Hello lovelies! My apologies for the lateness on this post. I have had a very long and frantic week and couldn't get around to writing up this post until now.
As you all know, I had adopted a skincare regimen by Michael Todd in the hopes the organic and very expensive skin care brand would improve my skin texture, reduce the oiliness of my skin and reduce the severity of my breakouts. At the end of this post you will see a before and after shot of my skin, and you can be the judge, has my skin seen a drastic improvement through using Michael Todd products? Before we get to that, I will do a review on each product and tell you which ones I recommend, and which ones I don't.
Let's start with the cleansers and toner I used in the range. The
Charcoal Detox Deep Pore Gel Cleanser does the job. It cleanses, but
that is pretty much all it did, there was nothing special about it. It
cleansed, removed makeup ok, didn't tighten the skin too much and wasn't
irritating to my sensitive skin. As for oil control and reducing
breakouts, I would say that I believe it contributed to reducing them,
but not to an extent where I would turn to it to control those problems.
It is a very basic cleanser, one that is similar to many of the drug
store cleansers I have tried. Although this has charcoal and those
didn't, I feel they did the same things for my skin, and the charcoal
did not make a difference. So yes, I would recommend this product and
would repurchase it, but really what is the point when there are
drugstore cleansers that can do the same thing for half the price?
The Jajoba Charcoal Facial Scrub was by far the most disappointing product I tried from the range. I feel like it didn't improve my skin at all. It did nothing for oil control or reducing breakouts. It was just a grainy exfoliant. I prefer having very small, fine exfoliating beads in my scrubs. The beads in this were big and rough and not a pleasure to use. I really tried to love this product but I just couldn't. This is why I do not recommend it and will not repurchase it, unless of course Michael Todd improve the formula.
As
for the Organic Lemon AHA + DMAE Toner, I LOVED the smell of this! It
refreshed me every morning and did not tighten the skin too much. It was
basically a very refreshing and soothing toner. It didn't feel like it
contributed much to reduce the oil in my skin, but it did feel nice to
apply when my skin was particularly troubled. A big plus about this
toner is that it really brightened up my skin and helped reduce the
darkness of my scars faster. Overall I recommend this product and would
repurchase it.
Onto the masks. I overall liked both the masks. The Kaolin Clay Detoxifying Facial Mask was nice to apply and made my skin feel smooth and my pores look smaller. I felt it did help reduce the amount of oil in my skin, and although the effect didn't last long, it was still nice to have. The Avocado and Mango Hydrating Facial Mask smelt AMAZING and did help hydrate the drier areas of my skin. Both masks did as they claimed and had a nice texture which was creamy and easy to spread. I definitely recommend both masks and would repurchase them both.
Last but not least, lets talk moisturisers! I'll start with the bad of the two, the Moisture Lite Non-Oily Hydrating Lotion. This moisturiser was neither hydrating or oil controlling. Other than the slightly pleasant lemon aroma, this moisturiser was just boring and didn't do anything for me. It was the other GIANT let down of the lot. I was really hoping it would control my oily skin, but it didn't. It also did not mask my dry patches under my makeup. I pretty much used it for a few weeks and just left it out completely. I feel like I wasted my money on this, so I will not be recommending it or repurchasing it, unless of course the formula is completely changed.
The Hyaluronic Acid + C Antioxidant Moisturising Serum was a nice step in my night time routine. It was light, non-greasy, moisturising and I believe that it helped my scars lighten faster. It also had a herbal scent which bothered me at first, but after a couple of uses, I actually became fond of the scent and found it soothing. I definitely recommend this and would re-purchase it. I do wish there were a few more benefits to it and it was a little more hydrating.
Alright guys so there is my final thoughts on the products. The packaging of all the products is lovely, as expected with all high-end brands. I do think Michael Todd has a few clear winners in his range but there are also a few duds. As to whether I would repurchase the winners on a regular basis, probably not, they are too expensive for my current budget. Maybe I will when I have a little more money to spend! Besides, my skin got used to the products relatively quick, so much so they weren't benefiting me anymore. I would probably buy a couple of the stand out items and mix and match them with some cheaper alternatives to ensure my skin does not stop seeing their benefits. Now lets see the final before and after shots! What do you think? Is there an improvement in my skin?
I feel as though my skin has improved in texture, my skin is brighter, my scars are lighter and heal faster and my breakouts are less frequent since Michael Todd. Despite my final picture where you can see a few little scars on my forehead which are from my skin freakout a week or so ago - those actually healed quite quickly for me - you can still see the improvement. If you compare my skin from week 3 and 4 on the regimen, my skin is far better then, than what it is right now. Clearly, once I mix and match the products, my skin will not get too accustomed to them so the effects will remain evident. I actually have a lot of the Michael Todd products left, so I will be getting right on that! I loved how my skin looked during those weeks and I am sure I can get that back soon.
Anyway, that is all my thoughts on the Michael Todd skincare regimen. To those of you who followed the Michael Todd Chronicles from week 1, I hope you found my experience helpful and my reviews helped you decide on whether you want to invest in Michael Todd products.
Until my next post!
Love,
Nur x