If I could use only one nail polish brand for the rest of my life, I’ve pick Mavala.
Their nail polishes are housed in tiny little bottles that I can actually finish.
They dry super fast so I never ruin my new manicure.
I can choose between a gazillion colours so I never get bored.
These nail polishes are like a dream come true for me. So imagine my excitement when I learned that Mavala is now doing skincare, too.
The Swiss brand has recently released a new line of skincare products divided in 5 ranges you can mix and match:
- Anti-Age Pro: To treat all signs of aging
- Aqua Plus: To hydrate dry and dehydrated skin
- Skin Vitality: To awaken the healthy glow of tired skin
- Pore Detox: To neutralise imperfections and shine
- Clean & Comfort: To cleanse skin without compromising its protective barrier
My main skincare focus at this time of the year is on hydration. I want to make sure my skin has all the moisture it needs to withstand the cold winter weather and come out on top.
That’s why I choose to try the entire Aqua Plus range plus a hydrating piece from all the other lines bar Pore Detox (my skin isn’t that oily at this time of the year). Here’s my thoughts on the new Mavala skincare range:
- Mavala Clean & Comfort Alpine Softness Micellar Water
- Mavala Skin Vitality Vitalizing Alpine Micro-Mist
- Mavala Aqua Plus Multi-Moisturizing Intensive Serum
- Mavala Aqua Plus Multi-Moisturizing Featherlight Cream
- Mavala Anti-Age Pro Time-Release System Night Care
- Mavala Aqua Plus Multi-Moisturizing Sleeping Mask
- Price & Availability
Mavala Clean & Comfort Alpine Softness Micellar Water
Let’s start with the first step of any skincare routine: cleansing. I wouldn’t use a micellar water to remove my makeup (they’re so gentle it takes way too long) but they’re great in the morning to remove the little dirt that has comfortably settled onto your skin overnight.
If you’re the geeky type who wants to know what a micellar water is and how it works, check out this post. The short version is this: micellar waters are soapy waters that use surfactants (the stuff that cleanses skin) so gentle they don’t bother sensitive skin.
I pour a few drops of Mavala Clean & Comfort Alpine Softness Micellar Water on my cotton pad and start wiping my face. The micellar water feels refreshing on my skin and takes away all impurities. I find I have to use the same cotton pad both front and back to get everything off – and that’s when I’m not wearing any makeup!
But I find that’s average for micellar waters. They work more slowly but don’t irritate skin during cleansing. Plus, you don’t have to rinse it off afterwards. That’s great if you need to cleanse your face in the middle of the day. 🙂
Related: How To Choose The Best Cleanser For Your Skin Type
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Mavala Skin Vitality Vitalizing Alpine Micro-Mist
Remember when you only used mists to freshen up your skin on a hot summer day? This year, they sort of replaced toner as the second step of your skincare routine.
Mavala Skin Vitality Vitalizing Alpine Micro-Mist is the latest in a line of new facial mists you spray on just after cleansing. Its job is to give your skin a beautiful healthy glow.
You can brighten skin in several ways. This mist does it with hydration. The formula is full of hydrating ingredients, such as glycerin, apple water and apricot water that drench skin in moisture.
When skin has plenty of moisture, it takes on a lovely, translucent glow. It’s also softer and all plumped up, so your fine lines and wrinkles look smaller too.
The mist is very lightweight and sinks into my skin immediately. I usually don’t use a toner (my skin has no need for it) but I can see myself using this mist on days when my skin needs that extra burst of moisture or I simply want to look glowy for a special day ahead.
By the way, yes, you can totally bring this with you and spray it on during the day whenever you feel your skin is getting a bit dry and dull. It will quickly bring that sexy glow back.
Related: Do You Really Need A Toner?
Mavala Aqua Plus Multi-Moisturizing Intensive Serum
You’ll always find a hyaluronic acid serum or two in my winter skincare routine. Hyaluronic acid is a moisture magnet: it attracts water from the environment and binds it to your skin. It works so well, it can hold up to 1000 times its weight in water. That’s a lot of moisture!
