Product Review: Bio Oil

Hi ladies,

Today we're talking Bio-Oil.

There was a lot of hype around this product when it first came out, which really made me want to try it: my face and body are scar-mania. When it first came out it was crazy expensive, but I got a bottle of it at Shoppers for like $11 so I thought I'd give it a try.

This is really just a teaser post because the jury's still out on this one: it's recommended that you use it for 3 months in order to see results and I've only been using it for two weeks, but I thought I'd share my thoughts on this so far.

This is a fairly thick oil that smells really pleasant - pretty much exactly the same as Skin-So-Soft if you ask me. The idea is that you massage this into skin twice a day and rub in until absorbed. I've been using it on my cheeks (I have a lot of acne scars) and my dark knees. During the week I only use it once a day on my face; I apply it for bed but there's no way I could put this on my face before my makeup. So far I see not a lick of difference; in fact I think it may be making the clogged pores on my face even worse! But I'm reserving judgement since it has only been a few weeks...

The wiwfm verdict on this one is we'll see. Have any of you tried it? I'd love to hear your feedback. Drop me a comment!

Product Review: Aveeno Cream Cleanser

Good morning ladies!
I'm making a concerted effort to make my posts shorter (internet writing 101) so I'm going to keep the preamble to a minimum and get right to the point:

Today's post is about Aveeno Clear Complexion Cream Cleanser.

According to Aveeno's website, "this creamy cleanser gently exfoliates and helps clear and prevent blemishes while visibly improving skin tone and texture." It's also oil-free, hypoallergenic, noncomedogenic, gentle enough for sensitive skin. All of which is good stuff to me. This cleanser also contains salicylic acid, which clogged pore ladies should be allll about.

In a word, I loves this stuff. The first time I used it I couldn't believe how good my skin felt afterward. It felt smooth and deeply clean without any kind of tightness or stripped feeling at all. The exfoliating beads (while too sparse to really have an effect IMO) are small enough to be gentle but not so small that they dissolve on contact with water, as has been my experience with many other scrub type cleansers. To be honest, with this cleanser the exfoliating beads seem to be so besides the point that I think they just threw them in as an afterthought.

I'm addicted to this stuff. I can't stop washing my face and I even told my roommate that he should start using it too. I doubt he will, but I think it would be a great cleanser for men. It has just enough of the good stuff to keep them looking well-groomed without seeming overly metro, and the packaging and the smell are gender neutral (it just smells ever-so-faintly like mayonnaise). My only complaint is that you're supposed to massage this into your skin for like 30 seconds. That's a long time. So I only do that in the evenings. In the morning I just do it for however long it takes for me to feel like my face is clean.

The only thing is, I've only been using this for a few days so I'm a bit hesitant to give a verdict just yet. Does it clean my face? Yes it does. But will it make my complexion any more clear is a different story. I'm actually on a summer salicylic kick (I bought this, a day cream, a night cream, and some Oxy pads that all contain it) to see whether using a lot of this will help clear my skin. So far my skin feels better but I'm getting little pimples here and there which may just be because all these products are drawing the yuck out of my pores.

So the wiwfm verdict on this one is....we'll see.
(that's a new category I just created cuz it's my blog and I can)
I'll update you in about 4 weeks when I should be able to tell the difference. I've been taking pictures of my skin to track my progress. And no I will not be posting those on here!
If I forget to update you, please remind me.
Thanks ladies!
max
xoxo