Provided for Review: Banish Skincare

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be talking about some skincare provided for review by Banish! The team from Banish contacted me about trying out some of their skincare, and although I couldn't try out their banisher which is a micro-needler (you cannot use these while taking Isotretinoin) I was able to try out some of their other products.

The Starter Cleanser

A natural cleanser that's made with no sulfates, so it doesn't foam and doesn't dry your skin! Many cleansers on the market today are harsh and dry out your skin, stripping away the good nutrients and oils. When your skin is stripped of the natural oils, your skin will produce more oil to compensate, therefore increasing probability of clogged pores and acne. Your face will never feel tight with this cleanser!   We recommend using this the day you use the Banisher and the day after. 

Ingredients: Aloe Barbadensis (Organic Aloe) Leaf Juice, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Emulsifying Wax NF, Glycerin, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Water, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Organic Alcohol Extracts of Camellia Sinensis (Organic Green Tea) Leaf (and) Salix Alba (Organic White Willow) Bark, Lavandula Angustifolia (Organic Lavender) Distillate, Anthemis Nobilis (Roman Chamomile) Distillate, Rosa Damascena (Rose) Distillate, Lactose, Organic Honey, Ascorbyl Palmitate (Vitamin C Ester), Panthenol (Pro-Vitamin B5), Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A), Azadirachta Indica (Organic Neem) Seed Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Xanthan Gum, Alcohol, Tetrasodium EDTA,"(1)

This cream cleanser smells like peppermint which is a lovely start to my morning! I don't like the pump on this bottle, I need to pump it about 7-8 times to get enough cleanser which is annoying, but the pump shoots out the product with such force that I sometimes get it on my clothes which is obviously very annoying.

However the cleanser is actually really lovely for morning use. This is such a gentle cream cleanser that I don't like using it at night because I feel like it's a little too gentle, but my sister who has dry, eczema prone skin really loves it.

Pore Smasher

The Pore Smasher is great tool for a convenient and no mess ice facial! Ice cold facials have some amazing benefits for skin if you have acne or large pores.  All you need to do is place it in the freezer until it gets cold and start massaging your skin with it. The best part is that you can see and feel the skin benefits instantly and it only takes a couple minutes.

Use this Daily to:
Make pores appear smaller
Reduce puffiness from eye area and face
Revitalize skin appearance
Cool and tighten skin
Can also be used to slightly numb the face before using the Banisher or after the Banisher.

Instructions: You can detach the top and stick it in the freezer to save room.  Keep in freezer for at least half an hour to an hour and massage all over your face for 2-5 minutes.  May be used over eye area. You may use regular soap and water to clean the Pore Eraser after use. Store in freezer and repeat daily."(2)

This ice roller is very large, which is great for my forehead and cheeks, but sadly is a little too large and cumbersome to be used efficiently around my nose where the largest pores are on my face. My biggest frustration with this roller is that it squeaks when it's cold. The squeak is super loud, check out the video to see/hear it in action! Other than that, it's very soothing to use, but didn't offer any pore minimising or reduction in puffiness for me personally as I don't get a particularly puffy face.

Vitamin C Serum

Use our all natural Vitamin C, E, Ferulic Acid serum daily to help reduce the appearance of age spots, reduce Appearance of Wrinkles, Improve skin elasticity and reduce appearance of textured skin, Firms and brightens the appearance of skin, Reduces redness, Relieves dry skin

Use this all natural vitamin c serum daily for brighter, smoother, and firmer skin. Use at night or pat on after a banisher session.

Ingredients: Glycerin, 99.9% Pure Grade L-Ascorbic (Vitamin C) acid, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Certified Organic Filet of Aloe Vera), hamamelis virginiana extract (made from Certified Organic Witch Hazel) Ferulic Acid, Tocopherol (Vitamin E),Rosa Centifolia (Rose) Flower Water, Rosehip Oil,  Grapefruit Seed Extract, citric acid.

Directions: Apply 2-4 drops daily and pat into clean skin.  Best when used after the Banisher.  Store in a dark cool area.  Shelf life: 6 months"(3)

I found that this serum almost had an oil like texture and smelt pleasantly of Aloe. Generally, a vitamin C Serum would have a PH level of 3.5 so that it can effectively exfoliate the skin. This serum has a PH level of 5.5-6.5 which is too high to do very much to my skin. I didn't see any results or benefits from using this serum. For the price (this serum is $49) I would actually recommend the C21.5 serum instead as it is substantially cheaper at half the price for twice as much product, and actually at the right ph to actively work on your skin.

