Hi! My first review of 2017 is a skincare brand I recently tried out and wanted to share with you. I've been testing the products out for about a month now to see how my experience was with both the products I used and the brand overall. I'll start with explaining how I got the products, then get to the rest of the review.
Okay, so keeping in agreement with my Empty Pockets contract, I'm subscribed to a few email newsletters that share product contests, giveaways and discounted/free products that are available. In one of these emails, I saw the link for free full-sized products from a company called Alina Skincare and I don't think I've reviewed a lot of skincare products here before, so I was down to try out something new. When I went to the link, it was explained that you can try out a small collection of Alina's samples (4 came in my pack) for $1 to cover the shipping and after about a week, they'd follow up via email to gauge which products caught your interest. If you were interested in any of them, they'd then send you the full-sized product for free. I thought that was a pretty sweet deal as in all of my years trying to find good deals in order to pick up new products, I'd never come across anything like that. I ordered my samples, paid my $1 and waited. A few days later, I received my samples and started trying them out, which brings me to the actual review.
My sample pack included eight samples, with two samples of each product. I received the Purifying Clay Renewal Mask, Anti-Aging Moisturizer, Multi-Benefit Exfoliator, and Vitamin C Serum.
The Purifying Clay Renewal Mask went on very smoothly and I figured that I would have been able to get at least 2 good uses out of the amount of product in the sample. I say 'would have' because my skin reacted badly to the mask the first time I tried it, so I didn't try it again. The mask has bentonite and kaolin clays as well as papaya and pineapple enzymes along with oatmeal extract, the latter of which you would assume would be the soothing element of the mask. The instructions are the usual for masks; apply a thin layer, let sit for 15-20 minutes then gently wash off. I followed the instructions but I noticed that my skin felt tingly, then started to burn a little and I wasn't even fully finished applying the mask yet. Fifteen minutes later, I had no choice but to wash it off because my cheeks and the skin underneath my nose were burning that badly. When I removed the mask, my face was red and irritated all over, but more so in the aforementioned spots.
The Vitamin C serum didn't irritate my skin too much, but for me it dried down with a pretty funky scent. I wasn't here for it. It also didn't help soothe my skin when I applied it after using one of the products that had irritated my face, so that was a strike. I don't remember too much else about it, which tells me that it either wasn't memorable or wasn't positive. I decided to request one product but received two in exchange because my experience wasn't entirely negative. Here's what I received a full-size of.
The Vitamin C serum didn't irritate my skin too much, but for me it dried down with a pretty funky scent. I wasn't here for it. It also didn't help soothe my skin when I applied it after using one of the products that had irritated my face, so that was a strike. I don't remember too much else about it, which tells me that it either wasn't memorable or wasn't positive. I decided to request one product but received two in exchange because my experience wasn't entirely negative. Here's what I received a full-size of.
Advanced Anti-Aging Moisturizer $28/1.69oz.
Benefits:
--Hydrates the skin
--Targets wrinkles
--Lifts and smooths the skin
The Anti-Aging Moisturizer was my lifesaver throughout this sample pack. The rest of the products irritated my face to some degree, but my skin took beautifully to this moisturizer. When I used the mask and exfoliator, I applied the moisturizer afterward and it soothed and calmed my skin almost immediately. I got 2 uses out of the product per sample, which as I mentioned earlier, I used after the exfoliator and mask. I was able to use the second sample by itself, and at first, my skin felt a little greasy. I would recommend using this after washing your face because using it on dry skin can make it feel a bit oily, at least it did for me. The product holds up well underneath heavier makeup and doesn't leave my face feeling dry at the end of the day (which is important to me since I use matte foundation, which is a little drying on its own), and it works great on days with little or no makeup. It smells like orange rind to me, which I don't mind. It has the scent of orange without the bitterness that many things with rind tend to have in it. The scent is pleasant, not overwhelming and doesn't last very long if you don't care for scented products.
I haven't noticed any benefits from the anti-wrinkle and lifting properties of the moisturizer, but the hydration property has had a huge effect on my skin on a daily basis. I usually have dry patches on my face during the winter and I haven't had any since I started using this moisturizer, even if I skip a day. Overall my skin looks healthier, has a bit of a glow, and hasn't had the dryness or dullness I usually have this time of year. A combination that's quickly becoming a holy grail combo for me is to use the exfoliator, then wash my face with the Pond's Cold Cream Cleanser, then finish with this moisturizer. I try not to use the exfoliator more than once a week so when I'm not using it, I'll just use the cold cream cleanser and moisturize afterward. My skin has responded really well to that combo of products, so I'd recommend it for you as well if you have dry+sensitive skin.
I haven't noticed any benefits from the anti-wrinkle and lifting properties of the moisturizer, but the hydration property has had a huge effect on my skin on a daily basis. I usually have dry patches on my face during the winter and I haven't had any since I started using this moisturizer, even if I skip a day. Overall my skin looks healthier, has a bit of a glow, and hasn't had the dryness or dullness I usually have this time of year. A combination that's quickly becoming a holy grail combo for me is to use the exfoliator, then wash my face with the Pond's Cold Cream Cleanser, then finish with this moisturizer. I try not to use the exfoliator more than once a week so when I'm not using it, I'll just use the cold cream cleanser and moisturize afterward. My skin has responded really well to that combo of products, so I'd recommend it for you as well if you have dry+sensitive skin.
