Review: First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream

I was searching for a new moisturizer to help with dry, flaky, parched skin. This cream was constantly mentioned. It had good reviews too. I thought I would give it a try even after scanning the ingredients. It contains some comedogenic ingredients that I’ve had issues with before. But, I ignored it all and picked up a few bottles. They were on sale, hehe. The purpose of this product is to provide instant and long-term hydration for dry, distressed skin and eczema. It contains colloidal oatmeal, which is a skin protectant that helps to relieve itching caused by eczema, rashes, and other skin conditions. Shea butter to moisturize and protect the skin barrier with vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids. Allantoin to calm and soothe the skin. It’s vegan, cruelty-free, and gluten-free. Since the weather is colder and cooler, and I’ve been dealing with dry skin, this seemed like the type of product that could help with dry, itchy skin. Also, as I mentioned earlier, it had a ton of good reviews. Some even labeled it as their HG. Let’s see if this cream works or not. Here’s my experience with this product.

My Experience with First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream:

Texture & Application

The product is a cream. It feels soft, smooth, and creamy. When applied to the face, I didn’t apply it like my other moisturizers. It was a little difficult to spread across the face. What I did was place dots of the cream all over my face then gently pat it into the skin. The cream blends into the skin well. But only if it’s not used with other moisturizers. I tried using it with another moisturizer (underneath). The First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream started pilling. When I used it alone without any other moisturizer, it blended into the skin easily, no pilling. Even though the product blends into the skin well, it doesn’t fully absorb. It sits on top of the skin. I feel like there was a layer of product that’s sitting on top of my skin the whole night. It reminded me of CeraVe Moisturizing Cream. They feel very similar on the skin. They both sit on top of the skin.

Helps with dryness and flaky skin.

This cream helps with dry, cracked, flaky skin. Even wounded skin. I noticed that some parts of my face was over-exfoliated. After a day of using this cream, my skin felt a little better. The over-exfoliated parts of my face looked like it healed and peeled off. It wasn’t as dry anymore or reddish in color. It soothed my skin and helped to repair it.

A lightweight rich cream.

This is actually a rich cream even though it feels lightweight when applied and after it (somewhat) absorbs into the skin. My skin doesn’t feel like it has moisturizer on even though it’s sitting on top of my skin. It’s a different feeling. The cream feels and looks matte on my face. It doesn’t leave my skin looking glowy, shiny, or oily. The product feels very thin on the skin and a little goes a long way. I only used a little bit of product for my whole face and neck, chest. That amount of product was able to keep my skin from drying out and soothed it.

Did it clog my pores?

I only used this cream for 1 day and 6 hours on my face (nightly use). It should’ve been only one day. The first day, I noticed some clogged pores all over my oily t-zone. I didn’t think it was the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream clogging my pores. I kept using it the next night. But, I eventually washed it off that same night because I noticed tons of blackheads out of nowhere. I developed pimples on my forehead, upper lip, chin, and a bunch of blackheads on my oily t-zone (especially my nose). The amount of blackheads I saw were disturbing. I washed the product off immediately and opted for my original moisturizer. The next morning, my skin looked much better. No new blackheads. I was going to leave First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream for the second night but something didn’t feel right. I was clearly breaking out from the cream. I’m glad I pulled the plug right before it got even worse than what I went through. Whew! If you have oily, acne-prone skin, do a patch test first. This product felt very occlusive on my skin (sits on top of the skin type of feeling). It was just bad for my skin.

It contains Eucalyptus globulus leaf oil.

The last ingredient in this product is eucalyptus. *pause* Why??!! On the bottle, it says that this product is safe for sensitive skin. If you have sensitive skin, do a patch test. I don’t have sensitive skin, but my skin has been sensitized by my acne products. When I applied this cream to my face, I can feel my face tingling and slightly burning. It’s the eucalyptus. The tingling/burning sensation fades away after a while, but why bother with this ingredient. I can’t imagine someone with sensitive skin using this. But everyone is different. I know my skin didn’t like it.

