New Release & Review: Olivarrier

It’s been a while since I really wrote about a new release but I’m really glad to get the chance to try and write about Olivarrier. I love seeing new brands launch in the beauty industry, partly because we are always so tough about the products and also being it’s wonderful to see new perspectives break into what is sort of like a closed circle of beauty companies. Fresh perspectives, new products and industry developments – I live for that. I was sent these products to test and review by RoseRoseShop who are so great to beauty bloggers, always seeking out (and giving) honest opinions for their customers. Be sure to check out their store and, onto the review I go!

So Olivarrier is a fairly new brand that launched around late last year. It’s still fairy new even with us bloggers, but I really liked their brand image and concept – all of their products are meant to be controlled at the optimal pH level of 5.5 which, for those who don’t know, is the level you should try to maintain your skin at in order to prevent damaging your acid mantle (your protective layer). You can read more about it here but, basically, your skin can become damaged due to many factors – even natural aging processes.

The brand focuses a lot on safe ingredients, gentle formulas suitable for sensitive skin and strong hydration. They are free of chemical preservatives, coloring agents, fragrances and 26 Allergenic Components selected by the EU.

About the overall brand, I think that they have a great thing going on though – of course – there are some strengths and weaknesses to their products. Some of them do smell a little strange, only because they don’t have fragrances and have a natural scent. Perhaps I’m too used to my products smelling really delicious (which, now that I think of it, is a little odd).

The fact that they don’t use preservatives is great for people who are conscious of these ingredients and chemicals in their skincare. However, it does mean that you have to be a bit more careful about when these products go out of date – they are not something you should be hoarding. I would suggest marking on the bottles when you do open them and the expiry date and refrain from using them past that date and, of course, checking to make sure that they are properly closed after use.

For this review, I have tested three products from their line – the Dual Moist Toning Lotion, the Emollient Extra Comfort Cream and their Gentle Glow Seed Polishing Mask. All of these products are available on the RoseRoseShop website with full details too.

So the Toning Lotion is targeted for dry and sensitive skin, with a focus on moisturising and oil balancing. According to the website (and I have edited the text a little for grammatical purposes): this is the completion of cleansing and the beginning of skincare. It keeps your skin condition healthy by removing waste and dead skin cells, as well as balancing oil and moisture. There is an immediate moisturising effect and even your make up application will improve.

It’s a pretty dramatic product description but, personally, I believe that a good quality toner/lotion is important for your skincare routine. The product should prep your skin for other products, as well as giving it the boost of benefits that it need.

I love the packaging design of their products. Even though the overall aesthetic is a little bit too simple and feeling a little no frills, they have this wonderful attention to detail which makes the product feel very genuine and personal. As a designer, I feel like it’s the small things that really count. The product feels like a sort of basic essential, something that I would buy for someone who is new to skincare and is just learning the ins and outs.

The bottle is made of plastic with a screw lid. The overall shape is pretty standard and, at 180mL you get a good amount of product too. It is designed to be a hydrating toner, suitable for those who feels that standard toners are too drying on their skin – which can mean that your acid mantle is being stripped. This product helps to gently cleanse and prep while also maintaining your optimal pH.

According to the website, this product uses Micro Hyaluronic Acid to penetrate seem into your skin with hydration. It also uses Olive Squalane in order to lock in the moisture, ensuring that its benefits last. It also doesn’t clog pores and absorbs easily to prevent an oily finish. However,  be careful if you are sensitive to olive oil products – personally, my skin is fine for them as I also use an olive oil mist.

I personally love to use Hyaluronic Acid products so I’m pretty happy with this product. It has a light, pleasant scent which is typical of the ingredient. It fades quickly  and feels really refreshing.

As you can see above, the product really does absorb quickly and completely – you can either wipe it over your face with a cotton pad or pat it in (I tend to do the latter if I’m a little lazy, though it can be messy as the water-like formula drips.) I find this toning lotion easy and quick to use, and I have actually replaced by It’S Skin toner with this one. My usual product has a whitening function and I’ve been trying to minimize that in my essential skincare as it can cause dryness and thinning of the skin.

For people with sensitive or dry skin, I was highly recommend this product!

Next, let’s move on to the Emollient Extra Comfort Cream.  This product also uses the same Micro Hyaluronic Acid and Olive Squalene ingredients to boost hydration in dry skin. The cream is targeted towards sensitive and damaged skin, as well as dry skin, so it is suitable to my type. However, I do feel that it would be better for me to use during the winter months as it is a little too heavy for the Australian summer. For those with very dry skin though, this would still work!

This product is used at the end of your skin care routine as, being a cream, it is thicker than other products and takes the longest to absorb. Like the rest of their products, it has a very simple and minimal approach to the packaging. I quite like the tube design (as opposed to a tub) because I feel that it keeps the product the most hygienic. It is also light and easy to carry around for travel purposes. You just have to squeeze to apply and it is easy to control how much product you use. I generally just use maybe two pea sizes and dot it over my face before gently rubbing it in.

