ROAD TEST: A tingling pumpkin mask, eye balm and sugar face scrub. Here's my verdict on if these top-rated products are worth the hype.

In Mamamia’s Road Test series, real women road test the latest trends, treatments and techniques you need to know about – and share their honest thoughts. If it's out there, you can bet we've tried it.   

I love trialing new products; always have.  

Whenever someone mentions a new natural skincare product that actually works, I’ll do some research and get my hands on it myself.

I’ve been hearing about Andalou Naturals products for quite some time. My colleagues here at Mamamia regularly rave about them and members of our You Beauty Facebook group are often showing us their killer Andalou Naturals results. 

If you haven’t added them to your own beauty arsenal yet, Andalou Naturals creates natural products that deliver killer results. All of their products are 98 per cent nature-derived, vegetarian (with many vegan options) and not tested on animals. How good!

I tried three of Andalou’s best-selling, cult products to see whether they are really worth the hype. Here are my thoughts.

Brightening Pumpkin Honey Glycolic Mask, $24.99.

Image: Supplied.

Out of all the Andalou Naturals products, this mask is the one I’ve heard reviews about the most in beauty circles! 

The do-it-all formula includes fruit stem cells, vitamin C, and glycolic AHA blended with manuka honey and organic pumpkin, to resurface dead skin cells and leave brighter, smoother, even-looking skin. 

As someone with quite a lot of texture and some uneven colour on my skin, I love anything with AHAs in it. Especially, when it’s in a mask form – it feels extra luxe. Upon trying the mask, the first thing I noticed was the scent. It's packed with pumpkin and spices: if you've tried the pumpkin spiced latte from Starbucks and love it, you'll froth this too.

I really liked the product's puree-like texture. It smooths out really nicely on the skin and feels really lightweight and refreshing. After a few seconds, I noticed a slight tingle (that AHA is working) but it's not too full on that you'll want to take it off. 

I might not look cute but my skin will after. Image: Supplied.

After leaving it on for 20 minutes, I removed the residue with a warm cloth and yep, I now get the hype.

My skin is SO SMOOTH. I know you're not supposed to touch your face (bacteria, etc) but the way it feels after the mask makes it so tempting. My uneven texture has reduced around my nose and my dark circles appear less noticeable. 

Oof, I'll be reaching for this often, I'm sure. Highly rate.

Age Defying Rejuvenating Eye Balm, $39.95.

Image: Supplied.

Eye creams! I love them, but I have a few things I look out for when choosing one. 

Personally, I'm not someone who loves fragrance in my staple products (cleanser, moisturiser, eye cream). Sure, I love the sensory experience of a great smell in my few-times-a-week scrub or mask, but when I'm applying my everyday must-haves, fragrance-free suits me best.

I'm glad to report Andalou's Age Defying Rejuvenating Eye Balm is exactly that, so big tick from me.

I also like my eye cream to be rich in texture. 

As someone who wears a full face of makeup regularly throughout the week, I need an eye cream that not only hydrates my under-eye area but doesn't crease under my concealer or powder. 

And this one (thankfully) doesn't either.

It's thick and creamy but not greasy; feels really silky when applying, and absorbs immediately.

Rich, thick, luxe. Image: Supplied.

Besides that beautiful consistency, there was one ingredient this eye cream contains which made me want to try it too: bakuchiol. 

If you haven't heard of it, bakuchiol (pronounced ba-koo-chee-ol) is the latest hyped ingredient (think, the hyaluronic acid of 2020) as it's a plant-based alternative to retinol. 

Derived from the Psoralea Corylifolia plant, bakuchiol is clinically proven to visibly improve skin texture and smooth fine lines and wrinkles, without any nasty side effects. Yep, so you can apply it during the daytime too.

After using it morning and night, I've noticed my under-eye area feels softer, plumper and smoother. It has a really nice blurring effect, and my makeup applies really nicely over the top too, which is a huge win in my books.

Clear Skin Lemon Sugar Facial Scrub, $24.99.

Image: Supplied.

There's an ongoing beauty debate about whether we should all be using a physical or chemical exfoliant on our skin. 

As someone who has tried many of both, I personally can't pick between them. 

I love a physical exfoliant because you get to be the one removing the dead skin cells, and my gosh, that's just SO satisfying. A lot more satisfying than one swipe of a chemical exfoliant.

This scrub is super gentle, and contains a fruit stem cell complex with argan stem cells, manuka honey and organic sugar cane to even skin tone and texture. It also includes meyer lemon to refresh and brighten the skin.

Do you see it glisten?! Image: Supplied.

After I first applied it, I noticed how the gritty sugar exfoliates the skin without feeling too harsh; often the argument against physical exfoliants in how they can damage the skin. 

I loved how gentle this one felt. When I added water to it, the honey dissolves the sugar and starts forming a balmy consistency: so lush to use, I thought. So while I'm removing the dry surface cells, my skin gets this huge dose of hydration.

Plus, it smells like lemonade (yum) which makes the whole experience way more fun and nostalgic.

After I removed the scrub, my skin felt so soft. It immediately looked more even (a lot of my texture was eased) and the balm consistency that I mentioned, left it GLOWING. 

My skin post-scrub and eye cream after a long workday. Image: Supplied.

All in all, these products seriously live up to the hype. I'm kicking myself for not trying them sooner, really.

I will say: my heart definitely belongs with the Brightening Pumpkin Honey Glycolic Mask. I've messaged the link to multiple friends already.

If you want to try them all for yourself too, my suggestion is to use the lemon sugar scrub multiple times a week as an exfoliant, the eye balm each morning and night for under-eye hydration, and the pumpkin scrub a few times a month when you're feeling like you're in need of a pamper.

At least, that's what I'll be doing. On rotation!

Have you tried any of these Andalou Naturals products? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Feature image: Supplied. 

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