Mad Love !

Credit: Kirby Jenner / IG

oils have been integral to my skin routine for 4 years & my skin has been consistently clear & glowing! the oils essential to my routine are argan oil, avocado oil, & marula oil. 

if you have dry skin (like me!) using oil to cleanse / moisturize with helps hydrate the skin, which helps prevent clogged & irritated pores. if you have oily skin, using oil to cleanse / moisturize with helps reduce your skin’s instinct to overproduce oil, which helps reduce clogged pores, blackheads / whiteheads, & inflammation. for every skin type, oils naturally help prevent & reduce lines, scarring, & environmental damage 

oily

argan oil 

grapeseed oil

hemp seed oil 

neem oil 

safflower oil 

sesame oil 

poppy seed oil 

tamanu oil 

jojoba oil 

goji seed oil 

safflower oil 

tamanu oil 

dry 

olive oil

avocado oil

almond oil

argan oil 

green tea seed oil

jojoba oil 

apricot kernel oil 

mango seed oil 

brazil nut oil 

kikui nut oil 

macadamia nut oil 

kiwi seed oil 

sunflower seed oil 

combination 

jojoba oil

hemp seed oil 

poppy seed oil 

almond oil 

safflower oil 

sunflower seed oil 

papaya seed oil 

argan oil 

guava seed oil 

normal 

argan oil

almond oil

jojoba oil 

baobab oil 

guava seed oil 

sunflower seed oil 

hemp seed oil 

sensitive / skin prone to inflammation 

chamomile oil 

marula oil 

neem oil 

safflower oil

sesame oil 

babassu oil 

rose hip seed oil 

mango seed oil 

walnut oil

almond oil 

camellia oil 

calendula oil 

scarring / damaged / aging 

tamanu oil 

marula oil 

baobab oil 

calendula oil 

jojoba oil 

goji seed oil 

walnut oil 

green tea seed oil

almond oil 

brazil nut oil 

avocado oil 

guava seed oil 

kukui nut oil 

olive oil 

meadowfoam seed oil 

Intro: The X-Blade Theory pt.1

Where to begin….  I guess since Birth by Sleep introduced the idea of the x-blade I’ll start there.

The opening of BBS is kinda strange in that it pretty much gives away the entire ending of the game, albeit in a more artistic interpretation.  But one of the driving forces of the plot is completely missing.  You’d think the x-blade, the entire reason for Vanitas’ existence, the whole motive for Xehanort in the final battle, would makes some sort of appearance.  But….if the opening shows the events of the ending in a less literal way…maybe the x-blade does make an appearance in a different form.

After we see Aqua and Terra sink into darkness, two objects pierce into Ven’s heart station, shattering it.  It all happens so fast you might not have even noticed what they were.  On a closer look though, it’s Sora’s Kingdom Key and Riku’s Soul Eater blade.  Why would they be implying that Sora and Riku had anything to do with why Ven’s heart shattered?  Thing is, they don’t.  Those blades are a stand-in for the x-blade.  It was the conflict over the x-blade that shattered Ven’s heart.  Still, this doesn’t explain why Kingdom Key and Soul Eater would be used to represent the x-blade… except, I think, in the context of the theory that Sora and Riku have the ability to create the x-blade themselves (and not just that they have the ability, but maybe are the true x-blade…but I’ll get into that later).

According to Yen Sid, the original x-blade was created through two elements- one of darkness and one of light.  It’s fitting then that Kingdom Key L would represent the element of light, while Soul Eater represents the element of darkness, as it does for Riku.

But why use Soul Eater rather than Way to Dawn, when Soul Eater isn’t even a keyblade?  I think maybe this was another hint at what this was supposed to represent.  One is a Key (the Kingdom Key), the other is a blade (Soul Eater).  A key and a blade.  A key-blade.  The same pronunciation as “chi-blade”, the x-blade.

I don’t think it’s an accident that this promotional art for Dream Drop distance showed Sora and Riku holding Kingdom Key and Soul Eater in an “x” shape, standing in front of a door of light (remember, the x-blade is the only thing that can open the door to the true Kingdom Hearts…)

(also…Riku isn’t left-handed so yeah, this was very intentional)

So, Sora’s Kingdom Key represents the light aspect of the x-blade, and Riku’s Soul Eater represents the dark element.  In BBS though, Sora and Riku are just kids.  They don’t play this role in the actual game, Ven and Vanitas do.  Ven has a heart of pure light, and Vanitas is the pure darkness extracted from Ven.  They are the same person split in two.  And as it turns out, Ven and Vanitas are one giant parallel of Sora and Riku.  Some of these parallels, especially on Ven’s side, are about as subtle as getting hit in the face with a brick:

But it’s Riku’s parallel with Vanitas that gets interesting.

The most noticeable similarity is their design- Vanitas’ design being derived directly from Riku’s dark outfit:

And Vanitas’ fighting stance is nearly identical to Riku’s KH2 stance:

They even copied the iconic image of Riku reaching out for Sora:

Riku’s line “Giving up already? I thought you were stronger than that” is a line given special significance in regards to Sora and Riku’s relationship throughout the series: At the end of KH1, Sora hearing this line gives him the strength to fly in the final battle, in KH2, Riku used the line to check if Roxas really was Sora’s nobody, and in 358/2 Days, Roxas passes out in Castle Oblivion and hears Riku saying this, and wakes up shouting Riku’s name.  It even makes a couple of appearances in BBS:

And Vanitas’ infamous “too slow” battle quote?  Yep, that’s here too:

And in Ven’s final battle with Vanitas, this happens:

Ven forms a d-link with Vanitas- showing that their merge is nearly complete.  This image remind you of anything?

Sora and Riku’s Eternal Session limit.  Specifically this final move, aptly named “All’s End”, considering that the reconstruction of the x-blade is meant to bring about the new keyblade war that will wipe out everything in existence.  But there’s a fundamental difference between these two images.  In the first, Ven’s light and Vanitas’ darkness are trying to overpower each other.  They aren’t in balance, and in the end this causes the x-blade’s destruction.  By contrast, Sora’s light and Riku’s darkness meet in a perfect balance, neither one overpowering the other.  The most powerful weapon in existence, the x-blade, was created through the joining-not opposition- of light and dark for the purpose of protecting, not destroying.  This is what Xehanort doesn’t understand, and that’s why I think all his attempts to create the x-blade have failed, and will fail.