eczema

Picture it—I had just got diagnosed from my doctor with a severe allergic rash around my lips due to my use of the EOS lip balm. I am allergic to petroleum, paraffin, mineral oil AND beeswax so what is a sensitive skin gal like me to do? First Aid Beauty’s products to the rescue!

First Aid Beauty products–a sensitive skin gal’s best friend

~~Exclusive to Sephora stores,~~ First Aid Beauty products are billed as, “allergy-tested and free of parabens, fragrance, and harsh chemicals, and perfect for even the most sensitive skin” . For someone like me who is practically allergic to air this product line seemed custom made for me. I picked up the Ultra Repair Cream, Cream Cleanser and Lip Therapy products and over the past two months me and this troika have become BFFs in caring for my sensitive skin.

First Aid Beauty’s Ultra Repair Cream is a medium-weight cream that is a creamy white color with a trace of scent. It goes on very smooth, is almost immediately soothing and my skin absorbed it quickly. It is perfect for a quick blast of moisture if you skin is very itchy. I did try it on my peorial dermatitis around my lips and unfortunately it stung for a little while–ouch! So while it is good for moisturizing eczema-irritated skin, if you have peorial dermatitis I would advise staying away from it. This is a very nice hand cream to put on before bedtime. It isn’t as nice smelling as my L’Occitane Shea Butter hand cream but it gets the job done–especially if you have sensitive skin.

I did test a sample of the Ultra Repair Cream Concentrate which is a solid yet pliable balm with no discernable scent. A little goes a very long way to provide lasting moisture to the skin. On my peorial dermatitis the balm stung a little but the feeling went away within a minute or so. As my skin healed further the stinging sensation upon application went away but as I am sensitive to beeswax (which is in this product) it started to irritate my skin so I discontinued using it. Very disappointed as it is a very moisturizing balm to use.

First Aid Beauty’s Cream Cleanser is a pearly white cream cleanser has a trace of a scent and you only need a small bit to clean your entire face. It made quick work of dissolving my foundation, concealer and my sweatproof eye makeup but my mascara hung on a little afterwards. As gentle as it is, it did dry out my peorial dermatitis where it was uncomfortably dry but I don’t see this happening with simple ezcema. I like to use this cleanser to remove the rest of my makeup off of my face after I’ve used a makeup remover especially for eyes.

Last but definitely not least, First Aid Beauty’s Lip Therapy is my holy grail when it comes to lip balms. Free of petroleum, paraffin, mineral oil and beeswax, this yellowish creamy balm contains soothing shea butter and jojoba oil among other soothing ingredients. This balm kept my lips moisturized very nicely overnight and I was pleasantly surprised to find out it soothed my peorial dermatitis without any stinging.

The Ultra Repair Cream 2oz and Lip Therapy retail for $12 USD each while the 5oz Face Cleanser retails for $20 USD. First Aid Beauty products are sold at Sephora stores, Sephora.com, QVC.com and at FirstAidBeauty.com

I apologize, dear readers, for my prolonged absence. But trust me, this review is part of the reason why I’ve been AWOL. Why? Please do keep reading…

A few months ago when this product first came out I bought it out of sheer curiosity. It was creamy and definitely a no-no for my super oily skin. But like the good makeup addict that I am I bought it and stashed it away until the winter. Frankly I had no intentions of seriously using it.

That is, until I caught a case of peorial dermatitis from a MAC concealer AND had an allergic reaction one of those infernal EOS lip balms. It is the reason why I haven’t posted any facial shots for the past five months. And that’s a whole ‘nother blog post for a nother time…

NARS Pure Radiant Cream Foundation in New Guinea (Med/Dark5)

NARS describes this foundation as:

“New NARS Radiant Cream Compact Foundation brilliantly evens skin with a lightweight, luminous finish. Combining the supple feel of a cream foundation with the sleek ease of a portable compact, the Advanced Emulsion Technology formula may be applied wet or dry for artistic versatility. Blending seamlessly with weightless medium buildable coverage, skin feels soft and comfortable with moisture levels boosted by 80% after 12 hours, helping to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and enhancing skin’s radiance.”

My perfect shade is New Guinea (Med/Dark 5 –Dark with Red Undertone) but as usual, dark foundations for skins with blazing red undertones are not carried at the likes of Sephora. I bough mine directly from the NARS website but this color is also available at Nordstrom.com and Beauty.com.

Face done with NARS Radiant Cream Compact foundation–before allergic reaction

Unlike with NARS pressed powder foundation, for this product you can purchase the foundation + sponge separately from the mirrored compact made for this product. The compact has a long mirror and vented holes in the bottom of one compartment where the foundation sponge . can sit. The product applies easily and provides sheer to medium coverage. If you have dry skin the sponge probably applies the product just fine but if you have oily skin like myself with acne scars, the sponge does okay but it’s obvious how splotchy the finish is. The best way to apply this foundation is to use a kabuki brush (preferably retractable) and buff the product onto the skin. I found this method much better for covering my acne scars than simply using the sponge (is this sponge latex free?).

Various shades of NARS Radiant Cream Foundation...except my precious New Guinea :(

Various shades of NARS Radiant Cream Foundation at Sephora…except my precious New Guinea 😦

Now, back to the allergic reaction. The case of peorial dermatitis that I caught had my upper lip area from my cupid’s bow to the tip of my nose itchy, irritated with scaling skin. As the skin healed I could not use my oil-free NARS foundation to cover it at all as it would dry out the skin and make things even worse. NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer did help a little but what melted into the dry, cracked skin crevices and made it look human for awhile was this foundation. It did not make my skin itchy and was quite soothing so in the end I am very glad I purchased this to have on hand. I’m much better now but I can honestly say this is a nice foundation to have if you are prone to eczema and eczema-like skin conditions on your face/neck.

I can’t say the sponge is really worth purchasing–especially if you have oily/sensitive skin. Load up your compact with disposable non-latex cosmetic wedges you can purchase from Target. Simply use one/two and toss away. Better control to apply in hard places like the nose bridge and tear duct areas of the face.

If you have very dry to normal skin this foundation is a very good value for the money. I don’t like how the compact is in the left side and when I hold the compact I tend to pop the foundation out as I’m holding it in my left hand. Wish this was on the right side instead. For oily/sensitive skin I would only use this in the winter and then only in dry patch areas. Oiler skins are better off using NARS Sheer Matte (my gold standard for oily/sensitive skin foundation) or NARS Tinted Moisturizer finished with NARS Pressed Powder Foundation.

NARS Radiant Cream Foundation in New Guinea–great for eczema-prone or peorial dermatitis-affected skin!

What I wish NARS would really do is make this same compact but with the pressed powder foundation for oily skins. Now THAT is something this beauty geek would love to have in her stash. Please, NARS? Pretty Please?

NARS Radiant Cream compact foundation refill retails for $38.00 USD for the refill and the refillable compact retails for $10USD. Both products are sold separately and available at freestanding Sephora and Sephora.com stores. Again, the New Guinea shade is available at Nordstrom.com, NARSCosmetics.com and Beauty.com

The Beauty Is A Geek

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream, Face Cleanser and Lip Therapy: The Rundown

NARS Radiant Cream Compact Foundation: The Rundown