Baby is here but I’m still in major nesting mode, and much to my husband and my surprise, my obsession with cleaning out our possessions, reducing and simplifying them is still strong.

One major driver for cataloging my years of skincare, melasma, makeup and dark spot experiences has been to be more mindful of the quality and quantity of the products I use. I realized recently I have a lot of Acure Organics products, but I really only LOVE a few of them. Keeping the KonMari method in mind, I’m letting go, and only purchasing items I know will bring me joy.

Acure Organics is an awesome introductory line at a good price if you are looking to switch your skin care routine to a brand with less irritating and potentially harmful ingredients. You can easily by these at Amazon or at Whole Foods (where they go on sale at least 2 times a year in my experience) and other health stores.

Update spring 2020: you may actually love my glowing guide for healing dark spots, hyperpigmentation and melasma for any budget.

Have you seen Acure Organics new packaging in the wild yet? It reminds me of the re-packaging Ole Henriksen did earlier this year. Hopefully it will be easier for skin care newbies to find the products best suited for their needs. Acure has completed a few redesigns over the years, but I’m hoping this simpler version sticks!

Acure Organics Day Cream with Gotu Kola Step Cell now Brilliantly Brightening™ Day Cream Review

Hit 🙂

I’ve enjoyed using this light, blendable cream over the years. It has a natural orange + clove scent and features gotu kola and chlorella growth factor, a favorite of Acure. Most days I wear a cream or lotion with SPF in it like Josh Rosebrook day cream or Josia Maran SPF so I have been using this Acure day cream less and less. But it is lovely, absorbs well, leaves my skin feeling silky smooth and it wears well under makeup. If you spend a lot of time indoors this might just be the organic day cream for you!

Acure Organics Night Cream with Argan Stem Cell now Brilliantly Brightening™ Night Cream Review

Miss 🙁

This organic night cream feels light but is more dense than the day cream, as it should be. Like the Acure brightening day cream, this paraben free, phthalate free and petroleum free night cream relies on chlorella growth factor. There’s something about it that has turned me off to it and I finally realized it’s their use of lavender: either the type or concentration of lavender causes this cream to smell like…a hardware store? Also I’ve found over time you get what you pay for when it comes to night creams. If you’ve never used a night cream before, this could be a good intro product for you,

Acure Organics Radical Resurfacing Treatment now Radical Rejuvinating™ Resurfacing Cream Review

Miss 🙁

Meh. That’s the best thing I can say about trying this product over the years – twice. This very liquidy resurfacing treatment cream is incredibly mild – so much so I’m not sure it does anything. Daffodil stem cell make work wonders for some, but this didn’t help my skin at all. And it smells like a spicy lemon. If you have extremely sensitive skin, this might be a good first step in resurfacing.

Acure Organics Brightening Face Mask / Cell Stimulating Facial Mask now Brilliantly Brightening™ Face Mask Review

Miss 🙁

Well I guess labeling something a hit or a miss can be a litter harsh. This is just very average and basic mask – which makes it totally great if you are new to the skin care game and your skin isn’t used to treatments. My skin has always felt refreshed after using it for sure, but I’m looking for more in my masks. I like the refreshment from organic antioxidant masks or the incredible softness from masks like Drunk Elephant babyfacial.

Acure Organics Facial Cleansing Gel now Brilliantly Brightening™ Cleansing Gel Review

???

I used to use this Acure organic gel face wash periodically when I wasn’t using Boscia charcoal detox face wash, but over time I found this gel cleanser to be too drying. If you love cleansing gels, you will love it. But I’ve just learned gel cleansers aren’t my fave. It has a refreshing lemon and chamomile aroma.

Acure Sensitive Facial Cleanser now Seriously Soothing™ Cleansing Cream Review

Ditto to the cleansing gel above. I used this cream face wash more when I was pregnant until I found a milkier cleanser I love…more on that soon!

Acure the Magical Wonderfluff Review – Possibly Replaced by Seriously Soothing™ Cloud Cream?

Hit!

I’ve been a huge fan of this lovely but very vague product. It’s like a very lightweight but super hydrating cream. Maybe you could consider it a leave on mask ? I use it frequently at night but I also like to use it as a very hydrating makeup primer. Once again it uses Acure’s fave ingredient – argan – and also gardenia stem cell.

With the packaging updates, it seems the Wonderfluff didn’t make the cut, but instead it seems to be replaced by Seriously Soothing Cloud Cream (I need to confirm with Acure). They both contain many of the same ingredients including gardenia, argan and red mandarin, but the more purposeful cloud cream contains pomegranate and hyaluronic acid. When I run out of the wonderfluff, I’ll definitely try the cloud cream – I like to have a moisturizer or mask in every room of my home.

Acure Purifying Fruit Peel now Brilliantly Brightening™ Fruit Peel Review

Miss 🙁

Maybe it’s because I’ve tried so many masks, peels and exfoliators over time, but this Acure version is just weak. It did so little for my skin I just can’t recommend it. You’d be better off getting a sample of Tata Harper’s resurfacing mask from Sephora (and then you’ll fall in love with it 🙂 ) or Spake NK.

Acure Organics Brightening Facial Scrub now Brilliantly Brightening™ Facial Scrub Review

Hit 🙂

This organic facial scrub is the start of Acure and an Allure best of beauty winner. I’ve already review this awesome organic exfoliating scrub last year, but it’s so worth bringing up again. It’s still one of my absolute favorite skin care products. It’s packaging has been updated once already before these new Brilliant Brightening updates, and the oldest packaging used to actually make a claim about seeing improved results:

“85% saw a decrease in pigmentation*   *Testing performed on 30 women with facial pigmentation (35-65 years old), over 56 days”

I have a hunch they changed the formula a bit as the latest tube I have has finer exfoliating grains than my oldest one. But I still love it!

Acure Leave-In Conditioner now Mega Moisture™ Leave-In Conditioner Review

???

When I first bought this organic leave in conditioner it was in spray form, but now the newer version is a pump bottle. It worked fine for me until I realized what I was missing from a conditioner once I tried and became obsessed with Reverie MILK nourishing hair cream treatment.  I hate to call it a miss because it works – fine – but it’s very below average compared to the pricier-but-worth-it Reverie MILK hair treatment.

Acure Clarifying Shampoo and Ultra-Hydrating Shampoo Review

Miss 🙁

My husband and I used to use Acure organics shampoos a lot about 4 years ago. We would rotate other healthy shampoos in and out, but once we tried John Masters Organics shampoos (the zinc and sage version is great for clarifying!), it was difficult to go back the Acure formulas that then felt very drying in comparison. If you are looking for a more natural shampoo, it is a good place to start, but I would recommend John Masters or Innersense if you really love shampoo and are willing to pay more for it.

Instead I actually recommend Under Luna shampoo and conditioner from a small-batch maker based here in San Diego County.

Acure Energizing Body Wash Review

Hit!

WE LOVE THIS ORGANIC BODY WASH! We’ve been using it for a long time, since it used to be called “cell stimulating bodywash”. It’s so fresh and doesn’t leave our skin feeling too dry or too sticky. You definitely get that clean feeling but skin feels soft and hydrated. It smells like almond to us which I love. This goes on sale a few times a year at Whole Foods and we also pick some up :).  I don’t often need to follow with lotion (but here is a reminder of my review of acure organics body lotion).