Wow. I mean really...wow.

I have very dry skin. We run a dehumidifier at home all year 'round, and I work at a store with a door that opens every 5 minutes, letting the air in, right onto me. Both of these factors resulted in me having hands that were ok, but often cracking around the nail beds or in worst cases, on the knuckles. Even worse than that, my face is really dry. I've had strangers tell me that there was some dry skin on my nose, and that's because they were too polite to mention it was also on my forehead, around my eyebrows and elsewhere.

Regular blog readers will know from my weekly photos that I rarely wear makeup. The only thing I do try to use often is moisturizer. I rush to put it on right when I get out of the shower because my skin is so dry that if I wait too long, forget it- all it will do is leave an oily film on my skin.

That's not the case with this product. Skin MD Natural is the best moisturizer I've come across in a long time. It's billed as a "shielding lotion", which their website describes as a product to "not only add moisture, but to help stop the loss of your own moisture".

I love it. First of all, it takes very little. The 4oz bottle is supposed to last 1-2 months. I can agree, you definitely don't need a lot of this product. A small amount (about the size of a pea) is enough for my face, although I usually cheat and squeeze out a little more, so once my face is done I can rub the rest into my hands.

I haven't noticed any oily feeling or clammy residue. In fact, I've found the opposite. Within a few moments after application, I feel like my face and hands are smooth, dry and silky.

I've tried to figure out how to explain the feeling, and I'm afraid that my explanation will throw some people off, but this is what it reminds me of- do you remember when Garnier Fructis shampoos and conditioners came out? Their big draw was how silky they made your hair. Everyone I know used it, including me, and it was true- your hair felt soft and silky and had a great shine to it. A few months later there was a rumor going around NOT to use Fructis because it was a wax, and it was coating your hair, and THAT'S why your hair was shiny. Now, I don't know if that rumor was true, but that's kind of how I picture this shielding lotion. It makes me feel like my face is protected and anything that comes at it will be up against an invisible barrier.

For example- I put the lotion on my face one night. The next morning I was rushing to pick up Maaike for the Sally Melville workshop, and I banged my hip into the edge of our kitchen counter. Tears had spung to my eyes before I could react a little more calmly, and I remember wiping them away and being stunned- instead of leaving a wet, streaky trail on my face, every place where I'd wiped away my tears my face was dry. The lotion really did provide a layer of protection.

That might not be the best way of explaining it, but don't let that deter you. This really is a great product. For the first time I don't feel like I have to put on a moisturizer every morning. And guaranteed- every time I use it, I catch myself hours later, smoothing my fingers over my skin. I actually made Yannick feel my forehead a few days ago when I couldn't stop rubbing it and remarking upon how soft it was.

I feel like I'm gushing. I hate gushing, it comes across so fake. Hopefully you know me well enough by now to know that I wouldn't say I like something if I didn't. And I like this product.
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Labels: product review