Bud Cosmetics Facial Review

I have always wanted to try out a facial which uses organic or natural skincare products. So when I received an e-newsletter from Bud Cosmetics about their current facial promotion, I decided to treat myself to a facial. The promotion is at SGD68 (inclusive of GST) for a 1-hour Express Detox Facial.

Bud Cosmetics is one of my favourite organic and natural skincare retailers in Singapore. I love to pop into their Novena outlet and the kind and patient staff never fail to impress me with their product knowledge. I will share my purchases in a separate blog post.

Their facial services are only available at their Mandarin Gallery Outlet. It is conveniently located in the hub of Orchard Road but away from the main shopping centres. Which also means that it is much quieter for a relaxing  afternoon facial. I called just 30 minutes before I went down on a Wednesday afternoon.

I was ushered into a room simply decorated with some pictures on the wall, a clothes rack and a massage bed in the middle of the room. There was also some products displayed at the corner which was used during the facial. I was then asked to fill in a questionnaire. As the facial will be using organic and natural products, some of the questions asked were regards to allergy towards any kind of natural products, including bee products like honey or any type of essential oils. I thought that the allergy list was long and detailed to ensure that the therapist was able to tweak the products used for the customer.

The facial started with a short chat with the therapist, mainly asking me how often I do facial. I told her that I only do facial once every 3 months but the last time I did was 8 months ago as I have wanted to do more self-care for my skin. She advised me to do facial every 3 weeks to maintain good skin. My wallet was crying at this point.

The facial then started with a thorough cleanse and a gentle exfoliation. Mid-way through cleansing, the therapist switched on the facial steamer to open up my pores. I normally dislike this method of cleansing as I have very thin, dehydrated skin with broken capillaries. I always feel that steaming draws out, even more, moisture from my skin. Thankfully, the therapist was skilled enough to only steam my face for a very short while before she started extractions.

I must say she was really thorough in her extractions. Going through my face over and over again, smoothening it with her hands to see whether she have left out any clogged pores. The extraction was also not as painful as she was quick but gentle with her hands.

This was followed by a luxurious 20-minute facial massage, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The blend of oil used is an in-house mix and it smelled so elegant and relaxing. Not the usual lavender essential oil but woodier and more rejuvenating oils were used (After the facial, I did ask what oils were used but the therapist didn’t reveal. However, she did mentioned that a different type of massage oil is used for pregnant ladies who may be sensitive to certain scents.)

The therapist was also very skilled with her firm yet gentle hands. My face usually heats up and get uncomfortable whenever I go for a facial massage but interestingly this was not the case and my face just remains soothed, drinking in the essential oils.

A detox clay mask was then applied on my skin and I was left to rest. The room lights were dimmed and I fell asleep almost immediately after the therapist left the room. After 15-20 minutes, my face was gently cleansed again and a light moisturiser applied. I later found out that the products used were from Living Nature, a New Zealand natural skincare brand.

The facial left my skin soothed and glowing. I was all prepared for redness since my skin is hyper sensitive and I usually will have redness from all the extractions done. But there was none!! My nose and chin area, which were the most clogged was also smooth and felt really clean and I was able to walk around Orchard Road with no makeup on my face.

Summary

Pros:

• Organic, natural skincare products used
• Thorough and gentle extractions
• Fantastic facial massage

Cons:

• Would have liked the therapist to explain each step e.g cleansing, massage and mask etc before commencing

Would I go again?

Yes! I would very much try this facial again. Though I felt SGD68 was quite pricey for a short and basic 1-hour facial, the skills of the therapist are good and the use of natural skincare products is a definite plus for me. This is a promotion and I checked that the original price for this facial would be SGD118. Not sure whether the original facial would be longer, though.

Have you tried any natural and organic skincare facials? Please comment below to let me know!

* Disclaimer: I paid for this facial and am not affiliated to Bud Cosmetics in any way. Just wanted to share my experience. Pictures were only taken after the facial was completed so that this review remained unbiased.

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