Review: John Masters Organics Rose Foaming Face Wash & Bearberry Oily Skin Balancing and Toning Mist

I first discovered the John Masters Organics line from one of my new favorite beauty Web sites, bloom.com. I had been doing a Yahoo search for organic skin care during my "transition" to all-natural products and stumbled upon the site because they had a whole section of products just devoted to natural ingredients. Now, this is good in some regards, but can also be bad because I found myself confused by the overwhelming number of products to choose from, especially when I had never heard of most of the brands featured. After reviewing the ingredients for several of the products and then reading consumer reviews (part of what's awesome about Bloom is that it's a social beauty site, so lots of people post reviews of the products after using them), I landed on two John Masters skin care products, and a slew of hair-care products that I will review at a later date.

Let's start with the Rose Foaming Face Wash...

Here is the official product description from Bloom: Wake up in the morning to the wonderful, fresh scent of pure essential rose oil. The ultra mild lather of John Masters Organics Rose Foaming Face Wash eliminates excess dirt and oil, leaving skin hydrated and renewed. The healing properties of plantain leaf soothe the skin, while essential rose oil stimulates circulation resulting in a radiant glow. This gentle face wash doubles as an eye makeup remover too.

The site also states that the product is intended for normal to dry skin.

Right off the bat, I was impressed with the high-quality and earth friendly packaging. The face wash was packaged in a glass bottle (no BPA yay!) with a pump and came in a recycled cardboard box. The presentation screamed high quality.The first time I used the face wash, I was surprised at how thin and liquidy the product was. I guess I was expecting something thicker and/or creamier. This worried me at first, but as the name says, the product did foam once I rubbed my hands together and began applying it to my face.

The product definitely has a light, sweet and clean scent, although I can't say that I really thought of roses when I used it. The cleanser rinsed clean without making my skin feel tight, tingly, sticky or scrubbed raw, which was great given that I have sensitive skin to begin with and need a gentle cleanser. Of course, part of me wondered if this cleanser was a little too gentle! Normally I remove my makeup with Yes to Cucumbers makeup cleansing wipes before I wash my face, but I did once try washing my face with my makeup on to see if it would remove all the residue and it definitely did not. I wound up having to use a cleansing wipe afterward to get the last bits of mascara and foundation off of my face. So all-in-all, if you're looking for a one-step cleansing product that removes makeup and cleans your face, this is probably not for you.

One other good thing that I'll mention is the fact that this cleanser lasted me quite a while, since I only used one pump in the morning and one pump in the evening. So, even though it retails for $22, which some might consider pricey for a cleanser, you'll get your money's worth.

Moving on to the Bearberry Oily Skin Balancing and Toning Mist...

Let's start with a quick product description from the Web site: This refreshing toning mist is a non-drying yet potent astringent to help your skin achieve a balanced pH, which leads to a refined skin texture, tightened pores, and reduced surface shine. John Masters™ Organics Bearberry Oily Skin Balancing & Toning Mist uses certified organic ingredients to nourish and condition your skin while infusing skin-refining natural botanical extracts to purify and protect your complexion. A must-have for combination and oily skin types.

You might be wondering why I ordered a cleanser that is intended for normal to dry skin, but a toner that's intended for oily skin and I promise, I have an excellent reason! Generally I find that if you buy ALL products for one skin type or another, it tends to tip the scale too far in the opposite direction. I have quite combination skin with normal to dry cheeks and a very oily t-zone. I find that if I use all products for oily skin it makes my face itchy and scaly, whereas if I use all products for dry skin it leaves my oily skin too shiny. So typically, I try to go with a gentle cleanser and then use a toner to control the oil.

Now with that said, I think that this particular toner is DEFINITELY TOO gentle. It was so gentle, that I can't honestly say that it did a thing for my skin. Rather than spray the product directly on my skin, which I think wastes a LOT of it, I sprayed it onto a cotton pad and rubbed it onto my face after cleansing. The toner had a very nice, light scent, but again really didn't seem to do anything at all. For $20 (and mind you, this is a MUCH smaller bottle than the cleanser), it's not a product I would recommend.

And now the kicker...
As I stated, I used these products for several months, and at first, my skin reacted just fine. But after a while, my skin slowly started to break out, and as I continued using these products, continued to get worse and worse up until almost my entire face was broken out, and in areas where I NEVER usually get pimples (my temples, under my eyebrows, my cheeks, etc.). I hesitate to type this, because I can't honestly say that I know for certain that these products contributed directly to the breakouts, but I didn't change anything else in my skincare routine at the time and was using the same day and night moisturizers that I had used for months prior. So I'm certainly making an assumption, and not stating that this will happen for everyone, but regardless, I thought I should put it out there.

In conclusion...
Honestly, I can't say that these are products I'd buy again or really recommend, especially due to my negative outcome. I will say that I like the fact that the company is devoted to creating products that contain good, natural ingredients and then offering them at reasonably affordable prices. So certainly, it's a brand worth exploring and I wouldn't be opposed to trying other products from them in the future.

Have you ever used anything from the John Masters Organics skin care line? Did you have a similar experience or did these products work great for you? Share your thoughts below and thanks for reading!