Boscia Review

Remember how I bought the Boscia eye cream from Sephora a few weeks ago? Well I saw the Sephora website that there is this new limited edition set called Best of Boscia which includes 3 Full-Size Boscia products, one of which is the very same eye cream that I bought, for only $48!! I mean, the eye cream by itself is already $38, so why not spend $10 more and get 2 more full-sized products? So I returned the eye cream and ordered the set online (it’s online only).  I have been using them for about a week now, and I know it’s a little premature to really see the effects of any skincare products, but I want to just briefly review how they are so far because I am seriously in love with everything!

Best of Boscia set, comes in a cute white and silver box that’s reusable:

Three full-size products included. 

A little background on Boscia:
It’s a Japanese skincare brand owned by FANCL  that uses natural and plant-based ingredients free of fragrances or preservatives.  The products are supposed to be pure, gentle, and wholesome.  The star ingredients in all of their products are jojoba leaf which is a powerful antioxidant and willowherb for soothing and anti-inflammatory properties.  

I love the simple white packaging of their products, it really does reflect their philosophy of nature and pureness, makes me feel like they are no-fuss products that work without all the bells and whistles of most skincare products.  

Also, since all the products are preservative-free, to avoid breakdown of the ingredients everything is packaged in opaque white tubes or bottles with sanitary airtight pumps.  I think it might also explain why the amount of product in each item is so small (face creams are only 1oz, face washes are around 5 oz) due to the lack of preservatives so that you use them up quickly.

Anyway, on to the reviews!

First of all, the Enlivening Amino-AG Eye Treatment:

Price: $38 for 0.5 fl oz.  Standard size for most eye creams
Packaging: Sanitary airtight pump that is easy to control the amount of product dispensed.
Texture: Very emollient and silky. Consistency is a little thick, not too runny.  It feels more like a balm than a cream or gel, but does not feel oily or greasy.  Blends easily on the skin, has a very smooth and velvety feel.  Also feels very hydrating for the undereye area.  I use it at night only. 

Application: A little bit goes a long way since it is so emollient.   It takes a while to sink in, which makes it more ideal for use at nighttime instead of daytime.  But after it sinks in, my undereye area does feel very soft and moisturized.  After just one week’s use, I have noticed that there is an improvement in the texture of my undereye area, it also got rid of some milia for me, which is quite miraculous since I usually don’t believe that eye creams can really have short-term effects.  So this is definitely a pleasant surprise.
Smell: It is fragrance-free, but it does have a sort of herbal smell that’s barely noticeable, but kind of nice.  Not a big deal at all. 
Overall: I would definitely recommend this eye cream for people that have dry and sensitive undereye areas because this is highly moisturizing without being greasy and so far has not caused any milia for me, in fact it has even gotten rid of some!  Smoothed out the texture of my skin and I really do wake up with undereyes that are moisturized.  I love it!   

 

Next up, the Recharging Night Moisture 

Price: $33 for 1 oz. A bit pricey in my opinion, and not a lot of product. 
Packaging: As you can see from the picture, the packaging is fantastic! It doesn’t get any more sanitary than this! At first you think it’s a squeeze tube, but when you take off the top, you find an airless pump underneath! This is like double protection.  Again the pump is very easy to use, and easy to control the amount dispensed.
Texture: This cream is kind of similar to the eye cream, except the color is more opaque and the texture is more of a cream than a balm, but the consistency is very similar.  It feels silky and velvety, and very emollient without being greasy.

Application: As the name suggests, this is a night cream, which is exactly what I use this as.   It just glides on like silk on the skin and makes my skin feel super soft afterwards.  Very moisturizing, and gives my skin a dewy glow after application.  Since it is a night cream, it’s richer than your average day cream so it makes the skin a little sticky after application, but it goes away very quickly and sinks in pretty fast.  I had a little bit of a dry spot on my left cheek, and after a week of using this every night, the dry spot is gone! So I can definitely testify to its superb moisturizing properties, but can’t tell you about much else besides that.  It hasn’t broken me out or irritated my skin at all, as it’s super gentle and great for sensitive skin.  
Smell: Fragrance-free, but has a similar light herbal smell to it that feels clean and comforting.  Barely noticeable though. 
Overall: This is a great basic moisturizing night cream for people with dry/sensitive skin.  I’m not sure if it will work for people with oily skin, but since night creams are supposed to be more emollient anyway, I think this is a pretty good product so far.  My skin feels moisturized the next morning.  It’s not like glowing or anything, but it does feel soft and supple.  I like!

Finally, the Oil-Free Daily Hydration SPF 15:

Price: $27 for 1 oz.  Not terribly bad, but still a little pricey considering the amount of product you’re getting.
Packaging: Same as the Recharging Night Moisture, squeeze tube with airless pump.  Yay for being double sanitary! 
Texture: This is the most lightweight of the three, and also the most runny consistency.  It contains silica powder  which mattifies and controls oil, and I have to say it does an excellent job at that.  I don’t have oily skin so I find this to work a little TOO well at mattifying, makes my skin feel a bit tighter than I’d it to be.  With that being said, this would be excellent for someone with more oily skin because this has really great texture, it almost feels like a moisturizing primer, so I find that I don’t need to use any primer afterwards because this already gives my skin a super smooth canvas to work with.  

Application: I imagine this to run out pretty fast because of its small amount and the runny texture.  It’s not terribly hydrating since it IS oil-free, but it applies very evenly and glides on the skin smoothly.  Great for someone with oily skin, and also doubles as a primer.  My skin really feels super smooth afterwards.  It doesnt seem to contain any silicones which is nice.  Doesn’t accentuate flakes or dry patches despite its mattifying properties.  It’s a very lightweight moisturizer. 
Smell: Similar herbal smell as the other 2 products.   
Overall: This is better suited for someone with normal/combo skin or oily skin, not so much for dry skin since it’s not moisturizing enough.  It does work great as a primer, but I don’t really see myself repurchasing this.  

Since this is not moisturizing enough to use on its own for me, I’ve decided to mix it with my usual morning moisturizer, L’Oreal RevitaLift UV Daily Moisturizing Cream with Sunscreen.  I bought it because it contains Mexoryl, supposedly the best sunscreen on the market right now, to which L’Oreal owns the exclusive rights to.  The L’Oreal one is not oil-free and more moisturizing than the Boscia one, but used alone it can also be a little sticky and takes a while to sink in.  I combine them 50/50 and it works great!  I end up with a hybrid moisturizer that has a consistency in between the two, which is perfect for me.  

This also makes the Boscia one last longer