. . . y r t s r o d a s s a b m a
Bolden
Skincare
! s k n a h t
"What drives us at Bolden, is to do the necessary work and earn our place as a trusted voice that inspires women to nurture, value, and love their natural beauty." — Ndidi & Chinelo, founders
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skincare designed with black and brown skin in mind special discount on the last page!
Virginia tried the skin brightening toner, the brightening moisturizer and the glow hydrating mask
After years of looking to skin care products to transform my skin into glowy fabulousness, I’ve come to realize that the products can’t do it all. I had high hopes that the Bolden mask, toner, and moisturizer would even out the discoloration near my mouth, but the regimen hadn’t much effect in that regard. I wonder if it would be different if I used the wash as well. BUT I wasn’t disappointed, because my skin is soft and smooth, with no clogging or breakouts after using the products for about six weeks.
The toner had a nice scent, cleaned my skin very well, and did not dry me out. It was my favorite Bolden product and one of the few toners I ever enjoyed using, since I previously never saw the point in using toners.
The face mask slightly stung my face but my skin is sensitive and I expect that when using deep cleansing or exfoliating masks. It is a pleasant, cool gel. It says you could use it everyday but for me, it would be better for once or twice a week.
The SPF moisturizer had a very slight Queen Helene scent. I see it more as a moisturizing sunscreen instead of a moisturizer containing sunscreen because it makes my skin shiny like sunscreen often does. It does the job, though, as both moisturizer and sunscreen. It stays light throughout the day and does not get greasy or make my skin feel like there’s a layer of stuff on it. That’s a plus in my book!
- Virginia, Gee Thanks! Ambassador
Emilee tried the skin brightening toner, the brightening moisturizer and the glow hydrating mask
I love that this line is Black-owned! And I like that the products are formulated for darker skin. I used the toner and moisturizer daily and the mask 1-2 times a week. I like the toner and will continue to use it in addition to the other products in my routine. I do find that if I don't use my BHA toner with it, I start to get drier skin. I had a similar experience with the moisturizer. I like that it's easy to rub in and doesn't leave a white cast. For my sensitive skin, I still needed a gel moisturizer first, before using the Bolden moisturizer on top of that. When I just used the Bolden moisturizer, my skin would feel feel drier overall. This doesn't surprise me, as I often layer my moisturizers. What I realized was that the Bolden products are a nice compliment to my routine, but will not replace my routine (nor did I expect them to). The mask was a nice moisture boost as well. I would recommend this brand to darker-skinned friends, and those whom I know want to support Black-owned businesses. -Emilee, Gee Thanks! Ambassador
Juana tried the skin brightening toner, the brightening moisturizer and the glow hydrating mask
I was really excited to try Bolden out for the first time because I love supporting businesses run by other women of color. I tried the toner, the glow hydrating mask and SPF moisturizer over the course of a 7-week period, using the toner about 5 days a week, the hydrating mask 2 times a week and the moisturizer about 3 times a week.
The hydrating mask was practically scent-free and easy to apply and leave on while I finished my shower regimen and focused on other parts of my body. It did not harden, which makes it easy to remove. It is gentle enough that one could conceivably use it every day. I found that in conjunction with my standard double cleanse, it left my skin refreshed and slightly glowing. It is sheer and does not leave any sort of residue once rinsed off. I think this is a product I would use quite a bit during the winter when our east coast climate tends to dry out my skin more.
I don’t have a ton of experience using other toners, so I don’t have a huge baseline to compare this toner to. It was very gentle (no tingling or other skin reactions were noticeable) when applied to my face and chin. I did not notice any reduction of dark marks or improvement of the skin. But again, someone who regularly uses a toner as part of their skin care routine may have more thoughtful comments.
Lastly, the moisturizer. This was my least favorite of the three and the only product I would not use again. I typically use Tatcha’s Water Cream as a moisturizer and this felt very heavy and thick in comparison, particularly in a warm climate where I spend a lot of time active and outside. For me personally, it felt very heavy on my face and skin and my skin was a little more slick than I would prefer. That being said, on dark skin there was no noticeable film the way there can be with some SPF products so I think this may be good for someone who desires more moisture. I liked that there was no SPF odor, just think this one wasn’t quite right for my skin type and preferences.
- Juana, Gee Thanks! Ambassador
Tanya tried the skin brightening toner, the brightening moisturizer and the glow hydrating mask
The toner was nice in that it wasn't too drying which is my first thought when it comes to toners, and I appreciated the idea of active ingredients in the toner, but I didn't really see much fading of my dark spots like I had hoped. I have had skin barrier issues in the past but did not have that with this product. I typically don't use a toner, so while this is fine as an added step, I'm not sure that I'll miss it from my routine. I would have appreciated a different bottle/dispensing setup too, I suppose that most toner dispensers are similar since they're so thin, but having to use a cotton ball daily to apply felt wasteful, I wish it could be a spray. I have reusable cotton rounds but then it just felt that the cotton absorbed all the product and didn't actually get on to my face.
The glow mask was also just ok for me - it felt nice, spread nicely on the face, didn't sting, didn't make my skin feel tight, but I didn't really notice any change in my skin appearance. I appreciated more the ritual and time spent to apply a mask and sit for 15 minutes or so, but again I can't say that my skin was more youthful or plump. The smell was pleasant, light and not offensive.
The brightening moisturizer - I used 2-3 pumps to cover my face, it didn't feel as moisturizing as I would have liked, but I also appreciated it didn't feel as greasy and slick as most sunscreens do. On one hand it didn't make my acne flare, nor did it pill under makeup, but I also didn't notice any brightening effect or change in skin tone. I probably would keep to using a separate vitamin C serum, then a moisturizer and then this as a sunscreen. Perhaps if I had a more oily/acne prone skin instead of a dry/hormonal acne prone skin I would appreciate this more.
Overall I was hopeful that I could use this toner and moisturizer in place of vitamin C/am serum then moisturizer then sunscreen, and while I could and it was fine and didn't create any skin problems that I may have in the past with products - drying/flaking/acne/pilling and it was a little bit quicker for a morning routine, I also didn't notice any great skin tone/dark spot benefits. I'm solidly medium. Will use until complete, but will pursue alternatives going forward.
- Erin, Gee Thanks! Ambassador
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