Allergan's Vivite - A First Report

Round one of various skin products review(s).

First of all, there is an accent on the final "e" in the name Vivite. I just don't know how to make that happen here in Typepad world. It's the kind of accent that leans to the right, like it will fall over. Got it? Good. Work with me here.

I read the brochure - and almost forgot everything in it the instant I read it. Instead, I surveyed the various packages I received in the mail, and opted, for no discernible reason, to try the Allergan Vivite (accent!) skin care products first. A crap shoot decision. Like throwing a dart at the map of the world, and traveling to wherever it lands.

Okay, maybe not so much.

The sample packet contained four products in a small plastic snap-shut envelope. The darned snap resisted easy closure nine out of ten times, a small nuisance. The packaging colors are soothing shades of pink and some version of white. So compact, so cute - don't we love travel-size bottles? The Thelma and Louise syndrome.

The products themselves included an exfoliant, a light, almost clear hydrating fluid, an eye cream, and a night cream. I checked the full-size prices online - this stuff does not come cheap.

I've been using them for the past week. I went on instinct, like I do. I may have remembered what I read from the brochure, but if I did/do, I am unconscious of it. I have used skin care "regimes" for many years, so I am familiar with the typical procedure of cleanse/exfoliate, hydrate, protect, etc.

Still, every time I use a micro-bead (or variant) cleanser, it feels like I am sandpapering my face. I just don't like that, never did. Vivite's exfoliant feels very similar to any other exfoliant product I have used: That odd admixture of rubbing sand on my face - even as it oils at the same time.

Now, I know these products are available from doctors' offices, but good lord, they could add some kind of pleasing fragrance.

This stuff smells like a medicine-y olive antipasto, and when I taste it (okay, if I smear the stuff all over my face, that includes my lips - I am not taking mini-spoonfuls of the stuff), it tasted like very salty olive oil. Like a dirty martini. Maybe salt and olive oil are really, truly, good for my skin.

If that's the case, then generations of Italian grandmothers (mine included) are right.

I do not like exfoliant-sandpaper cleansers. In a post I wrote months ago, I confessed that I don't like to wash my face. I cold cream the eye makeup (I do not use whole-face makeup anymore - I don't need to), splash warm water, moisturize, and that's it.

In the spirit of this experiment however, I have used the sandpaper exfoliant. But only two or three times a week. And a revelation, holy cow. When I re-read the brochure, it recommended that the exfoliant be used at that same frequency, no more. Either I'm damned clever, super-intuitive, or the latent memory kicked in.

I confess, I like eye creams. This one is a bit stiff, it doesn't rub in as easily as I prefer. It makes me pull the skin around my eyes more than I like. But I discovered that if I rub it between my thumb and forefinger, it warms up (ah, friction), and glides on better.

The everyday hydrating fluid, although of a very thin consistency (I do like the mini-pump action), seems to retain its moistness after application. But it, like its companion products is salty-oily like the afore-referenced olive antipasto and cocktail.

The thicker night cream is, well, a thicker night cream, more of the same antipasto-dirty martini flavors.

All up, sure, my skin feels great. Do I see any kind of age-reducing change? No. Call me blind (that's easy - anyone who knows me knows the strength of my eyeglass prescription), but I got nuthin'. In fact in the three sample before/after photos included in the brochure, I cannot discern any change - even with the light pink pointer arrows. What are they attempting to show? I am baffled. 

Back to the brochure. Okay: It seems as though I am using the products according to the prescribed regimen. Oh, and the model on the brochure looks like Naomi Watts. She's a helluva'n actor. See The Painted Veil.

But with this list of botanical ingredients: Chamomile, aloe, wild mango butter (sounds tasty), green tea, pomegranate, licorice root, and caffeine, couldn't the good folks at Allergan make this stuff smell better? Oh wait, the last listed botanical is olive leaf extract.

See that? I knew it. Antipasto.

Comments

[pain maagement emr]

Great, we just have to always check the ingredients so we can assure it's safe.

Kevin

[Skin Care]

The importance of keeping your skin healthy can't be overemphasized. It's the body's first defense against disease and infection, and it protects your internal organs from injuries. It is, in fact, the largest organ in the body. Skin Care Treatment helps to your body temperature and prevents excess fluid loss, and it also helps your body remove excess water and salt. Most women strive to keep their skin looking youthful. http://skin-care-treatment-natural-tips.blogspot.com

[HH]

Hey Buffy. Apparently that Boots stuff is available stateside, whadayaknow. The reviews are mixed to positive, but one woman well above the 20-something age group was very disappointed. I have a stack of stuff to try yet - courtesy of the good folks at ILAMed, after which I may go over-the-counter again. Time will tell.

[Buffy]

Have you tried the Boots serum.

Honestly. Believe the hype.

And for that price...stock up.