May 28, 2012 07:16 PM
90754 Views
Let me be honest; in this part of the world (the mid-east) Artistry products are not much heard of. When it comes to individual women selling products through an agent, only Avon comes to mind, simply 'cause the latter is very much widespread around here. That being said, I have viewed the Amway ads on TV, whilst offering no visual response (I didn't understand the commercials due to some random people just praising the company; I had no clue as to what EXACTLY they sold or where they were available). My sis-in-law from the States was an Artistry salesperson and she recommended that my mum and me try out some of their products. She conducted a skin analysis test and convinced us to purchase the cleanser, toner, moisturizer, eye-cream and serum from the 'essentials oily skin-care' line (we got easily persuaded since one of the Artistry body washes smelled incredibly divine, which later got sold out). Each individual product has evoked mixed reactions in me, hence I felt it better to do a separate review on each one rather than confuse readers with my opinions on the whole skincare line.
Firstly the packaging is just the way I like it..............simple and elegant, quite similar to the manner in which Clinique designs their outer aspect of products (FYI- I hate Pond's products 'cause of their bulkiness and unnecessary modernistic designs. Their creams look like multi-faceted jewels on my vanity, but do nothing for my skin and also burn holes in my pocket). There's a Picassoesque flower design in pale green on the front (which stands for oily skincare; pale pink is for dry skincare), with very minimal information about the company given at the back. The instructions for usage though are given on the recyclable cardboard box which encases the actual toner bottle. All in all, if I were travelling with this product (which I have, several times) I could confidently assume that no spillage would take place.
The alcohol-free toner is waterlike in texture and feel, and easily wipes one's face clean with a cotton pad or ball. It does dry your face out, obviously since it is created for oily skin. Since I suffer from combination skin though, I need to immediately top it off with moisturizer so as to prevent the drier areas of my face from further losing its natural water-content. The toner has a slight flowery fragrance to it, which doesn't irritate me, especially since any moisturizer is capable of cutting the smell (sweet as it is) off.
All Artistry products are on the pricey side, with this toner itself costing around $14.20 (Rs. 791.37) for 200 ml. For this very reason alone I prefer the Olay and Garnier toners, since they don't dry my skin out and cost about half-the-price as the Amway one. Furthermore, I find it much more comfortable and easier to purchase my skincare items from the local store, rather than ordering them online or from a catalogue (especially since Amway/Artistry isn't available here).
Finally, would I wholeheartedly recommend this product to a friend? Well, if you like experimenting with beauty & skincare, and usually purchase department-store items, then this Artistrytoner wouldn't hurt you. Although, if you prefer drugstore skincare brands, then this definitely is not required for you since Olay, Garnier, Neutrogena and even Asian brands like Belo and YongChin produce toners which work just as good, if not better than Artistry's.
Final grade- B+
