Monday, December 20, 2010

Review: REN - Clean Bio Active Skincare - Six of the Best


I've used this set long enough to be able to do a review for you all. An associate from Sephora diagnosed my skin as "super dry" while I thought it was oily/combination. She introduced me to this line of skin care products, because taking care of my skin should be the first step. She recommended REN - Clean Bio Active Skincare - Six of the Best.



Info and claims from Sephora.com:
An essential ensemble of complexion care favorites. Cleanse, scrub, renew, and repair with this all-in-one kit that will make your skin more healthy and radiant than ever.

Retail Price: $40.00

My thoughts:
This was a completely new thing for me, to splurge on something like this. I've always used drugstore branded skincare products. After using this for two weeks, my skin does feel more radiant, hydrated, and healthier looking. Even though the back of the box says that this is for a one week use, I've used it for over two weeks now, and still have product left. Overall, this is a great skin care line and will be sharing my thoughts on each REN product separately.

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Mayblossom and Blue Cypress Balancing Facial Cleansing Gel - $32 - 150ml
"For Combination Skin - a balancing, antibacterial facial cleansing gel for skin that is prone to oiliness and breakouts, particularly in the T-zone. Removes dirt and dissolves excess sebum; unclogs pores; reduces the appearance of pore size." - REN


I've only used this twice because it says that it's more for people with oily/combination skin. When I did use it, it made my skin dry out. It also had a very strong scent that kinda bothered me.

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Jojoba Micro Bead Purifying Facial Scrub - $35 -150ml 
"A deep cleansing yet gentle facial polish, formulated with microbeads of Jojoba Oil, that will leave your skin feeling purified, invigorated and smoothed. Removes dead skin cells. Deeply cleanses and purifies. Restores a healthy looking complexion. Cools, freshens." - REN
I used this 2-3 times a week. The beads are really small and gentle on the face, it does not feel harsh. It had a slight peppermint and menthol scent to it, which did not bother me at all. It felt very exfoliating; however, my face had dry patches afterwards. I do not think I will buy this product, it felt and worked the same as my St. Ives apricot scrub.

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Omega 3 Overnight Lipid Renewal Serum- $60 - 50ml
"A night serum that replenishes skin lipids to leave your complexion looking naturally smoother and healthier. Skin looks and feels plumper, healthier, fitter; calms and soothes; encourages the natural process of skin renewal; replenishes the skin’s moisture barrier." - REN

I've used this every night under the Frankincense and Boswellia Serrata Revitalising Night Cream [as recommended on the box]. This product is VERY moisturizing. Just one pump will cover my entire face. It has a pleasant green tea scent to it. It also has a very oily feel to it, I usually wash my hands after applying this on my face. When I wake up in the morning, my face feels renewed and hydrated. I would definitely buy this product again!

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Glycolactic Skin Renewal Peel Mask - $56 - 50ml
"A potent bio active peel mask designed to renew the complexion, reduce the appearance of fine lines and dramatically improve skin tone. Skin looks brighter, healthier, more radiant. Helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Combats congestion, blackheads and blemishes." - REN
I'm not sure why this product is a "peel mask", you don't peel anything, you rinse it away with warm water. It's a thick paste that smells like dried apricot [not very distinct]. The texture is like honey and oil mixed together. Apply a generous amount to cover your entire face. As it was sitting on my face, I noticed oils and blackheads floating to the surface of my face [weirdest and coolest thing ever]. I did notice a tingling and light burning sensation. At times, I felt like I needed to scratch my face, because it felt itchy...After 10 minutes, you rinse it off with warm water; my face felt so soft and creamy. I noticed my blackheads were gone, my face felt tight, and there was no dried spots. I'm not sure if I will get this again, because of the weird effects. The results, however, are exactly as described!

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Frankincense and Boswellia Serrata Revitalising Night Cream - $55 - 50ml
"A night cream formulated to hydrate, recharge and revitalize the skin overnight leaving it looking radiant, smoothed and beautifully healthy. Improves vitality and radiance; skin feels softer, firmer, smoother; reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles." - REN
 A moisturizing cream that I used over the Omega 3 Overnight Lipid Renewal Serum. These two products combined together works wonders! The night cream smelled like chamomile and mint, a little stronger scent than the other products. My face feels so hydrated in the morning. I actually used this combo during the day one time [when I was off work] and it was great too! No oily face, nor did I have to blot all day. I would purchase this product with the renewal serum.

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Active 7 Radiant Eye Maintenance Gel - $45 - 15ml
"A light and cooling gel to treat, revive and brighten the delicate eye area. Cools and refreshes. Reduces the appearance of puffiness and dark circles. The eye contour looks smoother, firmer." - REN
Luckily I do not have too much dark circles, so I didn't notice too much a difference with this gel. It did feel very cooling and refreshing though.

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The associate at Sephora also gave me a sample of this for my dry and sensitive skin:

Hydra-Calm Cleansing Milk - $32 - 150ml
"For Sensitive Skin - a gentle cleansing milk designed to leave more sensitive or delicate skin purified, fresh, calm and soothed. NB, renamed from Calendula and Arctic Berry Ultracalm Cleansing Milk. Gently removes dirt, pollution and make up; skin feels purified, calm and soothed." - REN
I LOVE this cleanser, it is SO mild. It doesn't have a noticeable scent to it. It's very creamy. You rub it between your palms and then massage it into your face. While rinsing it with warm water, it feels moisturizing. There are absolutely no dry patches after washing my face with this. It definitely lives up to its claims! This is my favorite product from them, and definitely recommend it for people with dry/sensitive skin.

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Care to share your daily face routine? Leave a comment, or a link for me :]

3 comments:

  1. great review, dear!
    I have dry skin and I'm always on a search for new products^^

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  2. I'm so glad it worked for you! Especially because you paid a bit more than you normally would, it's good to get your money's worth : )

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  3. I've always wanted to splurge on high-end skin creams. I think I might try to get a Clinique consult after Xmas since there's no Sephora in my area.
    Right now, I use Clinique makeup remover, L'Oreal face wash and St. Ives Apricot Scrub. :)

    ReplyDelete

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