Purchased by me
It has been far too long since I have featured this lovely Vancouver-based brand on the blog, but if you have not tried East 29th's Vital Serum, you and your skin are missing out! Since being introduced to the product via East 29th owner, Victoria Ferguson, I have gone through 4 bottles of it and absolutely do not plan on stopping! For a little while, this was their only product, but then came the Valia Cleanser and Verse Lotion Mist which I am finally going to review today!
Valia Cleanser
Firstly, both the cleanser and mist are packaged dark glass bottles which helps to preserve the integrity of the ingredients. This is a very gentle gel cleanser suitable for sensitive, normal and eczema-prone skin that cleanses the skin without stripping, while also absorbing oil and improving skin texture and tone with the help of lemon rind extract. It also aids in strengthening the skin barrier with vegetable ceramides. It even exfoliates with willow bark extract which is a plant-based form of salicylic acid so you really are getting everything in this one cleanser! Also, if you feel like nerding out, the website also shows the active percentages of the featured ingredients!
I always think that putting all of the good stuff into a cleanser is such a waste since all you will do is wash it off, so what is nice about this cleanser is that you can even use this as a leave-on mask for 5-10 minutes before washing off! In terms of makeup removal, I've been using this cleanser as my second step in my double cleanse and you can get it all over your eyes to remove eye makeup with no stinging or irritation!
Verse Lotion Mist
I know there are some mixed feelings about whether even toners are necessary in skincare routines, but I personally LOVE them specifically in spray form because I like how refreshing they are which makes the actual spray mechanism VERY important to me!
This is termed a "hydrating lotion spray" and is lightweight enough to use as a makeup primer and hydrating enough to use alongside a more intense sheet mask or serum to seal everything in. It's a great multi-purpose product that features vegetable ceramides, lemon rind extract, sea buckthorn extract, sugar kelp (I love this ingredient because it attracts water to the skin!) and ginseng extract, a much beloved ingredient in Asian skincare as well.
I love this mist and how lovely it feels on my skin! The only thing I don't like? The spray nozzle. I find it to be quite strong and aggressive and lacks the "soft mist" that a lot of great spray toners like Caudalie and Tata Harper have. I am waiting to use up one of my Tata Harper bottles to see if I can transfer this mist into it because the spray nozzle makes me not want to use it which is sad since the product itself is really quite good!
I know there are some mixed feelings about whether even toners are necessary in skincare routines, but I personally LOVE them specifically in spray form because I like how refreshing they are which makes the actual spray mechanism VERY important to me!
This is termed a "hydrating lotion spray" and is lightweight enough to use as a makeup primer and hydrating enough to use alongside a more intense sheet mask or serum to seal everything in. It's a great multi-purpose product that features vegetable ceramides, lemon rind extract, sea buckthorn extract, sugar kelp (I love this ingredient because it attracts water to the skin!) and ginseng extract, a much beloved ingredient in Asian skincare as well.
I love this mist and how lovely it feels on my skin! The only thing I don't like? The spray nozzle. I find it to be quite strong and aggressive and lacks the "soft mist" that a lot of great spray toners like Caudalie and Tata Harper have. I am waiting to use up one of my Tata Harper bottles to see if I can transfer this mist into it because the spray nozzle makes me not want to use it which is sad since the product itself is really quite good!
Final verdict: Both products were great, but I don't know if I would repurchase them once I am done with them mainly because I have a ton of other cleansers and toners to use. Secondly, I don't have sensitive skin so I do like having fragrance even in a natural form in my cleanser and toner which both of these products purposely do not have.
I loved the East 29th Vital C Serum because as a vitamin C product, it was really different than a lot of other Vitamin C serums I had tried and didn't leave my skin irritated or sticky feeling. With these two products, I just wasn't as wowed even though they are both absolutely solid products, especially in terms of ingredients, and I think they are just better suited to those with more problematic skin types or anyone who isn't as "adventurous" with their skincare products as I am. I do want to stress that I will forever be a lifelong user of the Vital C Serum and plan on picking up two more bottles this week!
You can find East 29th Skincare at www.east29th.com
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