Ana's Journal

, by Ana

REVIEW: Image and Eminence

A couple of weeks ago some beauty bloggers were invited for a Meetup and to have experience of their products by Cosmo Group. What went down at the meetup? Find out here.

Here, my dear readers, is the detailed review, as promised, on the skin care brands under Cosmo Group's care. Image and Eminence (I realize I have been using the names together in both the posts but these are two separate brands)

I have never really been one to take care of my skin. Alhamdulillah and Masha'Allah! I was blessed with good skin since birth. When Faryal (skin consultant) asked me if I had ever gotten a treatment I started at her, in fact you know what here is an extract of our conversation;

Faryal: Have you ever gotten any treatments done?
Me: ...
Faryal: Facial??
Me: *shakes head*
Faryal: Cleansing???!!
Me: Oh yes! I don’t like people touching my face. I use Freeman's and St. Ive's mask and scrub at home.
Faryal: *eyes widen* so you have never been to a salon to get it?
Me: um yeeeaahh a nearby parlor . . um I just get some mild cleansing done
Faryal: Where you don't know the products they are using?
Me: uh. yeeeaahh
Faryal: how many times?
At this point I wrack my brain trying to figure out how much is a normal/ average time that I SHOULD get it done.
Me: twice a month (I lied)
Faryal: you should have it done like once every week.
Me: *blushes and swigs done the whole mug of coffee in one go*

So now you know my skin care routine =p

Skin Consultation with Faryal ... and you can spot Shumaila Jaffer there too ^_^

She took me to a really calm room then, there were blue lights and some soothing music was playing. She asked me to lie down and relax. i loved how everyone was talking in whispers around me and really created a nice ambiance for me to relax unlike the parlor I go to where shouts of "Inki underarms waxing hai", "Sajid se kaho khulla la de" and "paer hataiye jharoo lgani hai" are very common.

I was asked if I wanted to have some treatments for experience and DUH I said yes. Faryal and I discussed how I don't like using heavy products and she went for cleansing and some mild peel to hydrate my skin and bring back the glow it was missing. I lay back there all comfortable while the girls worked their magic on my face. After around 10 to 20 mins she was done. Believe me when I say this I was not expecting what i saw. I wish I had a picture to show you guys the difference on my face. My dull, dehydrated and dry skin looked soft, glowy and so fresh. To think what effect mere 20 mins had on my skin, I was one happy girl. (Happy in my Nappy. woop!!)

Faryal was really sweet and explained how important it is to take care of my skin. I would like to share some of the tips she gave me to have a happy healthy skin.
Sun block is for life so in this boiling heat, be sure to put it on before going out.
Try to avoid direct sunlight on your face. If your life is like mine and you have to wait for rickshaws in the heat then try and block out the sun with buildings =p
When you come back home, wash the sun block off because it creates a layer on your face for protection.
Start using anti-ageing creams when you turn 25
Have facial or cleansing (whatever suits you) at least once in a week
Drink lots and lots and looottss of water to keep your skin refreshed and healthy.. oh and glowy too.
We were given some products to try at home as well. The bags were customized according to everyone's skin types and needs. I got Image’s Ormedic (Restore, Balance and Regenerate) and Eminence Organic Skin Care’s Sweet Red Rose Whip Moisturizer.

Ormedic has 5 little jars inside. You can use them for morning and evening. The instructions can be found on the back of the box.

Balancing Facial Cleaner – You can use it after makeup as well and it leaves your skin hydrated and balances the pH level of the skin.

Balancing Anti-Oxidant Serum – It moisturizes your skin, makes it healthy and brings a natural glow.

Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30 – Gives you an even skin tone, all the while protecting you from the harmful sun rays.

Tinted Moisturizer

Balancing Gel Masque – The mask helps sooth dry, irritated and post treatment skin. Leave it on for 15 to 30 mins and then rinse it off.

Balancing Bio-Peptide Crème - This helps restores and generate your natural skin

We were asked to use these products for 2 weeks. So naturally, I did not. The rebel inside me thought why not try it for a week and then see what happens.

So I tried it for a week and flaunted my healthy looking skin (I literally flaunted it. I kept going to each family member and asked them, “glow kar kr ri hoon”?). On days that I didn't go out, I would skip the Tinted Moisturizer and would use Eminence’s Sweet Red Rose Whip Moisturizer instead. Both brands worked great together. Although I do feel that the Eminence moisturizer made me kind of oily in my T-Zone. The change from my usual dry dehydrated skin was evident. I looked good and I felt good.

Then came the second week and I stopped using it. The first 2 to 3 days all looked good but then dryness started to increase, the glow was completely gone by the end of the week and I had to moisturize my skin every so often just like I had to before having the treatment done.

The difference is apparent so you guys should definitely try it out. I recommend Image’s Ormedic. I especially liked the Tinted Moisturizer. It gave me a flawless look and I did not get tanned at all.

That’s another brand by Cosmo Group that I highly approve. It is always a pleasure to try out brands under Cosmo Group and I look forward to trying out more products for you guys ^_^

Cheers and take care of your skin!