First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser + Daily Face Cream + Ultra Repair Cream Review

I've been trying out three products from First Aid Beauty this past month. Now I'm here to report my findings!

Overall review: I love how the products come in tubes or with a pump. FAB gets points for hygiene and minimal contamination! However, keep in mind that if you buy the next size up for the Ultra Repair Cream, it comes in a jar. The pricing is reasonable, in line with its quality both in terms of product and packaging. All the products are designed to be suitable for sensitive skin. I review the products separately below.

First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser
RRP: AUD19.95
Review: This is an excellent cleanser. I would not describe it as gentle but neither it is harsh (although FAB calls it a mild and gentle). For me it strikes the right balance. It's effective at cleaning without stripping the skin. I use this in morning and then at night with my Clarisonic Mia. It lathers easily so be careful not to get this in your eyes. It will sting like hell! And I mean it when I say you only need a bit to cover your entire face. The tube is massive and contains ~140g of product. I expect this to last me till the end of the year at the rate I'm going.

First Aid Beauty Daily Face Cream 
RRP: AUD23.95
Review: If you're after a lightweight moisturiser that keeps your skin hydrated until you wash your face again at night, this might just be the product for you. The weather has gotten cold and dry where I live and this face cream has held up really well. I use this in the morning after cleansing. Two pumps (shown in the photo above) is sufficient for me to cover my entire face. And I almost never find myself needing to reapply.

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream 
RRP: AUD14.95
Review: Out of the three products, I love this one the most! You can use this on your face and body. I use this as my nighttime moisturiser and my hand cream. I have very dry and irritated patches on my right hand from all the hand-washing and disinfecting that comes with working/studying in the health care industry. This product has been aptly named because now my hand is on its way to full recovery. My skin is not as scaly and itchy as before. I am so obsessed with this product that I've already emptied half the tube!


Have you ever tried any of First Aid Beauty products?

Michael Todd True Organics Review

Michael Todd True Organics Normal/Combination Skin Discovery Kit

Claims: "Achieve an organically radiant glow for your normal to combination skin."; "Rejuvenate and restore your skin while improving skin texture and tone and stimulating cell turnover." 

RRP: USD36*
Packaging: 4.5 out of 5

I've been trying these products for two months now. Here are my thoughts. I've written a mini review on each individual product instead of a whole regimen overall. Hope you find this helpful! 

 *I think Michael Todd has bumped up their prices. I recall paying only USD19 (excluding shipping) at the time I bought this set. 

Honey and Oat Gentle Deep Pore Cleanser 
Claims: "Gently removes dirt, oil, makeup, and impurities without residue or irritation"
Review: This cleanser smells similar to honey but it's "not fragrant". It might be because of the oats. I don't mind it but at the same time, I don't love it. This product is very gentle yet thorough. I noticed that my pores were significantly cleaner after I started using it. How do I know this? My blackheads faded/disappeared. This does not mean that they are permanently removed. They will reappear and this cleanser will remove them as long as you use it consistently.

The packaging of this product is not perfect. They did not seal it so the cleanser was leaking in the plastic bag when I received the kit. You have to screw it really tight if you want to throw it into your makeup bag and travel with it. The product also starts oozing out if you stand the bottle upside down.


Blue Green Algae Antibacterial Toner
Claims: "Highly moisturising; anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial; aids in treatment and prevention of acne."
Review: This is the first toner I've properly trialled. It is not harsh or dehydrating, although I would not go as far as to say that it is "highly moisturising". I really like that it is antibacterial. I noticed that my pimples became less red and aggressive. They also were more susceptible to my acne treatment product, so I was able to get rid of them more quickly. This however did not prevent any future pimples. They kept popping up as usual but they were definitely less prominent and less painful. Lastly, I absolutely love the scent of this product. It reminds me of oregano except sweeter? Sorry, I'm bad at describing scents.


Citrus Cream Moisturiser with DMAE and Hyaluronic acid 
Claims: "Firms, lifts and moisturises." 
Review: Okay, I can't really vouch for its claims of firming and lifting the skin. I can however, say that it is very moisturising. It has kept my skin soft and supple. It absorbs into my skin quite quickly, by the time my face touches my pillow, there's no sticky residue! I have noticed a couple of freckles on my face recently. My face has become sensitive to the sun and I believe that this product (or the Vitamin C it contains) may have been the culprit.

Jojoba Charcoal Facial Scrub
Claims: "Removes dead skin, impurities and toxins"
Review: I know that Tanya Burr loves this scrub and said that she saw it made a difference to her skin. Unfortunately, I can't say the same thing. It's an effective scrub but I feel that my Alpha-H Gentle Daily Exfoliant does the same, if not better. I do like the fact that despite being a "microbead scrub", it does not feel abrasive against my skin at all. I definitely would not bag this as a bad product. It works but I just did not see any huge difference to my skin. How do I know this? I've stopped using it for a couple of weeks now and sure enough, no difference observed.

