ORIGINS Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Advanced Face Serum

ORIGINS blazed the trail for mainstream natural and organic cosmetic and skin-care products. Dr. Andrew Weil, an authority on holistic health, has collaborated with ORIGINS to create a collection of state-of-the-art treatments to help optimize our skin's defenses and address myriad concerns. The proprietary blends used in the products feature Dr. Weil's potent blend of health-promoting plants and herbs, including the mushrooms that are used in the new Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Advanced Face Serum (available in three sizes from $66 to $110). I wanted to discover why those who use Dr. Weil's ORIGINS products swear by them, and along came a serum for me to test. Happy me!

There is an excellent two-minute video by Dr. Weil at this link. Pop over to watch it. In the video, he explains why imperceptible inflammation is the silent cause of skin aging, resulting in redness, dryness, loss of elasticity, and eventually wrinkling. He explains the ingredients in the new advanced serum, such as sea buckthorn, a spiny shrub that's a powerful antioxidant; Chaga (used as a heath tonic) and Pleurotus mushrooms; spike moss (with biflavonoids that inhibit UV damage and increase the activity of growth proteins in human fibroblasts); ginger; holy basil; and mangifera extract (protects against heat stress) - some pretty exotic plants.

Women who participated in the clinical study of Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Advanced Face Serum were from North America and Japan. Some noticed immediate changes in their skin; others noticed changes with continued use. The vast majority saw improvements in suppleness and resilience. This serum is said to be fabulous for women who suffer from rosacea or who have sensitive or dry skin, and the reviews on the ORIGINS Web site from women with stubborn rosacea are impressive.

I haven't been troubled with rosacea for years, but I definitely have sensitive and dry skin. I was delighted to try Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Advanced Face Serum. I have been wearing it every day for a couple of weeks. Even though the directions say to apply it at night too, I have been testing other products at night.

The lightweight serum has a slight and pleasant "earthy" smell on application - a scent that disappears within seconds. I try to keep my skin in good condition, so I start testing any new product with a baseline that's hard to improve (without lasers or other expensive treatments). I look for a couple of qualities in a serum, and Mega-Mushroom has them all.

1. Do no harm. I don't want my skin to regress, and I don't want to have unpleasant side effects, such as redness. My orthopedic surgeon and I share a belief: "No pain, no gain is bunk." Check!
   
2. I want the serum to feel good and form a protective, moist base for my moisturizer. It's especially nice if it forms a barrier on my skin - one that I know is there, but isn't heavy or sticky. Mega-Mushroom serum does this so well, I sometimes forget to moisturize before I get ready to apply foundation. Then, I have to add my moisturizer and give it a few minutes to absorb before I add makeup.
   
3. Along with moisturizing qualities, I like my serums to simultaneously firm my skin, tighten my pores, and make my face appear smooth - a bonus. Check!
   

Mega-Mushroom passed my tests and did so extremely well. I am enjoying using it! I plan to purchase some of Dr. Weil's other products, including Dr. Andrew Weil for ORIGINS Conditioning Lip Balm with Turmeric. Since I'm a lip conditioner addict, I will try it!

I must confess that I've passed by the ORIGINS display at Macy's for years, thinking that the products were targeted toward a younger age demographic. Now that I know better, I'll be stopping now and then to see what's new!

As my readers know, I appreciate companies that give back to our society and environment. Dr. Andrew Weil donates all of his after-tax profits from royalties from sales of Dr. Andrew Weil for ORIGINS products to the Weil Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting integrative medicine through training, education, and research. For more information, visit the Foundation's Web site.

You should give ORIGINS Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Advanced Face Serum a try. Add it to your skin-care routine. I think you'll be glad you did. It performs as well as serums that are many times more expensive. If your skin tends to be red, you are in for a treat.

You can find the Mega-Mushroom advanced serum, along with other Mega-Mushroom products, at the ORIGINS Web site, free-standing ORIGINS stores, and Macy's. There's a store locator at this link.