Graydon Skincare might sounds familiar to some of you who recently read my blog. My first product from the brand is the wonderfully luxurious SuperFood Serum which I reviewed here. This local Canadian brand has such a refreshing approach towards skincare and its products are literally food for your skin. Their products are nuts, gluten and cruelty-free with most are also vegan and organic. 
With Autumn having fully arrived on my side of Canada, I have been loving two of their newly updated bestsellers; Aloe Milk Cleanser* (now contains niacinamide) and Berry Rich Cream* (contains blue-green algae aka Blue Majik which is rich with amino acids, vitamins and minerals). Both are brilliantly nourishing, hydrating and soothing and after testing both for more than a month, let’s delve into what made both superb in my book. To say I am in love with Aloe Milk Cleanser would be an understatement, this cleanser is a permanent staple as my morning cleanse for the past 5 weeks. It’s a traditional cream cleanser that doesn’t emulsify and the texture is a rich, thick cream that is easy to massage onto damp skin. It does have a very faint fresh and fruity scent to it which I thoroughly enjoy but be warned if you are extremely sensitive to smell. On the website it is stated that the cleanser has a pH value of 4.5 – 5.5 which is close to our skin’s pH level, however, I don’t own a pH strip to verify the claim. 
Ingredients: Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, *Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, *Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, *Glyceryl Stearate, *Coco-Caprylate, *Sodium Olivoyl Glutamate, *Cetearyl Alcohol, *Cetyl Alcohol, *Stearyl Alcohol, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Niacinamide, Coco-Betaine, Glycerin, **Phenethyl Alcohol, **Pentylene Glycol, **Propanediol, *Lauryl Glucoside, *Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Tocopherol, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Peel Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Limonene, Citronellol, Geraniol I have been using this cleanser 4-5 times a week in the morning; two pumps onto wet skin, massage for a minute and then rinse with a washcloth. Sometimes I leave it on for 5 minutes as a quick hydrating mask in the morning especially when my skin is looking tired. Over time with regular usage, I’ve noticed my skin looking fresher, more radiant and the redness around my nose have substantially subsided. Despite the much colder temperature, my skin is healthy without any dryness insight and I believe regular usage of this cleanser has a lot to do with it. I must admit that it wasn’t loved at first use with Berry Rich Cream, actually, it wasn’t loved at the first week of usage. The texture is a thick and creamy cream and I find it to be heavier and harder to spread onto the skin than all my other moisturizers. Despite the heaviness, it surprisingly absorbs very quickly and feels lightweight on the skin. This is an interesting one for sure. Another thing to note is this cream has a faint, berry scent to it which I adore but not everyone is a fan of fruity smell in their skincare. 
Ingredients: Arthrospira Platensis Extract, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, *Phenethyl Alcohol, *Pentylene Glycol, *Propanediol, Vaccinium Corymbosum (Blueberry) Seed Oil, Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, Algin, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Triethyl Citrate, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Extract, Ananas Sativus (Pineapple) Fruit Extract, Coffea Arabica (Coffee) Leaf/Seed Extract, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Fruit Extract, Jasminum Officinale (Jasmine) Flower/Leaf Extract, Musa Sapientum (Banana) Fruit Extract, Cucumis Melo Cantalupensis Fruit Extract, Cinnamomum Zeylanicum Bark Extract, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Limonene, Linalool, Citral I reserved it only for the evenings due to its heaviness (also the reason why I don’t use it as an eye cream, I find it too heavy for the eye area) and in week two, I finally found the best way to use it. I discovered this is best used on top of a retinol or an exfoliating serum; cleanser, toner, serum and then this. Forget the multiple 500 steps of layering, this moisturizer is pretty much all I need to hydrate, nourish, brighten and repair the skin. 
The combination of retinol/exfoliating serum and Berry Rich Cream guarantee that I wake up to the softest, smoothest and brightest skin the very next morning. After using it 4 times a week for 5 weeks, needless to say, my skin is in one of its best conditions especially after spending so much time outdoors this Summer. My fine lines are softened, my skin is hydrated and fresh and my multiple hyperpigmentations are starting to fade. I also have to dedicate a whole section on Graydon‘s brilliant choice of packaging for both products. The products are housed in an opaque, airless pump bottle to protect the active ingredients from deteriorating and also increases shelf life so customers will get the freshest quality and the best results. The bottles are made out of plastic but they are easy to disassemble, rinsed and then recycled. I love that the company put a lot of thoughts into every single little detail. Graydon Skincare is fast becoming one of my favourite luxury skincare brands. Yes, the price might be a touch high but I know I am getting the highest quality products for my skin and I am not paying a huge fraction for a brand name. Are you familiar with Graydon Skincare? *Gifted but my thoughts and opinions are 100% unbiased, honest and my own. There is no place for any sort of BS here.
