REVIEW: botanicES Natural Caffeine Skincare..

That sweetheart gal at A Bella Adventure recently did me the BIGGEST favour - she sent me this awesome sample pack of botanicES face and body products, and I've been blissing out ever since. The natural skincare market is expanding in leaps and bounds, but not every company has got it right - from the effectiveness of the formulas, to the absence of the usual chemical ingredients, and then all the way down to environmentally sustainable (and recyclable) packaging, I reckon botanicES has the leading edge. Add in no animal testing, and you have a superb range of skin goodies that are made in Australia, and from my albeit brief experience, has the makings of living up to its claims...

They've even got their sample packs spot on - easy to dispense tubes instead of the usual sachets (which drive me nuts), and there's sufficient product inside to allow a true experience, not just one or two applications, which tell me very little at all. While I haven't used any of the creams long enough to notice any improvement in my wrinkles, my skin LOOKS and FEELS firmer, beautifully soft and hydrated, and not a dry flaky spot in sight ♥

Just for the record, my hesitation with using "natural" or organic skin care has always been for two simple reasons:

1) I've not seen any noticeable improvements in a short period of time. I understand that changes in texture and elasticity can take a while, but I need to observe at least some sort of short-term benefit to lure me into purchasing or repurchasing a product...

2) Often natural products smell awful - fishy(?), or like stale oil, yucko! Hey - I'm a scentophile, and if I don't enjoy the application experience, then forget it...

Delighted to report that these botanicES products don't fit into either of these categories. In fact I'm in love with the fragrance - while it's very delicate and it doesn't smell at all like coffee, there's something earthy and nature-scentric about it. Difficult to describe, and there's that old cliche of "just like a walk through a spring garden after the rain", but in this case it's true! 

Face Creme

Spreads effortlessly so you don't need to use very much at all - absorbs very quickly, and there's an almost instantaneous firming effect, although by that I don't mean the skin feels at all tight. Suits my combination skin perfectly - seems to adjust automatically to my oily T and drier cheeks. Very soothing, and the perfect makeup base ♥...

Ingredients listed on their website: Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Cetearyl Olivate [and] Sorbitan Olivate, Caprylic [and] Capric Triglyceride, Coco-Caprylate, Coffea Arabica (Coffee) Seed Extract, Stearic Acid, Kakadu Plum Extract, Xantham Gum, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Licorice Liquid Extract, Phenoxyethanol [and] Ethylhexylglycerin.

Eye Creme

I have huge bags under my eyes, and I've noticed a reduction in the bulges since I've been using it - yay! It's super concentrated, and dispensing via the tube, it's a challenge to not express too much. In fact I hold my finger over the hole, and then gently squeeze, and the smidgin that ends up on my finger tip is more than enough for the entire eye area (I expect this not to be a problem with the full size as it has a pump). I still have some of this left! ♥

Ingredients listed on their website: Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Coffea Arabica (Coffee) Seed Extract, Cetearyl Olivate [and] Sorbitan Olivate, Coco-Caprylate, Xantham Gum, Kakadu Plum Extract, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Licorice Liquid Extract, Phenoxyethanol [and] Ethylhexylglycerin.

Body Creme

If you have problems hauling on your skinny jeans after moisturising your legs, then this is the body cream for you. Absorbs in seconds, and I mean completely. There's nothing left except soft, gently fragranced skin ♥ There was only enough in the sample for a couple of applications, but thankfully I can see that standard bottle is a generous 100ml...

Iingredients listed on their website: Aqua (Water), Cetearyl Glucoside [and] Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Caprylic [and] Capric Triglyceride, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Coffea Arabica (Coffee) Seed Extract, Stearic Acid, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Xantham Gum, Phenoxyethanol [and] Ethylhexylglycerin.

In summary I'm very VERY impressed, and ever so grateful to both botanicES and A Bella Adventure for the opportunity to try out this fabulous range ♥ You can count on me to do an update once I've placed an order, and used the products for a longer period of time...

Take care of you,

kats xxx