Review of sister brand to Dermatica- Bloom and Halo

How exciting for me! The best thing about skincare blogging is getting to try cool new things. And Bloom and Halo looks very cool. Plus everyone and their dog knows how much I love Dermatica (please see my review of Dermatica’s prescription service and their Azelaic acid which has saved my spotty life), so I wanted to get my hands on their sister brand.

More about Bloom and Halo, the facts-

• The brand has a strong focus on sustainability
• Price point- £18-£36
• Beautiful packaging, very gift worthy
• Cruelty free
• Largely vegan (aside from their Microexfolistick)
• A collection of four (at the moment) occasional use skin boosters

It all looks really pretty and fun, but as we know, I have crappy skin (read acne, melasma, aging, random redness and sore bits, the works) so I’m a little wary of trying something new. For a bit if background, I have oily skin and I use acne treatments by day plus Tretinoin by night so my skin is quite sensitive. Soo, I’ll go through each of the Bloom and Halo products I have to try and let you know what I think.

Bloom and Halo Eye Need Dew Eye Patches Review

I’ve used this sort of eye patch products before. They are a nice way to relax and feel pampered at the same time as hydrated and soothing a parched under eye. The under eye is the trickiest area in skincare. It shows age first but anything that might be effective for aging (eg Glycolic and Tretinoin) is going to dry out the delicate skin in a visually unappealing way. It’s handy to have eye specific anti aging products, and that is what Eye Need Dew is.

The ingredients list goes- Potassium chloride, 1,2-Hexanediol, 4’-hydroxy acetophenone, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor oil, sodium hyaluronate (hyaluronic acid), betaine, trehalose, aloe barbadensis extract, Andrographis paniculata extract, Centella Asiatica extract, retinol, collagen, anemarrhena asphodeloides root extract, arctic kappa seed extract, forsythia suspense extract, glycyrrhiza uralensis (licorice) extract, lonicera japonica (honeysuckle) flower extract, nelumbo Nucifera seed extract, propolis extract, acetyl octapeptide-3, caprylyl glycol, glass oxide, titanium dioxide, silica, tin oxide, iron oxides, patchouli essential oil.

So this means that there are plenty of hydrators– Sodium Hyaluronate, Aloe,

Moisturisers– Trehalose, Propolis, Centella Asiatica, Honeysuckle extract, Lotus Flower extract

Soothers– Aloe, Centella Asiatica, Arctic Kappa (aka Arnica),

Anti aging ingredients– Andrographis Paniculata, Retinol, Anemarrhena Asphodeloides extract, Forsythia Suspense extract, Acetyl Octapeptide-3

There are some really lovely ingredients there for a soothing rejuvenating eye treat. I’ve been using I Need Dew Eye Patches about once a week for a few weeks now, and they’re a lovely eye plumping treat, great if you need a quick boost.

Bloom and Halo Micro Exfolistick Review

£28 for 4x 2mls

These are single use treatments for once weekly exfoliation. Bloom and Halo promise that the sticks are gentle enough for all skin types and that the Exfolisticks will penetrate into the skin to exfoliate and nourish.

Lets check out the ingredients– Lactic Acid, Glycerin, Glycolic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Hyaluronic Acid, Collagen, Honeysuckle, Rose, Sea Grape.

It’s a nice short list with two different exfoliating acids- Lactic and Glycolic, as well as hydrating Glycerin, Collagen, Honeysuckle, Rose and Sea Grape. Niacinamide is a nice addition for soothing and nourishing the skin.

The Exfolisticks come in a tube and they’re kind of like a big cotton bud in an individual tube containing the exfoliating/nourishing product. There’s no need to rinse off, you just let the product sink in and do it’s thing.

I liked the immediate effect of the stick, hydration and a glow. I looked visibly hydrated and there was a little sting to begin with that faded very quickly. But I’m not so sure about the single useness of it. I get that it’s something you can do before a big occasion to really look your best, but I don’t get out much. I would quite like this in a bottle so I can use it as and when without feeling like I’m wasting something special. My husband did note how glowing my skin was after using Exfolistick.

