Origins splurge!

 I thought I had found 'The One' in terms of skincare with the cult brand Elizabeth Arden. I was using the 8 Hour Cream Moisturiser and the Cream Cleanser in that range for dry/sensitive souls like myself. It really benefited me, moisturizing any dry patches and soothing my ultra sensitive skin, but my skin seemed to grow a bit tired of it and it didn't seem to have the same effect it did when I first started using it. 

...So browsing around a massive Boots with an array of brands to choose from, I decided now my Elizabeth Arden products had ran out to get something I had never tried before. Origins is a brand you always hear good things about and their special range for dry/sensitive skin sounded perfect for me. Okay it's a little on the pricey side for a student like me but I wanted to splurge a little.

Also I have to admit the customer service really drew me in. Normally the girls at beauty counters can be a little, how should I put this? Unwelcoming. But I got the friendliest and most helpful girl who advised me...and who also gave a me a load of free samples! Definitely top marks for customer service, Origins.

Two weeks on and I've got a few positives, but also a few negatives to say about this range.

 All the products I tried out were from Origin's Mega-Mushroom Skin Care line by Dr. Andrew Weil. Did the fact that it promised to relieve redness and sensitivity and was collaborated on by a doctor help in it's appeal to me? Yes, yes it did. I've really become a bit desperate in my quest to find products that won't irritate my skin and this sounded like heaven sent to me in a bottle. Firstly I tried the cleanser, priced at £24. Once applied I immediately noticed a lovely cooling and calming feeling on my skin. The smell also was incredible, I'm not sure this will appeal to everyone, but it's a soothing herbal scent which I loved. The texture is also quite unique, I'd say it's somewhere in between a gel and cream, so not too heavy and pretty pleasant to apply.... all good so far. The problem occured when:

I TOOK IT OFF.

Unfortunately my face turned as bright red as a tomato and was irritated and itchy. Damn, damn, damn sprung to mind, I'd just wasted quite a bit of money! So I persisted in using it, but 5 more mornings later and my skin had gotten even worse with dry, angry red patches appearing.

I used the Mega-Mushroom Face Cream every morning as well for about a week after using the cleanser (£46). After getting that reaction after my first use of the cleanser I was hoping the moisturiser might somehow counteract the effect that had led to my reddened face. One thing I have to say about this cream and the rest of the range is that the quality of the products are clear. They were all lovely to use, and the moisturiser was rich and felt velvety soft on my skin, absorbing and sinking in a treat. The only negative thing I would have to say about the face cream is that there is no SPF, something I normally look for.

Also...yet again after a couple of minutes my skin felt itchy and irritated and I realised this would probably be a recurring theme with the other products too (the samples).

The samples that I also tried out were Origin's Mega-Mushroom Advanced Face Serum (£44) and Calming Face Mask (£32). And yes, I was glad I only got samples...because yup, I reacted again. Both products were still nice to use, especially the face mask which had an amazing rich texture and left my skin feeling oh so silky. However the serum (which I used overnight) has a bit of a runny texture that didn't appeal to me as much and the smell was very strong, which I didn't mind, but my boyfriend reported to me that my face smelt somewhat unpleasant :/

Overall, the problem?  I'M CLEARLY ALLERGIC TO IT.


This is something I've concluded from trying out almost every product in the range. Specially formualted for sensitive and easily irritated skin, I'm sure it helps most people and is a pleasure to use. In my case it's really just unfortunate that there's an ingredient in there somewhere that doesn't agree with me. Does that mean I wouldn't recommend this range? Actually I would more than do so, it's an amazing line with genuinely great quality products.

But alas, I've made the right decision to pass these on to my housemates (pretty begrudgingly) and I guess my quest goes on for 'The One'.