I'm running late I know it, hush. Real life gets in the way sometimes and I was having the worst day on Tuesday that I couldn't focus on writing, let alone what even to review. Though, as promised Wednesday's review post is here, even if it is a little later in the day than I normally have it up.
As for skincare, I've never really struggled with acne much at all, even as a teenager. I'd get the stray breakout every month or if I was under a lot of stress, but never anything that required regiments or medication. Then I had my kids, my second was the destroyer of my once maintenance free skin. During the pregnancy and afterwards my skin went spastic on me. Breakouts, blackheads, oily, dry, combination, it wouldn't make up its mind. I think I may have actually cried, because I had never had such much trouble with it before. After a few months, it seemed to settle once hormones started to return to a semi-normal frequency and I had to change my skincare.
I researched and researched before I set foot in the store, familiarizing myself with what were the best active ingredients that worked for skincare.
This product set was featured in my January 2014 Favorites post, as the first step towards my pretty vain New Years resolution of better skin care. I had mentioned my husband purchased this for me (with me present to make sure it was what I wanted), as his way of supporting me in what I wanted to accomplish. You get a Cleanser, Toner and Repairing Lotion in the set, all marked as to which step of the process it is for. I've been using this system for around 7 weeks now, so I would have an accurate review, since it can take up to 6 weeks for skin to respond to a new routine.
It says to use morning and night, but if you have sensitive skin *raises hand*, then to only use it once a day or every other day. Or of course it makes your skin dry or it starts to peel. I ended up just using this once a day, since my skin is generally on the dry side. It doesn't smell to bad, it does smell like chemicals, but it isn't overpowering. The product is almost like a lotion consistency, but when you message it into the skin you can feel little granules. So you get some mild exfoliation and I didn't find it too scratchy on the skin. Rinse with warm water after messaging for 1 to 2 minutes and your done. Right away my skin felt cleaner and more refreshed after using this.
Toner time. That sounded a little cheesy...kind of like in Jingle All The Way "It's Turbo Time"? Okay...
Apply to freshly cleansed face with a cotton ball or pad. This helps remove any remaining dirt or oil that the cleanser didn't take care of and also it is suppose to help even out skin tone. This stuff actually smells quite nice. It has a very fresh scent, that makes me feel like just from it's smell alone my skin would feel fresher and rejuvenated. I've actually used a few toners in the past and never like them, because the made my skin tingle after applying them. This one doesn't do that, after it drys my face feels so good and the mild smell is very pleasant.
Lastly, we have step three which is the repairing lotion. This you apply after you've let the toner completely dry on your face, though it says you can use this up to 3 times a day if needed. Again if dryness or irritation occurs use it once daily, recommended to start at a single application and build towards two and three. The medicated moisturizer smells a lot like the cleanser does, but with the general "lotion" smell that unscented ones tend to have added to it. I only use this once daily, it seems to be enough for me at the time so that's what I've been sticking with. Though, after applying this my skin doesn't feel, well, moisturized. Perhaps do to the fact it is medicated with the Benzoyl Peroxide is the main reason I don't feel that the moisturizing part is very accurate. After I use this I do apply my regular face moisturizer.
Now that I've broken the system down, the generally overall preformed of this system is more than I expected for the price. It's compared to Proactiv, but I've never used their systems before so I can't judge on their products on a personal level. Though I did a little research online, I compared prices for a similar system and the Equate system is half the price of Proactive. The three step system from Proactiv is 29.95USD when Equates is 11.97USD. The cleanser and toner for both systems are exactly the same as far as ingredients and percentage amounts. The repairing lotions are the only thing that is different, Proactivs is a Salicylic acid based, while Equates sticks to the Benzoyl Peroxide formula.
In seven weeks that I've used this system I have noticed a huge change in my skin. It's softer by far than it use to be. I haven't experienced a breakout in weeks and my overall skin tone has evened out dramatically where I'm using less foundation or just switching to a homemade BB cream to counteract some natural redness I do get. Since the cleanser does mildly exfoliate the skin combined with my daily moisturizer my dry skin is gone, as long as I remember my moisturizer.
