Nyakio is one of the newest brands to arrive at Ulta. A less expensive alternative for people that want to delve into green skincare, I thought I’d share with you some of the products that I have had the chance to test out from them.

By far my favorite product is the Kenyan Coffee Facial Polish. It is absolutely amazing. It has definitely become my current go-to exfoliator. Somehow its abrasive enough to really get a good exfoliation while being gentle enough to be able to use multiple times a week. It feels as if the Kenyan Coffee beans have been rounded into very small spheres so there are no harsh edges anywhere, which means I have no real fear of micro tears. This leaves my skin feeling impossibly smooth and prepped for the next stages in my skincare routine.

I enjoy the Quinoa Eye Cream. I adore the ceramic applicator. It’s so incredibly cooling and depuffing. My only problem with it is that a couple times that I have used it, it has burned my eyes slightly and made them start to water. The actual product seems great on my undereyes, but I think because it’s a little thinner it moves slightly throughout the night and can get into my actual eye. If it didn’t move so much after application, I would love it.

The Sweet Almond Cleansing Oil Balm does a great job at removing pesky makeup. It can be slightly difficult to remove because it does not emulsify, but since I use it as a first cleanse to remove makeup, that is not a huge issue. I just use a warm washcloth to remove it and go in with a second cleanse to ensure I got everything. If you are the type of person who does not use a washcloth, I might stay away from this as it is difficult to remove without one.

The Tamanu Firming Face Balm is probably the product that I have used the least. Living in Texas, it can sometime get far too hot for a rich balm like this one. But since we have been having crazy weather recently, I have had the chance to really dive into this. It is a beautiful balm. It feels thick, yet sinks into my skin quickly. It tends to leave my skin looking a little shiny after application, so I prefer to use this at night. When I do, my skin is noticeably plump, hydrated and glowing the next morning.

Would you try anything from Nyakio?

The most important factor to consider when designing skincare is tone. At least, thats what the people at Virginia Stone think.

They believe the tone of your skin can determine exactly what your skin needs. Your tone determines your skin personality, which they believe inherently defines other unique characteristics, such as skin density, sensitivity, SPF requirements, and how tolerant your skin is to different potency levels.

Fortified with antioxidants, vitamins, and vital nutrients, ‘Eyes’ is designed to stimulate cell renewal, combat free radical damage, and reenergize and awaken tired, aging skin.

They believe each skin tone has different requirements. The eyes are the first area on your face to show signs of aging, therefore they need special care and attention. Lighter skin tones have naturally thinner skin, meaning the area around the eyes show skins of aging much faster on fair skin tones than medium and darker complexions.

Each ‘Eyes’ formulation feels like it’s been whipped into a light and airy cream. I must warn you, a little goes a long way. Upon contact, the warmth of the skin melts this butter into an oil that sinks beautifully into the skin.

All Virginia Stone ‘Eyes’ formulations contain about 57 different raw and unique ingredients. Butters, oils, botanical extracts and teas layer together to create a superfood eye cream.

Over the last 2 weeks, my friends and I tested out each of the different formulations to determine if skin tone really does play a role in the type of products we need.

KAVESI ————————————————————————————————————————

‘Eyes’ in Kavesi was designed for fair skin tones. Because these skin tones typically have a thin and very delicate eye area, they tend to suffer from some serious dark circles. I personally fall into this category. I am very pale. My skin tends to bar very translucent around my eye area, making dark circles my number 1 priority. Most people ask me while I look so tired every day. I’m not. My dark circles just make me look like I haven’t slept well in the last 8 years.

My goal with trying this eye cream was to find something to help hydrate and brighten. I must say, it did both beautifully. Using this at night allowed my under eyes to really drink up the moisture, leaving me with plump, hydrated eyes in the morning. After 2 weeks of consistent use, my overall eye area does actually seem brighter. With more long term usage, I believe that these results will only improve. While I do not think that my dark circles will ever fully go away, I do think that this eye cream is only of the only eye products that has actually help conceal any of the dark circles that I have. For that reason alone, this is a winner in my book.

JASARI ————————————————————————————————————————-

People with a medium skin tone will generally have slightly thicker skin around the eyes. A medium skin tone will have somewhat similar concerns to those with fair skin in that they too suffer from dark circles under their eyes. But since they have thicker skin, the formulation of Jasari was made to be slightly richer. Medium skin tones can also handle more active ingredients than someone with fair skin.

‘Eyes’ for Jasari aims to target dark circles as well as increasing circulation and lymphatic drainage in order to minimise the appearance of under eye bags and inflammation.

Since I do not have a medium skin tone, I had my friend test this out very night for 2 consecutive weeks. After 2 weeks of use, similar to my eyes, her under eyes were more hydrated and plump. The added benefit for her was that her under eye bags became less noticeable. Although she is only in her 20s, she somehow looked more awake and youthful.

ODAJA ————————————————————————————————————————-

Those with darker skin tones typically have much thicker skin that contains a high level of melanin. This melanin provides a higher amount of natural sun protection, which is why fair skin tones typically burn much easier than someone with a darker complexion.

Because darker skin is naturally thicker, Odaja has the richest texture of the three formulations, providing the deepest levels of hydration. The person that I had testing out Odaja suffered from hydration issues under their eyes. Makeup could be hard to apply as it could easily cling to dry patches. After using this for 2 weeks, her under eye moisture levels increased enough to where makeup was no longer clinging. There was no flakey, dry patches of skin anymore.

Overall, all three formulations seemed to do what they were designed for. I must admit, when I was first reading about this brand, I was skeptical. Could skin tone really play such an important role is designing skin care? But after using it, I must say, it kind of makes sense. Just thinking about the fact that those with thinner skin need a product that is thinner because the skin is so much easier to penetrate makes perfect sense If you have thicker skin, you need something much richer since your skin is naturally harder to get products to sink in. From what I have read, Virginia Stone is planning on releasing more products into their line of skin tone based skincare and I can’t wait to try out everything else that they are cooking up!

Would you ever try skincare based on your skin tone?