Tata Harper Full Review Pt.2

(From Tata Harper’s blog – her retail space in Neiman Marcus)

The first part of my Tata Harper review got quite a bit of feedback! Continuing on, I’ll write about the rest of her line and then have a recap of my favorites and not-so-favorites:

Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask ($55): Perhaps my favorite product in the entire line and no surprise either: it’s formulated to treat blemished skin while also being gentle enough for the rest of the Tata Harper demographic. I found this mask to be very soothing and gentle while the pinkish gel disappears into skin and leaves behind a sticky film that upon washing off reveals very fresh skin. If anyone has used Ren’s Glocylactic Acid Mask (the one with the sticky orange gel), this is like a more refined version of that with a much more pleasing scent and consistency. The ingredients are great: white willow, pink french clay, and pomegranate enzymes clear up skin and resurfaces it to  look glowing and fresh.  I read from one of your comments in the last post that if not used fast enough this could develop mold, and it freaked me out so I’ve been using this twice a week and applying liberally. Can anyone else comment if they’ve experienced this?

Tata Harper Rejuvenating Serum ($150): This is more of a cream/moisturizer than a serum although it does sink into skin relatively fast. For those with oily-blemish prone skin, this works as a moisturizer after spraying the toner, albeit one very expensive bottle of moisturizer. This is heralded as a major anti-aging product but I honestly couldn’t tell if it ‘improved’ my skin during the 3-4 weeks that I used it so I’m giving it a little more time. I kind of consider this a more powerful, expensive moisturizer than serum just because it doesn’t deliver the results you’d expect from a serum type of product while it does provide some hydration. The scent of the rejuvenating serum is the strongest of all her products (besides the roll on fragrances), so you definitely should sample this to see if you appreciate the earthy, green scent and also to see if you have any sensitivities. I noticed some redness along my cheeks at first, but it went down. Another piece of advice: don’t use too much, I got some blackheads around my nose and cheek when I used 2 pumps instead of 1 during the coldest parts of winter.

Tata Harper Rebuilding Moisturizer ($100): This is the only moisturizer I tried because I was afraid to try the heavier moisturizer since even her cleansers and serums are heavy for my skin. The Rebuilding Moisturizer is said to be for oily-combination skin and as such promises: minimizing of pores, mattifying complexion, balancing of hydration, firmer appearance. I don’t think it did anything for my pores or for mattifying my complexion mostly because I think the waxes were too much. I did notice that it took care of chronic dry patches that my combination skin sometimes gets around my mouth and cheeks. I mainly applied it there but after 5 days of regular use, I noticed that I started getting red bumps on my cheeks – they were not acne, but I can tell it was due to the congestion so I stopped using it and my skin cleared up.

I think this is a good product for when your skin really needs some hydration, like if I were to be outside an entire day right now, I would definitely use this or if my chronic dry patch came back, I would use this for two days.

Tata Harper Revitalizing Body Oil ($90): This is a great body oil for me because I have oddly dry skin around my arms and legs (my theory is that all the oil went to my face!). With body oils, you maximize the moisture locking benefits post-shower. I noticed that my legs and arms felt less prone to dryness, tightness, and flakiness. The scent is wonderful and the oil’s texture is good – heavy enough to feel substantial but not going to cause any oil slicks. My only issue is that the ingredients list is relatively mundane for the cost of the product, the carrier oils are all relatively common and available for pretty cheap: sunflower seed, grape seed, olive oil — you can find that in organic cosmetic grade options at most whole foods. Although the pure oils are a step above the body oils by Dr.Hauschka, I prefer using those since they’re a third of the price but give similar results.

—-

Summary: Overall Tata Harper is a great, luxury line that uses a lot of organic ingredients in their products. They do really well at providing products for those with mature or dry skin, which is smart since they’re positioned as alternatives for ladies who might otherwise be considering products from La Mer (which also tend to run heavy/thick) – so I think they offer good clean options for that crowd. For those with sensitive skin, I suggest sampling products because their mix of EO’s are not disclosed and random products will make me have reactions either redness, skin irritation, or headaches from the scent. For blemish prone skin – there aren’t a lot of options for products in this line, if you really want to try Tata products, go for the resurfacing mask or the toner – but avoid the cleansers and moisturizers.

Products I enjoy: Hydrating Floral Essence, Rejuvenating Serum, Revitalizing Body Oil, Resurfacing Mask
Products I’d avoid: All cleansers, all moisturizers, 2 of 3 aromatherapy treatments