Recently I ended up with two Algenist products in my testing line up, both from different sources, but both part of the Algernist Genius line. The first was the Algenist Genius Ultimate Anti-aging eye cream (retail $74, although I got it on sale.). The reason I ended up purchasing it was a friendly recommendation given to me by a stranger when I was out shopping for eye cream. I was having trouble deciding on a product and the helpful stranger suggested this one. I took the recommendation and after a trip to the cashier I took it home.
Buy 7mL GENIUS Cream for $15 and get $15 off a full size + free shipping. No Code Required.
The second product came to me via Scentbird and no, it isn’t a perfume. Scentbird also offers various skincare and makeup items that you can add to your queue in lieu of a perfume that month. In March, I decided to forgo my monthly perfume trial and try the option and from their line up I chose the Algenist Genius Liquid Collagen lip to try out. It looked interesting and we all know I am totally down for anything designed to make my lipstick look better. So I received this product instead of perfume from Scentbird this month. I didn’t review the Scentbird subscription box right away as I wanted to have time to try the products.
So with two separate products from the same line ready for testing, I decided I needed to find out what made them genius.
Or at least why they thought of themselves as such.
So to the product page my darlings!
As far as I can tell it is called the genius line because it is born from biotechnology using super fantastic algae and is safe and clean, hypoallergenic and formulated for all skin types. It is also free of a whole bunch of not so good for you things including coal tar, mineral oil and petroleums. There is actually a long list of what they don’t use, which made me quite happy to see. As far as I can tell though those guidelines apply to all of their products and not just the genius line.
So we look at the products. Unfortunately, all things are not equal. I liked the eye cream and did not like the lip treatment. Let’s go with the best first though and start with the eye cream.
According to its product page, the Algenist Ultimate Anti-Aging Eye cream…
This vegan eye cream delivers unparalleled benefits through a combination of naturally sourced and sustainably produced Alguronic Acid and Microalgae Oil. Alguronic Acid helps increase skin’s smoothness, and Microalgae Oil works to replenish the eye contour moisture while improving the skin’s luminosity. The formula also includes a plant-based collagen and a Persian silk tree extract to visibly firm and lift the upper eyelid, nourish and smooth skin around the delicate eye area.
I have to say, I am a big fan of this eye cream. It is a plain, white cream with almost no scent other then ‘I’m a cream’ scent. It is thicker than I expected and I worried that it might clog my pores as some of the thicker eye creams have been known to do. However, it did not. I’ve been using this product for a month now and I have had no problems with clogged pores. The eye cream does make the skin feel super soft and hydrated. I think this is partially because of the shea butter included rather high up on the ingredients list. I like that it is thick enough that I can put it on my eyelids as directed without worrying about it traveling down and stinging my eyes.
There was no eye stinging with this product.
Where this product really shines though, is during allergy season. As the pollen count rises, the puffiness of my under eyes increases. The trees began their annual pollen parade shortly before I started using this eye cream and they were a bit on the puffy side when I started. I noticed a reduction in the puffiness after a few days of use even though the pollen count was steadily on the rise.
My only issue with this product is that it is in a small jar and it is a thick cream. I know I also like that it is a thick cream, but here’s the deal. It is thick enough that if you rub your finger across the top to collect some product to use, you get only a little on your finger as it just presses down. You have to sort of scoop a little bit up with your nail.in order to use it. Personally I don’t like sticking my fingers into face creams for fear of accidentally contaminating the entire thing.
I ended up putting one of the scoops from an old mask to use with this product as I was getting product under my nails with it and it was going to waste. This is not a product I want to waste. Also it is a small jar and my little plastic scoop was a little too big for it so I had to be careful not to scoop out too much. A tiny little scoop/spoon included with this product would make it just about perfect.
On the other hand, the Liquid Collagen lip is far from perfect. First, let’s see what it is supposed to do.
A vegan lip treatment to help deliver fuller, smoother-looking lips in 10 days*. This unique dual phase lip treatment suspends botanical lip enhancers and hundreds of beads of Microalgae Oil in collagen water. The unique formula visibly smooth lips and improve lip definition for a more youthful appearance. Formulated with plant collagen, and Algenist’s naturally sourced and sustainably produced Alguronic Acid. Apply with soothing and cooling ceramic tip applicator.
