Grown Alchemist review

For today’s post I’ll be giving you guys a personal review of the Grown Alchemist Facial Kit. If you’re new to Grown, or are not sure on what type of product to use in your skincare routine, this kit is handy in trying some of the key essentials.

The kit comes with a cleanser, toner, serum, moisturiser and lipbalm, all in versatile travel-friendly sized bottles that you can carry around in your handbag.

I use Grown as a treat for my face – because I’m a student on a tight budget, good skincare is important to me but the price that comes with quality is quite hard to adhere to when you’re still juggling textbook fees and Myki fares.

However, I still want to do the best for my skin, so I make sure that when I splash out on something as expensive (and as good!) as Grown Alchemist, I want to make sure I gain all possible benefits from the products.

I make sure I do this by using the facial kit for my weekly skin detoxes. A weekly skin detox is something every beauty boffin should do to maintain the healthy look and state of your skin.

It’s fairly easy and fun – my own detox routine consists of a proper exfoliation of the skin (whether it be an enzyme peel of face scrub) followed by cleanse (any choice of cleanser) and then a decent steam. This usually means holding my face above a steaming bowl of water for about 15 minutes. Sometimes I add a couple of drops of essential oils depending on my mood (lavender for evenings, lemon for mornings, tea tree if it’s that time of month and my skin’s breaking out).

After 30 minutes of steaming, my pores are clean, open and ready for an intensive face-mask. I either make my own clay mask with green clay, lemon juice, Witch Hazel and essential oils, or I slather on a store-bought alternative (I don’t mind as long as it’s not tested on animals and contains no parabens or other nasties).

After 30 minutes of the mask (I know 10-15 minutes is the recommended time but my skin is quite stubborn and I’ve found I see no difference until after the 25 minute mark) I wash it off, and follow it with a toner, then serum, and finally a  moisturiser to lock in the goodness. If it’s happening before I go to bed I also dab some eye-cream.

Following this routine, below are my thoughts on how Grown’s facial kit fared on my skin.

Geranium Leaf, Bergamot and Rosebud Gentle Gel Cleanser

I loved the soft feel of the gel on my skin, which quickly lathered and dispersed evenly without much hassle. The bergamot and rose really came through which made for a delicious scent while I washed my face. The Chamomile, bergamot and willow bark in the cleanser helped to reduce my pore size, while the botanical goodness from the rosebuds left my skin looking evenly toned. The touch of aloe vera created some suppleness that lasted even after I had rinsed and pat dry. The cleanser worked perfectly to clean my skin without drying it out completely, leaving it soft to touch and smelling delicious.

Rose Absolute, Gingseng and Chamomile Balancing Toner

I love that this toner includes olive and chamomile extracts – they are known to gently tighten and smooth the skin without removing natural water-binding agents or drying the skin. The toner was refreshing and invigorating as soon as I dabbed it on, instantly leaving a great tingling feeling to my cheeks. My skin felt like it was glowing, especially with the refined texture and even skin tone.  The added ginseng and aloe vera was great in toning and soothing while the Vitamin C gave an extra boost against free-radical damage. I usually find that products enhanced with Vitamin C usually do some good for my skin in terms of uneven skin tone – my problem area is around my chin and mouth. After regular use of the toner I found a difference in colour and texture.

Rosehip & Camellia Seed Facial Serum

My ultimate skin savior. Rosehip is always a winner in skincare products, and when using this serum I can definitely saw the benefits after a few days. The antioxidants in rosehip is perfect for dull, dry skin that needs some revitalization and elasticity – both I noticeably saw in my skin. Camellia seed oil gives an extra boost of hydration and repair as well, which left my skin soft and silky smooth

Camellia and Geranium Hydrating Cream

As a person with dry skin and a T-zone, this cream proved to be effective in combating both those problems. It’s non-greasy, but contains camellia and rosehip oil, jojoba oil, and Cane sugar  which help to hyrdrate and soothe the skin without overkill. I found that my usually dry and flaky skin was supple, soft, well hydrated but even better was that my my oily t-zone was also gone, leaving a uniform glow. This was thanks to the added goodness of Mayblossom which helps to rebalance natural sebum levels.

Watermelon and Vanilla Lip Balm

What can I say, I only wish this lip balm came in a super-sized edition as I can’t get enough! Fruity goodness with a tinge of warm vanilla that also keeps your smackers soft and shiny. Perfect.

Grown Alchemist products and ingredients are not tested on animals. Product packaging is made from glass and hardened premium PET plastic one of the world’s most recycled materials, making their products good for the environment as well as your health.