I had the opportunity to test drive a ton of Swiss company Arbonne’s products recently. My favorites were the Virtual Illusion Makeup Primer, FC5 Facial Scrub and the FC5 Hydrating Cleanser.
The Virtual Illusion Makeup Primer is very similar to another one I like by Perfekt, but it’s a bit cheaper. Both have dimethicone and other ingredients that fill in fine lines, large pores and other skin imperfections to give you a nice, smooth base for makeup. My only problem with these types of primers is that they seem to make my skin more oily by the end of the day. Applying powder helps, but if you have super oily skin, I would avoid the dimethicone.
The Arbonne makeup primer is nice because it contains ingredients to improve your skin, such as sodium hyaluronate, grapeseed extract and apricot kernel oil.
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I also liked the FC5 Hydrating Cleanser + Freshener, which has “new cell technology.” Basically, this means the company has encapsulated some of the plant-based ingredients, so they burst when you use the product, which keeps them fresh. The hydrating cleanser does leave a tiny bit of good-for-you oil on the skin, so if you’re one of those that likes a squeaky clean feeling, I would suggest the Purifying Cleanser + Toner instead.
The Exfoliating New Cell Scrub DOES give you that squeaky clean feeling (which I have to admit, I like). I was using the scrub first and the hydrating cleanser afterward to add back some of the natural oils.
The scrub gives you a wonderful, smooth complexion and it smells nice and fresh. It could be a bit much to use this every day, so I’d recommend using it once or twice a week. It’s great for combination to oily skin.
I felt the same way about the Perfeckt. I want to like it, but I feel really oily after a few hours. I hear great things about the Arbonne and would love to try them out! The cleanser sounds wonderful!
I will have to begin the hunt for a good makeup primer that fills in lines but doesn't make you oily! I have tried Laura Mercier and Caudalie primers/shine-reducers and I don't feel like they do much of anything!