I came across this niche beauty brand a couple of years ago at an industry event where I sampled their Illuminating Face Shimmer and was impressed by the luminous but natural finish it gave my skin. Nourish’s natural credentials are strong, with vegan, cruelty-free and organic certifications, what I’ve come to see as the Holy Trinity of clean beauty. Not only that but the brand was developed by an organic skincare specialist and products are made in the UK. The product I’m reviewing here is the Nourish Protect Starter Collection for dry skin which the brand very kindly sent to me (this is an unaffiliated review). Perfect for travel or as an introduction to the range, the Starter kit contains 4 generously sized deluxe miniatures.

Protect Refreshing Cleanser

The cleanser comes in a mini pump dispenser bottle and claims to quench thirsty skin and stimulate collagen replacement. The latter is difficult to measure but it definitely feels hydrating and gentle on dry skin. The texture is creamy white but with a gel-like consistency so not too heavy. It felt like I had to apply quite a bit to give my face a thorough clean (and I don’t wear Kardashian-style thick layers) but that may be because the small pump dispenses less product than a full size one so you’re pumping for twice as long. Lemon powder, orange and mandarin peel oil make this a deliciously fruity product, fresh but with a nourishing scent enveloping it too – although my nose is too rubbish to figure out what ingredient that’s due to. Light texture, fruity cocooning scent and hydrated skin: all in all a great start to my cleansing routine.

Protect Cooling Toning Mist

Next up is the Toning Mist featuring the same refreshing fruit actives and bottled in the same 50ml pump dispenser as the cleanser. Remember when cleanse, tone and moisturise was considered a thorough skincare regime? Then the serum sneaked into the mix, and now with Korean beauty rituals involving over 10 beauty potions, the 3-step routine is long forgotten. But there’s still a lot to be said for keeping it simple. I like to stick to 3 to 4 products in the evening, keeping 3 of them consistent then adding a fourth depending on my skin’s need that day: tea tree oil if I have spots, a nourishing mask if my skin is dehydrated. Toners are often overlooked – what do they actually do? Isn’t it just water? – but this one is a pleasure to use, with 95% organic ingredients it can double up as a refreshing mist post makeup as well as a toner. This is going to be a staple come summer.

Protect Replenishing Peptide Serum

A firming and smoothing serum housed in a 15ml pump dispenser. Initially I thought the pump was broken but that turned out to be an unfair accusation, I was just being clumsy – or cack-handed as my husband would say, an old-fashioned way of referring to my left-handedness and quite a double-standard remark considering his writing is about as legible as a right-hander with a broken right hand. You can apply a small amount either under moisturiser, which is what I tend to do, or over it for a more dewy look. In both instances my skin was left feeling super plumped and hydrated. The full size retails at £22.00, one of the most reasonably priced serums I’ve come across and delivering results that are just as good as the more expensive options.

Protect Hydrating Moisturiser

The same fruity scent is still there, a running theme throughout this collection and one that I’ve become attached to. The Protect moisturiser is enriched with organic Rosehip Oil, one of my favourite skincare ingredients known for its blend of antioxidants, vitamin A and essential fatty acids to protect skin from free radicals caused by stress and pollution – always handy for city life. Rosehip oil is aided by more nourishing oils including sunflower, soya, orange and mandarin, as well as aloe vera for healing skin. You only need to massage a small amount of this moisturiser into skin to feel like it’s doing its job, so the 15ml jar feels like the right size. This is the perfect culmination to a starter kit that promises to protect and moisturise skin, and this little beauty pot does exactly that.

I used less than 20% of each product on a long weekend away (3 nights) using it just in the evenings, so if you chose to take just this set with you for a mini break and use morning and evening, you should get at least 3 to 4 trips out of it. Not bad at all for £25.00 and for such efficient, vegan, cruelty-free, organic and deliciously smelling skincare. To cater to a range of skin types Nourish offers three starter collections to choose from, the other two being Relax, to soothe sensitive skin, and Radiance, to brighten normal skin. If the brand could combine all of these benefits to offer a protective moisture barrier that soothes yet brightens sensitive skin that would be amazing. Have you tried Nourish skin range products yet? How many products do you use in your skincare routine? Leave a comment below to let me know, and if you like travel sizes why not check out my review on Elemis minis?

Features PR samples.