Andalou Naturals Brightening Skin Care Kit: Product Review

I'm always in search of the best skin care product—especially organic skin care and anti-aging products—and was intrigued when I was at Natural Products Expo East a few months ago and visited the  booth. The woman I spoke with told me about their different natural skin care products, which are based on plant stem cell technology. The theory is that the stem cells help your own cells to rejuvenate.

Andalou Naturals has several different regimens, including Age-Defying, Clarifying, and Brightening. I asked which would be the right one for me to try. I told her that I wanted the age-defying properties, to combat aging skin, but that my skin was looking pretty dull—probably from lack of sleep. She told me that all these lines would have age-defying properties, so she suggested that I try the Brightening line.

The company sent me a Get Started Brightening 5-Piece Kit. Each of the lines has a kit like this, and it is great either for traveling or for trying out the product lines.

The Brightening Kit contains the following:
- .8oz Meyer Lemon Creamy Cleanser
- .5oz Pumpkin Honey Glycolic Mask
- 1oz Clementine + C Illuminating Toner
- .4oz Probiotic + C Renewal Cream
- .4oz Purple Carrot + C Luminous Night Cream

When I got the kit, I looked at all the information, and I saw that the Brightening line is recommended for Normal and Combination skin. That used to be my skin type, but as I have gotten a little older, and especially during the colder months, my skin type tends more towards Dry. So this line might not be the ideal line for me, but I wanted to check it out anyway.

I started with the Meyer Lemon Creamy Cleanser, which has a nice fresh lemony scent. I rinsed that off, dried my skin, and applied the Pumpkin Honey Glycolic Mask for 10 minutes. That also has a nice, pleasant scent. I washed off the mask, and dried my face.  I then put some of the Illuminating Toner on a cotton ball. I love a good toner/freshener. It seems that no matter how well I cleanse my face, I always get more dirt off on that cotton ball with a good toner, and this time was no exception. The toner was not at all irritating, and my face felt refreshed and clean afterwards. Finally, I added the Luminous Night Cream. All the products felt nice and light. No heavy thick feel to any of them, and no heavy fragrances.

When I was done, my skin felt clean and smooth. I really liked the way it felt. And, after  using it for a couple of weeks, I think my skin does appear a little brighter, and the circles under my eyes are less noticeable.

I really like that their products are all natural, vegetarian/vegan, fair trade, no animal testing. As they say on their website:

We champion Certified Organic, Natural Origin, BioActive, Fair-Trade, Verified Gluten-Free, Non-GMO Project Verified, Vegetarian and Vegan Ingredients, Eco-Friendly Practices, and a Meaningful No Animal Testing Policy.
We reject GMO's, Petrochemicals, Phthalates, Sulfates, Synthetic Colors, Dyes, Fragrances, Triclosan, PEG, MEA, TEA, DEA, or Paraben Preservatives. 

For long-term use, I'd like to try the Andalou Get Started Age-Defying Kit. I think that would be more appropriate for my skin type, since it is recommended for Dry and Sensitive skin. I hope to do a review of the Andalou Age-Defying skin products at some time in the future. And for people with Active and Oily skin, they recommend the Andalou Get Started Clarifying Kit.