Glow Recipe has officially launched in Australia exclusively at MECCA, a round of applause to Mecca for bringing this cult fave down under thank you very much. We Aussies have been green-eye monstering all of you American beauties with your Avocado Melt Sleeping Mask and your Watermelon Glow Sleeping Masks for what essentially feels like an eternity. Now our time has come. Glow Recipe has landed in Australia and now the question turns to what should I try first? Who’s up for some reviews?
If you hadn’t already heard of Glow Recipe – firstly pls tell me where you been?! – founded by Christine Chang & Sarah Lee (friends and beauty co-workers) they began in 2014 as a curated online shopping destination for K-Beauty. Business boomed and in 2017 they released their very first Glow Recipe products – Blueberry Bounce Gentle Cleanser and Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask. Quickly followed up with Watermelon Glow Pink Juice Moisturizer in early 2018 and later in 2018 saw the launch of the Avocado Melt Sleeping Mask. They certainly appear to have a knack for curating as well as creating K-beauty skincare that is as instagramable as it is effective.
Before I deeper dive into a couple of the products that I am obsessing over from Glow Recipe I just wanted to make mention of an amazing podcast interview Gemma Watts of Glow Journal conducted with Glow Recipe Co-Founder – Christine Chang. I listened to this recently and was really touched with the back story of the brand as well as being astounded by the sheer amount of reformulations Watermelon mask had before making it to market – literally insane. It’s well worth a listen if you’re into hearing brand stories and how they came to be what they are today.
Glow Recipe Avocado Melt Sleeping Mask
Starting with the star of the show in my opinion- The Avocado Melt Sleeping Mask.
- Packed with Avocado (duh) but quite cleverly in four different forms – avocado fruit, avocado extract, avocado oil and avocado butter – all rich in nourishing oleic & linoleic – super beneficial for drier complexions or for skin really craving a little extra loving.
- Manuka Honey which is both antibacterieal (good for congestion) and anti inflammatory (soothe sensitive/sensitised skin)
- PHA – much milder than traditional AHA’s like glycolic – this is a form of very mild chemical exfoliation
- Kaolin – gentle clay to give just a smidge of pore-clearing magic
Free From – Parabens, Mineral Oil, Sulfates, Silicones, Phthalates, Alcohol, Synthetic Dyes, Synthetic Fragrance. This product is Cruelty-free.
My own experience? The Avocado Melt Sleeping Mask is phenomenal. I tend to pop the mask on as the final layer to a night time skincare routine. Due to the inlcusion on mild PHA’s in the mask I try to keep any acids in my routine to a minimum (or not at all).
The texture of the mask is unreal. It is both thick and nourishing whilst also feeling featherweight on the skin once absorbed. The mask almost immediately (and I truly mean this!) melts into the skin and leaves the face feeing calm and nourished but also free to smoosh your face into your pillow and head to dreamland – no sticky residue to see here. Nuh uh, not a bit. But on a serious note please don’t actually smoosh your face into your pillow if at all possible. That kind of tom foolery is not so great for keeping those wrinkles at bay.
Can happily confirm – the Avocado Melt Sleeping Mask does brilliant things for my dry/normal skin. I wake up brighter ( well, my skin does – me? I’m not exactly a morning person at the best of times), smoother, clearer and always so well moisturised – to the point that I can actually see a teeny tiny skin oil gleam on my forehead despite the heating being blasted all night which would otherwise have the opposite effect. Gotta love those winter skin woes.
Due to the textural nature of this mask, I’d even urge complexions leaning more combo/oily to try and get ahold of a sample (or a mini! Did you know there’s minis?!) and give it a try especially for throughout the colder seasons or drier climates. You may find that once or twice a week Avocado Melt Sleeping Mask might be just what you need to keep winter skin from going haywire.
Ingredient List – Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Fruit Extract, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Fruit, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Water, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Water, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Water, Aniba Rosodora (Rosewood) Wood Extract, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetyl Alcohol, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Butter, Honey, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Oil, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Stearic Acid, Gluconolactone, Kaolin, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Spirulina Platensis Extract.
Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask
Probably the more well-known of the overnight masks pair from Glow Recipe is the Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask. Quickly becoming a cult classic for beauty junkies and selling out numerous times over its young life – this mask is even said to have (and confirmed by Christine Chang) had a waiting list thousands of consumers long.
Interest officially piqued.
But what’s it supposed to do? Why do I need the Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask?
You like smooth skin right? Do you also like waking up with plump, glowy, soft skin? Yeah? I thought so – Me too. Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask has your back babe – or in this case – your front.
- Formulated for all skin types to enjoy.
- AHA’s (glycolic and lactic) to gently retexturize the skin overnight.
- Packed with hydrators to combat any of the effects of exfoliation – Hyaluronic Acid, Watermelon Extract. Oh hi juicy plump skin!
- Peony Root which is a skin brightner along with antioxidant protection.
Now lets talk about this texture- Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask reminds me of a pastel pink jelly when I peer inside. It’s a semi-solid kind of deal in the jar (oh – and did I already mention how adorable the jar is? No? Well its totes adorbs FYI) but feels like a viscous gel when applying to face and within seconds melts to more of a water texture while massaging in.
An absolute textural delight.
You can use this beauty two ways – leave on overnight for maximum results or as a more traditional rinse-off mask, kind of like a little skin boost – apply, leave for 15 or so, rinse and continue your skincare routine.
I have only one word of caution – the Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask can have a tendency to pill (ball up – you know that yucky feeling when you rub your face and it looks like dead skin is rolling off?) dependant on what else you are using in the routine. My tips to help minimise this occurring – mist face prior and after applying Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask and keep the rest of your skincare routine super simple – I just do Watermelon mask then eye cream and wait about 10-15mins or so and go in with the Avocado Mask for extra nourishment overnight (my skin is dry/norm) but if your skin leans combo/oily you can probs keep it even more simple and just leave this mask as your last layer.
Final step- sleep, dream happy dreams, wake up to glow! And due to the AHA’s please don’t forget your SPF in the morning. But I didn’t have to remind you of that did I? You’re a clever cupcake who never forgets to SPF right??
Ingredients list – Water, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glycerin, Caulerpa Lentillifera (Seaweed) Extract, Simethicone, Citrullus Lanatus (Watermelon) Fruit, Silica, Propanediol, Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid, Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin) Fruit Extract, Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Fruit Extract, Musa Sapientum (Banana) Fruit Extract , Paeonia Suffruticosa (Peony) Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Brassica Oleracea Capitata (Cabbage) Leaf Extract, Ipomoea Batatas (Sweet Potato) Root Extract, Betaine, Beta Glucan, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Xanthan Gum, Alcohol, Fragrance.
Wrap This Up Now
The Australian Glow Recipe launch at MECCA also includes Blueberry Bounce Gentle Cleanser, Watermelon Glow Pink Juice Moisturizer and Watermelon Glow Ultra Fine Mist. I believe the Pineapple-C Bright Serum will also be landing at MECCA pretty soon also. I’ve not tested any of these others thoroughly so I’m not going to speculate here about their superpowers but I have seen them used and loved many times over on Instagram and online reviews.
Is Glow Recipe on your wishlist? What’s your overnight glow-up product that never fails you?
*Glow Recipe kindly provided as PR samples via MECCA with no obligation to review/post.
