Review : Good Things Skincare

My skin is a bit temperamental, and I'm forever switching up my skincare routine to find the best products for me. I've been interested in the Good Things range since I first heard about it, but was always put off by the fact that it was aimed at 'young skin'. Then I thought, at 26 I'm hardly ancient, so I caved and got some things to try out. I bought mine from Boots, and I believe it is exclusive to there - though please do correct me if I'm wrong!

The creator of Good Things is award-winning beauty journalist, Alice Hart-Davis, so with her experience, it would really seem that she knows what she's doing! Good Things prides itself on the fact that it is free from parabens, mineral oils, animal ingredients and sodium laureth sulphates, and everything has got the 'Free From' stamp to prove it.

They've released a good range of cleansers and creams, with specialist products like eye creams and spot treatments thrown in for good measure, and the brand also caters for oily/breakout/blemish-prone skin types too, as indictaed by the light lavender coloured packaging. The packaging is consistent across the brand - everything has the same pretty, swirly logos, and I think it all looks so cute lined up on my bathroom shelf, so it is aesthetically pleasing too. Everything contains a superfruit extract so not only do they smell delicious, they supposedly work wonders on your skin, and if you want to find out more about what the super-ingredients do, check the Good Things website here. So with all that, does the Good Things brand sound like too much of a good thing to be true?

Fresh Start Creamy Cleanser with Grape & Pomegranate

Good Things Say : A gentle creamy cleanser enriched with moisturising mango-seed oil to clean delicate young skin thoroughly without drying it out.

I Say : My skin type is combination edging more on the dry side, particularly in colder weather, so I love using cream-based cleansers as opposed to those you wash on and off. This one is lovely and smells absolutely wonderful. It says to massage it into your skin for a minute to loosen up make up, dirt, and oils, then wipe off with a wet wash cloth, which is good because I feel really clean afterwards. It has the consistency of a smooth, thick and hydrating lotion, but it is lighter than you'd think. It's still super creamy though and a little goes a long way. It doesn't irritate my skin and there's no greasy residue or anything, so I feel quite refreshed. It isn't sticky so wipes off easily, and I'm left with clean and soft skin. It almost feels like I've rubbed in my moisturiser already because it is so creamy.

Price : £4.99 - which is a bargain! I'd have no qualms about paying this on a monthly basis if need be, but it lasts longer than that which is even better.

Would I Repurchase? : Definitely! This is my new favourite cleanser. I'm quite lazy when it comes to skincare, but I love coming home from a long day and cleansing away all the crap. It's really therapeutic - I think it's something to do with it smelling so good!

Good Clean Fun Freshening Polish with Strawberry & Cranberry

Good Things Say : Banish dead skin cells with this gentle facial polish which has exfoliating particles made from strawberry seeds and jojoba beads.

I Say : Regular readers of my blog will know that I love exfoliators, and my philosophy is the more abrasive the better. My skin can take anything, so I tend to be quite disappointed with scrubs that are too gentle. This scrub confuses me. It is gentle, yet I feel really invigorated afterwards. I love scrubs that make me feel all renewed, and this definitely ticks that box - though technically it shouldn't. It has a fairly thin gel-like texture and at first glance I was somewhat disheartened by the exfoliating particles. It seemed to have only sparse strawberry seeds, but on closer inspection I could see that the scrub was jampacked with teeny, tiny jojoba beads, meaning that every inch of your skin gets scrubbed. It doesn't feel uncomfortable to me, but I am used to scrubbing my skin raw! Seriously though, this is a gorgeous scrub, and smells (like everything else from the brand) scrum-diddly-umptious.

Price : £4.99.

Would I Repurchase? : Yep, and I think I would gladly use this in place of my beloved Lush Ocean Salt, and save that for those times when I'm a little congested.

Face The Day Moisturiser with Goji Berry & Papaya

Good Things Say : This light, hydrating lotion is easily absorbed and has UV filters for added protection.

I Say : I only bought this as it was on offer, and to be honest, I didn't really have high hopes for it. I don't know why - I think it's because my previous experience with day creams are that my skin is absolutely parched by lunchtime, and flaking away by bedtime. This one was a really nice surprise though. Like everything in the range, it smells fruity and yum, but it kind of has a funky-musky type of smell to it. The face mask has the same smell so I think it's the goji berry, but it still smells nice nevertheless. It's a nice, lightweight cream that absorbs super quickly, which is perfect for the morning rush. What surprised me most was how fresh and hydrated my skin felt and looked all day. I'm not sure whether it was the combination of the creamy cleanser and this cream, but there wasn't a scrap of flakiness during the day, which is exactly what I look for in a moisturiser. Very impressive! There's no greasy residue, but my skin does feel smooth, and it seems to provide a lovely base for make up too.

Price : £7.99 - which is great value I think. It's more expensive than most of the products in the range, but it does the job brilliantly and you don't need to use a lot, so will last a good while. It's cheaper than many other face creams on the market too.

