I don’t often reminisce about my tween or teen years. Honestly, I am one of those people that would NEVER go back in time to relive them again even if I had the opportunity to do so. It was an awkward time for me, I loved school but not enough to go back to all of that and start over. While it’s not something I think about, I definitely had fun thinking about how my skin care regimen was back then. My mom took care of her skin so therefore she made sure I took care of mine. She looked like she was my sister when she was in her 40s… so needless to say – since my guy friends were hitting on this MILF (is that even still a word? lol), I was busy trying to find my own identity. But – she taught me to wash my face and moisturize and before my Grandma passed in my teens – she made sure to remind me how important taking care of yourself really was. So when I wasn’t at the beach surfing or putting my body through heavy sun exposure – I tried my best to take care of the skin I had. Now after years part taking in the beauty industry – I have learned that Bar Soap and lotion are not exactly the best choices for Cleanser and Moisturizer. If I only knew 20 years ago what I know now, it would be a whole different story… but I digress.
Recently I had the opportunity to try out some skin care goodies from a brand I have never heard of before – Willa Skin Care. Willa offers a variety of products from facial cleansers, moisturizers and acne treatment as well as lip glosses and balms, lotion and SPF. The company was founded on the thought that a mother wanted to be able to provide a cosmetic line for her then 8 year old daughter Willa that was age appropriate and offered natural skincare products that would be a type of preventative form of teaching young girls about taking care of their skin.
Our mission is to empower girls to make healthy choices with natural products so they will love the skin they’re in.
I tested out the Start Fresh foaming facial wash ($17 for 5.1 fl.oz) and the Clear Face Moisturizer ($18.50 for 1 fl.oz) first and was pretty impressed with the products. The foaming facial wash felt really nice on the skin, cleaned off any remaining makeup I had and my skin felt fresh and clean. I didn’t have any reactions to the product and enjoyed using it. The Clear Face Moisturizer kept my skin hydrated without making it feel sticky or oily and I enjoyed that my skin felt very soft after the moisturizer soaked into my skin. Both products smelled really nice – like a refreshing scent I can’t quite pin point, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Next I tried the Lip Balms in a pot. I got three of them – Vera Cruz Vanilla, St. Tropez Strawberry and Miami Mango (.25 oz/7 g of product each). The lip balms cost $10 each or you can purchase them in a Gift pack that includes all three for $26.00. Each of them have a nice sweet scent, similar to their names – fruity like and a soft fruity flavoring. They are each formulated to include Shea Butter and Vitamin E to help keep the lips hydrated and soft. I love them all! They are awesome to throw in the purse and the pot closes tightly for travel. I didn’t experience any melting – but I haven’t given them the opportunity to do so as well. They do have a slight sticky texture, but not enough to drive me crazy – just a little more sticky then that of say an EOS lip sphere or Baby Lips balm. The colored ones have a light tint but if you are looking for heavy color payoff – these are not very build-able. The tint is sheer and it’s meant for more someone in their teens, though I do enjoy using them.
I also tried a few other products from Willa to include:
Born to Glow – broad spectrum UVA/UVB SPF 15 tinted shimmer body lotion – 4 fl. oz (I was unable to find this product on their website to provide cost info on it)
Fresh Face Cucumber Face Mask (sample packet) – .33oz/10g ($4.00 per packet or $42 for 12)
Take Action Acne Spot Treatment – .07 fl. oz./2.1 ml ($14.00)
I am not big on shimmer – but I think I will surely enjoy the shimmer glow the Born to Glow tinted shimmer body lotion offered. It left me pretty glittery and some of the glitter did transfer to my clothes, but with summer just a month away – I know it will be something cute to use to keep my body moisturized and protected against the sun. My skin did enjoy the lotion and it looks great on my shoulders when I’m wearing a tank or spaghetti strap dress.
I was only able to use the Fresh Face Cucumber Face Mask once since I only had one. It smelled really nice, a soft cucumber scent and my skin felt rejuvenated after using it. It includes Aloe and Witch hazel so my skin enjoyed its benefits and felt really nice after removing it.
The Take Action Acne Spot treatment wasn’t used very often since I don’t get acne or many breakouts. I only tried it once and didn’t notice much of a difference, but I think overall that the concept is pretty cool. It comes in a pen that you click to distribute the product and then apply to treat the area. It didn’t feel harsh on my skin like some drug store products have in the past and I didn’t notice any dry patches in the area I left it on to treat over the course of the next week – so I think it would be great for teenage and sensitive skin.
Willa is a skin care line that I would definitely suggest to friends – regardless of their age (even if this was formulated specifically for girls in their tweens) because it offers so many natural ingredients. Since the products are formulated without damaging chemicals – it is safe for all skin types.Willa’s products are Paraben and Sulfate Free, DEA and phthalate free, NOT tested on animals and made right here in the USA. Their website offers travel sized options as well as gift sets that you can purchase if you want to just test out the products for yourself or buying them as a gift.
Willa products are available on their website as well as select Target stores, Drugstore.com, Amazon and a few other locations.
Overall – I’m impressed with the products I had the opportunity to test out. I have very sensitive skin and found that my skin loved these products. If you are looking for a skin care line that is priced similar to that you can find in a drug store – Willa may be a little more costly than that, but if you are looking for something to help your tween or teenager get through that awkward stage we call “growing up” this definitely is something you may want to look into. As my Grandma used to say… “it’s best to take care of your skin now then worry about it later when it is too late!” I think this is awesome that a mother took the initiative for her daughters – the skin care line is great, but the story of how it all started… the icing on the cake.
Have a wonderful week loves!
30 Comments
Willa has some awesome products – love them!
I’m glad I got to try some – I am loving them.
The lip balms are incredible!
they are so cute and work well 😉
Yes girl – completely. I didn’t have acne face, but I looked like a walking disco ball pretty often. My mom said it was because I spent so much time in the ocean… it dried out my skin and my skin was trying to replenish. With the oil – eventually came the darn pimples. Oi. I swear… if kids now had to deal with what we had back then, they would have a hard time. lol
awesome!
21 is an odd age… for me, mine was not good at all… though I think I can contribute that to working at the club and getting funky air all over my face.
I think you’ll like it.
the bag is super adorbs… but the products are pretty cool too.
the lip balms are awesome for summer 😉 Yes – life only gets better.
my mom was big on baby oil and tanning until my dad introduced her to coconut oil – way back then. I love products that are kind to our skin 😉
these are super cute 😉
yes – no issues at all – I was very happy 😉
I wish I knew about eye cream more back then. I am glad I do now. I am also glad I quit smoking when I did – because with my dad’s genes… I think I would not have nice skin now.
this is tacky enough for it to stay – but not MAC lip glass sticky 😉
I heard about those wipes… they were in the Ipsy bag. I never tried them, but I am interested in checking them out 😉
I know.. they remind me of something cool -I just can’t pin point what yet. lol
me too – but this one not so bad. Great for those days when you are in a bikini most definitely 😉
they are super fun., 🙂
Isn’t it awesome. I love it and the Mango – yum
it sure smells great with a nice flavor 😉
Most definitely a cool concept… I’m sure parents pocket books are not so great… but still – it’s great to make them aware.
Me either before this – but it is nice.
the bag is so cool
I still say “cool”. lol My son does too – but he may have picked it up from me. lol
me either before this. The lip balms are cute 🙂
awesome – I’m impressed.
they are cool 🙂
I smoked for 10 years and I’m glad I quit when I did. I asked God to bless me with a child and he did so I quit… best decision ever and I quit 11 years ago and now can’t stand the smell of it.
it is – and packaging cute too 😉