A few weeks ago, I received a skincare product to try out from Australian company Homepeel. The write-up sounded great : "It really is an amazing product. You just add a piece of your chosen fruit to the lotion; watch it bubble up and emulsify and allow the fresh fruit fragrance hit your nostrils. Then BAM – put it on your face! In a few minutes you have an instant fresh skin glow with no down time (no after peeling)".
When my kit arrived in the post, I discovered a little mesh bag containing a bottle of Fruit Peel, a piece of gauze and a pink brush for applying it. I read the instructions and noted that I needed to add some fresh fruit - either Strawberry, Kiwi fruit, Blueberry, Raspberry, Paw Paw, Pineapple, Cherry, Grape or Mango.
I had a good read of the small print and have to admit scared myself senseless ! "Leave on for about 5 minutes. Less if the tingle you feel gets over a pain factor of 5 out of 10". A pain factor of 5/10 sounds like an awful lot to me ! "Right before you wash off – take the gauze provided and rub quite vigorously over the face. Imagine you have dead skin cells sitting on top of your skin and you want to scrub them off. It will be a little bit uncomfortable, but not too bad. Do this for about 30 seconds." Hmmm that doesn't sound very reassuring either.
The small print left me feeling even more concerned. "We take skin very seriously at Homepeel and feel it's a good idea to be cautious. As you know, Homepeel products are designed to offer salon quality treatments for home use at a fraction of the cost. This means that some of our products have strong active ingredients and are not suitable for all skins. Please read through the following list and decide if this product is suitable for you." There is a long list afterwards including pregnant and breastfeeding women, anyone with a history of cold sores, anyone who recently did any form of hair removal or bleaching, those with sensitive or thin skin ... *gulp*. I had a good look around online and couldn't see any horror stories though so I decided to bite the bullet and give it a go.
OK, here's the "before" photo. You can tell it was the first day back at work and my body's got out of the getting up at 6.15 routine ! Big black bags under my eyes, some lines on my forehead, large pores on my nose and generally tired-looking, dry skin.
I put some kiwi fruit in with the Home Peel product, added a couple of spoonfuls of *gulp* 18% salicylic acid from the bottle and squished it all together with a spoon. It thickens up into a thickish paste.
OK, here's the before face in the bathroom. You wash your face with soap and dry it before you start.
During. Slightly worried that I'll have to do the Wizard of Oz "I'm melting" cry ! Seriously though, it tingles slightly but it's not at all painful. It feels like the slight sting you get when applying toner to your face. It's quite reassuring actually to know that it's doing its stuff. I washed it off after five minutes but could easily have left it longer so don't worry about the pain level !
After. My skin looks a bit red but I'm not sure if that's from the peel itself or the scrubbing with the gauze. My skin felt slightly tight and sensitive, like after using an exfoliating scrub.
Ten minutes later, after moisturising my skin, my face felt deeply cleansed and hydrated. The website says : "Fruit Peels improve skin texture for the softer and smoother complexion of younger, healthier-looking skin. Skin that GLOWS! What should I expect after I perform a Homepeel Fortnightly Peel? Immediately after you do a Homepeel Fortnightly Peel your skin will be radiant with a healthy glow! With each peel you do, you will notice a reduction in pigmentation, pore size and fine lines. Skin often begins to lighten as well."
Well, I purposely went back to exactly the same place with exactly the same lighting as the first photo and I have to say, I think my skin does look less tired.
It's definitely good to be cautious so do read the warnings and pay attention to how your skin reacts, but don't let the small print put you off. It was actually quite an enjoyable experience and one that I'll definitely be trying again.
star rating : 4.5/5
RRP : $49 AU (approx £33.75)
for more information : http://www.homepeel.com.au/fruit_skin_peel.php
Disclosure : I received a Fortnightly Fruit Peel in order to write an honest review.
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I get scared by those kind of products with all the warnings too! The fruit element makes it sound milder though!
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