A while ago I was sent a set of skin minis from Living Nature containing Purifying Cleanser, Hydrating Toning Gel and Balancing Day Lotion* (30 ml bottles), all products were suitable for oily & combination skin. I’ve heard of Living Nature before but this was the first time I tried some of their products. Read on to learn more about the company and find out what I really thought about their products.
About Living Nature
If you haven’t heard of Living Nature brand yet, they are New Zealand’s original, certified natural skincare company, founded in 1987 by Suzanne Hall. They make use of New Zealand’s native plants and source their ingredients from New Zealand’s forests, lands and seas.
The plants they use have been chosen for their powerful healing, purifying and nourishing qualities and when combined they result in effective natural skincare which will protect, repair and nourish your skin. Living Nature use only 100% natural ingredients, preservatives and fragrances, and their full range is certified natural by BDIH. Their products are never tested on animals.
Living Nature Purifying Cleanser
The Purifying Cleanser worked well for me. I normally use a non-drying natural soap to wash my face and I was really interested to see how this cleanser compares to that. I was really happy with the results. The Living Nature cleanser foams lightly and it leaves my skin feeling well cleaned, soft and nourished.
The cleanser is definitely non-drying and gives me better results than the natural soap I normally use. The only negative of this cleanser is the scent which all the products in the set seem to have. The first word that comes to my mind when thinking about it is ‘medical’, it’s basically pretty unusual scent, reminding me of a hospital, as strange as it sounds. But don’t be put off by this, the results are great.
Ingredients:
Aqua (Water), Decyl Glucoside, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Glycerin (Vegetable Glycerin), Sclerotium Gum, Galactoarabinan (Larch Tree Gum), Glucose, Mel (Manuka Honey), Pomaderris Kumerahou Flower/Leaf Extract, Parfum (Fragrance)*, Glucose Oxidase, Lactoperoxidase, Leptospermum Scoparium (Manuka) Oil.
* From Natural Essential Oils: Citronellol, Limonene, Linalool.
Living Nature Hydrating Toning Gel
My least favourite product from the set, Hydrating Toning Gel, had a pretty thick consistency and an unusual scent like the rest of the products. While it toned and mattified my skin, I didn’t really find it hydrating although it contained Active Manuka Honey and glycerin. After putting it on my face and letting it to dry, my skin just didn’t feel nourished but I think the way it was supposed to work is by helping to keep skin’s moisture in by creating a kind of barrier on top of it. However, I much prefer hydrating toners I tried in the past than this toning gel.
Ingredients:
Aqua (Water), Glycerin (Vegetable Glycerin), Sclerotium Gum, Glucose, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil**, Parfum (Fragrance)*, Phormium Tenax Leaf Juice (NZ Flax Gel), Bisabolol, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract, Mel (Manuka Honey), Glucose Oxidase, Lactoperoxidase, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Leptospermum Scoparium (Manuka) Oil.
* From Natural Essential Oils: Limonene, Linalool.
** Certified Organic.
Living Nature Balancing Day Lotion
The Balancing Day Lotion is really light and you don’t need much of it to cover all of your face. It absorbs quickly and works to balance your sebum production and lightly moisturise the skin. This is a great face moisturiser for oily skin in summer but I didn’t find it moisturising enough when the weather turned colder (I have combination skin). It may work fine for oily skin in winter but combination skin will definitely need some other moisture boost. For me this is not that much of a problem, I simply add one of my favourite facial oils so that any dry patches are taken care of.
This lotion also has this unusual scent but I am kind of used to it now and I don’t mind.
Ingredients:
Aqua (Water), Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Squalane (Vegetable Squalane), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Parfum (Fragrance)*, Glucose, Mel (Manuka Honey), Phormium Tenax Leaf Juice (NZ Flax Gel), Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil, Sclerotium Gum, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter**, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Totarol, Glucose Oxidase, Lactoperoxidase, Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil**, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Leptospermum Scoparium (Manuka) Oil.
* From Natural Essential Oils: Citral, Citronellol, Eugenol, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool.
** Certified Organic.
I think this minis set is a great way of introducing somebody to Living Nature skincare products – you try a few different products out and only buy a full-size version of the one you like. If your skin is not oily/combination Living Nature also do Skin minis for normal to dry skin.
Take a look at OnlyNaturals website and see what other Living Nature products they stock.
Have you tried any of Living Nature products before and what did you think?
*PR sample sent to me by OnlyNaturals, my honest opinions always provided (I would have added a link to Skin minis set but OnlyNaturals don’t seem to have it in stock at the moment)
Great and honest reviews! Shame that the scent was soso!x
Thank you! Yes, it’s a shame about the scent..
I’ve bought it in the sale in September and liked, but the short use by date was disappointing….
It’s a shame to hear that. I know some items are on sale because of the short use by date so it’s probably worth checking before although if you buy it online that may be difficult.Hopefully next time you have more luck!
Thanks for the post, I am terrible with my skin care and really need to find something that will work for my ‘normal’ skin, I often breakout around that time of the month. I wonder if I’d have any luck with this product!
I had to test lots of different skincare products before I found something that suited my skin but you have to remember that beauty starts inside. What I found that helps around that time of the month is magnesium, B-complex and omega 3 oil.