Ole Henriksen (pronounced "ooh-la") is one of the hottest new natural skincare lines from a dermatologist with a longtime celebrity cult following in Beverly Hills. Together with Korres, Ole is one of my favorite "active naturals" skincare lines for three big reasons: the products do what they promise, make my skin feel soft and smooth, and smell fabulous.
I have only tried the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Ole's line of products, but I am very impressed with what I have tried. The following is a breakdown of my 7 days of Ole experiment.
African Red Tea Foaming Cleanser
This is a very nice foaming cleanser that has a slightly herbal tea scent. The luxurious foam is softening and non-irritating. It's ideal for dry or sensitive skin. I find the $35 price point too high for a cleanser, but this is certainly a nice one if you're willing to pay a bit more to get a good all-natural softening cleanser.
Sugar Glow Face Scrub
The product is designed to be used just 2 or 3 times a week, but I honestly think it's gentle enough to use every day for those who like the feeling of squeaky clean and soft skin after a good scrub. It's made with pomegranate seeds and pumpkin for the scrubbing action, and African red tea, vitamin c, and rose hips impart gentle antioxidant benefits to keep your skin healthy while exfoliating away the dead skin cells. All and all, I think that this exfoliator is a great value. There are some exfoliators that I prefer (like Kate Somersville's ExfoliKate), but this is the best one I've tried under $50. It is $38 for a generous 3.5 ounce size. It smells like citrus and honey, which is a nice bonus.
Feel the Difference Perfecting Mask
This is the single best mask I have EVER tried by a landslide. It smells delectable (like orange cream or 50/50 bar, a common scent among Ole products), and it leaves my skin feeling as soft and smooth as a baby's bottom after just 10 minutes. What's more, it's so gentle that even when I accidentally left it on way too long (upward of 20 minutes), it did not irritate my skin at all. It's designed to boost oxygen flow to the skin, and it leaves the skin feeling slightly tingly, not in an annoying menthol way, but like a refreshing breeze kissing your face. My skin feels so soft afterward. I will definitely continue to use it 2-3 times a week. For $35, it's a bargain.
Blue/Black Berry Enzyme Mask
I alternated this mask with the Feel the Difference and found that it delivered amazing results as well. This one is designed to calm sensitive skin. Since my skin is not really that sensitive, I did not get that benefit. But it smells of relaxing lavender, so I still enjoyed my 20 minutes of mask time. My skin did feel smoother after using this mask, but for my dry skin, I prefer the moisturizing results of the Feel the Difference mask. I would recommend this for anyone with sensitive skin though. It was definitely a very very mild tingle and did not leave a touch of redness or irritation on my skin.
African Red Tea Face Mist
This is one of the Ole products I got in my travel-size kit I can live without. It's a spray-on toner of sorts, but without the alcohol. It contains the African red tea and pomegranate to deliver antioxidants to the skin, which is all fine and good, but I feel that serums are more effective for that purpose than a mist.
Truth Serum Collagen Booster
I wanted to love this serum. After all, it's from one of my very favorite skincare lines, it's loaded with vitamin C and many other antioxidants, and it's supposed to boost collagen production. But I cannot attest to whether it works because I gave up on it after two uses. It's simply way too sticky. I was hoping that if I let it dry for a good 20 minutes before applying moisturizer, that would help. But much to my dismay, it still made my skin feel very sticky to the touch, even after moisturizer. Needless to say, this does not work with makeup at all. Even as a nighttime-only option, I feel that there are better serums out there that don't make my skin feel so sticky so I'll pass on this one.
Express the Truth (night moisturizer)
I can not say enough good things about this moisturizer. It is VERY hydrating for thirsty skin, it's loaded with cutting edge active ingredients like hyaluronic acid, peptides, antioxidants, and macadamia nut oil. My skin smells amazing and edible when I put this on (my fiance can smell that fabulous orange-cream scent from across the room), and it feels so soft and hydrated. And even though I was a bit weary about the macadamia nut oil, I have had zero breakouts or skin irritations after using this cream for a week. This is simply a fantastic nourishing night cream, and at $65, I think it's reasonably priced for all the benefits. Note that you can also use this cream during the day with a separate SPF. I just generally prefer to use moisturizers that already have an SPF in them during the day, which is why I consider this one a night cream.
Sheer Transformation (night moisturizer)
This one is designed to help fade age spots and repair sun damage in general. It also protects the skin from free-radical damage, which would make it best for a day moisturizer. However, I used it at night because the other two moisturizers I was testing had SPF. This moisturizer, as all the other Ole moisturizers, did make my skin feel silky soft. Unfortunately, my little sample has not allowed me to use it long enough to see if it really reverses sun damage. Overall, if sun damage if your concern, this would be a good choice in that price range ($45), but I do wish that it had an SPF so you don't have the added step of putting on sunscreen. Estee Lauder's Daywear is comparable in benefits and it has an SPF, so overall, I would recommend that over Sheer Transformation.
Truth Revealed Super Creme SPF 15 (day moisturizer)
I love love love this moisturizer. It has that same orange cream scent in other Ole products, makes my skin feel like silk, and has awesome anti-aging benefits including fatty acids, antioxidants, and Omega 3. It firms and tightens my skin without causing any discomfort. It also has an SPF 15. If it was SPF 30, this would be my dream day moisturizer. But I think it's a great product and a bargain at $65.
Herbal Day Creme SPF 15 (day moisturizer)
Another fabulous-smelling Ole product. This one smells more herbal as the name suggests, but not too strong. The ingredients include Grape Seed Oil, Soybean Extract, Chamomile, Vitamins A and E, and other magical active naturals to protect and soothe the skin. Again, I wish it was SPF 30 rather than SPF 15, but it makes my skin feel amazing, gives it a healthy glow, and smells amazing.
Truth is in the Eyes (eye serum)
This is a serum that you are supposed to wear under an eye cream (after waiting for the serum to dry). It does tighten, firm, and diminish wrinkles as promised. It's also the first eye area exfoliator that I am aware of. Usually, we don't exfoliate the delicate eye area. But this serum acts as a very gentle peel to firm, lift, and exfoliate the eye area all at the same time. Fair warning: it is a peel, so even if you put eye cream over it (as you absolutely should), it tends to peel underneath concealer and face makeup, so I see this as more of a nighttime eye treatment. I like this product, and I do think it works. I would not use it with a very expensive eye cream though because I feel like it creates a barrier that sucks up some of the eye cream's moisture but not necessarily all the other benefits. To me, this is a 2-3 times a week treatment.
Visual Truth Eye Creme
This is an ok eye cream. I don't love it, I don't hate it. I just don't find it as impressive as many of the other Ole products I've tried. It is very hydrating for dry skin around the eyes, but I haven't noticed any other major benefits (like helping with lines or dark circles). I feel like this is a nice starter eye cream for teenage girls. I'm starting to see some lines, so I'm looking to up the ante personally. But this is a good one to use with the Truth is in the Eyes serum.
