Sunday, January 06, 2008

I Just Wrote My First Testimonial

For face cream.

Since my late thirties, through to my now earlyish forties, I have been plagued with problem skin. I started to develop a skin problem known as Rosacea in about 2001. What was originally a patch of dry, red, itchy and sensitive skin near my nose became a number similar patches elsewhere. It was misdiagnosed for a couple of years as exzema or dermatitis, and I was even given steroid based creams for it that I have since read only make it worse.

Great.

I'm really fair skinned, and people with my sort of colouring are prone to this condition. Eventually it can coarsen the skin and it sort of inflames and brings the red capillaries closer to the surface, making the skin red. WC Fields big red nose? Yup, that's extreme Rosacea. The other thing about Rosacea, and how I originally realised what I had, is that it's inflamed by alcohol or anything that causes you to blush. Hence the Gin Blossoms nose of WC Fields.

Anyhoo. My skin overall is now frequently quite pink and tender to the touch. Like a very, very mild case of sunburn. I have a few spots, like those near my temples, that are quite red most of the time. So, it's a pain in my ass and can dent the self esteem a bit when I'm having a bit of a breakout. Most of the time it looks ok, just like I've caught a bit of sun. I have a medicated cream for when it's bad, but I've also been looking for sensitive skin skincare that I can use as my skin is generally quite dry most of the time now.

Anyway, enough back story.

I bought a new skin cream the other day and in only about 4 days the change has been remarkable! The appearance of my skin has improved, but the change in how it feels has been incredible. It doesn't feel tender, itchy or dry any more. Now I used to be a cosmetics and fragrance buyer in retail and with that background I'm always interested in the science (or psuedoscience) of skincare. I must admit a bias towards technical fancy sounding skincare. Poly this. Co-enzyme that. Active, Pro-active, Dermo the other. Consequently I always felt like 'natural' skincare was probably less effective. Nice smelling, not harmful, but probably not doing all that much other than putting a moisture barrier on the skin.

I had however read glowing reviews of the Aussie brand [A'kin]. That the products were very rich in active ingredients, heavily researched and free of many of the nasties (ie parabens ansd sulphates) found in many other brands. So I bought a special boxed duo of their two step treatment for really dry and sensitive skins, this oil followed by this cream. The oil seems to just disappear into the skin, and then the cream goes on over. I was worried about looking greasy, because the cream is quite rich, and it does give a bit of a shine yet without looking oily. I'm a convert. I was hoping for an improvement but was astounded at how even within 24 my skin felt so much better. As I run out of my cleanser and eye cream I'm going to convert over to try the other products in this brand.

So I logged on to their contact section and wrote a testimonial. The gospel must be spread! Sorry this is such a long entry that reads like an advertorial, but seriously the change was so dramatic. If you've ever been plagued by bad skin you'll know where I'm coming from...

8 comments:

worldpeace and a speedboat said...

ahhh, nice to know. I've been using some Akin and Alchemy body products, lip balm, and the rosehip oil (Trilogy does good rosehip too, and Kosmea). but never used the skincare (apart from the oil I mean) - I get so wary of switching anything to do with my face once I've found something which doesn't irritate it.

you'll think the name and branding very hokey, but Moogoo (moogoo.com.au) has just been fantastic to my skin and worth the silly moo-cow labels. I use all of their body products and they are all really gentle and lovely, - even the soap (the goat's milk is best), except on rare occasions when my skin is just too brittle for the soap. I haven't been able to use soap for about 20 years so it gets me a bit excited sometimes (am I too simple to please?)... I can also use the thicker moisturiser on my face (the thinner one is a bit too thin).

I'm glad you're getting great results!

Thombeau said...

Congrats, and kudos for using the word "advertorial"!

Ur-spo said...

that can be nasty and embarassing.
i am glad you found something that works!

Crafty Andy said...

Thanks for sharing this, I have shared it with other fair skinned fellows . Happy New Year!

Sunshine said...

That's why I make my own skincare products. Rosehip is an exquisite oil. To increase its effectiveness, try adding about 10 drops of Roman Camomile and peppermint essential oil each into the rosehip.:)

Michael Guy said...

Good for you, Andrew. I, too, suffer from an on again/off again skin condition that flairs with stress. (mostly on-again the past several months) With a prescription cream I can keep it in check. Ugh.

So I completely understand how thrilled you must be with a new skincare product, sans the nasties, that works miracles.

Does it make your cock bigger, too? I'm all about self-research for a product's broader application.

I kid.

Good on the results, Andrew!

The Other Andrew said...

MG, I'm not sure it makes it bigger... but if the process of improvement keeps up, well it may give me the draw power to put it to better use!

Sunshine, you make your own? Cool. Sunshine Botanicals! Has a nice ring to it, so to speak.

Anonymous said...

Oh girl, I've been using A'kin and Al'chemy for a million years - that's why I still look so young! :o)

Good that you've cottoned on to a good thing!