Road Test: I trialled an entirely new skincare routine from vegan Australian skincare brand, Urban Jungle
WORDS BY IZZY WIGHT
A new five-step face routine.
It’s hard to stand out in the beauty industry when it feels like we’ve reached peak skincare saturation point. It seems everyone on the internet is an expert and each week, a new product is heralded as ‘life-changing’ (have we gotten too liberal with the hyperbole? Quite possibly). For those looking to dip a toe in the overflowing pool of glassy serums and rich, herbal-scented creams, I suggest you take it slow.
With the influx of products that come through the Fashion Journal office (it will truly never, ever get old), I have been subject to overdoing it on more than one occasion. It turns out that haphazardly slathering your face with new products can result in something called skin purging. So when the freshly launched Australian skincare brand Urban Jungle offered up a whole new face routine, I was hesitant. If it ain’t broke, you know?
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Australian-owned and Korean-made, Urban Jungle combines the innovation of K-beauty with simple, vegan and cruelty-free ingredients. For those who buy with their eyes (me), the packaging is a winner – kind of like Glossier’s younger, less-serious sister. Urban Jungle recommends this five-step face routine, but I modified my picks slightly to better suit my skin. Below, find my reviews on the five products I tried.
Melt Me Softly Cleansing Balm
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I’m mentioning this first because it’s technically step one in the routine, but it’s also my favourite. Melt Me Softly is a hard balm that turns into a makeup-melting oil with the warmth of your hands, helping to wash away even the most stubborn of waterproof mascaras. Previously, I’d just take some cleanser to my end-of-the-day face – but this made all the difference. It meant no makeup residue was left over, and it allowed the other products to work their magic.
Glow With The Flow Gel Serum
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Post-shower, this gel serum provides a lovely base of hydration to winter skin (summer too, I’m sure). It sinks in quickly which I love, and is thin enough in consistency to apply day and night. I’ve also noticed it almost acts as a hydrating primer with a little bit of stickiness, so would be ideal under makeup and over SPF. Leaves you feeling glowy and fresh.
Plump Fiction Face Oil
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This face oil has an almost glitter-like shimmer and a light floral scent, initially making me hesitant. My skin is sensitive (hence the aforementioned purging), but this really worked for me. I find face oil hard to apply makeup over (or much of anything), so I only used this one at night. After a few uses, I could feel the plumping properties, and it worked perfectly with a gua sha.
Hemp Day Clay Mask
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I know ‘Hemp Day’ is a play on words (nothing gets past me!), but this really did feel like a daytime mask. It’s light, easy to apply and can be spread as thick or thin as you’d like. This mask was hydrating instead of tightening, and the greenish colour helped to neutralise my always-red cheeks.
Beauty Spots Pimple Patches
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Now listen – I’m all for a ‘pimple patch in public’ moment, but these babies are bright and shiny. It was honestly a good exercise for me, wearing these holographic unicorn patches to Coles. They do work best overnight (as most pimple patches do) when you let the hydrocolloid pull the oil from the area. I will say they wouldn’t be my go-to for heavy-duty pimples but are great for helping the healing process along.
Browse the Urban Jungle range here.
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