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If you have been following me on Instagram the last two months, you may have seen that I just started a side project as Chief Brand Officer for the British skincare brand Pelegrims! This is a very scary, new and cool thing for me as you know that I would never tie my name to one brand if it wasn’t worth my time. We are a small team and I have been manning the social media accounts, taking the photos and working with my business partner in every spare minute of time I have to launch this brand here in Canada! I am still super new to the logistics and I am learning and Googling whenever I can because this is all so new to me.
A little bit about Pelegrims before we delve into my first official product review for this brand! Based in Kent, England and founded by Alex Verier and Jerome Moisan, what makes this brand special and what stood out to me right away was the fact that all of their products used harvested grape extracts from the byproducts of winemaking. This means that after the grapes have been squeezed, Pelegrims uses the leftovers, including leaves and vines, to formulate and create their products. They also harvest their grape extracts from one specific vineyard, Westwell Wines, so that when it comes to certain products, they can even narrow it down to the specific plot the grapes have come from! Talk about provenance! All the products are made in small batches and formulated and packaged right in Pelegrims’ own lab which is something I really appreciate about the brand. Think Farm to Table, but Vineyard to Skin!
Now, that I have given a tiny spiel, let’s get into the first product that I absolutely fell in love with before deciding to hop on board with Pelegrims – the Facial Balm. Firstly, I love that it’s just got a really short product name that is straight to the point! Nowadays, moisturizer doesn’t even have the word “moisturizer” in the name and I am left with having to rely on colours and packaging to remember what I am using.
This is a blend of grapeseed oil, marine algae, English Pinot Noir extract, grape skin powder (hence the pinkish colour) and other plant oils that work to soften the skin and increase natural collagen production in the skin.
The benefits of grapes, resveratrol and polyphenols is not unknown to most of us thanks to brands like Caudalie and Vinter’s Daughter who blazed the way. Resveratrol has been shown to increase collagen synthesis, accelerate skin regeneration and protect skin against UV.
The first thing I want to mention is the scent because it is quite unique like many more plant-based products. I find the scent quite comforting and is a blend of Fresh Air, Wild Rose and Sea Salt. It’s very soft and would make a good candle!
Secondly, this balm is a thick one, but like all fine wines, time makes this balm worth the wait! And by “time”, I mean just a few extra seconds of massaging the product into the skin so that texture just melts right in. Initially, I felt like it was going to be too much, but once it slowly makes its way into your skin, it actually leaves your skin with this beautifully soft, non-greasy, but plump texture. You also need the tiniest little amount, like the size of a dime to cover your entire face so this jar is going to last you awhile! It has the “tack” of freshly hydrated skin and even plays well with foundation.
I usually use this balm in place of my regular moisturizer, but if you really need some extra hydration, you can layer this on top of either your regular moisturizer or even facial oil if you need to!
All of the products are still hand-packaged so you can see exactly which harvest the grape extracts have come from and what batch number this is. This is really only something you see in artisanal skincare, but even though things are handwritten, the formulations and the packaging lean towards luxury and often that balance of artisanal and luxury can be hard to balance, but not in the case of Pelegrims.
Final verdict: This was a one of the first products I tried from Pelegrims and I am glad because it was quite different than other facial balms I have tried. While it does take some time for the product to warm up, it isn’t greasy and after a couple of minutes my skin feels hydrated, but without the normal oiliness and shine I sometimes experience with other balms. THIS is the part that makes this balm truly unique!
You can find the Pelegrims Facial Balm at www.pelegrims.com
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