Unboxing Beauty

I am bumping up this review I wrote up on Secret Key’s Lemon D-Toc Peeling Gel, as I have a lovely giveaway at the end of this post!  As I am an Ambassador with Memebox, at times they send me products to review.  They sent me the Lemon D-Toc and since I already own it, I asked if I could host a giveaway with this product along with my original review and they confirmed that I could!     First, my review on Secret Key Lemon D-Toc Peeling Gel

Original Publish Date: April 10, 2015

I received the Secret Key Lemon D-Toc Peeling Gel in my Detox Memebox from last July and I am just getting around to using it!  I had so many other peeling gels that I was using and I wasn’t really happy with several of them.  I stopped using peeling gels over the winter months, but now that the warmer months are around the corner, my interest in them has come back with a vengeance.   This peeling gel was one of those that I really wanted to try but I also was hoarding it for some reason.  I finally decided to crack it out and use it!   Don’t worry, it is still good as it doesn’t expire until next year and I just opened up it up this past month.

What are peeling gels? Good question…. Peeling gels are not peels ~ they are actually non-physical exfoliators that use fruit enzymes to dissolve dead skin cells and unclog pores, which you can see as you massage it onto your skin. They revitalize and refresh the skin and only remove a small amount of superficial skin.  Peeling gels must be applied to clean, DRY skin, otherwise, they do not work as well.  Peeling gels should also have an alpha hydroxy acid (glycolic, citric, lactic) as this acid helps in removing dead skin cells ~ lemons and papayas naturally contain alpha hydroxy acids.   Another common ingredient is hyaluronic acid, as that will increase moisture and hydration and improve your skin’s texture and tone

Your peeling gel should look like this after it is rubbed into your skin:

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However, there are some peeling gels out there on the market that I consider bogus and the way you can test if a peeling gel is actually working to remove dead skin cells is really simple.   Just put some of your peeling gel on a counter top or dish and rub it in.  If you see clumps like in the above photo,  then it is bogus.  Sorry, but counter tops and dishes do not slough off dead skin cells.   You should only see the clumps when it is applied to skin, as the oils from your skin is what should activate the fibers and enzymes in a peeling gel.  Those clumps are part product (listed as acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer or carbomer or cellulose), part your skin cells, held together with the oils from your skin.  If the clumps are greyish-white in color as well, don’t worry ~ that just means that your skin was dirty!

 

 

Secret Key Lemon D-Toc Peeling Gel ~  This gommage type gel contains 90ppm of Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Fruit Water, which is produced by using a steam distillation, extracting from the fruit of the lemon.  It also contains 10ppm of Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Fruit Extract.  Lemon not only has Vitamin C, which gives moisture and evens out your skin tone, helping lessen hyper-pigmentation, brightening your skin tone.  Vitamin C is also good for detoxing your skin and unclogging your pores.  This product contains Vitamin C, A, B, retinol and beta carotene and is a hydrating moisturizer as well.

The gel is a creamy white with no scent of lemon (sobs).   I did do the dish test and this does not ball up when I rub it into a ceramic dish, which means that this product is not overloaded with the cross-polymer fibers (a good thing!)   My face does feel remarkably smooth and silky after I use this product and my pores look to be clear of gunk!

This contains some other good ingredients besides the lemon extracts

• Broccoli ~ Broccoli is a superfood it not only contains antioxidants like beta-carotene and Vitamin C, it also has Vitamin B complex, Vitamin E ~ which creates radiant skin and shiny hair as it revives skin tissue, Vitamin A and K, Omega 3 Fatty Acids, Amino Acids and Folic Acid (Vitamin B9).  All of these vitamins help care for your skin and keep it glowing and healthy.  Broccoli also contains glucoraphanin, a phytonutrient, which has been reported in reversing sun damage on your skin.

• Papaya ~ Papaya contains an enzyme called peptin, which is a natural exfoliator, making your skin smooth, vibrant and healthy.  Peptin cures a variety of skin issues, such as acne, dry skin and premature again.   Papaya also is an antioxidant, as it has Vitamins A, C and E along with carotenoids, helping to reduce inflammation of your skin, as well as nourishing it. 

• Witch Hazel ~ Has antibacterial and antiseptic qualities which helps clear up acne and it removes excess oil from skin.  It also helps shrinks blood vessels, which tightens our skin.  Witch Hazel can speed up healing and is a powerful anti-inflammatory, which also helps soothe skin.  Finally, Witch Hazel refreshes and rejuvenates skin, refines the pores and seal in moisture.

• Aloe Vera ~ Aloe Vera is a powerful moisturizer that doesn’t leave your skin feeling oily or greasy.   It soothes, treats inflammation, helps speed up skin healing and also has a plethora of antioxidants ~  beta-carotene, Vitamin C and Vitamin E, which help improve your skin’s firmness and keeps your skin moist and hydrated.  It also contains over 75 different nutritious ingredients, including minerals, enzymes,  amino acids, salicylic acid and much more

• Sodium Hyaluronate ~ SH will help attract and absorb water more effectively and will result in smoother, softer skin and will pump up your skin, so your wrinkles and fine lines will be have the appearance of reduction.

