Summer is here! It takes until July for summer to arrive here in Portland, so I'm looking forward to making the most of it. I hope you are enjoying a slower pace and a bit of sunshine now and then. This week I am pleased to bring you my review of Jo Malone skin care. Enjoy!

Jo Malone skin care
After our Panelist R reviewed this new line of skin care, I was intrigued and wanted to try it for myself. Since I live nowhere near a store that sells Jo Malone, R was nice enough to get me some samples, and I visited the Jo Malone website and sent an email inquiry for a few more. A few weeks later, with all my tiny bottles in hand, I was ready to start testing.

Let me preface my review by letting you know that these products are not for the bargain hunter. One little ounce of most of the treatment "specialist" products will run you $70 and up. A daily face lotion with no sun protection is $50. Why would someone want to pay this much for skin care? When you see the products or experience the way that the line presents even the samples (wrapped like a gift in understated black and beige paper and ribbon), you'll understand: this is a contemporary woman's luxury skin care line. It's not old fashioned and perfumey like someone's grandmother, and there's no over-the-top packaging in gaudy gold with showy logos. The line is designed for performance but with scents and textures that are very pleasing.

With samples in hand, my morning starts with Eucalyptus & Mint Frothing Cleansing Cream ($35 for 200ml). I started off liking this creamy foaming cleanser, and then my skin gave me a wake-up call: STOP DRYING ME OUT! Okay, okay. This is not a harsh cleanser by any stretch of the imagination, but my skin is so touchy when it comes to anything foaming. If you are super-sensitive like me, get a sample first, but for everyone else, this is a great cleanser. It has a delicious herbal scent, creamy texture, and light lather. You only need the tiniest of tiny dabs for your whole face, and you can even stretch that by using a washcloth or facial cleansing brush (I use the one from Shiseido).

When I first starting the products, I was using just my fingers to massage in the Eucalyptus & Mint Frothing Cleansing Cream, so to get a little exfoliation in the morning, I followed with Face Refining Serum ($70 for 30ml). After switching to using the cleanser with my Shiseido cleansing brush, I opted to use this serum at night instead (my skin gets very unhappy with over-exfoliation).

Face Refining Serum is part of the Specialists group of Jo Malone products. These are additives that are designed to go with whichever cleansers and moisturizers you choose. This serum has a delicious woodsy, herbal scent similar to the cleansing cream, and I'll tell you, it's really intoxicating. Some days I really wanted to use it more than once, even though my skin would hate me, simply because it smells so amazing and feels so velvety on the skin. The pamphlet I got describes it as a "plant and flower based serum" with a "unique blend of botanical extracts, including mulberry and grape seed". Since I only tried samples, I don't have an ingredient list of what's doing the smoothing, but it's at least potent enough for my skin to react if I used too much. My 5ml sample was not enough to determine any long term benefits, but just based on the softness it gave my skin, I think I would consider buying a full-size bottle.

Ordinarily, my next step would be moisturizer and/or sunscreen, but because this line has a eye gel, I made Apricot & Aloe Eye Gel ($40 for 15ml) my next layer. Of all the challenges I face with my skin, under-eye puffiness is thankfully not one of them, so I didn't notice anything remarkable around my eyes after using this product. It's extremely lightweight with a very subtle fragrance (a little herbal, a little fruity). If you tend to get puffy around the eyes, or if you like something you can pop in the fridge for a cool eye treatment, this gel is fine, but frankly I wouldn't run out and spend $40 for it.

Let's move on to the real gems of the line: the moisturizers. Jo Malone has several to choose from, and there is a Protective Lotion Daily SPF 15 Specialist that can be added to any of them for sun protection; if I get a chance to try it, I will post a review. Jojoba Day Moisturizer ($50 for 100ml) is a lightweight, basic, everyday lotion that should work well for any skin type; however, if you are very dry, you'll probably need something more, either from one of the other creams, or a Specialist like Protein Skin Serum to give it a little more oomph. I have fairly dry skin and it worked well for me during the day as long as I used something heavier at night. This lotion is practically fragrance-free, and like most of Jo Malone's products, a little goes a long way. I was able to make a tiny 7ml bottle last almost a month! I can only imagine how long the 100ml (or 250ml for $90) would last. The only thing you should add to use it during the day is a sunscreen component, either from Jo Malone's Specialist, or from your favorite brand that you would layer over the top.

I found Ginseng Day Moisturizing Cream ($45 for 50ml) to be one of the most versatile products I tried. As long as you add sunscreen for daytime use, you can really use this cream day or night. It has a soft floral/herbal scent and is rich enough for dry skin without being thick or greasy. Also, because the finish is velvety and not oily, I think this cream would work for normal, slightly dry, or dry skin. When my skin needed even more moisture, I reached for my sample of Orange & Geranium Night Cream ($60 for 50ml). I did reserve this just for nighttime use as it is quite rich and I suspect would make my makeup slide right off if I wore it during the day. Although it is very rich, if you have dry skin, it sinks right in with no greasy residue. I love its slightly floral but distinctly orange aroma.

As my final step day and night I used the Green Tea & Honey Eye Cream ($50 for 15ml). Just a small dab is enough for each eye, so again a little goes a long way. I've had my tiny 3ml sample jar for over a month and I'm maybe half way through it. It absorbs quickly and makes the eye area look smooth and fresh. I also love the honey scent - soft and floral, not sticky or sweet.

All in all, even though some of the prices are more than I would prefer to pay, I think I would buy the moisturizers and maybe the refining serum because I love the way they made my skin feel. I would also like to try the Vitamin E Gel ($90 for 30ml) and the Protein Skin Serum ($75 for 30ml), so I might try to get samples of those as well. If you are interested in Jo Malone, I would encourage you to visit the website and ask for more information about which products might be right for you.

I hope you enjoyed this issue of The Cosmetic Report!