There are certain cult brands you hear about in various places. I kept seeing this Jordan Samuel Skin all over Instagram. At first I was thinking it looked interesting and I'll put it on my wishlist for one day. Then I kept seeing over and over again and finally I caved and decided to figure out what all the fuss was about.
First I must tell you a little about the creator behind the brand. Jordan Samuel Pacitti was a professional ballet dancer for over a decade. There he battled hot stage lights, intense sweating (I can only imagine) & heavy stage makeup. Jordan always had a passion for skin care and took note of what other dancers were doing in their skincare routines. He then changed career directions and became an Esthetician and opened a skin care clinic in Seattle. He turned everything he learned into Jordan Samuel Skincare and the Jordan Samuel Facial.
I don't normally go into brand creators pasts, however his story was reminiscent of mine--an artist turned health professional of some sort. In some aspects I wish I had gone from Illustrator to Esthetician as I really enjoy just skincare in general. I could spend all day talking about it. His line is small and simple as he believes less is more. So I grabbed two products--The Plie Treatment Cleanser and Hydrate Facial Serum.
The Plie Treatment Cleanser has just been renamed this month to The After Show Treatment Cleanser. It remains the same with no formula or texture changes. Details per Jordan Samuel Skin:
Because all the world’s a stage, the after show treatment cleanser is the ideal first step in preparing your skin to glow in the limelight.
This unique gel to oil formula uses olive, jojoba, and grape seed oils to remove every trace of makeup (including hard to remove stage makeup), while sugarcane, apple and willow bark extracts provide a gentle exfoliation to leave the skin hydrated, soft and absolutely pristine.
Glow in the radiance of you.
This cleanser comes packaged in a simple black and white tube and is very reasonably priced at $20 for 3 fl oz. If you follow me or read this blog at all you know I'm obsessed with oil gel balm cleansers. Plie is an oil based thick gel that emulsifies into an oil on the skin. It smells like citrus which makes sense as it has lemon, orange and apple fruit extracts. This cleanser is good at removing makeup--oil removes oil. This is quite pleasant to massage into the face and it also rinses clean with just water. The gel texture is hydrating while the citrus scent is not overpowering and it just smells clean. I love how soft and hydrated my face feels after using this.
It can be used multiple ways: as the first part of a double cleanse at night, alone as a night cleanser, or alone as a morning cleanser. You can rinse it clean with water or use a cloth of some sort to remove it all. I prefer this as the first part of a double cleanse but will use it in the morning on occasion. One of the really neat things about this cleanser is that you can leave it on for about ten minutes and use it as a hydrating mask. The fruit acids will also help gently exfoliate.
Official directions for use AM/PM: Massage Plié thoroughly into dry skin to break down makeup, SPF, dirt and grime. Use a warm wet washcloth to remove cleanser and every trace of makeup. Or simply rinse clean to have hydrated glowing skin.
This cleanser not only has one of the coolest textures for a cleanser, it is packed full of amazing ingredients that should make any green beauty lover happy. It's also made in the USA and not tested on animals. Bonus. We all love the coconut oil and gylcerin derivative Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride. It's in more products than I can count and this lightweight emollient helps product spreadability. Olive fruit oil has a high fatty acid content and contains oleic, palmitic and linoleic acids. Jojoba seed oil is rich in fatty acids and also skin soothing. Grape seed oil has strong antioxidant properties as well as a thinner texture.
Aloe leaf extract is hydrating, soothing, anti-inflammatory and helps protect the skin from sun damage. There has been some research saying parts of aloe has the ability to sink very deeply into the skin layers. Here it stimulates proteolytic enzyme action in skin tissue which helps stimulate fibroblast cells that manufacture collagen. Research has also shown aloe to help with acne. So if you didn't love aloe before, you should now.
Sugarcane extract is hydrating because of the sugar and has a mild exfoliating effect from the lactic and glycolic acids naturally found within. Now keep in mind these are very minimal levels and not anything close to the real thing by itself. Lemon, orange and apple fruit extracts also gently exfoliate due to their mild Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) content. Green tea leaf extract is one of my latest obsessions. Green tea is an antioxidant helping protect your skin against free radicals. One part of green tea--Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is what's thought to give green tea it's main health benefits. Green tea has polyphenols that has antioxidant and soothing properties. Obsessed yet? Come join me.
Comfrey, chamomile and calendula are skin soothing ingredients. Willow Bark extract is used quite a bit in skincare. It has astringent, soothing and some anti-inflammatory properties in addition to containing small amounts of salicylic acid--a Beta Hydroxy Acid (BHA) best for declogging pores, mild exfoliation and being anti-inflammatory. Rosemary extract has calming and antioxidant benefits. Mango fruit extract is rich in antioxidants. Tocopheryl Acetate is a vitamin E derivative that has antioxidant benefits.
