The next “It” brand has arrived. With aesthetically-pleasing packaging, natural & plant-based ingredients, and a refreshing sense of humor, Anese is to die for. Anese is a new brand of natural skincare based in California. Soon you’ll be able to get your hands on Body Elixirs, a Calming Toner, Facial Oil, and Body Oil available in several heavenly-sounding scents. To celebrate and spread the news of their launch on January 25th, I was recently sent a bottle of the Hydrating Body and Hair Elixir* to try out and share my thoughts.
My first reaction was, of course, swooning over the packaging. A simple, sturdy glass bottle with a minimalistic label - just my style. Before even trying the product, I was thinking of how lovely it would look perched on my bathroom counter. The product inside looks like a thin, milky spray – already, I’m getting the feeling it will be nice and nourishing. When sprayed onto the skin, it certainly feels incredibly refreshing, just like a soothing facial mist feels after a stressful day. The spray nozzle on the bottle delivers a nice, even mist – no water-gun action here. It instantly soothes the irritated, itchy skin I get on my legs, so I’ve certainly been reaching for it on a daily basis. It’s obviously not as moisturizing as a thick body butter, but it really helps to extend the time that my skin stays hydrated. And being able to go longer periods of time in between applying greasy layers of moisturizer is fine by me. The ingredients of the elixir are simple: water, witch hazel, aloe, and their fragrance oils – no nasties to be found. It’s quite a welcome sight to see such a short list of ingredients.
I was given a list of scents to pick from, and they all sounded so unique and pleasant that I had such a hard time choosing. In the end, I went with Marshmallow Pine, although I was almost swayed by the Cardamom Vanilla and Rose Patchouli scents. The Marshmallow Pine scent is like nothing I’ve ever used before. It honestly smells like the most wonderful Christmas candle. The sharpness/crispness of the pine scent is really complemented perfectly by the sweetness of the Marshmallow. The fragrance lasts a decent amount of time on the skin for not being very strong to begin with (remember, it’s a fragranced spray, not a perfume), and it lasts pretty much a whole day when sprayed in your hair. It’s hard to resist swishing my hair around throughout the day to get another whiff.
Like I said, Anese is a natural brand, containing no parabens, peptides, or herbicides, so it’s good for both you and the environment. They only use responsibly-sourced ingredients, they never test on animals, and they’re vegan. Adding to their incredible ethos, they also donate a portion of proceeds to organizations that promote women’s empowerment. Each bottle comes with some kind of saying on the front, which is completely customizable – perfect for if you’re sending one as a gift.
Each bottle will retail for $22, with free shipping within the US. Anese has very kindly offered a discount code for readers of Beauty by Kelsey – entering the code kelseyanese at checkout will get you $5 off (I don’t receive anything by you using the code, it’s just a gift to you!). The website will go live on January 25th, but make sure you go to Anese.co before that and enter your email address when prompted so you can get your invitation. Be sure to follow Anese on Instagram, and use #anese on any photos for them to see!
Will you try anything from Anese?