REN Vita Mineral Emollient Rescue Cream - Review

I totally thought I had already done a review on this product but I checked today and lo and behold I hadn't. I am quite fond of the REN Evercalm Global Protection Day Cream for the summer months so I thought I would branch out and try a more heavy duty moisturizer in the REN line for the winter months. I decided to pick up the REN Vita Mineral Emollient Rescue Cream. It's $48 Canadian or $38 U.S. for 1.7 oz.

Now the instructions for this moisturizer say to warm a pea sized amount in your hand and then apply. I dismissed those instructions initially as you sometimes see such things on skincare directions and it usually isn't necessary. So I slapped some of this bad boy on my face and found I was struggling a bit as it was super thick and hard to spread. When I finally got it all over my face and applied my makeup, I didn't like the feel of it and that sensation lasted throughout the day. I felt like I was wearing a mask. So the next day I decided to be a good girl and actually follow the instructions. So I warmed it in my hands and yes it spread much better and I needed a lot less. It still took much longer to apply than any of my other moisturizers. My hands were left feeling super goopy and gross. Had to wash them asap and certainly before any makeup application.

After using this warming method, the product was much more wearable but there were still issues. My face felt tacky and sticky. I assumed that would fade as the day wore on but it didn't. When I took my makeup off that night and the night after that my skin was so stiff and tacky I didn't like it at all. I felt like I was wearing some kind of barrier between my skin and the elements. I think that is part of the purpose of this product, but you are not supposed to feel like you are wearing an actual barrier. This is the part where this product falls down big time. If that weren't annoying enough, it's a pain in the ass to apply and a messy process. I don't have time for a messy, complicated, time consuming moisturizer in the morning. I rarely return anything to Sephora but I returned this. It wasn't for me. I would love to know if any of you use this product and how you feel about it. I would like to try more products in the REN line but this one has scared me off a bit. I do have some travel sized REN products kicking around so maybe I will dip into them before I try anything else from REN.

Packaging: 8/10

Longevity: 10/10 (like nobody's business)
Texture: 1/10
Price: 6/10
Ingredients: 8/10
Moisturizing: ????? Can't Tell
Travel Worthy: Yes
Would I buy this again? HELL NO
Overall Rating: 3/10