Arbonne: Skin Care's Best Kept Secret

Sometimes people ask me to review products and if they're a good fit I will do it and give my honest opinion. Other times I just get so worked up about a product that I just HAVE to share. This is one of those times. This is an unsolicited review about a product line I have recently come to LOVE.

I worked so hard this past year on my fitness and my health that it only made sense I should also try and take better care of my skin. Let me introduce you to Arbonne skin care and cosmetics. I say "introduce" because I recently heard a stat that only 1% of women had ever heard of the brand. It's one of those love it or haven't heard of it companies. Once you've tried their products, you're a fan.

Their entire line is developed around three words: Pure. Safe. Beneficial. There is a lot of great stuff to say about the company, but I'll try and capture the things I value most for brevity's sake. You can check out more about the company here.

Arbonne products are Vegan certified, i.e. the formulas are never tested on animals and do not contain animal derived ingredients or animal by-products.

All the personal care products are made from premium botanical ingredients and formulated without animal products or animal by-products, formaldehyde donating preservatives, petroleum based ingredients, Benzene, mineral oil, petrolatum, phthalates, Toluene or PABA.

They have skin care for various age ranges, they have awesome baby care products, fantastic make-up, the Aromassentials line is to die for...I'll try and drill down to a few of my favourites but you really need to try it for yourself!

Given that next week I'm reaching the ripe old age of 35, the skin care line that best suits me is the RE9 Advanced...you know, for my advanced years. Age-related insecurities aside, this line is fantastic. The "system" includes a cleanser, toner, serum, eye cream, day cream and night cream. You don't HAVE to use the whole system - I don't use the serum as I am prone to rosacea and it is a bit strong - but the set was designed to work together. I tried to go frugal my first go around, only getting the cleanser and day cream, but my skin really does feel better now that I've worked in the toner and eye cream.

I've always been a bit of a make-up junkie. Motherhood slowed me down a bit with sleep-deprived nights and showerless days, but I still enjoy "putting on my face." Now that I'm back at work this is a daily necessity that has to happen bloody early in the morning, so I wanted to find a pretty easy routine. Enter tinted moisturizer. This stuff is the bee's knees. It way lighter than foundation so you don't look cakey, but still provides a nice evening out of any redness that might be lurking.

The tinted moisturizer does not, however, stand up to the formidable foes that are the dark circles under my eyes. Thank God for the Arbonne concealer. Even before kids, dark circles were always a problem. At least I can now blame children and not genetics, but they are mighty dark. I have tried pretty much every drug store brand concealer on the market, and the little buggers always managed to show through. The Arbonne concealer is the ONE product I have found that actually covers them, and doesn't make me feel like I'm spackling my tender under-eye area with...well, spackle.

To further banish any hint of a dark circle, I have come to love highlighter. This is something I had always seen Carmindy use on What Not to Wear, but had never tried. A little bit on the top of the cheek bone, along the brow line and just in the inside corners of the eyes and BAM! You're a bright and refreshed version of yourself and no one knows you were awakened at 3:45am by a screaming three year old having a night terror. This stuff is magic.

I could go on and on about the yummy Aromassentials line of shower gels, sea salt scrubs and lotions. It comes in Awaken and Unwind, and they are equally yummy.

To end my onslaught of love for all things Arbonne, they've recently launched their Holiday Line with new scents like Ginger Citrus and Pampermint. The best part is that they're offering mini gift sets, where you can buy five mini lotions or gels for $29. Perfect stocking stuffers...and hopefully the ladies in my family won't read this and know what's going to be in their stockings this year - the ultimate test of who's actually reading my blog!

Arbonne operates kind of like Mary Kay or Tupperware, with home parties and hostess gifts. If you're in the Vancouver/Lower Mainland area and want to host a ladies' spa party, my Arbonne rep Thyra would be happy to help you out! She's awesome and I always like supporting women with the entrepreneurial spirit. Their are gift for the hostess, hefty discounts, raffle prizes and yummy foot soaks for your guests...she makes it fun and it's a great excuse to get the girls together.

Once you've "drunk the Kool-Aid" and are hooked on Arbonne, they have a really simple online ordering system and the products get delivered right to your home within days.

It's dangerous, but it's divine. We all need a little pampering, right?