Belli Skin Care Review

This was my first pregnancy related purchase after I found out that we were expecting. I was around 5 weeks pregnant and my skin was going cah-razy. I was definitely on the newly pregnant high of researching all the "Do's & Don't's" of what was safe to use. My baby was only the size of an apple seed but by God, I was going to do everything BY THE BOOK!

I've always leaned more towards the natural end of the spectrum when it comes to pretty much everything, skin care included. I did some research and read where Salicylic Acid is a "no no" during pregnancy, therefore I wanted to avoid but had to do something about all the breakouts.

I came across Belli Skin Care, a pregnancy safe skin care line, and the reviews were promising. 

I purchased the Anti Blemish Facial Wash ($22) and the Acne Control Spot Treatment ($15).

I'll start off my saying that I typically don't spend that much on my typical face washes, treatments. The only other time I've bought higher priced products was when I worked with Aveda and I was able to get serious employee discounts/wholesale pricing. Before purchasing the Belli products, I used a lot of the Aveeno line of skin care. Prior to Belli, I also hopped on the organic coconut oil train to wash and moisturize my face. I'll be coming back to that in a bit.

I'll start with the face wash. When I first started using it, I loved the way it smelled. It has a lemon scent which at the time I thought was really refreshing and clean. This was before I really started having any pregnancy symptoms and before my sense of smell went ape shit crazy. Literally. I would say probably around week 8 I had to start holding my breath when I tried to use the wash. The smell would literally make my stomach turn. This isn't anything to do with the company or product, just my personal experience. Not everyone will have that reaction, but it's just my warning to those with the "pregnancy nose". With all of that being said, I feel like the wash did work well and helped to clear up my breakouts. It doesn't lather all that well (probably because it's more on the natural side) so I typically had to wash my face twice to feel like all of my makeup was removed. 

Now for the Spot Treatment. While it did clear up my breakouts remarkably well, what kind of evil went into deciding to make a sulfur product for a woman who can barely stand the smell of..well, anything. Seriously. I get that in order to avoid all of the chemicals they had to use something effective, but could this stuff smell any more putrid. The online reviews did say there was a sulfur smell but that it wasn't too invasive. Maybe it's not all that bad to the typical sense of smell, but for me it was too awful to use. My breakouts were typically in the chin area so I had to apply the treatment below my "nose region" (thats a thing, right?) so the sulfur smell was overpowering. If I used it at night, it was all I could smell. I really haven't used it in weeks. Boo.

Luckily, my skin has since then calmed down a fair bit. (Another clue that maybe Baby G is a boy?)

Recently, I have gone back to using the Organic Coconut Oil. 

Coconut oil is basically amazing. There are about a zillion uses for it both internally & externally.

The best part is, you can find it at the grocery store and it's not expensive. It also lasts a really long time!

I use it to clean my face/remove my makeup. I take an itty bitty amount, let it melt in my hands and apply it to my face. Then, wipe off with a clean dry wash cloth. Super easy & quick. 

If I feel like I need a little extra moisture, I'll take a small amount and rub it in after I wash. 

I like it because:

• does seem to keep my face clear
• great at removing mascara/eye makeup
• it doesn't have a strong smell
• natural and safe to use during pregnancy
• cheap!

To wrap it all up, the Belli products seemed to work well enough, I personally just couldn't handle the smell of either product. I'm sticking with my coconut oil for now because, well, why mess with a good thing?

Thanks for reading!