As a bona fide fan of so-called “super serums” (aka nourishing, organic facial oils), I finally splurged on Eminence’s Eight Greens Youth Serum after a recent deep cleansing facial where my aesthetician used this light, slightly sticky potion on my acne-prone skin.

{I bought Eminence’s Eight Greens Youth Serum from Roca Salon and Spa for $44. Photo Courtesy Eminence Organic Skin Care}

When I bought this serum, I was suffering from major acne breakouts; I had large, cystic bumps on my forehead and jawline and annoying little red pimples in random areas on my face.

I was desperate for a miracle treatment, but as a natural beauty blogger who’s been around a bit, I knew it would take some time for my skin to benefit from a new product.

I gave Eminence’s Eight Greens Youth Serum four weeks to do its magic, and my results were … nonexistent.

Major bummer. Especially during that insane purging time where my self-esteem was low and pimples seemed to be reaching new heights every day.

I diligently applied the serum every night before bed, and even added a little extra as a spot treatment to trouble zones. While my skin did feel a bit tighter (not in an uncomfortable way), the serum in no way helped soothe redness, bring down the inflammation or, in the end, help heal my breakouts.

As you may have guessed, after this trial period (a LONG four weeks of faith!), I went back to my trust ol’ jojoba and tea tree oil concoction (this was pre-Zum Rub revelation) to fight off the breakouts and get my skin back to a less-broken-out-look.

I will say that I gave Eminence’s Eight Greens Youth Serum a very difficult test; this bottle of yucca juice, lavender and more delicious ingredients had to battle skin that was purging post-deep-cleanse-facial … and skin that hadn’t had a facial in a few months.

Here’s the full list of ingredients:

Yucca Juice, Lavender Extract, Glycerine, Linseed Extract, Yucca Extract, Chasteberry Extract, Hops Extract, Horsetail Extract, Paprika Extract, Biocomplex (Vitamin A, Esther C, Vitamin E, Coenzyme Q10, Alpha Lipoic Acid), Spring Water, Glycine Derivative, Lavender Oil, Red Clover Extract

Yucca is supposed to be an amazing antioxidant, and we know that lavender is up there with tea tree oil with its acne-fighting capabilities.

It seems, though, that this serum just didn’t have enough “oomph” in it to truly be an acne-fighter for those of us who get more than just the occasional pimple. I’ll be passing Eminence’s Eight Greens Youth Serum on to the next family member who claims it!

Have you ever tried Eminence’s Eight Greens Youth Serum? Did it work for you? What’s your special pimple-fighting skin care treatment? Tell me in the comments section!

I think it’s already time to update my favorites page.

For the past three weeks, I’ve been using Stark Skincare’s White Willow Bark Perfecting Tonic, and I’ve been seeing and (feeling!) stellar results with it — especially with managing acne breakouts.

{Jess of Stark Skincare sent me a sample of her gorgeously packaged White Willow Bark Perfecting Tonic. It retails for $22 for a 2-ounce spray bottle. Photo Courtesy Stark Skincare}

When I first glanced over the White Willow Bark Perfecting Tonic’s ingredients list, I was a bit skeptical that I would like it because I have a history of turning up my nose at witch hazel.

It’s not that witch hazel is a bad ingredient — it’s actually quite an amazing natural toner made from the leaves and bark of the witch hazel shrub — it’s just that it has a distinct smell that my nose isn’t too keen on.

But, Jess Lafleur, the founder of Stark Skincare, has found a way to make witch hazel smell luxurious and amp up its natural acne-fighting power.

Enter our friends watermelon, grapefruit, cucumber and lime extracts.

Not only do these fruits liven up the smell of witch hazel, but they also deliver key benefits:

1. Watermelon, grapefruit and lime extract are rich in Vitamin C, which helps the skin protect itself from damaging UV rays.
2. Cucumber is rich in antioxidants and provides a cooling effect to freshly washed skin.

These smell-good ingredients, combined with soothing aloe vera juice and antibacterial willow bark extract (a natural source of salicylic acid), make for a truly balanced toner.

It refreshes my skin, cleans up trace amounts of makeup, dirt and oil and delivers an additional boost of acne-fighting power before I slather on my new favorite nighttime acne treatment.

Here’s the entire ingredients list:

Aloe Vera Juice, Witch-hazel Water, Watermelon Fruit Extract, Cucumber Extract, Willow Bark Extract, Lime Fruit Extract, Grapefruit Seed Extract, Vegetable Glycerin, Litsea Cubeba Fruit Oil

Sadly, I’m down to my last few sprays of Stark Skincare’s White Willow Bark Perfecting Tonic (I may have spritzed a little too liberally a few times … I can’t help it … I also spray a bit of toner on my makeup sponge before I squeeze the liquid BB cream out of the tube … nice little hydration boost).

However, I will absolutely be purchasing this toner. Here’s to another staple item for my top shelf!

Have you tried Stark Skincare’s White Willow Bark Perfecting Tonic? What’s your thought on toners in general … and witch hazel in particular? Tell me what you know in the comments section!