Sephora recently launched their own brand of skincare. Their mission was to create a line that was easy to use, free of parabens, sulfates and phthalates, yet be very effective. Each formula in the line contains HydroSenn+, a powerful plant derived hydrator that is suitable for all skin types. When we received samples, our new editor, Yona, jumped at the chance to try them.

Check out Yona’s in depth review below.

SEPHORA SUPREME CLEANSING FOAM

Another in the new, well-priced Sephora skin care line, this light, foamy cleanser ($15) is paraben-free, and is designed for use on all sorts of make-up, including eye make-up, even the water proof variety.

Although the directions said to use it on dry skin, I used it in the shower, which is where I like to take off my make-up and cleanse my skin. I liked the foamy, fluffy texture, and felt it did a good job cleaning my skin without drying it out. But I did not feel it did an exceptional job removing eye make-up, always a tougher task in the clean-up department. I ended up with smear of the day’s eye pencil below my eyes, and traces of shadow still on my eyes; the product did not get everything. So in subsequent uses, I applied a targeted eye-make-up remover first and then the Sephora Cleansing Foam did an excellent job of dealing with the residue.

SEPHORA DOUBLE DUTY EXFOLIATOR AND MASK

When I first squeezed this exfoliator/mask onto my skin, I was skeptical. It was very coarse and grainy when I applied it, and I was not keen to leave it on my face for the five minutes indicated in the directions. But in the spirit of experimentation, I set the timer and let the product do its thing. Interestingly enough, in the mere space of those five minutes, the product had both dried and seemingly been absorbed into my skin; it now was a thin white layer, hardly grainy at all.

I washed it off in the shower and found that it came off easily; some scrubs are tough to remove, and you feel the grit hours later. Not this one. Even better was how it left my skin: impossibly silky and smooth, with none of that typical dryness associated with scrubs of this kind. I almost felt I could skip the moisturizer. (Though I didn’t.)

The next day, my skin felt and looked great. Sephora recommends using the product once a week. Sold! I plan to make it part of my regular skin care regime.

SEPHORA INSTANT DEPUFFING ROLL-ON GEL

I suffer from puffy eyes most mornings, and so I am forever hunting for new products to deal with the problem. I had high hopes for Sephora’s new roll-on gel; unlike some of the other roll-ons I have tried, this one boasts three small metal balls rather than a single large one. The tri-part structure seemed well-suited to giving a better, more thorough massage to the delicate under eye area and this in fact was true—it felt great when it was rolled on. Also, the gel felt cool and smooth when applied—a real a.m. pick-me-up, even before the coffee.

But alas, the results were less than I had hoped for. I did not find the gel had any effect on those pesky, morning puffs. Even several minutes later, the area looked the same as it had before the product had been applied. I was disappointed because the gel felt so good going on; I wanted it to perform well too. Unfortunately, this was not the case.

SEPHORA INSTANT MOISTURIZER

I am forever on the look out for the perfect moisturizer; it’s a kind of quest, like the search for the perfect red lipstick. So while I approach every new product with a mixture of hope and skepticism, I must say I was very pleased with Sephora’s newly introduced Instant Moisturizer.

This is a product designed to be used day/night, but since I always use a cream with a high SPF during the day, I used it only at night, for several nights running. I loved this product! The smell is light, fresh and vaguely sugary; the texture is whipped and creamy. I felt like I was putting marshmallow fluff on my skin, which in my view is not a bad thing at all.

But smell and texture, though yummy, are not everything. What I liked even more was the excellent absorption of this cream. Many creams that look/feel/smell good seem like they are not penetrating at all. In the morning, you wake up with a layer of cream on your face, virtually intact from the application the night before. Not so with this cream. It was almost entirely absorbed in the morning, and best of all, my skin felt fresh, dewy and younger, all significant benefits.

I also want to say a word about price. Sephora’s Instant Moisturizer costs a very modest $20. If you are at all familiar with the world of moisturizers, you’ll know this is nothing! Even products sold at mass market retailers like Rite Aid, Duane Reade and CVS can cost anywhere between $50-$75. And high end brands like La Mer go for $250 a pop. I cannot vouch for the results offered by such expensive creams because I have not used them. But I cannot imagine a better cream than the Sephora Instant Moisturizer, and its cost is a mere fraction of the others.

Sephora Instant Moisturizer is my new go-to cream; it’s on my must-have list. Now if I could only I could find that perfect red lipstick, I’d be set!

So tell us, will you be hauling home this skincare line when you make your next trip to Sephora? Leave a comment below to be added to our weekly newsletter. You will get tons of chances to win free skincare samples.

– Yona McDonough

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