Today I
have another review for you. It's from a very affordable and very much loved
(at least by me) brand. I’m talking about Essence and this review will focus
one of the products in their My Skin skincare line, the Moisturizing Cream-Gel.
The My
Skin is a line especially designed to satisfy young skin’s needs. The range of
products in the line consists of: a gel cleanser; a face wash/scrub/mask, the all-in-one
type of cleanser; a refreshing toner; two varieties of face wipes; a paper face
mask; an eye roll-on; a tinted moisturizer and three different moisturizers, one
for normal to combination skin, another for normal to dry skin and finally one
suitable to all skin types. I’m going to review to the latter.
But firstly
I’d like to share my opinion on Essence’s products since I have already tried
several of the products from this My Skin line (both cleansers, the toner, the
eye roll-on and the tinted moisturizer; I’ve also bought the mask but haven’t
tried it yet) as well as a bunch of their makeup products and some skincare
from the Pure Skin line.
The
main thing I want to share is: they are super safe – so don’t be afraid to try
them! I tend to stick to high-end skincare products just to be safe but I can
honestly say that I have never been afraid to try a new/different Essence
product. Even though their products are really cheap their philosophy is really
to save on advertising to invest on better quality products. They also don’t
test on animals!
Obviously
their products won’t have state-of-the-art technology involved or the best
anti-ageing ingredients on the market but that isn’t the brand's purpose either. Their
products have in mind young girls, in their teens, with not a lot of money that
want to have a nice basic skincare routine and that want to wear makeup that
won’t make them break up, won’t cause any allergic reaction and (most important,
perhaps) won’t lead them to bankruptcy. So if you haven’t reached your twenties
but want to start taking care of your skin from an early age and don’t have a
lot to spend this is the brand for you.
And before
I get down to the moisturizing cream-gel itself, I just want to apologize for
the detour but I really wanted to share the information because I know a lot of
you might be reticent to try such cheap skincare products. And so was I before I
started using their products. That’s why I decided to do a little reading, back
then, and after using their skincare products for almost 2 years now (and makeup
products for 7 years) I can really vouch for them.
Now,
about the My Skin moisturizing cream-gel: as all products from the line it is
dermatologically approved so not likely to cause any nasty skin reaction
(unless you have super sensitive and reactive skin and if so I’d look for
professional advice before trying any new skincare product), oil-free (so it
won’t clog your pores) and has uva/uvb filters (I do still super recommend
using an spf separately - this filters are not enough to stop sun damage!).
According
to the description in their website this “cream-gel is absorbed quickly and
offers your skin 24h of intensive moisture while protecting it from damaging
environmental influences with uva and uvb filters” (once again you need extra
SPF!- just saying!). “Enriched with lime and cucumber ingredients ensures a
radiant complexion, it also contains light-reflecting pigments for a subtle
glow”. It is recommend for all skin types.
In my
perspective, I do agree with most of it.
 |
| It reads: This energizing cream-gel is intensively moisturizing and the light-reflecting pigments inside let the skin glow |
This is a very fresh and cooling light textured
moisturizer. It’s even lighter and fresher than the Clinique
Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel. The texture actually reminds me
of the Garnier Skin Naturals Fresh Essentials 24Hr Hydrating Day
Cream for Normal/Combination Skin but a tiny bit more liquidy.
It’s so
light that you won’t feel like you’re pilling up too much product on your skin -
if you’re like me and follow your moisturizer with sunscreen (as you should)
and then a full face of makeup. At the same time it keeps my skin moisturized
for a good 8 hours I’d say – keep in mind I have combination skin.
I
particularly love this cream to use in the morning, because it really gives a
more awake and radiant appearance to my skin but in a very subtle, non-oily
way. It’s almost imperceptible – it gives me glowing but not shiny-looking
skin.
Don’t
get scared though: in the packaging the product glows in the dark. It
won’t happen on your skin though, if you massage it in (which is super easy due to the
almost liquid consistency) – so don’t worry.
The
scent really helps to wake me up as well. It has a very citrusy fragrance but
toned down by the clean scent of cucumber.
I really
enjoyed using it during my beach vacation. I would slather this on my face
throughout the day, every time before I’d reapply my spf. This kept my skin from
getting dry due to the sea salt and also was a great way to refresh my skin.
And since the prince range is bellow the 3euro mark I didn’t feel guilty to go
through this cream in such a short amount of time (a little over a month –
liberally applying it on my skin up to 5 times a day!).
It also
works perfectly before my gym classes. I go to the gym right before dinner.
And since I hate exercising wearing makeup – if you do, you’re much more likely
to get clogged pores – I usually wipe off my makeup right before leaving to the
gym. I don’t like to have my face without any moisturizer on it but I hate to use
my more expensive moisturizers when in an hour time I’ll be washing them off
during shower. This, I found, was the perfect solution. It leaves my skin
feeling: fresh again after taking my makeup off; moisturized but not with that
heavy feeling that would bother me during exercise. And, once again, it's super
affordable so after my practice I wouldn’t mind having to shower it off.
Those
are some of the reasons I so adore this product.
Unfortunately,
I would say it is not moisturizing enough for very dry skin and I probably wouldn’t
advise you to use it as a night cream either no matter what your skin type is, because
you might need a bit more moisture.
However,
if you are the type of person that hates the feeling of moisturizer before
going to bed (and it is better something than nothing – am I not right? ;)) or
live in a hot humid place and just want something refreshing on your face to
help you get to sleep - this might be the perfect nighttime product for you.
For people
with really oily skin during the hot summer months: I’d recommend using the
mattifying version of this product on your T-zone or using a serum with mattifying
properties also on your T-zone (I really like the Bioderma Sébium Pore Refiner
Serum) to prevent your skin from every looking greasy but keeping the glowing
and fresh looking skin.
Do I
recommend it?
Absolutely:
- To normal and combination skin: to apply all mornings all year long.
- To oily skin: to apply all mornings except in the summer months (unless you apply just to your cheek area or with a mattifying serum underneath it in your t-zone).
- To dry skin: to apply in the mornings during hot weather.
- If don’t have super sensitive or super dry skin.
- If you haven't reached your thirties yet. (If you have: it's time to start spoiling you skin with some better quality products ;) : I'd sugest looking into French Pharmacy brands because they have products that are as effective as the ones from high-end brands but much cheaper)
- If you have
acne-prone skin Essence has this Pure
Skin line that has products specifically designed to prevent and/or
disguise acne spots, in case you’re interested - however, if you have serious
acne issues you’d better seek a Dermatologist’s advice.
Will I repurchase this product?
- Yes, I
probably will. But, for now, I’m very curious to try the mattifying version.
Sorry for all the rambling but I really wanted to be thorough.
Please leave a comment down bellow telling me if this post helped you! I'd also love suggestions of products to review.
Yours,
M.
