Review: Te Mana Skin Care Products

Te Mana is new natural brand from New Zeeland that is now also available in Slovenia. Ingredients are mostly organic and hand harvested from ancient rain forest in Aotearoa and combine modern and Maori knowledge. You'll also find Maori words on the products as well as symbols in their logo. I have to say I am always a bit skeptical testing natural skin care, but this one surprised me with their refined textures that I decided I need to share my thoughts with you. 



Packaging

I actually received whole range of their skin care products to test out and I have started to slowly introduce them to my routine one by one. If I would just starts using them all at once, I wouldn't be sure, if something irritated me. So far I have tested these products for about a month and a half.

I love minimalistic approach to design, which to me screams natural. All of their products come with cardboard boxes and white plastic packaging. Most of them have pumps with small holes and one has spritz pump. Caps are all transparent and plastic. On all products you'll also find out the exact percentage of organic and wild harvested ingredients. 

All of pumps work just fine, you can always control the amount of product and there is no spillage. Packaging protects active ingredients and pump dispensers make for very hygienic use

My main issue with packaging is that I can't really see how much product is left in it, but I guess it protects formulation better by not being transparent.

You can buy these products online. For foreign visitors here and for Slovenians here

High Performance Cleansing Gel 100 ml for 25.50€
Glow Activator Mist 100 ml for 30.50€
Radiance Infusing Essence 30 ml for 48€
Time Release Hydration 50 ml for 45€
EXQ Pro Collagen Complex 30 ml for 45€
Vitamin C4 Oil Elixir 15 ml for 34.50€



High Performance Cleansing Gel

This is antioxidant cleansing gel with botanical oils and plant-derived cleansers. It should remove makeup and other impurities and leave skin comfortably hydrated and balanced. Key ingredient is Enzogenol which is bark extract that is antioxidant and has anti-inflammatory properties. 

It's a liquid orange colored texture that spreads on the skin well. As soon as you get some water in it, it foams slightly. It's a gentle cleanser that doesn't feel drying or too stripping. It also doesn't feel irritating on my skin at all. There was no bad reaction to it.

This removes some basic makeup, but anything more stubborn or waterproof - you'll need something stronger. So I wouldn't use this as makeup remover, rather as second cleanse or morning cleanser. I use it in the morning to wash off my evening skin care. It leaves my skin soft and not too dried out. It has natural sort of clay herbal scent to it.




Glow Activator Mist

Refreshing mist that gives immediate re-hydration, long lasting glow and invigorates dull skin. Key ingredients are red seaweed, black fern, cucumber water, Pro vitamin B5 and natural vitamin E which also contain natural occurring peptides, essential sugars, vitamins and minerals. 

This is liquid spray with transparent color. It's that type of refreshing mist that you can use either as a tonic, right after you've washed your face, as a refresher through the day or as a makeup setting mist to take away any powder residue from makeup. It has more of a herbal sort of grass like scent to it, but it's quite subtle.

Spray produces fairly fine mist. It's nothing like those super fine makeup mists, but it also doesn't spit all over the face. This one does in fact do what it promises. It leaves a very natural sheen on the skin, but the mist itself is so lightweight that I barely feel it on the skin. It's definitely not going to feel heavy or greasy. I think this would even be nice for oily skin.

I used it right after the cleansing gel to give back some of the moisture and prep it for further skin care. My only problem is, I go through this quickly, because one mist felt very light, so I always sprayed at least 6 sprays. I must have enjoyed the process so much. But it means you go through product quickly.




Radiance Infusing Essence

This is multitasking essence or serum that helps prevent damage by free radicals and targets wrinkles and fine lines by making skin more firm and elastic. It should give skin velvet smooth feel and make it look plumper. Key ingredients are BioRestore4Plus blend (green and red algae, black fern and hydrolyzed keratin).

It's a liquid transparent texture, but with the slightest viscose feel to it. It must be the glycerin base in it that feels ultra smooth and glides on the skin with that slight moisture feel to it that borderlines greasy under the fingers, but soaks into the skin very quickly. There is no greasy feel on the skin, it just leaves a bit of sheen and slight stickiness which feels like a good base for makeup. It's another lightweight serum like product that adds to the natural sheen of skin. 

The scent of this one is not herbal, but slightly deeper. I can't put my finger on it, because those are all very natural scents with no added fragrance.



Time Release Hydration

They call it hydrating booster which combines marine and land botanicals with native plant oils. It prevents water loss while leaves skin ultra hydrated and radiant. Key ingredients are BioRestore3Plus blend (green and red algae and black fern) and Zealong premium tea.

