Trying Skincare from My Home Country

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Svoboda Skincare Review: Amber, Luxe, & Evening Moisturizers – Свобода Люкс, Янтарь, Вечер.

Those of you who have been reading this blog for a while, know that I am originally from Moscow, Russia. Growing up I preferred to use either French or American skincare, but Russian brands were just as popular and a whole lot more affordable. This year when my mom and sister came over to visit, I asked them to bring along a few popular Russian beauty products for me to try. In this fun post today I wanted to share my thoughts on a couple of my mom’s favorites. The three moisturizers I got to try are all from the brand Svoboda, which was originally founded in 1843, making it one of the oldest and most well-known skincare brands in Russia.

LUXE:

Luxe moisturizer comes in a pink & white tube, and it’s recommended for dry and mature skin types. The formula contains vitamins A [retinoid], E, F, mineral salts, and natural oils to nourish the skin and improve cell turnover. It was definitely rich, with stringy, creamy texture and felt more like a mask than a typical moisturizer. I also instantly recognized the powdery floral fragrance that I remember from my childhood – my grandma and mom both used products that smelled similar, and as a kid I found that scent very comforting. Normally I would find a moisturizer this rich too heavy for my skin, but with the cold and windy weather outside this is just what my face needs right now. It’s been a while since I used a moisturizer that can be over-applied – Luxe is so rich that it will sit on the skin looking glossy if I use too much at once.

Svoboda recommends using this moisturizer at night only.

You will LOVE it if:

• You’re on a budget. Svoboda skincare is very affordable.
• You have dry skin. For normal and combination skin types it’s best used in cold weather.
• You like trying popular products from international brands.
• You prefer beauty products in hygienic packaging.
• You’re looking for intensely nourishing anti-aging nighttime moisturizer.

You will HATE it if:

• You prefer unscented skincare.
• You avoid parabens in skincare.
• You have oily skin.
• You are sensitive to any of the ingredients.

Ingredients: Aqua, Olus Oil, Lanolin, Cera Alba, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceresin, Sorbitan Оleate, Pentaerythrityl Dioleate, Glyceryl Dioleate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Elaeis Guineensis Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Glucose, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Bicarbonate, Calcium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Methylisothiazolinone, Parfum, Benzyl Salicylate, Coumarin, Citronellol, Linalool, Cinnamyl Alcohol.

Nowadays most of Svoboda products come in plastic packaging. These vintage aluminum tubes pay homage to the brand’s history, and this is how I remember them from my childhood.

You need to poke a hole in the aluminum foil protective seal by using the other end of the cap. 

EVENING:

Evening moisturizer comes in lavender & white tube, and it’s recommended for dry & sensitive skin types, and for the area around the eyes. Although many moisturizers can be used for the eye area, this claim means that the formula was specifically tested for eye safety. The ingredient list boasts nourishing natural oils, anti-aging vitamins A and E, and parsley extract to combat puffiness and dark circles. The fragrance is not super strong, but it’s there and it’s noticeable – Evening smells like spices and cream, if that makes sense. The texture is stringy, rich, and very rich, exactly what you’d expect from a moisturizer for extra dry skin. This is definitely too rich for my combo skin, even in the winter, but I like to use it on my eye area. It actually reminds me of Kiehl’s Avocado eye cream. The formulas are different, but the effect is very similar.

Svoboda recommends using this moisturizer at night only.

You will LOVE it if:

• You’re on a budget. Svoboda skincare is very affordable.
• You have dry skin.
• You like trying popular products from international brands.
• You prefer beauty products in hygienic packaging.
• You’re looking for intensely nourishing anti-aging nighttime moisturizer that can be used for eye crea.

You will HATE it if:

• You prefer unscented skincare.
• You avoid parabens in skincare.
• You have oily and combination skin.
• You are sensitive to any of the ingredients.

Ingredients: Aqua, Olus Oil, Lanolin, Cera Alba, Ceresin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sorbitan Oleate, Glucose, Pentaerythrityl Dioleate, Glyceryl Dioleate, Elaeis Guineensis Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, Carum Petroselinum Seed Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Methylisothiazolinone, Parfum, Benzyl Salicylate, Coumarin, Citronellol, Linalool, Cinnamyl Alcohol.

They pretty much look the same swatched. From left to right: Luxe, Amber, Evening.

AMBER:

Amber moisturizer comes in orange & white tube, and it’s recommended for dry and normal skin types. It’s rich like the previous two, but absorbs into the skin more rapidly. In the end, it’s the absorption time that makes it suitable for normal skin type, as well as the dry skin. The formula contains olive oil, lanolin, and beeswax, which makes it a great antioxidant-rich occlusive for cold weather. Amber smells pretty much exactly like Luxe, and the fragrance is also fairly strong, so I don’t think it will be suitable for the scent-sensitive.

Svoboda recommends using this moisturizer at night only.

You will LOVE it if:

• You’re on a budget. Svoboda skincare is very affordable.
• You have dry or normal skin type.
• You like trying popular products from international brands.
• You prefer beauty products in hygienic packaging.
• You’re looking for intensely nourishing occlusive nighttime moisturizer.

You will HATE it if:

• You prefer unscented skincare.
• You avoid parabens in skincare.
• You have oily and combination skin.
• You are sensitive to any of the ingredients.

Ingredients: Aqua, Olus Oil, Lanolin, Cera Alba, Ceresin, Pentaerythrityl Dioleate, Glyceryl Dioleate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Sorbitan Oleate, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Methylisothiazolinone, Parfum, Benzyl Salicylate, Coumarin, Citronellol, Linalool, Cinnamyl Alcohol.

I loved sampling products from the Motherland that remind me of my childhood, and using them makes me feel closer to my mom and grandma. All three of these moisturizers are widely available in Russia, and you can pick them up at most drugstores and mass retailers at a very reasonable price [maybe $2-$3 a piece?]. This review was written purely for fun, because I doubt many of you would go through the trouble of acquiring these products. But if you are curious to give them a try, you can buy them on eBay. Even with the markup they are still fairly inexpensive, and will only set you back a few bucks per item.

Have you tried any interesting beauty products from abroad? What type of beauty product are you the most likely to buy without reading any reviews first? Let me know in the comments!