Natural Wisdom skin care review

This is another line that Danny at www.holisticgreenbeauty.com pointed out as one I'd probably like, so when it was relaunched in the summer I bought a moisturiser to try it out, and then purchased a few other items from the line.

Natural Wisdom products are made in the UK, hand blended in small batches by Maeve Smith, a homeopath who decided to create skincare originally for herself in 2007.

The products are well formulated and fairly priced, with effective, user-friendly formulations. What I mean by user-friendly is that they aren't very different in feel or application method than mainstream skincare brands.

The products use good quality, cold pressed plant/fruit oils and plant extracts. Maeve does not use cheap oils like sunflower or other bulking ingredients in her formulations.

I bought the Rosehip & Pomegranate Antioxidant Moisturiser and, more recently, the Age Defiance Facial Firming Oil. I ordered the moisturiser and oil unfragranced; the moisturiser smells pleasantly clean, slightly nutty/rosehip-ish, and the oil has a more herbal/grassy smell from the higher percentage of spillanthes extract in it. I like both of these very much.

The Antioxidant Moisturiser is a fluid texture, but it is a rich fluid that provides deep hydration and comfort for my normal to dry skin. It is not to heavy for my skin and I've experienced no congestion using it. I found it worked to soothe and replenish skin that had been in the sun as well as it is protecting my skin from cold and windy weather now.

I've only been using the Age Defiance Facial Firming Oil for a few days so I can't judge the long term effectiveness. It does seem to have a comfortable tightening effect on application, and adds extra nourishment for my drier areas. I use it around the eyes and take it over my forehead, cheeks (down to laughter/smile lines) and on my neck and decolletage. A couple of drops on damp skin covers all of these areas.

I also ordered the Rosehip & Pomegranate Antioxidant Cream Cleanser (evening, to remove makeup) and Rosehip & Pomegranate Antioxidant Gel Cleanser (for morning).

The Cream Cleanser is a fluid cream texture with an oil-rich feel. It removes make up effectively and rinses away with warm water, leaving skin feeling comfortable but not oily or greasy. I ordered this in the Bright & Exotic blend of essential oils, which for me was a mistake; I was expecting it to be heavier on the frankincense than the ylang ylang but it's the other way round, and the smell is pleasant but not my favourite. I also find that if I'm tired or stressed my forehead gets a little congested when using this cleanser, and I suspect it's the essential oils in the blend. My skin is very sensitive to a lot of fragrances (including essential oils) so I intend to purchase this unscented to check if that is better for my skin, as I do enjoy the texture of it.

The Gel Cleanser is a gentle, low foaming cleanser. I like the texture of this very much; it refreshes without feeling harsh. I ordered this in the Rose Floral Blend, which is much more to my taste than the Bright & Exotic Blend.

The cleansers cost £14/£12 for 50ml, the moisturisers are £25 for 50ml and the treatment oils are £32 for 30ml. Natural Wisdom products are available from the website at www.naturalwisdom.co.uk. There are full ingredients lists of all products on the website.