Earthwise Beauty Ambrosia do Cerrado Liquid Moisturizer and Sungod Face Mask

Where I got it

During the whole Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale, I was ready to make some purchases on the Earthwise Beauty website because they were doign 20% off everything (I think?) and it was the best time to try them out for the first time. However, it works out the shipping was really expensive to New Zealand so that made me rethink a little. I ended up not getting anything (sadly) because I couldn’t justify the expensive shipping for something I don’t know if I would love since I have never tried it before. I also have so many new products to use up and I have been getting so much issues with shipping from overseas (especially UK and US). I don’t want to spend so much money on skincare and be expecting things to arrive, and ended up super disappointed for the parcels to be lost or missing.

Long story, I know, then I was talking to Gillian (again, I love talking to her about skincare) and she was kind enough to offer me some of her Earthwise products that she had spare. I paid NZD$130 for this moisturiser and face mask (both used maybe twice only, and were kept very hygienic and still fresh to use). I am thrilled to finally trying something from Earthwise Beauty – ultimately I would love to try their Marshmallow Face cleanser and Nap in the Meadows Face Serum.

What I got

This is the Earthwise Beauty Ambrosia do Cerrado Liquid Moisturizer (50ml) and Sungod Face Mask (30g).

Ambrosia do Cerrado Liquid Moisturizer (USD$70 50ml). The mysterious Ambrosia do Cerrado Liquid Moisturizer, with an irresistible guava-plus-citrus scent, feels like applying yellow dewdrops that are fully charged with unrefined, whole-food (not isolated or factory-produced “nature identical”) nutrients from the superfood buriti, pequi, and moringa oils.

Our idea was to create a formula with that would be truly nourishing, yet ultra light and breathable at the same time, to deliver lots of moisture without a waxy or overly emollient feel. This format is very appealing for the times when the skin is dehydrated but you don’t want oil or an emulsion (lotion or cream) on your face because you prefer a lighter feel. By light, we don’t mean “just a little bit effective”: this moisturizer is highly effective in what it is designed to do; you will be amazed by how much and how quickly your skin can absorb in each single application.

Ingredients: Cold-press whole-leaf Aloe barbadensis leaf juice*, cold-press unrefined Caryocar braziliensis (pequi) fruit oil†, cold-press unrefined Mauritia flexuosa (buriti) fruit oil†, cold-press unrefined Moringa oleifera seed oil† or *, Sambucus nigra (elderberry) fruit extract, tocopherol (vit. E from non-GMO sunflowers), potassium sorbate (natural food-grade preservative), xanthan gum, ascorbic acid (vit. C), citric acid.

Hand-extracted pequi fruit oil: from the cerrado savanna in Brazil: This unique extract-like oil is rich in vitamin C, betacarotene (which the body converts to vitamin A), and vitamins B1 and B2, all promoting firm, supple, even-toned skin.

Buriti oil: Also from Brazil, which is highly praised for anti-aging results and for improving the appearance of brown spots and scars.

Moringa pod oil: which further aids moisturization and delivers an incredible range of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients (too many to list all of them here, but for starters, it contains betacarotenes, several B vitamins, selenium, and zinc).

Sungod Face Mask (USD$60 for 30g). Our Sungod mask nurtures with sun-reminiscent and historically sun-associative botanicals (those with a correspondence to the third chakra in the body, the solar plexus), from sunflowers and calendulas to wildflower pollen and turmeric root, and it includes hard-studied anti-cancer plants (maitake and shiitake mushrooms, flower pollen, and goldenseal). 

Sungod is a soft powder mask designed to gradually yet significantly improve the skin over time. With regular use it helps reduce signs of aging and heal scars, eczema, psoriasis, and discolorations. The powder, a blend of wildflower pollen, shiitake and maitake mushrooms, and calendula and sunflower petals, forms a smooth, creamy paste when mixed with water or another liquid. This mask contains no essential oils, but does contain a small amount of mild clay.

Ingredients: Wildflower pollen, Solum fullonum (multani mitti, fuller’s earth) clay†, Calendula officinalis (marigold) flower petals (organic or *), Aloe barbadensis leaf*, Helianthus annuus (sunflower) petals (organic or *), Plukenetia volubilis (sacha inchi) seed*, Hydrastis Canadensis (goldenseal) rhizome (responsibly wildcrafted or *), Symphytum officinale (comfrey) leaf (wildcrafted or *), Punica granatum (pomegranate) fruit juice*, Grifola frondosa (maitake) mushroom (organic or *), Curcuma longa (turmeric) rhizome*, Withania somnifera (ashwagandha) root (organic or *), Lentinula edodes (shiitake) mushroom (organic or *), Celtic salt (France)†**.

*Certified organic. †Responsibly wildcrafted. ** Nature et Progres certified.

Wildflower pollen. Pollen contains amino acids, enzymes, rutin, phospholipids, vitamins, and minerals. It is antibacterial, antiviral, anti-tumor, and immune-boosting; it is protective against radiation, and it strengthens capillaries. We buy the freshest wildflower pollen from a trusted artisan beekeeper from California. 

