Recently I made a "5 out 1 in" rule for my beauty products, where for every 5 items I use up or throw out I'm allowed to buy 1 new product (it started off as 3 out 1 in but that wasn't getting through my stash fast enough). It's absolutely necessary as I have far too much stuff :P and here's one of the contributing reasons.
KORA Organics is an Australian line of organic skincare by one of the Victoria's Secret supermodels, Miranda Kerr. Miranda wanted to create a range of organic products with ingredients she loves and uses, so after 3 years of development KORA was born. The products contain "antioxidant rich noni juice, essential fatty acids, various herbal extracts, essential oils and vitamins A, C, and E" and are designed to "nourish, replenish and re-hydrate the skin."
Of course, all products are free from parabens, sulfates, synthetic colors & fragrances etc. There are also different products targeted at different skin types.
KORA's web store is in Australian Dollars, and international shipping costs AU $30. My order arrived in the UK very quickly via DHL complete with customs charges, though at least DHL's extra handling fees were far more reasonable than some other courier companies.
Anyway, this is what I picked up - I really like the turquoise packaging too!
From left to right
A sample size of Smoothing Day & Night Cream
Tinted Day Care Cream
Soothing Day & Night Cream
Balancing Rose Mist
Foaming Cleanser
Daily Hand Cream Treatment
Organic Rich Body Lotion
I've since used these products for more than a couple of months and therefore feel I can accurately review whether or not they have worked on me.
Foaming Cleanser
125ml (oily/combination skin)
My skin can sometimes get a little oily in the tzone area, though it's not so bad right now. This soap free cleanser smells wonderful but doesn't lather up too well whether I use fingers or my Clarisonic. It's not great at removing makeup but when used after Fancl Cleansing Oil it leaves my skin squeaky clean and comfortable.
A good cleanser overall but in my opinion it's nothing particularly special, and not worth its AU $44.95 price tag. I prefer boscia Clear Complexion Cleanser, which does a better job of calming my skin when I get the odd breakout.
I also don't like its pump as one full pump dispenses too much product, and you only need about 1/3 of the amount.
Balancing Rose Mist
100ml for all skin types
Currently one of my staple products! It contains organic rose, jasmine, noni and hibiscus to provide the skin with antioxidant protection and supports the skin's collagen production.
Its smell is a little similar to MAC Fix+ Rose, but in comparison MAC's mist smells a little synthetic/plastic. The MAC mist smell fades away very quickly (a good thing) but this KORA mist leaves behind a lovely rose jasmine scent that's not at all overpowering. It feels very soothing on my skin, and I like to spritz my face with it after cleansing (and before moisturizer) to feed my skin some extra nutrients, and sometimes during the day for a quick perk me up.
Soothing Day & Night Cream
60ml (sensitive/normal skin)
Like the other KORA products, I adore the natural fresh smell of this moisturizer. The texture is light & easy to spread but very hydrating. Used after the Balancing Rose Mist it leaves my skin soft, dewy, and nourished. Since I've been using this cream, the occasional dry patches I used to get on my cheeks have more or less disappeared, and it also made my skin tone look a little more even :D
As the name implies you can use this moisturizer either during the day or at night. It absorbs quickly and is not at all sticky unlike some moisturizers, so I don't have to wait for too long before applying sun cream or makeup. I most probably will repurchase this unless I find something better.
Tinted Day Care Cream
"Suitable for all skin types, effective light coverage & replaces the need for foundation."
While it may be suitable for all skin types, it is not suitable for all skin tones and definitely cannot replace the need for foundation if it is a complete mismatch. This is way too dark on me even if applied sparingly that I look unnaturally orange, and it also gives my skin a slight dull grey cast. It's also not waterproof and the color rinses away easily with water.
Actual product
Rubbed into my arm
The Tinted Day Care Cream contains UVA protection, but if I wanted to wear it I would need to mix about 90% moisturizer with 10% of this cream, which defeats the point because when used in such tiny amounts, I'm not convinced there will be any UVA protection at all.
On its own it is too sheer to be used as foundation, too dark as a standalone moisturizer for me and somewhat pointless to mix with a moisturizer - unnecessary effort when I'm just going to slap on sun block after. But since I have it, I may as well mix it with moisturizer to use it up...
If you find this to be a decent match for your skin you may like it, but it gets a thumbs down from me.
Daily Hand Cream Treatment
When I was little I was bit of a nail biter and, to make up for the years of bad hand treatment, I now try to use hand cream daily. However as I use the keyboard and my iPad a lot, it's important that hand creams cannot be too oily because I can't stand leaving a trail of oily marks.
This hand cream is rich, but it absorbs very quickly and I only need to use a pea sized amount for both hands to keep them soft. Like the rest of the KORA range the smell is divine ♥ and I'm always sniffing my hands after using the hand cream.
Definitely repurchase worthy but this big tube will last ages, so it won't be for a while!
Organic Rich Body Lotion
Unlike some body moisturizers I own, this is very rich, non sticky and absorbs very quickly. 200ml isn't a big size for a body cream but its rich consistency means I only need to spread out a small blob, otherwise it leaves streaky cream marks indicating it's not fully absorbed. Again the smell is gorgeous and this keeps my skin soft, smooth and lightly scented.
The only downside is it doesn't contain any SPF, therefore it doesn't quite top Juice Beauty Green Apple SPF 20 Antioxidant Body Moisturizer which offers both UVA and UVB protection. It's more nourishing than Juice Beauty though, and better for drier areas.
Overall I really like most of the KORA products, they use great quality ingredients, look after my skin and smell great! Prices are reasonable but when importing from the UK you need to take into account the AU $30 shipping charge + 20% tax on top, which make the products a little more expensive.
