Taking a Look at Arbonne Beauty and Skincare Ranges

I recently received an exciting package filled with samples from Arbonne consultant Melissa. These included a mini selection of the Calm range, RE9 Advanced, and RE9 Advanced for Men. I also tried out the Shea Butter Hand Cream and the It’s A Long Story mascara.

Shea Butter Hand Cream – £19

First up is this hand cream, formulated with jojoba, sunflower, olive and Shea. It is very moisturising and soaks into your skin fast which is great because I’m not a fan of hand creams that leave a greasy residue. It smells really nice and it is vegan friendly. It leaves your hands feeling really soft.

It’s A Long Story Mascara – £31

This is a pretty nice, vegan friendly mascara. The wand is flexible so it is easy to apply and it’s a very deep black which makes your eyelashes look intense. Although it is water resistant, it comes off okay with makeup remover and it doesn’t leave your lashes feeling dry and irritated. It contains Pro-Vitamin B5 which promotes soft and healthy lashes.

Calm

Calm is one of Arbonne’s many skincare lines and claims to hydrate, comfort and soothe your skin with kind ingredients. The range is suitable for vegans and it is made for sensitive skin. The range consists of a daily cleanser, moisturiser, facial serum and eye gel.

Gentle Daily Cleanser – £20/148ml

This everyday cleanser feels very gentle on the skin. It’s initially clear but it really lathers up well, and the scent is quite botanical. I always remove my makeup before using a cleanser and my skin felt very clean afterwards as it removed any traces of makeup left, as well as excess oils, dirt, etc. I’m not sure how effective it would be on a full face of makeup. Some of the ingredients the cleanser includes are cucumber extract, aloe vera, camellia, chamomile, and mallow leaf extract, as well as licorice root extract. I think this is what gives the product a very slight aniseed smell.

Gentle Daily Moisturiser – £30/118ml

The moisturiser was very light and sat nicely on my skin, it massaged in well and didn’t feel at all heavy or too oily. I found that for me it was just the right amount of hydrating. The moisturiser contains ingredients such as shea butter, safflower seed oil and ginger root extract.

Soothing Facial Serum – £41/30ml

The facial serum feels really nice and it gives the skin an instant hit of hydration. The only thing for me was that I didn’t like the smell of it. It contains chicory root and alfalfa extract. I’m not sure if it was a particular ingredient or just altogether, but to me this serum smelt quite acidic. I don’t feel like this affects the performance of the serum, but I didn’t enjoy the scent.

Soothing Eye Gel – £26/15ml

The eye gel contains similar ingredients to the cleanser including cucumber extract, aloe vera, and chamomile. The texture of the gel is quite thick which is good because it makes the product easy to apply to the under eye area. It’s very hydrating and the full size version comes with a roller ball which I imagine is quite soothing on tired eyes.

Complete set – £105

The complete Calm skincare range will set you back £105. For me, this is just out of my price range but if it was cheaper I would definitely continue using it. During my trial run of the products I had no blemishes or irritation and my skin felt healthy and happy. However, I just feel that the price tag is just too much.

RE9 Advanced

The RE9 Advanced anti-ageing skincare line claims to reduce the signs of ageing by pairing tailored formulation and natural ingredients.

Smoothing Facial Cleanser – £36/90ml

The cleanser lathered up really well and the skin feels soft and thoroughly cleansed after use. The cleanser contains cucumber, clover and orange extract. It doesn’t have an overpowering scent. A little bit of this cleanser went a long way.

Regenerating Toner – £32/50ml

The toner is a tricky one to review because the full sized version is actually a mist. I don’t think the toner is a really necessary part of the skincare regime, it feels refreshing but it doesn’t really have much effect.

Intensive Renewal Serum – £52/30ml

The texture of the serum was very light and it absorbed into the skin very quickly and easily. It makes your skin look radiant and feel soft. The scent and formulation is very mild.

Corrective Eye Cream – £49/15g

The texture of the eye cream was really thick and easy to apply. It doesn’t vanish like some eye cream, instead you can feel it working in the under eye area. It claims to reduce the look of fine lines but it is hard to tell without using it for a longer period of time.

Night Repair Cream – £75/50g

The night cream massages into the skin easily and has a really nice, subtle floral scent. It absorbs into the skin well and in the morning the texture of the skin does feel smooth and hydrated. Because the cream is so intense a little goes a long way with this product.

Restorative Cream SPF 20 – £55/50g

The restorative cream is intensely moisturising and it also protects against sun damage. It smells pleasant and absorbs quickly into the skin. It really improves the radiance and texture of the skin.

Extra Moisture Restorative Cream SPF 20 – £55/50g

This cream can be too heavy for throughout the day. It might be better suited to extremely dry skin. In regards to the anti-ageing aspect of this skincare collection it is hard to come to a conclusion without using the products for a substantial time phrase but the eye cream definitely seems promising as well as the renewal serum.

Complete set – £299

Overall, this is a very nice, luxurious skincare regime. However, the price range is not within most of our budgets. It has made the skin clearer and improved the texture however this can be achievable with more affordable products. If you can afford the hefty price tag, it’s a great line of skincare products but for those of us on a budget or looking for more reasonable product lines then High Street brands such as The Body Shop or Dr. Organic.

RE9 Advanced for Men

The RE9 Advanced for Men set is a skincare trio that promises to “turn back the clock” and comprises of a cleanser, moisturiser and eye cream.

Micro-Exfoliating Cleanser – £32/118ml

The cleanser is easy to apply, and washes off quite nicely. It’s not quite as harsh as some other products on the market, it doesn’t scrub off every possible layer of dry skin like some of the competing cleansers do, but it does leave the skin feeling nice and soft afterwards, and not overly dry.

Anti-Ageing Moisturiser – £45/50ml

This is quite a nice moisturiser, and it’s consistency is more akin to a mousse than a cream. It absorbs into the skin easily and doesn’t leave any residue afterwards, instead leaving the skin feeling soft and healthy and looking refreshed. A little goes a long way too, and it’s very easy to massage in, it has a quality feel to it.

Eye Repair Cream – £43/15ml

This is a difficult one to review, because really it’s the type of product that you will never know if it works. When you are applying it, it just feels like any moisturiser. I can’t tell if it has de-aged me, so a product like this is best suited to either someone that is concerned about aging around their eyes, so they can tell if it works.

Complete set – £108.00

It’s a nice set, and the standout is the moisturiser, which genuinely feels better than a lot of it’s competitors on the market. As someone who moisturises every day and has used a range of products from both the big brands and smaller guys, I can definitely sing this one’s praise. The other two products however seem to be more run of the mill, and drive up the price of the set to something that is frankly overpriced. I would recommend the moisturiser alone if it was sold for around £15 at most.

Summary

Arbonne provides a large range of cruelty free, vegan skincare and beauty. There are lots of different lines that are suitable for every skin type and they are formulated with natural, caring ingredients. Arbonne is a high-end brand and this is reflected in the pricing. If you are comfortable with their price range then the brand offers some great products, but if not then there are plenty of budget friendly alternatives that may be better suited to you.