Every now and then, I get fed up with my skincare products not doing their job. For the longest time (really all my life) I have suffered from hormonal acne, and it has been caused by a number of things over the years. Whether it was stress, my period, or touching my face too much, you name it and I dealt with it. It even got to the point where I gave up on makeup because every time I tried to cover it up, the makeup only made it worse. My face was red and irritated, and I had scars and hyper-pigmentation everywhere from previous wars fought over clear skin. The list of cleansers, serums, and spot treatments I've tried would seemingly wrap around the world three times or so.

So I decided to take a stand. I was over the countless dollars and time spent trying to find the right product for my skin. Everything I used that was targeted to treat acne seemed way too harsh for my face, and appeared only to accentuate the problem. Enter: The Abnormal Beauty Company. This brand is not only #aesthetic and Canadian, their hearts are in the right place too.

Under the umbrella of "Deciem" are nine major beauty and skincare lines, along with a number of other smaller lines (lesser known). The most popular being "The Ordinary" line of skincare and makeup products. They've got it all: retinoids, vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, sun care, foundations, and the list goes on. And can I just say, these products are far from ordinary. Everything is focused and everything has a purpose. I can't believe how much thought has gone into each and every product that they create. Now onto the good stuff.

In order to decide which products I should try out, I enlisted the help of one of the sales associates at the Distillery location. She explained, in great detail, the unique focuses and values attached to each of the major product lines. Some had one active ingredient, others up to five. Staying true to my obsessive compulsive need to carry out research before purchasing something, I very carefully settled on two products, each with different functions.

Since I had concluded that my previous acne cleanser was too harsh, the first product I chose was Sanskrit Saponins. This cleansing balm is formulated with Ayurvedic plant surfactants (whatever those are??) and "contains no purified or synthetic surfactants, sulphates, oils, esters or micellar technologies". My take away from the technical terms was that it is very gentle and, in the words of my trusty sales associate companion, "respects the natural balance of your skin". The smell is faintly herbal or tea-like, and it doesn't really lather up at all, but it did a great job making my skin feel clean and not dry or stripped of all moisture and oil.

My sales associate friend related to my complaints of never ending hormonal acne, and agreed that to get to the root of the problem I needed to hydrate my skin. Seeing as I had spent so many years trying to dry up the blemishes and oil on my face, the real problem was stemming from my skin feeling tired and dehydrated. She suggested I try the Low-Molecular HA booster (the pink one) from the Hylamide line to add moisture back into my skin and receive longer-term results. The major active ingredient in this line is the hyaluronic complex, a buzz word in today's current beauty world. Better known as Hyaluronic acid, this ingredient provides just what I need, hydration and major plumpage (i.e. my skin will drink. it. up.). This serum dries quickly, feels light on the skin, and gets to work immediately to give your face a younger looking glow.

Safe to say I would recommend these products to all my family and friends. Have you tried any of the products from The Abnormal Beauty Company? Let me know which ones and what you think in the comments.