Boots Botanics skincare review
I’ve suffered with bad skin for almost 6 years. In that time, I’ve tried literally every high street brand of skincare from the ones that gently do nothing, to the ones that burn off layers of your skin.
Recently, I’d been using products from ‘Simple’ just because it seemed like a safe bet. It wasn’t likely to sort it out but at least it made me feel like I was being careful with my face. I’d been told by multiple people that ‘Simple’ products were honestly the worst thing you could put on your skin both because of the perfume and chemicals that are in their products. One of the other brands they suggested I tried was ‘Boots Botanics’ products. To be honest, I’d never heard of this brand/range before.
The Botanics range has 180 products and uses plant extracts and the latest skincare technology. They’re working on decreasing the carbon footprint of the brand and is working with KEW gardens to ensure their plant extracts are as sustainable as possible. In case you couldn’t tell, they’re a Boots own brand and so only available in Boots.
I picked up 3 products from the brand and have spent the last few weeks trying them out. My skin at the start was pretty terrible because I’d run out of any skincare products and had been too lazy/hadn’t had time to pick up any new stuff so it had a lot to do.
The 3 products were: ‘Botanics Hydration Burst Dual Action Cleanser’, ‘Botanics Hydration Burst Hydrating Day Cream‘ and the ‘Radiant Youth Exfoliator’. They can all be found here.
My first impressions of the products are how unusual they are. I’ve never seen products like them in terms of their textures and so on (I have seen moisturisers and exfoliators before, don’t worry!). The exfoliator is far more like a herbal cream and doesn’t look at all artificial like all the other exfoliators I’ve tried seem to be. The cleanser is so different from anything else I’ve tried and I can’t decide if it’s a good difference or not.
Firstly, are they worth the money?
The moisturiser and exfoliator are going to last me for ages as they only need a little bit at a time. Too much of the moisturiser and you have it running down your face and too much of the exfoliator and you scratch your face off. They have a 12 month sell-by date and I can see myself using them for the whole 12 months without it running out.
However, the face wash is so thick, it runs out fast. For perspective, I started using these products on Thursday 16th March and by a week later it was beginning to get hard to get the wash out the tube. I don’t think I’m using too much, I think it’s just that as it’s a thick paste, there isn’t actually that much in the container, it just seems like there is. The face wash is £4 and lasts about 3 weeks although it was very difficult to squeeze the last few drops out of the tube.
I wouldn’t say it’s too outrageous although it does mean that due to the amount you have to re-buy it, it would be more expensive in the long run. I don’t mind this if it actually works, so let’s move onto the results!
Results
The first thing that I’ve noticed in my trial stage is how much more oily my face feels. My face is naturally very oily and shiny but due to so many years of harsh skincare, it’s also very dehydrated. Therefore, I chose to buy the ‘Hydration Burst’ cleanser to try and combat the dehydrated skin.
According to the Boots website, the cleaners is a gel that transforms into an oil. Applying the gel to my face left my hands very oily but made my face feel very hydrated. It then appears to turn into a soapy liquid as it lathers up a bit. It didn’t appear to be oily once it reaches this stage but it I don’t wash off all of the lathered up liquid it feels like I’ve left actual oil on my skin. The oily feel does make my skin feel plumper and more lively.
The moisturiser definitely moisturises and my only real criticism is that it take a while to dry/soak in and therefore leaves your skin feeling slightly sticky for a couple of hours. It does surprise me how little is needed to successfully cover my whole face. It’s honestly such tiny dots of cream.
The exfoliator tells you to ‘gently use weekly’. As I’ve only used it a few times due to the lack of weeks, I can’t give such a broad depth of review however I have noticed how hard it is to gently use.
It’s quite easy to accidently scrub at your skin using it and it leaves my entire face light red the next day rather than just the spot prone areas. I personally have found that the more I use it, the less red my face turns so I am happy to continue using it. I just advise that you don’t use it in a bad/angry mood!
In terms of packaging, I think it’s ok, not too complex but still looks professional. My only complaint is that the caps on the products don’t close completely and so I’m not sure I’d 100% trust myself to travel with them. I wish they closed with a reassuring snap.
Conclusion
After testing these for a while, I can say, my skin feels so moisturised and in really good condition but perhaps it’s too moisturised as it seems to be causing more smaller spots from clogged pores… I think this face wash is perfected for deeply dehydrated skin but not necessarily the right product for me.
I wouldn’t have a problem with continuing to use this face wash however I don’t see it sorting my skin (not that I really expected it to) and I think there are some less oily face washes out there. I’m interested in the other ranges ‘Boots Botanics’ have and may well try them out next. I will be continuing to use the moisturiser and exfoliator as I think they are OK and the exfoliator is the best one I’ve tried.
Have you tried the Boots Botanics range? What did you think?
xxx
(This is my first beauty(ish) review, I hope you all enjoyed it! If you did please comment below.)
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