I was SUPER excited about this product. It promised to improve skin tone texture and fade dark spots in as little 8 weeks. Also supposed to help reduce redness, etc. I have a touch of rosacea in my cheeks and a few acne scars, so I was stoked!
Now, Vox Box reviews etc are usually done pretty quickly, closing within 4 weeks of receipt. I've been holding off on my review, trying to give this product its full due and trial period.
Full disclosure: Again, I received this product to try for free from Influenster in their vox box program.
Also, I'm a lifelong Oil of Olay enthusiast. My grandmother used their beauty fluid, my mother used their beauty fluid, I grew up using their beauty fluid. They changed their name to Olay, but the beauty fluid was pretty good still. I branched out to try something new and have been trying new stuff since.
The Good:
- pleasant smell and texture
- absorbs easily into the skin without leaving you feeling greasy
- leaves your skin feeling well moisturized for several hours
- you only need the smallest amount dabbed on your forehead, cheeks, chin, and neck to spread nicely. Love that it only takes a small amount!
- it DOES fade dark spots
The Bad:
My skin is WAY too sensitive for this stuff. WAY. TOO. SENSITIVE. If you EVER have a flare up of any kind with a moisturizer, I do not recommend this.
- it made my rosacea sections worse. Brighter red, inflamed.
- the skin over my cheeks felt rougher and likely because of the peeling that was going on
- hard blackheads and whiteheads where I've never had them before
Let me explain the last bullet of the bad for you. There are normal blackheads that you can easily exfoliate and use one of those comedone extractors. And then there are those super-hard blackheads that make your skin feel rough and you have to really squeeze to extract. Do you know what I'm talking about? I rarely get them, but they usually appear after I've been too harsh on my skin. Using this moisturizer consistently for several weeks, I noticed a rough section in three places. Yup, those little hard blackheads.
Yes, yes, I know that others can't see it unless they are RIGHT UP IN MY FACE, but I'm neurotic about things like that and it drove me crazy. So, of course, I squeezed them.
Also, broke out in whiteheads where I've never had them before. It's something I can only conclude that was caused by this tone perfecting moisturizer. I'm lucky in that I don't break out in zits often. I have blackheads in my Tzone (mostly my nose) and an occasional zit on my cheek. At 36, I'm content with that. Not too bad! But this made me break out in zits I have not seen since puberty.
My only conclusion is that whatever is supposed to help fade those dark spots and perfect the tone of my skin, is just too harsh for my skin and lead to peeling and open pores.
WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS?
Yes, I would. Since I got a full size sample from Influenster, I bought my mother one to try with me. It has faded some of her dark age spots that she didn't like, after about 8 weeks, and she hasn't had a problem with peeling, rashes, or breakouts. She LOVES this cream.
So, yes, if you have normal skin. No, if you have sensitive skin like mine.
