My last experience with Origins wasn’t a good one. I tried something from their organic line and it broke me out so badly! Since then, I stayed far away from the brand and over time, forgot about them. Recently, I was gifted with a tub of the Origins Make A Difference Plus+ Rejuvenating Moisturiser and I was a little hesitant to try it.
As I told you before this, before I jump into anything new, and with the memory of the breakouts after trying Origins before this, I checked up online to see what others thought about this cream. Opinions were quite divided. Some people reported that it did not suit their skin while others raved about how lovely it was.
I recently finished up my hydrating moisturiser so I decided to make a difference (hur hur 😛 ) and try this one for better or for worse. I have kept to a very minimalist skincare routine in recent times ever since I experienced my terrible breakouts and super dry skin. Well, I’m happy to report that this one works for me and not only that, I actually seem to be having better skin. You cannot imagine the huge sigh of relief I heaved when I realised it LOL!
I started on this one over a month ago. The first thing that struck me about it is the scent. It has a rather strong “essential oil” sort of scent with a note of rose. It isn’t unpleasant but it is quite strong so I will suggest that you take a healthy sniff of it before taking the plunge.
Texture-wise, I like it. It is a very liquid cream <- does that even make sense? 😛
If you see it on the left, it looks light, like a lotion but it comes in a tub and looks and feels very light. It feels a little like whipped cream after its had some time to settle and melt a little. What this means is that I personally would have preferred for this to come in a pump dispenser as opposed to a pot. It seems liquid enough.
I’m not a germophobe, but my complaint is that it is actually quite hard to scoop out the cream/lotion with fingers, because its pretty liquid. Happily however, you don’t need a lot because I find that a little is all I need for it to work on my skin. So in the daytime, I use that little dollop that you see in the photo above.
I just scoop out a little into the palm of my hand, rub it together and then apply it over my face. It feels very liquid on contact with my skin and melts in quite easily. I don’t get a residue on the surface of my skin nor do I get an oily layer that sometimes happens with hydrating moisturisers.
In the night, I use a little more and it takes a little longer to absorb, but it will eventually. I’m not someone who is terribly fussed by a slightly oilier face at night and sleeping in an air-conditioned room means that my skin does feel a bit drier at night than in the day.
The Make A Difference Plus+ is touted not as a hydrating moisturiser but as a rejuvenating moisturiser. Its job is to use the lychee and watermelon complex to quench skin and to repair the natural moisture deficiency in dry and dehydrated skin. Yes, this one in the darker green tub is targeted more towards those who have dry skin as I have been suffering from recently. For those of you with oily-combination skin, there is a version in a lighter coloured tub.
What I have found with regular use is that my skin does seem to have improved. I don’t have dry patches anymore and in general, my skin feels more plumped up and smoother to touch. I had these stubborn clogged pores and rough flaky skin around my chin and the most minor of those seem to have gone away too. The major ones will need some serious extracting during my facial (ooh can’t wait!) but otherwise, as far as day to day measures go, I’m quite happy with the state of my skin in terms of the hydration and texture.
I will remind you again not to use too much because I got a bit over zealous the first few times I tried this and especially in the day, it may not feel as comfortable, and may even feel oily. But once I noticed this and scaled back to just a tiny dollop for the day, my skin feels much more comfortable. It is almost as if I now have normal skin as opposed to combination-dry and that makes me happy! 😀
In a nutshell
The Origins Make A Difference Plus + Rejuvenating Moisturiser is a light textured lotion-cream that feels very lightweight and absorbs very easily into my skin without to much rubbing or patting. I have found that it has helped normalize my dry skin and it now feels plumped up and looks and feels smoother. I too like how my skin now looks and feels under base makeup because it just goes on so much more easily. I use it day and night, but as this one is a bit heavy for the day, I use only a very small bit. I use a little more in the evenings before bed. The scent is a bit strong and may not appeal to everyone so its better to take a sniff of it before you actually get it to see if you can handle it. I am happy not to break out from this one as I did with my previous experience with Origins products.