Final Thoughts

Unfortunately, the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream didn’t work for me. I really wanted to like it, since I was searching for a new moisturizer. I picked my bottles up when they were on sale. The retail price is $46 each. Thank goodness I didn’t pay that much for it. Because it was not worth it at all. I mean, it helped with dry, parched skin that’s irritated, but it ended up clogging my pores and giving me tons of blackheads. My nose looked like a strawberry after I used it for a day and 6 hours (lol). It made my acne 10x worse than the actual dryness itself. What’s the point of moisturizing when it causes blemishes? Ugh! And eucalyptus? I should’ve listened to the very few negative reviews I saw. But, in my mind, I just wanted to try it out for myself, haha. Now I’m left with full bottles of this cream that I can’t use on my face. I’ll use the rest of it on my body or as a hand cream instead. My hands are pretty crusty and dry right now due to the dry, cool weather. Anything helps. I won’t repurchase First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream again even if it was on sale. I feel that the CeraVe Moisturizing Cream works the same way without the eucalyptus. I’ve been using my last jar of CeraVe as my body cream.

Let’s talk about the comedogenic ingredients. This is something I ignored (shouldn’t have) thinking that it could work for me. Here are the ingredients that popped out when I was looking at the ingredients list. They are Glyceryl Stearate SE, Shea Butter, and Squalane. I’ve always avoided products with Glyceryl Stearate SE. This particular ingredient has always clogged my pores. Don’t mistake this ingredient with Glyceryl Stearate. Glyceryl Stearate SE can cause acne issues if you’re acne-prone. At least it did on my skin. Shea Butter is another culprit. I know Shea Butter and my skin don’t go well together, especially for the face. I had this issue with another product not so long ago. Squalane is a hit or miss on my skin. I’m currently using a moisturizer (Vanicream Daily Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin) with squalane, and it seems like it’s working better on my skin than the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream. I don’t think it’s entirely squalane’s fault in clogging my pores. I think it’s the Glyceryl Stearate SE and Shea Butter in combination with squalane that made my skin break out in acne. On top of that, Eucalyptus just adds into the mix and causes irritation.

I was hoping that the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream was one of those products that could work since it costs more, could possibly have higher quality ingredients. This cream is 46 bucks. It should be good, right? It’s also a highly raved product! Nope, nope, nope, I was wrong. I developed terrible acne from this cream. I wouldn’t recommend this product to anyone that is prone to clogged pores. Save your 46 dollars and spend it on something else. There are better moisturizers out there that are less expensive than this cream. I’m not a huge fan of the texture of the product either. It’s odd that I don’t see that many negative reviews on this product. Here is one, lol.

Back of the packaging.

Products came sealed. Left, opened. Right, sealed.

This is what the cream looks like.

I finished my FIRST jar of CeraVe Moisturizing Cream!

I officially finished my first jar of CeraVe after about 3 months. I thought it would take me much longer to finish the whole jar. But nope. I opened the jar one day and noticed that I was done with it. I hit the bottom of the jar! Yay! I’ve been waiting for this fine moment. It’s officially here! lol. Now here are my thoughts on CeraVe Moisturizing Cream after finishing the cream…

If you missed out on my posts on CeraVe Moisturizing Cream, follow the links below. 🙂

So I picked up CeraVe Moisturizing Cream…

My thoughts on CeraVe Moisturizing Cream after 1 Month!

Like before, I didn’t use the cream on my facial skin. The texture, consistency, finish of product isn’t for my facial skin. I would end up with a ton of clogged pores. So! I used it only on my body instead. The product is creamy but doesn’t feel as lightweight as I thought it was. It’s a little thicker in texture. Soft and smooth. When applied to the skin, it feels soothing and calming, especially when it’s cold. It absorbs into the skin nicely. Vanishes into the skin but leaves a thin layer of residue behind. That’s where the slight heaviness comes in. This is what bothered me the most about the cream. The thin layer of residue that it leaves behind irritated my skin. I ended up with a rash on some parts of my body like my arms and shoulders. I can’t use the cream on those parts of my body every day. It just makes my skin itchy and red. The product seems to work better for my legs, feet, and hands. That’s where I use the cream most often. No problems there! But still, the thin layer of film it leaves behind is annoying.

