I wrote this post over a week ago and forgot to publish it. I'm a moron.
Autumn has a solid grip on Germany now, and while the days are growing darker I experience my skin to become more thirsty for hydration and antioxidants. My current routine is changing accordingly and my most recent addition is very worth to talk about, which is why I'll be reviewing the Pure Heal's Propolis 90 Ampoule today.
If you've been a longtime reader of this blog, you most likely know that propolis is one of my most beloved ingredients when it comes to battling my acneic skin. My skin just seems to love this ingredient so much that a high amount of it benefits my skin greatly in preventing any new acne to pop up, so I'm always on the hunt for the most efficient product and I might just have found the one. I singled this one out because a) I needed to do a haul from ibuybeauti anyways, as I ran out of my two favorite base make-up products from Luna and b) the high content of propolis (90%) just sounded too good to give this an early pass.
Ingredients: Propolis Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Water, Niacinamide, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Sodium Polyacrylate, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Butylene Glycol, Illicium Verum (Anise) Fruit Extract, Caprylyl Glycol, Honey Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Caramel, Adenosine, Rose Flower Oil, Tagetes Minuta Flower Oil, Mentha Arvensis Leaf Oil, Elettaria Cardamomum Seed Oil, Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Oil, Eugenia Caryophyllus (Clove) Leaf Oil, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Vetiveria Zizanoides Root Oil, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Citrus Limon Peel Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil.
I was surprised to see that there are so many oils present in this ampoule, because the product doesn't feel oily AT ALL. I honestly didn't expect many or even any oil inside there but have been surprised by the contrary. That being said, this ampoule consists of 90% propolis extract, aloe, niacinamide and a heap load of different oils but not many fillers or irritants. I like. A lot.
The ampoule comes in a 30ml glass dropper bottle for 13$ as well as a 100ml one for 38$ - I wish every brand would make big bottles of their ampoules and essences! Repurchasing a product that comes in a tiny bottle is always a pain due to waste of packaging as well as shipping costs, so I was super excited to see they have a bigger version of this too. I went with the small one to try it out, but -without wanting to give you any spoilers- I am already having the bigger one on my way. I wouldn't mind this to be in a plastic bottle (like the essences from Goodal for example) as I always have a hard time travelling with glass bottles, but the packaging is without doubt quite pretty to look at on the bathroom counter.
The ampoule is kind of a liquid oil - not as runny as water, but not as thick as many oils. In fact, I don't find this oily at all and was surprised to see that there were no silicones as all in the formula as I highly suspected - my skin feels insanely smooth after using this. Due to the formula, it is not prone to spilling or wasting much product upon application. I use roughly the amount in the picture, probably even a bit less than half a dropper.
It has a faint honey scent but nothing overly too sweet or floral, which I really like. It does smell quite natural and doesn't bother my nose at all. I usually use this after my COSRX A-Sol and my Goodal Watery First Essence. It's not sticky at all and basically melts into the skin upon application which is always a big PLUS for me - I'm often working at 4AM in the morning, so I really don't have time for waiting times in between my skincare steps.
Since I've been using this (~2 weeks as of today) my skin has been incredibly calm and not acted up at all. Of course, this is probably the work of my AHAs and BHAs (more on that soon on a "found my holy grail routine" post!) but I can firmly say that this doesn't break me out at all and rather soothes my skin very well. It doesn't feel overly moisturizing, which is why I'm following this with my Tosowoong Aloe Essence and the Dr Jart Ceramidin Liquid.
Have any propolis products that are worth checking out? Let me know in the comments! Also, feel free to drop me any questions in case I forgot to mention anything crucial.
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