March 11, 2010

LilSis has been talking about using more frugal beauty products, and I have one to tell you about.  How about a facial moisturizer that costs you $18 for 4 ounces?  Not bad, huh?  A while back, the folks at Skin MD sent LilSis and me a bottle of their Shielding Lotion.  I've been using it for a couple of months now, so I think I can give you a fair review of it.

What's special about it?  The literature says this about Skin MD:

• It can replace traditional moisturizers which temporarily restore moisture to the skin.  It binds to the skin to create an invisible shield around the skin to maintain moisture and  protect it from environmental chemicals and pollution.

• It contains natural ingredients like aloe vera, arnica montana, chamomile, vitamin E, and a proprietary humectant ingredient that is supposed to be more effective than glycerin.

• It is non-greasy and non-comedogenic so it should not clog pores.

How did the product do?  Did it live up to the claims?

I can't say if it shielded my skin from pollution and chemicals, but I liked that it was really lightweight and soaked into my skin quickly.  It created a nice smooth base for my foundation.  And, this is huge…it didn't break my skin out!

Absolutely everything breaks me out, so I hold my breath when I try a new serum or moisturizing cream or lotion.  90% of the time, it does cause a breakout, even it it's supposedly non-comedogenic.  So the fact that Skin MD didn't cause a flare-up is pretty darn big.

So, Skin MD has earned two big gold stars from me:  for smooth texture and for not instigating a zit attack.  The big question though is whether my skin seemed hydrated.  I'm afraid I can't give out a gold star for that.  This product just hasn't been enough for me this winter, even when I applied it twice in the morning.  I've had some dry areas, and some little flakies here and there.

To be fair, this has been a super cold winter, plus my skin has been drier than usual because of a prescription I'm taking to help prevent hormonal breakouts.  Even so, most people are still drier than me.  Skin MD is recommended for body, hands and feet as well as face, but if it wasn't enough for my face, it definitely wasn't enough for the rest of me in the wintertime.

I still have lots of Skin MD left, and my plan is to give it another try as a facial moisturizer in the summer when I typically need a lighter product under my foundation.  Overall, I liked it and thought it was a quality product; it just wasn't quite enough for me during the winter.

Skin MD is available in my area at CVS and Walgreen's drugstores, as well as Tom Thumb and Minyard's grocery stores.

~BigSis