24 Mar 2015

beauty spotlight on: ren


Ren is a skincare brand that plays a large part in my beauty life and with this blog being lifestyle in nature, I thought it'd be appropriate to share why I love and use this brand so much after six months.

My first foray into Ren was the Rosa Centifolia Hot Cloth Cleanser and you can read about my thoughts on it here. At this point, I did a bit more research into the brand and found that they pride themselves on being a natural skincare company with all products containing '100% plant and mineral derived actives' and are 'free of skin-unfriendly synthetic ingredients'. This is attractive to me as I've struggled with my skin for quite a number of years - blemishes pop up more often than I would like and my skin is ridiculously oily. It never occurred to me that using harsh products in an effort to combat these two problems may just be making things worse so I decided to try things that consisted of natural ingredients instead.

Pleased with the results of the Rosa Centifolia Hot Cloth Cleanser, I decided to try out the Clearcalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser and Clarimatte Invisible Pores Detox Mask as Ren had a 20% discount on the Clarimatte range. These are two other products that have been hyped a lot on beauty blogs by people who seemed to have a similar skin type to myself.

So first up, the Clearcalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser. I first started using it because I had broken out on my chin and nose and there was considerable redness in these areas. After using this cleanser once a day before bed, I noticed that the redness and breakouts disappeared on day two. However, there were consequences of using clay - a well-known extractor of impurities - as two under-the-skin cystic spots appeared: one on day three and one on day five (by which time, the first one had disappeared). Over time, the number of spots popping up have diminished though.

Included in the order, I received sample sizes of the Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask and the Micro Polish Cleanser as I have a fair few scars from some blemishes in the past. I used the mask once a week and the cleanser once every three days instead of the Clearcalm Clay Cleanser mentioned earlier in this post. Neither of these products broke me out and my skin was quite red immediately after using them so I recommend using them in the evening as opposed to in the morning. Waking up the next day, my skin was visibly clearer and brighter and after a few weeks of use, the scars are already fading. Yep - scars that have been there for months and years are now fading!


The sample sizes of the Micro Polish Cleanser and Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask were so good, I ended up purchasing them in full-size once they were finished and using these products in synergy appear to be having a positive effect on my skin in that the number of blemishes have decreased enough for me to keep using Ren. It is enough for me to think about what I'm slathering on my skin and I am now trying to ensure that I only use natural products as and when my budget allows!

Do you have a skincare brand that you are loyal to? Or a routine that you won't ever change?

5 comments

  1. Hello! I don't really have much of a routine at all at the moment beyond Simple moisturiser, Palmolive soap and a flannel. I've noticed that stress is a significant factor in the condition of my skin, and as it's been a concern of mine for nearly 13 years now, I try my best to keep calm(er) to avoid mass breakouts. Unfortunately, I also have horribly oily skin, something I can't seem to tackle at all. I'm thinking of changing the soap and moisturiser combination I currently use to something less harsh (the soap can be drying, and Simple use oils in their moisturiser). Have you found this range to help with oily skin at all?
    Thank you!

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    1. I agree with your point about stress - I'm exactly the same. I think diet contributes to the state of my skin too! Ren has definitely helped me a bit with my oily skin and when used in combination with Pixi Glow Tonic and La Roche Posay Effaclar K, it seems to be better. My skin used to be super shiny by about 12pm but now, it gets that way at about 3pm (or earlier depending on what the room I'm in is like!) x

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  2. I love Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish. I have oily skin but don't tend to blemishes now I'm past the menopause (used to have regular monthly breakouts!). I use whatever cheap moisturiser I can get my hands on!

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    1. Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish broke me out - I got huge cystic spots with it so I ceased using it :( x

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  3. I love Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish. I have oily skin but don't tend to blemishes now I'm past the menopause (used to have regular monthly breakouts!). I use whatever cheap moisturiser I can get my hands on!

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