AD – GIFTED | Beauty and skincare serums are hugely popular, especially those containing essential oils and plant extracts. But not all oils are equal and it really pays to look at the ingredients and the company before you put anything on your skin. And when the opportunity to trial Wild Azur’s Frankincense Face Serum * came along, I couldn’t say no. So how did it measure up?
Wild Azur
Wild Azur was born out of founder Clare’s passion to educate, inspire and empower women to be their true, natural, radiant selves, based on what comes straight from nature itself. She started making products for friends and family to treat skin disorders. And realised that there was a growing demand for natural and effective products that, in the mantra of Wild Azur, “come from the earth to your skin.”
The skin is our largest organ, absorbing 80% of what we put on it, whether that be body creams, moisturisers, sun tan lotion, insect repellents, deodorant or body oils. And it responds best to natural, organic, healing plant extracts and oils rather than toxic, synthetic anti-ageing formulations or chemicals. Put simply, if you wouldn’t put it in your mouth, why would you put it on your skin?
What is Frankincense Sacra?
Boswellia sacra frankincense is the milky white sap that seeps from the bark of the Boswellia tree. The sap hardens into a gum resin over several days before being scraped off and steam distilled to extract the essential oil. In Oman, the best frankincense is usually reserved for the Sultan and is rarely shipped out of the country.
This pure type of oil is quite scarce and hugely valuable due to being only harvested twice a year. Historically, Frankincense has been used in a variety of ways over the centuries by many different cultures, and its value was equal to if not greater than Gold!
Good quality Boswellia sacra frankincense oil has a woody, earthy, mellow aroma, which is calming and relaxing. It has a host of skin benefits, most recognisably for reducing the signs of ageing. The skin becomes more toned and lifted, healing conditions ranging from acne, age spots, moles, scars, fine lines and wrinkles, to dry and cracked skin. This oil has also been used successfully in chronic and inflammatory conditions, and helping conditions such as anxiety, depression and autoimmune diseases.
Rebalancing Frankincense Face Serum
Having had oily and combination skin all my life, I’ve never used a facial oil before as I always thought I shouldn’t be putting more oil on my skin. But this Wild Azur serum is made with pure, organic essential oils, which are a very different proposition. One of my clients is an essential oils Wellness Advocate so I know first hand a little about the amazing powers these natural plant extracts offer.
As I said at the beginning of this post, it’s important to note that there are many grades of Frankincense and they don’t all offer the same healing, therapeutic and medicinal properties. So once I found out that the main ingredient in Wild Azur’s serum is medicinal grade Frankincense Sacra I was hooked.
According to Clare, Wild Azur’s frankincense face serum* is their best seller: an intensely moisturising but not greasy serum with a lovely fragrance. It’s a cocktail of collagen boosting and restoring vitamins, antioxidants, fatty acids and healing plant oils and herbal extracts that all work in harmony to rebalance and rejuvenate the skin.
Frankincense face serum ingredients and benefits
As well as the miracle frankincense, each of the other fabulous pure essential oils in the serum have their own unique and beneficial properties:
*Boswellia sacra (Frankincense) oil – anti ageing, anti inflammatory, disease prevention
*Rosa moschata (Rosehip) seed oil – tissue regenerator
*Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) seed oil – grounding
*Simmondsia chinensis (Jojoba) fruit oil – hormone balancing
*Citrus sinensis (Orange) peel oil – vitamin C and anti inflammatory
*Pelargonium graveolens (Geranium) leaf oil – hormone balancing
*Citrus aurantium bergamia (Bergamot) peel oil – purifying, refreshing
*Lavandula angustifolia (Lavender) flower oil – calming, repairing and soothing
*Calendula officinalis extract – calming, repairing and soothing
**Limonene, **Linalool, **Citronellol, **Citral, **Geraniol
* organically grown ingredient ** natural component of essential oils
Wild Azur use only the most fairly sourced and wild harvested (where possible) ingredients. Their products are also safe, sustainable, and ethical as well as being vegan and vegetarian friendly, fairly traded and never ever tested on animals.
How to use the rebalancing Frankincense face serum
The daily treatment serum is suitable for all skin types and comes with a pipette for easier application. The bottle is made of Miron glass, which protects bio-energy, blocking harmful rays, only allowing infrared and ultraviolet lights through, enhancing the effect of the product.
You apply between 4-5 drops to your face and neck using firm upward movements and avoiding your eye area. It has a pleasant, slightly herbal fragrance and sinks in swiftly, leaving no oily residue. I’ve also been applying 2-3 drops on my décolletage (ever mindful of my mother’s advice to avoid a crepy neck area). Because it’s an oil, I’ve been using it at night, after my exfoliating toner, to give it the best chance to work its magic on my skin.
Wild Azur Frankincense face serum – worth it?
I’ve been using the serum for three weeks now, which isn’t that long. However, two of those three weeks were while we were on holiday so despite SPF factor 50, my skin was sun-stressed every day. Normally when I come back from holiday, my face is dry and flaky, with a rather dull and ashy tone underneath my tan. But not this time. I can honestly say that it’s glowing and radiant. So much so that I haven’t worn foundation for over two weeks, and have no plans to for the foreseeable future either. So if that isn’t proof of product then I don’t know what is!