Bloom and Halo pride themselves on sustainability and the swab and the packets of the are literally the only things the brand makes that can’t be recycled. They have a recycling scheme for these items, if you send them 8 Exfolistick swabs or 16 mask sachets, you get 25% off your next order.

Supercharge Mix Mask Review

£21 for 4 Masks

The Supercharge masks are two sachet mix masks based on alginate. I know alginate because I’m a dentist and it’s something we use a lot, it’s the stuff we put in your mouth before we make your braces, it’s based on seaweed.

There is a liquid sachet that you mix with the powder sachet then you have a minute or so before the mix starts setting. Lets have a look at the ingredients to see what Supercharged Mask is going to do for us-

Ingredients-

Hyaluronic Acid sachet – Water, Sorbitol, Glycerin, Algin, Sodium Hyaluronate (Hyaluronic acid), Carbomer, Honeysuckle Extract, Niacinamide, Ascorbyl Glucoside (vitaminc C), Arbutin, Sodium Dehydroacetate.

Powder sachet: Diatomaceous Earth, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Silica, Algin, Calcium Sulfate, Pectin, Sodium Hyaluronate (hyaluronic acid), Glycine, Yeast Extract, Caffeine, Gold, CI 77019, CI 77891, Tocopheryl Acetate, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed powder.

Hydration comes from the Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate and Honeysuckle; and there’s brightening from Niacinamide, Vitamin C derivative Ascorbyl Glucoside and Arbutin. There’s B vitamin enriched Yeast extract and antioxidant rich Grape Powder. Also Gold, I’m not sure if Gold has any skin benefits, I know it’s good for arthritis, and it definitely looks pretty.

The mixing and application of the Supercharge mask is definitely fun. You have to get yourself a bowl and a brush and get mixing. Use a mask brush (I use an old flat foundation brush) to apply. The mask has a gloopy, water rich, texture and a golden shimmer. You get a lot of mask per application, way more than I needed. You also have to be very careful with your hair, because of the amount of mask you get means that some of it might end up going sideways and it’s a bit of a pain to remove. So definitely use a headband.

Supercharged Mask isn’t easy to remove. The mask needs to be quite thick to peel off, any thin parts get left stuck to your skin. To be honest, it was such a faff to remove so I ended up rinsing and rubbing my face so much it was hard to see what results it gave, my skin was too annoyed with the whole process. It’s a novel idea and fun, but maybe just not for me.

Bloom and Halo Skinshot Serum Review

£36 for 4 x 2.5ml Syringes

This is an interesting way to overcome the issues we have with Vitamin C (We’ve talked about it at length on my podcast), it goes off really quickly when mixed with water. It’s a real skincare conundrum- pure Vitamin C has lots of scientific evidence to show how great it is for the skin, Vitamin C aka Ascorbic Acid helps brighten skin, reduces lines, increases firmness and improves the overall health of skin. But it’s really hard to get it into an effective skincare formula without it going bad before it gets to the customer. Having a product you can mix fresh right before you need it is a great idea.

Like the rest of the brand, the packaging is very cool and fun. Skinshot comes in individual syringes with a powder section that you mix right before use.

Here are the ingredients– Water, Ascorbic Acid (vitamin C), Sodium Hyaluronate (hyaluronic acid), Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol. It’s a super simple list, which is good, let the star ingredient shine.

To activate Skinshot, you press the plunger to mix the powder with the liquid. You use a pea sized amount of serum for the face and you can pop the rest of the syringe in the fridge and use it up over the next two days. The serum absorbs well and there’s the classic Vitamin C tingle on application. Vitamin C is the sort of ingredient that needs to be used long term to see results and it’s worth it, science shows it works.

All in all, Bloom and Halo, is a beautifully presented brand with a good ethos. I sort of wish their products were a bit more of a daily use thing so we could enjoy the lovely formulas every day.