I visited the Detox Market in Santa Monica specifically to test out Kjaer Weis organic foundation, and of course I walked away with this clean beauty makeup and a bit more.

Online shopping for clean beauty – especially organic makeup – is very difficult in terms of finding appropriate color swatches and matches (hence, all my swatching for Kjaer Weis organic lip tints). I was so thrilled the Detox Market carries most if not all of the Kjaer Weis line. And although there aren’t a ton of colors, there are enough to find a shade that should work close enough for you.

Kjaer Weis Organic Cream Foundation in Silken Review

My dream would be to find an organic, full coverage foundation that I can wear every day to easily cover my melasma, dark spots, hyperpigmentation, and vitiligo. Luckily, Kajer Weis organic cream foundation brings me pretty close to this dream! The beauty experts at the Detox Market and I chose Silken for my shade (a warmer /yellow version of Paper Thin). The color matched very well in store, so I felt confident buying the cream foundation in the fancy compact. I love that you can buy refills separately with this brand. This sustainable approach also helps control cost over time –  refills of foundation, lipstick even mascara etc are less expensive than buying in the compact.

This organic foundation formula is very creamy and moisturizing thanks to almond oil, jojoba oil and coconut oil. This formula also has virtually no scent! (certainly no added scents). Besides the color tint, this foundation also has organic corn starch and wax – these don’t irritate me but you should keep these ingredients in mind if you are sensitive to these ingredients.

Overall, I’m very happy with this Kjaer Weis organic cream foundation and will definitely be purchasing it again. However, that will be sooner rather than later – the coverage is buildable which most people will like, but that means I may need to use more than most to get the coverage level I need for my melasma and dark spots. I’m surprised at how quickly I hit pan. I do wish it would last a little longer throughout the day, but with some finishing powder i’m able to get 3/4 of a work day’s hours out of it (which I guess is better than most natural formulations!).

Before and after photos of Kjaer Weis organic cream foundation in “Silken” used to cover my dark spots, melasma, hyperpigmentation and vitiligo. I bought my foundation at the Detox Market in Santa Monica.

Another problem with online shopping is not being able to test products right then and there. Even with organic and clean beauty, I still want and need to try products – organic does not mean fragrance free; organic does not mean non-irritating. My favorite thing about the Detox Market: $7.99 sample boxes! For just about $8  you can get 4 samples of awesome clean and green beauty products! This is the perfect solution if you are sensitive to scents and don’t have stores that carry lines you want to try locally.

Samples boxes from the Detox Market have allowed me to try products I would have likely bought but then been on the fence about or regretted:

Vintner’s Daughter Active Botanical Serum

Where can you get a sample of one of the hottest almost $200 anti-aging serums? The Detox Market! Yes you can actually get a sample of Vintner’s Daughter from the Detox Market! I had high hopes for this well-reviewed and talked about serum made from a combination of 22 oils and botanical extracts. Is it amazing? Hmmm…I’m not sure I will ever know…it’s too fragrant for me. It doesn’t have any added synthetic fragrances, but this oil blend is too much. I would recommend instead May Lindstrom the Youth Dew – it takes a little longer to absorb but the oil blend is a bit less fragrant (and also a bit less expensive at only $140).

May Lindstrom The Honey Mud Review

I’m still trying to decide if I should buy this product. It makes my skin feel super soft, but I can’t really tell if it cleans well. In addition, it’s quite scented – although naturally with essential oils and plant extracts. May Lindstrom products are super luxe and not cheap – I wouldn’t want to waste mula on a product that would irritate me. And although the Detox Market has a good return policy, it would be wasteful to buy and then return. In addition, whenever I use the Honey Mud I always end up with a little floater in my eye…I used to have blepharitis so I do clean my eyelids whenever I wash my face. I should be able to use a gentle face cleanser that doesn’t leave goop in my eyes.

Osmia Brighten Serum Review

I do like organic Osmia skin care products, but I’m not sure I’ve found my jam with them yet. I try to get samples of most brightening products from the Detox Market and this was definitely on my list.

While I do love the soft and easily absorbable texture of this brightening serum, the natural scent is a turn off for me. It seems to have good ingredients that could be great to improve melasma and dark spots (broccoli, algae, papaya and more), but I can’t handle the scent enough to test the full efficacy of this organic brightening serum. I can’t pinpoint which ingredient is creating the strong aroma, but it’s just not for me.

Mahalo the Petal Hydrating Mask Review

I had been really looking forward to testing this brand, but was nervous about the natural scents, would I find them irritating? This BHA mask does not disappoint in the hydrating and softness department – my face feels very soft, awakened and moisturized after each treatment (although I’m rarely using BHAs right now during pregnancy). This organic and wild harvested ingredient Mahalo mask is excellent, but also a bit rosey and flowery for my scent tastes.

Mun Aknari Brightening Youth Serum Review

Another organic oil based brightening serum, although it doesn’t absorb quite as easily as the Osmia organic serum. And while the scent from the organic oils and extracts is strong, it’s not as aggressive as the Osmia brighten serum – it’s a little to Rose scented for me. Like the Osmia serum it also contains prickly pear extract – so definitely an ingredient I will look into more often. While I’m not sure I love the sample enough to justify spending $95 on this serum, I will definitely be trying more Mun organic skin care in the future.

Laurel Whole Plan Organic Facial Serum for Sun Damage Repair Review

This serum was recommend in person by the staff at the Detox Market in Santa Monica and this organic skin care brand as been on my list to try. While this is a very oily oil based organic brightening serum, it absorbs fairly quickly. The scent is a little strong – the sea buckthorn stands out the most, but I tolerate it better than the Osmia formula – as in if I apply this at night it wouldn’t keep me from sleeping. I haven’t been using it enough to verify if this sun damage repair serum has helped my dark spots, melasma and hyperpigmentation, but it’s at least on my “maybe” list of potential purchases.

Storefront of the Detox Market clean and organic beauty, makeup and skin care store in Santa Monica, California on Montana Ave.

Marie Veronique Vitamin C + E Ferulic Serum Review

I was anxious to try this organic vitamin C brightening serum after Dr. Whitney Bowe’s melasma regimen for ABC’s Ginger Zee. Skinceuticals also makes a similar vitamin C serum, but I’ve read reviews and have a first-hand account from a friend that the scent is a bit harsh. At first the scent of this Marie Veronique Vitamin C serum was a turn off, but it’s growing on me. I think it has to do with the vitamin C formula used. It is reminiscent of Drunk Elephant C Firma Serum, but with a less bacon-y essence aroma.

Marie Veronique Everyday Coverage Tinted Sunscreen SPF 30 in Extra Light Review

If by everyday coverage they mean virtually no coverage, then this tinted sunscreen can count as tinted / coverage. It’s a really nice, fast absorbing texture though. This is the lightest version of natural zinc oxide sunscreen I have come across. It smells a lot like blue tansy…but I don’t see it in the ingredients? Whatever is added to the scent, I’m sure it’s purposeful and supposed to be pleasant, but to us scent sensitive gals (I’m trying to make scensitive a thing), it’s too intense.

Marie Veronique Protective Day Oil Review

As you can read, I’m really trying to make Marie Veronique non-toxic skin care products work. I’m also into trying every sunscreen I can find to help my melasma, dark spots and hyperpigmentation (and let’s not forget their opposite, vitiligo!). I thought this protective day oil sounded so cool. From the description, it sounds like it can supposedly help protect against UV rays. I don’t think I will ever get to test it that far – the scent of this oil blend is incredibly strong (I wish I could pin point what it is so I can avoid that ingredient in the future!)