As you can see in the above photo, the cream does absorb well but, being a bit thicker, leaves a slightly sticky surface – but this fades after a while. Compared to a lot of other heavier creams that I have used and tried, I feel like this is a lot lighter, but still stronger than a gel based formula. It is good to use at the end of your nightly skincare routine. However, I feel like it is a bit too heavy to use during the day – it will definitely start to break down your base make up if you don’t let it absorb for long enough.

Using the above two products by themselves, I did feel that my skin was very well balanced and hydrated. For the entire time that I was using them, I didn’t have any issues with dry skin though I had a few pimples pop up (there is a strong possibility that there were hormonal though and the COSRX pimple pads cleared it up almost overnight). However, since these products focus only on hydration, I felt that my skin looked a little dull – I do need some brightening and whitening function in my routine and a two step routine was too basic for me.

Once I worked it into my full routine though (using these in combination with It’S Skin, Innisfree, Cloud9 and Banila Co products), I felt like my skin was glowing. The strong hydration and protection functions of the Olivarrier combined really well with my other products.

And lastly, this is the Polishing Mask that I’ve been using once or twice a week – not too often. This mask is said to absorb wastes (which, I assume, is excess sebum and anything clogging the skin) and tighten the pores. Both of these have been a concern for me lately as, with the warm weather, my T-Zone has a tendency to get quite oily during the day. I wear make up almost every day so this had resulted in increased blackheads and enlarged pores – which I know is mostly genetic, but can be worsened by sebum. According to the website, this mask is perfect if:

• You avoid using mud masks as they are too drying
• You suffer from sensitive skin
• Your base make up does not apply smoothly
• You have concerns about excess sebum
• You are still looking for the perfect mud mask to suit your skin

Aside from the first point (I so use the Innisfree Super Volcanic Clay Mask – though I do find it a little bit drying), everything else is perfectly me so I was really excited about trying this. Like the other products, the design is very simple and modern. Aesthetically, I actually like the packaging of this mask the most as I feel like it looks the most elegant. It also comes with a small spatula, which is really important for these products as it keeps the tub hygienic and, if you have long nails like me, is just a lot neater.

So this mask has a strange sort of scent and, out of the three, is the only one that I find pretty bad. I’m not sure what I can actually compare it to as it is just strange. It takes a while for the scent to go away too so, if you are sensitive to it, I suggest you give this mask a skip. For those like me who are willing to put up with it for a while though, this is actually a pretty decent mask. It uses cranberry seeds (which you can visibly see) to remove dead skin cells and smooth the skin as well as white mud to purify the skin through waste absorption, as well as enhancing moisture, nutrition and elasticity. It is really smooth and creamy to apply and, in a way, almost feels like you’re putting on cream. As with the other products, it also have no additive and is hypoallergenic, so it is suitable for sensitive skin.

After using the mud mask, I can physically feel that my skin is smoother, more hydrated and softer. It definitely drains excess sebum and leaves my skin feeling clean too but I don’t think it has has much of a pore tightening effect. The product is really gentle on the skin and, for me, didn’t cause any break outs so it is suitable for regular use all over the face (and I can’t say the same for the Innisfree).

So those are my overall thoughts on the Olivarrier line! I definitely don’t usually have high expectations when it comes to new brands because, often, they are still developing their products and have a long way to go. However, I think that these guys are exceeded my expectations by bringing forward a product that works well and for a good price point too. For sure, these products have good functionality by themselves but, in my opinion, works best when they are incorporated into a full skincare routine. I don’t think that there is a need to immediately replace your whole range with their products but simply pick and choose those that work for me.

Personally, I really love their toner and the white mask – the scent is a bit bothersome though and I hope that they can improve on it. The cream may be more suited to winter, as it is a bit heavy at the moment, but I won’t be using this one for now. Here’s my verdict!

SO WHAT IS IT?

A range of pH controlled skincare products to moisturise and soothe.

THE GOOD

• Simple, minimalist packaging
• Light for travel and easy to decant
• Good price point
• Easy to use
• Hypoallergenic with ‘safe’ ingredients
• No colouring agents or preservatives
• Safe for sensitive skin
• Weak acid base (pH 5.5)
• Effective

THE BAD

• Packaging is a little bit too plain
• The cream is too heavy for summer
• Strange scent for the mud mask
• Little tightening effect with the mask
• Works but isn’t remarkable on its own
• No preservatives, so you have to be mindful of the expiration dates

WOULD I REPURCHASE?

I really enjoyed using these products and, for now, I would continue to use the toner and the mask. If I don’t find anything more suitable by the time I finish them, I would definitely be looking into repurchasing – especially the toner, as I love that it’s quite hydrating. The cream I will have to do further tests on but, for now, I will be passing on that in favour of my Innisfree Green Tea line. I love the mask though and will be using that a lot more frequently and saving my (strong) volcanic pore clay mask for rarer occasions.

It looks like Olivarrier is onto a good thing and I’m looking forward to seeing them develop more as a brand through the year. If they can improve a little more on their packaging (though it is already quite decent), I can see them reaching a wider international audience.

WHERE TO GET IT FROM

Olivarrier’s website is in Korean, but you can check it out here. Otherwise, you can read all of the English details and purchase from RoseRoseShop who had sent me these products for review. You can also click the below banner to go to their homepage to check out all of the other brands that they carry: