SUMMER SKIN-FRESH BEAUTY REVIEW

I remember purchasing my first skincare products when I was around 16. It was the Clinique 3-Step system, I mean, was there any other option? I think everyone started out using Clinique, but it worked!

I don’t remember what triggered me wanting to start taking care of my skin. I think it must have been that also around that time I starting taking a real interest in makeup. I’m not just talking about lipglosses, I mean the real shit. Eyeliner, mascara, FOUNDATION?! I was all in. Even from that age, I knew that if you wanted to have beautiful makeup, you had to start with skincare.

I know skincare can seem daunting and a bit time consuming, but I always find the value in it, I mean, its your face, take care of it! I have been very fortunate to not have too many skin issues. I think I had the average amount of acne growing up, but nothing too serious (thanks Mom!) I currently have combination skin. I get a bit dry in some spots, but do get oily in my t-zone. I also have some rosacea on my cheeks that has developed in the past couple years.

If you have been following my blog or Instagram, you know that I love trying new makeup and skincare products, which is why I was so excited when I received a package from Fresh Beauty about two weeks ago. In partnership with Influenster, Fresh gifted me their Soy Face Cleanser, as well as their new Sugar Strawberry Exfoliating Face Wash. I have tried their products before, from samples I received from Sephora; and always have had positive experiences with their line, so I was looking forward to giving these products a try.

Soy Face Cleanser

As much as I love putting on makeup, I equally love taking it off. I used the Soy Face Cleanser after I had taken my surface makeup off with a wipe. I made a mistake the first time I used it though. I squeezed out the “normal” amount I use for face wash and started applying it on my skin. I quickly realized I used WAY too much! I learned my lesson and have only been using a pea size amount since. My blunder just goes to show you how effective this cleanser is.

The scent is also quite nice. It smells very fresh and clean, with a hint of cucumber, which I found to be very soothing. Although packaging doesn’t affect how effective the product is, I do appreciate the simple design, and easy to use squeeze bottle.

As a side note…I love the fonts Fresh uses on their packaging! I can’t be the only one who loves a good font.

Although it is a gel base, its super rich and a little does go a long way–so the value is great! After washing it off with water and patting my face dry with a towel, I noticed that not only did my skin feel clean, it felt soft. I have never used a cleanser that made my skin feel like I had already put my serums, moisturizers etc. on it. With other products I have found that my natural oils have been drawn out, which isn’t a huge deal breaker for me, as I put oils on my face anyway, but the Soy Face Cleanser preserved my skins structure, whilst cleaning out any impurities.

Fresh does claim that this product works on all skin types. I would be interested to hear how the oily and dryer skin types fair, but for my combo skin, it worked amazing!

Sugar Strawberry Exfoliating Face Wash

I have a love/hate relationship with exfoliating face products. I love them for my body, but I always found that they were uncomfortable to use, and irritated my skin; the opposite of what they are supposed to do. The Sugar Strawberry Exfoliating Face Wash is the first of its kind I have used in a long time, but I was willing to give it a go.

The instructions say you can use this face wash DAILY, yes daily. As it claims to provide refinement, balance, and a brighter look to the skin. After using the Soy Face Cleanser, I followed the recommendation to finish with the Exfoliating Face Wash. It says to apply product to damp skin, and more water can be added to create a gentler scrub.

One, it smells like the strawberry jam my mom used to make, and not that artificial sweetness, which anyone who isn’t living in the 90’s appreciates–glitter body rollers anyone?!

The texture of this product is fantastic. It feels gentle on the skin, not rough at all. Like I mentioned, some exfoliators feel like its tearing at your skin, but as you use it, it melts away, leaving no residue. After washing it off, my skin felt soft, looked less dull, and got rid of any uneven texture.

I must say, I am pleasantly surprised I like this product as much as I do. I haven’t been using it daily like it says, but I have found every other day is a great pick me up for my skin.

I have to be honest, I haven’t used many Fresh products, as they run on the more expensive side, but is it worth it? Yes. With the two products I tried, I can tell they only use the highest quality of ingredients, and have taken the time to create skin care products that not only clean the skin, but provide effective results.

You can buy the Soy Face Cleanser and the Sugar Strawberry Exfoliating Face Wash from Sephora.ca