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Pretty Athletic Pre and Post Workout Skincare

8
£89.00

VERDICT:

8
10
Well-considered and effective range of products, offering reliable results for active sporty women
Weight: 
630g

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Pretty Athletic is a new range of face and body skincare products aimed at active and sporty women. The five-product range includes the following: Purifying Facial Cleanser, Exfoliating Shower Gel, Intensive Moisture Balm, Calming Facial Moisturiser and Nourishing Body Moisturiser, designed to offer an all-round approach to skincare.

The range aims to target the specific concerns of women who are active either indoors or out, contain protective and nourishing ingredients, are free from parabens, and they are not tested on animals. The company is also British and the products are all manufactured in England.

I'll admit to being a touch skeptical about the idea of a fitness skincare range. After all, what's wrong with my usual tried and tested smellies in the bathroom? However, trialling the whole range, I did get the chance to see ways in which these formulations differed from the norm.

The Exfoliating Shower Gel (£12.50) had a slightly nondescript scent, but was far from unpleasant. The exfoliating element was effective but not over-harsh, and just let skin feeling clean and refreshed, rather than scrubbed, and there was no excessive skin dryness afterwards. The scent was light enough that it didn't endure sufficiently to be a problem with other perfumes or body sprays.

After showering with the shower gel, the Nourishing Body Moisturiser (£18) was great for smoothing and re-moisturising the skin, without being over-greasy or offensively over-scented. The cream disappeared into the skin easily and effectively, and saw off dry patches brought about by a winter of wearing long tights.

The Intensive Moisture Balm (£20) smelt good enough to eat and was perfect for after a post-ride shower, packing a healthy punch of moisture into the facial skin. I'd not want to use it if make-up was on the cards, as it is very rich, but as a repairing treat it did the job very well.

Washing sweat off the face with the Purifying Facial Cleanser (£16.50) was easy and effective, and didn't result in dry stretched feeling skin, just a pleasantly clean face.

The Calming Facial Moisturiser (£22) was the only one that didn't feel particularly outstanding. I'd bet there aren't many women who would swap their usual tried and tested face cream for a fitness moisturizer, and I think I'd probably agree with them. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the product, but also nothing out of the ordinary to recommend it above and beyond any other facial moisturiser. If it had contained a high factor SPF as well, it could have been a different matter.

These aren't cheap and cheerful products, and nor should they be judged ill for that. The quality of ingredients and formulations is up there with other natural ingredients led skincare products, and they are genuinely effective at what they aim to do. I'd have liked to have seen a trial or travel sized pack, ideal for giving the range a go, and also for popping into a gym bag, plus the range would be ideal for bumper value size bottles or packages which could then be decanted into re-usable smaller bottles for ease of transport and increased environmental credentials.

Pretty Athletic skincare products from £12.50 - £22

Verdict

Well-considered and effective range of products, offering reliable results for active sporty women

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Pretty Athletic Pre and Post Workout Skincare

Size tested: n/a

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Pretty Athletic say:

At Pretty Athletic, we are passionate about healthy, active living and are committed to offering women a unique range of high-performance, natural skincare products with targeted textures and active botanical ingredients.

We recognise that the elements, environmental pollutants, regular sweating and regular showering can all affect your skin.

Our award-winning* range of products have been carefully designed to meet the needs of active women. We have developed and continue to develop products that are soothing, cooling, protective, nourishing and hydrating. Each contains a synergistic blend of carefully chosen botanical extracts and plant oils. Our products are rich in skin-friendly antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. At Pretty Athletic we pride ourselves on creating products that leave post-workout skin looking and feeling healthy and beautiful.

Our sleek, sporty tubes are designed to be thrown in your gym bag. They are durable, lightweight and don't take up much room. Our flip-top caps mean no worrying about losing the lid when in the showers or locker rooms.

We insist on high quality ingredients. All our products are free from parabens, mineral oils, dyes, silicones, sulfates, phthalates, PEGs, TEA and DEA. We never test on animals.

We are a British company, and all our products are manufactured in England.

The products do just what they are supposed to and are well thought-out and effective

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Based on natural ingredients

No parabens, mineral oils, dyes, silicones, sulfates, phthalates, PEGs, TEA or DEA

Not tested on animals

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

Tubes and packaging are sturdy and up to a bit of gym-bag abuse.

Products are effective and well considered.

All smell good without being over-scented

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

Perform very well in their various roles.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

Packaging good and durable and effects of products are as long-lasting as they need to be.

Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
8/10

I'd like to see a travel/trial size option and also super size packs with re-fillable small bottles for easy gym bag use.

Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
8/10

Moisturisers very effective and shower gel and facial cleanser were not drying, so comfort levels were good.

Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

Not cheap but made from high quality ingredients and good value as not a lot of product needs to be used to be effective.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Very well. Pleasantly scented and effective.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Natural ingredients content

Subtle scents

Texture and absorbability of moisturisers

Made in Britain

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Packaging sizes. I would have liked some smaller options, preferably based around re-fillable small bottles.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Probably. Particularly the body moisturiser and facial wash.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes. And would probably buy it as a gift for her.

Anything further to say about the product in conclusion?

Good gift material and an effective and well considered range of skincare products for the sportier female.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 42  Height: 1.65m  Weight: 73kg

I usually ride: Boardman Hybrid Fi  My best bike is: Specialized Ruby Elite

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, touring, sportives, general fitness riding, mtb,

 

Lara has been riding bikes for longer than she'd care to admit, and writing about them nearly as long. Since 2009 she has been working as part of the road.cc review team whilst championing women's cycling on the side, most notably via two years as editor of the, sadly now defunct, UK's first and only women's cycling mag, erm, Women's Cycling. 

Believing fervently that cycling will save the world, she wishes that more people would just ride a bike and be pleasant to each other. 

She will ride anything with two wheels, occasionally likes to go fast, definitely likes to go far and is always up for a bit of exploring somewhere new and exciting. 

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1 comments

Avatar
Skynet | 9 years ago
0 likes

Perhaps (probably?) I'm a cheap arse but no way would I pay those sort of prices.

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