I’ve had a life-long obsession with skin care products. When I say lifelong, I of course mean from being a teenager. That time in my life when so much was changing but my skin was the one thing that changed in a way that started me on my hunt for good decent products that would be kind to my skin and keep those pesky spots away. Even now well into adulthood, they like to make an appearance on a regular basis to haunt me.
So being asked to review a product that I probably would have sold my multi-CD stereo for as a teenager; I was very interested to see how it coped with my still temperamental skin. The Skin Genius gift set came beautifully packaged and was all contained in a lovely simple cotton bag fastened with a zip. When I opened the bag I wasn’t disappointed by the number of products it contained – some gift sets can be quite measly in their offerings but this looked plentiful! Inside I found a white cotton flannel in a cute little roll and tied up with string giving that feeling of natural and planet friendly products. The bottles contained were the Best Friends Forever foaming facewash, the Sooth Operator calming moisturiser, the All’s Well That Gels Well purifying gel and Hits the Spot on-call purifying gel. As a nice little addition there was also a little organza bag containing dried lavender.
The ingredients are listed as being 100% natural, which gets my vote every time. If there’s anything I’ve learnt in the search for great skin care products it’s that natural ingredients are best and least likely to block the pores. Some of the key ingredients include calendula, witch hazel, lemongrass, lavender, nettle and camomile to name but a few. It reads like a who’s-who of skin calming, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial ingredients from Mother Nature’s pantry.
I usually don’t like to over complicate my skin care routine but it was so straight forward to use and I can remember as a teenager, with each product I used I felt like I was upping the battle against the spots. The gift set comes with clear instructions on how to use each product. To start, just shake the bottle of face wash and dispense onto hand. It foams as it comes out and can be applied straight onto skins and washed off using the flannel provided. I found this had an attractive subtle scent and felt lovely going onto the skin, which felt clean and soft after washing. I then followed up with the purifying gel which is meant to help with any inflammation. I was a bit unsure about this as I was concerned an extra layer would cause more greasiness that would affect my make-up. However I was pleasantly surprised to find that the gel soaked into my skin really quickly and added no time at all to my daily regime. It also smelt gorgeous and I only needed a small amount to cover my whole face. Onto this I then used the moisturiser, which went on really well and again didn’t leave my face feeling greasy. It did have a really distinct scent which was quite strong at first but now I’m used to it and quite like it.
The test for me was in applying my make-up over all of this. Would it end up being too greasy? In fact I found it was great and I think it actually reduced the grease on my skin that builds up during the day. I also think my skin gained some extra glow using the Skin Genius products which, working from home and having a lot of virtual meetings online I really noticed on screen – very important to any teenager!
I did have a couple of spots appear on my neck and collar bone and I used the spot zapper directly onto them. I only needed a small amount and found that it definitely calmed the appearance of them and helped them to heal more quickly.
I really love these products they are fantastic for skin of any age not just the troublesome teenage skin. It would be a wonderful gift for any teenager experiencing that challenging and annoying spot enraged skin period of their lives. The gift set retails at £75 and can be purchased here.
At first glance I thought it was a bit on the expensive side however the gift set does contain a lot of product for your money and it is currently on offer at £60. (editor’s note – at the time of writing the review) The website also offers a 10% discount on any first orders and Skin Genius are running a competition on social media to win your favourite product using the hashtag #loveskingenius. It is probably outside of most teenager’s budget which is why it would make an extra special and thoughtful gift for any teenager this Christmas. The website also offers a subscription service; after all when you find a product that works you don’t want to let it go!
Rating: I give this a 5/5 for how well it works, how great it makes my skin look, the natural ingredients used and the overall presentation of a truly lovely gift set, that I would love to receive this Christmas.
Skin Genius Christmas Gift Set Review – What's Good To Do (whatsgoodtodo.com)