I am easily won over by women who are smart and funny. I am smitten with all of the Tina Fey’s of the world and I am not ashamed to admit it. When I meet a lady with these two fantastic qualities, I hold her close and take every opportunity to engage her in conversation. These women inspire me daily and keep me motivated since many of them hold down some pretty fabulous careers.
Jessica, the creator and owner of Montreal based Stark Skincare fits this bill. She is incredibly smart, deliciously witty and completely beautiful. Her skincare potions are gorgeous, 100% natural formulations with few ingredients and no fillers. Stark’s website is chock full of hilarious content and reads more like a funny book than your standard shopping website. But alas, an uber-funny website, natural products with adorable packaging, and an intelligent, motivated woman cannot deliver a truly amazing brand alone. Oh no. The products must be effective. You cannot simply tie a pretty bow on garbage and sell it to consumers using witty banter. It won’t fly. So are Stark Skincare’s products effective? I will tell you. But first, let me drop some knowledge on you.
Stark Skincare stems from the belief that skincare should not be complicated, and that less is always more. Jessica mission is to try to change consumer’s minds about using chemically laced skincare products to turn back the clock. Too often, the result of such mistreatment is skin that is stripped of its natural oils. To make matters worse, environmental factors like pollution are attacking and wrecking our skin on a daily basis. Our complexion does not stand a chance.
Stark Skincare has developed a solution for those willing to ditch the chemicals and step over the fence to a greener and cleaner pasture. Using only plant derived oils, butters, clay and extracts, Stark creates skincare products for city-ravaged skin. Each product is formulated using a minimum amount of ingredients, in very small batches, and are all meant to be multi-taskers. In fact, the two products that Jessica sent to me were labeled with my initials (handwritten!) under the batch code line. I love that! It is so fresh that a batch was created just for me! Where else can you find that?
The product line is small and simple. In Jessica’s eyes, four products are all you need to find skincare salvation. The collection includes a cleansing balm, toner mist, facial oil and clay mask. Before I talk about the products I used, I wanted to share with you some questions that I asked Jessica about her new line.
Describe Stark Skincare in six words or less.
Obsessively natural, simple, effective, delicious, unique.
What product are you most proud of and why?
I love my entire debut line, and love (and use) each of the products daily, but if I had to choose one product it would be the Grapefruit Cleanse and Hydrate Balm because it is so versatile. It smells delicious, a little goes a long way, and it can be used to dissolve makeup and grime away. You can also reapply it as a super softening, protective and hydrating cream. I also like a little in my hair, on my elbows, on my cuticles and nails, and even as an overnight foot treatment. It’s one of those “desert island” products to me.
Your products are targeted toward folks who live in the city. Are you a city girl? What city are you representing?
I am a country girl at heart, since I grew up in a rural area until I was about ten. I have lived in the city for most of my life. I am currently living in Montreal, where I try to balance out urban life by appreciating the bits if nature that are present. Things like the wildlife and greenery at the canal near my apartment. This is where the inspiration for my logo came from since the red-wing blackbird is a native species to these areas and flock to the canal every spring. Also, I feel a plant-based diet and using Stark’s pant-based skincare products helps me to feel better connected to nature and more grounded.
Jessica sent me the Grapefruit Cleanse and Hydrate Balm and the White Willow Bark Perfecting Tonic to take for a test drive.
The Grapefruit Cleanse and Hydrate Balm smells divine. Juicy grapefruit wakes up your senses and has cleansing properties. The balms solid, butter-like consistency warms up in your palm and turns into a smooth liquid. Using the waterless balm is similar to washing your face with a cleansing oil. I applied to dry skin and massaged the liquidy balm onto my skin. It dissolved dirt and makeup easily and feels indulgent. To remove, I smoothed a warm washcloth over my face, no rinsing required. The balm does leave behind the smallest barrier of moisture and left me a with incredibly clean skin that was rosy and glowy. On some nights after cleansing with the balm, I did not feel like I needed to use my night cream which is a huge deal for me. Usually after cleansing, my dry cheeks are aching for moisturizer. That did not seem to be the case with this hydrating cleanser.
The Willow Bark Perfecting Tonic is lightly scented with lemongrass and herbs. Formulated to gently cleanse and exfoliate using salicylic acid naturally found in willow bark. Watermelon provides nourishing antioxidants while aloe and cucumber soothe and refresh. I have been using this in the morning and love the way that it smells. It is recommended to use this only once a day because of how highly effective the cleansing and exfoliating properties are. Unless of course you suffer from problematic or excessively oily skin. I found it to be very refreshing and not at all irritating.
I am so excited about this recently launched brand and sincerely hope that after reading this you are too. Take a minute and browse starkskincare.com. There is so much to discover besides the amazing products. Jessica maintains her own blog, she “clips” her press to shares them on the site and remember, the website content is funny! Laughter is always a great incentive. If laughter isn’t enough for you, Jessica is offering the entire collection at a special debut prices until March 30, 2012. All products are 20% off! I cannot think of a better time to give Stark Skincare a chance and change the way you view your skincare regime.
Stark Skincare can be purchased at starkskincare.com.