As always, remember to check out my Influenster profile where I try to update brief reviews daily click the widget on the blog to go directly there. Feel free to like me on Facebook at Simply Dark Pleasures, follow me on google plus, Twitter @Blog_SDP, or send an email at simplydarkpleasures@gmail.com . All links to those are displayed as tabs or there's buttons floating around the site.
Don't forget to drop a comment on any of my social networks or this post with suggestions for what you'd like to possibly win in the giveaway that's coming soon.
Until next time,
Stay Creative.
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| Step 1- Cleanse, Benzoyl Peroxide Cleanser |
It says to use morning and night, but if you have sensitive skin *raises hand*, then to only use it once a day or every other day. Or of course it makes your skin dry or it starts to peel. I ended up just using this once a day, since my skin is generally on the dry side. It doesn't smell to bad, it does smell like chemicals, but it isn't overpowering. The product is almost like a lotion consistency, but when you message it into the skin you can feel little granules. So you get some mild exfoliation and I didn't find it too scratchy on the skin. Rinse with warm water after messaging for 1 to 2 minutes and your done. Right away my skin felt cleaner and more refreshed after using this.
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| Step 2- Soothe |
Toner time. That sounded a little cheesy...kind of like in Jingle All The Way "It's Turbo Time"? Okay...
Apply to freshly cleansed face with a cotton ball or pad. This helps remove any remaining dirt or oil that the cleanser didn't take care of and also it is suppose to help even out skin tone. This stuff actually smells quite nice. It has a very fresh scent, that makes me feel like just from it's smell alone my skin would feel fresher and rejuvenated. I've actually used a few toners in the past and never like them, because the made my skin tingle after applying them. This one doesn't do that, after it drys my face feels so good and the mild smell is very pleasant.
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| Step 3- Moisturize Benzoyl Peroxide Lotion |
Lastly, we have step three which is the repairing lotion. This you apply after you've let the toner completely dry on your face, though it says you can use this up to 3 times a day if needed. Again if dryness or irritation occurs use it once daily, recommended to start at a single application and build towards two and three. The medicated moisturizer smells a lot like the cleanser does, but with the general "lotion" smell that unscented ones tend to have added to it. I only use this once daily, it seems to be enough for me at the time so that's what I've been sticking with. Though, after applying this my skin doesn't feel, well, moisturized. Perhaps do to the fact it is medicated with the Benzoyl Peroxide is the main reason I don't feel that the moisturizing part is very accurate. After I use this I do apply my regular face moisturizer.
Now that I've broken the system down, the generally overall preformed of this system is more than I expected for the price. It's compared to Proactiv, but I've never used their systems before so I can't judge on their products on a personal level. Though I did a little research online, I compared prices for a similar system and the Equate system is half the price of Proactive. The three step system from Proactiv is 29.95USD when Equates is 11.97USD. The cleanser and toner for both systems are exactly the same as far as ingredients and percentage amounts. The repairing lotions are the only thing that is different, Proactivs is a Salicylic acid based, while Equates sticks to the Benzoyl Peroxide formula.
In seven weeks that I've used this system I have noticed a huge change in my skin. It's softer by far than it use to be. I haven't experienced a breakout in weeks and my overall skin tone has evened out dramatically where I'm using less foundation or just switching to a homemade BB cream to counteract some natural redness I do get. Since the cleanser does mildly exfoliate the skin combined with my daily moisturizer my dry skin is gone, as long as I remember my moisturizer.
If you are looking for a daily skincare routine line of products that is very affordable, I would highly recommend checking this system out. I purchased mine at Walmart and I do know that their website also has this system available to order online as well. Again, I highly recommend this, especially for the price and the results I achieved.
As always, remember to check out my Influenster profile where I try to update brief reviews daily click the widget on the blog to go directly there. Feel free to like me on Facebook at Simply Dark Pleasures, follow me on google plus, Twitter @Blog_SDP, or send an email at simplydarkpleasures@gmail.com . All links to those are displayed as tabs or there's buttons floating around the site.
Don't forget to drop a comment on any of my social networks or this post with suggestions for what you'd like to possibly win in the giveaway that's coming soon.
Until next time,
Stay Creative.
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