It's light white cream consistency that has good spread-ability. It starts to soak into the skin quickly, so you don't have a lot of time to spread it on. It becomes slightly sticky on the skin, but it gives you that nourishing layer that feels so comfortable on the skin. It's one of those thicker products compared to other products mentioned, but still doesn't feel all that heavy on the skin. It locks in the glow from other products and seals it with a nourishing layer. It gives a bit of sheen to the skin. It has a very root woody scent to it.

I use this as a moisturizer in the morning and sometimes in the evening. This feels nourishing enough, but doesn't feel too greasy throughout the day. It's one of those more natural creams that doesn't feel like a silicon moisturizer that just sits on the skin, but actually hydrates and nourishes it.




EXQ Pro Collagen Complex

This is collagen booster cream that fights against all aspects of aging via its intense firming action. Key ingredients are BioRestore4Plus blend (green and red algae, black fern and hydrolyzed keratin), bioactive collagen and Manuka honey

Another white cream consistency that spreads easily and soaks in completely. It feels like a bit heavier moisturizer than Time Release one. There isn't much of shine or greasiness to it, but it feels nourishing and is a bit sticky. This one has by far the strangest scent- sort of plastic like.

I used it more in the evening, when I didn't use the oil. For me this is night time moisturizer, because it feels heavier on the skin and gives that richer nourishment. It might be too much for oily skin. I feel like this one nourishes the skin and gives it that protective layer that keeps moisture in through the night and makes skin feel plump in the morning.



Vitamin C4 Oil Elixir

It's blend of natural occurring vitamin C oils and additional stable vitamin C. It should give you brighter, hydrated and radiant skin. Key ingredients are black currant seed oil, New Zeeland kiwi seed oil, kawakawa oil, rose hip oil and ascorbyl palmitate (vitamin C).

This is blend of natural oils and stable vitamin C. It has that usual oily texture, but isn't too heavy. Color is slightly yellow. It acts as an oil on the skin, meaning it is greasy and gives you a lot of shine.  Spread-ability is good. It doesn't really soak into the skin. Scent of this one is again more natural herbal, but not unpleasant.

I use my oils only in the evening skin care routine, though this one contains vitamin C which is known antioxidant and those should be used more during the day. I usually used it after toner mist and sometimes radiance essence. In the summer I would definitely use this on its own, because it's nourishing enough. Next day my skin always looked plump, even and nourished. I didn't see any major difference in brightening my problematic areas (around my mouth), but my skin tone was more evened out than usual.  


Performance

I was so impressed with how refined all of the formulas from this skin care range were. Honestly, I still have some prejudice sometimes thinking that natural skin care brands have too "rough" formulas and that everything is going to be greasy. Part of that is, because in the past that was the case, but with this need of living healthier lifestyle, natural skin care brands have developed some amazing products. Te Mana is definitely one of those brands which textures can easily compare to "regular" skin care lines, if not better than some

There wasn't a single product I didn't like. My favorite has to be Glow Activator Mist, Radiance Infusing Essence and Time Release Hydration. Mist and Essence give me such a lovely healthy looking sheen on the skin that I can't get over. This is that no makeup skin care duo that you want to use when you're going barefaced. Hydration surprised me with texture. I liked that it didn't feel greasy and it didn't just sit on the skin either like some other very glowy moisturizers do. This actually moisturized, but never made my skin look too greasy or produced more sebum.

Cleanser is lovely for that morning cleanse, because it's not drying and doesn't feel irritating. Collagen complex is my least favorite, because it felt a bit too heavy for my combination skin. I also loved Vitamin C oil, but in general, I like most oils. The fact that it contains vitamin C in it is just another benefit to using one product with active ingredient rather than layering on too much products. 


It's definitely pricey, but it's natural brand that has managed to create very sophisticated formulas that feel and wear lovely on the skin. In general I would say this is suited for most skin types, because all of their products are geared toward giving you glow, hydration, moisture, nourishment, brightness, fight against free radicals and aging, all the things that we all look for. I have sensitive skin and I had no irritations with any of these products, but obviously research it more, if you have very sensitive skin. I like knowing that there are natural skin care brands out there doing their best to create formulas that no longer feel less comfortable than any other skin care formulas. If you have the budget for it, obviously go for it. You don't need to swipe out entire skin care routine, maybe just add some of those formulas that you're missing. 

*PR product

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