I am on a constant search for skin care that will improve my thirty-something acne prone skin. Tired of weird chemicals and empty promises, I decided to try out two all-natural skin care lines. I figured if I can’t conquer the acne by force, I should maybe just try to get my skin balanced and hopefully reduce blemishes as a result. After researching different brands, I decided to order sample kits from Suki Pure Skin Care and Talulah Natural Skin Care. Both lines appealed to me due to their pure, natural ingredients and their stances against animal testing.
Suki Pure Skin Care is a cult favorite available in Whole Foods Markets or through Suki’s website. I ordered an Anti-inflammatory Skin Care Kit ($22.50) from Suki, and a week later, I was sampling the goods. The kit includes samples of their Exfoliating Lemongrass Cleanser, Transformative Facial Clay, White Willow Toner, Blue Chamomile Moisture Serum, Velvet Facial Creme, and three body oils/ creams. The sample of the Lemongrass Cleanser comes in a very generously sized glass pot, and the rest of the samples are housed in glass vials. The samples lasted me about two weeks (with the exception of the toner, which only lasted one week).
Suki’s star product is the Lemongrass Cleanser. Everyone seems to rave about it, and I, too, adore it. The cleanser is a lemon popsicle-scented sugar scrub, and the trick is to rub a bit between your hands first, creating a lather which you then rub (gently!) onto your face. I can’t believe how good my skin feels after rinsing off this cleanser. It’s so glowing and soft, with no redness. The only complaint I have about the Lemongrass Cleanser is that it does not adequately remove all of my eye makeup, so I swipe a cotton ball with bit of jojoba oil over my eyes before cleansing. The next step in the Suki skin care regimen is the toner. The White Willow toner smells of roses and chamomile, and is very soothing to the skin. In the morning, I follow up the toner with the Blue Chamomile Moisture Serum. This serum is amazing. I just rub a few drops of the serum between my hands, then pat and smooth the serum into my skin. I don’t know how it happens with such a small amount of product, but my face is soft, smooth, and non-oily all day. At night, I use the Velvet Facial Creme, which may be my favorite product by Suki. Like the serum, only a small amount of product is needed. The Velvet Facial Creme smells lovely, and calms my face perfectly. I wake up in the morning with glowing, balanced skin. The use of oils in Suki’s products may seem counterintuitive to those, like me, who battle acne. However, none of the Suki products have broken me out. In fact, my skin is less oily and sensitive than it was prior to using the Suki skin care line, and my blemishes seem to be healing at a faster rate. My skin tone is much more even when using Suki’s products.
After my samples of Suki products ran out, I started in on my samples from Talulah Natural Skin Care. Talulah products are available in select stores throughout Portland Oregon, or through their website. I ordered the kit for combination and acne conditions ($27), which arrived very quickly and contains Talulah’s Geranium Sap Cleanser, Orange Blossom Toner, Oma Face Serum no. 1, Calendula Cream, Raw Honey Mask, and two body washes/ serums. The packaging of the sample kit was very nice and natural, with all recyclable materials. Like Suki, the samples were in generously sized glass vials, with enough product to last a week or two. The Geranium Sap Cleanser is fantastic, and removed my makeup pretty easily. It did not leave my skin red, and my skin felt nice after rinsing off the cleanser. The Orange Blossom Toner was soothing, and calmed my skin down a bit. The Oma Face Serum no. 1 is very similar in purpose to Suki’s Blue Chamomile Moisture Serum. Oma Face Serum left my skin soft, calm, and oil-controlled all day, but I felt like the Suki serum left my skin with a better visual texture, and I prefer the chamomile scent to the cedar-y Talulah serum. Talulah’s Calendula Cream is too heavy for my facial skin, but is wonderful on hands and lips. It takes a while to sink in, but it is very moisturizing. All in all, Talulah has great products but they didn’t give me the instant results that Suki did. A few blemishes appeared, and didn’t heal as quickly as they did when using Suki. Admittedly, given more time, maybe my skin would adjust and I’d fall in love with Talulah’s products.
Both Suki and Talulah offer natural, (mostly) vegan, non-toxic, cruelty-free skin care that is luxurious and fun to use. I felt really good when using the products, as if I were nurturing my skin as opposed to merely fighting the blemishes. While I prefer the Suki skin care line over all, I would not hesitate to recommend Talulah products and will probably order a full sized bottle of the Geranium Sap Cleanser to use at night. If you’re looking to be a little nicer to your skin and are looking for a healthy glow, give Suki or Talulah a try.