Pros: Easily absorbed, Very light texture, Helped heal my dry flaky skin and helps my skin plump up and feel and look smoother and feel more comfortable
Cons: Rather Pricey, Tub packaging is not very user friendly, Strong scent
Who will like this: Anyone who has dry or flaky skin, Anyone who wants to boost and retain their skin hydration levels
Here are the ingredients of the Make A Difference Plus+
I will warn that there is a large number of essential oils in this product as well as stuff I know many people don’t like in their skincare. So, if you are sensitive towards essential oils then do be careful trying this as you will notice citrus oils in there and that can irritate skin. Ditto any other product that you feel you may have a sensitivity to.
It is however free of amongst others, parabens and mineral oil so that might appeal to some people.
I personally am not terribly fussed, and my skin does handle essential oils fairly well in general. I am very happy with this one and I can see myself emptying this because it works for my skin 🙂
Have you tried anything from Origins? How about the Make A Difference range?
This is only my 2nd time trying something from Origins. Well, actually it could be my 3rd because I took the Plantscription Serum for a 1 week spin a while ago, but I don’t really have any thoughts on it at this time. I may try that again because I hear its very effective so once my skin rebalances itself (as it has so far) I’ll start adding serums back into my repertoire 🙂
Paris B
Origins Make A Difference Plus+ Rejuvenating Cream Price: RM190/50ml Availability: Origins counters and stores
HMMM… wonder if it would work for me – I’m looking for more additions for keeping my skin hydrated. Just the Clinique DDM Gel doesn’t cut out for me anymore.
I remember you have sensitive skin, Hanny so I would suggest you see if you can get a sample to see if it’ll work for you 🙂 I could never use the DDM range 😛
*gasp* a brand i steer very clear off!!! Everything i’ve tried from Origins makes me breakout..even thier body lotion turns me into a smelly person, the unpleasant smell kind…
Oh boo! Sorry to hear this brand doesn’t work for you, but then we can’t expect them to work for everyone 😉 I had previous bad experiences too so was quite relieved when I didn’t break out.
Sounds lovely! I really like the Dr. Weil line from Origins-it’s really good if you have irritated, sensitive skin like me. The mask is on of my fave masks and the serum and moisturizer are really good too. I’ll keep this one in mind!
Oh I’ve heard the Dr. Weil line is very good. Maybe now I have the confidence to try it 🙂
The Make A Difference (MAD to Origins users) moisturizer and serum have been pretty much HG products for me. It makes a noticeable difference in the hydration levels of my skin. However, I’m still on my tub of the old version of it (without the Plus+) so I’m not sure if the Plus+ version will make any difference to my skin.
I initially tried the MAD treatment which I believe is the “lighter coloured tub” you mentioned. Strangely, that didn’t agree with me as it gave me a tingling sensation whenever I used it and sometimes break me out. I suspect it is the higher level of either the silicone-y stuff or concentration of essential oils.
My biggest gripe about the MAD products (and Origins in general) is the crazy increase in prices. When I first started using this brand back in 2009 (or thereabouts), the moisturizer was RM150 and the serum, RM160. It is now RM190 and RM200 respectively. It’s absolutely ridiculous especially given the fact that our currency has strengthened against the USD and so import prices/taxes-wise, the price should in fact decrease.
This has annoyed me so much that the current price range of Origins products has made me much, much more opened to trying out other organic/natural products – the likes of REN and such. I think big skincare companies (Origins is under EL) should bear in mind that the market boundaries has been thrown wide open. Many international sites offer free delivery -if not permanently, then at least from time to time. They can also afford to sell it at lower prices. Consumers have a lot more choice now and while it is sad to see High Street stores such as HMV and Jessops going into administration in the UK, it only goes to show how strong the online shopping options are becoming.
