Monday, April 21, 2014

The Medicinal Approach

I've been increasingly hearing more about First Aid Beauty, mainly through Ingrid of missglamorazzi, so when I spotted the Forever Fab Kit on sale at David Jones, grabby hands ensued. (Thanks goes to Cherie for the heads up in the first place that F.A.B. was being discontinued and marked down to be cleared at DJs.) Containing a small tube of Ultra Repair Cream (56.7g), Detox Eye Roller (8.5ml) and Facial Radiance Pads (60 pads), the three-piece set seemed to be an ideal introduction to the brand. I was also hoping to find the Ultra Repair Instant Oatmeal Mask raved about by Fleur De Force but there weren't any left.


Ultra Repair Cream
I'm guessing this is one of the star products in the F.A.B. range, so I was excited to try it out and hopefully be impressed. At first I thought it was a face cream, but it's actually an all-purpose cream for dry skin which can be used for the body as well. Since I only have a small tube of this but litres of combined random body moisturisers I've yet to use, I've reserved the Ultra Repair Cream for my face only. To me, it's a fairly simple, straightforward, well-formulated cream. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of bells and whistles or potential nasties with it, and it has a distinctly medicinal feel and scent. You need only a small amount for the face and once it's absorbed, it leaves the skin soft and moisturised without feeling greasy. I'd pick this for sensitive skin that might be suffering from breakouts or other irritations, or skin that's drier than normal, for example during the winter. It's free of mineral oil and relatively affordable compared with say, Trilogy, Jurlique or Antipodes (the 56.7g tube is $12 in the US), so I can see this being a repurchased staple for those with an uncomplicated approach to their skin care (men included).


Facial Radiance Pads
These are smallish, bumpy/textured circular pads soaked in solution. There's all the good stuff you'd expect in exfoliating pads, including lactic and glycolic acids, as well as cucumber, Indian gooseberry, lemon peel and licorice root. I've read that some people cut the pads in half to double the number of uses, since the pads do hold a lot of product in them. I have tried that, and while there's more than enough to do both the entire face and neck, I found moving a small semicircle around my face to be pretty awkward. At the same time, using one with so much product still left on it does seem somewhat wasteful. These have a slightly unpleasant chemical smell and they feel kind of harsh and drying on the skin, a complaint exacerbated by the textured surface of the pad which seems to be a form of exfoliation in itself. Perhaps that's just the exfoliation working effectively (Alpha-H Liquid Gold leaves a similar sensation), but I much prefer using something more gentle and hydrating like Pixi Glow Tonic.


Detox Eye Roller
Paula Begoun was not a fan, and while I take her opinion with a grain of salt, it did make me slightly wary of this product. She makes the point that it contains irritants such as witch hazel and menthol which can worsen eye-area problems rather than assist them. I'm not a huge believer in eye creams and treatments in general as I don't really comprehend the need for different or specialised products for that area compared with the rest of the face. This Detox Eye Roller is just something I use if I remember. I have accumulated quite a number of eye creams, balms and gels, and most are neglected purely due to laziness, forgetfulness and a sense of their redundancy. I do enjoy the cooling sensation from the menthol, but apparently that's my skin reacting to an irritant rather than any beneficial effect occurring. The instructions state to roll the metal tip from the inner to outer corners of the undereye area 2 to 3 times. From experience, that number is overkill and dispenses way too much product. Just once is enough for me.

40 comments:

  1. I love Ingrid and Fleur! I saw all of Ingrid's First Aid Beauty stuff in her apartment tour and though got me wondering about the brand too... haha.
    I accumulated enough points at Sephora to try their scrub for free, so I'm testing that out right now. Though, I'd like to give the facial pads a try!

    Carolyn | BLOG

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    1. I wish we had Sephora where I live so I could accumulate points ;) Yeah, Ingrid seems to be giving FAB a lot of exposure through her channel. Hope you like the scrub!

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  2. The Ultra Repair Cream sounds like something I'd like to try :)

    Kate xo // www.beautybabbles.com

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    1. It's quite a foolproof, basic moisturiser - I've been liking it so far :)

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  3. I read lots of positive review about the brand but haven't tried any of them yet. The Repair Cream sounds nice. When you mentioned medicinal scent, I think I'd better go in store and sniff it as I am really sensitive to scent. Thanks for the review!

