Unboxing Beauty

[ disclosure: items in this blog post were provided for an honest and unbiased review.  blog post contains affiliate links ]

This Giveaway is now closed!!  The Winners are

Carolyn, @swoopsdown, @beautimel, @KMillheim609, @discoool, @modgeek, @cool_gals161, @whatevergoesclothes, @skincare_momsie & @1001sheetmasks

Naruko Boutique in New York reached out to me the other week and asked if I would like to host another giveaway, this time featuring their am+pm All Day No Shine Sebum Balancer Serum.  Of course, I love sharing my love of Naruko with my readers, so I said yes and I have 10 of these serums to giveaway!  I am also reviewing this product as I received a press sample from Naruko to try myself.   

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The am+pm All Day No Shine Sebum Balancer Serum (what a long name!!) is a product that will not only control your oily skin, but also keep it hydrated without clogging your pores.  Oily skin can be dehydrated and I can tell you, when my skin is dehydrated, it looks greasy, dull and I am more prone to cystic acne.

Skin Type & Concerns:  Oily, blemish prone, aging skin with hyperpigmentation, fine lines and wrinkles. 

Ingredients of Note

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Naruko has already put together a few ingredients that they would like to highlight, such as pumpkin enzymes, yeast extracts, hyaluronic acid, vitamin B5, pomegranate extract, rouge (ho) wood and vitamin C.  I will touch on a few of those they mention in the advert, but also pick out a couple of ingredients that I think are quite interesting.

• Pumpkin contains vitamins, amino acids, enzymes and anti-oxidants and because it contains enzymes, it is a fantastic exfoliating ingredient.  Along with its anti-oxidant benefits, it helps reduce the appearance of fine lines, hyper-pigmentation and rough, flaky skin, while helping cellular renewal.  
• Saccharomyces Lysate is a yeast, derived from fungi (mushrooms) that ferment sugars and will product beta-glucan ~ an amazing moisturizer and antioxidant ingredient, as well as an anti-inflammatory and helps with tissue healing and renewal. 
• L-Lysine is an essential amino acid ~ what this means is that you need it but your body doesn’t produce it.  It has to get it elsewhere, such as food.  Lysine is known to aid in the production collagen and elastin, so your skin will be firm and smooth and is used topically to help with skin issues, such as blemishes.
• Lactic Acid is an AHA (alpha hydroxy acid) and it will help exfoliate dead skin cells, excess oil and other debris, while moisturizing and brightening skin tone and firming your skin. 
• Silica is a crucial item when it comes to your skin’s connective tissue, collagen. By stimulating certain cells, silica helps strengthen your collagen and elastin, which in turn will help firm and tone your skin and plump up your skin, so fine lines and wrinkles are not as noticeable.  
• D-panthenol (vitamin B5)  helps cellular renewal and is an effective moisturizer. It is derived from plants and this ingredient comes from Vitamin B5. Panthenol is a natural humectant, which retains moisture and hydrates the skin. It also is a good lubricant on the skin, making skin look soft and smooth. It is also an anti-inflammatory
• Sodium Hyaluronate is an intensive moisturizing ingredient which bonds water to keep skin hydrated. It is a natural substance found in the human body and it made up of amino and uronic acids, and helps retain 100 to 1,000 times its own water weight in our skin cells.
• Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate is a stable derivative of vitamin C and is non-irritating as well as water-soluble and a powerful antioxidant. It helps stimulate collagen production, brightens and evens out skin tone and is an anti-inflammatory.
• The following oils ~  lavender, thyme, clary sage, rosemary, eucalyptus and ho wood contain anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties as well as anti-septic.  These are great oils for targeting skin problems and healing blemishes while reducing inflammation, redness and irritation. 

There are parabens and dimethicone in this product. 

Ingredients: purified water, cucurbita pepo (pumpkin) extract, urea, diglycerin, sodium PCA, hydrolyzed wheat protein, sorbitol, L-lysine, PCA, allantoin, lactic acid, propylene glycol, punica granatum seed extract, silica, dimethicone, saccharomyces lysate extract, morignga oleifera seed oil, sodium polyacryloyldimethyl taurate copolymer, hydrogenated polydecene, trideceth-10, glycerin, glyceryl polyacrylate, caprylic/capric triglyceride, bixa orellana seed extract, mannitol, panthenol, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, ethylcellulose, D-panthenol, C12-C15 alkyl benzoate, phenoxyethanol, methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, isobutylparaben, sodium hyaluronate, sodium polyacrylate, essential oils of lavender (lavandula angustifolia), eucalyptus (eucalyptus globulus), marjoram (origanum marjorana), thyme (thymus vulgaris), clary sage (salvia sclarea), rosemary (rosmarinus officinalis), ho wood (cinnamomum camphora), fragrance (based on natural origins)  cosDNA analysis

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This product claims it will help control oil, provide hydration and moisture, repairs skin, maintain the balance between moisture and oil and brightens and softens skin.    The biggest claim for me is the one where it will control oil for 24 hours!  Now, this isn’t marketed as a primer, but it also claims that it will help with your makeup application, as it will provide a soft, smooth canvas ~ as it will form a thin “membrane” of product on your skin.  That sounds like a primer to me!

