First of all I have to say I love the packaging of this complete regime! The boxes and bottles are nice with pink and white, good information, and essano written in gold. It all matches together and clearly communicates that it is shine free, cruelty free and awesomely made in New Zealand!
When I finished using all five products for the first time I noticed straight away how soft my skin was. It felt super hydrated and plump without feeling greasy or oily. I was very impressed but figured it could just be because these new products changed up my routine so I would continue to use them and see if the effects were long lasting. The answer is HECK YES! I am still blown away at how great my skin feels and looks after a few weeks of habitually using this skin care regime.
The Purifying Gel Cleanser is super smooth and easy to rub in, it removes most makeup and leaves my skin hydrated as opposed to stripping it as some other cleansers can do.
The Certified Organic Mist Toner is nice and refreshing, this is the first time I have used a Mist Toner and I'm really enjoying it! It doesn't make my skin sting at all which is great!
The Oil Control Moisturiser is one of my favourites from this collection because it goes on kind of thick but blends in so nicely for hydrated skin. Plus it smells kind of like bananas so I love it.
The Certified Organic Detoxifying Serum certainly packs a hydrated punch and also applies really well. 2 pumps can do my whole face and neck which is nice. I really struggle with the smell of this product however - it is my least favourite smelling of the lot.
The Rapid Action Blemish Gel is probably the product that I have seen the least results using. It is not some miracle worker but in terms of a blemish gel it has shortened the cycle of my breakouts and has minimised their size.
The biggest plus for me from using this regime is how much my skin tone has improved. The redness in my face has decreased so much to the point where I have gone foundation free a few days!
There's 5 products in this line: one cleanser, followed by a four step skincare process. My review will go in order of application. Buckle in, this is gonna be a long one.
Cleanser: Thick, clear gel with quite a window cleaner smell that’s a little stronger than I like. It doesn't foam up much, but definitely leaves my face feeling squeaky clean The tube allows easy control of product dispension, and a tiny pea sized drop is enough for my whole face.
Blemish control gel: Soothing gel leaning towards liquid consistency. Only need a tiny bit for each problem area and I just squeeze some out onto my finger then dab it. The little opening in the tube allows really careful control of how much you get out. I feel like my pimples 'dry up' and heal faster when I use this, and it seems to have antiseptic properties to prevent extra pus.
Toner: This smells BAD. It's a terrible mix of hospital disinfectant, chemical cleaners, and just bad memories all round. At first I found this unbearable, and was almost tempted to stop using this. But now I've gotten a bit more used to it. Another complaint about this one is the spray is too strong, instead of a fine mist, I end up squirting myself on the face in just one patch. The toner itself is actually not bad. It makes the application of the following steps smoother and seems to help the absorption. I store it in the fridge so it's nice and refreshing when I use it.
Serum: This comes out of a metal pump bottle, and even though it recommended two pumps or more, I find that just one is enough for my face and neck. Putting it on my face feels very soothing, it just glides on and spreads so easily. It's quite a thin gel type texture, and absorbs insanely fast leaving my face feeling completely dry (but in a good way). It smells very natural, like sesame seeds but also kind of medicinal. I think this is a good pre-step to the moisturiser, as it adds in that extra bit of moisture.
Moisturiser: this is a very thick gel, almost like a cream. Again this is in a tube and I only need about 3/4 of a pea sized dollop. At night time or when my skin feels quite dry I might put a little more on five minutes after the first application. This seems to lock in all the products before it, and I can easily apply makeup or sunscreen overtop without my face looking too shiny.
I'll have to use it for another good month or two before seeing any long term improvements, but in the short term this has wowed me. Favourite product is definitely the blemish gel, since it's the most potent. The serum is also quite nice, I feel like when it's really hot I could even skip the moisturiser and use the serum alone. The spray of the toner needs a little tweaking, and the smell of the cleanser and the toner is a little annoying, but otherwise I'm pretty happy. The prices are really good, and I’ll definitely repurchase the blemish gel, the serum and maybe the others if I see good results in the long run.
Tips: Decant the toner into a mist bottle for a more even spray.