Andalou Naturals Turmeric + C Enlighten Serum

 

Packaging/Pricing:

20-25$ for 30ml (1fl.oz). This serum comes in a tinted plastic pump bottle, which feels neither luxurious nor cheap, but serves its purpose well.

Ingredients:

Aloe Barbadensis Juice, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Oil, Vegetable Glycerin, Cyamopsis Tetragonolobus (Guar) Gum, Fruit Stem Cells (Malus Domestica, Solar Vitis) and Bioactive 8 Berry Complex, Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Extract, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (Vit C), Tocopherol (Vit E), Lauric Acid, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hyaluronic Acid, Vitis Vinifera (Grape Seed) Polyphenols, Borago Officinalis (Borage) Oil, Rosa Canina (Rosehip) Oil, Glyceryl Monolaurate, Linum Usitatissiumum (Flax) Oil, Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil, Hippophae Rhamnoides (Sea Buckthorn) Oil, Camelia Sinensis (White Tea) Extract, Laminaria Digitata (Kelp) Extract, Allantoin, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Phenethyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Oil.

Andalou Naturals Blue Geranium Creamy Clay Mask

You don't see many facial mask reviews here. In my opinion they are very much optional part of the skincare routine. If you use well formulated skincare item regularly, it will bring you much more benefits, than a mask used just once a week. Especially if you treating stubborn skin concerns (like hyper-pigmentation). Also, I simply don't have time to use a mask. I usually apply my evening skincare right before going to bed. If you are able to incorporate a mask in your routine, you should choose wisely, since there are only few well formulated masks on the market that I've seen. Also, any moisturizing mask can be substituted by well formulated cream applied in a thicker layer. Probably, I am not the best judge of masks for oily skin, since I have normal to dry skin type, and get out of my way to avoid any drying products.

Packaging/Pricing:

52ml (1.8fl.oz) for 12-15$ (a usual available on IHERB.com here). Grey plastic tube is good enough packaging to keep ingredients safe. Aesthetics wise, not my cup of tea.

Body Care: Andalou Naturals Kukui Cocoa Body Butter

Andalou Naturals Age Defying Kit

ANDALOU naturals brand is my current obsession. I've been trying lots of their products, and though some of them do contain essential oils, there are many products where they are present in small amounts, and otherwise the formulations are really good. The products are based around fruit stem cell science, which I am not really buying into as of now. I feel they are more plant extracts, than animal like stem cells really. But that aside, other ingredients used in the products are well researched and amazing for the skin.

I like to go for starter kits in the skin care. You get the feel for the brand and do not commit to full size products you may not end up liking. Andalou brand offers four different lines (brightening, clarifying, age defying and sensitive), and each line has a starter kit. I quickly ran through ingredients in those kits and found that age defying kit seems the best one. In general, I never stick to one line of products from a brand, I mix and match to my skin concerns and liking, and I usually recommend that to everyone. But when you do not know where to start, to get a sample pack is a good idea. You can purchase a kit for around 15-20$. I've got mine on IHERB.com as usual (here). The set comes with five deluxe size products (enough for roughly 2 weeks).

• Apricot Probiotic Cleansing Milk 24ml (0.8fl.oz). Full size: 178ml (6fl.oz) for ~13$.

• Blossom + Leaf Toning Refresher 15ml (0.5fl.oz). Full size: 178ml (6fl.oz) for ~13$.

• BioActive 8 Berry Fruit Enzyme Mask 30ml (1fl.oz). Full size: 50ml (1.7fl.oz) for ~15$.

• Super Goji Peptide Perfecting Cream 12 ml (0.4fl.oz). Full size: 50ml (1.7fl.oz) for ~25$.

• Resveratrol Q10 Night Repair Cream 12 ml (0.4fl.oz). Full size: 50ml (1.7fl.oz) for ~25$.

Apricot Probiotic Cleansing Milk 

Aloe Barbadensis Juice, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Oil