As you may have noticed, I don’t post many beauty reviews on Musings on Momentum. This is not due to a lack of products to test and review. Rather it is because I have made the decision that I want to not just love a product in order to share it with you; I want to be equally as passionate about the brand and people behind it. Farmacy Beauty is one such company that pairs absolutely stellar products with a company story that is so awe-inspiring that I can’t help but share.
Farmacy Beauty began after plant connoisseur and Upstate New York native Mark Veeder discovered Echinacea GreenEnvy. Mark was gardening with a friend when he came across an echinacea plant blooming green rather than pink. It was later discovered that the echnicacea plant he found is the strongest known version of Echnicacea Purpurea. Armed with a mission to create effective and natural cosmetic products using Echinacea GreenEnvy along with a drive to support local farms he grew up around in New York State in mind, Mark formed Farmacy Beauty.
When Mark went looking for a farmer to partner with to grow Echinacea GreenEnvy he came across Robert Beyfuss, a man who farms just a few miles away from where Mark grew up. In an amazing twist of fate it was Robert who actually helped Mark’s dad start his Christmas tree farm years and years ago. Now Mark and Robert continue to help the community by hiring young locals who normally would have to leave the area due to lack of jobs. The two offer locals the chance to stay in the area they were born in and love by providing employment and a good, living wage.
Robert and his employees harvest Echinacea GreenEnvy at its peak and transport it only three hours to a lab where it undergoes a cold pressing process. This process results in the strongest form of cold pressed echnicacea available. Farmacy Beauty only uses the root of the echinacea plants where the concentration of Cichoric Acid is the highest in concentration. Cichoric Acid is a potent natural antioxidant that helps protect against free radical attacks and evens out skin tone by reducing the appearance of dark spots. Needless to say, the combination of an incredible company story and the promise of powerful natural results got me really excited about Farmacy Beauty.
I have used four products from Farmacy’s line to date, all part of their Perennial Picks Discovery Kit, in what the company refers to as a paired down Korean skincare routine: NEW DAY Gentle Exfoliating Grains, INVINCIBLE Root Cell Anti-Aging Serum, RISE ‘N SHINE Daily Moisture Lock and SLEEP TIGHT Firming Night Balm and am in love with three out of four of them.
The first thing to note about Farmacy Beauty is that their packaging is drop dead gorgeous. I’m talking absurdly pretty, possibly the most beautiful packaging I’ve ever seen. Each of their products comes in a white bottle or tub with minimal, streamlined labeling and is topped with an amazing faux wooden lid. All four products have been sitting on my bathroom counter since I received them because I love looking at them so much. Talk about a great first impression!
When it comes down to actually using the products I have been equally as impressed with their performance as I am with their packaging. The first step in the skincare process I was sent is cleansing with their NEW DAY Gentle Exfoliating Grains. The grains are said to cleanse, exfoliate and clear skin by combining cranberry seeds, Echinacea GreenEnvy, White Willow Bark, Carrot, Green Tea, and Rice Bran Powder.
The power packed all-in-one product comes in powder form which initially took me by surprise, however it turns out it couldn’t be easier to use. You simply pour a little powder into your palm, add a few drops of water and apply the foaming cleansing paste to your face. After a thorough cleanse and massage you rinse the foam off with lukewarm water and are left with clean, smooth and soothed skin. I have been using NEW DAY several evenings a week for a month now and have been blown away by how well and gently it exfoliates my very sensitive skin.
This step is followed up by applying INVINCIBLE Root Cell Anti-Aging Serum. The serum is said to improve skin’s natural hydration, reduce the appearance of surface lines, wrinkles and discoloration and promote overall radiance. Due to the fact the product contains Echinacea GreenEnvy along with triple Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamin C I have been applying it only in the evenings every other day alternating with retinol to avoid excess irritation from the Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamin C. The serum is lightweight and absorbs almost immediately, making it a quick and easy way to get an extra boost of hydration and treat signs of aging.
The final step in the skincare process is the application of either RISE ‘N SHINE Daily Moisture Lock in the morning or SLEEP TIGHT Firming Night Balm in the evening. RISE ‘N SHINE is a lightweight day cream that is supposed to smooth skin and reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles through the combination of Echinacea GreenEnvy and a complex of amino acids and copper. I wanted to love this product but haven’t gotten it to quite behave the way I want it to on my skin. Regardless of how long I allow it to dry prior to applying my makeup primer I still end up with creasing and pilling in some areas. It is a lovely, light cream but simply does not work for me.
SLEEP TIGHT Firming Night Balm is another story. This is a true heavy duty balm containing extract from the South African Acmella plant, Balloon Vine extract and sunflower oil. It was formulated to nourish, protect and reinforce the skin’s barrier. I am always nervous to try anything containing oil of any type, as I have had awful reactions to just about every kind of oil in the past. This balm made me really nervous because it has a consistency that initially feels similar to Vaseline and that is about the last thing I want to put on my face.
My worries, thankfully, were unfounded. The balm has not caused my skin to react negatively in any way. It has made a visible difference in terms of the amount of moisture in my skin when I wake up in the morning and has noticeably reduced fine lines. In addition, it has worked wonders on soothing and healing a sunburn I got a few weeks ago. This is hands down my favorite product in the Discovery Kit.
In case you can’t tell, I am an absolute Farmacy Beauty convert and sing their praises to anyone and everyone who will listen. Their products are natural, effective and affordable with the starter kit I use costing $45.00USD. I am dying to get my hands on their SKIN DEW Hydrating Essence & Setting Spray, their EYE DEW Total Eye Cream and any and all of their hydrating gel masks because I know all of them will deliver stellar results.
If you have the opportunity I wholeheartedly suggest giving Farmacy Beauty’s products a try. In addition to on their website, Faracmy can be found at Sephora which means you can sample their amazing products for yourself prior to purchase. I guarantee you’ll love them as much as I do.
+ This post is in collaboration with Farmacy Beauty. All opinions are my own.