However, my friend Katie has her own Forever Living business and asked me to sample and review some of the bestsellers in the Sonya range. As always, I'll give my honest feedback, but please bear in mind that what works for me (or doesn't) may not be the case for you.
OK, so what do we know about Sonya? Well, firstly, the range primarily uses extracts from the Aloe Vera plant and a host of other natural, botanical ingredients. I couldn't find any information about whether they include parabens, but the products I tried across the range were definitely gentle on my sensitive skin and didn't cause any irritation. I've been using all the products for 5 days in place of my others, which isn't a long time to see any real results (not that the company makes any elevated claims!), but I can certainly say that none of them made me breakout and I would be happy to continue using them.
The first product I tried was the Aloe Purifying Cleanser. This is a slick and creamy formula that glides easily onto skin and removes makeup. For me, being a cosmetic junkie, it didn't quite cut it on a full face of makeup, compared to my trusted products such as Clinique's Rinse Off Foaming Cleanser or Emma Hardie's Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm. Both of these do an excellent job of taking off a full face of makeup with minimal effort. However, I think that like a lot of cream cleansers, for those guilty days when you can barely be bothered to smudge a makeup remover wipe over your face (gasp!) at night, or in the morning when you need a quick cleanse, this is a decent product to gently take away any makeup residue. A little went a long way and it had a subtle, fresh scent which I quite liked. It certainly gave my favourite cream cleanser, Vichy's Purete Thermale One Step Cleanser 3 in 1 a good run for its money.
The next product I tried has actually turned out to be my favourite. The Aloe Refreshing Toner has the most gorgeous scent of all the products and left my skin feeling super soft and squeaky clean. I do love a good toner and I have several favourites that I use according to whatever tricks my skin plays on me. Clinique's Anti-Blemish Solutions Clarifying Lotion is my go-to product for breakouts and when my skin feels like I've been working in a fast food restaurant all day. I also use Nuxe's Micellar Cleansing Water with Rose Petals for a quick refresh in the morning, or after using a cream or oil-based cleanser. The Aloe toner has essence of white tea and the lovely, slightly oily consistency of a very good micellar water (although it doesn't capitalise on this trend on the packaging - what a missed opportunity!) Of all the products I sampled this week, the Aloe Refreshing Toner was the one I found myself looking forward to using. I loved everything about the formula and what it did for my skin. Side note - this week I got my period (what?! We're all ladies here!) and guess what, no major breakout to speak off, a fact of which I'm putting down solely to this toner. I could practically feel my skin slurp it up and sigh with relief. I will definitely be saving my pennies for this one.
Next up is the Aloe Balancing Cream, a heavy duty moisturiser. I found it far too greasy for my oily skin, though drier skins will lap this up with relish. My usual brand, Nuxe's Crème Prodigieuse Anti-Fatigue Moisturising Cream, smells divine and leaves a wonderful base to apply makeup without the need for primer within seconds of applying. Unfortunately, I found myself actually waiting for the initial greasiness of this moisturiser to slowly sink into my skin. I have been using a tiny amount, and it is still too rich for me, but as I said earlier, dry skins, mature skins and sensitive skins will enjoy this thirst-quencher. This is another product with a neutral, fresh scent, so great for those who can't (or won't) have strong fragranced cosmetics.
I used the Aloe Deep Cleansing Exfoliator twice. I have a very small amount of Clinique's Turnaround Instant Facial, which I adore but costs the earth. I had high hopes that this could be a new favourite and was already preparing a place for this in my bathroom cabinet. Sadly, I did not enjoy the smell of this product. I really tried to like it. I used it standing over the sink in the bathroom and again under a hot shower. But nothing could stop my predominant thought being that I was using bathroom cleaner on my skin. I blame it all on the hint of lemon oil in the product. It just reminded me of bleaching my toilet. You see, lemons are astringent and very good for clearing clogged skin, but if you're going to use lemon in your products, you need to go out OUT. It needs to be lemon all the way (I learnt this from my years at Lush). A hint of lemon can also work if it's backed up with something sweet, a bit of vanilla chucked in for good measure (sorry, I haven't digressed to banging on about a cheesecake recipes, I promise). But a lick of lemon with other vaguely chemical-y notes does not a nice smell make. Fragrance aside, could we work through our differences and get results? Unfortunately not. The texture was very similar to an exfoliating face wash I used as a teenager - I think it was made by Clean & Clear. This product lathered up well and did make my skin feel cleansed, but it took forever to wash off, even under the shower. One thing to note though, a big positive for this poor old exfoliator, is that the graininess is provided by natural jojoba seeds, not the plastic microbeads of recent media attention that foul up our waterways. So, I would heartily recommend this to all the eco-conscious, lemon-loving people out there in need of a good face scrub.
Finally, my night time serum, Nuxe's Nuxellence Detox (or on bad days, REN's Instant Firming Beauty Shot), was replaced with the Aloe Nourishing Serum. The texture of this serum surprised me, as it wasn't so much a serum (as in a very fluid, thin, oily lotion) so much as an ultra-light moisturiser. This, in fact, is the product I ended up using by the end of the trial as my daytime moisturiser. It was definitely nourishing, my skin felt plumper and softer within a minute or so of applying it and it left a good base for makeup. For daytime use, use way less than you think you need. For night time, a couple of pumps will ensure you have a soft and glowing complexion come morning. Again, the scent was subtle and the product gentle and calming. I can imagine this would be utter heaven to apply to red, sore skin that is very stressed. My overall impression of the serum was that it's good, but not quite good enough to part me from my trusted favourites.
Some last points - as a lover of good branding and a collector of luxury skincare products, I will be the first to admit that seemingly superficial things like product packaging, logos, typeface, names etc all influence my product choice. I will also be the first to admit that I do not like the Sonya branding. It looks like a supermarket brand. I do not like the swirly typeface of the logo or the plastic-sprayed-silver bottle tops. I'm sorry, I just don't. They look like products my Nan would use. I may be shallow and heartless but I want my bathroom to be adorned with beautiful products that scream quality, even if it's only me that sees them. If anyone from Forever Living sees this, than please please fire your designer and invest in some better quality packaging. That toner would be pride of place on my windowsill if it was in a frosted glass bottle. And I'd pay an extra fiver for the privilege too.
My overall impression of the products is that, for most of them, they didn't quite meet my needs. I have acne ridden, oily skin, scars and a T-Zone that is prone to dry patches after breakouts. My skin is super sensitive and its taken me a long time to find products that can balance my skin out, soothe, cleanse and now, as I get older, stop the onslaught of wrinkles and blemishes. The Sonya range, I feel, is targeted more towards a portion of the population who enjoy normal / dry skin. If that's you, then I expect you'll see good results using these products. I appreciated the quality and naturalness of the ingredients, but with so many other brands vying for best natural product, I think this could be made more of. How much of the product percentage is natural? Are any of the ingredients certified organic? Are parabens used? Can the packaging be recycled? Anyway, I enjoyed sampling the Sonya range and was surprised by the results of the toner and serum. If you get the opportunity, I would urge you to try them too.
Katie's Forever shop is here:
https://shop.foreverliving.com/retail/shop/shopping.do?task=viewProductDetail&itemCode=281
