Hey hey! I wanted to take a look at the new Estee Lauder skin care range that's been splashed all over my social media of late! It's their new Nutritious Micro-Algae set, which features a gel cleanser, toner, and moisturiser. The (rather obvious) theme is encompassed by their hashtag #RefreshMyGlow, and uses algae power to deliver skin a fresh look while minimizing pores. It's aimed at normal/oil skin types so I do fit into the category for it - exciting! I also reaaaaaally love the theme... anything sea-related, whether it's sea water, sea salt, seaweed - always makes my skin feel and look amazing, so I was really excited to try this new range!
I was given this little set as a GWP by a consultant (who I also used to work with!) I think, for a freebie, this is a FANTASTIC GWP... it's so cute, you get enough of each product to give it a fair go, and the whole feel/look of the packaging is amazing! These little testers would have been perfect for a weekend away.
So! As we can see, you get a gel cleanser to purify, a toner to balance, and a moisturiser to "breathe".
Here's what the cute little samples look like:
Adorable! Let's start with the Pore Purifying Cleansing Jelly.
I squeezed this out onto clean, dry fingers and applied using circular motions to my entire face. It gently started to lather up (which was increased with a bit of water). The smell is very refreshing and clean - it's worth noting this is NOT meant for use around the eyes, so if you like to wear big eye makeup looks you'll have to use another cleanser alongside this one. Overall, once polished off with a hot, clean flannel, my skin did feel pretty clean without feeling overly dry (which can happen sometimes with cleansers despite my oiliness). I like the packaging, and at £21 it's not a bad price for a premium beauty brand skin care product!
I was particularly excited to try this Pore Minimizing Tonic as I love to use toners to refresh my face, particularly if I've been to the gym or it's been warm! To use, you have to give the bottle a good shake beforehand and apply to a cotton pad. The first thing I noticed was the strong alcohol scent - not a good thing! I was really disappointed as I'd hoped for a light, similar fragrance to the cleanser. I felt the toner was far too drying for my face and had a similar feel to witch-hazel products I've used to use in the past. My skin requires something a little less abrasive - despite the fact it's oily, it needs something more hydrating in a toner. Not for me! At £21 again it's not a bad price, but I felt the "pore minimizing" aspect may have been due to the alcohol content and my skin drying up. Lastly, let's look at the Pore Minimising Hydra Lotion.
If I was excited about the tonic, I was REALLy excited about the moisturiser - it looks and reminds me of my all-time favourite daily moisturiser that was discontinued years ago by Nivea (which also had a sea/water theme). This smelt more similar to the cleanser, which was pleasant and light, and the cream itself was light yet moisturising. With "Sheer moisture" and "anti-shine" technology, the lightweight lotion is "supercharged with a nutritiously rich micro-algae blend to help hydrate, control oil and minimise the look of pores". I did feel it absorbed quickly - beforehand it felt a tad sticky, but not horrifically so - but, once absorbed, it did leave my skin feeling plump and refreshed. I want to use this without the tonic as I think the tonic made this slightly sticky - I'm still excited about this product and want to try it over the next week to really figure out how I feel about it. At £36 it ain't cheap for a product that doesn't have any anti-aging ingredients in it, but if this is as good as my old Nivea one was it'll be 100% worth the money! Fingers crossed, I'll keep you updated! Meli X