Brand Introduction: Michael Todd True Organics & Giveaway

Michael Todd True Organics is a brand that has got a lot of hype through YouTube and the Blogoshere. They are a company that makes skincare for all different skin types with 70% organic ingredients. I got drawn to it after YouTubers' reviews about their acne/blemish skincare regime. I was very skeptical about the “organic” idea of the line since I am a person that has treated acne with Accuran and strong prescriptions and have never looked at the ingredient list of any skincare products because the harsher the chemicals the better the results (!). I was definitely never a believer that natural products and oils can ever make the slightest difference if you don’t follow any prescription. Well, these products have changed my way of thinking and my attitude towards natural products. They have made a huge change to my skin and I’m kind of happy that I only use natural products to treat my problem areas without inserting any chemicals into my body. Let’s see the products one by one and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Charcoal Detox Deep PoreCleanser

This is the product that I’ve repurchased like 3 times. I always have a backup because you can only order from America and I’m dreading the moment that I will be out because I really believe that my skin will go crazy! This is indeed a deep pore cleanser; it cleans your pores from impurities (apparently, activated charcoal is well known for its ability to unclog pores and remove dead skin cells), makes your skin feel smoother and helps a lot with your blackheads and white spots. It foams up really well and removes makeup like a dream. I’ve tried it both before removing my makeup with Bioderma and going straight to the sink without any prior cleansing and the toner cotton pad I use afterwards came up almost white in both cases. It also removes eye makeup wonderfully without irritating your eyes, although I have noticed a bit of dryness on my eyelids after everyday use.  It doen't leave any gunky residue and doesn't strip my skin off its natural oils as well. This is by far my favourite cleanser and it retails for 23$.

Blue Green Algae MoisturisingToner

I’ll be blunt; I believe that toners are a useless step in your skincare routine and make no difference no matter what. I don’t think any toner can make a huge difference to your skin, however after using this toner for 5 months (not religiously to be honest, I often totally forget about it) I believe it’s a great addition to my regime. It removes the last inch of makeup that the cleanser has missed and I have noticed that the cotton pad is always kind of greyish afterwards; I believe that’s because of the fact that I’m a smoker. So, apparently it manages to even remove the traces of smoke that has been lingering on my skin; awesome! It leaves your skin moisturised and well balanced. It contains black willow tree extract and tea tree oil to help fight infections and those little pimples. I've heard that the scent has put a lot of people off but I really of like it. It smells really herbally and reminds me of my Caudalie Beauty Elixir which really feels like using a very luxurious product. It retails for 18.50$.

Jojoba Charcoal FacialPolish

This is a scrub with Jojoba Wax Beads and activated Charcoal with very finely milled beads that is suitable for oily or skin with active breakouts. It does not irritate your skin and exfoliates wonderfully. Skincare specialists advise you not to use scrubs when you have active breakouts because you may irritate them and transfer the bacteria from it to the rest of your face and end up doing more harm than good, which has happened to me with a Frezyderm scrub. However, this scrub is so gentle that I had never encountered this problem. When you get the actual product out of the tube it is REALLY black, as you can very well see in the picture below! But fear not; it doesn’t stain your bathroom or clothes! The only downside with this one is that it leaves a weird residue on your face so bear in mind that you might need to use a toner afterwards. The feeling after the application is wonderful and your face looks more radiant and it's really soft to the touch. It retails for 18.50$.

Kaolin Clay Mask

This is a very weird clay mask if you ask me. As far as I know, clay masks are very thick in consistency, very unlike this one. This product is very runny for a mask and thus doesn’t apply evenly. It comes with a pump and although it claims to be “a soft purifying mask”, man it stings, A LOT! For the first 2 minutes you’ll be really tempted to rinse it off because you feel like it’s burning your face! There are supposed to be 2 types of the same mask, the one in the tube and the one with the pump. I’ve got the second one, maybe the one in the tube does not sting that much! The smell is also disgusting. I'm warning you, DO NOT use this mask when your boyfriend is around! I'll be honest with you, given the colour is brownish and the product runny and patchy on your face, you look like someone has pooed on you! So be aware! However, the truth is that it does wonders for your skin. You need a muslin cloth or a face cloth to remove this one, it doesn't come off with water very easily and it leaves a bit of a residue that you might notice if you use a toner afterwards. After you remove it you can definitely see a difference on your pores, a significant difference in hyperpigmentation and your skin looks very glowy. Seriously, it's one of the best masks I've tried but if I were them I would rethink the combination of the smell and colour! This one retails for 34$, which sounds quite pricey to me.

Antioxidant Carrot Serum

This one caught my eye on the website with the statement “Retinol-like activity without the side effects”. Wow, hang on a second there! I was on prescribed retinol treatment at the time and was really sick of the dryness and the constantly irritated skin. So I thought, why not? It is a normal serum consistency which needs a lot of massaging to get absorbed by your skin. The instructions are to use it on its own or mixed with the moisturiser. I’ve used it both ways and I think I like it so far. I haven’t noticed any huge difference but I’ve definitely noticed a reduction of the acne scar redness. Unfortunately, it didn’t manage to significantly reduce my breakouts as it claims, although it contains salicylic acid, black willow extract and licorice extract which is nature’s replacement of benzoyl peroxide. I do like this product a lot, however I don’t feel it lives up to its expectations and statements. Another downside, that also applies to the mask and the scrub, is that the packaging is opaque and you can never know when you will run out of it. Since they are not readily available where I live and I need to order them online, I would appreciate if I could be able to see how much product I've got left so I can schedule my orders. This one is pretty pricey as well, on the 37$ mark which makes it more questionable whether it is worth trying or not. 

As you might have noticed, they don't really have drugstore-similar prices. However, Michael Todd website gives you a 20% off discount for a whole year only by subscribing to their newsletter. Also, after the subscription you will regularly get emails for specific products going on offer. All the products that I've mentioned above can be purchased individually, which I usually do because I run out of cleanser way faster than the rest of them, but can also be purchased as a set so that you can try the whole regime for almost half the price. All in all, I believe Michael Todd's line targeted to combination/oily skin is wonderful and I think it would do wonders to skins with mild acne. I would totally recommend it to you!

Now it's time for the Giveaway! One of you will be the lucky one and win a Kaolin Clay mask, but not the harsh one I've been using, the milder formula in the tube! The giveaway is open internationally and the only thing you need to do is fill in the Rafflecopter below. The giveaway is going to be open for 2 weeks. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Georgina x x x