Review from (MARCH 2005)Five Star Review Magazine.  Check it Out www.fivestarreviews.com

NORDIC Skin Essentials

“You wouldn’t put petros and chemicals inside your body, would you?” Asks Carla Andersen Baker. “So why on earth would you put them on your skin?” A very good question, and Carla set out to answer it when she founded NORDIC Skin Essential, Inc., a company based on the concept that what you put on your body is as important as what you put in your body. Carla began by making sample batches of each product and testing them on friends and relatives. “The reaction was so positive, I knew I had to make the products available to anyone who wanted them.” But Carla remains committed to creating small batches of her marvelous potions to ensure freshness, and to using only natural preservatives such as Vitamin E, rosemary, and grapefruit seed extract. “NORDIC Skin will never use any of the chemical preservatives used by mass-produced skincare products.”

Carla sent me a box of NORDIC Skin items, and I was immediately intrigued with the Soy/Rice/Olive Face & Body Polish (4oz. $14.95- 8oz $22.95). I am a true believer in scrubs; nothing is more effective in turning back the hands of time than a good exfoliant. Soy oil regenerates the skin because of its high Vitamin E content, extra virgin olive oil is a natural moisturizer, and the combination of rice bran powder extract, pure cane sugar, and fine sea salt scrubs all those dead skin cells away and brings a youthful radiance back to the face. But don’t forget to use it all over—Soy/Rice/Olive Face & Body Polish works wonders on chapped hands, rough elbows, and those cracked, dry feet you’re going to be showing to the world in a few months.

NORDIC Skin’s Green Tea Creamy Oil (4oz $12.95- 8oz $18.95) is a wonder. I don’t know about you, but my skin gets so dry and itchy in the winter months that I could just scratch it right off. If it could talk, it would say, “Lotion’s not enough—I need oil!” But most oils are a greasy mess. Not Green Tea Creamy Oil. Because the grapeseed oil and jojoba oil are contained in a lotion that includes cocoa butter and beeswax, the oils quickly absorb into the skin, leaving no greasiness or stickiness. It has a lovely cucumber-y scent.

The Sweet Almond and Mango Hand and Body Lotion (4oz $12.95- 8oz $18.95) is a lighter lotion that uses the healing power of aloe vera to keep skin dewy and healthy all year round. Its mango butter prevents dryness and wrinkles and restores skin’s natural elasticity. This is a great “everyday” moisturizer to keep near the kitchen or bathroom sink, and I love its fresh, citrus-y fragrance.

Finally, I pulled out the “big gun”—NORDIC Skin’s North Sea Hand & Body Moisturizing Cream/Heavy Duty Fisherman’s Formula (4oz $14.95- 8oz $22.95). For anyone who works outdoors, washes their hands repeatedly for work, or just has chronically dry skin, this cream is a blessing! Shea butter, aloe vera, and NORDIC Skin’s exclusive oil blend combine to give you unbeatable protection against the elements. Rich and creamy, it also works terrific as a night renewal cream, so ladies, get those white gloves out of storage.

“We really take pride in creating skincare products that make a visible difference our clients can see,” says Carla Andersen Baker, and I can vouch for that claim. My skin is baby-soft and glowing, thanks to the pure, natural products of NORDIC Skin.