PRODUCT REVIEW: CLICKS SKINCARE COLLECTION

It's 6 a.m and it's as dark as night outside. I can see actual stars beyond the window, against the dark sheet of sky. Winter always surprises me how late the day starts and how early it ends. There's always something so surreal about this time of year. Life feels suspended.

But here I am, awake since 4 a.m, and writing must go on. It's been a while since I wrote something - remember last week I just copied and pasted an old short story - and it feels a little odd to be flexing my writing muscles after so long. So I'll ease them into it gently with a review post today.

I've deleted my Tik Tok now, but over the last two years I had it, skin care was a massive trend on the app. I got obsessed with having skin as full and moist as good pizza dough, that would spring back like jelly if you pushed it with your finger. I went through numerous products to find the one that would get me the impossibly specific effect. I had already been through Clinique and African Extracts so I tried the Foschini Youth Activating range and, honestly, it did reasonably well before they discontinued it, and then I was on the hunt again. I had to give their hydrating and firming products a go after that, and, truth be told, the products were oily and made my face look like it was slicked with sweat. I tried the Nuxe Paris facial balm, which was amazing - my face felt so juicy, you could bite into it. But ultimately it was too pricey to buy again. I even started collagen shakes, which I'm pretty convinced contributed to skincare success. But now I've found it - the product that trumps them all in results and price.

I've been using the Clicks Skincare Collection, specifically the rooibos +antioxidants range, for about 6 months now. I'd been reticent to share anything about it in case they pulled a Foschini and discontinued it. But I've successfully bought it 3 times now, so it must be safe to talk about it. Touch wood.

OVERVIEW

Product: Clicks Skincare Collection rooibos +antioxidants range

Items: face wash, toner, spf15 day cream, night cream

Price: R105 trial set with all 4 items

PROS 

I love everything about all these products. I'm not sure where to begin. 

The scent is light and barely herbal. It's that perfect clean skin scent. In this aspect, it even trumps Nuxe Paris, which had a slightly waxy smell to it. A lot of creams have a very distinctive lotion or cosmetic smell to them - this one doesn't. It's incredibly refreshing.

The consistency of the day cream is glorious. Inside the container it feels like a fluffy marshmallow or the white foamy part of a meringue pie. On the skin it's light and absorbs easily - it simply seeps into the face, giving you an effortlessly hydrated glow. The finish is very natural.

Let's talk results. Over the period of 6 months, I experienced zero breakouts. My skin started looking youthful, fresh, and clear within about 2 weeks. Over my escapade of products, I can successfully say that this range does what any other product does, if not better. I'll be hard pressed to want to try anything else after this.

The pricing is unbelievable for the kind of results it produces. I paid R105 for the trial set of all 4 products (60ml face wash, 60ml toner, the day and night cream didn't have volumes but came in small travel size pots). I bought the trial set twice and each time the whole set lasted me nearly 2 months with consistent morning use. On my third purchase I felt more than convinced to buy the full size items. I bought a 300ml face wash, 200ml toner and 50ml day cream. I bought it on the famous Clicks 3 for 2 discount, where you can purchase 3 products and only pay for 2, and it came to less than R200. This will probably last me months and even if I average a small 4 months of use, it's still barely conceivable that I can look this healthy and polished for R50 per month. (You'll notice I didn't re-purchase the night cream. Honestly, I don't have the discipline for it.)

CONS

Apart from lacking the discipline of a nightly skincare routine, because I'm so eager to jump into my warm and cozy bed, I didn't like the consistency of the night cream. It's about the same as any other night cream, I suppose - thick and heavy - and yes, I know night creams are supposed to be that way. So I guess this is not a product flaw, but rather a preference. The range works perfectly well without it in any case. 

What I will say about the other 3 products - the face wash, the toner, the day cream - is that they are best used in conjuction with each other. I tried the day cream on its own a few days, without the toner, and it had a slightly dry finish. For a few days I used regular soap on my face as the face wash ran out before the other products, and the look wasn't as complete either.

CONCLUSION 

The Clicks Skincare Collection rooibos +antioxidants range produces results as good as premium products at a fraction of the price. This range will elevate your skin beautifully. They do have trial sets for other ranges - the aloe vera range for dry or sensitive skin, the Q10 anti-aging range for mature skin. I'd recommend giving them a try.

And now it is 7.30 a.m and gloriously sunny outside. I watched the day rise slowly and gently over an hour and a half. Much unlike summer, where the sun is quick to flood the day. I miss the warm, idyllic days of writing - may winter pass quickly.

For more articles written by Keli H, the author, visit this blog's home page on keli-h.com

Keli H is the award winning author of the 400 series, which includes The Four Hundred Club and Splitting an Empire. The 400 series is high brow contemporary fiction revolving around the lives of wealthy circles. Keli's other works include Creating Literary Art. She is also the founder of The KREST House, a storytelling empire.