So CeraVe Moisturizing Cream is called a ‘Moisturizing’ cream, but it’s not that moisturizing, in my opinion. I can layer a bunch of this cream on my skin and still need more moisture. I didn’t rely on this cream to keep my skin moisturized. It’s not that great of a moisturizer. I really don’t know why this cream is so popular. Perhaps it’s because it contains ingredients such as ceramides and hyaluronic acid. And it’s fragrance-free. 🤔 But we need to consider the overall formulation of the product. And honestly, I didn’t see major changes in my skin using this cream. I just used it to finish up the jar (in which I did). BUT! I have a few more jars of this stuff to finish up. Don’t ask me why I picked up a few more. Ugh! I’m just stuck with them now. Lol. I recently opened up a new jar quick so I can get started (to finish it up). So apparently, it takes me about 3 months to finish up a whole jar. But will I purchase any more CeraVe Moisturizing Creams after I’m truly done? Probably not. I’m really not that impressed with this product. It’s pretty average. Nothing to call home about. There are better moisturizers out there. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t hate it. I just don’t love it.

The only CeraVe product I actually kinda like and use is CeraVe Eye Repair Cream (click!), but it’s not the best eye cream out there. Enjoy my review on it by clicking the link!

I hope my update on CeraVe Moisturizing Cream was helpful. Have a wonderful day. 🙂

Review: Trader Joe’s Cucumber Avocado Body Butter

I finished my bottle of Neutrogena Hydro Boost Body Gel Cream. 👈🏻 Previous review here! Should I do a new update?? 🤔 We’ll see! I’m currently looking for a new body moisturizer. I remembered that I had a jar of Trader Joe’s Cucumber Avocado Body Butter. I thought I would give it a try again. It’s there, so why not? lol. The purpose of this body butter is to moisturize, deeply hydrate, and leave the skin feeling super soft and supple. It’s enriched with shea butter, avocado oil, cucumber extract, and jojoba oil. So did it do what it’s supposed to do?? Keep reading to find out! Here’s my experience with Trader Joe’s Cucumber Avocado Body Butter!

My experience

The texture of the cream is super soft. It resembles more of a gel-cream than a body butter upon touch. But when applied to the skin, it feels much richer and leaves the skin moisturized. It absorbs and blends into the skin nicely. But it doesn’t leave a clean finish behind. Feels like there’s a layer of residue sitting on top of the skin after it blends into the skin. It doesn’t feel sticky or greasy though. I feel that my skin becomes irritated due to the residue and the fragrance in this cream. Yes, it contains fragrance. This cream smells like artificial cucumbers. And I didn’t like it at all. It gave me a really annoying headache each time I used it. So I can see why I stopped using this moisturizer for a while. In my opinion, the product is below average compared to other body moisturizers and butters. The smell is just way too strong for my taste. There’s nothing special about this body butter. It contains shea butter, avocado oil, cucumber fruit extract, jojoba oil, sodium hyaluronate, vitamin e…but that’s nothing out of the ordinary. A lot of products do too. I just think the overall formulation is just poor. It could’ve been better.

This is what the body butter looks like. I hope to finish it soon, lol.

Pros & Cons

✅ Pros

• Moisturizes
• Contains shea butter, avocado oil, cucumber fruit extract, jojoba oil, sodium hyaluronate, vitamin e
• Nice creamy, soft texture
• Blends into the skin well
• Not sticky or greasy
• Not tested on animals

❌ Cons

• Contains fragrance. Gave me a bad headache.
• Leaves residue behind

Conclusion

Honestly, I don’t like this product at all. I thought it would be good when I touched the cream, since it feels so soft and smooth in consistency. But when applied to the skin, it just feels very different. It doesn’t leave the skin feeling sticky or greasy, but the residue that it leaves behind is annoying and irritating. I prefer products that just vanishes into the skin and doesn’t feel like I have product on. The fragrance in this moisturizer is just as bad. I don’t like it. Since it gives me headaches, I only use it on my feet, so I won’t have to smell it, lol. All in all, I won’t purchase again. I wouldn’t recommend it either. It’s not as great as I thought it would be.

