Like Beyoncé and Jay Z, there are some things that are better together. Singularly fabulous, they become unstoppable as a duo. This analogy is especially true for skincare and two of my new favourite products from Beauty Pie.
Before I talk about the products in question, I’ll give a brief introduction to Beauty Pie as a brand and business model. You may already be way ahead of me on this (don’t blame me – I have had a baby) but I feel like I’ve discovered a bit of an Aladdin’s Cave. I’d previously disregarded it as another gimmicky, cheap-as-chips skincare range that I’d be attracted to by the price, but then inevitably ditch in favour of my more expensive and effective favourites. But, after reading some pretty impressive reviews from beauty experts like Sali Hughes and Caroline Hirons, I decided to see what all the fuss was about.
Beauty Pie works by cutting out the expensive middle man essentially, offering you more or less cost price for luxury products. You become a member and pay a membership fee (so I paid £10 for the month so I could buy up £100 worth of products – but I actually only spent about £30 something). You can then pay slightly more for different memberships which allow you to spend more. It’s a tactic that works as I’m now counting down the days until my allowance starts again at the end of the month. (Also, the membership fee isn’t a direct debit or anything like that – you just pay it when you make an order).
So where’s the catch I hear you say? Apparently, there isn’t one. The company, owned by beauty entrepreneur Marcia Kilgore (responsible for creating Bliss, Soap and Glory and Fitflop) makes money on the membership fee only. The rest goes on the cost of the product and its packaging, safety and cruelty-free testing, and warehousing.
The website and its products also feel really luxurious. When my package of goodies arrived wrapped in pink tissue paper, I felt like I’d spent a lot more than £30. I was also really pleased to see that all the products and formulations are cruelty free and that there’s tons of clear information (especially on Instagram) about the results-driven formulations and how to use them. I can’t bear overly convoluted and scientific skincare product pages that you need to be a professor to understand – Deciem, I’m looking at you.
But back to the Power Couples. It was Instagram that led me to the Plantastic Micropeeling Super Drops (Members pay £7.62) and the QI Energy Sleep Mask (Members pay £7.34). The Micropeeling Super Drops are a liquid exfoliant so what you need if you want someone to say ‘Crikey! Your skin looks great. What have you done to it?’ It’s made from 95% naturally derived products (remember natural doesn’t mean ineffective) including salicylic acid (great for congestion, acne and pigmentation) banana, caja, mango fruit acids and stem cells. There’s also a gentle bio-surfactant in there too. This combination of ingredients smooths, brightens, clarifies and declogs – all without irritating the skin. It can also be used every day, either as a toner or beneath other products like a serum.
Beauty Pie suggests using the drops under everything but I had particularly great results with the QI Energy Sleep Mask. This overnight treatment is great if you feel a little bit tired or that your skin isn’t quite looking its best. It’s really hydrating – which makes it a natural partner to the Micropeeling drops – and packed full of energising ingredients such as Ginseng Root, Wild Pansy, Sodium Hyaluronate and skin barrier-supporting Squalane. I’ve tried these two products together a number of times over the past few weeks, and every morning my skin feels noticeably smoother and brighter and well, just better.
Don’t take my word for it. Try it yourself and read the comments on Instagram. One customer said this duo made her look like Christy Turlington. I’ll leave that with you….