The Medicinal Approach

I've been increasingly hearing more about First Aid Beauty, mainly through Ingrid of missglamorazzi, so when I spotted the Forever Fab Kit on sale at David Jones, grabby hands ensued. (Thanks goes to Cherie for the heads up in the first place that F.A.B. was being discontinued and marked down to be cleared at DJs.) Containing a small tube of Ultra Repair Cream (56.7g), Detox Eye Roller (8.5ml) and Facial Radiance Pads (60 pads), the three-piece set seemed to be an ideal introduction to the brand. I was also hoping to find the Ultra Repair Instant Oatmeal Mask raved about by Fleur De Force but there weren't any left.

Ultra Repair Cream
I'm guessing this is one of the star products in the F.A.B. range, so I was excited to try it out and hopefully be impressed. At first I thought it was a face cream, but it's actually an all-purpose cream for dry skin which can be used for the body as well. Since I only have a small tube of this but litres of combined random body moisturisers I've yet to use, I've reserved the Ultra Repair Cream for my face only. To me, it's a fairly simple, straightforward, well-formulated cream. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of bells and whistles or potential nasties with it, and it has a distinctly medicinal feel and scent. You need only a small amount for the face and once it's absorbed, it leaves the skin soft and moisturised without feeling greasy. I'd pick this for sensitive skin that might be suffering from breakouts or other irritations, or skin that's drier than normal, for example during the winter. It's free of mineral oil and relatively affordable compared with say, Trilogy, Jurlique or Antipodes (the 56.7g tube is $12 in the US), so I can see this being a repurchased staple for those with an uncomplicated approach to their skin care (men included).

Facial Radiance Pads
These are smallish, bumpy/textured circular pads soaked in solution. There's all the good stuff you'd expect in exfoliating pads, including lactic and glycolic acids, as well as cucumber, Indian gooseberry, lemon peel and licorice root. I've read that some people cut the pads in half to double the number of uses, since the pads do hold a lot of product in them. I have tried that, and while there's more than enough to do both the entire face and neck, I found moving a small semicircle around my face to be pretty awkward. At the same time, using one with so much product still left on it does seem somewhat wasteful. These have a slightly unpleasant chemical smell and they feel kind of harsh and drying on the skin, a complaint exacerbated by the textured surface of the pad which seems to be a form of exfoliation in itself. Perhaps that's just the exfoliation working effectively (Alpha-H Liquid Gold leaves a similar sensation), but I much prefer using something more gentle and hydrating like Pixi Glow Tonic.

Detox Eye Roller
Paula Begoun was not a fan, and while I take her opinion with a grain of salt, it did make me slightly wary of this product. She makes the point that it contains irritants such as witch hazel and menthol which can worsen eye-area problems rather than assist them. I'm not a huge believer in eye creams and treatments in general as I don't really comprehend the need for different or specialised products for that area compared with the rest of the face. This Detox Eye Roller is just something I use if I remember. I have accumulated quite a number of eye creams, balms and gels, and most are neglected purely due to laziness, forgetfulness and a sense of their redundancy. I do enjoy the cooling sensation from the menthol, but apparently that's my skin reacting to an irritant rather than any beneficial effect occurring. The instructions state to roll the metal tip from the inner to outer corners of the undereye area 2 to 3 times. From experience, that number is overkill and dispenses way too much product. Just once is enough for me.