So it seems that, despite an unusually warm December, we are finally in the throes of winter. My skin has really been feeling the frigid temperatures (it was -30 here this past weekend), feeling constantly tight and looking ultra dull and gray. I was on the lookout for some intensely hydrating skincare to remedy that situation when these goodies from Valentia fell into my lap.
Valentia is a skincare brand that's new to me, and I'm really kicking myself for not knowing about them earlier. They're named after the Roman Goddess of healing, hinting at the soothing and repairing nature of their products. They use natural and organic ingredients in every product, and they're free of parabens, cruelty free, and vegan friendly.
The first thing I ripped open and tried out was the Ultra Plumping Hydration Mask*. The name alone was enough to sell me on this - I've been desperately in need of some hydration and plumping action. The list of ingredients in this one is quite impressive, containing hyaluronic acid, organic sea buckthorn oil, Japanese green tea, and aloe vera. As you can see from the above picture, it's bright orange in color and has quite a wiggly consistency. It spreads easily onto the skin, and you can instantly feel how hydrating it is. My skin absolutely drinks this stuff up. The directions say to leave it on for 15-30 minutes and that some slight tingling is normal. I leave the mask on for the full 30 minutes because it feels so nice and hydrating, but I haven't felt any tingling from it. I notice that right away after rinsing it off, my skin is a lot smoother, plumper, and much more hydrated and glowing. I feel like whatever skincare I put on afterwards sinks in so much better. I have only used this at night so far, but I can tell it would be an amazing addition to a morning routine or before going out if you've got the time - this would make makeup application a breeze.
The other bit I got to try out was their True Glow Eye Cream*. Again, it's got an amazing list of ingredients - astaxanthin, an antioxidant to increase moisture levels, resistem, which are plant stem cells, Vitamin C, rosehip oil, and arnica for its anti-inflammatory properties. I've been suffering with some dark undereye circles lately from not sleeping very well, and my short time using this has already made a difference, I feel. It's very lightweight and creamy but again, intensely hydrating. I can actually feel it firming up the skin around my eyes shortly after applying it, which I assume is very promising. Like the mask, it's got a bit of an orange tint, which is very translucent, but on me it seems to be a little bit brightening as well. My one gripe with this product is the packaging - while I like that it's in a pump so it's more sanitary, the pump dispenses too much product for me. But really, that's the only fault I found. I've been loving the instant gratification of this one so much that I've actually been keeping up with using it, when normally I let the eye cream step of my skincare routine fall by the wayside.
Would you try out either of these products?
This post has been sponsored by BrandBacker, but all opinions are my own. See my disclaimer for more info.