I got this face cream in my Lookfantastic advent calendar and after using it daily usually in the morning and only in the last week both in the evening and in the morning I’m about to finish it. Just like the mane suggests, ESPA are products that aim to bring that SPA-like experience at home, which means that the products contain plenty of oils and natural extracts. I personally don’t have a problem with oils used in facial care, but I know that some people tend to be sensitive to them, so a “test drive” would probably be necessary beforehand.

Packaging:

The face cream comes in a matte glass jar with a plastic lid and it looks fancy like you would expect from an expensive skin care brand. However, I do have to mention that the type of paint or what it was applied on the lid to make it look like its made of stone (although it’s just plastic) chipped off and didn’t look so nice after a couple of weeks and it’s a shame because when it come to expensive products I also expect the packaging to be top notch. Also, considering the very liquidy texture of the cream, a bottle with a pump or even a squeezing tube would have been more practical than a jar. The jar contains 55 ml of product.

Texture:

As I mentioned above, the cream has a very light texture, almost similar to the one of a gel cream, but it’s not as thick, it feels more like a lotion. It’s also very heavy fragranced probably because of all the oils. The scent doesn’t linger on the skin or anything, but I can see why it can be bothersome for some people. And I always had to be careful how much product I would scoop out of the jar because it can easily drip off the fingers and then you just unnecessarily waste some cream while you try to apply it on the face.

Ingredients:

Aqua (Water), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Glycerin, Potato Starch Modified, Phenoxyethanol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Butylene Glycol, C12-16 Alcohols, Sclerotium Gum, Tocopherol, Palmitic Acid, Citrullus Lanatus (Watermelon) Fruit Extract, Lecithin, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Flower/Leaf Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan) Extract, Linalool, Fragrance* (Parfum), Limonene, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil, Lithothamnion Calcareum Extract, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Nasturtium Officinale Extract, Maltodextrin, Potassium Sorbate, Arctium Lappa Root Extract, Hedera Helix (Ivy) Extract, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract, Saponaria Officinalis Leaf Extract, Chlorophyllin-Copper Complex, Sodium Hydroxide. *100% Natural Fragrance.

The ingredients list is quite extensive, with white thyme, lavender, chamomile and Irish moss being the key ingredients highlighted in the product’s description to hydrate, clarify, moisture and protect the skin without clogging the pores. Although, the carrageenan extract is considered to be potentially pore-clogging according to some sources I found while researching the ingredients.

The main ingredients are most likely water, caprylic/capric triglyceride, grape seed oil, glycerin and modified potato starch (used to control the viscosity of a product). There is also watermelon fruit extract, sunflower seed oil, lemon peel oil, ivy extract and sage leaf extract in there.

Overall, the ingredients list is very much plant-based heavy and it’s also a vegan formula.

Price and accessibility:

ESPA products are available only in a few online shops here and not all of the products, so they are not that easily obtained. This face cream retails for 59 euros on the brand’s website, so it’s pretty much out there when it comes to skin care, even though a jar can last you for more than a month because you don’t need much despite the very lightweight texture.

My overall opinion:

Considering that this is a balancing moisturizer, so it should be suitable for oily and combination skin, I would say that it was a proper fit for my skin type. It provides enough moisture without being too heavy on the skin and without feeling oily. I liked how my skin felt after using it and it also made me look radiant in a way, but I wasn’t a big fan of the consistency of it nor of the heavy scent. So while I did enjoy using it as a product received in the advent calendar, it’s not something that I would purchase on my own not only because of the price, but also because it’s not the type of product that I like to use on the regular in my skin care routine.