Saving Face: Osea Skin Care

If it isn't obvious that I worship anything that comes from the ocean by now, you're blind, illiterate, or just incredibly unobservant. I am always trying to find things that blend the ocean with my everyday life, even if it's the stuff I put on my face. I have always loved seaweed infused skin care products, but as of late, the ones I had been trying just weren't doing it for me. I was worried that, like the Bonnie Raitt song, I can't make you love me, seaweed, if you don't. That was until I found out about a little company called Osea. 

Based and made in Malibu, California, all of their products revolve around highly nourishing organic seaweed that we already know, has a veritable buttload of minerals and moisturizing benefits. I needed a new moisturizer and was reluctant to change from my favorite Juara moisturizer, but the $49 price tag was a little steep at the time. After some researching, I found the Osea Atmosphere Protection Cream which is moisturizing, but lightweight enough to keep me from feeling oily and gross. It was also cheaper than my current moisturizer which is always a bonus!

When I placed my order, I was given the choice of different kinds of free samples with my order. I was fully expecting to get one dinky foil packet with barely enough to cover my forehead, but I was surprised with three decent sized face-mask samples!

I have so far only tried the red algae mask that is supposed to help dehydrated yet acne prone skin and it definitely felt really nice. The white algae mask is geared towards those with dry skin and rosacea, which is something I'm going to save until it gets really cold and my skin really needs it. The black algae mask is supposed to be a great exfoliator and good for repairing sun damage. It's never too late in the season for sun damage control, so I will be trying this one day when I need to just relax, nap, and wake up to a beautiful face! 

So far, the Atmosphere Protection Cream has been super awesome. I haven't had any weird breakouts, the herbal smell is really nice to put on, and I'm not oily throughout the day. My skin get incredibly dry during the winter, so I'm interested to see how well it does once it gets colder. I think it will do a good job, seaweed is a great moisture keeper and holds onto everything that it can. If you want an all-natural, vegan, and earth friendly company to get some goodies from, check out Osea and feel closer to the ocean!!

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Bad Ash: Lip Care

Lip Care by elbonner featuring a lip care

One thing I haven become straight-up addicted to is lip balm. I figure being addicted to lip balm is a step up from eating someone's face off whilst high on bath salts so I endulge this addiction from time-to-time. Above are a few of my favorite lip care items that I use throughout the year, but they really get the most use in the winter time where I'm drinking lots of hot coffee and then walking around in the cold.

1. Burts Bees Lip Balm in Pink Grapefruit: This stuff is a classic and comes in like 12 different formulas. My favorite smell in the universe is grapefruit, so when this stuff came out I bought it immediately. It smells and tastes great and it works. 5 stars!

2. EOS Lemon Drop Lip Balm with spf 15: I like this stuff because it's got spf in it so I wear this when I go on my runs. It's got the citrusy smell/flavor, but is a little more sugary like lemon curd or custard. So delicious and you can find it just about everywhere. And who doesn't love the little round packaging?!

3. Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Passion: I really like the whole line of Fresh lip treatments, but this gives you a little color with some top-notch moisturization. It's sort of a berry color, but it comes off pretty sheer and won't make you look like some kid who just drank a ton of black cherry Kool Aid.

4. Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub: Made out of sugar, bubblegum flavor, and a little bit of moisturizing oil, this stuff gets all the flakes off AND you get to eat it off when you're done. If you're craving a bit of sugar, but don't want to eat a block of fudge (psh yeah right) then get some of this. It will make everything soft, smooth, and delicious!

5. Hurraw Raw Vegan Lip Balm: This cocoa butter and coconut oil based lip balm is made from all organic ingredients that have never been heated, so all of the good stuff inside is potent and great for your lips. Sometimes I use this stuff on my cuticles and any rough patches I have on my hands because it's all natural and packed full of moisturizers. They come in a ton of different flavors and so far I've tried the chai and orange flavors with much success. This stuff goes on smooth and is reassuringly free of bad stuff.

I know there are a million different lip balms out there, but after a decade of looking for the perfect stuff these seem to fit the bill seeing as how I buy them over and over again. Don't spend your winter looking like Tyrone Biggums, get yourself some lip balm now!