Review: Maia Skin Care Range
A few weeks ago, the lovely Sharon of Maia Skin Care introduced me to her gorgeous range of products. Though I’ve been suffering from a strange flare-up on my face for nearly two months now, I couldn’t resist giving some of the products a try and have been really looking forward to posting my thoughts here on the site.
I was initially drawn in by the lovely selection of essential oils that the range uses and the simplicity of the formulas. I also discovered that Maia products don’t contain beeswax - olive wax is used instead - and I was keen to see how effective this alternative ingredient was.
As I’ve tried out a total of seven products from the range, I’m going to do another mega-review, so make yourselves comfy and read on! :)
Satin Cream Balm
Price: £15 for 30g or £7.95 for 15g
Rating: 
Link: http://www.maiaskincare.co.uk
Ingredients: Apricot oil, evening primrose, coconut oil, avocado butter, starflower oil, jojoba, calendula oil, olive wax, mowrah butter, Vitamin E, essential oils of lavender, petitgrain, frankincense, neroli, palmarosa, geranium
Initial Impressions: All the Maia products come in lovely dark glass jars with gold text labelling. I didn’t realise how heavy they are and how expensive they feel until I was holding one. They are certainly very nice and look like something you would find on a posh department store counter.
The balm itself is a rich, oily pale yellow cream with the lovely scents subtly standing out and complimenting each other very well.
Application & Results: Initially I was concerned that it may be a little greasy. Although this seems the case as soon as it’s applied, it sinks into the skin very quickly and leaves my skin feeling pleasantly plump and soft. It doesn’t apply so easily if my face is damp, but I’ve found that spritzing with toner afterwards helps it sink in even better and feels really nice too. It’s very, very concentrated, so only the tiniest amount is necessary.
I’ve had a persistent acne mark left over from a brief breakout on my left cheek some weeks ago which finally seems to be fading thanks to this.
Review Conclusion: I particularly like how this product provides a nice balance of moisture without leaving an oil slick on my face and I don’t need to use anything else with it. Being a concentrated balm it’s also going to last me a lot longer than a cream equivalent, so I think it’s very good value for money.
Revival Radiance Clay
Price: £12.95 (35g Clay & 30ml Activation Oil)
Rating:
Link: http://www.maiaskincare.co.uk
Ingredients: Radiance Clay: Kaolin, Kaolinite, Illite (Clays), Goats Milk Powder, Raspberry, Pineapple, Organic Lavender buds, Organic Chamomile petals
Activation Oil: Rice Bran Oil, Hazel Nut Oil, Jojoba Oil, Papaya Oil, Natural Vitamin E
Initial Impressions: The clay is a light powder and also comes in a nice glass jar. The oil is in an accompanying glass bottle. The first thing I noticed when opening the lid was the subtle fruity scent which is really pleasant. Clays tend to be a bit boring in themselves, so it’s nice when they smell good too.
The oil doesn’t have a very noticable scent, but is fresh and clean.
Application & Results: According to the instructions, the clay can be used in a variety of ways - as a mask, or a scrub or a more intensive facial treatment. The first time, I used it as a regular mask with plain water. I must say I really enjoyed using this clay for several reasons. Firstly, I love a proper messy mask and this doesn’t disappoint - it gets nice and “muddy”. Secondly, it tightened up really well making me feel I’d had a very effective detox. Thirdly, it didn’t make my skin feel hot and itchy afterwards like clays sometimes do.
The second time, I used it as a scrub with the activation oil. The oil is thick and makes the clay plump up a bit more than when used with water. It felt very luxurious and makes a nice treat for tired skin.
Review Conclusion: I really like this clay, it’s fun to use and didn’t irritate my skin at all. Although the oil is definitely nice, I prefer using it as a mask with plain old water. Currently the product comes with both the clay and oil together, but it might be handy if the clay could be bought separately as well as I will undoubtably run out of this first.
