Sparkled Beauty

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Lisa, a local Arbonne consultant and District Manager, to review some of the best products offered at Arbonne. This is my first experience with the brand, it's exciting.

Today's post is about 6 products from Arbonne's anti-aging skin care line: RE9 Advanced. I received a sample pack (3ml x 6), as a result, this review is going to be more of first impressions.

According to Arbonne, the line includes 9 major age-defying elements and botanicals clinically proven to show results within 24 hours.

The elements:
- Algae extract: supports collagen, help diminish fine line and wrinkle appearance
- Stabilized vitamin C: support moisture framework of skin
- Bio-Hydria complex: softens and conditions
- Vitaspheres: deliver anti-oxidants
- Elhibin and Stimu-Tex: support moisture balance
- Alpha Lipoic acid: Anti-oxidant
- Copper: softens
- Alpha Hydroxy acid: reveals next layer of skin, reduces the sign of aging, improves skin texture
- Peptides: enhance skin smoothness, diminish fine line and wrinkle appearance.

The botanicals:
- Sea Buckthorn oil: anti-oxidants (incl. beta-carotene), supports smooth skin
- Kudzu: improves skin firmness and tone
- Marine Lavender: helps reduce wrinkle appearance
- Hydrolyzed Lupine protein and Alfalfa Seed extract: diminish under-eye bags and puffiness, increase skin firmness
- Beech Tree: improves skin moisturization, smoothes wrinkle appearance.

On to each individual product.
First off, the Smoothing Facial cleanser.
Texture: quite creamy but becomes almost translucent when rubbed out. It claims to smooth and renew the skin surface.

Key ingredients: Algae extract, Sea Buckthorn oil.
Full size: 90ml, retails CAD50.

I found my skin quite soft after washing but can't say for sure the effect is long term. Considering the short amount of time the product stays on the skin, I'd say the cleanser is more like the first step to prep the skin for moisturizer.

Second step: the Regenerating toner.
It is a clear liquid, so I use the cotton pad to show you how it looks.

Key ingredients: Algae extract, Sea Buckthorn oil - same as the cleanser. It is antioxidant rich, pH balanced, with vitamins A, C and E.
Full size: 50ml, retails CAD42.

I enjoyed the toner, it's refreshing and soothing. With the extra benefits of the antioxidants and vitamins, it is a treat for your skin, especially at night when it is tired.

Now on to the core products, starting with the Intensive Renewal serum.

Texture: a little runny (more of a lotion than a serum) but light, absorbs quickly and leaves no residue. It is yellow/ beige in colour but sinks in colourless.

Key ingredients: Algae extract, Sea Buckthorn oil, Kudzu, Stablilized Vitamin C, Marine Lavender, Beech Tree.
Full size: 30ml, retails CAD68.

With lots of collagen-supporting ingredients, the serum is supposed to firm the skin and decrease the look of fine lines. I really enjoyed applying the serum, as my skin feels so good. I could get away with only the serum underneath a primer before foundation, but for testing purpose, I did follow up with the day cream below. At this age, serum becomes an essential to fight fine lines.

Corrective Eye creme.
Thicker texture, opaque white, takes a little longer to absorb.

Key ingredients: Algae extract, Stablilized Vitamin C, Marine Lavender, Yeast, Alfalfa Seed extract, Hydrolyzed Lupine protein, Peptides.
Full size: 15ml, CAD65.

This is just like the serum, but for the eyes, plus the extra effect to help with dark circles. I still needed my concealer after the eye cream, but less than what I normally used. And the eyes looked a little more alive in the morning.

Restorative Day creme with SPF20 - the moisturizer that went on top of the serum.
As you can see in the swatch, it is a cream, quite close to the texture of a sunscreen, opaque white but blended out colourless. I made sure to leave a minute or two before applying the primer, just so the cream had enough time to sink in. The SPF is a nice added bonus.

With the serum and the day creme, my skin was smooth without feeling heavy or oily, a little tight (in a good way, as tighter means less wrinkles).

Active ingredients: Octisalate, Octocrylene, Zinc Oxide.
Key ingredients: Algae extract, Kudzu, Peptides.
Full size: 30ml, CAD60.

And at nights, I reached for the Night Repair creme.

Texture is certainly lighter than the day creme, close to the serum, feels rich and light at the same time.

Key ingredients: Algae extract, Sea Buckthorn oil, Kudzu, Stablilized Vitamin C, Marine Lavender, Beech Tree, Peptides. Very close to those of the serum, plus the peptides.
Full size: 30gr, retails CAD100.

You might have found by now that I did not mention one important factor about all these products: the scent. I leave it till the end, because all 6 products smelt very similar to each other - herbal, sometimes earthy. Honestly, I can't say I liked the scent, but it faded out quite quickly.

All in all, this is a neat product line with promising products carrying loads of hard-working ingredients. My favorites are the serum and the eye creme because they serve exactly what I need. I do realize that the prices range medium-high, and because skincare products do work differently on different people, I would recommend trying out samples of the products you are interested in before committing to full sizes.

For those of you who live around here, you can find Lisa on her Arbonne page or on twitter.