When I was first contacted by Skin MD Natural to try out & review their shielding lotion, I was a bit hesitant because I hadn't heard much of the company before. I did a quick Google search & came across a few reviews. None of the reviews were harsh or really negative so I requested a sample to review.
I also visited the website in hopes of finding out what a shielding lotion was because I had never heard of one before. I was interested in the product more when I read this quote by Dr. Brian Zogg, a dermatologist in Albert Lea, MN:
"Shielding lotion is a lotion that forms a protective barrier on the skin and keeps out irritants and chemicals. It also allows the natural oils and moisture to remain in the skin so it can heal better. It is a big advantage that shielding lotions are light and go on without a greasy mess."
After reading that quote, I really wondered if the lotion would be light & non-greasy but was looking forward to trying it.
What I receivedI received my package from Skin MD Natural at the end of January 2010. From doing the Google search, I knew that I would be receiving a full sized bottle. The full sized bottle is 120 ml or 4 oz. Now a lot of people can't exactly picture how big a 120 ml/4 oz. bottle of lotion would be, so for starters I thought I'd provide a size comparison picture using standard sized objects.
[Click images to enlarge]
Size comparison [L to R]: Revlon matte lipstick, Skin MD Natural shielding lotion, a new pencil
The package also included 2 pamphlets (one pamphlet was solely dedicated to testimonials & the other pamphlet included information about the lotion) & 3 sample lotion sachets. Two of the sachets state that each can be used up to 3 to 5 times! One of the sachets is of the shielding lotion with SPF 15 (they have this in the larger bottle as well).
First ImpressionsThe bottle itself has a very minimalistic design. Nothing fancy besides the red cap & the picture on the front of the bottle which gives off a natural & medicated vibe at first glance.
The lotion has a 'press' cap, so you're not digging your fingers in a jar (& getting the lotion under your nails) or using a pump bottle (which I just find annoying for lotions). The only negative thing about this kind of cap is if you want to carry it with you in your purse, then there's always the chance that something in your purse is going to 'press' the cap & you'll get lotion over everything.
The front of the bottle says that the lotion is for your face, hands, & body! An all-in-1 lotion.. how great is that? I only used the lotion on my face though except for the patch test that I did on my arm. It's also not tested on animals & is paraben free. The back of the bottle has the ingredients (obviously!) & directions. I never use a product without reading the directions first. I've even read the directions on shampoo bottles when I'm in the shower.. haha, loser much? Anyway, I'm glad I read directions because this isn't a lotion that you can easily replace your previous once with. Why do I say that? Well, the directions on the back of the bottle say:
"Apply small amount, initially every 2-8 hours until moisture level improves, then just once every 12-24 hours."
If I hadn't read that & didn't apply it every 2-8 hours in the beginning, I would've used the lotion in the morning & before bed & thought it doesn't work. After that I would've probably left it in my drawer for months!
The back of the bottle also has some claims & the product expiry symbol. If you don't know what symbol I'm talking about, you can find it under the
ingredients & above the
safety sections on the back of this lotions bottle. The symbol says 18 M, which means that this lotion is good for 18 months after you've opened it. Beside that symbol, it says that the lotion is fragrance free. I would have to disagree with this claim because the lotion does have a light, medicated scent. I could smell that medicated scent while applying the lotion on my face but that only lasted for about 5 seconds & I could not smell it anymore.
The consistency of this lotion is very watery/liquidy so at first I was skeptical about how well the lotion would work. But I realized that my skin absorbed this lotion as soon as I applied it & my skin felt soft after that. When I had the lotion on, it felt very light & wasn't greasy at all. The watery consistency did not get in the way of letting the lotion work it's magic on my skin in the winter. The lotion worked just as well (if not better) as any other thicker lotion that I've tried before.
Consistency = watery
Does it actually work?I was ready to review the lotion a month ago (after I had used it for a month), but during the last week of February, the weather decided to take another turn & it got really cold & dry. During that week, I noticed a dry spot emerge on my chin. I applied extra lotion on the spot that day & at night as well so I didn't see it the next day. However, the dry spot making an appearance made me want to test out the lotion a bit more before I did an official review. Since that was the only time I saw a dry spot, I have to say that even though this lotion works great (even during winter), it might not pass the test during the few
harsh winter days that I've seen in Canada from time to time.
Once again, keep in mind that the whole time period that I tried this lotion out was during winter & it was just the one really cold day when I found a dry spot. Also, different products work differently for everyone. Your skin might completely reject something that my skin loved. Also, make sure that whenever you read reviews on a product & you want to try it out, you do a patch test before laying it out all over your arm, face, body, etc.
Other than that one time, the lotion worked great & I only needed a very little amount each time. I also loved how my skin absorbed the lotion almost immediately. You always hear that a little goes a long way but at times it's just hard to believe. However, when you use this lotion, you really do need just a tiny bit & your skin absorbs it right away! I've been using this lotion since the end of January. It is now March 25th & I still have a little less than half left. I can't tell how much exactly because the bottle is white & opaque & the lotion is white as well but I definitely have
at least one-third of the lotion left.
What's wrong with it?Besides the dry spot that I saw once, one thing that might stop people from purchasing this lotion is the price! The 120 ml/4 oz. bottle is for $18 (US dollars). Obviously, some people might not want to or have that much money to buy a lotion that's that expensive, but each persons situation varies. I know people who spend $40+ on a jar of face cream. It also depends on what you expect from a product. The Skin MD Natural shielding lotion is all natural & a little goes a long way (once you follow the directions & your skin gets used to it).
The only reason why I wouldn't purchase this lotion again is because of the medicated scent. I know a lot of people who have reviewed it have said that it does not have a scent, but I am sensitive to smells & this is definitely not something that I want to smell every morning or every night before I go to bed. Even though I can only smell it for 5 seconds, I'd rather avoid that scent completely if I can.
Another negative thing about this lotion is that you have to apply it a few times a day for a few days till your skin's moisture level improves. This wasn't a problem for me because I started using the lotion on a weekend when I was studying & bare faced the whole time. However, this might be a negative thing for those who want to use this as a lotion for their face but wear makeup on a daily basis & cannot apply lotion every 2-8 hours.
Also, to make my point about how long this lotion lasts , I tried to open the bottle & check it out. However, as mentioned above, the lotion is white & the bottle is white & opaque, so the only way that I could find out how much lotion I had left was to insert my finger in the bottle. I suppose I could have inserted the pencil that I used in the comparison pic, but no thanks.. I'll stick to my clean finger testing method! This is a negative if you want to find out how much lotion you have left so you know when to purchase your next bottle.
More...For more information, visit the
Skin MD Natural website. & if you're brave enough, take a look at the (disturbing)
before & after pictures that were included in one of the pamphlets.
If you like what you've read & would like to try out the Skin MD Natural shielding lotion, I will be hosting a giveaway sponsored by Skin MD Natural soon so look out for that!
The Skin MD Natural shielding lotion giveaway details:
The Skin MD Natural shielding lotion giveaway details:
