A couple of months ago, Banish Skincare* kindly gifted me their Starter Kit, a kit packed with all of their products. Since then, I’ve been diligently trying out and reviewing their products on my YouTube channel, sharing my experiences along the way. Targeted at those suffering from acne, breakouts, hyperpigmentation, and dry skin, Banish wants everyone to feel comfortable and confident in the skin they’re in – no matter what society says. All their products are made without parabens, sulphates, mineral oils, and are vegan, cruelty-free and made fresh.
In today’s post, I’m sharing everything from the standout products you have got to try, the products that didn’t impress and other crucial bits you have to know before you shop on Banish. If you’ve got more time on your hands, be sure to watch my final review – but be warned it’s almost half an hour long.
As always, I was really honest in my review. It’s super important for me to be as honest and as true to my views and experiences as possible so that you can make an informed decision about products for yourself. And it was even more important for me to be really honest because I did not buy any of these products. I’m sure we’ve all experienced buying a sponsored or gifted product that’s been recommended, only to find that it wasn’t great. Because the video review was quite long, I decided to go into further detail here so that you have a better understanding of the products.
Ready to get stuck in? Read on.
For more information on the Banish* brand, check out my first impressions video.
What Stood Out To Me
There were two standout products, and if you’ve been watching my channel, you’ll already know.
Banish Pumpkin Enzyme Masque
- A creamy, indulgent pumpkin face masque that reminded of a scrumptious pumpkin soup, this face masque gently exfoliates your skin, leaving you with a bright and smooth complexion. Whenever I used this masque, it left my face feeling plump, smooth, nourished and refreshed. I honestly couldn’t recommend this product enough, and I’ll for sure be buying this for myself when it finishes.
Banish Fighter Gel
- I like to think of this as a miracle gel. This gel soothes breakouts and helps bring out the redness. I found that whenever I applied it, my spots would go down and almost vanish anywhere between 24 and 72 hours – yeah, it’s that good. This also worked a treat when I had irritations on my forehead as it relieved it instantly.
- That said, I noticed that this gel cannot be applied to every spot. When I got two spots on both corners of my mouth, I found that this gel made the spots worse. The spots took waaay longer than normal to heal and when they did, they left two dark marks behind. I also found that once the gel helped take down my spots, quite severe dark marks were left behind. It goes without saying that that’s less than ideal. Despite that, I would consider buying this because the relief it provides is second to none.
Banish Vitamin C Beauty Elixir
- Surprisingly, this Vitamin C Beauty Elixir was quite a hit for me. Now, I really only use this as a setting spray so I can’t speak too much on its use as a toner, but I loved how refreshed it made my skin look and feel. Even though I say it’s a setting spray, it’s only insofar as it helps keeps your makeup on your face and last longer – before I used this spray, I would already start seeing my dark spots poke through my makeup before the end of the day. I’ve noticed that now by the evening, my foundation is still intact. On the flip side, this won’t prevent makeup transfer onto a face mask or face covering. I can really see myself buying this in the future, which surprises me because I really wasn’t expecting to be so impressed by it.
Save money on Banish* when you use code ALICEXO on orders $50+.
Okay, But Didn’t Impress
Even though the following didn’t wow me like I thought they would, they were still okay to use and I didn’t experience anything negative.
Banish Vitamin C Crème
- Hmmm, what to say about this crème? It was okay, nothing too special. You guys know that for me, nothing beats the Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Day Cream SPF30, so I wasn’t expecting much from the Banish Crème (however, I was kiiiiiind of expecting it to help with my dark marks). I found that this cream was nice and thick (but not toooo thick) and moisturised my skin nicely. It also left me with a nice glow and went well with my sunscreen and other skincare products. I would definitely give this cream a try if you have dry skin, because as I said it is quite thick and moisturising.
- One thing to note though is that the lid broke (see in the video) and ended up cutting me quite badly on my finger. I don’t know if it was a faulty product, but be careful when handling your products so that you don’t get injured.
Banish All Clear Mint Cleanser
- If you watched any videos with this cleanser, you’ll know I’ve had a bit of a love-hate relationship with it. When if first used it, I thought it was a bit too minty and too much, however, as the weeks went by, I slowly grew to really like this cleanser. I knew my mind had changed when I used my Fresh Soy Face Cleanser and didn’t feel the same deep clean on my face lol. Banish say you can use this twice a day, but for me, I found that using it first thing in the morning was most ideal. Despite that, I won’t be buying this as I have a hoard of cleansers to get through.
Banish Oil
- The Banish Oil was probably the most disappointing of all the Banish products. To be honest, I was expecting big, BIG things from the Banish Oil. Made with a combination of ascorbic acid and ferulic acid (a winning combo for effectively dealing with hyperpigmentation and discolouration), I thought this oil would help to continue lightening up my dark spots. However, I found that this oil did nothing in that regard. If anything, it maintained the pigmentation in my dark spots so that they didn’t get any darker (which is good, I guess, but not what I need. I need my dark spots goneeeee). If you’re looking for a product to help with hyperpigmentation, I would definitely recommend the Dermalogica Biolumin C Serum or the Martiderm Pigment Zero DSP Bright Ampoule.
- That said, this oil was very hydrating (more so than I thought it would be) and did leave me with a nice glow. However, as you guessed, I will not be buying this again.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I love Banish and everything that they stand for. If you have acne, suffer from breakouts and pimples, then their products will for sure help to get those issues under control. However, if you have hyperpigmentation and dark spots (especially if you have a dark complexion like me), I wouldn’t expect too much from their products – that said, they will leave you with a lovely healthy-looking glow.
Banish Skincare also ships worldwide, which is a massive plus. However, even though they do, I would most recommend it for my US followers as you get free shipping with a $57 spend, compared to a $190 spend for those outside of the US. When I checked shipping for myself, it came out to almost $30 ($25.94), which is quite a lot, considering you can get similar products for less. But as I mentioned above, I will be rebuying a few of the standout products so I’ll have to pay for shipping when I do.
I’ve loved learning more about Banish and their products and I hope you have too. Let me know if you have any questions on Banish Skincare and I will do my best to answer. Also, be sure to check out my individual product reviews for more information.
Remember to use code ALICEXO on orders $50+ to save money on your purchase. Don’t forget to like comment, subscribe and share with your friends.
alice
xo
