lola's secret beauty blog: Gua Sha tool

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Boxwalla has a really special December Beauty Box in store for you! Boxwalla's eco-luxe beauty boxes are an extraordinary value, and the products themselves are nothing short of spectacular. Their carefully curated cruelty-free green beauty boxes are a tremendous value, with steep discounts, and they feature truly covet-worthy luxurious, and sustainably crafted beauty products.

According to Boxwalla,

The Skincare Subscription Box from Boxwalla is the best beauty box subscription curated for the luxury-loving skincare enthusiast. In our skincare subscription boxes, you will discover the most effective & innovative plant-based beauty products that redefine luxury skincare. By showcasing not only the benefits of each product we feature but also demonstrating how they can be incorporated into your skincare routine, we help you figure out how to take care of your unique skin needs.

The December Beauty Box, The Gothamista x Boxwalla Box: Renée's Winter Luxuries, is an exquisite collaboration between Gothamista x Boxwalla.

Cost to Subscribe: $59.95 (or $49.95 with the three- or six-month prepaid subscription plans). For a limited time, get the Lovinah Ocean Rituals Cleansing Balm free with the 6-month prepaid plans.

Each Beauty Box contains (Retail value $296.00):

Saro De Rue x Gothamista Essence (full size, 3.38 oz. $68.00)
WYLYS Double Rose Luminizer Revitalizing Oil Serum (full size, 1.01 oz. $188.00)
Gothamista x Pink Moon Custom Jade Gua Sha ($40.00)

About: This collaboration between Boxwalla and Renée Chow from Gothamista, features three extraordinary products that offers the perfect way to pamper your skin during the winter months, and to really slow down and enjoy the beautiful ritual.

Saro De Rue x Gothamista Essence (full size, 3.38 oz. $68.00): This beautiful essence is a wonderful collaboration between Mimi Kim, a licensed sports nutritionist and aesthetician, and Renée Chow, a skincare enthusiast and influencer. This essence is a brightening and hydrating gem that offers skin barrier protection, skin immunity boosting and it plumps fine lines. It is silky smooth to the touch, and this ultra-luxe essence functions as a hydrating toner that is mindfully massaged into the skin, and leaves skin soft, smooth, supple and ready for the glorious WYLYS Double Rose Luminizer Revitalizing Oil Serum.

According to Saro De Rue,

Mimi Kim & Renée Chow worked together to craft their dream formula with enhanced black ginseng and Hanbang Medicinal Herbs to create the limited edition Essence.

Essence is the skincare essential your skin's been waiting for. With the benefits of a hydrating toner and serum in one, this enriched formula quickly absorbs, leaving skin feeling fresh, radiant, healthy. Essence is created for every skin type, every age, gender, skin type and skin condition.

Essence fuses ancient Chinese Medicine practices and techniques, with modern science for the perfect blend of East meets West skincare. A holistic approach combined with innovative science to create a product that produces game-changing results, while being gentle on your skin and the planet. This essence is unlike any other. Crafted using the rarest, most potent ingredients, ancient Korean techniques, and hanbang herbs.

The foundation of our Essence is Black Ginseng, a treasured Korean medicinal herb

used for centuries for its power to heal, regenerate and enliven. The intense technique used to create it plus its powerful properties make Black Ginseng one of the most celebrated ingredients in Korean skincare.

Directions: After cleansing apply ample amount to palm of hand. Massage onto face & neck in an upward motion. Wait until fully absorbed and follow with a moisturizer.

Ingredients: Panax Ginseng Root Water (62%), Water, Glycerin, Niacinamide (4%), Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium PCA, Hydroxyethylcellose, Propanediol, Lycium Chinese Stem Extract, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Rehmannia Glutinosa Root Extract, Lycium Chinese Fruit Extract, Artemisia Vulgaris Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Melisa Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Paeonia Lactiflora Root Extract, Scrophularia Buergeriana Root Extract (50ppm), Panax Ginseng Root Extract (50ppm), Betaine, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Zinc PCA, Maltodextrin, Persea Gratissimia (Avocado) Fruit Extract, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Ceramide NP, Ceramids NS, Cholesterol, Phytosphingosine, Ceramide AS, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP.

