When an old school friend of mine recently contacted me regarding forever living products, I was intrigued. Over the years Ive heard of the amazing benefits of products containing aloe vera but to be honest I'd never invested the time to really look into it. If you haven't already heard of them, Forever Living are an international company founded back in 1978 by Rex Maughan. Along with their affiliates Forever have become the largest grower, manufacturer and distributor of aloe vera and bee products in the world. Forever specialises in Weight Management but varies to skin care, personal care, nutrition and beauty. In 2010 they were awarded the Peoples Gold Award for very prestigious investors. pretty good going, wouldn't you say?
So after some discussions Naomi suggested I try the Aloe Balancing cream* from the Sonya skin care range. I didn't want to go with anything too experimental due to my acne, so this seemed perfect. Enriched with aloe, vitamin E and white tea, this rich face cream claims to help restore and balance your skin’s natural moisture, to leave it feeling well hydrated. As well as exfoliate the build up of dead skin cells to make way for a more radiant appearance. Lets see if it lived up to those claims.
The Review
The Packaging
Naomi did a wonderful job of sending this package in a lovely little bag for me. The cream itself comes in this magenta and silver box that lists all the ingredients and when you open the box lid, all the instructions on how to use the product are over leaf. The jar itself is acrylic with a screw top lid. It feels very sturdy which I like and all of the writing is actually printed directly onto the jar. For me this adds a lot of value to the product and makes it feel expensive. When you take the lid of the jar off there is a disk sitting inside that holds a scoop. Don't you just hate it when you get to the bottom of a product and it all gets stuck under your nails in your failed attempts at getting it out, so annoying. This eradicates that problem. Overall I think the packaging is really nice and definitely reflects the price of the product.
The product
First of all lets take a moment to talk about the smell of this cream, its delicious. It has a very sweet, zesty fragrance. Very light and refreshing. Its a nearly opaque white formula that has a jelly like constancy. When applied it glides effortlessly across the skin and after being rubbed in does leave the skin feeling lovely and smooth. My only dislike is the amount of time it takes for the product to absorb into the skin. Lets take a closer look at some of the ingredients in this product:
Cyclopentasiloxane:
A very common ingredient in personal care products, shown to aid in wrinkle reduction, blemish control, stubborn effects of rosacea and helps the skin retain moisture.
C13-14 Isparaffin:
Derived from petroleum, C13-14 Isparaffin contains certain impurities that can cause allergies and even be carcinogenic. It is also considered a pesticide so, is potentially toxic
Sodium hyaluronate:
Sodium hyaluronate is the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid is found naturally in the fluid that bathes joints. It's abundant in the dermis of young skin, but with age the level of this compound decreases. Hyaluronic acid gives skin volume by holding onto water
Tocopheryl Acetate:
This ingredient is a form of vitamin E, so you would think it was all goodness. However, manufacturers take the vitamin E and add acetic acid to it. The word acid means exactly what you would think - Corrosive and attacks the skin. The reason this is added is to make the products cheaper and longer lasting. A small amount of this is not harmful, however researchers worry that like most ingredients of their kind. Over time, they can build up on the skin.
Glycerin:
This ingredient is one that can fight skin diseases such as psoriasis. When applied to the skin it signals them to mature in a normal fashion. With psoriasis for example, the cells reproduce extremely quickly. Glycerin would slow down this process giving skin a healthier more natural looking appearance
Citrus Medica Limonum (lemon) fruit extract: A natural source of Vitamin C and antioxidant bioflavonoids. Protects skin against damage from reactive ozone. Used as an anti-inflammatory.
Camelia sinensis leaf extract:
In a nutshell this is green tea. By protecting your skin's cells from the daily damage caused by free radicals, Green Tea is a favourite in anti-aging formulas. It is also known to reduce skin swelling and help soothe and condition sensitive skin
Caprylyl glycol:
its an effective conditioner and moisturiser that also helps increase the shelf life of a product by increasing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives.
Overall I would say the product does have some conflicting ingredients, however its important to remember that there are no Paraben's or sulphates in this product. The only ingredient that does contain anything to be concerned about, is in such a small quantity that its use in a daily moisturiser will unlikely cause any negative effects, as long as you are cleansing your skin correctly on a regular basis. It has a few anti-aging properties which is always a positive and some calming ingredients which would really help with balancing your skin, as it claims.
The Conclusion
Overall I think this is a wonderful product. It leaves your skin feeling refreshed and hydrated. I would prefer a more cream like constancy in a moisturiser but I guess thats due to the aloe gel, something you wouldn't find in your everyday moisturiser. The moisturiser is £25.61, which is rather expensive. I'm not sure I'd repurchase this product, but as my foot into aloe vera door, ill definitely be looking at some more products from forever living in the near future.
Forever Opportunities
You too could become a forever living affiliate just like Naomi. Forever Living has so many opportunities to help people from any background achieve fantastic things in life. They believe in recognising commitment, leadership and hard work which is why they offer such amazing opportunities from cash bonuses, being recognised on stage at company success days, to all expenses paid holidays courtesy of the company. Forever Living gives you the opportunity to be your own boss, control your own hours and enjoy a residual income.
Where do I sign up? you might be asking.
Well if your interested in finding out some more information about the Forever Living opportunities or to purchase the aloe balancing cream you can contact Naomi directly at: naomi.24.nl@gmail.com
Thank you to Naomi for getting in touch and sending me the aloe balancing cream to try out. Its a wonderful product.
I hope you all enjoyed this post and learnt a little about Forever Living.
Had you heard of Forever Living before? Ever tried any aloe vera products?
Let me know in the comments section below.
*This is a sponsored post. However as always, all opinions are 100% my own. Please see my full disclaimer for more info
