My Beauty Review II

My Beauty Review II

Basic Black Blemish Control Soap

Basic Black Blemish Control Gel

Basic Black Blemish Control Moisture Gel

Living in a humid climate such as ours here in Singapore, many of us share the same skin woes. The No.1 complaint has to be Acne! The much hated 'A' word does not just affect young prepubescent kids, it also affects men & women well into their adulthood. This painful condition, both physically and emotionally, can sometimes cause scarring if not treated or taken care of well, especially those who still believe that acne, pimples and oily skin is only a phase which will 'disappear' with time. Not to mention the emotional stress many face by their imperfect appearance.

Many a time, I have been asked to recommend skin products by clients and models to curb , prevent or simply get rid of acne and pimples quickly without drying their skin. Most acne/pimple treatments or products have high salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide which will kill bacteria by drying the problem areas. This is effective , however, the drawback is you may over-dry your skin by stripping all natural oils to maintain the healthy glow or even end up with raw and sensitive skin where applyingof make up is impossible during that 'peeling' & recovery stage.

I have been battling with problem skin during my 20's when I was still in the airline for years. The constant climate change and wearing of make up for extremely long hours gave me occasional painful episode of breakouts. I was always desperately looking for treatments and products which some of them did help for a short period of time, but the over-drying problem made me stop using them because I could not wear make up for work and was just unhappy that the lumpy acne started to creep back even with the use of such strong acne products. I slowly realised that a good treatment or skincare product should not be harsh and too strong, instead it should be able to work effectively deep under your pores yet be mild enough not to cause you any discomfort.

After I was introduced to Dr Ci:Labo's Aqua collagen gel & super moisture gel, which helped calm my sometimes raw and dry skin from the treatments/products, I started to venture into their other products. As it was only sold in Japan many years ago, I had a hard time finding out what their other products could do as they were all in Japanese. Given the fact that the collagen gel had worked wonders on me, I gave the Acneless range a try without much expectations.

To my pleasure, in two days, I had almost perfect skin again. Hard lumpy acne subsided, oily skin became more balanced and no new blemishes suffaced! I was amazed by how well it worked as I was accustomed to stronger and drying lotions to be effective and this Acneless range seems too mild to be able to give such results.

The key ingredients in this range are charcoal, known to absorb thousands of times its own volume in oil, which plays a major role in solving adult problem skin. A natural blend of plant extracts that complements the activated power of charcoal to remove oil and impurities from the skin when healing. Plant extracts like pueraria lobata root, salvia, citrus, hedera helix, nasturtium, aloe, are used, each containing an essential ingredient for skin rejuvenation. The Blemish Control formulas work together to balance the skin's pH factor and discourage bacteria.

Let me first start on the cleansing. The Basic Black Blemish control soap is rich and creamy when comes in contact with a little water. The ultra strength yet mild cleanser removes impurities and oil effectively reaching deep into the pores. It leaves your skin healthy, balanced and clean yet not stripped of its natural oils.

Replacing pimple spot treatment, this Basic Black Blemish control gel anchors the basic black regimen. It is used to kill the bacteria responsible for causing the blemishes. The same sebum absorbing charcoal also regulates the pH balance giving you shiny skin without the shine. Apply liberally over troubled areas without worrying about over-drying as it is so strong yet so mild. The added surprise is that this works as a perfect make up base for oily skin as the matt skin allows you achieve long-lasting make up. I do not know of any other ultra-strength blemish control product to be able to do this as yet.

Lastly, your regime is complete with the Basic Black Blemish moisture gel. Even as much as we want to target the problem here with kiling of bacteria causing acne, oily skin and other blemishes. Our skin needs to be rejuvenated and properly moisturised. This moisture gel has highly moisturising elements such as Marine Collagen and Hyaluronic acid, which not only protects your skin from dryness, it also regulates sebum secretion , restores the pH balance and lastly maintains your youthful skin.

Whenever I pack for a trip to more air polluted countries/cities such as Bangkok and India, this is something I cannot do without in my toiletry bag. For those who are still facing troubled skin, do give this a try. The Basic Black range comes in a very cool and understated black packaging.