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Primavera - Natural Balance
Who and what are Natural Balance?
This is a little confusing, but bear with us -- it's worth it. Natural Balance is a range of organic face-care products from Primavera. Primavera are one of the first Demeter-certified companies -- meaning that their products are certified as organic and biodynamic.
Primavera make two ranges of organic face-care products: Natural Balance, for mature and dry skin, and Aroma Face Care, an everyday range of moisturisers. Primavera also produce body-care products, and aromatherapy oils.
Primavera trivia no 1: Primavera means "spring" in Italian. The Primavera brand is named after a fresco of Primavera, the Goddess of Spring, housed in Villa Arianna in Stabiae, Italy.
Primavera trivia no 2: Primavera's parent company in the UK are Pravera, who also distribute Good Spa Guide favourites Lavera.
They Say:
"Natural Balance Face Care -- for dry, maturing skin or for those interested in preserving youthful beauty. A true innovation in organic skin care"
We Say:
"As the name suggests, Natural Balance's brand focus is on contents and ingredients rather than aesthetics. If you can look past the dated packaging, you'll discover organic treats aplenty"
Natural Balance products - What have we tried?
Natural Balance - Balancing Toning Mist 100ml, RRP £18.00
Sweet Spy:
My first impressions on receiving Natural Balance's Balancing Toning Mist weren't great. The packaging leaves a bit to be desired, looking less "decadent spa product", and more "picked it up in a health-food shop in the mid-nineties". I know that we shouldn't judge books by covers, but if I am paying £18 for a toner, I'd like it to look a little bit special when I get it out of my handbag!
But I don't mind a product looking less than luxurious if it feels good. And this Toning Mist does feel good. It made me feel fresh and lovely on otherwise sweaty sunny days, thanks to the combination of Orange Blossom, Rose and Rose Geranium plant waters, with Green Tea and Witch Hazel extract.
The mist was light enough to reapply throughout the day whenever I needed to freshen up a bit, and has a mild -- but lovely -- scent. I applied it throughout the day without feeling that I had stripped any moisture from my skin and, with regular use, my skin certainly felt softer. I like to think the mist helped combat my pregnant skin's tantrums, too. The witch hazel really helped to calm down any irritated areas.
In short, this is a fabulous product in not-so-fabulous packaging. I used every last drop -- and a plus side of the straightforward packaging is that this was actually possible. The spray dispenser was practical and didn't leave me struggling to use up the product, as sometimes happens.
I'd like some more.
Natural Balance Hydrating Mask 50ml, RRP £27.00
Salubrious Spy:
The packaging -- an off-white tube with olive, terracotta and mustard coloured German and English text -- is quite unassuming. It's a far cry from the simple, striking packaging of many of today's leading cosmetic brands. The Hydrating Mask itself is a rather worthy taupe colour with a worthy, earthy scent to match.
I followed the instructions enclosed in the box, and spread the runny-ish paste over my face and neck. I have combination skin which has been going through a bit of a bad patch, so I was looking forward to seeing the results. I left the mask on for the required 15 minutes and it was almost dry by the time I removed it with a wet face-cloth. I was pleased to find that the mask hadn't made my skin feel taut, as some do, and my face felt fresh and smoother than before. The following day, my skin felt even better: the mask zapped my spots but moisturised the rest of my skin.
Natural Balance Hydrating mask may not be the sexiest product on the shelf but it does work well, particularly on dry skin. I've had consistently good results with this mask, so I'll happily put any aesthetic or aromatic reservations aside in the name of better skin!
Natural Balance Ultra-rich Energizing Seed Oil Capsules 30 capsules, RRP £49.00
Sensitive Spy:
A blend of organic jojoba, grape seed, pomegranate seed, rose, sea buckthorn, and wild carrot oils, packaged in "single serving" plastic capsules. The capsules reside in a sturdy glass jar, which in turn is housed in a cardboard outer. You take out a clear plastic capsule, tear off the top, and squeeze out the oil. Every time I negotiated my way through this fiesta of packaging, and threw another empty capsule in the bin, it felt like I was hammering another nail into the planet's coffin. Although I do admit that the capsules would be very handy if you're travelling: easy to pack and hard to spill.
The Seed Oil blend is very rich and thick. The dark, orange-coloured oil didn't immediately sink into my skin, and it left my skin feeling a little sticky. I ended up using the oil as a night-time skin boost, rather than for daytime use. It's a very effective moisturiser, which left my skin feeling smooth and glowing.
I thought that there was slightly too little oil in each capsule (0.1 fluid ounces, if you're a fan of weights and measures). I could just about work this amount over my face but I would have liked more, so I could treat my neck as well. It felt like being presented with a meanly-portioned delicious dessert; one wasn't quite enough, but two would have just been greedy.
Natural Balance Hydrating Face Cream 30ml, RRP £32.99
Salubrious Spy:
Again, the packaging is rather underwhelming. It looks rather dated. The card box reminded me of textured wallpaper. The box contained a frosted glass jar and a miniature boomerang-shaped spatula. The instructions were in German so I was unclear as to the purpose of this tool. I guessed it was to avoid contamination of the natural ingredients.
The thick yellowish Face Cream had a very "natural" aroma which didn't compel me to smother it all over my face -- but I'd been impressed by the mask so was keen to see what results the moisturiser would deliver. First result: more room in the bed. My partner was less than keen on the "medicinal" smell. To me, it had more of a woody smell. It's not entirely unpleasant but a little too earthy for a luxury product.
I used the moisturiser at night (it was just too rich for day-time use for my skin type) and it worked quite well. No dryness and no unusual eruptions or rashes. However, I'm not sure it worked better than the next cream for me, so, combined with my reservations about the scent, I decided that this is not the moisturiser for me.
Verdict: A decent enough moisturiser if you like the smell.
Where can I buy Natural Balance products?
* The Primavera website
See also:
* Spas where you can have certified organic treatments
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