Monday, March 10, 2014

NATIO Acne Solutions Range Review | Skincare




Hola chicas, today’s review is a borderline ‘empties’ review post, because I’ve had these products for a good couple of months now and I’ve used them almost completely up. Before these products, I’d never tried NATIO (Link), which is an Australian brand which aims to promote natural beauty using natural ingredients. All of its products are plant based and designed using the principles of aromatherapy. Personally, when I bought these, I didn’t realise that they were ‘natural’ skincare. I never ever buy face washes unless they are jam packed with chemicals because I simply don’t believe that leaves and herbs are going to get rid of my spots. I prefer that harsher sensation on my skin and prefer the way other washes make me feel cleaner and smell good. Having said this! I’m actually a big fan of the products in the range! It’s funny because I never would have realised that these were organic/plant based products unless I’d looked it up.

I’ll start by discussing my skin. I’ve always had a reeeeally oily forehead (made worse by an unfortunate fringe a few years back) and chin. These are the areas that become really plagued with those sore, angry looking large red spots which eventually turn into those hugely attractive white heads. The rest of my face is really well behaved, and I’ve never had issues with spotty cheeks or spots around my nose, and the skin in these areas isn’t at all dry or oily. I’ve tried many products; oil absorbing mud masks, oil free toners, facial cleansing wipes throughout the day etc etc, but I decided I needed to get a proper skincare regime going morning and night using spot-targeting ingredients to help me out. Enter the NATIO acne range. I was perusing the David Jones beauty section on a work break, and came across the range there. I saw the words ‘acne’ and ‘clear pores’ and ‘oil free’ and grabbed them. At around $9.95 to $14.95, they’re not too pricey. I like them partially because you can’t get them at Priceline, so they kind of seem more luxurious (though you can pick them up at pharmacies and leading department stores).

Dual Action Cleanser & Toner: My most used product of the bunch. I use this with my Clarisonic (Blog post here) because it foams up reeeally nicely and smells great. The active ingredients in this wash are Tamanu and Salicylic Acid, which work to get rid of the bacteria which causes acne and spots on the skin. Then the Horse Chestnut works against oil. This cleanser is oil free, but not drying at all. I love the smell and I’m pretty sure I can see the results of it working, because I do tend to get a spotty chin within a few days if I don’t use it.

Daily Repair Oil-Free Moisturiser: I absolutely love this moisturiser, despite it going against my pro-chemicals viewpoint! It is so velvety smooth, and spreads so well. The bottle remains almost half full even after using it twice a day for a good couple of months. I’m not overly keen on the smell of this one though, and that is my only beef with the product; it kind of irritates my nose. It makes me skin soft and smooth though, and the smell doesn’t last long. Like the cleanser, this contains Tamanu to fight the bacteria. It also contains aloe vera and chamomile to soothe redness and irritated skin after scrubbing. It includes corn starch too, which claims to mattify the skin. In my opinion, my skin never really looks quite ‘matte’. Due to my oiliness, I always have that ‘dewy’ look about me, but I will say that this moisturiser works brilliantly under my makeup, and doesn’t seem to melt or go sticky during the day.

Detoxifying Face Scrub With Jojoba Beads: This scrub aims to unclog the pores and promote skin cell renewal. This creamy product is the least used one for me, not because I don’t like it, but because I use my Clarisonic in the evenings and I wouldn’t want to over-exfoliate if I used this in the mornings. I enjoy using this scrub when I do, and I like the way it leaves my skin feeling smooth. Overall though, I prefer the feel of my skin after a Clarisonic session and like to see a foamy lather building to see the product working. It should be said though, that for those of you who prefer creamy scrubs to foamy ones, and enjoy the natural ingredients of NATIO, this could be the perfect product for you.

Since I’m almost out of the cleanser, I’m on the hunt for a new skincare range. I don’t know why I’m so against the idea of a natural, organic skincare range. I guess it might have something to do with the fact that I’ve got quite tough skin and don’t have to choose such gentle products. I also feel that chemicals and drugs work better on spots, just because they’re slightly harsher and are formulated to attack specific things. I totally get that some people absolutely love natural, plant based skin care though; my sister’s allergic to pretty much everything and has such sensitive skin. I’ve recommended this range to her because I think it suits her more delicate skin down to the ground. It’s very gentle, soothing and smells really nice. She doesn’t have to worry about harsh chemicals bringing about a rash or anything. All in all, I’m happy I gave these products a go, as I wouldn’t have picked them up if I knew they were all natural! It has made me realise that some of these products can work on my skin and I truly believe that have made a difference in the oiliness of my skin and severity of my spots.


What’s your favourite oil-free skin care range? Have you tried any natural brands like NATIO? What were your thoughts?




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