Derma MD Skincare Review: Part 2 + GIVEAWAY!

As promised, I'm back to share my thoughts on the final four products that I was so kindly sent to review by the folks at Derma MD. Two of them were my favorites of the whole bunch, so I'm very excited to share the details with you. In this post, I'll also be giving away a complete Wasabi Acne Kit (5 products!), so be sure to enter below.

Let's get started!

In my first post, I talked about my morning skincare routine, but only teased the two "last step" products -- one of which is the Eliminate Eye Cream and the last of which is the Daytime Moisturizer SPF 50.

The Eliminate Eye Cream may have been my least favorite of the products I was sent, and not because it was bad for any reason, but more so because it's quite expensive (it retails for almost $60 on the Derma MD Web site) and I can't say that I really saw it making any difference as compared to other, much more affordable eye creams that I've used. I will say that the texture is quite nice, although the bright yellow color scared me when I first opened the tub. It sort of reminds me, both in texture and scent, of the Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion, even though I know that's formulated to be for your entire face, not just your eyes. I'd probably pass on this item if I was spending my own money, but do think that it's a nice eye cream if you're looking for something high end.

The Daytime Moisturizer is quite nice because it has such a high SPF, so you don't have to worry about whether or not your foundation has sun protection in it (a lot of foundations in the natural genre don't have sunscreens). It has a very light, pleasant scent, even though it's free of artificial fragrances and it's also oil free, so it did a nice job of hydrating my skin without making it feel too heavy or oily. This product goes for $45 on the Web site, so especially if you take advantage of my 50% off coupon code (just enter "Gabby" at check out), this becomes really affordable! The only caution I would put out there is that it did leave a little bit of a white residue on my face if I didn't blend it in particularly well. That's fine for me because I ALWAYS wear a foundation on top, but if you're one of those girls that prefers her skin bare, just make sure you do a good job blending it in as you apply it.

Now onto my favorites!

I think by far the Lightening & Brightening Creme is the best product that I was sent. Since I've struggled with acne for so long, I tend to have issues with hyper pigmentation from acne scarring. The scars are so hard to cover up with foundation/concealer and since I have oily skin, the coverage tends to wear off quickly. Although I can't say that my skin is 100% even after only a month of using this creme, I have seen a dramatic difference in the overall look of my skin and plan to repurchase it when I run out (which will likely be in about another month, based on how much I have left after 30 days).


My scars are definitely lighter and less visible, and even my rosacea has improved, giving my whole face a much more even appearance. I also absolutely love the scent of this product. To me it smells slightly of peppermint or spearmint, although technically I think I'm smelling the licorice root that is one of the primary ingredients. I use this product as my nighttime moisturizer and, I'll tell you, I often can't wait to finish my routine for the night so that I can use this stuff.

The final product I would like to talk about is my second favorite and that's the Wasabi Resurfacing Anti-Acne Pads. The first time I tried these pads, I actually thought they felt really scratchy on my skin, and I was concerned that they were going to cause irritation, but over time I got used to the feeling and actually started to realize that I was exfoliating my skin as I was using them to remove my makeup (these are GREAT at removing all of your foundation and face makeup, but I would NOT use them on your eyes). I also never experienced any redness or irritation afterward.

The only downside is that the tub clearly only comes with thirty pads, so if you're planning to use them nightly as a makeup remover, as I did, they will last you only one month and the price is really expensive if you think of them as makeup wipes (they retail for $41). It's not something that I could afford to purchase on a monthly basis, but I recognize that good products come at a higher price point, so I would definitely splurge on them once in a while, or maybe buy some and save them for that time of the month when maybe your acne flares up more than normal. In sum total, if the resurfacing gel is the miracle product that you use in the morning, I think these pads are the miracle product of the evening.

And one last thing! They are safe to use on body acne as well, so if you suffer from pimples on your décolletage or back, as I do, these can dual purpose there as well.

Now on to the giveaway! Derma MD was kind enough to provide me with a 5-product Wasabi Acne Kit to giveaway to one of my readers to try! The kit contains the cleanser, toner, resurfacing gel, zit zapper and 30-day supply of Wasabi Acne pads. This is over a $100 value!

To enter, you'll need to follow 3 easy steps:

1. Use the widget below to enter your email address so I know how to contact you if you're the winner
2. Use the widget to "Like" Derma MD's Facebook page
3. Leave a comment on this blog post (and use the widget to verify!)

The contest will be open for TWO weeks after which a random winner will be selected and contacted by me via email. This contest is only open in the continental US and you must be 18 years of age or have your parent's permission to enter. Good luck!

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Review: Derma MD Skincare & Wasabi Anti-Acne Kit (Part 1)

Several weeks ago, I was contacted by a company called Derma MD who had seen some of my skincare reviews and was interested in sending me some products to try. If you've read any of my other skincare reviews, you'll know it's a topic I'm super passionate about, but also pretty skeptical about. I've tried more than a few products that claim to do all sorts of things, and the vast majority never live up to their claims.  I agreed to try out the products since they were from an all-natural line with great ingredients (no parabens, no SLS, no phthalates, etc.), but I honestly didn't expect much. And for that very reason, I'm even more excited to let you know that I have really loved the results I've seen from using these products over the last 30 days.

