Something Haute’s beauty writer reviews the various L’Oreal moisturizers, widely available in Pakistan, that she has used over the years.
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By Fatima Khan
I have been obsessed with my skin and hair for as long as I can remember. In fact, I have been obsessed with everyone’s skin and hair all my life. How can it look better? What can we do differently? Why aren’t there any products for the weird, mostly combination skin type most Pakistanis have? Why does my mom have faint coffee-coloured patches on her cheeks, and will I get them too?
So most of my adult life has been spent trial-and-erroring my way through creams and lotions and serums to find the perfect fit. Especially since my early to mid-20s were spent dancing with the devil known as Acne Vulgaris, which left behind scars for me to remember it by.
Of all the products available on the Pakistani market, L’Oreal has perhaps been my least favourite. I feel that in trying to appear on the posher side of the drugstore aisle, they spend a bit more on the fragrance, look-and-feel and packaging of the product rather than cramming it with ingredients that would do the skin good. That said, it’s not all bad, and I’ve worked my way through many a jar of their creams.
So what ways has my skin’s association with L’Oreal benefited me in? I have to say, each jar/bottle has left its impact on my skincare routine, if not always on my skin. The verdict? Read on to find out!
Lesson 1: Look For Salicylic Acid In Your Creams
L’Oreal Pure Zone Deep Control Anti-Imperfection Moisturizer
For a 20-something with bad skin on a budget, this was a godsend. You may not see any Pure Zone products on the shelves anymore, but the lesson my Pure Zone moisturizer left me with was: Salicylic Acid is good. It helps breakouts, and leaves skin looking a bit brighter. You will find a bit of Salicylic Acid in most anti-aging cream for its exfoliating properties. If you have oily skin like mine, and the occasional zit, look for a light moisturizer with 2 percent Salicylic Acid to keep pores unclogged and breakouts at bay.
L’Oreal Pure Zone Deep Control Anti-Imperfection Moisturizer
Lesson 2: Wear Sunscreen!
L’Oreal Paris White Perfect Total 10 Whitening Day Cream
It’s lavender, light, and settled into skin without too much fuss. If there is a L’Oreal product that all Pakistani women should own, it is the L’Oreal Paris White Perfect Total 10 Whitening Day Cream. The reasons are pretty basic, like the cream itself: the lightweight lotion has an SPF of at least 30, and lists skin-nourishing Niacinamide as one of its top three ingredients. This means you’re getting sun protection and mild anti-aging in a moderately priced (PKR 999) cream.
L’Oreal Paris White Perfect Total 10 Whitening Day Cream
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Lesson 3: Extend Skincare To Your Body
L’Oreal Revitalift Total Repair Night
I don’t know what it was about L’Oreal Revitalift Total Repair Night, but it made a seriously good body lotion. Perhaps it was the small amounts of Salicylic Acid, but the keratosis pilaris(those tiny inexplicable bumps on arms, legs, elbows, anywhere!) that explodes every winter on my legs was completely in check last winter. So, it may not have been revolutionary for the skin on my face, it was for the skin on my body. Perhaps people with dryer skins should give this one a shot.
L’Oreal Age Perfect Cell Renewal Night
Lesson 4: Moisturize Twice For Twice The Benefits
L’Oreal White Perfect Transparent Rosy Whitening Essence
As a Pakistani woman born in the ‘80s, the ignorance of my parents when it came to sun care started becoming evident in my late 20s. What were a few freckles on my face suddenly transformed into one brown spot of pigmentation on my right cheek, which grew darker while I was pregnant with my first child. I wasn’t surprised though, as while my mom’s family suffers from patches of pigmentation on their darker skins, my dad’s family sports sun spots on their fair skin. Therefore, my obsession with ‘whitening’ or really, just even skin tone. L’Oreal White Perfect Transparent Rosy Whitening Essence didn’t make me surkh-o-safaid, but it did even out my complexion under the galaxy of freckles and spots I walk around with on my face. Buy this only if you have extra money to spend.
Lesson 5: Every Cream Won’t Suit Everyone
L’Oreal Age Perfect Cell Renewal Night
My mother picked me up a jar during a layover in Dubai, and swore she found her skin looking flawless and tight after a few weeks of use. I think L’Oreal was marketing this one for its Calcium content a few years back. Whatever it is, my cells are not renewed, and the cream smells like some desispice we use in korma. Also, if you thoughtfully scratch your cheek after applying your L’Oreal Age Perfect Cell Renewal Nightcream, you will come away with lots of it under your nails. Why is it just sitting on my face smelling like a valima? I gladly threw away the jar after I was done. My mom is now on her fourth (!) jar, of both the Day and Night creams.
I was trying to track down something like that forever.