It’s the first week of April, and I hope everyone who has subscribed to the April skincare box has received this month’s box, featuring Bloomeffects. Wherever you are, I hope Spring has arrived with all its pleasures and delights.
Spring is finally here in Southern California, and it has taken over everything! I spotted at least ten different blooming plants as I walked around the block. I love to go on walks, whether it is just around the block or whether it is a full-day hike. Over the last thirty days, I’ve been walking a lot more and over various kinds of terrain. From the beautiful and recently green hills in Orange County, California, to walking in the desert in Joshua Tree and in the snow in Colorado, I’ve had constant companions with me: the products in the April box plus Bloomeffects’ Tulip Dew Sunscreen Serum. And they have served me so well in all kinds of different conditions that I cannot stop gushing about them!
Let’s start with the Tulip Dew Cream. At 15 ml, it is small but mighty (the full-sized version is available here). I took it with me when I went to Joshua Tree for the only reason that it wouldn’t take up much space when I went hiking. I wasn’t expecting a lot, since I’d been using the African Botanics Silver Rescue Cream at night, and have been in love with it and what it does to my skin. The texture of the Bloomeffects cream is different: it is light and spreads easily over your skin. The desert is probably the landform I like the least, given how sensitive my skin and head is to heat. With skin that dries even in the most tropical of climates, I was expecting to feel the skin on my face crack, stretch, and peel off after a day outside.
But the cream did not let me down at all. I was surprised both by how little of it I needed to apply, and also by how long it lasted. I reapplied the Tulip Dew Cream only once during the whole day out and, along with the Bloomeffects sunscreen, which has a dewy finish and leaves no white cast at all, my skin was so well-behaved and cool! I was so taken aback by this that I kept touching my face (a big no-no, I know!), wondering why it didn’t feel irritated or hot.
Once back at our Airbnb, I was eager to try out the Royal Tulip Cleansing Jelly and especially the Black Tulip Facial Treatment. I like a cleanser that makes my skin feel clean and fresh but do not like the tingling and stripping sensations of a lot of face washes. The cleansing jelly did exactly what I wanted, while also being a pleasure to apply. The jelly quickly melts and foams easily. I enjoyed gently massaging it into my face until the foam disappeared.
Then, I opened the Black Tulip Facial Treatment. It is a multipurpose treatment that works as a hydrating moisturizer, wipe-off mask, and luxurious night cream. I applied it as a thin layer across my face. Using it as a night cream, I wanted to fortify my skin with as much moisture as I could and also pamper it a little after a day out in the sun. And this facial treatment definitely feels like pampering. I cannot get over the color, scent, texture, and sheer beauty of the cream – and even its decadent packaging, with a cute spoon to scoop it out.
There is something to be said about the pleasures of applying skincare products. Sure, you diligently follow all the steps in your skincare routine and appreciate the products you use for how they improve your skin, but it is also a source of joy for me when I use a product that is a pleasure to apply. And the Black Tulip Facial Treatment is exactly that. It was so good as a night cream that I couldn’t wait to be home and use it as a wipe-off mask. I thoroughly enjoyed applying a thick, purple layer over my skin before I sat down to read. Once the mask felt more or less dry, I took it off, and my skin felt great.
But as with the Tulip Dew Cream, the facial treatment’s effects are also long-lasting. I skipped a few nights of my skincare routine that week, and usually my skin would’ve ended up feeling like the bark of a tree but, as you can guess, that did not happen this time. During the day, I cleansed my face with the Royal Tulip Jelly and applied the Tulip Dew Cream and the moisturizer. That was it.
Now, in cold Colorado, which is also drying in its own ways, my skin’s protected and glowing with my trusted Bloomeffects products.
All the products are made with Bloomeffects’ proprietary Black Tulip Complex. Having never used it before, I did not go in with much expectations but I am definitely a convert now. I’ve been reading about the products and the story of Bloomeffects. I am nowhere close to being knowledgeable when it comes to understanding the nitty-gritty behind ingredients and the process of formulating skincare products, but I still enjoyed spotting niacinamide in the list of the Tulip Dew Cream and the facial treatment, saying to myself, No wonder my skin loved it! It has niacinamide! Oh, there’s squalene too…and of course some kind of tulip extract.
Above all, I like to imagine what went through Kim van Haaster’s mind as she first saw the tulip farms of her partner, a fourth-generation tulip farmer in the Netherlands. Did she know then that should be harvesting the tulips and creating something so new and so good? Or did the tulips slowly inspire her, as she spent days amidst their beauty? Whatever it is, we have love and the beauty of spring to thank for Bloomeffects.