I’ve taken a photo shot of the gel on my hand and also my plate test, so you can see the clumping action on my skin, but none on the plate.

  Hand Test

 Plate Test

Product Description: Lemon water and lemon extracts with high level of Vitamin C provide deep hydration and smooth out uneven skin complexion by peeling away impurities. This Peeling Gel is very effective for de-toxing and brightening the skin. An extremely gentle, non-irritaing peeling gel for treating enlarged pores, uneven and dull skin tone and any unnecessary dead skin cells, the Lemon D-toc peeling gel works to soothe an detoxify your skin by peeling away all excess residue piled up.

 

(source)

Ingredients: Purified Water, Cetrimonium Chloride, Cellulose, Propylene Glycol, Carbomer, Polysorbate 80, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Fruit Water (90ppm), Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Fruit Extract (10ppm), Althaea Rosea (hollyhock) Flower Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract,  Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Carica Papaya (Papaya) Fruit Extract, Disodium EDTA, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Sodium Hyaluronate, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract, Algae Extract, Brassica Oleracea Italica (Broccoli) Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Zanthoxylum Piperitum (Sichuan pepper) Fruit Extract, Pulsatilla Koreana Extract, Usnea Barbata (Lichen) Extract, Fragrance  cosDNA.com analysis

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Final Thoughts

I do like this product ~ it could be that it is made by Secret Key and I have had a lot of good luck with Secret Key products and I like this brand very much.  It also could be that this product contains lemons, broccoli, rice and papaya extracts, which I have also had good luck with these ingredients in my skincare products.  I find that this works best around my nose ~ I guess the rest of my face is pretty clear and gunk free, but my nose always has lots of dead skin and oil to remove.  It is also fairly inexpensive, ranging from $8.00 to $15.00 USD,  and can be found in a variety of places.  Since many of my readers are not based in the USA, I try to include shops that do international shipping as well.

• Beautynetkorea.com
• eBay
• Amazon
• Memebox
• Beauteque

Will I purchase this product again? Yes, if I feel the need to use a peeling gel, Secret Key Lemon D-Toc will be the one that I purchase.   The brand name, the ease of finding it and the price makes it attractive to me ~ I don’t have to hunt it down and pay an exorbitant amount of money for this product.  I do not find it to be a miracle product ~ it hasn’t brightened my skin tone or reduced sun spot hyper-pigmentation, but it has left my skin smooth, unclogged my pores and helped speed up the healing with acne scars.  I also like that it moisturizes my skin and doesn’t leave it feeling tight and dried out.  I think this is good for all skin types, because Secret Key actually gives recommendations on when to use it based on your skin type.  As an oily-skinned gal, I do use this twice a week and have not experienced any negative reactions, such as redness or acne.

 

Secret Key Lemon D-Toc Giveaway

 

Full Size Secret Key D-Toc RV $10.00 (courtesy of Memebox)

I am also including a MemePuff for your compacts or cushions to try out ~ see my review here

Don’t forget to like me and follow me on Facebook and Instagram!  I’ve moved on FB, so I would REALLY appreciate it if you did so 🙂

What you need to do to enter

• Use the Entry Link below to enter via Rafflecoper.  This will open a new page with the entry form.  This is legit as my copy of wordpress does not allow me to embed the entry form directly into my blog.
• All entries will be verified and anyone who has multiple accounts will be disqualified.
• Qualified entry will then be randomly drawn.
• I will notify the winner within 24 hours of the contest close. The winner will have 36 hours from then to contact me  with the following information:  their full name and mailing address as it should be addressed for their country
• If the winner does not contact me within 36 hours,  another winner will be selected and the original entry is null and void

 

What you need to know

beautyfindsforme is me 🙂

By entering, you are agreeing to all of the following items:

• beautyfindsforme is not responsible for damages due to shipping, lost, stolen packages or any other issues.  Once the parcel is mailed out, it is out of my hands.
• Once beautyfindsforme has the winner’s information, beautyfindsforme will ship it out and give the winner a tracking number (if applicable)
• The winner is responsible for verifying the products and their contents and to determine the suitability of those products for their own needs.  beautyfindsforme is not responsible for the actual products and ingredients.
• This is an international giveaway.  beautyfindsforme will pay for shipping and your country must be one that the USPS (United States Postal Service) ships to.  Please check their site to see if they ship to your country.
• The winner is responsible for any custom and/or import duties in their country.  beautyfindsforme is not responsible for those fees.
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• Please ~ would love it if you would post photos of your prize on IG and/or Facebook so people know where you got these great products!  And that I am legit in offering giveways! 

 

To Enter, Click on the below image and follow the instructions!  This contest will end on October 9th,  2015.  Some of the entries you can do daily, so enter more often for a greater chance to win!

 

 

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