So at the beginning of the year I promised you some new features and now I’m ready to deliver. I’ve got a good friend in California who’s a beauty guru and has the skinny on lots of cool beauty and organic brands. Each month she’s going to send me some awesome surprise products to review and thus bringing a little LA style to my NYC life.
So my January surprise came from a brand I am actually familiar with: L’uvalla. I adore their eye cream and it’s part of my regular beauty routine. I’ve also sampled a couple of other L’uvalla items in the past. They are an organic skincare company that manufactures their products in France (ooh la la).
A little on L’uvalla..
According to their site, “L’uvalla (loo-VA-la) means love the spirit within all things.” Their skin care products only use all natural and certified organic ingredients and are sustainably produced from seed to shelf for optimal environmental preservation. They use fair trade practices and their beauty products are animal cruelty-free and vegan-approved by COSMEBIO, PETA and Leaping Bunny.
Okay so it sounds like these folks are uber serious about their commitment to nature, but the big question is “How are the products?”
Let’s dig into my mystery box and find out.
Hydrating Milk Cleanser (Full Size Retail: $26.80)
Verdict: Hit!
This is a nice milk cleanser and it works well with my Mia Clarisonic. Personally, I prefer oil cleansers, especially at this time of year, but this was a lovely product. It has a very light, herbal scent (not perfumey) and didn’t bother my sensitive skin. If you like milk cleansers, you’ll really enjoy this one.
Age Defying Day/Night Cream with Argan Oil: (Full Size Retail: $47.04)
Verdict: Hit! (for winter time or those with dry skin)
I had actually sampled this product before and wasn’t that thrilled with it. I have combination skin and I found that it didn’t absorb well and left my skin a little greasy. But with the polar vortex + my long commute requiring a lot of outdoor time, my skin has been painfully dry. I just slathered this on at night and it did a wonderful job of combatting my horrible winter skin. I don’t think I’ll use this product in summer time, but right now it’s wonderful. I think folks with very dry skin would like this a lot.
Orange Toner (Full Size Retail: $23.04)
Verdict: Love!
The only toner I could ever use was one by Bliss that is sadly now discontinued. I usually skipped toners entirely as I found them to be way too harsh on my skin. But this toner is completely different. It doesn’t give that harsh burning feeling other toners can and it does a great job of picking up any of that little dirt you may not have scrubbed away. I also found it to be fabulous as a makeup remover. I just dab on a cotton square and easily wipe away the many eyeliner smudges from my attempts at winged liner. The scent is not particularly citrusy. Like all the of the L’uvalla products I tried, it’s more herbal than perfumey. The packaging on this products is fabulous (I am a sucker for cobalt blue glass) so I’m happy to leave it out on my bathroom counter (unlike the ugly plastic stuff that gets tucked away). I would happily buy this at the retail price. If you’re like me and could never find a toner that worked for you, I’d highly recommend giving this one a shot.
Also included were some sample packets. (Only the milk cleanser was a repeat of the full size product already included.)
Eye/Lip Cream with Argan Oil (Full Size Retail: $63.36)
Verdict: Love!
This is a product that I use regularly. I know it’s pricey (as eye creams always seem to be) but my eye area is very sensitive and so many things I’ve tried just don’t work. This consistency on this cream is just right and it absorbs quickly. I notice an improvement in the little lines around my eyes when I use this product regularly. I tried other eye creams and they just didn’t work as well, so I went back to this one. A little of this goes a long way and one tube will last you a very long time.
Balancing Day and Night Cream with Argan Oil: (Full Size Retail: $47.04)
Verdict: On the Fence
This one seems similar to the Age Defying cream and I’d say that it’s probably more suited to my combination skin. I didn’t have as many applications as the Age Defying cream so it is hard to judge. I think I might try out the full size of this come summer time. If it’s as good as the eye cream I know I’ll love it.
Overall
I really liked all the products that were sent to me. I was already sold on the eye cream, but the orange toner was a revelation. I probably would have passed it by and just assumed it was like all the other toners I’ve tried. The organic and natural aspects of these products really elevate them above a lot of the other skincare out there. L’uvalla’s products really make me feel like I’m sitting in a spa in France and that’s something I can use because most of the time I’m sitting in a subway under New York.
What do you think about organic skincare? Is it a “must have” for you or just a “maybe”?
Coupon Code:
If you want to give these products a shot you can use my code at iherb.com: CVF809 for a discount on your first order. They are a fabulous place to buy everything from groceries to essential oils and they offer lots of freebies at checkout.
Lisa Preziosi 