Genius: my little Arbonne secret

If you have a friend, cousin or so much as even acquaintance who sells Arbonne skin care, you’ve had the talk.

It might be a simple, straightforward one like it was with my friend Danielle Broadhagen who told me she was an Independent Consultant in case I wanted to try anything from the Swiss line; or it might be a long, drawn-out conversion masquerading itself as something other than a sales pitch.

I wasn’t interested. I was pretty happy with my skin-care routine and I had been down the Mary Kay road before and assumed Arbonne would be the same — but with prettier packaging.

And then she did it to me. She reeled me in by inviting me to be part of a trial group of customers for a new product. We’re all aware that I have product issues, and getting the inside scoop on a new product piqued my interest enough to cheat on my regular brand.

The Arbonne Intelligence Genius pads, soaked in a retinoid liquid.

Along with my seven-day sample of Arbonne Intelligence Genius was a sample set of the RE9 skin-care line. Danielle asked me to follow the routine morning and night as directed and would follow up at the end with a survey. Well, I made it to day five and noticed such a huge difference in my skin that I called her and just said, “I want it all.”

That was a year ago and in between I’ve used other products — because as a blogger who sometimes writes about beauty, I have to — but nothing makes my skin glow like Arbonne. And I credit 80 per cent of that glow to the Genius retinoid complex. It’s my little miracle, and I have told so many people about it offline, I thought it was high time to do so online, too.

The other little gem of a product, which is brand new and launched as part of Arbonne’s 35-year anniversary this year, is the Genius Booster Serum for Body lotion, which does for the body what the Genius complex does for the face.

THE GOOD

They work. Really. I am about as jaded as they come and I just won’t stand for products that don’t live up to their brand promises. Both of these Arbonne Intelligence Genius products do what they say they’re going to do. The retinoid complex (which is activated when you pour a bottle of magic potion on these textured pads that come in a little jar) will change your skin inside of a week, likely, but definitely within two weeks. I don’t know anyone who’s tried it who hasn’t seen a dramatic difference. I only wish I’d done before and after shots. My skin is just brighter, more even and far clearer from the lovely hormonal acne that sometimes rears its ugly head. The Booster Serum sloughs away those mid-winter bumps on the back of your arms and smooths out rough elbows beautifully. I noticed a difference after just three days of use.

Another miracle in a bottle, this body booster will do wonders for the winter blahs on your body.

Arbonne doesn’t promise to be “all natural” but many of its products are botanically based. So if you’re half-crunchy like me, you’ll be glad to know that you’re using products from a brand that doesn’t use many of the nasty ingredients that make you go “ew.”

A little goes a long way. So, the trick to maximizing those pricey Genius pads (see gaffe…) is to use it for about three to four weeks, and once your skin is in impeccable shape, cut the pads in half. Your skin won’t absorb nearly as much product by this stage, and you’ll end up getting an extra month out of this product. The Booster Serum can be added to your regular body moisturizer — but only once you’ve fixed your issues entirely. I’m not ready to reduce the potency yet because I want the backs of my arms to be 100 per cent free of the bumps and rough patches I get every winter; once they’re as perfect as a baby’s bottom, I’ll extend the product by combining it with “normal” moisturizer.

The Booster Serum has this lovely iridescent shimmer in it, that’s lovely slathered on your collar bones and shoulders.

THE GAFFE

Nothing from Arbonne comes cheap. This is a brand worth paying for if you can afford it, but at $110 for a 60-day supply of the Genius pads and $66 for a 30 mL bottle of Booster Serum, they’re not for women on a tight budget.

Unless you have an Independent Consultant like Danielle who will actually make the trip to an Arbonne warehouse to pick up your products and deliver them to you, you need to tack on shipping charges to your order. (Although one of the best ways to help share the shipping is by ordering with friends, family or neighbours.)

THE GEARS

4.5/5

So…where do you get it?

• From Danielle directly, no matter where you’re located! She can also be reached on email at dbrodhagen@me.com