Ingredients
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Glycerin, Water, Sucrose Laurate, Propanediol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Saccharum Officinarum (Sugarcane) Extract, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Symphytum Officinale (Comfrey) Rhizome/Root Extract, Anthemis Noblis (Chamomile) Flower Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Salix Nigra (Willow) Bark Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Citrus Fruit Extract Blend, Simmodsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Caprylhyroxamic Acid, Capryl Glycol
As you can see there is no reason not to love this cleanser (unless you just hate oil based cleansers). It's appropriate for any skin type. I very quickly fell in love with it and it's become a hero product for me. Plus just look at it's fun texture below.
The Hydrate Facial Serum is a light hydrating serum that's easily layered. Details per Jordan Samuel Skin:
Just as water keeps dancers muscles in perfect working order, Hydrate serum will bathe your thirsty cells in humectants and soothing botanicals to keep your skin working in the same way!
Hyaluronic acid, stabilized Vitamin C, and hexapeptides combine with cucumber, tamarind, and passion flower extracts to give you healthy, dewy skin all day long.
This comes packaged in a clear glass bottle with a dropper for dispensing. It's not my favorite type of package I really do hate droppers and prefer pumps. One) because I don't have to open a pump and expose it to air every day like I do a dropper package. Two) a dropper is more messy. I'm quite clumsy and tend to knock things over. I've spilled quite a few things trying to put the dropper back into the bottle. It retails for $29 for a 30 ml bottle and is also made in the USA and not tested on animals. Bonus again.
This serum has a slippery light gel texture. It's not a runny liquid gel nor is it a thick gel either by any means. It has a slightly cloudy appearance. The scent is mostly like aloe. While it's not fragrance free, it's definitely a very light natural scent. It shouldn't bother anyone. I apply half a dropper full to my face over a treatment serum (after it sinks in) but under my lotion or moisturizer. It can be used in the morning, night or both--whenever you want a little extra hydration with extra benefits.
Official directions for use AM/PM: Apply 3-5 drops to freshly cleansed skin to hydrate thirsty cells. Also suitable for the delicate eye area. Dab a small amount around eyes to hydrate and refresh.
You are also not going to find anything offensive in this ingredient list. The INCI list will please green beauty lovers. The main ingredient is aloe leaf juice, not water like some hydrating serums. See above for why we love aloe. Vegetable glycerin is a natural humectant and when combined with other ingredients it helps improve hydration in the outer layer of skin and restore skin barrier function.
Hyaluronic acid is well known for it's hydrating properties. Hyaluronic acid is found naturally in the skin and is able to attract and hold remarkable amounts of moisture. This help replenishing what's lost naturally with age will make your skin feel softer, smoother and hydrated. Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate is a water-soluble form of vitamin C. Vitamin C is an antioxidant, helps build collagen, brighten and even your skin tone as well as fade dark spots from sun damage. This is a more stable form of vitamin C and these non Ascorbic Acid versions are usually less irritating to the skin.
Gluconolactone is a Poly Hydroxy Acid (PHA) which helps hydrate, provides gentle exfoliation and can also scavenge free radicals so it's an antioxidant. PHA are larger molecules than AHA so they tend to be better tolerated and have less side effects. Tamarind fruit extract is high in antioxidants, anti-inflammatory and has a polysaccharide called xyoglucan which is great as retaining water much like hyaluronic acid.
Cucumber fruit extract contains ascorbic acid, caffeic acid an antioxidant and fatty acids. Cucumber fruit extract is soothing, cooling and has hydrating properties. Passion flower extract has skin soothing properties and is anti-inflammatory. Acetyl Hexapeptide-51 Amide also known as Juveleven a hexapeptide. This helps protect DNA from damage and stimulates cell repair, longevity and renewal. Whew. Quite a hydrating serum no?
Ingredients
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice *Organic, Vegetable Glycerin *Organic, Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Xanthan gum, Gluconolactone, Tamarindus Indica (Tamarind) Fruit Extract, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Passiflora Incarnata (Passion flower) Extract, Acetyl Hexapeptide-51 Amide, Sodium Benzoate, Salix Nigra (Willow) Bark Extract *Organic
I do notice my skin is hydrated and happy when using this serum. It plays well with others which means it layers easily. It has become a favorite for using in my hydrating serum rotation. I have quite a few I rotate around. It's suitable for any skin type.
I'm sad I discovered this brand after I moved away from Montana. I lived maybe five hours from Seattle and would have driven over for a facial. Now I will just dream about what it would be like. This is one of those cult brands you see on Instagram that truly is worth the hype. Jordan Samuel Skin has extremely affordable prices, well rounded formulas that are packed full of natural and beneficial skin ingredients. There's no reason not to try it and see what the hype is all about.
(I haven't sat down and really broken an ingredient list down in a while, let me know if you like it and want more. I used to do this all the time but time constraints sometimes prohibit me from doing this)
