My New Obsessions: Aesop Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Serum and Hydrator

I know I have been very naughty and have deprived you of a delicious, sinful skincare post for a while now, and for that I apologise, dear reader. This blog shot to stardom (lol) on the back of my Korean skincare obsession, and since I started going minimalist so have those posts. But I know what y’all want, so I’m going to give it to you. And you’ll be pleased to know that this post is full of love and lust for two recently purchased Aesop obsessions: the Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Serum and the Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Hydrator. And let me tell you, things are about to get saucy. 

My love affair with Aesop started when my brother kindly bought me a gift set for Christmas a few years ago. I took them to Korea and eventually worked my way through the products (I had been keeping them saved up because I thought they were so nice and special – which they are). My first experience of finishing an Aesop product, the Fabulous Face Cleanser, was a very sad day indeed. I also slowly understood how good the gentle B & Tea Toner was, as it calmed my skin down and wasn’t irritating like other toners can be. This is where it began.

Next up, when I went back to Australia in March 2014, I purchased a number of gifts for friends and family from Aesop. Where else?! On this outing, I also happened to pick up the Geranium Leaf Body Scrub which I went on to rave about here. It’s the best scrub I’ve ever tried – in that it doesn’t rip off my skin, it feels amazing and is actually pleasant to use. As someone with incredibly sensitive skin, this is a harder set of criteria to meet than it sounds.

Anyway, let’s move onto the haul, shall we?

So I had my heart set on purchasing a load of Aesop stuff when I moved to Malaysia, just because. Well, it really was because I had worked so hard at my hagwon in Korea and felt like I deserved it. Of course, I have loads of bath products, but most of them are currently in transit. So, I had no other option than to drop a bomb of cash in Aesop (obviously)!

I headed to Bangsar Village, which is basically the most well-to-do area in KL. It’s one of the oldest suburbs and it’s just nice. Some of the houses are so beautiful, and there are amazing views of the KL skyline which ain’t bad either. There are two shopping complexes here, Bangsar Village I and Bangsar Village II (nice and simple), and they are right next to each other. Bangsar Village I is slightly more old-fashioned, with kids’ clothing shops and a supermarket, whereas Bangsar Village II is super bling and high end (Ted Baker, Massimo Dutti, Neal’s Yard). Aesop resides in the latter.

I headed in and was greeted by a lovely young man named Alpha (not sure of the spelling). I asked about moisturisers, because I genuinely don’t have one and wanted to invest in a new one. He asked if I had used their products before, and I told him I had previously had the Camellia Nut Nourishing Cream but that it was maybe a bit rich for this humid weather, and that I was keen to try something new. He recommended the Parsley Seed Anti-oxidant Serum and helped me to test it. He also said that it was moisturising enough on its own without a cream or lotion. I was unsure but really wanted to buy something, so he gave me a bunch of samples to try out. This was incredibly generous, and I told him I would be back the next day (Friday) or on Monday.

That night, I used the Fabulous Face Cleanser in conjunction with the Parsley Seed Toner and then the Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Serum and finally the Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Hydrator (that’s a whole lotta parsley seed). When I woke up, my skin was seriously baby soft. The last time I felt that was the first time I tried a Korean skincare routine – and we all know how mind-blowing that is.

And so, I was back there on Friday, ready to roll.

I don’t think the sales assistant was really expecting me to come back (as most people say as a means to escape an awkward conversation), but I meant business. He was so lovely and provided me with the most delicious tea around – a mix of liquorice, peppermint and maybe fairy dust? I’m not sure what was in it, and it’s not available for sale. All I know is that it elevated this experience beyond its already dizzying heights.

I was asking about the shampoo and conditioners as well, as I’m suffering from frizzy hair and am not sure what to do about it. As he was so attentive, the salesman provided me with samples of their Nurturing Shampoo and Nurturing Conditioner, which I have just tested today. As you can see from the image above, the amount of samples I was provided with was incredibly generous and so useful as well. I was genuinely unsure of which product to use, because the Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Serum feels a little bit heavy at first and takes some time to sink in. But when you wake up the next morning – oh boy. It was like the angels had blessed my skin with holy water twice over… My skin felt so smooth! I couldn’t quite believe it, to be honest. It was pretty special.

Wanna have a look?

You can see from the above swatches that the Anti-Oxidant Serum is quite dense in texture, whereas the Anti-Oxidant Hydrator is a rather runny lotion (or “fluid”). When you first apply the Parsley Seed Serum, you will feel sticky! Take this as a warning, but don’t give up! The benefits come later, and boy, do they ever come. I really enjoying layering the Parsley Seed Hydrator on top to temper the sticky sensation, and I feel like it does add extra nourishing benefits (and it feels so good). However, as I mentioned before, it is apparently not completely necessary to follow up on the serum with an additional moisturiser. As with all things skincare related, it always depends on your skin.

All I know is mine is feeling amazing right now.

Once I’ve had enough time for the products to sink in, my skin is super happy. A little something like this:

And so, dear readers, this is why you should always trust Aesop. I may be biased, as I’m Melbourne-born and raised, much like the brand itself, but dang… their products are just so good. Of course, they are on the price side, but I figure that this is the skin I’m in for life, so why not take care of it? Plus, I spend all sorts of money on food and the least I could do is pamper my skin which covers all my internal organs. It’s kind of a big deal, you know?

What are your thoughts on Aesop? Have you tried these products? I’d love to hear in the comments below!

Until next time,

Steph x

P.S. If you’re keen to find out more about how I keep my skin clear, I recently published an eBook all about it! You can check out How I Fixed My Skin here to learn all my secrets 🙂

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