Looks like I’ve deviated from the topic at hand :P!
Hey, Isabel, appreciate the heads up on the price increases! I didn’t know its gone up so much 🙁 I have to say though that many department store brands are now so pricey in their normal ranges, that suddenly the “premium” brands don’t look as expensive anymore. Also, as you said, there are other competitor brands, and also other ways to get them more cheaply. EL brands have ever been very affordable here compared to in the USA so I guess, we can always turn to online shopping 😉
I am tempted to try the one in the lighter green jar called Rejuvenating Treatment as it is oil-free and more gel like. I would prefer if it came in a pump dispenser though but since I have never tried any products from Origins, it is best I try a sample first before committing to purchasing the full product.
I didn’t recall that one but I suggest seeing if you can get a sample to see how it fares on your skin 😉
im about to be given this and a Make a Difference lotion (?) set from Origins. after reading your review, im pretty excited to try it out =) i know a couple of Origins pdts that are really popular such as the Super Spot Remover, 10-min out of trouble mask and etc. Similarly my chin area used to breakout pretty much esp during the time of the month and i found out that my Laneige moisturiser is making it worst. i got to know from my facial therapist that breakout at the chin area is due to stress, lack of sleep and hormones. thus after changing my sleeping habits and im now pimple/clogged pores free. =) try to avoid spicy/oily food when you are close to the time of the month.
I hope this product will work as well for you as it did for me, Rachel 🙂 I do experience extra clogging and spots when I don’t have enough water, fibre or sleep so a lifestyle change can really lead to better looking skin! 🙂
Origins is a brand that I’m seriously wanting to try but it is soooo unavailable to me. MAD+ treatment is the one I’m planning to try also with some other products too. But I got very good results with my new regime (Caudalie + LUSH) so I stepped back for a while but now my craving rose again!! 🙂
Lol! Can you not get Origins where you are, Casey? Is great to know Caudalie is working so well for you. I might try one of their serums. Maybe that Vinoperfect one everyone is raving about 😉
i don’t love the tub packaging either but i really love this! I’ve been using this all winter and it has been great!
Oh yay! Happy to know you’re a fan of this one too 🙂 I just realised something though, you use it in winter and here I am using it in the tropics – tells you just how dry my skin is feeling 🙁
I haven’t tried any moisturizers from Origins, but my skin agrees with their cleansers and mask. The tub packaging does get an “ugh” from me though. I might be, MIGHT be a bit of a germophobe because I don’t like dipping my fingers in it. I always have spare spatulas. Very handy 🙂
Good idea on the spatulas 🙂 I tend to be a wee bit lazy but I tell myself that since I’m the only one using it it should be ok right? Lol
Origins piqued my interest a while back. Agree with you that given its texture, pump dispenser packaging will be more practical. Glad it worked for you. I am currently using Trilogy’s Vital Moisturising Face Cream which has strong essential oil scent. It’s a travel size one. I am almost going to finish my Estee Lauder Hydrationist Moisturizer, so I am considering to try another moisturizer.
I’ve heard that Trilogy makes good products. Am a little hesitant to try, since I broke out from their oil, but that may have been a fluke. I’m assuming its working well for you then? 😉
I’ve used Origins products in the past and liked them, so I think I’ll try this one. My skin is dryer than I’d like since the winter. I’m not sure how I feel about the packaging…I don’t like having to dig the lotion out. I like Lily’s idea of using a spatula.
A few people have said that it’s helped their skin in winter so that’s probably a good time to try it.
I just started using the Origins brand and been researching on their other products. I can’t help but wonder and ask which item you had a bad experience with? I hope you don’t mind! Planning to hoard several items, so it would help to get additional feedback. Thanks!
I’m afraid it’s been too long and the product is likely discontinued. I believe it was called Nourishing? Something like that. The products from the regular range are ok for me. Some like this, are more impressive. Others less so. Mileage will vary from person to person 🙂