Aveda Tourmaline Charged Radiance

Aveda is one of those brands I instantly trust. I’m not sure why, I guess it’s partly due to brand perception being superbly executed, and partly down to the real effort of looking after our environment. For instance, Aveda claims to “go to incredible lengths to be respectful of the earth, connecting beauty, environment and well being”, and they use plant based ingredients and essential oils – more than 90% of the essential oils and 89% of raw herbal ingredients are organic. Aveda is also into responsible packaging that can be recycled, and they were the first beauty company manufacturing with 10% certified wind power. In addition, they regularly partner with non profit organisations whose work supports Aveda’s commitment to social and environmental improvement, and they work with specific suppliers and communities when sourcing their ingredients. Of course, I’m sure that with this information comes a certain amount of manipulated data – but it’s a hell of a lot more than can be said for some other premium beauty brands, and I admire Aveda for really trying to make a positive effort in looking after our planet while creating a range of beauty products to meet our often superficial needs.

As well as having a great mission, Aveda delivers high quality hair care and skin care. I remember visiting the Aveda salon in Glasgow for a hair treatment and blow dry and it was a very relaxing, a spa-like experience within a hair salon. I find the same vibe applies to the beauty collections, from the packaging to the individual products – even when using Aveda hair products or skin care, you’re transported to a ‘zen’ mindset within your own bathroom thanks to the scent of the essential oils and luxurious finish.

If you follow me on Snapchat, you’ll have seen me talking – well, raving – about the Tourmaline Charged range by Aveda. Tourmaline is a naturally energising mineral which gives a natural glow, so this is a great collection for people who need a bit of a boost due to fatigue or lacklustre skin.

I was first introduced to the Tourmaline collection a few years ago when I received a sample of the radiance face masque, which I’ve used religiously ever since. A few weeks ago, Aveda sent me another tube of the masque (thank you!), but also the exfoliating cleanser and hydrating crème. I’ve been using all three over the summer, and they’re totally dreamy.

The masque, I love – it’s a pretty standard, creamy white product that is easily applied and easily removed fifteen minutes later, but this is exactly why I love it. There are no ‘ground-breaking’ claims, it’s just a great face mask that can be relied upon by many skin types. Admittedly, I’m lucky in that my skin is fairly normal, but those with sensitive skin would be wise to give the Aveda Tourmaline Charged masque a shot – it’s almost like aqueous cream in texture and it stays that way while on the skin, without drying out into ‘stone face’. I hate that cracking skin feeling, don’t you? It contains avocado oil and muru butter to soothe and hydrate, and the natural exfoliants help skin to gently shed the dull, lacklustre surface cells which gather all too happily, particularly in winter. I use the masque every Sunday evening and find it gives me a visible boost, especially when I apply the crème afterwards (more on this below).

The exfoliating cleanser has actually become a favourite that I would add to my bathroom cabinet must-haves. It’s important to use an exfoliator to remove impurities, which in turn forms the basis of good skin – this one has jojoba beads to encourage glowing, brighter skin and my face feels immediately cleaner and revitalised after I use it.

Finally – and my favourite – is the hydrating crème, which I’ve been using as a night cream mainly because it doesn’t contain SPF and it’s a rather tacky finish, so make up application isn’t great afterwards. However, a primer would soon eliminate that problem and I have to say, this crème truly, truly gives me brighter skin immediately after use, so it’s probably worth trying it with an SPF/primer afterwards so you can pop on some make up.

On make-up free days I wear this in the morning as it improves the texture of my skin greatly, so though I’m not wearing any BB cream or foundation, I feel less undressed! As a night crème it’s just gorgeous; very thick, cooling to touch, and has a silky finish. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves a good face cream or to those who need help to brighten dull skin. A must-have for make-up free summer days, and for the harsh winter months, so it’s a great product all year round.

Overall? I’d give the Aveda Tourmaline Charged range 4/5 for the masque, 4/5 for the exfoliating cleanser, and 5/5 for the crème.