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    1. It's not overly strong, it's just not the fragranced stuff we're used to with other products. But yes, good idea to smell in person!

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  4. Ultra Repair Cream is my favorite moisturizer! I have relatively dry skin and I like to keep my skincare routine minimal, and it's an easy product to slap on before bed or whenever my face needs extra moisture. Nothing revolutionary, but it gets the job done. It's a shame that other FAB products seem to be lackluster; I tried their cleanser for a while, but it was too drying for me.

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    1. Oh that's too bad about the cleanser - I was curious about it. But I have enough cleansers for now, including my Antipodes Juliet one which I've used consistently for a few months but is a looooong way from being finished. I do think the moisturiser is a good, basic one - does the job which is all that matters!

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  5. I've always been curious about the FAB line but have never been sure because of the apparently strong medicinal scent (blech) and aims towards super dry skin (which my skin is pretty far from). Glad to read your thoughts on everything! As much as I love Ingrid it can be hard to tell which products she recommends are actually really good/stand apart from the rest because she describes them all the same ("AH-mazing or "IN-credible") haha :)

    ♥Cassie
    thriftthick.blogspot.com

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    1. LOL I totally just imagined her saying that in her voice.

      Skin care is such a personal thing as well, even if something works on you, it might not work for someone else. Even if it works for you now, your skin might change or no longer react positively to it for whatever inexplicable reason, and it might no longer work anymore. So it's tough! I guess unless it's just a truly terrible product which doesn't work for most people, you can get away with recommending skin care so long as it "works" for you during the time you recommended it :p

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  6. I'm curious about the face pads. my Worries is that the percentage of glycolic acid might be too high for someone that it's starting the world of chemical exfoliants ( for example, Liquid gold contains 10% of Glycolic acid while Glow Tonic only contains 5%...I'm currently looking for something that contains 2% as a starter point...)

    I've heard a really bad review about the face cream...I don't know. Now that Sephora.com ships to the UK I'm thinking about asking some friends that live there to receive the package and ship it to me...(specially Tarte <3 ), I might try to get my hands into something from this brand (like their face masks, which is something that I love to try and use)

    Take care, have a nice day!*

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    1. I'm not too sure what percentage of glycolic acid these pads are ... but I'm assuming it's less than Liquid Gold. Not sure what products only contain 2% - good luck looking for something suitable! I'm quite enjoying the face cream - it's nothing revolutionary but it achieves its purpose of hydrating the skin and not further irritating it. Sephora shipping to the UK is quite exciting - been seeing lots of hauls on my YouTube subscriptions box :)

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  7. That's a really good review. I was tempted to try out detox eye roller, but I read mixed reviews so decided not to take my chances as my under eye areas are quite problematic.

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    1. Thanks Monika :) Yeah, I wouldn't go for the Detox Eye Roller - I wasn't too impressed with it. Have you tried Murad Hydro-Dynamic Ultimate Moisture for Eyes? That's my favourite eye cream that I've tried.

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  8. I always see First Aid Beauty products in Sephora but I have never tried anything from them before. I have heard some mixed reviews on products from the brand so I've been hesitant to try anything but the Ultra Repair Cream sounds quite lovely. xx
    Celina | The Celution | Bloglovin’

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    1. Maybe go for the Ultra Repair Cream if you want to dip your toes into the brand. It's not hugely expensive and it's a solid product :)

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  9. I really like the design of the packaging of this brand but for some reason I'm not that intrigued to try anything from F.A.B. And no, I can never justify purchasing these to just have them as decoration purpose :p

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    1. Haha we all are guilty sometimes of purchasing something mainly because of attractive packaging! ;)

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  10. I haven't tried this brand but always meant to. I know that Larie likes them a lot and what draws me is the simpler approach in function, marketing and design. I think that I'd start out with one of their moisturizers in the winter and maybe those radiance pads when my current stash of Philosophy ones run out.

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    1. I agree - they've really differentiated themselves with the whole scientific/no bells and whistles approach. Even the name "First Aid Beauty" suggests something srs and attention to ~medicine~ to treat the skin :p Maybe give the Ultra Repair Cream a go when your skin's a bit drier and see how you like it! :)

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  11. I almost picked up the 2 oz of the Ultra Repair Cream at Sephora the other day, but I passed on it because I am still in love with my Olay Fresh Effects Satin Finish Lotion. I think that is being discontinued though so I will be trying the Ultra Repair Cream when I run out, although if it's for super dry skin I suspect it would probably work best for me in the winter time.

