Cetaphil (Not an advert)

Expensive vs inexpensive

I used to think that by using a more expensive product, you will benefit from it in the long run. Think of the branded stuffs compared to cheaper options, in this case, let’s narrow it down to handbags or clothes. One will assume that branded products will last longer and have higher quality compared to their counterparts. I am not saying that’s not the case. I am pretty sure everyone agrees that wool and cashmere-made scarves are warmer compared to polyester, cotton-made scarves. Another example is shoes as well, be it for men or women, comfy shoes (i.e. Hush Puppies, Ara, easy step, etc) are more expensive compared to cheaper shoes. However, admittedly, they are uglier too or less fashionable in another word. A while back, I hurt the sole of my feet and now I can’t walk with flats that have no proper cushion soles because my feel would swell and it did in the past. Hence, when I go to work, I tend to wear comfy shoes and I only wear heels during the weekend for a night out.

In general, I assume people agree that one of the reasons one is willing to fork out that much money to purchase upmarket products is because they hope that they won’t get replaced as often. Of course you will have people who collect branded merchandises for a status statement purpose or they simply just appreciate original designers who put so much effort to make their work-of-art a trademark, hence the origin of “copyright”. Anyways, the focus of my post this time is more on facial/cosmetics products, specifically facial care products.

I remember a very long time ago when I was still a poor student back at home. I didn’t care much about my skin, hair etc. Looking back at the photos, I was petrified. All I used were very basic products, the cheapest ones I could find which would give me the best result. Well, let’s be honest here, it doesn’t exist! Especially, if you were not born with flawless skin. If your face is full of acnes, oily/dry, uneven skin tone etc, using any kind of facial care product will only make it worse. I used to use whatever that is available at the local supermarkets. To be honest, till date, I can’t tell the difference on whether my skin condition has improved. I had a complimentary skin analysis with Shiseido a while back and the consultant told me my skin condition is pretty decent. Well, I guess if you look after it well, it still works. Fast forward, I upgraded from skin care such as Nivea, Biore, Dove etc to L’Occitane, Body Shop and then to Shiseido White Lucent range without the toner because my L’Occitane’s red rice toner is still in use.

After I switched from L’Occitane to Shiseido for a few months now, something horribly went wrong. My skin started to itch, red patches appeared randomly on my skin, it stung when I washed my face, my skin around my nose went extremely dry and started peeling off. I wasn’t sure whether it was my make up or my skin care causing this allergic reaction to my face because I have been using both for a while and it only appeared recently. The burning sensation was just unbearable and I was trying so hard not to scratch my face as well because it would only get worse. In the end, I decided to go to the pharmacy and ask for a soothing cream. The pharmacist suggested me to swap my cleanser and moisturizer with Cetaphil instead. Can you imagine getting rid of $180++ worth of products to less than $20 worth of products????? BUT!!!!!!!!!!!!

I must say, Cetaphil works magic on my skin! Just after 2-3 days of using the cleanser and the moisturizer, the allergic reaction stopped! Well, I had to stop applying make-up on my face for 2 days on top of that just to give my face a break but I was mortified because I had to go to work bare face which I rarely did before, maybe once in the past. I don’t wear thick make-up but even just applying an eye-liner will make my face so much fresher than without anything at all. I don’t feel confident and I look tired all the time without any make-up on. Anyways, back to Cetaphil, you can either wash your face with water or without water. I know some of you feel like your face is still dirty if you don’t rinse it with water but you need to know as well that water will only make your skin drier if you wash it too often. I usually rinse my face with water first after removing all my make-ups, dry it with a towel, apply an even amount of Cetaphil cleanser onto the face avoiding the eyes’ area. Afterwards, use cotton pads to remove the excess, then voila!!!! Your face is instantly brightened up and feels good too!

Moving on to the moisturizer, it is by far THE most amazing moisturizer I have ever used in my entire life!!! You know how a normal moisturizer just absorbs quickly into your skin? This one actually stays on your skin, you can touch it without feeling greasy or heavy. It absorbs in your skin, however it keeps the surface of your skin moisturized at the same time. It even could stay there for hours and trust me, you will not feel disgusted at all! It is definitely a good sign, especially in the middle of a harsh winter in Australia, which dries out your face very quickly when you step out of the house. I am not too sure about people with oily skin as this may aggravate the oil to surface more. Other than that, this is a must have facial care product during winter. Now, I am not too sure what am I going to do with my Shiseido & L’Occitane’s skin care range now L Oh, by the way Cetaphil brand has a lot of ranges in terms of their skin care product and they are available at local pharmacies. Don’t think they are available in the supermarkets, I suppose you can always google it.

P.S: The moisturizer can be applied all over the body area too, not limited to face only. Also, major apology for I don't have the photos of before and after using Cetaphil because I only thought about sharing the goodness of it now :( I guess according to my experience, I won't go back to my other facial care products for a while :)