[unpaid/sample/affiliate/ad] I think many of you will already know Sali Hughes, Guardian beauty columnist and Instagram content creator. She’s linked up with Makeup Revolution to create a skin care line that’s more budget friendly than most just when we need it most. I think everyone is scaling back or at least making their beauty purchases more considered after the lock down skin care smash and grab – I think back to that time and there’s something very poignant about finding grounding points when everything was so out of kilter. If skin care soothed you in some small way then it was a worthwhile investment. Everyone’s budget is different and we can say that skin care caters to everyone in that way – I’ve had amazing top of the range products and surprisingly great ridiculously cheap products. I think Sali’s range will appeal to those who want to downgrade their spend but not their routine.
So, as I only got samples on Tuesday this is very much a top line review, although I love the immediacy of a cleanser – it either cleans well or it doesn’t! So, I’ll start there – Butterclean is a light balm; if you like a very thick and unctuous texture it’s not for you but if you like a texture that feels airy and that the oil has only just turned to balm, it is definitely for you. Actually, I was impressed with this – I love a cleansing balm – because it really did take off all of my make up and that includes mascara. It was so easy to massage in and no bother whatsoever to take off. Key ingredients are caprylic/capric triglyceride (coconut oil and glycerin combined usually), squalane, safflower oil, hyaluronic acid and propanediol (moisturising). It’s £15 HERE. Next up is Clean Sheet, a morning cleanser. I have to be honest and say the times I can be bothered to cleanse in the morning I can count on one hand but everyone’s routine is personal to them – Clean Sheet is a gel to milk wash-off containing oat amino acids, fruit enzymes, vitamin E, glycerin and hyaluronic acid. I’d like to say I’m a convert because this did leave my skin feeling very silky and soft as well as clean, and a good base on which to add SPF/moisturiser/serum or whatever is next, I probably will remain full of good intentions when it comes to morning skin care. It’s £10 HERE which feels like an absolute bargain (and you don’t have to use it in the morning – you can use it whenever you like!).
Cream Drench (wearing it right now) is pretty much an any time moisturiser – day or night – because it’s not to heavy for day and yet still does a good moisture saturation over night. I can’t pinpoint the fragrance exactly but like the other products, there’s something a bit ‘clean washing’ about it and I really like it. If you can’t tolerate fragrance, then this range isn’t for you and likewise if you don’t get along with hyaluronic. I’m fine with both so I have no issues. At £14 HERE I don’t think you’ll be disappointed – key ingredients are squalane, hyaluronic, niacinamide, glycerin and ceramides. It’s what I’d recommend as a starting point along with the balm if you’re interested in exploring this range.
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Placid is an AHA/BHA acid exfoliant – if you use Pixi Tonic or similar this is on the same track. These tonics do make a difference to the skin both in terms of look and feel. Again, this is so topline for this product but the acids are salicylic, tranexamic, glycolic and malic, with a side order of propanediol, glycerin and hyaluronic. I wanted to say that I’d recommend more for oily skin but really, I think it’s for all skin types because the ingredient balance is there. Placid is HERE and it’s £14. The final product is Must-C – a daily serum that I haven’t tried yet – I want a bit more time with it. I know there is also a gel moisturiser on its way.
Can you tell I’ve discovered glue dots? Expect many things stuck interestingly to other things :-). The upshot for this range – and quick disclaimer which I think you already know that Sali is a friend and colleague – is that it is a more than decent skin care line based on thorough ingredients that will do the job they’re designed for without the flashy extras or breaking the bank. It’s not awash with claims, doesn’t mention age (that I can find), isn’t trying to greenwash or over-promise… in fact, it’s very much as though marketing was not allowed anywhere near it! The product collection is really very straightforward – and is for anyone and everyone with only a couple of caveats as mentioned (fragrance, hyaluronic) – and you can easily dip in and out or mix and match with your existing skin care.
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All products are sent to me as samples from brands and agencies unless otherwise stated. Affiliate links may be used. Posts are not affiliate driven.
14 comments
Thanks so much Jane for this review
I’ve read your blog for years and bits like “Expect many things stuck interestingly to other things :-)” are a typical example of why I enjoy your writing style as well as your content.
Bonjour from Paris 🙂
Merci Melissa and thank you for reading! Glue dots are life changing!
Oui! My sentiment exactly!(c) 🙂
Thank you for reviewing this range, Jane. I’ve been very curious about it, because it seems to be right in the ‘sweet spot’ in terms of both cost and formulation. I will have to give it a try, though I may wait until the gel moisturiser comes out, as I think that will suit my skin type. The acid toner and the serum sound very interesting as well. I’d like to hear more about those!
Yes I will get to them – I might wait til the gel comes out and then do all three. x
In her Guardian column in February 2021 Sali Hughes was deducting points for the use of fragrance in Fenty skincare – she doesn’t mind it but knows some consumers do. I am continually amazed that the hypocrisy doesn’t matter if that someone is making money out of doing the same thing.
If this range isn’t for you that’s fair enough but this is not the place for personal comments.
I see where you are coming from, Sali has said however that the fragrance in this range is not essential oil based but is synthetic which (perhaps counterintuitively) is much less of an issue with irritation, so may be why she used it, in a way that she didn’t feel compromised her preferences.
She addressed it in her Insta launch video.
I do think it’s one place where a compromise may have been made to increase marketability, fair enough as sales have to be made, and the majority presumably prefer the experience of scented skin care.
Jane, I wasn’t being personal I was just saying that it’s no good saying your deducting points in a review for doing something and then doing exactly the same thing 16 months later when involved in a product. Why not try to take the fragrance out of the product?
It’s not being personal when a reader distinctly remembers that Sali said that about fragrance in the first line of a review, as I remember thinking at the time hooray for someone prepared to say that and I’m sorry you think it was.
I don’t know any of the inner workings of these particular products and I don’t follow Sali’s columns closely enough to remember that far back but from personal experience, when you make a product with a partner, everyone’s views have to be taken into consideration and there will inevitably be compromises on both sides. It feels personal because at my end it seems you are holding Sali to account here on my site for something she wrote elsewhere that I have no knowledge of and I just don’t think it is the place to do that. So, I hope we both understand each other’s perspectives a little better now – I always appreciate your comments here Lesley and am grateful for the time you take to make them.
I understood, after reading Sali’s Guardian column that it would be available in Superdrug , is this the case? Also does the day moisturiser have an SPF?
I believe so yes and no, it doesn’t.
Wow, that’s a lovely news! Thank you, Jane! My skincare routine is (no, not a havoc) a crazy fusion of all price levels and when it comes to basics I welcome budget finds with open arms (somehow easier for me to justify higher price for eye serum than thing-y you immediately wash off… logic IS there… somewhere…). Success with glue dots, I always expect fun and a good smile/laugh with you!
I think you’re right – you can juggle your routine budget-wise as long as it suits your skin nicely. Thank you Anna – I will continue to stick things :-))