M-61 Skintastic Skincare

All the products I didn’t know I needed and now can’t live without.

I was recently gifted three M-61 products by Influenster and Blue Mercury, to try and give my honest opinion on them. They ended up being so amazing that I decided to write a full blog post on them because they are effective, easy to use, and affordable.

M-61 Skincare Products were developed by Blue Mercury co-founder and CEO Marla Beck. She set out to develop a streamlined, benefit-oriented skincare collection that combined advanced actives, dermatologist-loved ingredients, and high-performance naturals.

I feel very comfortable supporting and using these products because not only are they vegan friendly and gluten-free, they use high-quality ingredients, and all their products undergo extensive screenings to ensure all their products are free from parabens, sulfates, phthalates, synthetic fragrances, and dyes.

The first product I fell in love with is the Hydraboost Oil-Free Sunscreen SPF 40. I received this sunscreen shortly before leaving on a week-long beach vacation. I had already tried it alone and under makeup and was super impressed. The best thing about this sunscreen is that it is NOT greasy! It’s so hard to find a good sunscreen that doesn’t leave a greasy film on your skin. I also noticed a nice glow and smoothness after using it every day for a week rather than the usually clogged pore desperate need for a facial I typically experience following a beach vacation when I use extensive and massive amounts of sunscreen after a full week of fun in the sun. Of course, it protected me from getting a sunburn and more sun damage!

So what makes this sunscreen so special and sets it apart from other sun protection lotions on the market? The Hydraboost Oil-Free Sunscreen is lightweight, oil-free (duh, hence the name) reef safe, protects against UVA and UVB rays, helps to prevent sunburn, premature skin aging, and hyperpigmentation. It also helps protect against free radical damage, not to mention it helps to firm skin, reduce the appearance of fine lines, it’s hydrating, and it’s fast-absorbing.

You might be wondering how it does all these amazing things because it sounds magical to me! It’s all about the ingredients! It contains antioxidants to fight damage from free radicals and helps to hydrate, plump, and firm the skin. A power-packed peptide to further promote firmness, and reduce the appearance of fine lines. Vitamin B5 to help nourish skin and replenish moisture, tamarind to improve elasticity, and aloe + Centella Asiatica to hydrate and soothe. Plus, these active ingredients, Homosalate 14.5%, Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%, Avobenzone 3%

I was so impressed I came home and immediately ordered an additional 3 bottles to make sure that I didn’t run out!

The next product they sent me to try was the PowerGlow Peel Extra Strength 20%. After my first use, I knew that I would be using this peel weekly going forward (so I ordered a box of 20 along with my sunscreen). This 1 minute, 1 step professional strength peel provides 20% glycolic acid providing an intensive yet comfortable resurfacing facial treatment overnight that reveals dramatically smoother and glowing skin. A lot of the time when I try these at-home peel solutions they don’t work and I can usually tell right away because they don’t tingle. This peel tingled almost immediately it was strong but not uncomfortable and dissipated within 1-3 minutes. I could feel the tingling start at the top of my face where I first applied it and then calm in the same order in which it was applied. It absorbed nicely and didn’t leave any unwanted residue. I applied moisturizer immediately following the tingling fading. I woke up the next morning to soft, clear, hydrated, and glowing skin. I was so excited!

The PowerGlow Peel Extra Strength 20% exfoliates, resurfaces, clarifies, and firms skin in one quick step. It reduces and improves pore size, improves the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It also improves skin tone, texture, and clarity and immediately improves skin cell exfoliation. It is also a great treatment for dull or acne-prone skin.

The PowerGlow Peel Extra Strength 20% has a combination of glycolic and salicylic acid to deeply exfoliate and minimize the look of fine lines and pores while still boosting overall clarity for a more youthful appearance and who doesn’t want that! The PowerGlow Peels also contain antioxidant bilberry extract to help promote an even skin tone and chamomile and lavender to facilitate calming and soothing skin irritation.

I reached out to my esthetician prior to starting this new treatment because she knows my skin well and I appreciate and value her advice. She suggested taking a break from my usual retinol for 3 days prior to using the PowerGlow Peel Extra Strength 20%, which is the only downside I have found to this product. According to the Blue Mercury website they warn against using an AHA or retinol product immediately following the use of this peel. I suggest erring on the side of caution and not combining too many powerful products to your skin at once or in a short time period. If you have concerns I suggest contacting your dermatologist, doctor, personal skincare professional, and/or blue mercury directly.

