Rachel's Fifth Week with the Summer Box

Rachel has normal to oily skin with a tendency for clogged pores and acne. She lives in sunny Singapore, where temperatures average 30-35°C/85-95°F, and humidity ranges between 70-90%.

General Impressions

How are we already on the last week of reviewing? Time has gone by so quickly! This past week has definitely been a game-changer for my skin. It’s as if the initial shock of all these amazing products has worn off, and now as my skin has gotten totally used to each of them, it’s really starting to reap all the benefits.

Changes I’ve seen

On the whole, my skin has been consistently getting clearer, healthier, and more even. The pores on my cheeks have been steadily emptying themselves over the past five weeks, and I think (hope) we are reaching the tail end of this  bonanza.

Compared to at the beginning of the reviewing process, my skin feels much happier and has better adapted to the heat and humidity of Singapore (after 22 years, you’d think it would have sorted itself on its own). All the inflammation from the clogged pores has disappeared, most bumps have smoothened out, and all that’s left is the scarring – which is also steadily improving, thanks to the Summer Box (I suspect it’s the Strawberry Toner, as always).

It’s been a pretty up-and-down month and a bit, skin-wise, but with the Summer Box walking me through it, I think my skin is on the up-and-up now! I can feel it getting healthier and better at healing and sorting itself out.

AM Routine & PM routine

AM Routine:

Peppermint Water (removes sleeping pack)

Oatmeal & Rice Cleansing Grains (good for physical exfoliation,coming soon!)

Bamboo Foaming Cleanser (coming soon!)

Janah’s Strawberry Exfoliating Toner (coming soon!)

Cucumber & Aloe Mist (occasionally,coming soon!)

Coconut Serum

Red Wine Pressed Serum

Sunscreen

PM Routine:

Vacuum Cleansing Oil

Mask (favourites areDetox – in the Summer Box,Dorothy,Sake Kasu,Bethany)

Bamboo Foaming Cleanser (coming soon!)

Janah’s Strawberry Exfoliating Toner (coming soon!)

Piper’s Peat Serum

Coconut Serum

Marine Serum

Apple Cider Serum

Radiance Serum

Moar Honey II Serum

Donkey Milk Gel Sleeping Pack

Sleeping Beauty Oil

Camel Milk & Yeast Mask (spot treatments)

Any changes I’ve made

While I’ve been keeping my morning routine minimal, I’ve added a couple of steps to my evening routine to help with healing. I mentioned at the beginning of the reviewing process that my skin was never too keen on heavier serums, likeApple Cider Serum, because they didn’t absorb well. I’ve re-incorporated Apple Cider  into my routine and I’m happy to say it is absorbing a lot better now! It’s great, because I was loathe to let the heavier serums sit around collecting dust, so now that my skin is more absorbent I’ll be whipping a few more things out.

I also recently restocked my Camel Milk & Yeast Mask, so I’ve been using that as a final spot treatment.

Overall thoughts

Overall, the Summer Box has been excellent. I’ve been using Sabbatical Beauty for just over a year now, and while I love everything I’ve used so far, the absolutely on-pointcuration of products in the Summer Box really upped my skincare game. Compared to when I just buy the products I think will work individually, all the products in the Summer Box work so well as a team and bring out the best in each other.

I think my favourite product in the Summer Box is Janah’s Strawberry Exfoliating Toner (coming soon!). It just totally amplifies the power of all the other products that go on after, and smells just like strawberry seeds, which is my favourite scent. It’s so good for oil control, too, and works to resurface your skin so you always have a fresh new canvas ready to face (get it??) the day.

A close second isCoconut Serum. It has been my ride-or-die serum for the past five weeks, and has effectively replaced all the serums I used to have in my morning routine. It’s so light and absorbs really quickly, leaving behind the faintest trace of coconutty goodness.

I initially thought having three different types of cleansers was a little unnecessary. I WAS WRONG. Each cleanser –Peppermint Water, Oatmeal & Rice Cleansing Grains (coming soon!), and Bamboo Foaming Cleanser (coming soon!) does something different, and using them all together means you’ll have squeaky clean pores and a lovely fresh face!

My two underused products areBamboo Dry Shampoo and Cucumber & Aloe Mist (coming soon!). The former I don’t use as often because I wash my hair every day, but I do have it in my gym bag at all times! It’s so good for transforming my hair from a grimy, flat mess to actually looking presentable so I can go about the rest of my day with minimal fuss. The mist is also great post-workout, and is a nice refresher during the day when it gets particularly hot.  

Red Wine Pressed Serum is my learn-to-love product. There was a bit of a learning curve for me, having to figure out how much of it to use each time. Since getting the proportions right, it has become a really important part of my morning routine! It's so nice to be able to skip my moisturising step, knowing that RWPS will keep me hydrated throughout the day.

Finally, my ultimate Summer product:Detox Herbal Mask. I've always been a big fan of Detox – it smells just like Summer to me, and is perfect for sucking out all the grime that’s settled on your face after a long day in the heat. Plus, it makes for really cool mask selfies.

I am so, so grateful to have had the honour of reviewing the Summer Box for you guys. As expected, it’s the ultimate summer routine in a little blue box. You can definitely look forward to soft, clear skin, smelling like a tropical fruit basket all the time, and of course, a glow that'll put halogen light bulbs to shame.

Above all, I want to take the chance to thank all of you for giving me this honour, and for coming on this journey with me! For hanging out with me during my lives, humouring my strange requests on my daily posts, and just reminding me every day how much good there is in the world, and how many truly wonderful people. I've made so many friends during this process, and my heart is so full.