Oils have been part of my beauty regimen long before I started giving my process of trying to achieve clear, healthy skin a bit of structure. I didn’t used to have a routine. My encounters — yes, encounters — with a proper cleanser were sporadic. I had no inkling of what toners are for. But oils were already there.
I used baby oil to remove makeup during the two times a year I get to put a face on: a Santacruzan and maybe a relative’s wedding. I cleanse my face with soap, and I put baby oil again as a moisturizer. After falling down the rabbit hole that is the beauty world, though, I’ve discovered and tried products that work better. But an oil would still find its way to my routine. When I started trying double cleansing, it was olive oil that I relied on. It was already in my kitchen, and it worked really well, so yes. I even made numerous iterations of body scrubs and lip scrubs with it.
The Human Heart Nature Sunflower Oil was my first “proper” beauty oil, but it didn’t work well for me so I gave it a rest. Perhaps it was wrong for me to cease using beauty oils — I still used olive oil — after my experience with HHN’s, but I did. I got my hands on the Huile Solutions Beauty Oil Bright, though, and took it as a sign to give cosmetic oils another chance.
The oil comes in a 15ml bottle with a dropper (because what other way is there to dispense oil? Hehehe). The packaging is minimalist and straightforward, which I am a fan of. The oil has a mild citrus-like scent that’s not overpowering. Perhaps because the neroli oil, which comes from the blossom of the bitter orange tree, is mixed with lavender in this concoction.
The oil promises to brighten the skin with the help of Vitamin C. Its base/carrier oil is Ester of Argan. Esters are apparently an emollient which helps smooth the skin’s texture. I’m still trying to learn the difference of esters from pure oils, so if you’re knowledgeable about this subject, please hit me up.
I used it for three weeks, applying and massaging three drops on my face day and night.
The product promises a multitude of benefits — from diminishing pigmentation and fine lines to enhancing the skin’s elasticity — and to an extent, it did work.
The dark spots on my face have lightened, although they’re still quite noticeable. It didn’t do much for my red spots, though I wasn’t expecting it to address them. My face has become softer, too! But — and I hate that there’s a catch to this because I feel like it solidifies my theory about how I will always find a way to see a fault in a product — there’s one tiny problem. My milia count is at an all-time high!
The first time I had milia was in high school, and it was also probably because I used oil a lot on my face. Now, it’s not exactly the oil’s fault because I did skimp on exfoliating a lot during the time I used it. And I’m sure my lack of care in sloughing off dead skin contributed immensely to the gravity of my milia situation.
So, my plan is to have my milia extracted before trying this out one more time. I’ll make sure to exfoliate regularly, too, while on it just so I can assess it better.
The Hulie Solutions Beauty Oil Bright retails for P880.