Skin Boosting Serum
Price: £17.97 for 30ml or £6.97 for 10ml
Rating: 
Link: http://www.maiaskincare.co.uk
Ingredients: watermelon seed, passionflower oil, hazelnut oil, squalane, jojoba, starflower oil, Vitamin E, Essential oils of helichrysum, lavender, frankincense, palmarosa, neroli, English chamomile
Initial Impressions: This was the product I was actually most excited about. I was hoping for a cheaper alternative to the Suki serum and I was hoping this would be it.
The serum is available in two forms - a regular pump bottle and a handbag-size rollerball of which I tried the latter. This comes in a stylish glass bottle that neatly matches the rest of the range. The scents of neroli, lavender and palmarosa come through and are pleasant but subtle.
Application & Results: The product goes on just like a roll-on perfume. It glides on smoothly and only a quick stroke is needed to apply a suitable amount.
Using a rollerball isn’t the easiest way to apply a serum all over the face, so I used it on a few flaky patches and also under my eyes. I have a slight blue tinge there which annoys me and I noticed the first morning after use that this seemed a little less obvious. The skin itself also seemed a bit plumper.
It didn’t do so much for my flaky patches, but that’s probably because they are oily flakes rather than dry ones. I tried it all over my face a couple of times, but I experienced some tiny blotches the day after.
Review Conclusion: This isn’t going to be the replacement I’d intended it to be as I think it may be a little too rich for general use on my face. Also, I’m very happy using the Satin Cream Balm on it’s own. However, I am impressed with the effect it had under my eyes, and it’s not just me speaking - a friend who suffers from dark circles and bags gave it a try and noticed a difference too.
Really Clever Cleansing Balm
Price: £15.97 for 50g or £5.95 for 15g
Rating: 
Link: http://www.maiaskincare.co.uk
Ingredients: Coconut oil, apricot oil, jojoba oil, evening primrose oil, mango butter, olive wax, papaya oil, carrot seed extract, essential oils of rosemary, palmarosa, litsea cubea, Himalayan cedarwood, juniperberry
Initial Impressions: I have a sample pot of this, but it usually comes in one of the lovely glass jars with a spatula. I really love the smell, the essential oils chosen are gorgeous and work extremely well together. The product itself is a solid, but squishy, yellow balm.
Application & Results: I’m not really a user of cleansing balms, in fact this is the first one I’ve ever tried. I liked how it softens and melts as soon as it starts being worked it into the skin and it felt so nice that I didn’t really want to take it off. It wipes away easily enough with a microfibre cloth or a regular flannel, but I did still feel ever-so-slightly like I had something left on my skin.
Review Conclusion: I don’t have any basis for comparison, but it is a very nice product. I’ve given it a neutral three hearts as this is something I personally wouldn’t use on a regular basis, but it could be an enjoyable part of a pampering session and is certainly a good option for those with drier skins (or at least not uber-oily like me).
Omni Balm
Price: £14.97 for 50g or £5.95 for 15g
Rating:
Link: http://www.maiaskincare.co.uk
Ingredients: Rice bran oil, calendula oil, coconut oil, avocado butter, olive wax, evening primrose oil, carrot tissue oil, essential oils of chamomile, helichrysum
Initial Impressions: I have a handbag-size pot of this and it comes in a miniature version of the regular glass jars. The first thing that hit me was the sweet scent, it’s quite strong but not at all unpleasant. The balm looks like an oily yellow cream.
Application & Results: Once applied, I found the balm to be more like a serum as I gently rubbed it in. It’s very silky and though it’s quite oily it feels surprisingly light. I suspect this has something to do with it containing olive wax instead of beeswax and I really like it.
I’ve been using it on the flare-up on my face for a couple of days and I’m pleased to say it hasn’t aggravated the condition. It’s so much nicer than the paraffin-based cream my doctor prescribed me, but seems to be just as effective.
Review Conclusion: I bought the handbag size because I wasn’t sure if I would use this product - emollients, however nice, are usually too rich and heavy for me. I was pleasantly surprised at how suitable this product is for my skin, despite it’s intensive moisturising properties and I will very likely buy a full-size jar when this one runs out.