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    1. I'm using the Ultra Repair Cream now and I wouldn't describe my skin as super dry...it is slightly on the dry side and I think the cream is fine for it. It has a fairly light texture although it's nicely hydrating and it isn't greasy, which are always good :)

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  12. They had a select few FAB products at my DJs and most were pretty gunky looking. I managed to grab the facial radiance pads though and I'm actually really enjoying them, and I've found them to be really beneficial for my skin. The ultra repair cream sounds like a really nice, basic moisturiser.

    Tasha // shiwashiful.

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    1. Haha yeah, some of the remaining stock is in bad shape. You kind of have to shift through it to dig out anything with potential. Glad you're enjoying the pads and they're working for your skin! Yes, the Ultra Repair Cream is exactly that :)

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  13. Ooh, the facial radiance pads sound like a good alternative to the usual chemical exfoliants! I'm happy you snagged something in the mess that is DJ's clearance section! I didn't get any irritation from the Alpha-H Liquid Gold cream but I suppose that's a milder variation. Would you say the Pixi Glow Tonic is your preferred of the three? (I might wail a little bit, it's so far away)

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    1. I definitely use the Pixi Glow Tonic the most. I really like it ... it's hydrating and gentle and soothing on the skin. It's like giving my skin a little drink after I've cleansed, whereas Liquid Gold and the pads are like subjecting it to something quite harsh and potentially irritating because of all the chemicals. But I think the results are there ... whenever I use Liquid Gold, I find my skin does feel smoother and really effectively exfoliated the morning after :)

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  14. FAB keeps popping up everywhere on blogs and I really need to check this brand out. It sounds perfect for my sensitive skin, since their products are free from a lot of chemical ingredients. The Ultra Repair Cream sounds good for my dry skin too.

    Sheri | Behind The Frames

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    1. The brand might be well suited for your skin - hopefully you can try some of their products :) Maybe skip the pads and the eye roller, but the cream could be promising!

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  15. I still haven't tried any of their products, I think something needs to be done about this haha. I have oily skin, but my legs get quite dry and irritated all the time. The repair cream sounds like it might be good for that.
    Beauty Challenged

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    1. Good idea, hopefully if you manage to try the cream out it doesn't disappoint :)

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  16. Awesome reviews, I'm totally interested now with trying out the pixi glow tonic and I've come across the alpha H set too on beauty bay but have been hesitating slightly! I too would find it wasteful to use pads that were only half circles and have to go back for so many pieces! The under eye roller sounds good to me, I don't suffer from any wrinkles or dryness under my eyes so it'd probably be okay for me. Sounds like the brand might be a bit over hyped overall!

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    1. I'm interested in the clay cleanser and the oatmeal mask ... but other than that my experience with the brand so far has been fairly good but nothing amazing. The eye roller is the product I'm least enthused about :p The pads at least are useful and effective and the cream is a really nice, basic moisturiser which won't irritate my skin :)

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  17. I really want to try the Ultra Repair Cream!

    xx
    https://www.analeote.blogspot.com

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    1. Good pick, it's a well formulated cream that is effective and non-irritating.

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  18. I adore the pads, having picked them up on clearance at Farmers here in NZ... then realised that they were on clearance because they're no longer being stocked! Woe. I'll have to wait til I get overseas.

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  19. I actually use there moisturizing face lotion for dry skin and I love it, it's a great brand!
    www.coffeeformom.com

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  20. Witch Hazel is actually a natural astringent and is not typically seen as an irritant for the skin. Actually, it works to reduce redness and induces a cooling sensation on the skin (it's amazing to use after waxing or if you have redness, puffiness, or a sunburn). Perhaps Paula was thinking of witch hazel solutions which contain traces of alcohol (which many do) being within the product. I have been using witch hazel on myself for years and it has always been lovely.
    http://beautyorsomethingcg.wordpress.com/

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  21. I was curious about the first aid cream. I thought it might be too heavy for my skin that is breaking out, I guess maybe I am wrong. I was pretty surprised with the price too. I heard about the brand from Ingrid as well and thinking about the cleanser she has been raving about.

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