This is another guest post from my friend CL. We tend to have the same taste when it comes to skincare as our skin behaves in a similar manner so I was really excited to read what she thought about the Refresh Botanicals line – another great Canadian brand that I’m happy to feature on Toronto Beauty Reviews!
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I strongly believe in the importance of eating local and seasonal produce as much asย possible; however, with the long, cold winters we have here in Ontario, eatingย seasonally isnโt always easy (I mean, who wants to live on potatoes and turnips fromย December to April? Anyone?!). So when there is an abundance of delicious, freshย seasonal fruits and vegetables, why not take advantage of them? Eating seasonallyย means that weโre consuming foods which nature has intended for our climate and ourย bodies. With their high water content, summer fruits and vegetables such asย watermelon and cucumber are perfect for cooling us down when the heat soars. And asย skincare ingredients, they provide ample hydration and nutrients for sun-parched skin.
For the last 4 weeks, I have been trying out products from Refresh Botanicals, which I have been really enjoying for myย summer skincare routine. Loaded with botanical extracts from summer harvests likeย cucumber, watermelon, and cornflower, these products are completely devoid ofย animal by-products, artificial fragrances, petroleum by-products, parabens, and gluten.
My skin gets irritated with heavily fragranced products and some petroleum-basedย ingredients (especially mineral oil), so knowing that these goodies donโt contain theย sensitivity triggers for my skin has put my mind at ease.
A little bit more about my skin type: itโs sensitive and oily. And despite its incessantย capability of overproducing oils, it also gets dehydrated very easily, so I donโt like usingย products that are too light or drying.
The Foaming Facial Cleanser ($18.99/150mL)ย isย super gentle on the skin but does its job so well without causing dryness. My skin isย thoroughly loving this cleanser at the moment! Its sulfate-free formula means that itย doesnโt foam as much as other foaming cleansers do, but I didnโt mind it at all. Theย refreshing, real cucumber scent from cucumber fruit extract and cucumber seed oil helpsย me start my morning fresh. The beautifying effects of cucumber are well known, and itsย soothing, hydrating, and cooling benefits make this cleanser a must-have for summer!
I have also been religiously using the Intensive Serum ($23.99/50mL).ย I useย it twice a day, and in this humid weather, I find that I can skip a moisturizer during theย day and just apply my sunscreen and makeup on top of this serum. Filled withย nourishing lightweight oils such as grape seed oil, along with plant extracts fromย watermelon (hello, Vitamin C!), cucumber, and algae, this serum is formulated to act asย an antioxidant boost for the skin.
I have been using the Night Restore Complexย ($23.99/50mL) with the serum at night, and I find that these two products haveย helped my skin a lot: it looks a lot more hydrated and feels softer, and the redness isย reduced. The Night Restore Complex, too, is full of natural goodness, includingย cornflower water and fruit extracts from cucumber, watermelon, and apple. Bothย products have a water-based gel-like consistency, but they are very moisturizing so youย donโt need to apply a lot of product.
The line also offers other productsย fromย the Eye & Face Makeup Remover and Facial Toner to the Daily Facial Moisturizer and BBย Cream, to provide a full skincare system for an easy-to-follow daily regimen.
All Refreshย Botanicals products are supercharged with a high percentage of organic botanicalย ingredients (88.35% on average), which offer powerful antioxidant protection and skin-quenching benefits that will keep your skin as hydrated and soft as it can be all summerย long!