Showing posts with label origins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label origins. Show all posts

Tuesday, 4 February 2014

Origins Super Spot Remover - A Review

Another product that is highly recommended in the blogosphere and seemed like the answer to my blemish prone prayers is Origins Super Spot Remover.


I have had this for quite a few months now and thought it was about time I gave my two cents!

First up, I feel I should mention the size of the product.  It is a rather small 10ml bottle but actually a little does go a long way.  As it is a gel, it is also easy to control how much product you dispense.  At £14, it is on the pricey side although the Origins website often have free delivery and sample treats, which gives you more of a 'value for money' feel.


The bottle itself if fairly dinky and unobtrusive and I must say, I do like Origins packaging - usually a block colour with clear writing, it just has a 'sciency/clinical' look about it. There is a lot of information on the outer packaging and it is all recyclable - yay!  There's a small hole for dispensing the product and you can apply it using your fingers but a cotton bud is advised.


With Salicylic acid to aid healing by way of increasing skin cell turn over and thus acting as an exfoliator, this claims to banish spots and heal the skin.  One point I noted is that alcohol is further up the ingredients list than salicylic acid.   Also contained within your 10mls is witch hazel, which is an astringent and when paired with alcohol can be quite drying on the skin.  And lastly of note is caffeine, I had to read up on this as they (Origins) say that caffeine calms the redness and I got really confused as I have always thought of caffeine as a stimulant and thought it would increase blood flow but apparently, I was totally wrong! caffeine acts as a vaso constrictor which means it constricts the tiny blood vessels that would usually bring the blood and therefore redness to the face.  Learn something new everyday!


My honest opinion is that this did absolutely nada for my blemishes, which is disappointing as the first line in the description of this product reads 'Red PMS blemish? Bad joke breakout? Heal, fight and fade it fast'.  Unfortunately for me, it has not fulfilled any of those claims.  I find that my blemishes are still as red and as painful as before I apply this and even when I use the tiniest of amounts, I find it dries the skin over the blemish making it rather (more) unsightly to boot.  This forms a wee gel layer over the blemish to hopefully block any dirt or bacteria getting into the pores but I find this makes it look even more crusty! Especially under make-up.
On smaller spots, the effects are negligible and I would suggest perhaps trying a 'Witch Stick' first as they are definitely cheaper.  On the bigger, hormonal acne type spots, this just made them look worse and harder to cover up.

Do you have a Holy Grail spot product?

Hugs,

Jodi
xxx 

Thursday, 24 October 2013

Origins GinZing Energy Boosting Moisturiser

In one of my recent trips to Boots, I really wanted to get my hands on the Origins 'Out of Trouble' face mask but was told there has been a supplier problem and they don't know when it will be back in stock.  This seems to apply to the Origins website too.

So instead, I got the highly praised 'Super Spot Remover' to try and tackle my breakouts, I will review that at a later date, and also the 'GinZing Energy Boosting Moisturiser'.  The counter assistant kept calling this Vitazing and I was getting really confused! 


Nice and sturdy pot, although I do favour a pump dispenser rather than sticking my fingers in my products.  Pumps are also great for managing how much you dispense.


The pot itself is a good size, which is nice as I consider £23 on a moisturiser a bit of a splurge.  I can see this lasting a good while with daily/every other daily use.


Love a brand that makes their recyclable packaging from recycled products.  


The ingredients are pretty good, Panax Ginseng and coffee beans are used to brighten and revive your skin whilst salicylic acid helps to fight off blemishes.  It's worth mentioning that it does contain some silicones, such as methyl trimethicone and dimethicone (both have been approved by the FDA and other such organisations as being safe to use).  It also contains quite a few essential oils, which can be an irritant to skin.


The moisturiser is strongly scented of oranges, great if you like oranges (I don't!).  Aromatherapists use orange oils to help relieve anxiety and boost moods so it's a good little pick-me-up for the darker mornings.  I can't detect if it contains orange oil or extract (it's maybe on the ingredients list but in some latin form?) but if it does, orange oils can cause slight photosensitivity so that is something to watch out for.


The texture is lovely and smooth (thanks to the silicones) and has a very gel-like feel.  It is also absorbed very easily into the skin.  It is also oil-free and therefore a good option for oil skin types.

I like it but I don't know if I will repurchase it.  I really like the texture and how quickly it is absorbed but I have noticed that my skin does seem slightly redder on the days that I have used it.  Also, I would like to see salicylic acid closer to the top of the list of ingredients. Lastly, the smell, I've never liked oranges but that's just me!

Have you tried any Origins products before?

How do you feel about essential oils in skincare? 

Hugs,

Jodi
xxx