Aromatherapy Associates Review.

Okay, so this month I picked up a copy of ( I think... ) Marie Claire magazine, simply because I was extremely curious about the free sample gift you received with it. That was a pack of three travel sized Aromatherapy Associates products. I've heard of Aromatherapy Associates here and there but I haven't really paid much attention or took to buying any of their products, so the fact I could now try three of there products for a mere £4ish felt like a great opportunity.



The three products I received were from the Hydrating collection which, after researching into a bit, I have found is sorely Rose scented. So unfortunately if you're not into smelling like a Turkish delight then this collection probably isn't for you. However I absolutely adore the fragrance so that was no issue for me. On the photo above with all my sexy fingers you can see how each of the products look which I do feel is important as I was quite surprised with one of them. Now I will tell you now I have extremely mixed opinions about the three products so don't expect this to be a 'this is my new holy grail' kind of review as it really is not.

Product 1: Hydrating Rose Face Mask, Moisturising and Renewing. £37 for 100ml.

Aromatherapy Associates say:
"A deeply hydrating mask to restore vital moisture to dry skin. Aloe vera and Sodium Hyalauronate, renowned for their hydrating properties, are combined with damask rose water, distilled from Bulgarian roses, in a cooling, transparent mask to bring radiance and vitality to dry complexions".

This face mask is like no other I have used before. On the sexy finger photo this is on the middle finger and as you can see is a clear substance which feels like a gel. For some reason the only face masks I have used in the past have been more of a creamy formula and so I was extremely sceptical and rather concerned about putting this on my face, however I have used this a few times now so the concept is a little less scary. In terms of it's overall purpose of being hydrating I feel this lets the range down immensely. I've given this two or three attempts now and each time I was so disappointed. When I use a face mask it is because my face is feeling particularly rubbish and I need an instant pick me up, and unfortunately I didn't get that with this in the slightest. While it is soothing to the skin whilst on the face, once I washed this off my skin felt no better for it. I still felt the dryness to my face and the soothing feeling was completely gone. Another flaw? It didn't set. Whilst this was on my face I didn't feel comfortable, I felt sticky and greasy and honestly I couldn't wait for the ten minutes to be over so I could wash it off my face. I think that the only appealing thing about this mask is that you need hardly any of it to cover the whole face, after 2/3 uses I still have well over half of the sample bottle (15ml) left to use, so while £37 is a fair bit of money it is something that will see you through a good few months and so if you like it then it is worth the money. I however will not be purchasing a full size of this and I have no desire to recommend you to do so either.

Product 2: Hydrating Triple Rose Renewing Moisturiser. £56 for 50ml.

Aromatherapy Associates say:
"A nourishing daily moisturiser combining three unique roses from Morocco, Turkey and Bulgaria to rejuvenate your skin. Anti-oxidant and anti-ageing rosehip, red aquatic algae and frankincense protect and tone your skin, whilst locking in moisture to keep your complexion looking youthful, radiant and full of vitality".

This is on the first finger of the sexy finger photo and is a more reassuring texture for what it is. Like most moisturisers this is lovely and creamy and was so much nicer to use than the mask. This moisturiser has the same soothing properties as the mask but lasts until it has sunk in to the skin. While applying this I did feel that it was a bit grainy, as if it had small sand particles in it but I can not find any explanation of this on the website and so is something that I just had to put up with not knowing why. And I did put up with the grainy feeling simply because of how amazing my skin felt afterwards. I have used this several times and at different times of the day such as in the morning when I wake up, before putting makeup on, after taking it off etc. but I found that the best time to apply this is before going to sleep. I put this on about half an hour before I'm getting in to bed as it does take a while to fully sink in and while it's doing so it does make the skin feel slightly sticky (nowhere near as sticky compared to the mask though). Half an hour is plenty of time to avoid feeling like your sticking to your pillow all night, and when you wake up in the morning it's as if the heavens have opened! When I wake up on a morning after using this I can honestly say my skin has never felt better as it feels soothed, full of moisture and silky to the touch. I also noticed a huge difference to the dryer parts of my face like my forehead and between my eyebrows where any dry flaky skin was so very nearly gone that just wasn't getting touched by other products I own. Strangely, although I have nothing but praise for this product, there is not a chance that I will repurchase this and here's why. The sample size is a 5ml bottle and while I got a good 4 or 5 uses out of it I feel as though if I bought the full size I would use it every day, meaning it would last me around 2 to 3 months. Yes that is a long time but at £56 and knowing full well I will get addicted and repurchase time and time again, it will come to around £200 a year which is something I am really not prepared to do. So I will carry on my venture of finding my perfect budget moisturiser. I would recommend you find a way to try this however especially if you suffer with dryness.

Product 3: Hydrating Renewing Rose Cleanser. £25 for 200ml.

Aromatherapy Associates Say:
"A gentle and effective cleanser to wipe away impurities and make-up for clean, glowing skin. Jojoba cleanses whilst precious damask rose works to keep skin radiant and healthy-looking, and essential oil of geranium helps balance the skin’s natural oils. Your skin is left fresh, bright and delicately fragrant".

Sexy finger 3 on the sexy finger scaling system, (I'm so funny sometimes) shows that this cleanser is a thin creamy substance, what it doesn't show however is how freaking amazing this cleanser is. The 10ml sample lasted me roughly a week using this every night to remove my make up, with some sneaky mid-day uses too. Seriously, I would re-do my make up just to use this. I am OBSESSED! I love a good cleanser and this has raised the bar so high up for me now that I'm not sure anything will ever compare to it. Again we have that beautiful soothing and refreshing, cooling feel that is so great to feel with a product like this but what blew me away with this cleanser is just how spotless it made my face feel. Even a full face of makeup disappears with such a small amount of this. I don't know how but that Jojoba stuff disintegrates make up like a mother, and it works so fast. I've found with some cleansers a good amount of time consuming facial massaging is needed but when using this I can take off all my makeup in a few minutes which is super when you're as busy as I am right now. In order to do an honest review I tried desperately to find something wrong with it and I just couldn't. I have already placed an order for the full sized product of this which compared to the other products is an absolute bargain at £25 for 200ml and I can't wait to get my hands on it! This is definitely going to become a staple piece in my skin care collection and I can tell you now will be featured in my May Favourites post. Well done Aromatherapy Associates, you little dimes!

So, here's hoping this review has inspired some of you to try out some of these products or ones that are similar. I know there are a few more things in this collection I'd like to try such as a lip balm, a couple of facial oils, a mist and an eye serum which I will try get my hands on samples of. Also their other collections look beautiful too and so worth the pennies! Do let me know your opinions if you have tried any of these products, and feel free to ask any questions if there is something you wanted to know that I didn't cover in the review. Other than that keep your eye out for an empties post coming up soon along with of course my May Favourites post.

Much love, G x