Terralina Ultimate Collection Review/Giveaway

Skincare is especially important in light of taking care of ourselves as women.  If we don’t take good care of our skin, our skin will age more quickly, and we could ultimately damage our skin.  It’s one thing that I’ve sometimes put on the back burner, but as I’m getting older, it’s something that’s becoming more important with each day.

Terralina, a company founded by moms, is a truly green company that provides natural skincare products.  Let me just start by telling you what truly sold me on these products.  When I received my package, all of my skincare bottles were contained in this really beautiful, vibrantly colored gift box with a ribbon tied up in a bow.  What I didn’t know was that the gift box was completely made out of recycled materials….those recycled materials coming from plastic bags that used to drift aimlessly on the streets of Delhi, India, causing all kinds of havoc in their wake.  Now, though, because of Terralina’s commitment, those bags are used to make these beautiful gift boxes.  Not only that, but even more importantly, women who were once not able to keep full-time jobs because of their commitment to staying home with their children, are now given jobs (at home) making these boxes.  The profits from them are used to fund projects in the poorest communities of India and help to feed between 400 and 600 families daily. “At Terralina, we wanted our packaging on the outside to match the integrity and purity of the ingredients on the inside,” says Patricia Bazan Garrubbo, co-founder of Terralina.

Now to tell you about the products themselves…The Ultimate Collection contains 5 products, with a soy tealight added in.  Here are descriptions of each product, along with my experience with each.

First of all, I tried the Gentle Facial Cleanser.  I’m hesitant when it comes to skincare products for my face because I break out so easily.  However, this facial cleanser was truly very gentle, very creamy, and soothing to use, but it also had a freshness to it.  It contains 99.85% natural ingredients, such as Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita, Bark Extract, Olive Leaf Extract, etc.  It’s compatible with your skin’s natural pH balance, and it cleanses your skin from the daily grind both gently and effectively.  I found that when I used this first and then the toner, I hardly had any makeup come off on my toner pad; it had cleansed the makeup and dirt away very effectively.  It also did not leave my skin dried out, yet it didn’t break me out either.  The scent was very mild and very feminine and delicate.  This cleanser received the Beauty Green Star for Best Cleanser from Elle Magazine in May 2008. You can purchase the cleanser alone for $24; it comes in a 3.4 fl.oz. bottle, and it doesn’t take a lot to cleanse your face.

The next step was to try the Gentle Facial Toner.  The toner is used as a second step to remove any extra impurities or leftover makeup; again, I found that it refreshed my skin, but most of the impurities had already been removed by the cleanser.  The toner contains 99.05% natural ingredients, such as Olive Leaf Extract, Oat Kernel Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Algae Extract, Witch Hazel Leaf Extract, etc.  Again, the scent was basically the same as the cleanser, very feminine and delicate, not strong at all.  It was almost calming.  You can purchase the toner by itself for $20, and it comes in a 3.4 fl.oz. bottle.

My favorite facial product, by far, was the Gentle Facial Moisturizer.  Little things like this bring back so many memories for me; when I was younger, I remember playing with my grandmother’s old facial cream jars that she would save for us to pretend and play with.  This moisturizer comes in an old-fashioned glass jar like that with the frosted glass….and I know that seems silly, but it brought back so many memories when I first started using it.  The moisturizer also has a similar scent; it almost has a sweetness that reminds me of creams that my grandmother used; I mean this in a good way.  I love the cream itself, as it has the consistency of butter; it’s very rich and creamy.  It has been tested by both a dermatologist and an allergist, so it’s safe for all skin types.  It contains 98.89% natural ingredients, such as Olive Fruit Oil, Shea Butter, Soybean Seed Extract, Oat Kernel Extract, etc.  It moisturizes and provides anti-aging benefits, as well.  It nourishes and protects the skin, and it really doesn’t take a lot to do the job.  It’s not greasy at all, and I love how it feels going on.  You can purchase the moisturizer, by itself, for $42, and it comes in a 1.5 oz. jar.  Now when your jar is empty, it’s meant to hold the tealight that also comes in your collection; how cool is that?

Now I also tried the Gentle Facial Exfoliator.  This product wasn’t my favorite, mainly because of the scent.  The scent was very natural, but I just didn’t care for it.  The exfoliating benefits were wonderful, but I couldn’t take the scent, not that it was strong….it just wasn’t my thing.  It is 98.65% natural with ingredients like Adzuki Bean Seed Powder, Olive Husk Powder, Shea Butter, etc.  You can use it daily, but they recommend 2-4 uses weekly.  It doesn’t contain things like parabens, silicones, mineral oils, etc.  It’s designed to purify and cleanse your skin, removing impurities, and giving it that extra boost in cleansing.  I did love how it felt; it had that grainy, exfoliating feeling, yet smooth and moisturizing.  It didn’t leave my skin feeling like leather either; it felt nourished.  You can purchase the exfoliator for $24, and it comes in a 2.7 oz. tube.

Finally, I used the Terralina Body Lotion, which was a rich, creamy treat for me.  It too carried a similar scent and was both nourishing and wonderful to use, but you can also get it fragrance-free.  It’s not greasy at all, and it left my skin feeling very soft and smooth.  It contains 99.95% natural ingredients like Olive Fruit Oil, Glycerin, Sandalwood Extract, Shea Butter, Barley Extract, Jojoba Seed Oil, Olive Oil, etc.  You can purchase the Body Lotion for $28, and it comes in an 8 oz. bottle.  It too doesn’t take a lot to do the job.

You can purchase the entire Ultimate Collection from Terralina for $138 with free shipping.  Right now, they also have a special going on with Buy One, Get One Free! You can also receive an extra 10% off using the code, MAMABUZZ10.

Thanks to the generosity of Terralina, one MamaBuzz reader can win an Ultimate Collection for themselves! You can enter to win by doing one or more of the following; just be sure to leave me a separate comment for each way that you enter.  I’ll draw the winner, via random.org, on Tuesday, September 28.  This giveaway is open to U.S. only.  Good luck, and have a wonderful day!

1. Visit Terralina, and let me know which product you’d most like to try.
2. Tweet about this giveaway; in fact, you can tweet daily to earn extra entries.
3. Follow MamaBuzz, or subscribe to our posts.
4. Follow @mamabzz on Twitter.
5. Blog about this giveaway, being sure to link back to both Terralina and MamaBuzz.
6. Join the MamaBuzz Forum.
7. Digg or Stumble this post.
8. Subscribe to The Latest Buzz Newsletter (in sidebar).

(Disclosure: I received the Ultimate Collection, free of charge, from Terralina, for the purposes of this review.)

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