Skincare Empties and Reviews

This post is heavy on Ole Henriksen products.  My cousin Linda loves her beauty and skincare, and she generously gives away her extras to the family. And she had some Ole Henriksen extras. A perfect opportunity for me to try out the line!

This Pick Me Up Face Tonic was amazing! This is a gentle paraben-free toner that contains awesome ingredients like alpha hydroxy acids, blueberry/blackberry/chamomile/rose hip extracts, and vitamin C. This tonic is supposed to oxygenate and brighten the skin while minimizing pores. My skin felt so refreshed and AWAKE.  I love the peach scent!

image via olehenriksen.com
$24/7oz

I haven't been using toner since the days of Sea Breeze. Remember this??

image via walmart.com

Yes, so that was years..ok, decades ago. The Pick Me Up experience had me reaching for toner again!

The Ole Henriksen experiment went downhill from there. The Ultimate Lift Eye Gel didn't do much. 

$42/1oz

It had the consistency of hair gel (sticky!), and it was cooling.  Which can FEEL uplifting. But it didn't feel very hydrating to my eye skin. Probably similar to what hair gel would do to your eye 

area.  The product seems to focus on decreasing puffiness and firming the skin. I did see some reviews from people saying it helped with their bags. I didn't notice any difference with this product. The only good things I noticed were the temporary soothing effect and no strong scent.

The Ole Henriksen Herbal Day Creme SPF20 smelled horrible. Herbal bad. Not herbal good. VERY strong.

And this product also did not feel very moisturizing. You can't really tell in the photo, but the cream is very thin. I would not recommend this product. It is $20.54 for 1.7oz on Amazon.

On the other end of the spectrum, I was super happy with the Clarins Multi-Active Night Youth Recovery Cream ($49.53/1.7oz).

image via clarinsusa.com

It was thick and rich, and I loved waking up to radiant, healthy-looking skin. My skin looked smoother! It felt luxurious putting this on my face before bed. The slightly floral smell is relaxing.  The fragrance also fades in minutes, so that is a plus if you prefer lighter scents.  I would have totally bought this again if I didn't have a gazillion other night creams at the moment.

Philosophy's Purity Made Simple is still my favorite foaming cleanser!

image via philosophy.com
$32/16 oz

 You can read about my previous love letter to this product. But know that while I no longer expect foaming cleansers to take off all of my makeup since I use an oil cleanser as my first step, this "one step facial cleanser" actually could be used alone for removing makeup and cleaning/balancing/hydrating your face.  It's so good that 3 of the 5 available sizes for this are sold out on Sephora right now!

image via amazon.com
$15/6oz

I received this Le Mieux Iso-Cell Recovery Solution Spray after a facial hyperpigmentation lasering procedure.  The owner of the spa told me it has great healing properties, so it is perfect to use after microdermabrasions, peels, and skin picking sessions (I know...I do it, too!). There are fantastic reviews about this relatively inexpensive product alleviating acne, bug bites, and sunburns. I definitely felt like blemishes healed and redness subsided quicker than usual.

This was probably the most disappointing-- to the point that I had to return it.  :(  For $85, it better work!

I really wanted to love this Camu Camu Power C x 30 Serum by Peter Thomas Roth.  The Sephora rep had raved about how it evens out/brightens your skin tone and lightens dark spots.  It did nothing for me, and I used it consistently.  I even read someone mention that the stuff made her dark spots bigger and more noticeable!

The texture is very watery.  It smells like coffee and oranges, which is strange.  The color also tints your skin a bit.  The tint fades, but not right away.  Temporary Snooki look.

See all of these promises that I got excited about...  

Bah, I guess it's on to the next Vitamin C serum.

Have you tried any of these products? Did you have same/different experiences?

I would love to know!

xo,

Erica