If you spend some time with Judy Kohl at the store (she’s the owner of Mustard Seed), you will eventually find out that one of her favorite products is the Marula Oil – an anti-aging oil made in Africa. She loves how it hydrates her skin- and with this wild winter we’re having, we can all use some hydration! We have a little sampler at our front counter – try it out yourself!
Meanwhile, check out this great review by the online beauty and fashion resource, StyleList – they’re committed to testing products to see if they live up to their promises! ~ Diane
Testing: Marula Oil – The Leakey Collection
Testing Period: Two weeks of daily applications
Tested By: Jenna Misener
Price: $98 SRP ($78 at Mustard Seed!)
The Promise: Specially formulated for the face and neck, this sustainably sourced Marula Oil from the Leakey Collection is a naturally soothing treatment that provides intense hydration, protection and rejuvenation to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles for soft, radiant skin.
How To: Using the dropper, dispense 3-5 drops onto your palms and massage the oil into your face, neck, and hands as a moisturizer or to soothe skin after facial treatments or sun exposure. You can also add 2 to 3 drops to your cleanser, mask, scrub or foundation to boost efficacy.
What We Thought: Argan, seaberry, blue orchid, grape seed…there are so many exotic-sounding facial oils available today that it can be hard to know which one will work best for your skin type. We’ve tried a number of these seemingly trendy oils with mixed results – some caused breakouts, while others left us feeling, well, oily. The Marula Oil by The Leakey Collection impressed us even before we opened the box. The company has helped to create long-term employment opportunities for men and women in rural East Africa by harvesting and producing the oil at its source. Sustainable business models and ethics have their place, but ultimately we wanted to know if the product really lived up to its anti-aging promises.
The oil comes packaged in a fancy glass bottle with a dropper application. Fortunately, the dropper makes it easy to use the exact amount of oil that you need without waste. The product itself is incredibly light, which means it’s fast absorbing, and unlike other oils, leaves a matte finish. When we used it at night in combination with our usual moisturizer, we did notice that our skin looked more plump and smooth in the morning. While we’re not sure we necessarily looked younger, the oil did seem to fill in some of our fine lines, especially those pesky frown lines. The oil has a light musky citrus scent that fades quickly, but you’ll want to breathe it in while it lasts because it’s luxe. It might seem counter-intuitive to put oil on your face to combat acne, but we noticed that the oil actually helped to reduce redness from spots and also heal some remnants of past breakouts. For those of you living in dryer climates, Marula oil is the perfect antidote to a bad case of the flakies. It also goes a long way to soothing skin after sun exposure. Even on a humid summer day, the oil absorbed quickly and didn’t feel greasy.
Overall, we were really impressed with this product and the brand. Not only is the Leaky Collection incredibly environmentally friendly they also donate 5 percent of all sales back to the local communities in the form of health benefits, education, and infrastructure.
The Downfalls: Aside from being a bit pricey, there are no downfalls to this product.
Final Remarks: After a few drops of this product, your search for the perfect facial oil will be over! The team at StyleList gives this Marula Oil from The Leakey Collection two thumbs up for quality — trust us, your complexion will thank you!
