If you’ve been following me for any real period of time, then you’re probably aware of my fight with acne. For the longest time, it felt like nothing was able to help. I was destined to have acne for the rest of my life. Then I found green beauty and it changed everything. Skincare became more of a ritual than a requirement and just the act of spending 15 minutes focused on my skin seemed to help not only clear my skin but also clear my mind.
One of the first things I found of my green beauty journal was Beauty Heroes. This subscription service gave me access of skincare products that most of the time I had never heard of. The formulations were clean, and I skin was responding well to it.
Septembers monthly box featured SkinOwl, a company I had very little experience with. The “Hero” product was the Maqui Berry Beauty Drops PM, a reformulation of their cult classic Mangosteen Beauty Drops PM. This revamp of a product that many held very near and dear to their hearts was sparked by SkinOwls desire to be as ethical of a brand as possible. When it became hard to ethically source the Mangosteen in the quantities required to fulfill all SkinOwls orders, they decided to look for another powerhouse ingredient that would not just be a substitute, but would be even better than the original. That kind of dedication to the environment is what really caught my attention.
Before we get into how the reformulation preformed on my skin, I was able to do a short interview with SkinOwl owner Annie Tevelin about the new launch. This is my first interview with anyone, let alone with the owner of a brand I truly admire, so this was very exciting for me.
Your company is one of the more ethically minded companies I’ve seen in quite some time. What made you want to get into the green beauty industry?
I’ve always been genuinely interested in doing the right thing. When it came to building a business and helping people with their acne, I didn’t want to cause setback in other areas. To help someone’s acne, while then increasing their risk of cancer, mood disorders, and allergies didn’t make sense to me. If I was going to create a company, one that I could forsee being successful, then I wanted to do right by the people and the Earth. There really wasn’t a choice in the matter.
What made you decide on using the Maqui Berry as your powerhouse ingredient for the reformulated Beauty Drops PM?
I am obsessed with this fruit. It is such an anti-oxidant powerhouse and one that has never been used in skincare. It came to the rescue of our beloved Mangosteen and has an ORAC value of 28,000, the highest of any fruit. It came from Patagonia and was sustainable and harvested constantly by the Mapuche Tribe, native to Chile. This information came to me before I even experimented with the ingredient. Since then, it’s been nothing short of magic. We source the powder for the Beauty Whip and the Cold-Pressed oil for the Maqui Beauty Drops and both have genuinely changed people’s skin. It’s been incredible to watch and experience for ourselves!
How is the formulation different between the Mangosteen Beauty Drops & the Maqui Beauty Drops PM & are there any noticeable differences in the results for both formulations?
I like describing the Maqui Berry Beauty Drops as Mangosteen 2.0. People are going to notice a lot of the same benefits – smooth, even, skin upon first application and over time, visibly reduced lines and wrinkles, as well as dark marks reducing. The smell is different. The Mangosteen had a more “candy” smell, while the Maqui Berry Drops smell toasty and citrusy, like a creamsicle. Essentially, we’ve sourced a better anti-oxidant so it’s everything you loved, but on overdrive.
Can you give us a little insight into what a typical skincare ritual looks like for you?
I keep things very simple. I don’t wash my face in the morning, I splash my skin with water before applying the Geranium Beauty Drops. I then apply Eye+, Neck+, and Body Oil, in that order. At night, I wash my face with the Charcoal Beauty Bar, then use the Maqui Beauty Drops mixed in with the Beauty Whip and the Eye+. Twice a week, I use the Beauty Steam for it’s meditative and radiance-boosting benefits. I try not to wear makeup between the hours of 7 AM to 4 PM, but tinted moisturizer, highlighter, and mascara give me life, so it’s an easy rule to break!
I have had right around a month to play with the Maqui Berry Beauty Drops PM. Now, I typically refuse to read instructions (the wobbly furniture in my house will testify to that). So for the first week I used this, I used it as an oil, something I would put a moisturizer on top of. Turns out I should have read the instructions. This is the moisturizer.
Once I started using it correctly, I started noticing the real benefits. It is definitely moisturizing. When first applying this oil, I noticed that most of it sank in immediately. There was, however, a thin portion of it that takes a little longer to completely sink in. I’m not too sure how this would sit under makeup, but since even the title says that it’s supposed to be used at night, I don’t think that’s a problem.
After using it, I woke up to a more even, radiant complexion. Since I’m 25, it is hard to speak on the wrinkle reduction that the Beauty Drops is meant to provide. I can say that my favorite part is the fact that is helps fade dark spots. I’ve mentioned this before, but when I break out, I end up with deep red spots on my skin for months after the actual pimple has gone away. After consistently using this most nights, it has helped lessen the time between when I get acne and when the dark spot fade. It also helped with me actually getting acne. My skin was clearer, with fewer flare ups throughout the month.
Overall, I can say that I think the Maqui Berry Beauty Drops PM are a great night moisturizer, especially for people that suffer from hyper pigmentation or acne. It’s thick enough of an oil to be sufficient as your last step in your skincare routine, without causing any congestion.
If you have had a hard time finding a product that provides enough moisture while also helping combat acne, I would highly recommend giving these beauty drops a go.
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