Although I purchased the Boscia Clear Complexion Kit a while back, I wanted to really use the products for several weeks before posting my review. I've finally almost finished the kit, so I think it's time to share my thoughts! I do want to note one thing in advance: I went to the dermatologist half-way through using these products and began a regimen of prescription medications to help heal my acne. Unfortunately this means I cannot really speak to the Clear Complexion Kit's ability to cure and/or prevent acne, I can only talk to the consistency of the products and the short-term effects that I saw.
Now onto the review! Included in your kit is a Clear Complexion Cleanser, a Clear Complexion Tonic with Botanical Blast, a Clear Complexion Treatment with Botanical Blast and an Oil-Free Daily Hydration moisturizer with SPF 15. Each is a travel-sized bottle with .5 - 1.86 fl oz of product, which is perfect if you want to try the system without spending the money on the full-size products.
In my opinion, the cleanser is very average -- the scent is very light, although it does have a slight plant aroma to it, and the consistency is the same as any cleanser in that it lathers well and rinses clean easily. The only thing I noticed was that my skin did feel slightly more stripped afterward than when I was using my mild cleanser from Clinique. I have very sensitive skin, so I can't say I was a huge fan of that super clean, squeaky sensation on my skin; however, the cleanser did not irritate my skin or cause me to break out any worse!
As for the tonic, well, I thought it was supposed to be a toner, but it turns out that I'm not sure what the purpose of this step is. It comes in a spray bottle and says you are supposed to mist it on your face twice a day and anytime you need a refreshing boost. I immediately realized that I HATED the spray bottle concept. If you have to close your eyes, you can't really see where you are aiming AND the nozzle doesn't spray the product wide enough that you can get your whole face with one spray. It literally would take me 4-5 sprays to feel like I adequately coated my face and then I was just drippy and wet! Plus, I didn't get the sensation that this product DID anything -- you aren't supposed to swipe it on your face with a cotton ball (which I feel helps remove the dead skin cells) and it didn't tingle like a typical toner would. I stopped using this step after about 10 days because it seemed pointless to me and I had already used 3/4 of the product from all the needless spraying.
Unfortunately, I can't say that I'm a fan of the moisturizer either. Because it has SPF (which is great for the daytime, don't get me wrong), it's not a product that you can use at night before bed and a nighttime moisturizer isn't provided in the kit. Usually when I try a new skin care regimen, I like to use only products from that line so I'm not biasing my skin with competing brands. However, I ALWAYS moisturize twice a day because my skin is dry, so I had to use my Clinique moisturizer during my trial period. My other complaint would be the consistency and smell of this moisturizer. I really don't like it when I FEEL like my moisturizer has sunscreen, i.e. you kind of get that sunscreeny texture when applying it and smell that sunscreeny smell? Yeah, this product does both. I also found it to be a bit greasy.
Finally, we have the Clear Complexion Treatment, and unfortunately, I didn't like this either! Again, I think it's a consistency issue. The product was so watery and thin that I didn't get the sense that it was really seeping into my skin. In truth, I don't really know if the consistency matters, I just know I would have preferred something that felt more medicated whereas this felt very watered down.
Overall, I wouldn't re-buy anything from this system, although I certainly don't think it HURT my skin at all because it's made with natural, preservative-free ingredients. Unfortunately, I just seemed to have consistency issues with most of the products and didn't notice enough of a difference in my skin (prior to using the acne medication) to warrant the expensive prices.
To Recap:
Pros:
- Products are natural and preservative-free so they are good choices for those with sensitive skin
- The kit is available with travel sizes so you can take them on airplanes AND try out the line for less money
- The products were all very gentle on my skin and didn't irritate me
Cons:
- The cleanser is a bit too stripping for my dry skin
- The toner doesn't seem to do anything and is difficult to apply with the spray bottle
- The moisturizer smells and applies sort of like sunscreen. It's also greasy.
- The treatment felt watered down.
- Full-size bottles are INCREDIBLY expensive
It doesn't seem like the Clear Complexion Kit is available at Sephora any longer (it's not showing up on their Web site), but they are selling Value Kits for Normal to Dry and Normal to Oily skin for $45. ULTA also carries this line. For the full size products, you'll pay $36 for the moisturizer, $26 for the cleanser, $35 for the treatment and $24 for the tonic. You can also visit their Web site at www.boscia.com for more information.
.JPG)
