Roger & Gallet - Aura Mirabilis

Since a week or two I've been trying out the brand-new skincare products from Roger & Gallet. Yes, exactly, they launched their first ever skincare products! Consider this not really a review, since I've been testing it not long enough, but a first impression - I just had to tell you about it, couldn't wait!

Packaging

First a little word about the packaging that simply is stunning. Most pharmacy brands have plain and simple (let's be honest, sometimes even boring) packaging. But Roger & Gallet is one of the most fairytale brands when it comes to packaging. Making skincare look luxurious is sometimes quite difficult. La Mer for example is such a great brand, but their packaging could have a more luxurious feeling. But Roger & Gallet have heavy and decent packaging, with a stunning design. The Aura Mirabilis collection has a French, royal look to it: gold, heavy glass packaging, beautiful details in the cap. Even the boxes look fancy!

Le Soin Aura Mirabilis

The Aura Mirabilis story has a long history, and started over 300 years ago. Back then monks discovered something they called "Aqua Mirabilis". Which contained several medicinal plants, and could be used to protect against various things like burns for example. Roger & Gallet owns that original formula. The "Jardin des Simples" was the place where monks selected officinal plants called "simples" for their healing properties. During the Renaissance, they were joined to Faculties of Medicine, where plants were studied and distilled carefully to obtain essential oils. 

This beauty ritual from Roger & Gallet is enriched with 18 natural essences of official and distilled plants (see above!)) and extra fine Helianthus flower oil. In four simple steps, the face-care ritual restores, refines skin tone, reduces irregularities, smooths the appearance of wrinkles, and infuses radiance, revealing a beautiful, radiant complexion.

A little trivia (een klein wistjedatje):

The Aqua Mirabilis was renamed 'eau de cologne' by Jean Marie Farina and was used by emperors and royal courts around the world such as Napoléon III (He carried around a flask of it in his boots. And Madame de Rémusat, who lived around that time, told in her memoirs that Napoléon liked to shower in it and drank about 60 flasks of it a month.), his sister Pauline (She was quite eccentric, took baths of the cologne with donkey milk.), Joséphine de Beauharnais and Queen Victoria.

Extra-Fine Cleansing Mask

Detoxify - Remove Make-up - Revive Radiance

This first product of the ritual is inspired by virginal milk, used to create immaculous skin, and oil-based formulas known for their numerous skincare benefits and their makeup removing efficacy.

It concentrates all the natural powers of 18 officinal plants combined with extra fine Helianthus flower oil, rich in essential fatty acids.

Even though it's inspired by formulas on oil-base, it has a thick gelly texture. This mask can be used in two ways: as a make-up remover/cleanser or mask. The formula becomes soft and milky when it gets in contact with water. Massage it in after a long day, as a perfect cleanser and make-up remover. But you can also use it as a detox mask of course, leave it on for about 5 minutes and rinse it off. I prefer to use it as a mask, because you get the 2-in-1 treatment: a mask and it turns into milk and cleanses when you rinse it off. It's part of my bath-routine now.

Beauty Vinegar

Smooth - Refine - Clarify

Roger & Gallet was inspired by vinegar-based formulas (often used in the 18th century), known for their refreshing and purifying properties to create a new daily skincare. The Beauty Vinegar has a biphasic texture that contains the 18 officinal plants in the essence phase and fruit vinegar in the watery phase. On the photos you can see that you have to shake the bottle first before you use it to mix the two textures.

The Beauty Vinegar helps remove makeup residue, smoothes the skin and helps eliminate dead cells. It also refines skin texture and tightens pores and clarifies and refreshes skin’s complexion. I sometimes use this instead of my micellar water, because it's basically a 'micellar water but better'. The (pore) tightening effect is immediately visible, it's really quite impressing!

(I also read this on the website, which is good to know: "Over time, due to the presence of natural essences, a slight white deposit may form in the bottle. This does not affect the formula in any way.")

Double-Extract

Restore - Revive - Infuse Radiance

This one wins the price of fanciest packaging (but also the price of the best product!). At first sight I thought my bottle was broken, because I thought it has a dropper in it (see the spiral in the bottle?). But it's actually a spiral/corkscrew dispenser so the right amount comes out.

The Double Extract is an anti-aging skincare treatment that concentrates the 18 officinal plants in a unique bi-phasic formula - water and distilled essences. "Very concentrated, its evanescent texture smoothes and penetrates skin quickly to infuse its benefits at the heart of the cells. It restores the skin’s barrier, smooths the appearance of wrinkles, and irregularities, and infuse the skin with radiance. Hydrated and revived, skin reveals a new aura. It offers a protective halo against external aggressions."

This product gave me all 'oohs' and 'ahs' when trying it out. Even when I shake the bottle perfectly well, so everything is mixed, it still comes out somewhat bi-phasic in two textures on my hand. Applying it feels like heaven. Simply heaven. It smells amazing and it gets absorbed the minute you apply it. It has a unique feeling, somewhere in-between oil and water. And even though it has that oily feeling too, it absorbs immediately. I'm super impressed with this product. The smoothing effect is immediately noticeable and it leaves my skin feeling soft, tight and smooth.

Legendary Cream

Renew - Even Out - Illuminate

Next to the 18 plants, this Legendary Cream combines an extract of white lily. The texture is quite firm at first, but melts when it touches your skin. I apply it over the Double-Extract and that seems like a perfect match, it doesn't leave a greasy layer, just a nourished feeling. What's most visible in this cream is the radiance. I was swatching this on my arm, and there was a pink glow visible after a minute, same as for example the Guerlain Météorites moisturizer has. That guarantees a vivid glow.

What more does it do: "It invigorates the cells of the skin and acts directly on the signs of dehydration and discomfort. It unifies the complexion & evens skin tone by protecting it against aging and the external aggressions. It illuminates the complexion while improving the quality of the skin (radiance, skin texture smoothed...)."

Roger & Gallet - Extra Fine Cleansing Mask (€19,95)
Roger & Gallet - Beauty Vinegar (€19,95)

Roger & Gallet - Double Extract (€54,95)

Roger & Gallet - Legendary Cream (€41,95)

All of the products are suitable & gentle enough for sensitive skin. They are tested under dermatological control, have a 95% natural base formula and are paraben-free. After all, Roger & Gallet still is a pharmacy brand.

I'm impressed with this range. The mask is the most 'replaceable' product in this collection. The Beauty Vinegar does an amazing job on tightening (pores), the Double-Extract is just one of the most unique products I've ever tried and the Legendary Cream tops of the ritual with a beautiful glow. All of the products are scented with a floral, calming scent. Some more (double-extract) than others (mask).

Roger & Gallet, you've done your first skincare incredibly well - now I need to indulge in your bath line, because if that smells as good as the skincare line, oh boy. Expect some more Roger & Gallet posts very, very soon!

Love, Rani

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