The catch? Hyaluronic acid is too big to penetrate skin. It usually stays on the surface and hydrates it from there. I say usually because Mavala Aqua Plus Multi-Moisturizing Intensive Serum uses three different forms of hyaluronic acid. Some of them are indeed too big to penetrate skin but others are small and nimble and get through indeed.
Once skin has all that moisture, it stays soft, supple and radiant. I found the serum really helped my skin to maintain its high moisture levels during the coldest fall days here in London. My skin is showing no signs of dehydration like it did at this time two years ago. Phew!
The serum has a lightweight, gel-like consistency that absorbs quickly into the skin, leaving no residue behind. The pump dispenser releases just the right amount you need – nothing is wasted here!
Related: Why You Need Hyaluronic Acid In Your Skincare Routine, No Matter Your Skin Type
Mavala Aqua Plus Multi-Moisturizing Featherlight Cream
The name doesn’t lie. Mavala Aqua Plus Multi-Moisturizing Featherlight Cream is really as light as a feather. The cream sinks into my skin immediately, making it softer, smoother and a little bit plumper.
Its formula is a mix of humectants like hyaluronic acid to attract moisture to the skin, emollients like shea butter to trap it in and silicones like dimethicone to smooth out the appearance of the skin and fill in fine lines and wrinkles (by the way, nope, silicones don’t suffocate skin).
I’m not sure this cream will be enough in the coldest depths of winter to keep dry skin soft and hydrated, but it’s doing a good job now that we’re only at the start of the cold season and my skin is only slightly on the dry side.
I can always go in with the sleeping mask if my skin craves more moisture later on (I’ll tell you more on the sleeping mask in a couple of minutes).
Related: Are Silicones Really Bad For Skin?
Mavala Anti-Age Pro Time-Release System Night Care
Mavala Anti-Age Pro Time-Release System Night Care is the anti-aging hero of the brand. Mavala says it can fight off all the signs of aging, including wrinkles, dark spots and loss of radiance. Is it really that good?
Its formula is rich in antioxidants, including vitamins C and E and gluthatione that destroy free radicals before they can cause premature wrinkles. Vitamin C goes the extra mile: it also boosts collagen production.
Palmitoyl Glycine, a lipo amino acid, has powerful anti-inflammatory properties. They don’t just soothe irritations. They also soothe the inflammation in the deepest layers of your skin (the kind you DON’T see). If left unchecked, it leads to wrinkles and dark spots.
Talking about dark spots, arbutin is in here too. Arbutin, an extract derived from the bearberry plant, breaks down into hydroquinone in the skin. This makes it an effective (but gentler!) alternative at fading dark spots. If you’re curious, it works by inhibiting the production of melanin, the pigment that gives skin its colour.
My “problem”? All these ingredients are listed towards the middle of the ingredient list. That’s not to say they don’t work. But they would have worked better and faster had Mavala been more generous with their doses.
The treatment has a lightweight, lotion-like consistency that sinks immediately into my skin. I can’t say it did much to reduce my signs of aging but then I don’t have any dark spots and its other skills are preventative.
This isn’t something that’ll make you skin younger overnight. You have to be really consistent with it to see an improvement.
Related: Battle Of The Skin-Lighteners: Which Is The Best Alternative To Hydroquinone?
Mavala Aqua Plus Multi-Moisturizing Sleeping Mask
I’m not gonna spend too much time on this because it basically contains all the heroes in the Aqua Plus range I’ve already told you about. That’s humectants like hyaluronic acid and glycerin to hydrate your skin overnight.
Instead, I’ll tell you what a sleeping mask is. A mask you put on at night before you go to sleep and rinse off in the morning. Before you say anything, no, it won’t turn your pillow into a greasy mess.
Mavala Aqua Plus Multi-Moisturizing Sleeping Mask is very lightweight. It sinks into your skin immediately so you feel like you have nothing on.
But when you wake up in the morning, you definitely see a difference. Drenching your skin in all that moisture overnight makes it softer and plumps it up even more.
