I was first introduced to Arbonne products by consultant Davinder O’Hagan who kindly gave me a few products to try from their hair, make-up, skincare and nutrition range. Arbonne are an on-line company with a diverse range of beauty and nutrition products which are all botanical based, vegan, gluten free and cruelty free making their products pure, safe and natural. Many people are becoming more aware of what they are putting on their skin and in their bodies as we start to move away from unnatural synthetic beauty products and foods made in labs with unrecognisable names on ingredient lists that you can barely pronounce and into more natural botanical based products. Whatever you apply to your face and body gets absorbed very quickly through your skin making its way into your bloodstream so natural plant-based products should become a priority when looking for safe skincare. Effective skincare is also in my opinion botanical based skincare, from studying aromatherapy and herbs for many years I believe in the power that nature has to offer, I’ve also noticed that many of the luxury brands usually tout a few key herbs, foods and flower extracts in their products with know rejuvenating and healing effects but rather than use one or two plant powered ingredient why not use a product made primarily from plants and receive the benefits from the synergy they create.
The shampoo and conditioner left my hair conditioned and tangle free which for me is a problem as it’s dry on the ends, fine and a little curly in texture which all adds up to tangled knotty prone hair! I can always tell if a conditioner is overly moisturising (my hair is also greasy at the roots) or if its not conditioning enough as the tangles after washing become worse but just like the skincare I found the shampoo and conditioner very well balanced.
I really liked this range, the products in general have a lovely light scent and feel really nice on the skin, they absorb well without any oily residue which I sometimes find can be still left sitting on the skins surface with many anti-ageing products in general. The RE9 range was perfectly balanced which just left my skin feeling silky smooth, they all work great under make-up too (some moisturisers are not a very good base for foundation). I didn’t have a favourite within this range – I loved them all!
I loved the light citrus smell to this hand cream, absorbs nicely into the skin leaving your hands moisturised without any greasy residue. My hands feel dry quite frequently as they’re always in water throughout the day so I like to apply hand creams at night just before I go to bed so that it doesn’t get washed off. My hands would feel noticeably better each morning when I used this hand cream.
The make-up primer is where the magic really happens, it appears like a clear gel but when applied to your skin it feels like pure silk! You won’t be able to stop touching your skin the first time you apply it because the silky feeling is just amazing, not only does it feel good it also smooths out fine lines and pores making the finish to your foundation more smoother and longer lasting.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that Arbonne have a rather large range of healthy protein shakes, energy and immune support drinks and bars all made from natural plant-based foods. They are all vegan which in my opinion is a much more healthier choice than the animal based proteins, they are also gluten free and developed with premium blends of vitamins, minerals, botanicals, superfoods, antioxidants, enzymes, prebiotics and probiotics for maximum ingredient effectiveness.
I tried the chocolate protein shake first which tasted like any regular milkshake without the added milk and junk food ingredients, this drink had a nice smooth silky texture and was packed with added vitamins, minerals and plant-based protein making it perfect for when you are on the go as I found it did leave me feeling full. Next was the nutrition bars which I carried with me for that moment when I was feeling hungry and didn’t have time to stop and eat, that moment arrived when I was working on a long bridal job where I was needed to stay at the venue for most of the day. Towards the end of the day I tried the fruit flavoured bar which was pleasant tasting and not overly sweet which I actually liked because since giving up refined sugar a few years ago I’ve found anything overly sweet a little sickly and the low sugar content makes it healthier anyway. This bar did leave me feeling full so would be perfect for those dieting and looking for lower calorie foods to fill up on. On that same day I also tried the antioxidant immunity support as I was working a fourteen hour day on about two or three hours sleep so felt it would be a perfect time to use this! Instead of waiting till you feel tired and run down it’s a good idea to be one step ahead and use immune supporting food and drinks to keep your immune system working at full force on those days that can cause it to run low. It’s when your immune system is running low from lack of sleep, over working, stress etc. that you then become prone to picking up colds and flues so it’s a good idea to support it at the time of stress rather than after. This had a very nice taste sweetened with natural fruit juices – I would use it again and recommend it for those times when you feel you need an immune boost. Energy fizz sticks are small powdered sachets that you mix with water to create a mild lemon flavoured fizzy energy drink loaded with vitamins and antioxidants along with green tea extract, guarana and ginseng to help reduce fatigue for those moments when you need a temporary instant fix. Pleasant tasting and much healthier than popping caffeine pills or drinking high street energy drinks.
Within the Arbonne make-up range I tried the lipstick and gloss samples which like the rest of the range contain botanical ingredients, the lipsticks contain skin-conditioning watermelon and apple extracts which also gives them a lovely light refreshing smell. The lipsticks are very hydrating due to the addition of meadowfoam seed oil and luxurious ingredients such as acacia flower and sunflower waxes.
From left to right starting at the top: Magnolia, Willow, Terra, Camellia, Peony, Guava.
From left to right starting at the top: Current, Hibiscus, Poppy, Lotus, Flora, Aster, Iris, Dahlia.
Arbonne lip glosses contain beneficial plant extracts such as edelweiss and sunflower seed oil with clinically tested peptides for a moisturised smooth looking finish. From left to right starting at the top: Primrose, Calla, Cosmos, Linden, Mallow, Hazel, Mimosa, Larkspur, Hyacinth, Anise.
If you’re a regular lipstick wearer then it’s probably even more important to be aware of what you are putting on your lips as I’m pretty sure that most of it ends up entering your mouth through either eating or drinking, so consider your every day lipstick to be one that is primarily edible ingredients! Arbonne would be a good choice to consider.
I am very passionate about skin care and natural based beauty products so for me Arbonne has the whole package – great products (feel like the luxurious products they really are when applied to your skin and have a lovely refreshing smell), natural/botanical ingredients (no harsh or synthetic chemicals and fragrances) and they work! I’ve only tried small sample sizes but looking at the reviews online from people that have been using the full size products for much longer periods of time they are raving about the results.
All of the ingredients for the products can be found on the Arbonne website along with the full product range so if you are looking for natural plant-based vegan skincare products, make-up and nutrition or would like to find out more about Arbonne then click here. I’ve loved using the samples and would highly recommend them to anyone looking for natural and good quality products.
I am also a registered nutritional therapist and naturopath (but I don’t personally sell Arbonne products), If you would like a one-to-one nutrition consultation then have a look at my other website naturopath-tina.uk where you can read about how nutritional therapy and naturopathy can help with a variety of health conditions, the focus is on treating the cause of your health problem rather than treating the symptoms. I work both online and in-person in Eastcote/Ruislip in London, you can contact me here if you’d like a free 15-minute discovery call to see if I can help.