Calendula. It helps bring every imaginable yet undesirable skin condition to a healthier state. Whole flowers are air-dried in soft sun or semi-shade and stored away from light and excessive heat. For this mask we take the dry flower heads and laboriously separate the yellow petals from the green flower sepals, then we mill the petals into a fine powder.

Comfrey is an important herb for many Western herbalists and flower essence practitioners. Its special gift is tissue regeneration (it is used in various preparations not limited to skin healing, from broken bones to head falls). Calendula and comfrey are also two of the most effective herbs to help skin that is highly sensitive to topical products and ingredients. 

Goldenseal rhizome is the anti-acne component of this mask (along with the raw Celtic salt), with its antibacterial, antiviral, puffiness-reducing, and astringent properties. Goldenseal and turmeric also work together to help reduce hyperpigmentation, while the superfruit pomegranate supplies vitamins A, C, and E and aids in sun-damage repair. 

 How I find it

I immediately tried both of these products the day after I received them because they have been opened already, I didn’t want them to sit in my drawers any longer and let them expire. The liquid moisturiser needed to be refridgerated, but honestly, I am too lazy to keep going up and down stairs to get to my fridge for a moisturiser I use twice a day (maybe I should invest in a skincare fridge?). My bathroom is quite cool and I will keep it out of the sun. The Ambrosia do Cerrado Liquid Moisturizer has this really bright orange-yellow colour and it looks like a liquid serum rather than a moisturiser. You need to shake it up before using to mix the formula up, otherwise you will get a pale yellow oil and a darker orange liquid. I like to use this as a moisturiser in the morning and mid-afternoon because I wash my face once I get home and won’t be going out again. I prefer a much simple skincare routine and lighter layers in the afternoon. At night, I use this as a serum at night because I want something a little more rich for overnight – either a cream moisturiser or a sleeping mask or a facial oil.

The Sungod face mask is a powder mask that you need to mix each time you use it. It has a high amount of pollen, so if you are allergic to pollen, please avoid using this. This also contains a small amount of clay in the mixture. You can mix this with water, oil, or honey. The first time I tried it, I mixed about a teaspoon of the mask powder with about 10 drops of water to create a paste. I prefer a slightly runny paste so that I can easily spread it around my face and not have bits falling off my face. I applied using a soft silicone spatula, or you can use your fingers. The pollen in the mask can leave a hint of yellow stain, so just beware. I left it on for 30 minutes and by about 10 minutes, it started to dry up and harden. You can mist with water periodically to avoid the mask drying out if you wish.

I also tried to mix the mask with some honey and I used New Zealand Manuka Honey. I don’t usually DIY my own masks, but just so happens that my friend recommended me to use pure honey on my face as a mask so I have a new pot handy. I used a teaspoon of the powder and about a teaspoon of honey. The mixture got really thick so I added a couple of drops of water and it applied smoothly. A little goes a long way so the amount I used seemed perfect to go all around my face. I left it for 20 minutes and the mask does not dry down. I added a little bit of water to loosen the mask up and it washed off easily and my skin felt so soft and smooth.

Earthwise Beauty Sungod with honey

Last mixing medium I used with this mask was a facial oil and I chose a soothing, balancing one without any actives like retinol, vitamin C, or anything reactive. I picked the Votary Super Seed Facial Oil for its nourishing and soothing properties. It doesn’t have anything that I’m worried about mixing with something else as it is quite neutral (i.e: non-exfoliating). I mixed about 3 drops of the oil into this mixture and I can obviously use maybe 5 drops less because it was quite runny. I applied with a silicone spatula because it doesn’t absorb any product and applied smoothly and evenly. I can even scoop out the mixture cleanly from the little tub I used.

Rinsing off the mask was a little tricky because you can never feel that “clean” touch on the skin because the facial oil does no emulsify. Rather, it leaves a nice, supple touch to the skin but it’s not greasy. My skin immediately look and felt really smooth and soft. I finished my skincare off with a few drops of Votary Intense Night Oil. Overnight, my skin is so nourished and not greasy at all.

Overall

Like I said before, I seldom do DIY face masks or any DIY skincare, mostly because I cannot be bothered with the mixing and washing up. The maximum amount of mixing I want to do is 2 ingredients and that’s it. Call me lazy, whatever. However, I found myself mixing this mask up every chance I have because I really enjoy the texture and scent. I love how easily it mixes and how easy it is to remove it. It leaves my skin feeling soft and soothed. My favourite would be mixing it with honey because how moisturising it is but rinses off clean. Secondly, a facial oil when my skin is feeling in need of extra oomph.

When I used the liquid moisturiser after the mask, my skin just drinks it up and I just love how when you shake up the formula, the orange-coloured oil mixes with the yellow liquid to create this shimmery-looking lotion. It is so lightweight but so hydrating and moisturising without feeling greasy or heavy. This can be used during the day or night for my combination skin, and if you have dry skin, use this as a serum and then finish off with a thicker moisturiser of your choice.

I am so glad to have tried some of the products from Earthwise Beauty and see what the hype and cult-following are all about. Currently, The Clean Beauty Box is doing their December/January box with two of Earthwise Beauty products – one being the Imhotep’s Balsam Face Mask, and the other is the Black Locust Firming Concentrate.