ThisThatBeauty Goes Green!

That’s right, ThisThatBeauty is going green….well at least for this product review. About two weeks ago I stumbled upon a lovely little organic beauty shop in Montclair, NJ called Ecco Bella.

To be honest with you, whether a product is organic or not has no bearing on my decision to purchase (I’m the same girl who brought back a boat load of Chinese RetinA from Beijing). The lovely manager of Ecco Bella spent time walking me through their product offerings and explained the benefits of organic products. I’m considering doing an interview for TTB. Please let me know if that would be of interest to you!

So as I was saying — organic products do not thrill me. As Ms Manager explained all of the earthly goodies in their products I thought to myself “uh, cool, I guess”. I’m always intrigued but again, I don’t mind the chemicals if it keeps my skin in check. Seriously. But then Ms Manager said something that caught my attention. She said that many of their products contain no water, which is better for the skin because water actually dries out the skin. Now this is something I’ve heard before. And as someone who gets just a wee bit dry from the combined use of glycolic products, at home peels, and Retin-A…at this point I was all ears. Ms Manager asked me about my skincare regime and my skincare concerns. After a lil chit chat/ analysis she recommended Ecco Bella’s Leave On Invisible Exfoliant and Blemish Therapy (LOIE&BT).

Now y’all know I don’t play when it comes to my skincare regime. My routine is a religion. I faithfully hold service twice a day…all praises due to Cetaphil, glycolic, RetinA, and SPF 30. So when Ms Manager gave me the sample and advised me to use it instead of my usual glycolic product, I gave her a look that was less than friendly. I have no problem adding things to my regime but “replacement” is a totally different story. It has taken me years to get my little routine just right. I asked Ms Manager how the product would complement my RetinA. Her response was to not use the RetinA because I need to evaluate the results of the LOIE&BT on its own. “NO RETIN A????” I shot back! “Is this chick nuts”, I thought to myself. Ms Manager was dead serious. So out I walked with sample in hand, completely shook up at the thought of forgoing my precious Chinese RetinA.

So the moment of truth came. After washing and applying my eye cream, I applied LOIE&BT sans RetinA. Much to my surprise the earth didn’t open up and time did not stand still. Nothing traumatic happened. Buy boy was I jacked up psychologically.

The product has an orangey color and a slightly medicinal smell which I happen to like. The texture is between that of a serum and a lotion. Too thick to be serum but too thin to be a lotion. Its applied to the face with fingers. I just pour a bit into the palm of my hand, dab on my finger tips, then apply all over my face (excluding eye area). I did this every day and night for two weeks – sans RetinA. And folks I gotta tell you, my skin is the smoothest and blemish free its been in a long time. Each day and night when I’d use the LOIE&BT I’d marvel in how smooth my skin was…not a single pimple dared crop up (knock knock on my Clarisonic Skincare Brush). Even on RetinA I still got the occasional pimple (click here for a refresher on the most recent intruder). But overall RetinA and my skincare regime kept things relatively under control.

But now, here comes this Ecco Bella product and I’m really conflicted. I havent used RetinA in two weeks. I also have not been using my holy grail MDForte glycolic cleanser (instead I’ve been using Cetaphil) that’s kept my skin under control for the last two years. What the H-E-double hockey sticks is going on here??? I am thoroughly confused and conflicted. After two weeks of using Cetaphil in the morn and night, LOIE&BT morn and night, Estee Lauder Advanced Night Recovery Complex morn and night, Aveeno Positively Ageless Moisturizer SPF30 EVERY morn, and my assortment of day/ night eye creams…my skin is, dare I say it, perfect! I haven’t had a single pimple pop up and I am really amazed at how smooth my skin feels.

Over the last two weeks I have removed 3 products that were holy grail status – MDF Cleanser, MDF Facial Lotion, and RetinA. This is really tripping me out. I’m not sure how to explain this. Ecco Bella explains the efficacy of their product as follows:

You’ll be glad to know that it (LOIE&BT) has 6% Alpha Hydroxy Acid and 2%
Salicylic Acid / pH 3.5- 4.0. AHA products that wash off, or with a pH higher
than 4.0 do not exfoliate. This one has a pH of 3.5 and you leave it on.
Salicylic acid goes deeper into the pores to smooth skin and safely dry up
blemishes.

So now I’m wondering about the pH levels of my MDF cleanser and MDF facial lotion. If I’m getting the AHA benefits in this new product, do I need the MDF cleanser. Is the pH level in the MDF cleanser adequate? Also, should I go back to RetinA? Until now it was the one product that helped control my adult acne. I would still get the occasional pimple but nothing like the serious breakouts I used to experience. Plus, I do love the anti-aging benefits of RetinA. Too many questions! For now I’m stumped.

But here’s what I do know. LOIE&BT works for me. What I’ve been doing the last two weeks works for me. For now, I will stick to it. I am seriously undecided on whether or not to go back to RetinA. I kinda feel like I have to…but I don’t want to go back to it and my skin goes haywire. Ugh! Will keep you posted.

So not one to leave well enough alone, I returned to Ecco Bella to:
1) Thank Ms Manager for the recommendation and the generous sample (which lasted two weeks – now THATS a sample)
2) Purchase a full size LOIE&BT
3) Ask what other products in the Ecco Bella line might suit my needs.

Ms Manager recomended Mist On Toner and Dark Chocolate Mask (which smells divine)
I happily took generous samples of both with the promise to return in a couple of weeks to let Ms Manager know how I likey. I’ve always heard that Toner is unnecessary. Ms Manager said thats because most toners are drying and contain alcohol. Their toner is non-drying and does not contain alcohol. I will try the sample and will report back after a 1-2 week trial.

In the meantime and in between time, get to know Ecco Bella. If you’re in the NY/ NJ area, Montclair certainly makes for a nice place to spend a Saturday afternoon. You’ll find no shortage of great eateries, antique shops, clothing stores ($$$), and great people watching. If you’re not in the area, just google Ecco Bella and you can find their products online at a variety of places. You will find lots of places online offering up to 30% off retail price. While I’m certainly one to take advantage of a discount, I encourage you to go in and experience Ecco Bella and get an individual analysis. Ms Manager will be happy to help you.

I should also mention that Ecco Bella carries a full line of organic cosmetics. Very lovely stuff. Ms Manager did a foundation makeover for me. While the color match was not spot on, I think some of my TTB readers might enjoy the line.

Feeling green,
Felicia