Mary Kay Botanical Effects: A Review & Skincare Set Giveaway!

I have to be honest…when my friend, Daphne, approached me about doing a review for Mary Kay’s new Botanical Effects skincare line there was a part of me that didn’t want it to work. Now, that’s not because I don’t adore Daphne or Mary Kay; it’s because after talking with Daphne about the line I knew it would take some work. I’ve always been really good about washing my face twice a day…that is until I had kids. It started with my first pregnancy with Buggie. My skin loved being pregnant! I found that I could get away with little to no washing and I’d still have flawless skin.

Here we are three and a half years later with another pregnancy under my belt and I’m still doing that skincare regimen. Nothing. Only the problem now is that I’m less than six months away from thirty (!) and I feel like my skin’s not as awesome as it was when I entered into motherhood. Going into this little experiment, ah hem I mean review, I told Daphne that I really haven’t been doing anything for my face since my first pregnancy. Rather than scolding me, Daphne chuckled and gently told me that there would be more steps with this (you know more steps than my no steps). That was about a month ago.

Daphne, a new Mary Kay Team Leader, started Mary Kay five years ago. Wanting to find a way to meet new people as a young newlywed to Josh and living four and a half hours away from home, Daphne decided that she would give Mary Kay a try. After all, she really had nothing to lose. Here she is five years later and her business is growing, she’s meeting women all over whom she gets to help and as a result she’s making friends! Daphne was also thinking ahead to her future; she wanted to stay home with her now 20 month old son, Elijah, and still be able to bring some income in to help her family. When Daphne isn’t getting her pretty on she's actively practicing her photography skill, crafting, pinning away on Pinterest (seriously, if you need a lesson just ask her; she was pinning before Pinterest was the cool thing to do), blogging at Life’s a Project and playing tennis.

I’m really excited to see Mary Kay making an effort to create a skincare line that’s environmentally friendly (all of the packaging for the line is made from 50% post-consumer resin) and safe for your skin. Since I started using cloth diapers I have become increasingly aware of what I’m putting on my skin (and my family’s skin). I guess it’s the same way a few of my friends feels about the food they eat – they’re very conscious about eating clean and organic. I’d totally jump on the organic bandwagon but Ben, my hubby, is a little on the money conscious side. (I’m easing him into these things... muah hahaha!) Before I even agreed to review the line I used EWG’s SkinDeep Cosmetics Database to look up the ingredients. The two main ingredients in the Botanical Effects line are silymarin (milk thistle) and Lou Han Guo (also known as the longevity flower). Both are naturally derived and have had no man-made alterations done to them during the creation process. While SkinDeep didn’t have Lou Han Guo in their database they did have silymarin which received a “green” light as far as safety goes. You should be warned though, if you’re looking for an acne fighting skincare line the Botanical Effects is not it. The active acne fighting agent that’s used in most products is not natural. Mary Kay’s mission in creating this skincare line was to create a natural line.


For my review Daphne had me try Botanical Effects for oily skin. As you can see in the picture to the right I have quite a bit of uneven coloring on my face. (As well as my best tourist impression.) When you purchase the skinecare line you receive the following:

• Cleanse
• Freshen
• Mask
• Hydrate

Mary Kay suggests that you use the products in this sequence: Cleanse, Freshen and then Hydrate. When adding the Mask into your routine you would Cleanse, Mask and then Freshen and Hydrate. While it’s suggest to use the Mask two times a week I found that it was a little rough on my skin. No problem though, I called Daphne and she looked into what could be happening. After consulting with her director we decided that I’d try it a few more times but only once a week. See, that’s why it’s beneficial to use a brand like Mary Kay – personalized service by someone who cares about you.

Aside from the extra work that I had to put into actually washing my face, using Botanical Effects has been rather enjoyable. The steps for the line are very easy and the product has a nice clean scent. I don’t mean clean as in that manufactured cotton scent; it doesn’t have a scent and that’s one of the things I like about it. I know that when I’m using it nothing has been added to the formula. (I’m telling you using cloth diapers has really made me nit-picky about my skin!)

The only negative thing that I have to say about the Botanical Effects line is that I noticed that when the Cleanse package was standing up on my counter or in the shower the cleanser inside would kind of collect in the cap. The first few times I used it the cleanser was rather messy because as soon as I opened the cap it would come oozing out. I talked to Daphne about it and she thought that it may be because the formula isn’t as thick as other Mary Kay products. It’s an easy fix though – I just lay the Cleanse on its side and no more ooziness!

The only other problem that I have with the Botanical Effects is that it’s a multi-step process. I think that my feelings about this though is more because I was going from a no-step, no anything skincare line to a multi-step one. What else can I expect though? If I want to take care of myself and my skin there is some work that has to go into it. Plus, I think the results speak for themselves.

I really do love this line of products from Mary Kay. It takes work but then if you want results what doesn’t take work? The same thinking applies to working out (which I need to get back into doing) – no pain, no gain.

So what do you think? Want some Botanical Effects of your own? During the giveaway you can receive 15% off all Mary Kay orders when you type in the code FTM15. (This offer no longer valid.) Please click here to visit Daphne's site. 

I really think you’ll come to love Daphne’s laid back relationship approach to Mary Kay. She truly wants to build a relationship with you which is refreshing since there are so many home businesses out there. And if you’re wanting to try out your hand at owning your own business, feel free to contact Daphne. She’s incredibly nice and so resourceful.

One FTM fan has a chance at winning an entire Botanical Effects multi-step line! (Daphne will work with you to determine your skin type if you need help with that.) The giveaway will start today and goes through 12:01AM on Monday, 5/28. Fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter!

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