FYI, I don’t use this every night. This is for those days when it’s particularly cold outside or my skin feels tighter than usual. It’s a great way to give my skin that extra hydrating boost when it needs it.
In case you’re wondering, yes, you can use this mask as a regular hydrating rinse-off mask. But in this case, you’ll have to apply a thicker layer. But why rinse it off when it’s a well known fact the best skincare heroes do a better job when left on the skin for hours?
Related: How To Choose The Best Facial Mask For Your Skin Type?
Price & Availability
Micellar Water, £12.50; Alpine Mist, £17.50; Aqua Plus Serum, £32.00; Aqua Plus Cream, £18.00; Anti-Age Night Care, £39.99; and Aqua Plus Sleeping Mask, £29.00
Clean & Comfort Alpine Softness Micellar Water Ingredients
Water (Aqua), Propanediol, Poloxamer 184, Polysorbate 20, Sodium PCA, Malva Sylvestris (Mallow) Flower Extract, Glycerin, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA. [F525/1]
Skin Vitality Vitalizing Alpine Micro-Mist Ingredients
Water (Aqua), Isopentyldiol, Glycerin, Malus Domestica Fruit Water, Centaurea Cyanus Flower Extract, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Fruit Extract, Malva Sylvestris (Mallow) Flower Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Cetrimonium Bromide, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Maltodextrin, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PPG-26-Buteth-26, Sodium Hydroxide, Alcohol, Fragrance (Parfum), Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Methylparaben, Sodium Propylparaben. [F536/1].
Mavala Aqua Plus Multi-Moisturizing Intensive Serum Ingredients
Water (Aqua), Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, Glycerin, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Malva Sylvestris (Mallow) Flower Extract, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Chlorphenesin, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, BHT, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Polysorbate 60, Sodium Hydroxide, Sorbitan Isostearate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Xylitol. [F521/1].
Aqua Plus Multi-Moisturizing Featherlight Cream Ingredients
Water (Aqua), Dimethicone, Isohexadecane, Isopentyldiol, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Glycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Sorbitol, Xylitylglucoside, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Anhydroxylitol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Malva Sylvestris (Mallow) Flower Extract, Soluble Collagen, Allantoin, Cetearyl Glucoside, Chlorphenesin, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Methylcellulose, Polysorbate 60, Polysorbate 65, Propylene Glycol, Simethicone, Fragrance (Parfum), Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Sodium Hydroxide, Sorbitan Isostearate, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Trisodium EDTA, Potassium Sorbate, Xylitol. [F522/1].
Anti-Age Pro Time-Release System Night Care Ingredients
Water (Aqua), Jojoba Esters, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, Squalane, Isononyl Isononanoate, Polyglyceryl-6 Distearate, Palmitoyl Glycine, Rhododendron Ferrugineum Leaf Cell Culture Extract, Lepidium Sativum Sprout Extract, Arbutin, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Glutathione, Malva Sylvestris (Mallow) Flower Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Chlorphenesin, Copper Gluconate, Dimethicone, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Isomalt, Lactic Acid, Lecithin, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Magnesium Aspartate, Polyglyceryl-3 Beeswax, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Sodium Hydroxide, Tocopherol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Xanthan Gum, Zinc Gluconate, BHT, Fragrance (Parfum), Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate. [F555/1].
Aqua Plus Multi-Moisturizing Sleeping Mask Ingredients
Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Octyldodecanol, Butylene Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Cetyl Alcohol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Malva Sylvestris (Mallow) Flower Extract, Soluble Collagen, Allantoin, Arachidyl Propionate, Chlorphenesin, Disodium EDTA, Ethyl Linoleate, Ethyl Linolenate, Ethyl Oleate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Lecithin, Methylcellulose, Polysorbate 60, Polysorbate 65, Potassium Hydroxide, Propylene Glycol, Retinyl Palmitate, Simethicone, Fragrance (Parfum), Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Sorbitan Isostearate, Phenoxyethanol, Sorbitol, Squalane, Tocopherol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Trisodium EDTA, Potassium Sorbate, Ubiquinone, Xylitol, Red 4 (CI 14700). [F523/1].
