Elizabeth Dehn for One Love Organics Sample Pack Review

Hello all! I have an exciting set of product reviews for your today. Right around the new year I picked up this sample pack from One Love Organics--it's samples of all the products from OLO's collaboration with Beauty Bets' Elizabeth Dehn. I had a hard time finding info on the sample pack itself on the interwebs, so I thought I'd give you all a look at the products and what I think of them!

The ED4OLO sample pack includes: 

1) Active Moisture Vitamin C Serum

2) Active Moisture Vitamin E Eye Balm

3) Active Moisture Vitamin B Cleansing Oil and Makeup Remover

4) Active Moisture Vitamin D Time Release Facial Mist

Initial impression of the sample pack: The packaging is adorable and the info pamphlet is moderately helpful. It doesn't really include any new information that you can't find on the website, but it's a nice touch to introduce you to the line. The sample sizes are actually smaller than I expected. I ran out of the mist right away--I wish they'd include a larger size of that since I didn't really have enough sample to make up my mind about the product. The eye balm is very concentrated and will probably last the longest of all the samples. I ran out of the cleanser after using it once per day for about 5 days. I'm still using the serum 6 days later and will probably run out in 2 more days or so.

To give you an idea of how much product you receive, here's the cleansing oil before I used it:

.....how much I used the first time:

....and how much I had left after initial use. The amount left lasted about 5 more uses.

Thoughts on each product in order from least to most favorite:

• Vitamin E Eye Balm: I really wanted to love this because of all the positive reviews, but unfortunately I just didn't, for several reasons. Number one: It's SO THICK and gooey that I had to wear it only at night or I felt like my eyelids were sticking together. It doesn't rub in very well, so the oily feeling remains as long as you have it on. Number two: I must be allergic to one of the ingredients, because after I used it several times I started to get eye swelling, watery eyes, congestion, and sleepiness (very similar to my reaction to jojoba oil). I contacted Eco Diva Beauty (a retailer of this pack) to see what may be the culprit and we couldn't figure it out, but the owner Garcy did say that she's never heard that from anyone before--in fact, she said that the biggest feedback she's gotten is that people with very sensitive eyes CAN use this without problems. So I don't think my allergy should be a deterrent to anyone else trying it out. On the positive side, this did provide great moisturize for my eye area. All in all, even if I wasn't allergic to it, I wouldn't purchase this because I don't like the greasy feeling it leaves on the skin, but I've heard that some people apply it right before bed and love it in that context. 

• Vitamin D Time Release Facial Mist: Like I said above, I don't think I received enough of this product to really get an idea of its benefits. I definitely didn't notice any adverse effects, but I didn't notice any benefits either from my small sample. The sample container does provide a nice, fine mist, not a blast to the face like some spritzers, so that's nice and I've heard the full-size product has a similar fine mist. I'm not the best judge of toners though, so if you are a toner-lover I'd still give this a whirl because you might just love it!

• Active Moisture Vitamin C Serum: I'm in LOVE with this serum. It has a slightly-thicker-than-oil, more-watery-than-'serum' texture. I spritz my face with a toner or water to dampen my skin, then rub 2 drops of this all over my face. There must be pixie dust or unicorn hair in this little bottle because it's already worked wonders on my skin. It's so moisturizing and my skin tone has evened out noticeably--after only a few days of use! I layer this under my Devita sunscreen and not only have no problems with pilling or makeup application--my products actually apply much nicer because my skin is so smooth and moisturized! Another big bonus in my book: I have dry-but-acneic skin and this doesn't make me break out--score! I plan to purchase this and highly recommend it to anyone with dry skin.
• EDIT 4-9-14: I bought this about a month ago and was so excited to incorporate it into my skincare routine. Unfortunately, after a couple weeks of using it, my pores became so clogged and my skin broke out like crazy! I'm not sure what caused it, but I stopped using it and am still trying to get my skin to recover :(

• Vitamin B Cleansing Oil and Makeup Remover: This is my absolute favorite thing from this line and I will 100% be purchasing this, despite the fact that I don't generally ever pay $38 for a cleanser--it's just that good! For starters, from my perspective it is a miracle of science in that it is an oil-based cleanser (read: great at removing makeup and moisturizing the skin), but unlike most products of the oil-cleansing variety you don't have to steam your face with a wet rag to get it off! You just wash it off with water and it turns into a kind of creamy liquid that you can further massage into your face for cleansing benefits. Once I wash it all away, my skin feels clean and moisturized, not at all tight or dry, but it also doesn't feel like it has a film of oil on top like I've experienced with some oil-based cleansers. Wizardry I tell you! This is my new favorite skincare product and I highly, highly recommend it. 
• EDIT 4-9-14: Like the serum, I purchased this and loved it for a couple of weeks, then started to notice my skin becoming congested (important side note--I didn't buy these products at the same time, so I know that the effects occurred with each product, not one or the other). I used it strictly as a normal cleanser (i.e., rub it on, then wash it off), not like a normal oil cleanser wherein you leave it on your face then remove with a warm cloth. So maybe I'll try that with the 2/3 of the bottle that's left? Or use it in the shower every so often? I'm bummed that this didn't end up working out!

Overall impressions: I am overall really impressed with the ED4OLO line. I'd highly recommend purchasing the sample pack before the full sizes, since I don't plan to purchase the full sizes of every product. I think the sample pack provides enough product to get at least a general sense of each item, though if OLO wants some advice from a random blogger I'd say increase the size of the mist sample. 

Even though I don't plan to purchase the eye balm or mist, I don't see any reason why others wouldn't love those products--they're just not for me. I am planning to purchase the serum and balm and feel that the costs of these products ($68 for the serum, $38 for the cleansing oil) are justified because not only do they work (my skin already looks amazing and I've used them for less than a week), but they have great ingredients and are so concentrated that you need very little product each time. I'm interested to see how long my full-size products last, but I would imagine that in the end the cost of these two products versus the cost of continually replacing my cheaper-but-less-effective former standbys will be about equal.

Another quick plug: after my allergic reaction to the eye balm, I contacted Darcy from Eco Diva Beauty to ask if she had any idea what may have caused the reaction. She quickly forwarded my email on to the owner of OLO, Suzanne LeRoux, who in turn quickly responded to my question of whether any of the ingredients are similar to jojoba oil (since I had an identical reaction). Although we weren't able to figure out what specifically caused my reaction, I was really impressed with both companies at their customer service and would recommend supporting them if you're looking for some natural goodies :)

Anyone else have experience with these products? Any geniuses out there able to figure out why my eyes bugged out (literally...) with the eye balm??!

EDIT 4-9-14: After playing with the full sizes of the serum and cleanser, my assessment is that the kit provides enough sample to get a general feel for the products, but in my experience I needed to use the products a little longer (i.e., needed a larger size) to realize that they don't work for my skin. To be fair, I have very temperamental skin and am constantly fighting simultaneous breakouts and super dry skin (seriously?!?!), so people with normal skin that's not prone to blackheads may really benefit from the products. Just because they didn't work for me doesn't mean they won't work for you!

Did anyone else have problems with these products? I feel like I'm the only one who didn't love them!