Skincare Review by Eglantine Price: Origins

Origins of Species                                                                
In the beginning God made heaven & earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters. And God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. And God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." And God made the firmament and separated the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. And it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.
And sometime between the 6^th and 7^th day before God rested, God created the sebaceous gland. These microscopic glands are the ones responsible for the secretion of sebum which lubricates the skin and hairs of mammals. In humans, they are found in greatest abundance on the face and scalp. And sadly on this particular human, they are found in the most superlative abundance on his God forsaken face.
When one is blessed or cursed (depends how you look at it) skin that produces oil that can rival BP’s leaking oil well, one must finds ways of trying to “plug the damn hole,” as Obama succinctly puts it. However, instead of blaming genetics for it (that means you, dad), one must attempt to experiment with various products which will eventually lead you to the right one. Others say this is trial and error, I, on the other hand, prefer to call it, that’s right spend more, screw up your face with this useless gunk and waste plenty of time. The constant pursuit of finding the perfect solution for this dilemma has been an age-old quest, kind of like the quest for the Holy Grail.


Having tried numerous products ranging from the obscure (my mother somehow convinced me to try this thing from the province that makes you look like as if you’ve smothered a whole bottle of liquid paper all over your face – didn’t work for me), to the quite staple and popular Clinique (too strong for my face) and to the somewhat effective yet insanely expensive Shu Uemura products which did wonders for me for some time but after a few years my face was trying to channel Rebel Without a Cause so it ended up looking like Armageddon shortly thereafter.
Origins came to my knowledge through YM and Seventeen magazines (my bible in my youth) that kept endorsing the brand’s Spot Remover. Unfortunately during that time, Origins was non-existent in this little 3^rd world haven called the Philippines. When Origins finally saw the light of day here, I ravaged their store the same way Ketsana did to our country.
The sales associate suggested I try their A Perfect World skin care line ranging from their facial cleanser (Checks and Balances), toner (Purifying Lotion), serum (White Tea Skin Guardian) and moisturizer (Anti-Oxidant Moisturizer). Quite frankly, I was very much impressed with how my skin looked and felt after a week of using the recommended products. Not only were my acne (my faithful minions, as I lovingly call them) breakouts minimized, my skin had a youthful glow to it (Or that could also be the time I took a sabbatical from alcohol – the Dark Ages).

After this facial product epiphany, I dabbled with their other products: for exfoliation (Modern Friction), the charcoal mask (Clear Improvement – I definitely recommend this although I look like a lost character from Tropic Thunder upon application), Plantidote Mega-Mushroom Face Cream (I patronize their Dr. Weil’s products because so far they’ve been good on my face) and of course their blemish treatment (Spot Remover) – the product that started my passionate love affair with anything Origins.
Sadly, Origins is no longer being carried here in the Philippines so I have to travel all the way to Hong Kong just to purchase my daily dose of facial sanity – not that I’m complaining though, in fact I think it’s definitely worth the trip especially during July and August, just in time for the sale. It’s valid though, and I’m not the only one who can attest to the effectiveness of their products. Check their website and see the numerous reviews that swear by their range of products.
The oiliness from my face is still a force to reckon with, but I am no longer bothered by it (well, not as much as before) thanks to the miracle products of Origins. All in all, oils well that ends well. Hopefully this will be my facial brand for life.
http://www.origins.com