Silk Naturals Skin Care: First Impressions

A while ago I read a review about Silk Naturals skin care on someone's blog - and I can't for the life of me remember whose it was (if you're reading this can you speak up because I've been trying to find that post again!). I know it was someone Australian, because they talked about international shipping... anyway the point is that the post interested me enough to want to try the line myself, despite the fact that I have skin care products up the wazoo.

In fact, having skin care products up the wazoo is the problem - I'm constantly chopping and changing and trying something new for a review or whatever, but what I really want to do is find a line I like and stick to it. I'm sick of all these whizz bang products with stupid made-up ingredients in them, and I'd like to find something clean, effective, and with as few bells and whistles as possible. So this brand sounded like it was exactly the kind of thing I wanted to have a go at.

I don't remember when I ordered and received it, but from memory it was about three weeks from go to whoa - not bad considering that it's probably made to order (I don't really know, but most of the products have a limited shelf life, so I would assume so) and post from overseas has been DEATHLY SLOW of late. A lip balm order I did from Etsy was shipped on 7/10 and I didn't get it until Thursday. A MONTH. Either Customs or Australia Post are playing funny buggers. Probably both.

But I digress. I bought samples of all the products I wanted to try, and for most I bought two samples, assuming they would just be those one use sachets. However, they came in little dropper bottles and most had a good three or four uses in them (some even more) so I had a chance to have a really good try of everything - happy with that! And the samples were only $0.75 - $1.50US, so I was able to get a load of things to try and including shipping it was less than $25US. They send out a free sample with your order that changes each week - the one I got was an eyeshadow called Sunny. Meh, it's yellow - I'm not a yellow eyeshadow person. That will go as a freebie to someone next time I have a blog sale, I suspect. There was also a little sample of a lip product, but Noodle Arms took it and I never actually saw what it was.

So here is what I bought and what I think of it - it's a long list, so get set for some reading!

Apricot Cleansing Oil: I love cleansing oils and I use them all the time, so of course I wanted to try this one. However, it didn't occur to me until after I'd ordered it that this might be just the ticket for Noodles as well. She has problems with acne and we've tried a few things, most of which seem to work for a little while and then stop (Paula's Choice acne range, Dermalogica Clean Start, etc.). She's been begging me to get her ProActiv, which I really want to avoid because I think it will be way too harsh (and I believe it's similar to the PC active ingredients anyway). Her skin doesn't actually seem to be oily, so a lot of the redness seems to be more to do with the crap she puts on her face to try to get rid of the acne than the actual acne itself.
I bought two samples of this, and once I realised how big the samples were I only tried it once myself (which was all I needed to see whether I liked it and whether it effectively removed makeup - I do and it does) and then gave the rest to Noodles. She's been using it morning and night for about a week and a half, and of course being an oil it purged her skin and brought all the gunk out first, which sent her into fits of panic despite my constant assurances that that's what it was meant to do, but it finally seems to be settling down and it looks like it is helping her skin. The blackheads in and around her nose are definitely reduced.

Kiss Foaming Cleanser: Again, I only tried this once to see if I liked it and then gave the rest to Noodles. It's very gentle and doesn't make the skin feel tight afterwards, which is my big beef about foaming cleansers generally. Noodles has been using this after the cleansing oil. For the past few months her routine has been washing with Cetaphil cleanser and then applying Cetaphil moisturiser (or sunscreen if it's day time), so she's a bit annoyed with me for adding all of these extra steps... AND MAKING HER FEELINGS KNOWN. However, as I've explained to her, if we can find a skin care line that works for her skin, the extra steps will be worth it. SO SHUT UP NOODLES.

Pore Refining Toner: I just bought the full bottle of this one, as it was only $5 anyway, and a toner is a toner for me - it would get used even if I wasn't thrilled with it. As it happens, I really like it - I've been using it every morning and alternate nights. Noodles has used it a few times, but mostly stuck to the BHA toner. I'm not really sure how 'pore refining' it is - like I said, all toners are the same to me, but I do like to use them.

2% BHA Toner: This one was just for Noodles, and she's been using it most of the time day and night. I think it's really helped with reducing the blackheads. I think when I buy full sizes I'll get her to alternate with the Pore Refining Toner more regularly because this apparently increases sun sensitivity and we're heading into summer here...

8% AHA Toner: Wow, this packs a punch - it reminds me of Alpha-H Liquid Gold without the stink. I've been using this on alternate nights and it stings a little at first but subsides very quickly. Loving it.

Vitamin C Peptide Serum: I bought this for myself, but as with the cleansing oil it occured to me later that Noodles could benefit from this - a lot of the reviews on the site talk about it being good for acne-prone skin. It stinks a bit (as Vitamin C always does) and when I first apply it, it feels a bit tight but a few hours later my skin is super soft and smooth. I am convinced it's helping to reduce the redness in my cheeks too, but that could be any one or a combination of these products in reality. 

Super Serum: I couldn't decide between these two serums so I decided to try both. I've been using them on alternate nights and I still can't decide. Like the Vitamin C serum, it feels tight at first but soooo soft and smooth later on.

Firming Moisturiser: Again, this made my skin feel a little tight at first (as all 'firming' moisturisers seem to do on me), but the wow factor later on makes it worth it. Unfortunately, it's not moisturising enough to wear in the mornings under makeup - the couple of times I did try it my makeup felt dry and tight all day. I'd definitely use this as a night cream though. I wish I'd bought a sample of the Intensive Moisturiser as well to see if that would be any better for day use (I thought I had but I must have gotten excited and forgotten).

All in all, I'm really pleased with this line and I intend to buy full sizes of pretty much everything, and try out some more stuff as soon as I can make a decision about what to get. I saw and felt almost immediate results on myself - my skin feels smooth and soft and look less red, the pores seem less noticable and overall it just looks healthier.

With Noodles, I could see that her skin was purging, and I'm sure that it will start to really help now - it has looked better the past couple of days. Convincing her is another story, of course, but I've asked her to try it for a couple of months and if it doesn't work I'll buy her the damn ProActiv (fingers crossed, I REALLY don't want to get that stuff).