The last product I was given is the PowerGlow Peel Gradual Tan, which came in handy after my week-long beach vacation where I came home with no sun to my face thanks to the Hydraboost Sunscreen. This product was the most intriguing and exciting to me when I received my products because I do not tan my face! I wear copious amounts of sunscreen all the time, even when I’m just driving my kids to school because outside of the cosmetic damage the sun causes to your face and skin, there are real medical concerns that are attributed to sun exposure and I think it’s extremely important to protect your skin - especially the skin on your face. This is something I don’t mess around with, at all.

I love a good spray tan, but when I go into a machine, I cover my face with multiple shower caps to keep the sunless tanner off my face, and rarely allow a spray tan artist to spray my face. This is because I haven’t had great success with this in the past as it has clogged my pores, causes breakouts, and has ended up looking splotchy, uneven, and dirty.

This PowerGlow Peel Gradual Tan solves these problems. There was no need to worry about clogged pores and breakouts because the peel portion of this problem takes care of that. It takes about 3 peels to get enough color to see a difference in your skin. You could definitely use it more or less often to figure out the perfect shade for your face.

I want to walk you through the use of these peels. The PowerGlow Peel Gradual Tan comes in a box of 10 or 30 individual packets which is super helpful. The towelettes in the packets are white and have no sunless tanner color to them. They do however have the self-tanner smell to them. It isn’t as potent as other similar products I have used and once applied and dried the smell does dissipate, but not completely. I am very sensitive to smells and this product didn’t bother me, and the ultimate test, my husband didn’t notice the smell either or didn’t say anything (not likely) so for a frame of reference - not that bad.

The box for the PowerGlow Peel Gradual Tan suggests using the treatment 3 times per week to start. I used the first one, then took a day off, and then used the 2nd and 3rd peels on consecutive days. I had sufficient tan by the 3rd day that I did not feel I needed to use another one for a few days, though the pro to this is that you can customize the level of tan you want. I also applied moisturizer over the peel as suggested by Blue Mercury, and there wasn’t any kind of residue or stickiness left behind on my skin or pillowcase.

I really liked this product and purchased a 30 pack following trying out my gifted product, however, this isn’t an all-the-time peel for me. Since I don’t tan my face, and I’m not a huge fan of traveling with my skincare products (I get nervous about the temperature getting too hot and affecting them while traveling) I think these are awesome for taking on vacation. You could take as many as you think you will want to deepen your tan and use them while you are away, especially if your body will be exposed to the sun. I wear a ton of sunscreen, a hat, and occasionally a rash guard, but my body will still tan, if I take and use these peels then my face will appear to have a tan as well and match my body plus I’m treating my skin, and I don’t have to lug all my skincare products with me and will actually come home with more space in my suitcase. This is a no-brainer for me.

So how does this gradual tan facial pad work? Well, it provides deep exfoliation, resurfaces, clarifies, and helps to firm your skin all while building a natural-looking and streak-free tan gradually giving an overall radiant glow. The PowerGlow Peel Gradual Tan is similar to the other PowerGlow Peels in that it contains glycolic and salicylic acid to promote the reduction in pore size, reduce the appearance of fine lines, and support an improvement in skin’s tone, texture, and clarity. It’s also a great treatment for dull and/or acne-prone skin.

The Gradual Tan Peel like the other PowerGlow Peels contains antioxidant bilberry extract, chamomile, and lavender, plus Vitamin K, which helps to reduce the appearance of spider veins and combat dry, rosacea-like patches.

There is also a PowerGlow Peel Gradual Tan for your body that I’m going to have to try! I’ll definitely keep everyone updated on how well it performs and if I’d use it on the regular. I personally like to keep a little tan on my legs year-round and I think these could be exactly what I’ve been looking for!

I was really excited to be gifted these products and had no idea what I was missing out on, but now I’m a repeat customer! Don’t sleep on these amazing products, it’s not often you find products that do exactly what they say they will at such a reasonable price point.

Peace, Love, and Power Glowing Skin

XX,

Jenna