Skin care: New in – products from NEVEN.

My facial skin has been in desperate need for some TLC ever since winter. Taking my own advice, I finally got around to ordering my first products from Norwegian organic skin care brand, NEVEN.

I try to be mindful as to which products reach my bathroom cabinet, as I want them to be as natural and versatile as possible. I’d rather have few products that go a long way than several products that doesn’t. Because, you know, I don’t need that clutter in my life.

Seeing as I have been less than satisfied with my current skin care routine (or really, lack there of), this time around I wanted to buy quality. I am very happy to have found Norwegian NEVEN, a skin care company that allows me to shop locally and support small businesses while at the same time allowing me to buy organic and sustainable products.

Curious what products in their sortiment that might suit me, I landed on a Mini Skin Care set and a bottle of Peppermint essential oil. The Peppermint oil would be useful for my steam bath for strained sinuses, and the Mini Skincare kit would allow me to test out one travel sized soap and one travel sized facial oil before committing to a larger purchase.

I originally ordered the Mini Skincare set with the Carbon Star Soap Bar and the Balance Face Oil. Since Carbon Star in size mini was out of stock at the packing of my order, I received a kind text message informing me of this and giving me two choices for replacement. I told them my skin type, and somehow they decided to give me both options. And so, I was gifted a large Carbon Star Soap Bar in addition to the mini size replaced in the form of Fjell Soap Bar. Happily surprised with such an extraordinary customer service. Thank you, Mila and Veli! ♥︎

Here’s my initial first impression of the products:

CARBON STAR Soap Bar

This charcoal soap bar is a deep cleansing and detoxifying soap for oily and acne-prone skin. Full of nurturing and hydrating ingredients such as apricot kernel oil and castor oil, and coconut shell activated charcoal for cleansing away impurities. A versatile soap, it can be used for both face and body. Exactly the kind of product I’m looking for as part of my minimalist skin care routine. I mean, why make it complicated with lots of products if you don’t have to, right? The Carbon Star has a fresh, clean soapy smell, kind of charcoal-ish, which is kind of to be expected.

FJELL Soap Bar

Fjell is a green clay soap bar for combination skin. I have yet to decide whether my skin is oily or combination, but I’m probably leaning towards the latter because while my face is often oily and acne prone, I also have dry patches, especially on the lower cheeks. After this winter, they have began to feel like sand paper, which probably should give me the indication that I should have started a better skin care routine earlier. Anyway, Fjell is a nourishing soap with shea butter and French clay said to tone and revitalize the skin. Compared to the Carbon Star it feels a bit less “stripping” and more nourishing, as to be expected.

BALANCE Face Oil:

Applies easily to skin. It says that it best applies on damp skin, so I washed my face first with the Carbon Soap Bar. The Balance Face Oil blends easily and smooth across my face and is a joy to apply. I have used it three times already since I received it, and it seems to do the job of both moisturizing and reducing redness. Chris and I both agreed that my skin looked fresher and more evenly toned after a day of using Balance. My cheeks also feel less dry and sandpaper like, which is what I hoped for. This oil has a pleasant kind of pine tree scent, which makes me long for long hikes in the forest and the mountain side.

Peppermint Essential Oil

I haven’t actually had the time to use the Peppermint oil yet since my purchase, but the peppermint essential oil is said to have a number of benefits. It can be used internally, topically, in facial steams or in a diffuser, and can aid with digestive issues, sinus issues, acne, as well as sharpen and awake the senses. As mentioned before, I bought it for use in facial steams to aid with sinus issues. I’ve not used exactly this oil before, but at some point I guess peppermint oil is peppermint oil and feel confident that this will work as my previous peppermint oils have worked. A pluss for this particular one is that it is made from organic peppermint and sustainable production.

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Which products I will end up with as part of my skin care routine is hard to say. What I do know is that I’m very pleased with the first of my NEVEN products and so I’ll be placing a new order very soon. I might like to try some of their other soaps and oils before deciding, but I’m already contemplating bying all both soaps and the facial oil again.

I mean, – organic, gentle to skin, and plastic-free; what’s not to love? ♥︎