One of the many perks of writing for Her Campus is the goodie box that nationals sends us once a semester. Lovingly dubbed “Survival Kits,” these boxes typically include hair and skin care products, makeup samples, and things you didn’t know you needed like KrazyGlue and Emergen-C. This semester, though, we received a survival kit which included Mary Kay’s new “Naturally” skincare line, which came with exfoliating powder, cleanser, moisturizing stick, and skin oil. I happily took one of each product, and my roommate and I tested them out on our tired skin after a long day of classes.
Exfoliating Powder (Retail $34.00):
When I first dumped some of the exfoliating powder out of the bottle into my hand, I thought it was very weird. That’s the only way I can describe it. Not only that, but the fact that I had to mix it with water and create the paste myself felt like a lot of work for a product that usually costs $34.00. However, once I got over that slight annoyance, I must say that I really liked the product while it was in use. It was a very gentle exfoliator, nothing like other scrubs I’ve used in the past that feel like they’re trying to scratch your face right off. It felt like it took off all the dead skin, rather than all of my skin. However, I did find that it was very difficult to get off of my face once it was on it, but that may have been operator error. Overall, I would use this product again, purely because of how gentle of an exfoliation it provided in comparison with other products that I’ve used.
Purifying Cleanser (Retail $26.00):
The purifying cleanser was not impressive coming out of the bottle, I have to say. It felt too watery and thin to do anything of substance. However, using the cleanser after the exfoliating powder left my face feeling so soft it was almost unbelievable. I think next time I use it though, I think I will mix the exfoliating powder with the cleanser to eliminate a step and to make both products feel more substantial than they did as a standalone product.
Moisturizing Stick (Retail $28.00):
I was so excited for this product because there are so many days that I leave my room, forgetting to moisturize and then kicking myself for it later. However, upon first use, it’s clear that this product would not really work for that. It’s a more greasy formula, great for overnight deep moisturizing, but not really for on-the-go use. That being said, I think I will slip it into my backpack and apply extremely lightly to dry patches on my hands, cheeks, and chin area where, if I forget to moisturize in the morning, my skin will flake and peel.
Nourishing Oil (Retail $48.00)
I have never used a face oil before this one, so I had no idea what to expect. I actually really liked the product, because it felt a lot lighter than I expected. It didn’t leave my face feeling nasty like I thought it would, it felt very moisturizing and generally just good on my skin. It felt like the perfect way to finish this skincare routine.
Final Thoughts:
I thought that this collection was good, but I didn’t absolutely fall in love with any of the products. I also thought it was strange that, for a collection of this caliber, the moisturizing stick was an odd choice. I would’ve appreciated a more substantial moisturizer in the form of a lotion or gel. That, for me, would’ve taken this collection to the next level.
Additionally, while I liked all of the products, I have to say that there is no way this collection is worth $136 total. I liked the way my skin felt after using it, but I would not pay more than $60 for this collection. I was not blown away by any aspect of this routine, and would only recommend it if the price were lowered severely.
I will use this collection again, but I will definitely tweak the steps and add outside products to make it the collection work and make more sense for my skin and my preferences. While it was nice to have the opportunity to try it, it wasn’t anything special to me and $136 feels like an extremely high price for this collection