And so started my mini love affair with VDL. Prior to this, the only VDL product I had used was their shading liquid – this one hadn’t impressed me very much as both the colour and thin fluid didn’t allow me much control. However, I was contacted by BB Cosmetic recently and they sent me a sample of the Beauty Moisturizer. I gladly accepted, as I was really wanting to given VDL another chance and, goodness, I am glad I did.
I started testing this one before I left for Korea and actually made up my mind about it really quickly – it was very convincing. I actually purchased a bunch of other products from VDL while I was over there too, so there will be more reviews from this brand to come.
For now, read on for my thoughts on this product. You can pick yours up from BB Cosmetic, and don’t forget to use my code for 8% off your purchase: QAL3F6ZA8YZ
With that, it’s on with the review!
The product comes in a simple, cardboard box. I’m not too fussed by it, since this is a sample anymore and I’m much more concerned with the actual product. However, it does give me some basic information (and, actually, I think the full sized product has a similar packaging anyway – the clean design is very on brand):
This product is made with prune oil and water, helping to reinforce the skin barrier (strength) and to maintain – as well as obviously hydrate. It had a rich formula which not only hydrates the surface level of your skin but penetrates deep down to ensure that your hydration levels are maintained throughout the day. It also has an antioxidant effect to protect and revitalise your skin – anti-aging, basically. This product does not have whitening functions though.
For people who are concerned about chemicals in their products, you may also be interested to see that the product is ‘four free’: Mineral free, chemical colourant free, animal derived material free and petroleum derived surfactant free. It is particularly good that the product is mineral and petroleum free, both of which are poor quality oils which may have long term effects on our skin. I discussed this with a NuSkin distributor in Seoul, but you can also read more about it here.
Here’s the product! I actually really love purple and the colouring of this tub is absolutely beautiful. It’s quite heavy even at half size, so the full product may not be very good for travel purposes. However, the quality of the packaging is great and it feels really sturdy. It’s definitely not another cheap, plastic product. Just by packaging alone, I think it’s something that I would happily gift to my friends or someone older than me too. I guess it’s good that this product had anti-aging properties then!
It would be good if the full sized tub comes with a spatula (I’m unsure about this), but I generally just use my fingers for it. I like to keep this on my bedside so I don’t forget to apply it every night.
As soon as I opened the lid, I could tell that the product was really heavy. In the past, I’ve had a lot of difficulty with heavy creams, which is why I usually stick to gel based products. A lot of them simply don’t absorb into my skin, even those that people have raved about. Since my knowledge about mineral oils is fairly new, I’m not sure if my past experiences were due to poor ingredients in the product or because of my skin condition. Regardless, I was a little hesitant but I moved forward.
And I was not disappointed at all.
The cream has a really lovely scent, which I assume is from the prune oil. It’s not overwhelming but has a light, natural sweetness to it, which I really enjoy. The product also has a slight purple colour and is quite thick. It spreads easily and you don’t need to use too much of it either – this half size tub that I got is still going strong! The product absorbs well, but does leave a slight tacky feeling. Unlike gels, it takes time to properly skin into the layers of your skin, so I decided to use this one as a night cream. I did try it in the morning underneath my make up, but it’s too greasy during the day.
I loved how hydrating this was! As people know, my skin has a lot of trouble with being too dry. This was especially bad during the winter. When I applied this at night, I found that I woke up to perfectly hydrated skin. There was no greasy or tacky residue and, after washing my face, my make up applied better too. Overall, I really love this product and I’m so happy that a cream is finally working for my skin. The Australian weather has officially hit summer, so I think that I may start switching this one out for a gel based cream again, perhaps only using this once or twice a week.
Although VDL has disappointed me in the past, this product has definitely won my approval. I didn’t expect to love a skincare product to VDL actually, as I had always had the impression that they were better with cosmetics, but I stand corrected.
Here’s the verdict!
SO WHAT IS IT?
A moisturising cream using prune oil and prune water, anti-aging properties.
THE GOOD
- Beautiful and classy packaging
- Four free (minerals, chemical colourant, animal materials and petroleum free)
- Lovely prune/fruity scent
- A little goes a long way
- Absorbs well and doesn’t leave a greasy film
- Very hydrating
- Anti-aging and antioxidant properties
- Very effective as a night cream
THE BAD
- Heavy packaging
- Takes a while to full absorb
- Affects base make up if worn on top
- No whitening/brightening effects
WOULD I REPURCHASE?
Absolutely! My current half size tub (at 30mL) is still going strong but I think I will be purchasing the full size to keep using as a night cream, especially in the winter. The full size tub as a similar appearance, holding 70mL of product, so that will last me a while too. I think I will also be recommending it to more people as Australia gets really dry.
HELPFUL TIP
Since this product is quite thick, use it as the last step in your skin care. I usually skip my sleeping mask when I’m using this, but I don’t see the harm in using that on top as well if you want. The original version of this had a gel formula and was better used under make up. However, this new version is more hydrating, so keep that in mind, I think.
WHERE TO GET IT FROM
Thank you so much to BB Cosmetic for sending this to me! You can click the below banner to check out their store.
Once again, you can use my code for 8% off: QAL3F6ZA8YZ
What do you think?