Would I Repurchase? : Yes, I certainly would. It's a lovely, light cream. I'm yet to see how it performs in the freezing cold Winter, but it's worked brilliantly during the end of our rubbish Summer, and pretty cold and windy Autumn, so I have high hopes for it.

Dream Cream Night Cream with Fig & Avocado

Good Things Say : A light but nourishing night cream enriched with avocado oil, shea butter and fig extracts.

I Say : I use this after I've used the Creamy Cleanser, and Mr Lollipop thinks that the combination of the two products make me smell like raspberry jelly - and we've both decided that raspberry jelly is a good thing to smell of! I love, love, love this cream. It has a really thick consistency so it seems like it would be really heavy and greasy, but it actually feels quite light on my skin. Although it is a rich cream, it absorbs really quickly and nourishes my skin almost instantly, so you could use this as a daytime cream too should you wish. It's not greasy or sticky, which is something I tend to experience with other rich night creams, and the lovely soft feeling lasts all night. I wake up in the morning with glowing, soft skin that feels velvety smooth, and I can't stop running my fingers along my usually troublesome dry and flaky cheeks. This is the stand-out product from the Good Things range, and if you only buy one thing, it should be this!

Price : £8.99 - which is a little more expensive than most other products from the brand, but it is worth every single penny.

Would I Repurchase? : Definitely - I adore it and think that my quest for a bargainous night cream that actually works is finally over!

Stay Clear Purifying Cleanser with Mango & Blueberry

Good Things Say : This gentle anti-blemish cleanser is good for young skin that is prone to breakouts.

I Say : I don't suffer an awful lot from breakouts, but when I do get them, they are like little monsters on my face! I bought this to use on those occasions, and fortunately have only had to use it twice. This is probably the nicest smelling thing in the range, and if you are a fan of blueberries like me, you'll love it too. I don't like the consistency at all. Unlike the Creamy Cleanser, you use this on damp skin, so you'd imagine it to be a gel that lathers up easily. It's actually really runny and just pours out of the tube - no squeezing necessary! It also doesn't lather up a great deal. It doesn't state that it lathers, I just assume that it should, since it's like a face wash type of cleanser. It did cleanse my skin nicely though, and didn't dry it up like I expected it to. My issue with this product is that it seemed to sensitise my skin. This didn't tingle or anything when I used it, but when I applied my Dream Cream afterwards, it stung like hell and was so uncomfortable that I had to wash it off! I don't normally get a reaction to the cream, only when I used this, which is quite bizarre.

Price : £4.99.

Would I Repurchase? : No. It's not an awful product, it just obvously doesn't work with my skin type. People with oily skin would like this though, I think.

Five Minute Facial Face Mask with Avocado & Goji Berry

Good Things Say : This mask is a true multi-tasker, designed to make your skin clearer, brighter and smoother, all at the same time.

I Say : This is aimed at people with breakouts and blemish prone skin, which, as I've already said, I don't normally suffer with. I am a huge fan of Lush's Fresh Face Masks, but thought that this would be a great alternative due to it's fruity nature. This has the same funky smell as the day cream, but as I said, I think that's something to do with the goji berries. It's got a fabulous texture - really smooth and creamy, it's almost like applying a glossy cream. It smoothes across my face easily and has a lovely, cooling effect. It contains clay, so is one of those masks that dries and sets. I can feel my face tightening as it sets, but it definitely isn't uncomfortable. When it's dried it feels like silk, seriously, it feels gorgeous, and I loathe washing it off! With traditional face masks, I 'stretch' my face over the sink once I'm ready to wash it off, and it'll all flake away into the sink. Not with this one - I can stretch my face and the mask will crack, but nothing flakes off, so a big thumbs up for the lack of mess! It rinses away easily, though I do wash it off with a wash cloth. Considering it's for blemish prone skin, it doesn't dry me out at all. I do sometimes feel that the only benefits of a face mask is the opportunity to relax for 5 or 10 minutes since they make diddly-squat of a difference to my skin, but this one does make my skin look a little clearer - though it doesn't leave me feeling as moisturised as I'd like. Applying either of the creams from the range would sort that out in a jiffy though.

Price : £5.99.

Would I Repurchase? : I still prefer the Lush masks, but this is one of the nicer 'non-Lush' masks that I've tried and would gladly buy it again if it was on offer, or got fed up of the Lush ones only having a 3-week lifespan.

Overall : Everything smells absolutely delicious, and I'm a big fan of the fact that it's free from 'nasty' things. I really, really like the brand and will continue to use many products from it - namely the Fresh Start Creamy Cleanser, Dream Cream Night Cream, Face The Day Moisturiser and the Good Clean Fun Freshening Polish. Nothing I tried disapppointed me - it just didn't work with my skin type. I think this is a fantastic range though, and with everything costing less than a tenner, you really can't go wrong. I love how my skin has been looking since I started using the Good Things range, and Mr L loves the smell. He normally turns his nose away if I'm climbing into bed with a great concoction of products on, but he loves these! I would definitely urge you to try something if you haven't already!

Have you tried the Good Things range? I'm yet to try the eye cream or the spot treatment, so would love to hear your thoughts!

xoxo