Inlight Skin-Easy balm + Face Oil

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Winter can be especially brutal on the skin, and I often find myself shelving lightweight oils and brisk tonics in favor of dense balms and emollient-heavy oils that require a few minutes to sink in. Enter these two hero products from UK-based Inlight: a nurturing vanilla scented facial oil, and a medicinal catch-all balm to heal a spectrum of skin complaints.

Formulated by a doctor using only organic ingredients, Inlight doesn't have one star ingredient that the line is built around, rather a cocktail of proven botanicals.

The Facial Oil is a rich, slippery golden oil that faintly smells like vanilla (thanks to a hint of vanilla oil) and feels as comforting as a soft duvet. Anti-inflammatory blue mallow, skin strengthening jojoba, and vitamin A rich rosehip oils provide an all round effective facial oil for daily use. It layers well underneath sunscreen, just give it a couple minutes to settle.

The Skin-Easy Balm is particularly useful to keep in the medicine cabinet. The metal tube holds an herbal scented balm (thanks, no doubt, to the anti-bacterial neem oil within it) that's exceptionally heavy with minimal slip. A blend of beeswax, coconut, castor and olive oils envelope whatever problem area it's applied to, and the concoction of antibacterial, cleansing ingredients inlcuding neem, propolis, frankinscence, tea tree and lavender oils do its work. This balm is lauded for healing acne (though, if like me, coconut oil causes you to break out, it's best to reserve this for skin maladies away from the face – with the notable exception of raw, red noses from seemingly endless days of nose-blowing during cold season). I've also found it fantastic for bug bites, rashes and garden-variety skin afflictions for myself and my little ones. 

Both of these products, as well as the rest of the Inlight line can be found in the US via hugyourskin.com.

Coola Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 - Unscented Matte Tint

Sunscreens can exacerbate acne-prone or sensitive skin, but Coola has managed to tick all the boxes (broad spectrum, high SPF quotients, multiple formulations to satisfy any use case) with their lineup, sans the seemingly inevitable breakout.

That being said, this tube takes the cake: it releases a fluffy, mousse like cream that nearly evaporates when applied to the face. It's beyond lightweight, it's weightless and cushions the skin with a high powered SPF, leaving skin matte with a soft focus blurring effect.

If you're looking for a no-makeup look, consider this one. It's not meant to replace moisturizer, but it's lightly hydrating and combination skin types won't be experiencing parched cheeks by the afternoon. It's managed to keep my fussy skin happy during this hot (and smokey!) Washington summer, and I've already snapped up another tube for fear of running out and having to forage other sun protection.