Key Ingredients:

62% Black Ginseng Water
6 Kinds of Hanbang - traditional Korean Medicinal Herbs
4% Niacinamide
Upcycled Red Ginseng Extract
Upcycled Goji Berry Stem and Fruit Extract
Upcycled Avocado Peptide
3 Lipids: Ceramides, Cholesterol, Fatty Acid
2 NMF: Sodium PCA & Zinc PCA

WYLYS Double Rose Luminizer Revitalizing Oil Serum (full size, 1.01 oz. $188.00): As a huge proponent of luxury face oils, I was elated to try this gorgeous mid-weight oil that sumptuously melts into the skin. Used after the Saro De Rue x Gothamista Essence, this ultra-luxe oil, with its stunning light herbal/floral aroma, leaves skin hydrated, soft, smooth and supple. It has an unparalleled silky texture, and it never leaves behind a greasy residue. It effectively softens the appearance of fine lines, leaves skin with a luminous glow, and it is a true joy to use. This is one of the most lovely face oils that I have tried in the last decade, and I simply cannot underscore the extent to which this is a delight to use, and that it delivers tangible and visible results.

According to WYLYS,

The Double Rose Luminizer is a vitamin-rich complex of pure rose and cold-pressed essential oils (rosehip, lavender, and geranium) that revitalizes depleted or dehydrated skin. Richly nourishing yet lightweight, this oil gently glides over the skin with just a few drops that easily absorb to provide an immediate, dewy glow. It reinforces a weakened outer layer, diminishing the appearance of fine lines and catalyzing the deeper collagen-renewal process.

Features:

Great for: All Skin Types, especially Delicate, Sensitive or Reactive Skin.
Skin Concerns: Fine Lines, Dryness, Dehydration, Lack of elasticity, Acne-prone.
Scent: Herbaceous, delicate, floral.
Texture: Luxurious oil that feels light and silky, not greasy.
Makes Skin Look & Feel: Radiant, supple, and revitalized.

Directions: Cleanse and tone. Apply a small quantity (2-3 drops) of oil to fingertips, then apply the digito-pressure technique—holding fingers straight while gently exerting pressure across the face to massage and ease application of the oil.

Ingredients: Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil, Calendula Officinalis (Calendula) Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Rosa Rubiginosa (Rose Hip) Seed Oil*, Evening Primrose Oil*, Geranium Flower Oil, Rosa Damascena (Rose) Flower Oil*, Pimenta Acris (Bay) Leaf Oil, Salicornia Herbacea Extract, Lavandula (Lavender) Stoechas Extract, Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Seed Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil *organically grown.

Active Ingredients and Their Attributes:

Organic Rosehip Seed Oil: to provide antioxidants and essential fatty acids that hydrate, lock in moisture, brighten, and protect skin from UV damage.

Organic Rose Flower Oil: to act as a humectant and draw water within the skin, while also tightening and clarifying pores.

Calendula Oil: to hydrate and add suppleness to the skin, while also lessening redness and soothing irritation.

Organic Primrose Oil: to increase elasticity, radiance, and help skin cells retain moisture.

Salicornia Herbacea Extract: to strengthen the skin barrier, increase skin repair and recovery, and provide deep moisture.

Gothamista x Pink Moon Custom Jade Gua Sha ($40.00): Pink Moon, which was founded by Lin Chen, a Reiki Healer, collaborated with Renée Chow to create this gorgeous custom jade Gua Sha. This beautiful Gua Sha, when incorporated into your skincare routine, helps reduce inflammation of the face, relieves muscle tension, and it also helps to relieve the severity and frequency of headaches. It is such a luxurious way to help encourage lymphatic drainage, decrease puffiness and improve elasticity. Plus it feels amazing and gives me an incredible sense of wellbeing.