I was sent quite a few products to try, so I've broken this review up into two parts. Today I'm going to focus primarily on the Wasabi acne kit that I was sent, and then in a few days I'll follow up and review some of the creams and ancillary products that I was sent. And after I post Part 2 of this review, I'll be setting up a giveaway so that one of you can win the Wasabi acne kit that I'm talking about today! I've also got an awesome 50% off coupon code for you to use if you decide that you'd like to try some of these products for yourself.

One more thing before we get started. I hope by now you know that I would never give a product or company positive remarks if I didn't absolutely mean them. So even though I did receive these products for free, you can feel good that my review is 100% honest. I'll even call out the parts of the products that I didn't love as much or feel could be improved, because let's face it, even products that you love are never perfect. On to the review!

The Clear-ifying Wasabi 3 Step Acne Kit comes with a facial cleanser, toner, resurfacing gel and "zit zapper" for $89.95. I'd say that the cleanser in the kit is about a 30-day supply, but there is more than enough toner and "zit zapper" to last you well beyond that (likely 60-90 days). The resurfacing gel is a little harder to judge because of the packaging, but I assume that I have at least another 15 days left in that baby (so about a 45-day supply). You can also purchase a much bigger size of the cleanser separately for $38, so you wouldn't have to re-buy the whole kit every month (that could get really expensive!).

Let's talk about each of the individual products that come in the kit:

• Wasabi Anti-Acne Cleanser: I use one pump of the cleanser, which has a gel consistency and is clear in color, to wash my face, and find that it creates a very gentle lather (not a ton of foam) and rinses without leaving any residue. My skin definitely feels very clean afterward, although not uncomfortably stripped or tight. The cleanser has an interesting scent that at first sort of reminded me of Bengay, and although it does tingle a slight bit when you use it (likely from the wasabi), it's not unpleasant, and after a few uses I didn't even get bothered by the scent at all. I use the cleanser morning and night, after removing my makeup.
• Wasabi Toner: Next up is the Wasabi toner, which has a very light, pleasant scent and doesn't sting or burn the skin at all (really this whole kit is super gentle and great for sensitive skin like mine). The mist feels really refreshing, and for me helps me feel awake in the morning! The only thing I'll say about this toner is that the spray nozzle could be improved. It's a bit too narrow and forceful, which makes it hard to gently mist your face. I think I waste a lot of the product because I'm kind of squirting it all over, hoping to cover my face, and I only make my target once every few spritzes. If I were to do this again, I'd probably just buy another spray bottle with a wider nozzle and put the product in there so I didn't feel so wasteful.
• Wasabi Resurfacing Anti-Acne Gel: If I had to venture a guess, I'd say the Wasabi anti-acne resurfacing gel is probably the miracle product in the line, although the company does say that the ingredients are meant to work together across all of their products. I take one pump of this light, gel-like serum and put it all over my face (avoiding the eye area) twice a day. It dries pretty quickly and absorbs into the skin without any residue. From an ingredient standpoint, it contains 4-5% niacinamide, which is vitamin B3, and apparently clinically recognized as an ingredient that reduces redness and inflammation.
• Zit Zapper: As you need it, you can use the zit zapper (I only use it at night) on any acne spots or blemishes. It comes in a little roller ball for easy application and contains salicylic acid, which anyone who has acne issues should be very familiar with! I haven't used this a ton, and honestly am not sure that it's quite as effective as it may claim to be (or quite as effective as sulfur-based acne spot treatments), but the extra dose of acne medication can never hurt, and I do like how portable and easy to travel with the product is.

I'm going to go into detail about the rest of the products I received in part 2, but I do want to mention that after using the three products above in the morning, I also finish off with an eye cream and daytime moisturizer that has an SPF 50 (how awesome is that?). Then at night I use two extra products that may just be my favorite of the whole bunch, so I can't wait to tell you about them.

Now for my favorite part: the results. I swear to you, my skin has not been this clear and even in MONTHS. I have tried so many different acne kits and never noticed much of a difference at all. But my blemishes have most definitely reduced significantly, my redness has improved, as have the appearance of my acne scars, and I can even say that my skin has been less oily overall. At first I felt like it was a lot of steps to do twice a day, but once I started to see that things were actually working, I became more than happy to spend an extra 10 minutes in the bathroom. I have struggled with acne for so long that I feel so relieved to have finally found a product line that appears to jive with what my skin needs/wants.

Of course, it's important to note that we all have different skin types, so I can't promise that everyone will get the same results -- but if my other likes/dislikes in skincare have resonated with you, I'd encourage you to give this line a shot and see if it works for you as well. In truth, I've actually really wanted to keep the giveaway kit for myself, because I love it so much, but definitely wouldn't want to cheat you guys out of the opportunity to give this stuff a try. :)

If you want to try these products, or any other products on their site, the folks at Derma MD have been kind enough to set up a special promo code for Beauty Babble readers. Just head to www.dermamdskincare.com and use the promo code "Gabby" in your shopping cart and you'll receive a whopping 50% off your order! I know that the prices for these products are a little high, so hopefully this helps make them more affordable for you -- and I know I'll be using the promo code myself to stock up for when I run out of the ones I've got.

Like I said, I'll be posting the second part of this review early next week and will give you all of the information that you need to enter the giveaway, so stay tuned for more soon.

Have you tried anything from Derma MD's skincare line? If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.