For more reviews on moisturizers go here

Review: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Body Gel Cream

I loved the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Lotion Sunscreen SPF 30 (review here) so much that I went out and picked up the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Body Gel Cream! The sunscreen left my skin moisturized and helped heal some flaky skin I was dealing with. They were literally attached to my skin when they should be coming off by themselves. Well, with little effort as possible I mean. Also, my skin was super itchy to the point that I would scratch and rip some skin off by accident. Erm, those itch spots. Sometimes you just gotta scratch. So this moisturizer comes in a big bottle (16 oz.) without SPF. I wonder if it works the same as the sunscreen (just without the SPF). At least somewhat similar. The purpose of this moisturizer is to replenish the skin and help improve skin hydration and smoothness. It’s also supposed to help retain moisture in the skin and improve the look and feel of dry skin over time. That sounds amazing already! So, just like the SPF, I’ve been using it for less than a week but in the morning and at night. Here are my thoughts on it. I hope this review is helpful. 🙂

My experience

Just like the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Lotion Sunscreen SPF 30, this product has an overpowering fragrance, and the color of the product is blue. If you’re allergic to fragrance or dyes, you’re in luck! A fragrance-free version of this product is available. Maybe I’ll grab that one next time. The one with fragrance was the only one I could find at the store. I just grabbed whatever they had, since it was a last minute type of thing. My skin was so dry and itchy at that point. Plus, I don’t have any issues with fragrance or dyes. My skin isn’t sensitive to them. So this moisturizer is very easy to apply to the skin. It goes on smoothly and leaves the skin feeling instantly hydrated. I’ve used so many moisturizers on my body, but this one is pretty amazing. It actually leaves my skin feeling hydrated throughout the day and over night. My skin feels so soft and supple to touch. I really love it! But, be aware when applying this body moisturizer, it has the tendency to pill if you rub it into the skin too much. I would suggest going light-handed and smoothing it over the skin gently to prevent pilling. If you use too much product, it pills a lot too. You don’t need to use a lot of product to get results anyways. A little goes a long way. Lastly, it leaves the skin feeling a tad sticky after application. It doesn’t feel greasy but sticky. That sticky feeling diminishes a little bit, but it doesn’t completely go away, so I prefer to use it at night more often than during the day because of this. Overall, this moisturizer has helped my skin so much! It helped to get rid of flaky skin and overall skin dryness. My skin isn’t itchy or flaky anymore. I’m so amazed how well it works. My skin is very happy with the results. For the amount of product and price, it’s a pretty good steal.

This is what the product looks like. It has a more whipped texture and consistency to it compared to the sunscreen. Same blue color to it. I must admit, the dye in this product does make it look pretty, lol. Still, it’s not necessary for a skin care product to achieve results. With this moisturizer, I don’t use it on my face. My facial skin breaks out far too easily, and the ingredients are not acne-friendly. It contains isopropyl palmitate and petrolatum, which isn’t good on my acne-prone skin. If it works on your face, lucky you. This stuff is so affordable and truly does moisturize the skin.

Pros & Cons

✅ Pros

• Moisturizing
• Gets rid of flaky skin
• Comes in a 16 oz. bottle
• Affordable
• Lightweight
• Non-greasy
• Leaves skin hydrated throughout the day and over night

❌ Cons

• Overpowering fragrance
• Has the tendency to pill
• Feels a bit sticky afterwards

Conclusion

Another hydro boost skin care product from Neutrogena that I’m falling in love with! I didn’t expect this to happen either, but I knew I had to get my hands on the hydro boost body gel cream! It has done wonders for my dry, itchy, flaky skin. It healed my skin in nearly a single day. I’m still so shocked because I have a bunch of body moisturizers that did absolutely nothing after so many applications. For example, CeraVe and Cetaphil moisturizers that almost everyone raves about so much. None of those skin care products helped to relieve the dryness and itchiness. So I think it’s great to have found something so affordable and effective. I’m going to use this moisturizer day and night to keep my skin youthful, supple, soft, and hydrated. It works! I would recommend this if you have really dry skin! It’s a lovely product!

Go here for more reviews on Neutrogena skin care products