This comes in a cool cylinder, which is huge, considering the size of the product!  The serum is in a plastic tube and has a nice pointed nozzle applicator.  This is very easy to use and I do have to watch how much comes out as it does flow nicely.  The Balancer serum is a lightweight gel, that has a very faint herbal scent to it ~ nothing strong.   It looks a bit milky when it comes out initially, but as I spread it on my skin, it melts like water and is clear.   The initial sensation is very cooling and soothing and as it is absorbed into my skin,  it will dry down to a semi-matte finish.  I can immediately feel how soft and silky my skin is where this is applied, with no roughness. 

My skin feels hydrated, but not dewy.  As I am VERY oily skinned around my T-Zone, I put this to the test on my nose, forehead and chin areas this past week.   After letting this product dry down, I applied my foundation over it.  Normally, my oil starts to break thru my foundation within less than an hour  ~that is how strong my oil is!!  However, when I use this, it takes hours before I see an oily sheen on my nose and forehead and then I just dust some powder over it and it is fine again.   If your skin is less oily than me, this might last longer on your skin.    

My skin never feels dried out when I use this and my makeup doesn’t go on cakey ~ BUT I have to remember to let this dry completely on my skin before applying my foundation as it will not adhere properly to my skin.  I think this is normal behavior for a primer.   I have not experienced any clogged pores or breakouts where I used this serum.  

I found this video showing how they applied oil on the skin, then the Balancer serum over it.  They used an oil blotting sheet to demonstrate that this serum really controls  the oil.  I haven’t tried this test out myself, but I think I will!

Final Thoughts

I pretty impressed by this item. When I was approached about it by Naruko, I wasn’t sure how I would feel about it, as oil control products that really control oil are few and far between.  I found that this did keep my skin nice and hydrated, while keeping my pores unclogged and controlling my oil.  The am+pm All Day No Shine Sebum Balancer Serum normally retails for $37.00 at Naruko, but because it has an expiration date of September 2017,  it is currently on sale for $9.99.  I will be purchasing another one, as this 30mL tube will go quickly with me. I do like this a lot and I recommend this if you have oily skin like me! 

Unboxing Beauty X Naruko Giveaway

 

Ten lucky readers will win one tube each of Naruko am+pm All Day No Shine Sebum Balancer Serum  in my giveaway with Naruko Boutique.  This is a USA only giveaway, as Naruko will be handling the shipping of these prizes.  I will be having an international + USA giveaway soon with other items, so stay tuned for that. 

Don’t forget to like me and follow me on Facebook and Instagram!  I’ve moved on FB, so I would REALLY appreciate it if you did so 🙂

 

What you need to do to enter

• Use the Entry Link below to enter via Rafflecoper.  This will open a new page with the entry form.  This is legit as my copy of wordpress does not allow me to embed the entry form directly into my blog.
• All entries will be verified and anyone who has multiple accounts will be disqualified.
• Qualified entry will then be randomly drawn.
• I will notify 10 winners within 24 hours of the contest close. The winner will have 36 hours from then to contact me  with the following information:  their full name and mailing address
  
• If the winner does not contact me within 36 hours,  another winner will be selected and the original entry is null and void

 

You can do some of the entries daily (such as regramming), which gives you more entries and more chances to win.  This giveaway will end on February 3rd, 2017 and I will then randomly pick 10 winners. 

To Enter, click on the below image and follow the instructions. The more you do, the more entries you will receive!  Good Luck and may the odds be ever in your favor!

What you need to know

beautyfindsforme is me 🙂

By entering, you are agreeing to all of the following items:

• beautyfindsforme and Naruko Bouteque are not responsible for damages due to shipping, lost, stolen packages or any other issues.
  
• Once beautyfindsforme has the winner’s information, beautyfindsforme will give that information to Naruko and they will ship it out.
  
• The winner is responsible for verifying the products and their contents and to determine the suitability of those products for their own needs.  beautyfindsforme is not responsible for the actual products and ingredients.
• This is a USA only giveaway.  If you have a USA address that can be shipped to, you can enter.  If you enter and you do not have a USA address, you will be disqualified.
• You must be 18 years of age or older (or the age of majority in your own country), or must have the express permission of a parent or legal guardian to enter and receive the prize.
• Please ~ would love it if you would post photos of your prize on IG and/or Facebook so people know where you got these great products!  And that I am legit in offering giveways! 

[ disclosure: items in this blog post were provided for an honest and unbiased review.  blog post contains affiliate links ]