Okay, the packaging is nice and really well thought out. The plastic applicator is shaped perfectly and when you twist the top to dispense the product, the absolute perfect amount of product comes out. Seriously it is just enough to coat the lips and no more. The packaging is perfectly well thought out.
And it looks pretty.
It is comprised of golden drops of oil suspended in a gel. You hold it up to the light and it almost glows.
But as we all know, looks aren’t everything.
So I applied the product to my lips. It has no scent and it glides on like a lip gloss. As it was on my lips, I did taste the product. It is a very bizarre taste. I am going to describe this to the best of my ability, but I am not sure how good that is. So, the taste.
Okay imagine you go to the dentist and have a lot of Novocain as they are working on your mouth. They finish, wipe off your lips and send you home. Eventually the drugs wear off and you can take out the pads they shoved in your mouth to make you look like a chipmunk (and not bite your cheek without realizing it). Now think of the first time you lick your lips after that. You know that post Novocain taste your lips have? The slight non-taste that is still a taste?
That’s what this tastes like.
And yes I had to think about that for a while and it is still the best description I could come up with. Now you know why I don’t write poetry.
Okay so moving past the taste. At first, my lips just felt wet. After a couple of minutes it started to absorb and my lips felt warm. Really warm. Not run for the wash cloth warm, more like you put a few too many sliced jalapenos in your sandwich warm.
And yes, I put jalapenos in my grilled cheese. They are yummy.
The warmth died down faster than jalapeno juice though, so I was relieved. Also about the time my lips stopped feeling hot, when I touched them they felt dry to the touch even though I still thought they were wet. I will say they looked a little smoother and I was able to easily apply lipstick over them. I used a lipstick that was almost at the end of its life in case it contaminated it, but I still applied lipstick over it with no problems. In fact it looked really good.
I know you’re thinking, Mimsy, you said you didn’t like it, what’s the deal?
Okay here’s the deal. The one time use was fine. It worked exactly as it was supposed to. But it is a product that is supposed to work over time. According to the application directions you are supposed to apply it once in the am and once in the pm and you should see results in ten days. That is the recommended usage.
So I used as directed.
I applied it both am and pm. The heat I felt that first day did not occur with repeat applications. I don’t know if my lips adjusted or what, but there was no further heat. There was chapping. By day three the corners of my lips were red and raw and I had to discontinue use. If I realized it was the lip product causing the chapping I would have discontinued use earlier. I thought it was just the wind so I applied more Chapstick.
It was not the wind and I apologize for blaming it. I also apologize for telling the Chapstick it was not doing its job. It was, I was just torpedoing it without realizing it. Please don’t hold it against me dear Chapstick, as I will need you in both the upcoming summer sun and the cold winter to follow. I’m sorry I was so rude.
So there you have it. It’s a Genius family where one child seems to have sucked all the brains out of the other one. The liquid collagen is still pretty and perhaps I had some sort of reaction to one of the ingredients (a case I will be investigating), and someone else would have better luck with it than me. I can however say, it is definitely not a repurchase for me. I might try using it again on a one time basis if I need to look good going out (although heaven only knows when I will next leave my house). But I will not use it routinely and I won’t repurchase.
The Ultimate Anti-aging eye cream however is fantastic and definitely something I will be repurchasing. For now I am less than halfway through the jar and still have at least one other eye cream in the line up to test. But it still goes on the list.
I also am going to sit down with as complete an ingredients list as I can to see if I just had an allergic reaction and if I did, what I had the reaction to. I find this very important as I saw many crossovers from the eye cream and lip treatment when I looked through them. I find this important generally because I like to know if I am allergic to something, but also because I had so much success with the eye cream that I want to try out other cream products in this line to see if they are comparable. To be honest, after I make my comparison ingredients list, this may be a case where I get samples of other products in the line to try before committing to a full sized version, just in case. every product line has some flaws and I’m hoping that for me the lip treatment was it. So not only will I be repurchasing the eye cream but I will more than likely be trying out more products from the Genius line and hoping it is a family of virtuosos, with just one errant child.
Ms. Mimsy Reviews 