Letters to Winter from Spring with April Boxwalla

Winter is lingering, but just this past week we had two days that showed signs of Spring trying to peak through. The weather is confused, the groundhog is fired, and my skin could use a pick me up. And as always, the Boxwalla Beauty Box is always right on time. The April Boxwalla box is featuring two brands that I learned about towards the end of 2018, and I’m excited to share with you today: Malaya Organics & Flower and Spice. The two products featured are healing, soothing, and reparative. Just what my skin needs after what has felt like a never-ending winter.

Bi-monthly Boxwalla delivers some of the best of the best in clean beauty at a steal — this month is no different. This box, which features two full-sized products, is valued at $160 and only costs $49.95 with no commitment (cancel anytime).

Interested? Be sure to subscribe before April 1st to get this incredible deal.

Wondering what all the hubbub is about clean beauty subscription boxes? In this post, I talk about my love affair with clean beauty subscriptions (i.e., why I think they are important) + my five faves.

*I received this Boxwalla Beauty Box for review, but as always, all opinions are my own.*

Malaya Organics Advanced Repair Mask

I first discovered Malaya Organics last fall through the PR firm that represents them and has had the pleasure of trying out several items from both their skincare and body care lines. We’re not just talking about a one hit wonder with this brand; there are soooo many goodies to be found. So let me say, you are in luck with this discovery in this months Boxwalla box.

I also love that Malaya Organics is a brand that gives back. They Support Charity Water – an organization that brings sustainable clean water systems to communities in need around the world. I talked about Charity Water back in the Fall, and it’s a charity that I too love to support.

Russian native Katya Slepak founded Malaya Organics in 2014. This brand features both ingredients she knew and loved from her childhood combined with heavily researched ingredients to address her sensitive and reactive skin. Katya learned in the skin biome, herbalism, and natural cosmetic formulation. A combination of skills she put to work (for nearly 3 years!) to formulate The Advanced Repair Mask ($78). This mask is an exquisite example of what happens when you combine plant and herbal magic ✨ with dedication and artistry. I kid you not; this mask is nearly a work of art.

But then again, I’m kinda into masks. 🤷🏽‍♀️

Neem honey steals the show 🍯

This mask made with a Neem Honey Herbal Complex ($78) has a combination of detoxifying clays, like black kaolin clay and raw neem honey, which is sourced sustainably from wild bees living in their natural habitat. The North Star, however, is the mixture of healing botanicals like plantain leaf, nettle leaf, chamomile, lavender, calendula, black currant, and yarrow. Katya learned to used these ingredients, traditional to Russian Fok medicine, from her mother and grandmother. For me, it’s what makes this product stand out as unique amongst my hoard of masks. The inclusion of the highly antioxidant-rich Broccoli Seed oil, antibacterial Colloidal Silver, and soothing Blue Tansy makes this mask the perfect solution for sensitive acne prone skin. Or in my case, skin that is still recovering from Winter.

This mask draws out impurities and does wonders for my complexion, but perhaps the thing I like the most is the smell. On a clean damp face, I apply the mask and leave it on for 15-20mins. Right before I wash it off, I like to give a gentle massage for a final light manual exfoliation.

Flower and Spice Soothe & Repair Daily Moisturizer

Flower and Spice is another brand I discovered last Fall, and it’s brand new to the beauty scene. Karmen Novak, a Slovenian expat, living in the Netherlands, took inspiration from the flowers of Holland and the spices that she found so effective when taken internally. These beneficial herbs and spices shine through in the entire line. I’ve tried their Midnight Beauty serum and it is rich and potent.

The April Boxwalla box features the Soothe and Repair Daily Moisturizer ($82) which is a rich, luxurious cream. This formula features both rosewater & rose absolute along with coriander seed oil. Coriander seed oil is highly antibacterial and anti-inflammatory, making this moisturizer perfect for acne prone or irritated skin. What makes this super soft moisturizer perfect for the change of the seasons is the soothing and reparative ingredients such as aloe vera and artic oat extract. I also love that this very emollient cream rich in Vitamin E & essential fatty acids care of the prickly pear oil; this is so damn necessary after the crazy winter we’ve had. These two benefits of the prickly pear oil work together to reconstruct your skins lipid barrier.

Thick like clotted cream

Not gonna lie, after this winter, I am about ready to throw my whole face away. Layering this thick moisturizer on top of my skin treatments at the end of the night to seal moisture in has me feeling like I might be able to recover. Here’s how I’ve been using it: Cleanse, mist, serum, 2-3 drops of oil, and seal all that goodness in with the Flower and Spice Soothe and Repair Moisturizer. A few days a week I’ve been using the Malaya mask from this box between the cleanse and mist step. While this moisturizer is thick, it blends in beautifully so it could absolutely be worn during the day. I wear it at night… here’s why 👇🏽.

One caveat I have for the Flower and Spice products is that the scent is pungent. It’s very earthy and herbal. So if you’re sensitive to smell this line might be a bit much, but the scent is care of the Coriander and Bergamont, which are excellent for irritated skin. So, in my opinion, the strong smell is worth the benefits and doesn’t linger for very long; but I still wear it at night.