You know that saying “Dont judge a book by its cover”? I’m usually pretty good about it…but when it comes to beauty products, I totally judge by the packaging. You almost can’t help it, right? Of course, once a product has caught my eye, I always stealthily turn the box or bottle over to check out the ingredient list and assess how natural it is. So maybe I judge the books less by their covers and more by what the summary on the back has to say!
Aesop has definitely been a brand whose ‘cover’ caught my eye. I’ve always been intrigued by their minimalist, modern, almost chem lab-style packaging. They sell at Barney’s and their own stores in NY and SF, but I’d never splurged on trying them. Thanks to the awesome website Rank & Style (more on that fabulousness in a sec), I recently got the chance!
Faves? The Parsley Seed Toner and the Primrose Masque, fo sho. If you like things that smell herbaceous and delightfully vegetal, the parsley seed line is totally up your alley — nothing is overly perfumey or cloying. The smell of many of Aesop’s products could almost be described as medicinal, but I mean that in a good, day spa way, not in a cough syrup way. I like the way the toner really softens the skin (and preps it so well for moisturizer). The Primrose Masque also smells divine — like blooming rose geranium, and well, primrose. The masque does everything you’d hope it would do, and makes your skin soft and smooth and for me, seems to make moisturizer work better. Plus, when you apply it, it feels a lot like clay or yogurt, and is very cooling (I almost regret not having a bottle of this around earlier in the summer!). Aesop’s products aren’t 100% natural, but they omit many notorious ‘dirty’ ingredients like parabens (and many of their products, like their Parsley Seed Facial Treatment are completely natural and plant based).
I was familiar with Aesop but really got turned on to their specific products by clicking around on Rank & Style, specifically their toner and natural face mask lists. Are you guys familiar with this site? It’s actually kind of genius! Here’s how it works:
The entire site is comprised of top ten lists, about anything and everything style and beauty. It’s especially helpful if you’re just getting in to natural beauty and need to find some recommendations (beyond these parts, of course!). Want to know some great natural conditioners to try out? You’re covered. Need to know about organic moisturizers? Done and done. There are lists about beauty products, shoes, bags, fun stuff. You cycle through the lists, and each lists the major product features, customer feedback, and (hallelujah) the price point. In my case, it’s not like I run out and buy high end products like Aesop everyday, so it’s great to be able to search around on their site and find an item that’s the right fit at the right price. But perhaps best of all, each product also features a listing for where you can find it online, so you can click through and do a little price comparison. You can stop by the R&S site any time to see what lists they’ve cooked up, or sign up to receive their emails to get their top 10 lists straight in your inbox.
I discovered and got to try Aesop thanks to Rank & Style, and today, some of my other fave bloggers are sharing items they discovered. Be sure to stop by Liz, Erika, Jen, Tina, and Sally & Molly‘s blogs to see what they found on R&S!
I pride myself on being good at sniffing out great new beauty brands, but I have to say — clicking through Rank & Style’s lists is addictive. I can’t wait to see what other natural beauty finds I might be missing out on!
The Full Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Rank & Style, and the items provided herein were gifted by R&S and Aesop. However, all opinions are totally my own, and in case it wasn’t obvious, I was so excited to work with both R&S and Aesop because I think the former has come out with a really cool way to shop, and the latter has been on my ‘must try’ beauty list for ages! Images by Victoria McGinley for vmac+cheese.
Looks intriguing! Definitely worth a shot and your posts are always a pleasure to read, they’re detailed, to point and written beautifully.
Renate from http://thecuriousklutz.blogspot.com
I’ve never tried their products but have always heard good things about them!
Yay Aesop! I recently did a post comparing the Parsley Seed Antioxidant serum and Clarins’ Double Serum- I love this brand
Ooh, what a fun post!! I checked it out — so nice to know that the Aesop version is not only more natural, but more effective (and with better packaging) too! In case any readers want to check out Janel’s post, it’s here: http://janel1616.blogspot.com/2013/04/beauty-battle-serum.html
they just opened a store a block from my apartment so i guess i must absolutely go now…haha.
I’ve been intrigued by Aesop for a while. I don’t blame you for judging a book by its cover, the packaging is perfect!
i was hoping for a review of the products. This is more about the website than about the products ! bad review.
Hi Archana! I’m sorry you feel that way. If you have additional questions about the products, definitely let me know, I’m happy to help!
Oooh I’ve been wanting to try out Aesop and I have to admit that the first thing that caught my attention was the packaging. The store on Bleecker looks wonderful so I may need to stop by this weekend!
http://www.fashiontruffles.com
I’ve always wondered about this line!!! Thanks for the review. I’ll have to check out this site too. xo
I am alway looking out of products for personal use, it might be unusual to see a man looking for such products, but i like to have nice skin.
Would you say it is suitable for man´s skin? It sounds quite good.
Definitely good for anyone — guy or gal!!
Thanks for sharing this out, Victoria! It sounds amazing! As you said “Dont judge a book by its cover”, these Aesop products look like medicine bottles:) But who does care? It really matter what is inside of these bottles:) I’ll definitelly check their site.
Aesop really do have an interesting range of products. I’m looking forward to trying some soon.
Looks like a quite promising series of products. Love whatever natural and I totally agree with you that packaging is really important :)
I have sensitive combination skin and I am after only natural and organic skin care products. This brand looks very good.
Hi Roxanne, just to let you know, while I think Aesop will be a great brand for you to check out, do note that these items are not organic or 100% natural. But, if you’re looking for mostly natural brands, these are a great place to start!
Natural is always best. Aesop products have always been great for the skin.
Thank you, Victoria for very informative article. I love this
Hi,
Thank you for your lovely advice.
can you recommend a good skin care product?
Regards