Tuesday, August 14, 2012

TATCHA Skin Care: First Impression + Before Pictures

Greetings from the Dark Side!

I have something very exciting and different to share with you: the TATCHA skin care line, The Ritual. I have reviewed the TATCHA blotting sheets before, and I was not aware that they have launched an entire skin care line inspired by the Japanese Geisha's ritual of skin care. I was so intrigued by the idea, specially because I love Japanese skin care. TATCHA was kind enough to send me a press sample kit of the skin care line. Here are my first impressions of this skin care as well as a little experiment I want to try to see just how well this line will work for my skin :)




The Products




The skin care line includes: the camellia cleansing oil, polishing powder, a serum, and a moisturizer. And don't forget the TATCHA blotting sheets! These are only small samples, and even then the packaging is so sleek.



They also sent me a full size of the Radiant Brightening Serum since my biggest skin concern is uneven skin tone and acne scarring.




Product Information
(from the TATCHA website)
Camellia Cleansing Oil - A beautiful blend of camellia and rice bran oils. Melts away even waterproof makeup leaving skin fresh and pure.

Ingredients -  Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Oil, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil, Algae Extract, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract

Polishing Powder (classic) -  A water-activated enzyme powder of rice bran, papaya + HADASEI-3 Bioactive Complex. Reveals skin's natural gleam.

Ingredients -  Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran, Papain (Papaya Extract), Algae Extract, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Hydrolyzed Conchiolin Protein (Pearl) 

Brightening Serum - A brightening serum of time-tested Asian botanicals + HADASEI-3 Bioactive Complex for radiant looking skin.

Ingredients -  Squalane (Olive Extract), Oryza Sativa (Rice) Germ Oil, Inositol (Rice Extract), Sericin (Silk Protein), Algae Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Zizyphus Jujuba Fruit Extract, Hydrogenated Lecithin (Soy Derivative), Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract

Anti-Aging Moisturizer - Luxurious yet weightless feeling gel-cream of liquid silk, squalane, royal jelly + HADASEI-3 Bioactive Complex. 

Ingredients - qualane (Olive extract), Oryza Sativa (Rice) Germ Oil, Inositol (Rice Derivative), Sericin (Silk Protein), Algae Extract, Thymus Serpillum (Wild Thyme) Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Royal Jelly Extract, Hydrogenated Lecithin (Soy Derivative), Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract


 First Impressions

I should start off by saying that I am not used to using such luxuriant and expensive skin care products. The first time using this line, I could tell a huuuuge difference in the way it felt because my skin is so used to drugstore products. I am not saying there is anything wrong with drugstore skin care products, but the TATCHA products are of super high quality, and my skin seems to be appreciating that. I've used these products a total of three times and I am just formulating my initial thoughts. 

MY SKIN TYPE: I have combination skin (oily nose, dry everything else) but I am acne prone and get really bad dry patches. I'd say my skin has slowly been improving this past year in terms of how many breakouts I get, but I am now left with treating all my terrible acne scars. My skin is really stubborn, and nothing really seems to help. Acne treatments dry my skin out really badly, and products for dry skin tend to break me out. Ughh...I am hoping that the TATCHA products will help my skin to balance out!

Cleansing Oil - This is the first time I try a cleansing oil, and so far I am enjoying it. The oil is very moisturizing, but it does have that super oily feeling. I used it alone to remove my foundation today and it seemed to work perfectly! So far it is feeling much better than my usual cleanser, which is a Neutrogena cleanser for acne. I am not sure how this would fair on oilier skin, but from other reviews I have read, it seems that it does not make people oilier. 

Polishing Powder - This is a really unique and quite interesting product. It is a powder that you activate with water to create a foam and use on your face to exfoliate. It is very gentle, and my skin definitely feels much smoother afterwards. I am excited to see if this will make a difference in the texture of my skin, and perhaps this will also help my acne scars.

Brightening Serum - This is my favorite product of the line so far. It is very light, refreshing, moisturizing, and illuminating. After using it, my skin feels so supple. From other reviews, people have said that this in fact has helped their scarring and hyperpigmentation. I am crossing my fingers! But none the less, it feels amazing on my skin.

Anti-Aging Moisturizer - Next to the serum, this is my next favorite product. Why? Because it is exactly what my skin needs: a very moisturizing cream that does not make my skin oily. Oddly, it not only does not make my skin oily, it actually seems to be balancing the oils of my skin. Usually, about an hour after washing my face, I have noticeable oils forming on my nose (when I don't have makeup on). The biggest thing I have noticed today (I didn't wear foundation today to see how my skin reacted to these products) is that my skin looked perfectly balanced and there was no excess oils on the pores of my nose. It is not just me, tons of reviewers with far oilier skin than me have reported the same. I hope this will be the product to help my skin be both hydrated, free of dry patches, and free of excess oil.

