tangerine & Thyme Facial Toner
– Moroccan Argan w/ Willow & Rosemary Facial Cream
– Egyptian Geranium with Adzuki Bean & Cranberry Facial Scrub
– Japanese Matcha Tea with Acai & Goji Berry Facial Mask
All these products together are incredibly effective and potent. The Australian Wild Plum & Willow Facial Cleanser is light and a little goes a very long way. I lather up with water and use my Clarisonic to remove makeup and dirt from my face twice a day (morning and night). I then follow up with the Argentinean Tangerine & Thyme Facial Toner, which I spritz all over my face in 3-4 pumps. It smells incredible and it just finishes the job in tightening my pores.
Twice a week, I use my Bliss Multi-FACE-eted Mask for its polishing and skin firming benefits. Two other times in the week, I opt for the Egyptian Geranium with Adzuki Bean & Cranberry Facial Scrub, which gently exfoliates and sloughs off dead skin. It’s an enzymatic exfoliate but still gentle enough not to irritate my skin. I use the Japanese Matcha Tea with Acai & Goji Berry Facial Mask once a week, which really aids in brightening my skin. The mask has this weird gritty texture. At first I squeezed so much out of the tube the first time but then I realized a little goes a long way. I apply the mask all over my face and allow it to sit for 10 minutes before rinsing with warm water. This is when I follow up with my toner.
I finish off my night time routine with a pump of the Balancing Oil and mix it in with my Moroccan Argan w/ Willow & Rosemary Facial Cream before applying them to my face and neck. In the morning, I usually apply the oil first, let it absorb into my skin for about 5 minutes, then follow up with my facial cream. The rest of my routine is pretty straight forward, I apply the Turkish Rose eye cream and end with my COOLA SPF 30 face sunscreen. I ditch the sunscreen in the evening and opt for a neck cream. I am going to add a night cream to the mix as well as a serum, though I sometimes get confused on the order of which all these additional products go in the routine.
Pangea Organics is one of those brands I absolutely swear by because they source the very best ingredients and are organic and gluten free. Not only that but you also see really good results. A 30-Day skin care set is $98 but worth the splurge if you can afford it. Once I finish my starter kit, I intend on trying the 60-Day skin care set, which retails for $386. Yea not chump change but when a product proves its worth, I must indulge my face in the very best. There are other sets available that cater to different skin care concerns, including, Dry to Sensitive Ski, Normal to Combination Skin.