Features:

Your new favorite self-love and wellbeing essential for pampered, healthy skin.
It encourages lymphatic drainage, moves stagnant energy, and helps relieve tension/discomfort (pain, headaches, sinus pressure).
Gua Sha is a 4,000 year old Traditional Chinese Medicine holistic health massage.

Overall Assessment: This is a box really worth getting before it sells out a second time, and the magical products are among the most incredible that I have used this year. This box is the perfect way to slow down, engage in self-care and pamper and nourish your skin. Boxwalla did an incredible job closing out 2023 with one of the most impressive beauty boxes imaginable. This is the perfect gift for yourself, or for the skincare loving people on your holiday list. A+

Cost to Subscribe: $59.95 (or $49.95 with the three- or six-month prepaid subscription plans) from Boxwalla (Affiliate Links). Free U.S. Shipping Always. Press Sample. All views expressed are categorically my own.

Visit: www.theboxwalla.com

Press Sample (Affiliate Links)

Derma E doesn't only make incredible skincare products, but they also have some very nice tools, and I am so happy to introduce you to their Rose Quartz Gua Sha Tool, Beauty Sponge and Cosmetic Bag. All three are lovely additions to my collection, and they are very high quality, affordable and from a first rate cruelty-free brand that you can trust.

Derma E Small Cosmetic Bag ($4.95 from Derma E): Their multipurpose unlined cosmetic bag with a zipper, which measures 8" W x 6" H x 2" D, is made of 100% cotton and is perfect for travel.

According to Derma E,

Keep your smaller items and products protected with our 100% cotton, 100% vegan, cruelty-free compact DERMA E designed cosmetic bag.

Derma E Gua Sha Tool ($10.95 from Derma E): This tool is made from Rose Quartz and is used to reduce the appearance of puffiness and tension in the face and can help promote lymphatic drainage. This Gua Sha Tool is almost 4" long, and it is very smooth and easy to use. It needs to be used in conjunction with a face cream or serum, and not on bare skin. Please see the video at the bottom of this post for a Gua Sha tutorial from Derma E.

Benefit: It is great for lifting and sculpting the face it also can release tightness in a certain parts of the face.

What is Gua-Sha?

Gua Sha is a technique that has been used in Chinese Medicine for thousands of years and basically involves scraping the skin. This helps encourage blood flow to the area bringing nutrients to the skin and promoting the removal of toxins. Additionally, you are exfoliating the skin by removing dead and dying skin cells and exposing younger, plumper healthier-looking skin. Traditionally, it is done with a piece of water buffalo horn but a tablespoon will work just fine. In as little as 10 minutes a day, you can see amazing results on your face. Watch this video and learn how to do Gua Sha for younger looking skin.

According to Derma E,

Crafted from the heart-healing gemstone, Rose Quartz, our Gua Sha facial tool is not only beautiful, it’s effective. This gentle facial tool eases facial tension while reducing the appearance of puffiness, fine lines, and wrinkles while helping to promote lymphatic drainage to increase toxin elimination. Use with your Favorite DERMA E serum or moisturizer for extra absorption. It comes with a 100% cotton travel pouch.

Derma E Beauty Sponge ($4.95 from Derma E): This wonderful multipurpose beauty sponge can be used to apply skincare products, such as creams, lotions and serums, or for blending and applying your makeup. It is high quality, easy to clean and it measures about 2" high. The pointed tip makes it very handy for getting in to tight locations, such as the sides of the nose and into the hairline.

According to Derma E,

Our multi-tasking beauty sponge is perfect for skincare and makeup application. This soft sponge works to blend creams, liquids, and serums for a flawless finish.

Benefit: Pair with your favorite DERMA E serum, moisturizer or BB cream for effortlessly beautiful skin.