Moisturiser

Review: Skincare: Colonial Dames Vitamin C&E Age Defying Complex and Alpha Lipoic Acid & DMAE Pore Clarifier

Paris B 4 Comments

I have been seeing this in Guardian pharmacy every now and then and it piqued my interest. I could not find much information about this online, so I decided to bite the bullet and try it.

According to the Colonial Dames website on this product, this is the claim it makes:

This Exciting New Product contains potent levels of Vitamins C & E PLUS Parsol sunscreen for complete UVA/UVB SPF of 15 to guard your skin against free radical damage and help support the skins natural collagen synthesis. This product lessens the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, protects delicate skin, offers intense moisturization, and uses the highest quality Pharmeceutical Grade Vitamins available. Use every day to see, feel and experience the bennefits while it helps guard your skin from UVA and UVB sun damage, slowing the skins aging process and lessening the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

I liked the idea of a Vitamin C and E product with SPF suncreen and as I’m not getting any younger, the idea of an age-defying product caught my imagination.

The cream comes in a pump bottle which is hygenic and has a peach tint with light fragrance. When applied, it absorbed quickly and did not feel oily or sticky. I was using this together with the night cream Alpha-Lipoic Acid & DMAE Pore Clarifier.

The night cream too comes in a pump bottle and the fragrance is stronger. The cream has a thick consistency and it feels sticky when first applied to the skin. After a while, when it has been absorbed, it feels less sticky.

This is what the website claims:

You’ve heard about it, read about and seen it on TV, Alpha-Lipoic Acid & DMAE. Now there’s no need to pay outrageous prices for effective levels of Alpha-Lipoic Acid and DMAE. Colonial Dámes, a name trusted for almost 120 years, has it right here with 2% Alpha-Liopic Acid and 3% DMAE to get you dramatic results fast. Reduce pore size while tightening and firming the skin all at a consumer friendly price.

For a week or so, I did not notice anything untoward. I thought a week was still too early to tell if any fine lines were being prevented or if my skin texture was improving. However, what bothered me most was the fact that my face started breaking out and my pores were getting very clogged. I was getting lots of hard bumps under the skin and my skin looked very rough and bumpy.

It was not very noticable at first, but after 2 weeks, it got worse. I stayed on with this product, thinking it might be other elements of my skincare regime. However, as I cut out each item one by one and without any improvement, I finally decided to stop using both these products.

To my surprise, once I stopped using these creams, my pores stopped getting clogged, and my face started getting better. So, the culprit must have been these creams! I checked the ingredients and found that one of the top ingredients was Mineral Oil. I have read many articles about how mineral oil is bad for your skin as it causes clogged pores, but I’d never experienced it myself until now. It was horrifying.

So, RM120 poorer and a lot wiser, I am now nursing my skin back to its former condition. The creams cost RM69 or so each but I got them at a discount. I may just continue using them as a neck cream or hand cream so they don’t go to waste but they are not going anywhere near my face anymore.

I don’t know if they have worked for anyone else or if anyone else has had the same problems I’ve had. I would love to read your comments if you have tried this!

[rating:0/5]

Review: Skincare: Lancome Optimum Primordiale Nuit night cream

Paris B 4 Comments

I sleep in an air-conditioned room most nights so my skin was feeling rather dry in the mornings. The normal cream I use during the day just was not cutting it.

I was recommended the Lancome Primordiale Optimum Nuit cream by a friend. Actually, I was at the Lancome warehouse sale and she asked me to pick her up a tub so I asked if it was good and she had nothing but raves for it. So, I decided to give it a shot.

What I don’t like about this cream is the fact that it comes in a tub. Maybe I’m just a bit of a germphobe, but sticking your fingers in the tub every night does not do it for me. So I take some out with a clean spatula into a smaller tub and use from there until its time to replenish. Bit more tedious, but it works for me.

This cream is rather thick and is coloured and fragranced. The colour is a pale pink and the fragrance is a strong rose scent. Those sensitive to scent should avoid this as the smell lingers. I am usually quite sensitive to smell, but this one doesn’t bother me very much. It sort of fades after a while but is still there and I find it quite soothing. So as I said, if you don’t like fragrance in skincare, don’t go near this one!

This night cream promises to be a regenerating night cream to help skin look visibly clarified and fresh from the first application. Despite the rather thick texture, I found that it sank in quite quickly into my skin. It did not feel oily after that, not did it sit on the top of my skin like a layer of clingwrap.

After using it for about 2 months now, I’ve had no reactions to it and in fact, I think my skin looks a bit clearer and more even now than it did before. Its supposed to improve the texture of the skin as well. I cannot vouch for that property as I use a whole host of other products that promise the same thing anyway!

This cream is expensive. It retails at RM269 or thereabouts for a 50ml tub. You only use a touch, to be honest. After 2 months I’ve hardly gone beyond the surface of the tub and have yet to replenish my small tub. I can see this one lasting a long long time. I’ve never used any Lancome skincare before this so the effectiveness of this one is a pleasent surprise.

Pros: Lightweight cream, absorbs quickly, doesn’t feel oily, skin looks nice after use

Cons: Expensive, heavily fragranced

UPDATE: This review was written in December 2006. Its now March 2007 and I’m only halfway through the tub. My skin is still doing ok so I guess it deserves its raves. The only rant would be the price!

Disclaimer: This review is purely my opinion based on my own experience with the products reviewed. I do not vouch for the ingredients in the products nor do I hold myself out as an expert. I’m just another consumer like you. As with all skincare and cosmetics, do check ingredients or test for allergies and reactions.

[rating:4/5]

 

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