The product: Fresh Peony Brightening Foam Face Cleanser, Peony Brightening Moisturizing Facial Toner, and Peony Brightening Moisture Face Cream
Fresh recently added three new products to their Peony Brightening range, and even though I’m not always into brightening products, I love these.
I don’t really believe in the brightening powers of peony (it’s only ever been “proven” to work in petri dishes), and I highly doubt that peony/mushroom/etc-based products truly brighten. That being said, a great brightening range will also make your skin seem brighter by leaving it clean, fresh, and well-hydrated–and the Fresh Peony Brightening range definitely delivers on that kind of brightening.
The ingredients: The range is formulated with Chinese tree peony extract, Madonna lilly root extract, and vitamin C glucoside, and each product has an additional star ingredient: shea seedcake extract (an antioxidant) in the cleanser and moisturizer, and sodium hyaluronate (to act as an to help the skin retain moisture) in the toner and moisturizer.
Unfortunately, the Fresh Peony Brightening Moisture Face Cream ($72 USD) contains silicones, but the new cleanser and toner are ‘cone-free!
Fresh Peony Brightening Moisture Face Cream
Fresh Peony Brightening Foam Face Cleanser ($42 USD/$49 CAD)
I tried out the Fresh Peony Brightening Foam Face Cleanser ($42 USD/$49 CAD) expecting to enjoy it, and it totally exceeded my expectations.
It’s a super-thick foam formula that’s honestly kind of hard to squeeze out of the tube, but it’s really luxurious — the packaging is gorgeous, and the foam applies kind of like a traditional shaving cream, or a face mask. (Or like fancy glue.) It feels like a ritual sort of product, and the sweet, soft, floral scent of the Peony Brightening range only compounds on this luxe kind of feeling.
I don’t think I love this one enough that I’ll be rebuying it (my skin’s too dry to use something that foams on a daily basis), but I definitely love it enough that I’m not sharing. A’s gonna have to earn this level of pampering if he wants to touch my Peony cleanser!
Fresh Peony Brightening Moisturizing Facial Toner ($60 USD/$70 CAD)
Conversely, I tried out the Fresh Peony Brightening Moisturizing Facial Toner ($60 USD/$70 CAD) expecting it to be a flop — but I actually like it even more than the cleanser.
The Fresh Peony toner is, in a word, phenomenal. It’s softly scented and absorbs quickly, and its glycerine-based formula leaves my skin feeling moisturized, velvety, and plush, but never sticky.
I know that this one is a huuuuge stretch for most budgets, but it’s honestly the best-performing toner/lotion-type product that I have ever tried for dry skin. It acts more like a really excellent beauty essence than a toner, and while I’m doubtful that it’ll be brightening in the long term, it’s just beyond lovely.
I can even skip my hydrating serum on days that I use this toner (which is something that I never do), so even though it’s priced at a luxury price point, it’s kind of like spending $70 on a serum, not a toner. Which… seems more reasonable, right?
The verdict?
If you haven’t checked out the Fresh Peony Brightening range yet, I have two words for you: DO IT.
I’m not sold on the range’s brightening abilities, but these three products are fantastic nonetheless. The moisturizer has a really lovely texture and scent; the cleanser feels literally like it belongs in a high-end spa; and the toner acts more like a liquid serum that’ll soften and balance your dry skin every morning and night.
There are actually quite a few products in the Fresh Peony range now, and if the rest are anything like these, they would make a fantastic Mother’s Day treat for this time of the year!
Availability: New permanent products as of April 2016. Find them online at Fresh and soon at Sephora.
Nothing like a gorgeous box of skincare.
The Fresh Peony Brightening Moisturizing Facial Toner ingredients:
Aqua, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Xanthan Gum, Licorice Root Extract, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Lilium Candidum Bulb Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopherol, Tromethamine, PEG-150, Sodium Citrate, PPG-26-Buteth-26, Butylene Glycol, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Fragrance, Citric Acid Limonene, Phenoxyethanol.
The Fresh Peony Brightening Foam Face Cleanser ingredients:
Water, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Xanthan Gum, Licoriche Root Extract, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Lilium Candidum Bulb Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopherol, Tromethamine, PEG-150, Sodium Citrate, PPG-26-Buteth-26, Butylene Glycol, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Fragrance, Citric Acid, Limonene, Phenoxyethanol.