Organic Aloe Vera Oil

"The aloe vera herb has been used for a long time to aid in soothing and moisturizing skin to protecting skin. 

Aloe Vera Oil Can Be Used To Reduce the Appearance of:

Blemishes

Acne Scars

Stretch Marks

Sun Burns

Sensitive or Dry Skin

Aloe vera also contains ingredients that can help your skin reveal it's next layer quicker and reduce the appearance of redness. Aloe vera is great on stretch marks and as an overall moisturizer for your face and body. This is a light oil which is great for people with oily skin who want to avoid the greasy feel of heavy moisturizers.  Since this aloe vera oil is concentrated, you only need to apply 1-2 drops for full effectiveness.

Ingredients: Organic Soybean oil, Organic Aloe, Vitamin E"(4)

This oil has a nice light Aloe scent and a good thick oil texture. I found it easy to apply to my face and it was easy to distribute the oil evenly across my skin. I didn't see any marked improvements on any acne scarring in a months time, but I'll definitely be trying this out at a body oil too!

Vitamin C Beauty Elixir

"Get that refreshing feel with the added benefits of Vitamin C! Contains organic ingredients so you can use it daily to tone skin, prevent breakouts, and reduces redness and darks spots. Won't dry out skin!Spray on daily to help:
Refresh & hydrate skin
Calm Redness
Brighten Skin
Tone Skin

Ingredients:  Distilled Water, Aloe barbadensis (Organic Aloe) Leaf Juice, (Vaccinium Myrtillus (Organic Bilberry) Extract, Saccharum officinarum (Organic Sugar Cane) Extract, Acer Saccharinum (Organic Sugar Maple) Extract, Citrus auranium dulcis (Organic Orange) Fruit Extract, Citrus medica limonum (Organic Lemon) Extract, Vaccinium macrocarpon (Organic Cranberry) Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Salix alba (Willow Bark) Extract, Polysorbate, Melaleuca alternifolia (Tea Tree) Essential Oil, Tetrasodium EDTA, (May contain sodium bicarbonate and/or citric acid as pH adjusters)."(5)

This Beauty Elixir has a wonderful spray which distributes the product evenly across my skin. I find this spray so relaxing to use, it's lightly scented with peppermint and feels cooling on my skin. However, I didn't feel any benefits to my skin while using this mist (I've used 3/4 of the bottle) and it actually made my skin feel a little tight and dry, which is interesting since in the description it promises not to dry out my skin.

Vitamin C Creme

"A hydrating cream which will leave your skin feeling fresh, youthful, clear, and glowing!  Absorbs quickly into skin for a non greasy feel for people with oily or combination skin.This Vitamin C Cream is concentrated with 20% Vitamin C. You only need a small pea-sized dab for your whole face!

What are the benefits of Vitamin C Cream? Vitamin C boosts elasticy in skin to leave your skin firmer, brighter, and smoother.  Made with natural ingredients that promote healthy skin.

Daily use of this cream can help:
Firm skin
Brighten skin
Prevent skin damage due to the antioxidant properties of vitamin c
Reduce appearance of fine lines

Ingredients: Aloe Barbadensis (Organic Aloe) Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Rosa Canina (Rosehip) Fruit Oil, Emulsifying Wax NF, Ascorbyl Palmitate (Vitamin C Ester), Vaccinium Macrocarpon (Organic Cranberry) Fruit Extract, Rubus Idaeus (Organic Red Raspberry) Fruit Extract, Vaccinium Corymbosum (Organic Blueberry) Fruit Extract, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Phenoxyethanol, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Salix Alba (Organic White Willow) Bark Extract,  Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Azadirachta Indica (Organic Neem) Seed Oil"(6)

This Creme has a moderately thick texture that is easy to spread out over the skin. It has a really nice scent, almost like a cold cream which is very nostalgic! I found this creme really easy to apply and it works quite well as a day or night cream for me. I didn't see any benefits to using this cream aside from moderate moisturisation. For a vitamin C cream to be effective it would need to be at a ph level of 3.5, which I do not think this cream is. This cream is $39 for 25mls which is quite expensive, and I don't think it does much other than moisturise my skin.

Final Thoughts

I'm not the biggest fan of these skincare products, and that's ok because there are a ton of other people who love this skincare. My biggest disappointment is probably the Vitamin C Serum because it's very expensive for what it is. However, I really enjoyed using the Aloe Vera Oil, The Starter and the Vitamin C Beauty Elixer! I think I have been spoiled by a lot of other luxurious skincare products so these did fall a little flat for me, and I won't be purchasing them for myself, but it certainly doesn't mean these are bad products!