On the face of it, being contacted by a PR agency to see if you are interested in reviewing some natural, cruelty-free and Kiwi-made products for my blog sounds super exciting. And, usually, emails of this regard cause me to do a little dance of joy (and it would be cool if it happened more often, LOL). But, here comes the but’… On this occasion: I got really nervous. What was my dilemma? You see the PR company didn’t mention what brand of products I’d be reviewing and I’ve got a reasonably long-standing love affair happening with Moreish, the NZ-made, natural, cruelty-free skincare range. Clearly, I’m a loyal creature, because I got my tits in a right tangle at the prospect of potentially falling in love with a range from Moreish’s competitors. What happened if I loved Moriesh’s competitor’s products just as much, or even more? Then what? Clearly, sometimes, I catastrophize and fail to consider the obvious. Because when the box of goodies arrived, guess what? It was a sample of recently rebranded and relaunched Moreish goodies. What a relief. I’m such an egg sometimes. Now, this skincare may not be right for you, not every skincare product/line is right for everyone, so it is best to shop around and take a look at alternatives such as Indie Lee, as well as others. Do your research ladies and gents.
I’ve waxed lyrical about Moreish before (see this blogpost, crikey, I wrote this over 18 months ago!), raving about: Their great price point, ethical practices, quality of product, and ‘no baddies’ approach to skin care. Yeah, I’m a fan and, to cut to the chase, I still am. So, I’ll keep this post relatively brief (I can hear you all snorting in disbelief that I’ll ever have few words on any topic…).
I got three items sent to me (thank you PR Shop and Moreish!). Nothing disappointed, rather, all delighted. Here’s my thoughts.
Moreish Foaming Cleanser: I adore this cleanser and had this was already part of my skincare routine. I was rapt because my husband uses it morning and night too so the arrival of a new 200ml bottle was a godsend as we were in danger of running out. My husband, a man of few words, offered some profound words on this cleanser which is packed full of green tea, manuka honey and organic Moroccan argan oil. “It’s good shit that cleanser, eh?” he said. Yes, darling. It’s good shit. One observation, the word ‘foaming’ isn’t quite on the money. It gets a bit of a lather on, but not a super duper foam. I’m pleased about that, as foaming cleansers usually ends up in my hair and up my nose (Clarins Cottonseed foaming cleanser, I’m talkin’ bout you). My combination/oily skin tone appreciates the gentleness of this cleanser, yet it’s not drying, it’s bang on in the cleansing department. Hubby has normal skin (usually covered in dirt from the forest by the end of the day) and gives it the thumbs up for a good solid clean as well as because “it doesn’t stink like girl” (he should start his own blog). In the spirit of obtaining wider feedback, to test my concerns I could be biased, I loaned this cleanser, along with the moisturiser, to my friend Kat for a couple of days. When she returned it (with a huge thumbs up) she reported that the only bad thing about the range was her dog loved the scent so much he kept licking it off. I hasten to add the fragrance is all natural – there’s no artificial colours or fragrances in the entire Moreish range.
Moving right along, lovers of facial cleaning devices, like the Clarisonic, will be rapt to know this cleanser works well here too. On that note, I’ve got said device, but I’m old skool: Long live the humble flannel (that’s probably another blog post, my thoughts on the Clarisonic: Yell out if you reckon I should pen my thoughts on this).
Moreish Day Cream: I was skeptical about this moisturiser as the box says it’s for normal to dry skin. I figured I’d end up looking like an oil slick by midday. I was a bit dismayed to see that, with their rebrand, Moreish had done away with their Day Light Cream (it was the schizzle) and had this cream in it’s place. Again, clearly I overthink stuff, as this is just the right amount of moisturising, despite my skin tone, and I’ve been happily wearing this everyday for the last month underneath my makeup. That said, it is winter and I find I need to up-the-anti on moisturising in winter, so I’ll reserve my thoughts for now on how it works for me in the summer months. All in all this day cream was a pleasant surprise and it reminded me not to judge a book by it’s cover. Day Cream will be a definite repurchase for me. Ingredients include Vitamin E, avocado oil, blueberries, organic argan oil. I slap it all over my face and neck (don’t forget your neck in your moisturising regime girls!).
Pure Argan Oil: The box calls this stuff ‘Liquid Gold’ and I’d agree with that. I’ve been using this in place of a night cream on and off for the last 18 months (more so in the cooler months). So again, whilst this has been sent to me to trial, it’s a tried and true product in our house. I was quite fascinated that by putting oil on my oily skin my skin has become less oily and I’ve got less breakouts. How could that be? I’m no beautician, but in a nutshell, oily skin produces more sebum than necessary to compensate for the lack of moisture. Argan oil is also good for oily skin since it acts as a regulating agent that actually helps to balance sebum levels and keep them in check. Excess sebum leads to oily skin which often results in a shiny complexion and breakouts… So in other words, by using oils like argan oil, if you are an oily beast like me, you’ll end up less oily. Make sense? Actually, on that note, I’ve observed that when I don’t use argan oil, I look more, errrr, lined the next morning. Though, admittedly, that could have something to do with the fact that a ‘Zero Birthday’ is looming…
I use this oil at night after my cleansing, eye cream, and double toning regime. I take a few drops of argan oil and apply gently to my face and neck in circular motion, massaging the oil into my fine lines and wrinkles. Incidentally, don’t forget your cuticles and hair, a few drops of argan oil gently massaged into your cuticles will soften them and you can tame your flyaway hair ends! Executive Summary: This is a wonder product and, as I write this, I’ve called out to my husband (he’s reading Biking Blogs!) to remind him he should be using it (he just had a Zero Birthday).
In case you can’t tell, I’m rapt this range is back in NZ. In case you hadn’t noticed in previous skincare blogs I’ve been sulking for the past year that Moreish pulled out of NZ and was only available in Aussie. You can get Moreish at Countdown Supermarkets for the non-pricely sum of $25 for most items, though that said, you can find them on sale with regularity for $20 (like right now!).
