Lip Balm Wars

So it's been two weeks since I started using my MooGoo products – time for another review!

Let's introduce today's contenders that call my handbag their fighting ring...

In one corner we have MooGoo's Edible Lip Balm; the opposite corner is Maybelline's Baby Lips and in the third corner is Vaseline's Pink Bubbly Lip Therapy.

The Edible Lip Balm is the only one made out of natural ingredients and while I certainly like the thought of not ingesting any harmful chemicals I do notice it doesn't feel as smooth or "wet" on my lips. Instead it has a drier and waxier texture when compared to the other two lip balms and doesn't feel as moisturising. However I usually attribute a balm's level of moisturise by the "wetness" I feel when I smack my lips but this might not necessarily be true.

As I mentioned before, there is a slight ruddy tint to it which adds a bit of colour to my lips – the more you apply, the more noticeable the colour. I don't know if the colour will suit everybody's skin tone but I guess it doesn't really matter if you are only applying a thin layer.

And if you are curious, let me tell you I have tried to eat a bit of the Edible Lip Balm...still pretty lip balm-y taste to me!

While I do carry all three lip balms in my handbag I do notice the one I reach for the most tends to be Maybelline's Baby Lips. I prefer the wet feeling of it compared to MooGoo's lip balm (note: the Vaseline one is the most "wet" but I hate getting my fingers dirty when using a lip pot).

Peek-a-boo, I see you...psoriasis!

Morning shot after using MooGoo SPF 15 Anti-Ageing Face

Check out this close-up shot of X; the corner of his eyes are dry and flaky (though I admit they are looking much better than before). This is where his psoriasis manifests the worst when he is stressed out and is his constant companion even on good days. Aside from using the MSM cream sample pot he has also been nicking my Moogoo SPF 15 Anti-Ageing Face. I guess all my preaching about proper sun care must be slowly getting through!

However as you can see the Anti-Ageing Face isn't as successful in regards to treating his psoriasis. The MooGoo Herd said they "designed this cream to be thick and moisturising to protect the skin from drying out" but it isn't enough for problem skin.

In X's case I would probably suggest using the MSM cream after cleansing, THEN applying the SPF 15 Anti-Ageing Face in order to still benefit from the protective properties of the non-nano Zinc Oxide. Sunscreen is still sunscreen and you definitely don't want crows feet and sunspots on your lovely complexion!  

MSM cream = Psoriasis relief

As I mentioned before in a previous post, my partner has been using the sample pot of MSM cream since he has a touch of psoriasis around his body. Results so far:

The blue arrow is where he has applied the cream religiously; the green...not so much. As you can plainly see the former area is looking almost normal – nice, pink and healthy skin. The smaller area where the green arrow is pointing; still dry, red, scaly and flaky.

X has also reported the other patches of psoriasis around his body are healing up quite nicely too and are almost gone. The poor thing has been under a lot of stress lately because of work and it is causing his skin to flare up...which made him an excellent experiment subject!

Where my finger is pointing; you can barely see the spot anymore!

Another part of his body; still there but more pink than red now.

Is that a freckle or a healing psoriasis spot? It is going quite well. 

The only drawback of his experience: whenever he showers at night now X feels a painful stinging in his eyes. At first we thought it was shampoo or conditioner accidentally getting into his eyes but eventually we figured it must be the MSM cream. He hasn't changed his shampoo or conditioner and before he started testing the cream everything was still fine. He only started noticing it on the first night of using the cream. Maybe there is something in the cream that acts as an irritant when diluted with water but whatever the case he is said he was fine dealing with the pain in order to finish his time as my test guinea pig. Hip hip hooray for the lovely fellow!

I will report back on him when he has finished the sample.

Smell is in the nose of the beholder?

So it's the third day of moisturizing with MooGoo's Skim Milk Udder Cream – my skin feels wonderfully moist and supple and I haven't felt that painful tightening of my skin when I stretch. Excellent results all around!

Smell like a pet store?

However (and there is always a but) I still can't get over the smell of the product. Every time I slather it on I feel like I've slapped on glue on my body and then drove over to my local Petbarn to twirl and dance around their warehouse collecting scent molecules reminiscent of hay and pet food. I find the initial application of the cream slightly off-putting but thankfully the smell lessens after a few minutes. If I do continue buying this MooGoo product I would probably mix in a bit of Reniu's Coconut Body Oil to balance out the smell. I've done this before with a previous moisturizer to make it smell better as well as to add to its moisturizing properties – to fantastic results!

However (take two of the dreaded but!) while my partner X was hugging me today he commented on how great I smelled. We initially thought it was my shampoo since our differing heights mean that his nose is usually buried in my hair but on closer sniff-spection he surmised it was whatever I had put on my skin. What a surprise – the scent I don't particularly favour he does! He said it reminded him of the pleasant smell of honey which is a bit odd since it isn't stated as one of the listed ingredients of this product.

