Today it would be my pleasure to introduce you to Skinmade, handcrafted skin care from Queensland.
Of course, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but thoughtful packaging is always a winner in my eyes.
When this brand say the are sustainable and your products come wrapped in hand stamped gum leaves, what is there left to say?
Launched in 2013, Skinmade is hand crafted in small batches by two Queensland beauties and friends – Genevieve and Claire. With backgrounds in health sciences and Naturopathy, they are a driven duo with a huge passion and a big heart for keeping it clean.
Like our recent Favourite Find: Rasasara Herbal Face Cleansing bar, all Skinmade products are edible. So if your puppy or small child happens to find their face in a jar, you won’t be running to the doctor.
Skinmade is skinfood.
The facts: Let us start with why Skinmade products fit our criteria?
- Handcrafted in Queensland, Australia
- Healing and nourishing ingredients
- Non-GMO, plant derived Vitamin E
- Organic, virgin cold-pressed oils
- Organic, pure essential oils
- Reusable, compostable and recyclable containers
- Suitable for the whole family
So what is my personal verdict? (the juicy bit)
Cleanser – Castile & Lemongrass:
Having trialled a castile based cleanser from Jacqueline Evans last year, I was interested to see this ingredient highlighted in Skinmade’s products. Castile is derived from vegetable oils and is used as a base for many soap alternative body washes. It allows for a subtle foaming action, so I would suggest this as an option for anyone with sensitive skin.
The addition of Lemongrass essential oil is very mild, again adding to that universal appeal. Like many of the ingredients in Skinmade’s products they have both anti-bacterial and anti-septic properties.
I used the cleanser both on its own and as a base for the scrub for over a week – more on that later. Although noted as mildly foaming, I found little to no foaming action and it was more like a cream cleanser. Two generous pumps are sufficient to clean the whole face. However, when I had sunscreen or makeup on I would need to cleanse a second time at night. I enjoyed the soothing nature but I did find for my skin type it left it slightly dry.
Vitamin E + Balsam cream:
This cream really intrigued me because I hadn’t heard of the essential oil Balsam until Skinmade. Yes indeed, I love me a new ingredient discovery. After a little research, I discovered that Balsam is in fact a native of South America, and for skincare it provides antiseptic qualities as well as a mild natural fragrance.
This cream is light to apply, and while full of amazing oils it takes a couple of minutes to soak into the skin. Slowly it starts to feel heavier on the skin. One thing that did happen when I first applied it was it tingled a little, although no reaction was visible on the skin. After a few minutes, my skin felt supple and nourished.
Scrub – Oat & Lemon Myrtle:
When I first opened my Skinmade package this one intrigued me the most. A ‘dry’ scrub was a new concept for me, as traditionally my scrubs have been the ‘wet’ variety which you apply straight to your skin. Skinmade suggest that the scrub be mixed with your cleanser once or twice a week to create a wet scrub. The oat base although not whole, the particles were still fairly large and a little hard on the skin. However, it was mild enough and didn’t irritate my skin, especially with the clay base which when left on the skin became like a mask.
Would I indulge again?
I loved the simplicity of these products the most, minimal ingredients and a no fuss approach.
The only small issue I had was the mixing of the scrub with the cleanser, which meant that you could go through the cleanser a little quicker. However, using the scrub only once a week would
For a boutique, handcrafted brand, the Skinmade products are priced very competitively which would certainly appeal to someone new to ‘clean’ skincare. I would suggest if you have a ‘normal’ skin type, tending to slightly dry, it would be perfect. The range is still fairly small so you could also look at purchasing one of their trial packs to get you started.
Skinmade skincare is available direct from the Skinmade or from these stockists in Victoria and Queensland.
Individual product images care of the Skinmade website.
