True Nature Botanicals: Luxurious, Anti-aging Skincare

**Some the products have changed since this post. Please see my updated review here**

True Nature Botanicals is a luxurious, all natural brand that has raised the bar in product standards by using the best all natural ingredients they could find, while delivering major results. At first glance, that may seem like a tall order to fill, but bop around the blogosphere and you’ll find that this line gets lot’s of love. People claiming it’s completely changed their skin and they won’t use anything else.. But, I have to admit, between the tall claims and the price tag, I was a bit skeptical. Could these products really be worth it? With so many rave reviews and the fact that I haven’t found a ton of anti-aging products in the natural beauty world, I decided to give them a shot. After a lengthy trial (seriously, we’re talking like 6 months), you may be surprised by the results!

TNB’s Pacific line has a great selection of products that can address almost any skin concern. I was on the fence about which products would suit my skin, but ended up with their Balancing Face Oil, Night Serum with Retinol, and Vitamin C treatment. The products came with detailed instructions on how to use them, including which order they needed to go on (Although, apparently my idiocy with reading said directions knows no bounds as I’ll get to in a moment). Usually you layer a serum then a moisturizer, but with their line you start with the face oil. After gently applying the oil, you then combine a capsule of the Vitamin C Treatment with the face serum and mix it in your hands before applying it to your face. I loved the thought of using a combination of a gentle retinol with vitamin C. Both have proven results in the anti-aging realm and since hitting my early 30’s, I’ve definitely seen a change in my skin. I was hopeful this would be the one two punch my skin needed. But then.. things didn’t go well.

Within days of starting the new regimen my skin was very broken out and peeling. I’m sure Kevin Dooley, the Director of Community Relations, was dreading all my emails telling him all of my skin woes. I have to say he was so kind and helpful (even if deep inside he wished I’d lose his email address). He pointed out that when switching to a face oil from other moisturizers sometimes you can breakout at first due to the oil penetrating deeper into your skin and drawing out impurities. I had been using an oil before, but I knew TNB only used very potent, high end ingredients, so perhaps my skin was adjusting. Nope. After testing for a few weeks, I threw in the towel. Then I tried again with just the oil.. and then just the serum, then the vitamin C. Turns out I was reacting to the oil. While I was surprised, here’s the thing with a good quality natural product: it’s not the stale, white bread skin product sitting on the department store shelf that’s so watered down that it’s meant to suit anyone’s skin. It’s a product full of active, potent ingredients, so occasionally it may not be suited for someone. Which is also why they offer a 30 day money back guarantee. They really do stand behind their products and want you to be happy. For the record the Balancing Face Oil is a great product, it just wasn’t right for my skin. See reviews of it from other bloggers here and here. 

Luckily for me, I ran into Kevin and TNB’s founder, Hillary Peterson, at ANFGB and they generously let me try the regular face oil instead and we had a good chat about how I was using the products. I mentioned to Hillary that although I liked the serum and Vitamin C Treatment, it was so pasty and left a film on my face. She then walked me through how to mix and apply it and I was definitely doing it all wrong! My OCD with applying messy products had gotten the best of me, I suppose. I was breaking open a capsule into my palm and then squirting in a couple pumps of the serum and then cupping my palm into the tiniest little bowl and gently mixing with my finger. Instead, Hillary went for it. She put both products on her palm and then clapped her hands together and vigorously rubbed them together, mixing over her entire hands. I’m laughing even now thinking about it! I immediately starting doing that and using the regular face oil and Viola! The clouds opened up and light shone down from the sky.. I finally was having that skin changing experience everyone else had talked about. The face oil works beautifully and now that I know how to apply the other products, I’ve seen some great results. My skin is smoother and feels more toned. I’ve also noticed that my complexion is more even. Perhaps its the vitamin C, but the little sun spot freckles I’ve gotten on my nose since I was a teenager have faded quite a bit. Some nights I only use the oil and I love how it melts into my skin and doesn’t leave it greasy. Overall, my skin looks better and I’m happy that I’ve taken some preemptive efforts on the aging front.

Whew! This may be one of the longest product reviews I’ve done. Since you made it this far, I will definitely make it worth your while. I have something really exciting for you! True Nature Botanicals is offering a rare discount just for my readers. From now until Sunday you can get 15% off your order with code MAISONPUR15. If there’s anything you’ve been eyeing from them, now is the time my friends. It’s usually hard to find a sale or discount on these products. While you’re shopping, check out their brand new shampoo and conditioner. Happy shopping!