Hence the title of today's post; smell, like beauty, could just be in the opinion of the beholder. However (last one for today I promise) I would prefer a slightly more floral scent or even chuck in a bit of vanilla essence; still natural ingredients but a whole lot more fragrant.

Roped in another test subject

When I purchased my order a few days ago Moogoo kindly put in a sample pot of MSM Cream with my delivery. While it was fantastic of them to do so, I didn't think I would benefit any further using that cream over Skim Milk since I don't have any skin conditions. Of course I didn't want to waste the sample (for those who have also been brought up by traditional Asian parents – eat every grain of rice; there are starving children in Ethiopia!! – you'll know what I mean) so I had to cast my eyes around for a suitable candidate. Lo and behold, and a few puppy eyes later, I managed to get my partner to give it a go.

Partner (or otherwise known as test subject X) suffers from some psoriasis scattered around his body with the worst symptoms concentrated in areas above the neck. The cream went on quite smoothly again and he reports he didn't feel any tingling or tightening or anything untoward on the areas applied. In keeping with my stringent scientific methods, I sniffed around his face to see if there was a scent to the cream – results: while the MSM cream didn't have an unpleasant smell, neither was it pleasant.

We will just have to see what the end results are like once the sample pot is finished, probably in the next week or so.

P.S I'm loving the sample pot design as well the bottle designs of the other products I have. It really shows MooGoo HQ went that extra mile to procure beautiful shapes to hold their creams and just really adds to the finished product. 

My face post MooGoo: Day 1

My face sans makeup in natural lighting conditions...you don't realize how your face truly looks like until you see it staring right back at you. Has my left eye always drooped that tiny bit?? Lol

I am currently wearing Moogoo 3 Vitamins Eye Serum, Anti-Ageing Cream and their Edible Red Lip Balm.

Goals: I would like to improve my skin tone and try to minimize the bags under my eyes. Anything else is just a bonus!

Products: Skim Milk Udder Cream, Anti-Ageing Cream, Anti-Ageing Cream with SPF 15 (I usually prefer SPF 30 so will add on sunscreen), 3 Vitamins Eye Serum, Edible Red Lip Balm

Condition: My face is combination type with an oily T-Zone that shines in the dark at the end of the day. For the rest of my body I don't have skin problems aside from dry skin during winter time which can get quite painful if I don't moisturize properly.

Before purchasing MooGoo I used a variety of different products as part of my daily routine but for the next 30 days I will be testing out MooGoo to see its efficacy on my skin and whether it is successful with my skin goals.

Before: Previous routine of daily skincare

After: New routine based on MooGoo

Getting my MooGoo on: Day 1

It has arrived! I ordered it on Sunday night and guess what the postie dropped off this morning...

Moogoo in a box

I am quite excited about my purchases especially if any company were to go to lengths to impress their customer BEFORE I even try their product. How cute is their box?!

Inside they used some sort of shaved wood packaging that smelled quite nice to bumper their products during postage. Another positive tick since I always believe a company's worth is in their small touches. Once I tipped out the box not only have I received the products that I've order but also a bonus sample of MSM Cream as well as another full-size sample of the same lip balm I had originally ordered. Thanks MooGoo!

Obviously I was quite keen to try everything so I hopped into my morning shower and afterwards dried off. First up to the batting plate, the Skim Milk Udder Cream which says to apply after a shower. It was a lot creamier and thicker than my usual body moisturizer but I quite enjoyed that. My skin was drinking the previous moisturizer but was still feeling a tad sensitive and irritated which I notice tends to happen more in winter for me. Application of the Skim Milk was smooth and my skin absorbed it easily without any greasy residue. The only thing about this product is the smell – it's like walking into a pet store which I suppose is the smell of hops used as preservatives. I would prefer it to smell a bit more fragrant since as a dancer I can get really up close to people and the last thing I want them to say is that I smell a bit weird. It seems like the Full Cream version of this product smells better with apple and honey but I don't need a super thick cream right now. A bit of a shame...

Edible Red Lip Balm; sample of the colour

Next up is the 3 Vitamins Eye Serum after toning but before moisturizing. The initial few pumps to get it going spluttered a generous amount on my fingers, more than I needed – next time I'll be more careful. It looked like a type of light oil and went on evenly under my eyes. I had to wait longer than my usual eye cream for it to absorb into my skin so I recommend using the time to do your hair or get dressed while you wait. I felt an initial slight tightening around that area but that has eased up an hour after application. Fingers crossed it does what it says it will do!

I'm staying indoors today so thought to only try out the Anti-Ageing Cream which went on after the serum. Once again it went on quite nicely on my face and neck, was without any discernible scent and was absorbed quickly into my skin. I finished up by cracking open one of my new Edible Red Lip Balms for a quick lick across my lips. It feels gorgeous on but it had more of a tint rather than a colour; I had an expectation that it was going to be more vibrant after seeing the sample colour on the website which is why I initially purchased it. In terms of edibility – tastes like regular lip balm to me. The only upside is knowing I am eating natural ingredients!

I'll continue this routine over the next 30 days and give my final verdict at the end.