Multi-Benefit Exfoliator, $20/2oz.
Benefits:
--Designed with beads that are gentle on the skin
--Moisturizes
--Soothes and calms the skin
The first time I used the Multi-Benefit Exfoliator, I had a really bad reaction afterwards. I used it after using my regular cleanser, which was a morning cleanser with the tiny beads, so I think using the exfoliator afterward might have created a combination that was too abrasive. My face felt stripped and was very red afterwards, so I used the moisturizer on it and that helped a lot. Initially, I wasn't going to use the second sample but when I figured that my reaction could have been from my choice in cleanser, I tried it again with a different one and my skin was fine. I use a rubber scrublet for all of my face products (you can find it in the L'Oreal Go 360 face washes) and that was what I used to apply the exfoliator the first time, so I also realized I may have been scrubbing too hard. The product is filled with tiny beads that don't seem like they'd be too rough, so it's easy to misjudge and scrub your skin too hard. The short explanation is that I realized my skin's bad reaction may have been my own fault. lol
I've found that for me, the best method of application is with the fingertips, followed by a hydrating cleanser afterward for dry skin or a gentle cleanser for normal/sensitive skin. Anything else makes my face irritated or dry. I have noticed a couple of breakouts underneath the skin since I've been using the exfoliator, but I haven't been able to figure out whether it's hormonal or from the product. I have also noticed that, despite the instructions, if I use this more than twice a week my skin starts to get that dry, stripped feeling afterward. In general, I haven't noticed much of a difference since I started using the exfoliator, but I like it enough to finish what I have.
I've found that for me, the best method of application is with the fingertips, followed by a hydrating cleanser afterward for dry skin or a gentle cleanser for normal/sensitive skin. Anything else makes my face irritated or dry. I have noticed a couple of breakouts underneath the skin since I've been using the exfoliator, but I haven't been able to figure out whether it's hormonal or from the product. I have also noticed that, despite the instructions, if I use this more than twice a week my skin starts to get that dry, stripped feeling afterward. In general, I haven't noticed much of a difference since I started using the exfoliator, but I like it enough to finish what I have.
My thoughts:
Overall, the Alina skincare line as a whole is a bit of a hit or miss for me. It's a bit more of a miss, honestly, because the moisturizer was the only product to gel well with my skin. The mask and serum caused a lot of irritation and I wasn't able to figure out why. The exfoliator falls right in the middle; it's a bit fussy but with some tweaking you can use it with no issues.
When I was emailing customer support to order the full sizes of the products, I told the rep about my reaction to the other products and she didn't acknowledge it at all; just sent me the products I'd asked for. She didn't even reply to the email. I wish there'd been a bit more engagement from the company on that end; I didn't feel like what I was saying was very important to her. If I were paying full price for these products, I'd like to know that customer service cares about how their customers react to their products. But on the flip, I received my samples fairly quickly after ordering them, and same with the full sizes.
I think these products would work fine if you don't have fussy or dry skin, but if you do, you might have to make changes to how you use a couple of the products. The one product I can fully recommend, however, is the moisturizer. It's great. If you'd like to try your hand with a new skincare line for a lot less money, try to find where this deal is offered. I would love to tell you what newsletter it was, but I receive so many a day I can't remember the one I got it from. If you find it, you'd basically only be paying $1 for full sizes of the products you like, and you won't find that anywhere else. It's a great deal. Now would I repurchase any of these products? Since they retail for around $20 a pop and they're as small as they are, no, I honestly wouldn't. But I'm cheap, so maybe don't listen to that part. lol
When I was emailing customer support to order the full sizes of the products, I told the rep about my reaction to the other products and she didn't acknowledge it at all; just sent me the products I'd asked for. She didn't even reply to the email. I wish there'd been a bit more engagement from the company on that end; I didn't feel like what I was saying was very important to her. If I were paying full price for these products, I'd like to know that customer service cares about how their customers react to their products. But on the flip, I received my samples fairly quickly after ordering them, and same with the full sizes.
Do I recommend these products?
I think these products would work fine if you don't have fussy or dry skin, but if you do, you might have to make changes to how you use a couple of the products. The one product I can fully recommend, however, is the moisturizer. It's great. If you'd like to try your hand with a new skincare line for a lot less money, try to find where this deal is offered. I would love to tell you what newsletter it was, but I receive so many a day I can't remember the one I got it from. If you find it, you'd basically only be paying $1 for full sizes of the products you like, and you won't find that anywhere else. It's a great deal. Now would I repurchase any of these products? Since they retail for around $20 a pop and they're as small as they are, no, I honestly wouldn't. But I'm cheap, so maybe don't listen to that part. lol
Where can the products be found?
Have you heard of Alina or tried any of their products before? Would you be open to trying them? I hope you enjoyed this review and I'll talk to you soon!
No comments:
Post a Comment