Christmas Wishes Home Fragrance Oil
Price: £5.95 for 10ml
Rating:
Link: http://www.maiaskincare.co.uk
Ingredients: Pure natural essential oils of Sweet Orange, Cinnamon, Clove Bud and Cypress
Initial Impressions: It’s almost that time of year, so I thought I’d treat myself to this very apt little bottle of fragrance presented in an essential-oil style dropper bottle. A quick sniff reveals the fragrance does indeed smell very festive. Hubby said it reminded him of mince pies and I thought it was like Terry’s Chocolate Orange. :D
Application & Results: I popped some in my oil burner yesterday evening and sat back to relax. The scent is really nice, not too strong and lingers for a little while after the candle goes out.
I’ve gotten the urge to put my tree up now. :D
Review Conclusion: I don’t often buy room fragrances as they can often be tacky and/or too strong, but this is a nice simple mix of oils that work well together. Presumably this will only be available for a limited time, so if you’re interested you might want to order some in quick. :)
Turkish Delight Bath Melts
Price: £3.95 for 8 Melts
Rating:
Link: http://www.maiaskincare.co.uk
Ingredients: cocoa butter, shea butter, sodium bicarbonate, citric acid, coconut oil, polysorbate 20, geranium, kaolinite, lemon, *citral, *citronellol, *geraniol, *limonene, linalool (*found naturally in essential oils)
Initial Impressions: The melts come in a pretty gold giftbox and are wrapped in tissue paper. I opened the box and the gorgeous aroma of geranium instantly rose up to meet me. The melts are a good size and look a bit like sweets and coupled with the amazing smell, I really wanted to eat one. But I didn’t, which was probably a very wise idea.
Application & Results: The box says to add one or two to a bath so I decided to start minimal and popped one in while it was running. It sank to the bottom and started fizzing away, letting the scent out and releasing a film of oil onto the surface of the water. It took several minutes for the melt to completely dissipate and I didn’t need to use a second one. In fact, I reckon I’d be just as happy with only half of one, there seems to be a very generous portion of ingredients stuffed inside.
The bath was quite slippery and the water’s surface was very oily. After thirty minutes relaxing, I was well and truly moisturised and smelled absolutely fantastic! I felt great for the rest of the day and my bathroom still smelled of geranium the following morning.
Review Conclusion: I truly didn’t expect to enjoy these melts as much as I did. I felt incredibly pampered during my bath which led to me feeling completely de-stressed for the rest of the day. At £3.95 for 8, these are an absolute steal. I’m really keen to try the other bath bombs and truffles in the range now. :D
Well, there we go, that was quite a write-up! :D I honestly haven’t enjoyed trying out new stuff this much for ages. Maia is a fairly new brand and I’m very pleased to have been made aware of the range. In particular, the usage of a vegan-friendly alternative to beeswax is a welcome one and something that I hope will garner Maia some special attention.
While I’m writing this, I also want to point out how much I like the Maia website. I’m a real sucker for detail when it comes to knowing what’s inside things and I absolutely love how there is so much information on the individual products. Not just boring old ingredient lists, but key benefits and usage tips all in a clear well-laid out format. There is also a separate ingredients glossary and articles on how best to use natural products, plus a blog with updates on new and upcoming products.
If you nip on over to the website, you’ll find that Maia is also currently offering a 15% discount on your first order when you sign-up for the newsletter. In the meantime, I’m off to rest my weary fingers. :)
Tags: balm, bath, clay, cleanser, face, fragrance, mask, moisturiser, serum
Product Reviews | Becky | November 16, 2008
1 Comment
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By CoconutOilGuy, November 28, 2008 @ 3:09 pm
Hello! Interesting set of skin care products there. I also noticed that coconut oil is an important component in about 4 or 5 products mentioned above. And rightfully so, really…
Long before it was discovered to possess incredible antimicrobial properties capable of killing the HIV virus (AIDS), coconut oil was already busy giving countless communities healthy skin, as well as hair, for thousands of years. Coconut oil is really the original skin lotion.
Just my two cents. Take care.
Cheers,
CoconutOilGuy