Review: FaceWise Skincare Regime

Vegan and not tested on animals skincare products that address salicylate overload

PR Samples: FaceWise Skincare

I didn’t know salicylate overload was even a thing until these products landed on my desk.

British actress, Sharon Maughan developed health problems in 2009 due to a reaction to salicylates, known as salicylic overload. Suffering from symptoms including breathing problems, nasal polyps, eczema and incredibly sensitive skin she was warned to make significant lifestyle changes, and drastically limit her salicylate intake.

Sharon noticed that there was a lack of high-quality, affordable low-salicylate skincare, so she created her own – and so FaceWise was born.

What are salicylates?

Salicylic acid (acetylsalicylic acid) is the active ingredient in aspirin. Salicylates occur naturally in many fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices, and are also often used as artificial flavourings and preservatives in skin products, perfumes, toothpaste, sweets and chewing gum, and found in many medications.

Most people can consume normal amounts of salicylates without any problems but some people have a reduced tolerance to salicylates and products containing aspirin; this is known as salicylate sensitivity.

How do I know if I have salicylate sensitivity?

Commonly reported symptoms of salicylate sensitivity include: • itchy skin • hives (urticaria) • rashes • eczema • stomach pain • nausea • diarrhoea • headaches • fatigue • itchy/watery or swollen eyes • runny/blocked nose • sinusitis • nasal polyps • wheezing or worsening asthma.

I’m asthmatic. Have been all my life. I’ve also been allergic to so many things and I can say that through the peri-menopausal years they definitely seemed more intense.

The regime is a simple one and there are just four products; a melting cleansing balm, eye cream, day cream and facial oil.

A superb range of top end ingredients like Sweet Almond Oil, Rock Samphire Extract and Kalahari Melon Seed Oil. My favourite for hydration and plumping up makes an appearance, too; Hyaluronic Acid.

“The Kalahari Melon Seed Oil has an extremely high concentration of Omega 6, essential fatty acids and natural vitamin E, much higher than other widely used oils, making it exceptionally dry yet rich and super absorbent – the perfect combination to enhance overall health and strength.”

I found the cleansing balm a bit difficult to melt down until I got used to manipulating it but once I did it ended up being my second favourite out of the four products.

A little goes a long way and feels very luxurious.

My favourite is the face oil. I didn’t need to mix it with the moisturiser as instructed to get a night cream. The moisturiser was rich enough for me on its own.

Testing Products for Review

I really like the fact that the fragrance is very low level which seems to add to the simplicity of the regime.

As I’ve got older I like a more science backed approach to what I put on my face and this range ticks that box.

There’s an FAQ page and I think it’s great idea to share information about the expiry date of the products. Clear, concise instructions about ‘Period After Opening’ helps us understand a product’s life cycle. Hanging onto things for too long must be another thing that doesn’t help allergies and sensitivity.

The only thing I needed to add was my sunscreen.

Using FaceWise feels like a very low level effort on my part and my skin loved me for it. I definitely think a less is more approach is key at least for my own skin it seems to be a good thing. It’s something I strive to do more and more.

I can never understand why it seems to be a thing now to add layer upon layer of 10 plus products or more onto our faces.

Maybe that’s why allergies are at an all time high?

Not tested on animals and all packaging is recyclable.

You can purchase the four products for under £100 with the 10% discount code for first time purchase.

Ciao for now,

Sharon xo