Pumpkin Nutrient-Rich Facial Mask 
Claims: "Moisturises and nourishes"
Review: If I had to pick a "least favourite" product out of the lot, this would be it. First off, I am not the biggest fan of pumpkin and the scent is a little bit unpleasant for me. Don't get me wrong, I sometimes enjoy pumpkin soup and roasted pumpkin. But this one had a different kind of pumpkin smell... Anyway! Enough about pumpkins! Fleur from FleurDeForce loves this product and calls it "food for the face". I can't concede that I feel the same way. It's a very ordinary facial mask. Your skin just feels extra clean after washing it off, just like every other facial mask. And the benefits stop there. My skin does not feel moisturised afterwards. I still feel like I need to apply moisturiser because there's a slight feeling of tightness, as though moisture has been stripped off.  This product also increases the skins sensitivity towards the sun, which I am not super keen on.


Overall: I think these products have made my skin look a bit better than usual. But don't expect to get a radiant glow just from using these. All that has to be achieved through positive lifestyle changes. Ultimately, they are good products. I love the fact that they are organic (or mostly for certain products). Which of these products would I ever repurchase? I think it'll have to be the cleanser and the toner. But I think that they aren't my holy grail skin care products yet. I am going to continue with my search.


What do you think of these products? Do you think it's another phase/hype?

Wicked Wednesday: My Alpha-H Skin Care Routine & Review

During my most recent giveaway/contest, a number of you submitted suggestions that I do a post on my skin care routine. Today, I've decided that I'll fulfil those requests. I'm calling it my Alpha-H Skin Care Routine because for the past month, my skin care products, funnily enough, are from Alpha-H.

So essentially, I will be reviewing the three Alpha-H products that I am currently using religiously. At the same time, I will be giving you a quick rundown on how I use these products. First, let's begin with the Alpha-H product that I've been using the longest, their Gentle Daily Exfoliant.

Alpha-H Gentle Daily Exfoliant 

Claims: The exfoliation, is not abrasive, but still effortlessly removes dead and damaged skin cells, sweeps out congested pores and blackheads, reduces inflammation and uneven pigmentation, boosts moisture retention and creates a soft light-reflecting sheen across the complexion to reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and sun damage.

Retail: AUD$59.95 for 50g

Packaging: 4 out of 5

Review: This truly is a gentle exfoliant. It comes in powder form and you use it by pouring some into very wet hands, mixing it into a paste with your fingers and rubbing it onto your face for a minute before washing it off. Although it says to use 2 measured cups of the product, I have yet to figure out how to get 2 measure cups with the bottle. That's the only reason I am giving this packaging a rating 4 out of 5 instead of 5 out of 5. Forget about those microbeaded scrubs! You can achieve soft clean skin with this product and it's non-abrasive. Although it says you can use it daily, I only use this exfoliant once a week because too much exfoliation can be a bad thing. Also, I use a couple of products that contain glycolic acid, which also do the job of exfoliating my skin. I love using this product, particularly after wearing heavy makeup. It feels like my pores are truly unclogged and cleaned out. This product at $60 may seem expensive but I believe that it will last you a very long time, especially if you only use it once a week like I do. 

Alpha-H Balancing Cleanser with Aloe Vera 

Claims: The non-greasy, gently fragranced lotion delicately cleanses without drying or irritating the skin. It thoroughly removes both face and eye make-up and at the same time leaves the skin pH balanced.

Retail: AUD$42 for 200mL

Packaging: 4.5 out of 5

Review: I was using my trusty Cetaphil cleanser previously before I started using this one. I stopped using Cetaphil because I had a massive bout of breakouts and I thought it wasn't doing much help to my skin. Out of desperation, I started using this cleanser in hopes of restoring my skin. I found myself falling in love with it. Now, I can definitely see why people, like British model Ruth Crilly, rave about this product. You do not need a lot of this product to cleanse your face, unless you are using it to remove your makeup as well. In which case, it saves you a lot of time because it combines the makeup removal step and cleansing step into one. It feels very soft and gentle and does not dry the skin out. This product contains aloe vera, which is a great bonus. It contains vitamins such as A, C, E which are powerful antioxidants that reduce cell damage from free radicals. It also has anti-inflammatory properties, which can also explain why this product does not induce irritation in the skin. My bottle of cleanser if the travel size version. So if you buy the full one, I can tell you that you'll be getting your money's worth because it is a fairly large tube and it should last you a while. 

Alpha-H Balancing Moisturiser and Gentle Exfoliant 

Claims: Hydrates and revitalizes ageing, damaged skin. Works on collagen and elastin fibres and reduces acne and scarring.

Retail: AUD$72 for 100mL

Packaging: 4 out of 5

Review: I am not as certain about this product as I am about the other two. I really like it so far but I haven't used to long enough to reap all the benefits that it claims it will deliver. This is currently my daytime moisturiser. I like how it feels light on the skin. It is somewhat fluid so it glides onto your skin easily. That has a down side to it. It's easy to accidentally squirt out too much product from the tube. If they make the packaging into a bottle with a pump, I will definitely rate it a 5 out of 5. This product makes my skin smooth and soft. It produces a slightly dewy effect, giving your skin a subtle youthful glow. I also like how it is exfoliating my skin as well as moisturising it, keeping my skin care regime short and simple. I am hoping that as I use more of this product, it will fade all of my acne scars and reduce the occurrence of pimples. I also got this product in a travel size version. I think that considering it is a high quality product and it does multiple task, it is well worth the price.

Alpha-H is an Australian company and its products are made in Australia. I am proud to support them and I will most likely be repurchasing these products once they run out. For a list of stockists, click here.

What skin care products do you use? Do share. If you have any questions about my skin care routine, feel free to leave them in the comments section below.