CONCERNS - The only concern I have so far is the price tag. I received these as samples to try out. I keep thinking that if I love these products, I will have to purchase them with my own money. I have never spent that much on skin care before, so I am very hesitant. But, I know that if they make my skin better, then it will definitely be worth the money. I can cut back from spending on makeup, and focus more on improving the quality of my skin. I only mention this because I know we all work hard to earn our money, and it can be hard to splurge so much on skin care.

Before Pictures

I am literally cringing right now. To see whether these products actually make a difference in my skin, I want to have before and after pictures. My skin is one of my biggest concerns. I am very hesitant to post these pictures because I am VERY self-conscious about my crappy skin, but it is for a good cause. 

Basically, I have tons of acne scars from years of having breakouts. This has left me with and odd skin texture. I also have some enlarged pores and what not.  The right side of my face is the side with the most scarring. My left has a lot too, but not as much as the right. Foundation covers most of my imperfections, but it is better to treat than to cover, right?

RIGHT





LEFT

My forehead has faired better. I have a few scars and one recent blemish, but it is much better than my cheek and jaw area. 


I will have an updated post in about two weeks to see how the products are working. Wish me luck!:)

For more information visit TATCHA's website at http://www.tatcha.com/



*Products shown were sent for review purposes by the brand's PR. All opinions are my own.

14 comments:

  1. These seem like great products. Can´t wait to read about how they are working.

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  2. Can't wait to see how they work for you!

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  3. Thanks so much for letting us see your skin without makeup just so you can give us a true review of these products. Good on you Nancy! Looking forward to the results! :)

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  4. Thanks so much for letting us see your skin without makeup just so you can give us a true review of these products. Good on you Nancy! Looking forward to the results! :)

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  5. Thanks so much for posting images of your skin without makeup just so you can give us a true review of these products. Good on you Nancy! Looking forward to seeing the results! :)

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  6. I feel your acne scar pain, my friend! I hope this line works out for you. Probably won't totally clear up everything in only two weeks, of course, but you could see some improvement. I've only tried a couple of cleansing oils myself, but I love them! In fact, I feel like they are simply non-sticky, non-foaming cleansers that seem to have an oil texture (but as I'm sure you've noticed, they don't sink into skin the way actual oils do, so that's probably why people with oily skin don't have issues with them). I really prefer non-foaming cleansers these days because of their non-stickiness, and I never thought I would! I used to be addicted to foaminess, heh.

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  7. I hope the serum helps your scars! I have frequent breakouts and acne scars too. I thought I found a cure for the breakouts when I started using jojoba oil...my acne was gone for a couple months, but now it's back with a vengeance. I've tried everything and I just can't get rid of the acne. I hate it.

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  8. These seem like really good products! I'm excited to hear how they work for you, because I have acne scaars too, & would love to get rid of 'em!

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  9. Thae anti-aging moisturizer looks intriguing; I'm always on the lookout for products will won't leave me looking like an oil slick. Have you tried Black Magic soap from One Hand Washes the Other? It is super affordable, and has done wonders for my adult onset acne (yay hormones!) without frying my super sensitive skin. It is a miracle in a jar ( or bar)! Here's a link with more information: http://www.ohwto.com/category_21/Cream-Jars.htm. BTW, I'm not a shill for OHWTO; just a very happy customer. :)

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  10. I use their blotting sheets. I didn't know they had a full line of skin products. Looking forward to seeing how they work for you.

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  11. Hello,

    I have been having acne for 3 years now. My skin exactly look like yours, may be worst. I too have been using tatcha products for 2 weeks now. For first week, it really worked nicely. Now I am feeling my skin has been irritated. i am using (cleansing oil & Rice Enzyme Powder) for twice a day. The redness in my face is more visible.
    I am trying to give two more weeks for this product to see if it needs time to be used to in my face. Hopefully it will work. Good luck to both of us!

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    1. If you have questions about the products, you might want to consult someone from TATCHA. From my view, it seems that maybe you are using the Rice Enzyme powder too often and it is irritating your skin. Maybe use the Rice Enzyme only once a day or even less.

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  12. Hi, Just wondering if you had an update to the Tatcha review? I have similar skin like you. Please let me know. Thank you.

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    1. Well This was quite a while ago and unfortunately I only had a sample kit not the full sized products. I did have an update 4 weeks after this post though: http://www.darksideofbeauty.com/2012/09/tatcha-skin-care-4-week-update.html
      Hope that helps!

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