Hello There!
I thought I would share my thoughts on some bargain brand skincare- the best kind! Today it is the Dead Sea Collection Mud Mask and Facial Cleansing Cream, both with dead sea minerals. I will point out, however, that I discovered this line of products in Big Lots, a super-discounted "T K Maxx" in the United States. So unfortunately some foreign friends may not find this range of products. Nevertheless, I thought I would give my two cents on two of the products I picked up from the skin care line. This is a bit of a long post, so grab a hot beverage and your fuzzy socks, and plop yourself down in a comfy chair. Enjoy!
I was skeptical of these products for one main reason: were they really from the Dead Sea? Was this all a hoax? For those who may not know, the Dead Sea, also known as the Salt Sea, is a body of water located in Israel. It is famous for waters much more dense than many oceans because of the amount of salt in it, making it easy for people to float on the water. Science! Anywho, people claim this magical sea gives them lovely skin. And who could resist the price?- just $2.50 for the cleansing cream, and $3.50 for the mask! Well, to ease your minds, I looked on the back of the packaging, and the tubes both said "not tested on animals"and " made in Israel," so it must be true!
I was skeptical of these products for one main reason: were they really from the Dead Sea? Was this all a hoax? For those who may not know, the Dead Sea, also known as the Salt Sea, is a body of water located in Israel. It is famous for waters much more dense than many oceans because of the amount of salt in it, making it easy for people to float on the water. Science! Anywho, people claim this magical sea gives them lovely skin. And who could resist the price?- just $2.50 for the cleansing cream, and $3.50 for the mask! Well, to ease your minds, I looked on the back of the packaging, and the tubes both said "not tested on animals"and " made in Israel," so it must be true!
For each review post, I thought I would discuss each aspect of the product by category:
Packaging: Nothing fancy-smancy, but I really cannot complain for the price. I do prefer masks to be packaged in pots, like my coveted Queen Helene Mint Julep Mask. However, this product was slightly more watery, so I did not find that it changed the performance of the product, and it was still easy to get out of the tube. As for the cleansing cream, it did not take one squeeze to get out! Being such a liquid-y product, it just flowed right out of the tube. This was good and bad, but again, it was not an important factor for me.
Price: Like I said, the prices were right up my street! I am a bargain gal, after all. This brand also has a few hair products, but I decided to just stick to stick to the skin care. I'm a bit of a skin care junky!
Picture: The cleansing cream reminds me of a light "daytime" type moisturizer- white, milky. This was my first go at a cleansing cream; I usually use foaming cleansers. As for the mud mask, it was a greenish brown color- thick, but slightly watery. Not the most pleasing to look at, but if it works, it works!
Performance: I think I'll break this one into two parts:
Performance: I think I'll break this one into two parts:
Mud Mask- This product was easy to apply to the skin, as I did not have to pull my skin to spread the mask. I apply a generous amount of the mask to my face. When I don't do a "full face," I will just apply the product to my forehead, nose, and jaw line. I call this my "I" zone. I will say, if you do not have a high pain tolerance, stay away, because OH-MY-GOODNESS. The burning sensation was nothing I have ever felt before. Frankly, it felt like my face was giving birth. Yikes! I left the mask on for two hours, and the burning sensation lasted for only five minutes, although it did feel like a century had gone by before it stopped. An initial turn-off. After letting the mask dry on my face, it did not crack, like other masks, so if you don't like little flakes of mask in your bed, this might sway you. Also, it felt smooth, not tacky, and it felt like there was a slight thin, oily residue on top of the mask.
Cleansing Cream- This product says to apply to remove makeup, but I used it after a makeup remover to remove excess residue, and as a general cleanser as well. I was a bit confused, as the tube said to keep away from eyes, so I will assume one would just use this product to remove face makeup? This product does not require water, and it glides on your skin like a lotion. I use a cotton pad to apply. There is no feeling on the skin (i.e. tingling, burning) and it stays a bit tacky for the two minutes I leave it on my face.
Post Product: I removed the mask with warm water and washcloth (you may have to scrub) and my skin felt like an absolute dream. Hands down, the softest my skin has ever felt. If you are a bit older, or you just have dry or crepe-y skin, and you have a high pain tolerance, this might be a good product for you. It also gave my skin a slightly glowing look, and overall my skin felt purified and refreshed. As for the cleansing cream, it came off easily with luke warm water, and, while it did leave my skin feeling smooth, I wasn't overly impressed with the product's results.
Cleansing Cream- This product says to apply to remove makeup, but I used it after a makeup remover to remove excess residue, and as a general cleanser as well. I was a bit confused, as the tube said to keep away from eyes, so I will assume one would just use this product to remove face makeup? This product does not require water, and it glides on your skin like a lotion. I use a cotton pad to apply. There is no feeling on the skin (i.e. tingling, burning) and it stays a bit tacky for the two minutes I leave it on my face.
Post Product: I removed the mask with warm water and washcloth (you may have to scrub) and my skin felt like an absolute dream. Hands down, the softest my skin has ever felt. If you are a bit older, or you just have dry or crepe-y skin, and you have a high pain tolerance, this might be a good product for you. It also gave my skin a slightly glowing look, and overall my skin felt purified and refreshed. As for the cleansing cream, it came off easily with luke warm water, and, while it did leave my skin feeling smooth, I wasn't overly impressed with the product's results.
Overall Thoughts: Overall, I think these products would be great for someone who has some dry patches on their skin, and slight crepe-yness. For an oily-skinned girl like me, with extreme acne prone skin, I feel like I am always on the hunt for the perfect acne treatment, and this clearly was not it. After coming to realize that this line of products was not created to help get rid of acne, I would conclude that, if you have lovely skin and want to further enhance it, or if you have dry or older skin that needs a little glow, these might be some great affordable options for you. Would I purchase it again? No. Would I recommend it to others? Perhaps. I just wanted to try some "exotic" skincare without the price tag. Let me know if you have tried this line! Is there anything that I should pick up?
xx BB