My wedding is only 3 months away and I have been upping my beauty routine as much as possible. Plumping, hydrating, brightening – I’ve been slapping on the best on my face. I can’t say the same about my workout and exercise routine though. My skincare game definitely has been elevated during the pandemic times and OKOKO Cosmetiques has been one of the highlights. Best of all; OKOKO Cosmetiques is found in my hometown Vancouver, BC and people can experience it first hand at L’Atelier OKOKO in Gastown!
OKOKO Cosmetiques, found by Oyeta Kokoroko, focuses on botanical ingredients and dedicates time and science to create a product that is not only unique in the beauty industry, but also conscious to the environment. They are cruelty free and EU-certified. With that being said; the prices are a bit higher but you get what you pay for in terms of quality.Once I got a whiff of the two products I tried out; it brings me back to luxurious spas that I enjoyed so much pre-pandemic. I tested out two of the most popular products – Les 16 Précieux Face Oil and Sublime Balm.
Les 16 Précieux Face Oil ($125 CAD) is an oil serum that provides hydration and anti-aging properties with bakuchiol. Bakuchiol is known as a gentle alternative to retinol and is derived from Babchi seeds. Other amazing oils included in Les 16 Précieux Face Oil are argan, marula, prickly pear seed, seabuckthorn and rosehip. It does not have to be treated as a skincare product for the face only; it can be used as an eye serum, lip serum, or a foundation base.
A few weeks ago, I was washing my hands repeatedly between grocery shopping and cooking and I ended up having a patch of eczema on my hand. This had never happened to me, but the top of my hand was red, itchy, and had little bumps all over it. Typical me started freaking out and worried about scarring for my wedding. What if they took closeup shots of my hand which now was bumps all over it?! I dabbed a bit of Les 16 Précieux Face Oil on it and it helped with the the itchiness and my hand was back to normal in days. This is not medical/skincare advice or recommendation by any means and it is possible my body was good at fixing itself. However, the instant relief in the itchiness and redness was very much appreciated after applying the serum!
I can’t name of one product containing tomato seed oil until I laid my eyes on the radiant Sublime Balm ($100 CAD.) Personally I detest eating carrots but putting it on my skin? Sure if it works! The Sublime Balm implements seabuckthorn oil, tomato seed oil, carrot resin, and astaxanthin (natural red pigment,) that gives the balm an orange colour. This reminds me of one my favourite Magic School Bus episodes (am I old or what) where Arnold eats a bunch of carrots and turns orange. No – you will not turn orange from using this product and your skin will absorb it very quickly!
The Sublime Balm is a multi-purpose balm – it can be put on as an eye balm or a cleanser too when it comes in contact with water! Another way I enjoy using it is to tame frizz on the top of my head and the ends of my hair to hide my dried split ends. You only need very little of this balm to make it work!
Both the Sublime Balm and Les 16 Précieux Face Oil are part of the “Black Label” collection where the focus is on brightening and improving skin complexion. The “White Label” focuses on improving problem skin and the “Red Label” is the prestige line that uses Dragon’s Blood Extract in the products.
The products from OKOKO Cosmetiques are truly impressive; the variety of ingredients they use are high performance and provides an ease of mind of what we are putting on our skin! I have my eye on the Lip Serum once I finish my multitude of lip balms at home. It is no surprise that many of their skincare products have won awards.
You can shop OKOKO Cosmetiques online or experience it in person at L’Atelier OKOKO at 162 Powell Street, Vancouver.