Frankincense face serum – where to buy
Surprisingly for such a high quality product, at the time of writing this serum comes with a price tag of under £40.00 on Amazon for 50ml*. And when you consider the scientifically proven skin and other benefits, and how long the product is going to last you – I still have masses left. 🙂 it’s a bargain. Especially when we wear our skin every day – so why not invest in a product that’s going to do so much for us?
I was already an essential oils fan thanks to my client, but Wild Azur’s Frankincense Face Serum is in league of its own. It truly is a miracle product that I have fallen in love with. And I’m very grateful to Clare for letting me trial it and, and be able to share its magic with you.
Have you ever used an essential oils face serum before? Or any frankincense products? Did you realise how beneficial frankincense is for our skin health?
* I was gifted this product in exchange for a review but all opinions are my own. This post also contains affiliate links (please see my Disclaimer).
Wow this product sounds amazing! I love how natural it sounds, I never really look at whats in my skincare so this post has really made me think twice and realise its something I should probably be looking at! I’m up for trying anything that gives a nice glow so I’ll have to keep this in mind when I’m after a new serum- thanks for the recommendation!
Sophie – – https://sophhearts.com x
It really is a wonderful serum, not just for beauty but for healing and skincare too. And I’m going to make sure I’m more aware of ingredients in other products as well now, bearing in mind how quickly our skin absorbs things! x
I love your beauty reviews Lisa as you always explain exactly what each ingredient does. This kinda information fascinates me! I used to burn essential oils before I had the cats, now I just add a few drops of lavender to the bath and it’s super calming. The face serum sounds amazing and it’s always worth spending a bit extra to get a good quality product. Great review and gorgeous photos as always! <3 xx
Aw, thank you, Bexa, what a lovely thing to say! I’ve never used anything like this before but I’ve heard so much about this grade of frankincense that I wanted to explain why it’s so good. So glad you liked the post! X
I’m a sucker for organic skincare! And a wise lady once told me I should start from now at this age with a very good skincare regime! I think this product sounds awesome, you always find the best products so I always trust your reviews 😀 This price is a bit steep but like you said the wonders it can make if worth the price. I like your breakdown of the review as well and the total list of ingredients…Thanks for sharing Lis! 🙂 <3
xx Lena
Organic skincare makes such good sense doesn’t it? I’m very lucky to have been sent this serum and thank you so much for your trust, it means so much! I’d only ever recommend products I use and believe in myself and I’m glad the breakdown is helpful ? xx
Never heard of the brand but this product sounds so good. Also your detail description about the ingredients. This is the first time I heard about Boswellia Sacra Frankincense. Lovely post Lisa. I would definitely love to try this serum. 🙂
Via | http:/glossnglitters.com
Thank you, it’s such a good product, Via, I think you’d love it. Not just for the frankincense but all the other lovely essential oils too. Xx
This looks beautiful! I never thought about using it on my neck, I don’t want a gross neck either.
Kate xx
It really is beautiful to use! And, yes, the neck needs moisture more than the face really, it has far fewer oil glands so needs more help! 🙂 x
I was so excited about this until I saw the ingredients. Citrus products always irritate my skin which is such a shame because this sounds incredible. And the price tag is definitely worth the extra for rare ingredients if they work! How amazing that your skin was so good at the end of your holiday?! x
Sophie
http://www.glowsteady.co.uk
Oh no, that’s such a shame, because it’s such a brilliant product, my skin just loves it. And yes, I think the price tag is justified considering how rare the main ingredient is. I’m so sorry about the citrus products though, but best not to risk it if you usually have a reaction xx
Wow, this sounds amazing?! I have quite oily skin myself so in the past when I’ve read reviews about things like this I’ve always thought that I wouldn’t need this as I don’t think I should really be applying more oils to my skin so thank you for clearing that up here! It is a bit pricey, but it sounds like a must have product really! Great review 🙂
Amy,
https://creativenails.uk
Thank you Amy – the bit about adding oils to oily skin was news to me but I have to say it does work, haha. Yes, I know it’s a little costly but I do think it’s justified, in terms of ingredients and efficacy, it’s such a fab product and it’s going to last me ages too 🙂 xx
This is such a brilliant post, and I wish more beauty posts were this in-depth! I found it so fascinating, I had no idea about the ingredients and their benefits. I’m glad this product has worked so well for you, and you’ve completely sold it to me!
Hels xx
Aw, thank you, Hels, what a lovely thing to say! TBH, I’m fairly new to the world of essential oils but I know they can deliver some amazing benefits. This is the first such product I’ve really tried but it’s a wonderful one to start with, I’m a real convert now 🙂 xx
Oh this sounds interesting! I really need to get a new serum, the one I was using has finished now but I didn’t feel like it done much so I need something that’s going to work. I really agree that we spend so much money on other things that we wont use much but when it comes to our skin care we seem to be a penny pincher! I don’t mind higher price tags, especially when they are proven to work.
Jordanne // Thelifeofaglasgowgirl.co.uk
It’s the first time I’ve tried an oil but I’m so impressed and converted. Although I think the main reason this works so well (also on scars) is the medicinal grade frankincense. I love it, so happy to have received it! x