SKINCARE | Live Clean Fresh Face Routine - From Cleanser to Night Cream and All the Steps in Between!

I am always wary of blogs that seemingly go through a ton of skincare when we all know that it takes at least 2 weeks to comfortably get acquainted with the products and ideally 4-6 weeks to really know if the products are really working for you. Though I have reviewed what I feel to be quite a bit of skincare in the last few months, many of the reviews are from last year as I take awhile to compile my thoughts. I make a ton of notes along the way because I know I will forget so let's go back to last year shall we?

Live Clean is more well-known in my life for haircare and hand soap, but little did I know that they also had a skincare line called the Fresh Face Collection. This collection contains the Botanical Orchid-C Complex - featuring orchid extract, vitamin C and a minimum of 98% plant-based ingredients. I started using the complete Live Clean routine for the month of April 2015 and then picked it up again at the end of June for another 6 weeks of use. My routine consisted of the: Foaming Daily Cleanser*, Refreshing Facial Toner*, Repairing Eye Cream*, Glowing Daily Serum*, Soothing Daily Moisturizer*, Nourishing Night Cream* and the Smoothing Facial Scrub*.

I had a hell of a time trying to find ANY information about the specific orchid flower extract used in the Botanical Orchid-C Complex (Cycnoches cooperi) with regards to skin. I DID find myself in some fairly obscure orchid forums, but all I was able to conclude was that orchid flower extract is an antioxidant and humectant (draws in and holds moisture). This extract is the second ingredient in the entire routine with the exception of the eye cream where it was the ninth.I also love that there is lavender extract so close to the top of the ingredients list for all the products because it is one of my favourite scents and essential oils. Though I know Paula Begoun would beg to differ, lavender is known to be an anti-bacterial agent and aid in healing. This is a a really great article about the pros and cons of topical lavender extract application. 

The Foaming Daily Cleanser was nothing too special for me and oddly enough had a strong scent that I did not appreciate. While it cleaned my face, this cleanser is not intended for use on the eyes and if you try, it will sting! The foaming action (via coconut oil) is also pretty satisfying for those who equate lather to efficacy. Your skin will feel VERY clean!

The Refreshing Facial Toner smelled incredibly refreshing and clean. Along with lavender extract is cucumber extract, so there is quite a bit of soothing action happening. I actually may transfer the toner into a spray bottle because I love the idea of having this at work as a pick-me-up.

The Repairing Eye Cream promises to reduce the appearance of fine lines, moisturize and reduce puffiness around the eyes. This is a great entry level eye cream for someone younger looking to give their under eye area a bit of extra TLC. Though there are some great ingredients in this eye cream, the hyaluronic acid is close to the end of the ingredients list and someone with mature skin may want an eye cream with peptides or ingredients that pack more of a punch. Consistency was fairly light making it wonderful for application prior to makeup.

Serums should be the most potent step in any skincare routine. Here, the ingredients are present in the highest concentrations and where most skincare issues can be addressed. The Glowing Daily Serum had a wonderfully light, creamy consistency and is again what I would consider an entry level serum as the ingredients are fairly similar to the eye cream and moisturizer and contain no real "actives" (though the orchid flower extract could be something if I could found more information). The consistency was really my favourite part as my ideal serum would be a cross between a cream and water which is exactly this. It absorbs quickly, but is in no way tacky.

The Soothing Daily Moisturizer I liked! Firstly, let's talk about MASSIVE this moisturizer is! Usually, moisturizers come in 50mL sizes while this one is a whopping 150mL! In fact, every product in this line comes in family size proportions! I think if I were using an intense serum, this moisturizer does the trick. It is hydrating without making my skin feel oily and absorbs reasonably quickly. The other cool thing about this moisturizer is that there are safflower oleosomes in it which means that moisture is slowly provided throughout the day. It's a wonderful plant-based technology that a few moisturizers and even hair and makeup products have!

The Nourishing Night Cream is incredibly thick and feels like a moisture mask. If you have majorly dry skin, this night cream will quench parched skin like nobody's business!

I am a bit of an exfoliant fiend so I have to be careful how much and how rough I am with facial scrubs. The Smoothing Facial Scrub uses finely ground corn cob as a physical exfoliator and is actually pretty intense! You can see that the scrub is quite dense so don't rub too hard and don't use this more than 3x per week! My husband actually really liked this for his beard area because it helped with in-growns from shaving.

Final verdict: There were some hits and misses for me in the whole routine, but if you are someone who is looking for more plant-based and natural ingredients without having to break the bank, the Fresh Face collection is both a great starting point for a skincare newbie and for someone wanting a "cleaner" skincare routine. The products are affordable with prices ranging from $10-$22 and can be easily found at most drugstores and at online retailers like Well.ca. Though I may skip the cleanser and the serum in favour of one that has peptides, the rest of the line is solid and one that I would recommend especially if you need to go back to basics and let your skin detox for a bit.

Live Clean is available at Walmart, Target, Shoppers Drug Mart, Rexall, Pharmasave and Overwaitea.