Michael Todd Review: 3 days in! (Hydrated Skin: An Epic Journey Part 1)

I know the title of this blog post is a tad dramatic but I really am on an epic journey to find a skincare routine that will keep my skin clear, healthy and hydrated through the winter months. I'm hoping I've hit the jackpot, found the damsel in distress and I'm now heading back to my glorious castle of healthy glowing skin to live happily ever after. Share this journey with me.
Michael Todd: Sensitive Dry Skin Care Regimen:

Okay, so I did a bit of research on some other people's reviews of the MT products and decided the Sensitive Dry Regimen sounded closest to my needs. My package only came into my greedy hands on Friday, so this is my third night of using the products.

About Michael Todd:

So, I think anyone who watches or reads anything in the beauty community knows about Michael Todd: True Organics. It's an American owned and made skin care brand that has created organic alternatives that are actually organic and natural. They boast that their products are free from parabens and chemicals and any other nasties that lots of brands mix into their skin care lines. Interestingly, there are no regulations that prevent companies from branding a product as 'natural' even if the product is full of parabens (scientists suggest parabens are linked to cancer).

In October 2012 the online beauty community was suddenly flooded with 'beauty gurus' raving about how great Michael Todd products were, and lets be honest, they sound great. Needless to say I was skeptical of a mass number of people suddenly 'loving' these products that Michael Todd had so graciously sent to them free of charge. It's since been 7 months and people are still talking about how much they love the products and repurchasing. So, when my friend said she was going to buy a regimen, I decided to combine postage with her too and have a go.

My skin history:

I've always had sensitive skin since I was a wee babe and my mother always had a hard time finding body washes, laundry detergent, shampoo, face wash etc that didn't break me out in a rash or excema. Now I've grown out of a lot of these extreme sensitivities and have what I believe to be mild to medium sensitive skin. Following that I was blessed with great skin. I  never suffered from acne or blemishes through high school, aside from the odd Rudolph the red nose pimple or Gertrude hanging out on my forehead for 2 weeks during that time. I believe my skin is sensitive dry/combination

This past summer I've been using the Clinique 3 Step Skin Care for sensitive skin, and that was great through summer. My skin does tend to get fairly oily through summer, so this was great.

Since autumn has hit however, I've found Clinique very, very drying on my skin. I'll come out of the shower after cleansing with a very tight face and dreaded adding the alcohol based toner on top of that.

I needed a hydrating winter routine.

My Impressions:

What drew me to the Michael Todd range was the Aloe base to all their products. 90% of all skincare brands available in Australia have a water or alcohol base. Both can be very, very stripping on the skin and cause irritation and dryness. Due to my skin normally getting so dry in winter, I really wanted products that were going to hydrate, not dry!

The first thing I noticed about the products as I was looking at the bottles is that on the back they state what percentage of the product is organic. I'm really impressed by this! I love to know those sorts of things, and read them. Is that just me? I've had a couple of pimples come up since I started using it, but it was in already congested areas; So I'm glad to see it purifying my skin. Here's my thoughts on the products:

Honey Oat Cleanser:

I usually take my makeup off before I get in the shower with a oil based makeup remover because otherwise I spend 10 minutes scrubbing my face, still come out looking like a panda and spend the next 30 minutes pulling black, congealed gloop out of my eyes (NOT FUN!) This cleaner boasts that it takes your makeup off, so i jumped in the shower makeup clad and put it to the test.

I didnt think it was really doing much as I smeared it around my face but when i washed it off my face felt SO clean. My eyes had maybe 10% of the amount of funky gunk in them compared to usual and NONE of it was sitting under my eyes in the horrific panda way.

Rating: 9/10

Cranberry Antiox Toner: 95% organic

I never really understood the point of a toner, and still don't. But this one is really nice, it's not too drying and smells nice. PLUS no alcohol! I have noticed that my skin feels very soothed after using this. Comparatively  my skin felt very dry after using the Clinique toner. I will have to continue to use to see if it has any dramatic changes to my skin. I'll keep you posted!

Rating: Unable to judge

Citrus Cream Moisturiser: 81% organic

I was really excited to try this because so many people said about how good it smelt. When I first sampled it on my hand I was really disappointed about the smell but when I actually put it on my face it smells really good! A nice and calming sort of citrus. This takes a while to sink into the skin, so I think it will become my night time moisturiser. Once it has sunk into the skin it feels very hydrating and the skin feels soft and supple. My cheeks get considerably dry during winter so I will have to see if it reduces how severely the dry patches get.

Rating: 7/10 (likely to go up to a 8.5/9 through winter months)

Intensive Organic Cream Eye Treatment: 90% organic

This feels quite nice on the eyes, but i think it could be a little more soothing. I'm apprehensive about this product because I tend to get milia under my eyes, and I don't want this to be too rich and cause more. If all goes well, this will help reduce the milia, but we'll see.

Rating: 6/10

Avacado and Mango Hydrating Facial Mask: 70% organic

This mask smells SOOOO nice! I've used it once, and it seems quite nice and hydrating. It says that it has a little Salicylic acid in it to gently exfoliate dead skin cells. I certainly didn't notice any exfoliation on my skin after I removed it. I have, however, only used it once and my skin is not too bad at the moment, so I think I will have a better review on this in a couple of weeks.

Rating: 7/10

Hydration Boost Facial Serum: 70% organic

I honestly could not review this product properly. I've just been mixing in the tiniest pump into the citrus cream moisturiser at the moment. Smells okay and certainly feels good with the moisturiser. I will have a better review for this one in a couple of weeks.

Rating: Unable to judge

What are your thoughts on the Michael Todd range? Is it a gimmick or do you love the products? What are your favourite products?
I'll update my thoughts on the regimen in a fortnight! Stay tuned!