Herbivore Botanical’s True Blue Skin Clarifying Duo:

Happy Monday loves! This is officially my first blog-style written post and I’m so excited to share some first thoughts with you all! What better way to celebrate the blog than to talk about a mini set that I have been testing out since purchased during the Sephora sale and have been loving.

The True Blue Skin Clarifying Duo sells at Sephora for $29 and comes with pretty decently sized mini’s: the Blue Tansy mask at 1oz/29mL and the Lapis oil at 0.3oz/8mL. I think that’s pretty good bang-for-your-buck. Let’s dive in to a little breakdown of both of these products.

Blue Tansy AHA + BHA Resurfacing Clarity Mask:

This mask claims to be a clarifying and cooling gel mask that has natural BHA white willow bark (high in salicylic acid), natural AHA from fruit enzymes (papaya and pineapple), and of course blue tansy that gently exfoliates and resurfaces the skin. This mask is best for normal, oil, and combo skin to help with acne, redness, inflammation, and pores.

This lovely blue gel-like texture mask comes in the cutest glass pot and smells, of course, like blue tansy. I personally enjoy the smell but others may not. It’s a difficult texture to describe because its a very liquidy jelly consistancy that glides onto the skin in a very thin, transparent layer. I love to use this mask on days that I feel my skin is freaking out (usually with hormonal acne/cystic bumps.). I apply this to my freshly cleansed face and instantly feel a nice soothing and cooling effect. I lay back and relax while it does it’s magic for about 15-20 minutes. Some people mention there’s a tingling effect but i do not experience that. It dries to kind of a tacky film on the skin and feels a little tight, not uncomfortable though. I wet it with a splash of water and (it feels a little slimy at this point) finish by wiping it off with a warm damp washcloth. I feel that using a washcloth can loosen up and wipe off any dead skin cells that the mask has broken up. My face feels like it needs some extra moisture (where the lapis oil comes in) but definitely doesn’t feel dried or stripped of moisture. My skin looks bright, balanced, and most importantly soothed of redness.

Lapis Oil Balancing Facial Oil:

This beautiful rich blue-colored facial oil smells of blue tansy as well and is meant to help hydrate and balance the skin, while soothing any redness or blemishes. In my opinion, this is the piece of the set that really helps my acne and any skin irritation. The lapis oil is made with 100% pure natural plant oils to hydrate skin in order to prevent excess oil and clogged pores. I find this oil to be a semi-dry oil which, means to me, that it absorbs quickly without leaving any greasy residue on the skin. This oil is antioxident rich and forms a natural lipid barrier in order to lock in all of the nourishment and hydration.

I find there are two main ways that I generally like to use this oil. I’m sure there’s many different combos out there but this is what works for me. I either like to use the blue tansy mask, then immediately apply this oil and call it a night.. Or, what i‘ve been doing most recently being its the colder months, I really like using the mask and then applying my usual night serum (DE TLC Framboos + a few drops of Marula oil) and adding 5-6 drops of the lapis oil to my night time moisturizer (DE Lala Retro) locking everything in. I feel like using it (the 2nd way) is most beneficial to my skin because I honestly don’t find the lapis oil to be heavy enough to be my night moisturizer. I really love and enjoy the soothing and acne treating benefits but i currently only use it PM mixed with Lala (which makes the perfect hydrating blanket to lock everything in all night). I wake up with the happiest, balanced, hydrated, and GLOWing skin. I do not use lapis in the day time due to it being too heavy for my skin in my specific routine.

Have any questions about how to use these two in your routine or with your skin type/concerns? Always feel free to message me on here, IG, in the comments, anything! I really hope you enjoyed my first blog post and have a lovely day!