Some things in life are truly destined to be together and such duets work synergistically to enhance the performance of individual products. In the skincare realm, a perfect duo made in skincare heaven is unquestionably the pairing of a hydrating serum and a facial oil. Truth be told, The Clean Beauty box always have spectacular flair when it comes to selecting the very best that the green skincare arena has to offer. This August however, choosing Ramblin Rose and Freedom Fighter from California-based brand Free +True skincare is matchmaking at its finest. Move over Sima from Indian Matchmaker, you have competition!

When it comes to using oils, there seems to be two camps:

1. those that will not touch one with a barge pole and,
2. the ones that swear by them

Unsurprisingly, I belong to the latter camp and my love for oils is truly unprecedented. However, I do believe that not all oils are created equal and mostly that they need to be used correctly in order to reap the true magic plant oils have to offer.

It is absolutely vital to apply an oil onto damp skin. You can very much achieve this by merely using your oil onto recently cleansed, wet skin but my preference is using a hydrating serum first. Hyaluronic acid is the most common humectant for this purpose and is an ingredient that is clearly having its moment right now but many hydrating serums achieve the same effect by using the unsexy but still very much effective glycerine or gorgeous floral or fruity hydrosols.

The August Box, christened ‘Sun Drenched’, contained Ramblin Rose, Freedom Fighter and a sample of the newly-released Bright Side which have been perfect additions to my summer morning skincare routine. Housed in luxurious white glass bottles, topped with eco-conscious bamboo caps, the Free+True packaging is definitely eye-catching and a refreshing departure from the purple miron glass I’m so accustomed to seeing in eco beauty. In fact, this pretty packaging (that is so evocative of summer in my opinion) is an excellent prelude to all the goodness found in these products.

Free+True is a skincare line developed by Tamy Blake, who also happens to be a licensed aesthetician. Personally, I have always had an appreciation  for aesthetician-led brands. Jordan Samuel, Jane Scrivner and Monastery made spring to mind and I have sang the praises of their skin lines for many, many years. They bring a different perspective and they pay particular attention to delivering a blissful experience in terms of scents and textures but also combine botanicals and high-tech actives to craft, what is in my opinion, the perfectly appealing product

Ramblin Rose

Ramblin Rose is a spectacularly plumping serum aimed at hydrating. It is delicately fragranced with rose water and the first application left my skin smooth and perfectly plump. Whilst it is designed to be coupled with Freedom Fighter, it worked beautifully with all the other oils in my armamentarium. Of course, it is formulated with the ultimate humectant, a low-weight hyaluronic acid but is also brimming with pomegranate juice, hibiscus, rose and neroli waters as well as welcomed, skin-loving extras such as soothing panthenol and white tea ( an even more powerful anti-oxidant than green tea).

Ingredient List

Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Juice, Rose Damascena (Rose) Hydrosol, Citrus Aurantium (Neroli) Hydrosol, Propanediol, Panthenol (Vitamin B5), Hydrolyzed Oats, Lactobacillus/Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate (Hyaluronic Acid), , Vegetable Glycerin, [Gluconolactone + Sodium Benzoate], Hibiscus Sabdariffa (Hibiscus) Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis (White Tea) Extract, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Citrate, Allantoin, Potassium Sorbate, Hydroxyethylcellulose

Freedom Fighter

Freedom Fighter is an oil serum from the Free+True skincare line. When I use Freedom Fighter, especially in a morning routine, I always feel that it is serving as the perfect antioxidant armour to protect my skin in the sun. I use oils regardless of season and in summer, I tend to gravitate towards more lightweight ones that absorb flawlessly. This is exactly what Freedom Fighter offers, it contains a myriad of Californian-grown botanicals such as cranberry oil, seabuckthorn oil, raspberry oil, goji and nettle and supercharged with CoQ10. I’ve experimented with it in a few ways; directly on damp skin, added to a moisturiser but I’ve found that mixing it with a few squirts of Ramblin Rose is my preferred way to use it. Freedom Fighter is a welcome addition in my assortment of oils  (and that’s saying something because it is pretty extensive!)

Ingredient List

Vaccinium Macrocarpon (Cranberry) Seed Oil, +Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Seed Oil, Vitis Vinifera (Grapeseed) Oil, +Vegetable Squalane, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Oil, Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) CO2, CoQ10, Extracts of: Malpighia Glabra (Acerola) Fruit, Euterpe Oleracea (Acai) Fruit, Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Leaves, Calendula Officinalis (Calendula) Flowers, Centella Asiatica (Gotu Kola), Equisetum Arvense (Horsetail), Trifolium Pratense (Red Clover) Flowers, Melissa Officinalis (Lemon Balm) Leaf, Rosa Alba (Rose) Petals], +Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Extract, +~Citrus Sinensis (Orange) Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens (Geranium) Oil, Anthemis Nobilis (Roman Chamomile) Oil, Citrus Aurantium (Neroli) Oil

Bright Side

Bright Side, the beautifully hued Vitamin C serum, was definitely not third-wheeling in this box. In fact, I’m really pleased I got to sample this because I will definitely be purchasing the full-size at some point. It contains two stable forms of Vitamin C (not L Ascorbic Acid but 10% Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate and £% Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate) as well as host of ultra-brightening ingredients such as Amla, niacinamide and licorice root. I found that with continued use (the sample lasted 2 weeks) my skin tone was super radiant. I can’t really confirm whether it helped hyperpigmentation but this is something you only ever notice with more prolonged usage.

Ingredient List

Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Juice, Zea Mays Indurata (Purple Maize) Extract, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate (Oil Soluble Vitamin C), Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, +Propanediol, Niacinamide (Vitamin B3), Vegetable Glycerine infused with [Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root, Morus Alba (Mulberry) Root, Phyllanthus Emblica (Amla) Berry, Uva Ursi (Bearberry) Leaf], Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (Vitamin C), Cetearyl Olivate (and) Sorbitan Olivate, Hippophae Rhamnoides (Seabuckthorn) Fruit C02, Sorbitan Laurate, Polyglyceryl-4 Laurate, Dilauryl Citrate, Gluconolactone, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Benzoate, +Tocopherol (Vitamin E),,  Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate, Cymbopogon Martini (Palmarosa) Oil +~Citrus Sinensis (Orange) Oil, Jasminum Sambac (L.) Aiton (Jasmine) Oil

This was a pretty exquisite box by The Clean Beauty Box and I think it will appeal to green beauty veterans as well as those dipping their toes in the green area. It was gifted to me and I hope sharing my thoughts here was useful to you. To my knowledge, there are a few boxes left and if you would like to get one, I have an affiliate link for this right here.

I just know that they are cooking up something special for the next box, will you be getting one?

*This post contains affiliate links and the August box was gifted to me for review.