To the rescue!

Last month, I decided to test a certain skincare product that I've been dying to try. It's a well-known product, some may even say that it's a cult beauty product because it was really hyped up and reviewed across all social media platforms. So yes, my expectations and excitement were through the roof with it. Long story short, I used said product religiously for about 4-5 days until my skin started to feel wrong. Look, if there's one thing I'm always looking after at, it's my skin so I pretty much know in a snap if something's going on with it and boy was I right. I started feeling little bumps in my skin and turns out, they're dry skin forming into dry patches and they're all over my face- my forehead, my cheekbones, my jawline, hell, they're even in my neck! When I saw that other parts of my body where I applied said product started to have dry patches as well, I just knew it was that product causing the commotion. So I stopped using it...and started to panic. (BTW, if you really must know, said product is an oil, a multi-use/purpose oil. So, rack your brains on what oil it is cause I ain't sharing haha!)

Good thing the only problem I had were the dry skin and patches because I know one way to "cure" them: hydration. So I gathered up the moisturizers I still have and picked out the ones I know match my skin well. Thankfully, I found this particular product in my stash because it is pretty much the reason why my skin went back to its original texture and condition.

This is the Laneige Water Bank Gel Cream, a product suited for normal to combination skin but specifically helps skin types prone to dry patches. It is infused with Hydro Ionized Mineral Water and Biogen technology, ingredients that help strengthen the skin's natural barrier in locking in hydration. It also has winter cypress polysaccharide extract which soothes and cools down the skin temperature by 2.4°C. How awesome is that?

Texture-wise, it doesn't feel like a heavy cream.  The product feels silky and smooth and very lightweight. It actually reminds me of the Neutrogena HydroBoost Essence, only this one feels a teeny tiny bit thicker than that. I can't explain it elaborately but I feel like the texture walks in between the line of a water-based moisturizer and a serum. Thin but not fluid, thick but not hard to spread. 

On the skin, maaaaan it feels like a dream. A little goes a long way and once you spread it and massage it onto your skin, it instantly gives the skin the hydration boost it needs. When I used it on my dry patches, I can instantly feel the skin healing and become less irritated. I also like the fact that it gets absorbed easily and quickly, no thin film of product lying on top of my skin. I particularly love applying it at night before I go to bed because it stays on my skin longer and has ample time to just stay there and refresh my skin.

This paired with the First Aid Beauty Skin Rescue Oil Free Mattifying Gel really helped my skin to heal and get back to its normal state and I am forever grateful that I have these two in my stash. The Laneige Water Bank Gel Cream was such a wonderful discovery and I am so happy that I can easily get it here in the Philippines once I run out (pssst, it's available in BeautyMNL!). Also, apparently there's a version of it that is more of an advanced formula so that's something I'd also gladly try next. But yes, overall, I highly recommend this product if you need a superb moisturizer that does the job well, feels nice and light, and smells so fresh. Now this I understand why it's a cult-fave. Well done, Laneige! 

(PS. Also, shoutout to my sister who gave this and other Laneige products for me to try!)

☕ ITALIAN WORD OF THE DAY ☕

Since I'm learning Italian, I figured I'll end my post with an Italian word: acqua, which means water.

Questo prodotto è come l'acqua per la pelle. (This product is like water for the skin.)