Hello! If you are reading this, you are about to read my personal journey to foundation free with DR’s Secret. Currently, it is my 11th month going foundation-free. As I often get DMs on Instagram about my experience with DR’s Secret products, and also the fact that there is a huge lack of English reviews online, I decided to repurpose my IG Story review to this blog.
I’ll be covering my entire journey – Why I decided to go foundation-free, What is DR’s Secret, How does the customisable regime work, When did I finally see results and Where to get DR’s Secret products. If you want to know more about Things you Should Know Before Purchasing DR’s Secret, I have it covered here.
This is going to be a long article but if you are also looking for an alternative skincare solution to go foundation-free, or researching DR’s Secret skincare products and its review, I hope you’ll find this article helpful. : ) These are my first-hand experiences since I started using DR’s Secret in February 2020.
Disclaimer: This article is copyright protected.
THE DECISION
I felt that I was spending too much time (and money) to achieve flawless skin with makeup products. I spent thousands of dollars on makeup and skincare products but whenever I remove my makeup, my skin condition goes back to square one. Before this, I was already applying a light layer of foundation to work every day. Frankly speaking, I didn’t think this to be an issue until my Maldives holiday.
I came back from Maldives 2 shades darker, with extremely sensitive skin although I brought an SPF 50 and SPF 120 sunscreen with me and apply diligently during the trip. I also had swimmer’s itch (cercarial dermatitis) after swimming in the Indian Ocean which makes my skin condition even worse. My skin was extremely dry and red after the trip, and my pores are seemingly more visible than before.
Due to my skin issues, I needed more coverage. Sooner than expected, I found myself even more dependent on the foundation or BB cream. Putting on the foundation was like a security blanket to me, something that I can’t go without. And I didn’t like this. Especially the fact that I am hiding my skin issues with layers of products that actually corrupted my perception of healthy skin. I wanted to change.
And I remembered months before my Maldives trip, my best friend Kylie told me about this set of products that “work wonders”. I was sceptical. I mean, I was a beauty writer for a local lifestyle magazine. If there is anything so good about this, why didn’t I hear about it back then?
As the reviews I found on social media were pretty impressive, I decided to give it a try as I wanted to achieve fairer, brighter, radiant and smoother skin naturally, and by this I mean no IPL or invasive aesthetics treatment. So here’s my entire journey to foundation free:
MY SKIN TYPE
To be honest, I do not have any big issues with my skin. I do not suffer from acne problems, nor I have the “internal oily external dry” issues. I am a normal-to-dry-skin type, with enlarged pores and uneven skin tone. My skin was normal, but it was extremely sensitive after my Maldives holiday. I also observed that it is more prone to acne if I wear a surgical mask for long hours. I’ll list out all my skin issues at the below “Baseline” section for a fair comparison.
DR’s SECRET PRODUCTS
DR’s Secret has 2 main skincare lines (DR’s Secret & Aestier). Depending on your skin type and skin problems, you’ll use products from these two lines, with occasion add-ons from its other subsidiary lines like PentaLab, Avance, LIF device and Optrimax.
DR’s Secret line is also referred to as the “Classic Range”. It has a comprehensive array of products, from the basic skincare must-haves such as cleanser, toner, moisturizer, sunscreen, exfoliators and different types of facial masks. This range also consists of acne care, pore care, hydration as well as whitening & brightening products.
The Aestier line generally, works as a “Supplement Range” to the DR’s Secret line. It has 6 products, mainly targeting Anti-aging, wrinkles and excessively oily or dry skin issues.
PRODUCT SAFETY
All DR’s Secret products are formulated with a rich blend of botanical extracts that comply with regional and international regulations such as the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive and the European Commission. In other words, the products have gone through extensive lab tests with stringent testing criteria before reaching the consumers.
They are tested against 360 types of drug tests, 4 main heavy metal tests, estrogen composition tests, 5 main micro-organism tests and 10 types of steroids test. All of the products are pregnancy and breastfeeding safe as certified by SGS. All of the products are also registered under the Health Science Authority (HSA) Singapore – Which means, there is no nasty stuff like steroids or hormones, and they are all safe for consumption.
HOW DOES IT WORK
After consultation with my Skin Buddy (also known as Skin Consultant), I was recommended the Classic Full Set which includes Cleanser 1, Toner T2, Skinlight T3, Skinrecon T4, Sunscreen 5, Moisturiser 6, Spot Serum 8, and a piece of Miraglo exfoliating cloth. As I am also targeting to improve my enlarged pores, dull & uneven skin tone and neck wrinkles, I also purchase 2 additional products – the Vitamin C essence (C 15 Essence 7) and Refining Serum 9, this completes the entire set of 10 products, which would last a good 2 -2.5 months depending on my routine.
Every one week or two, my Skin Buddy will follow up on my skin condition and make necessary adjustments to my regime. For example, we’ll remove some products from my routine when my skin is too dry; add some products or adjust the dosage when we are shrinking my pores (or some other concerns) during a certain targetted period.
I came to realize that DR’s Secret is a one-set-fits-all kind of skincare product, where we can mix and match the products to suit the needs of our skin, and to target specific skin concerns. This is where the Skin Buddy comes into play.
Your Skin Buddy will be providing personalized 1-1 advice and guidance, customisation of a routine tailored to my skin, and also making recommendations when you are restocking the products just so there is no guesswork or disappointment when the products didn’t work. This Skin Buddy System is a unique selling point of DR’s Secret which I really like.
PROGRESS & COMPARISON
Now we are at the part most of you guys would probably be most interested in. Before we dive deeper, it is only fair that I list down my skin issues and my complete bare skin condition here as a baseline for the comparison:
BASELINE TO MEASURE PROGRESS
This set of photos was taken on 11 Feb 2020, a day before I started using DR’s Secret. It is my 100% bare face right after cleansing in the morning. I was having sensitive skin due to the Swimmer’s Itch episode in the Maldives, and also having an acne-prone area around my T-zone and forehead. My skin problems at a glance:
- Redness & Inflammatory rashes around the side of my nose
- Light pigmentation on left cheek
- Stubborn blackheads on nose
- Enlarged Pores & Redness at the cheek area
- Uneven skin tone
- Oil clogs under eyes
- Visible wrinkles at my neck
DAY 1
I switched out my entire skincare product to DR’s Secret on Day 1. To be honest I was worried my skin would protest due to the sudden change. But my introductory routine was gentle and comforting, I was pleased to see that the products didn’t cause trouble at all. Furthermore, I really liked the patented Refining Serum 9 as it immediately soothes my irritated skin. While it does feels slightly oily towards the end of the day, I can feel that my skin is more hydrated and not overly sticky after applying the products.
2 WEEKS LATER
Here is my skin condition after using DR’s Secret products for 2 weeks. Other than feeling more moisturised, there is no life-changing result yet. So I decided to ditch my foundation and CC cream. In other words, I am taking a leap of faith to go zero foundation just 2 weeks after starting DR’s Secret.
I was told that the products will gently pull out dirt and impurities from our skin. So to make my money’s worth and to test out the efficiency of the products, I figured it would be better to stop wearing make up for the time being. After all, it makes more sense to not burden my skin when the products are doing the cleansing for me. Imagine you’re on a juice detox to lose weight but still taking pizza, beer and fried chicken at the same time? You get what I mean.
RESULT AFTER 4 MONTHS
So for 4 months, I ditched my make-up and followed my regime religiously. Every day, it was just cleansing, putting on skincare products followed by the non-tinted Sunscreen 5 and I am off to start my day. And on the 4th month, I look at my selfie and realized most of my skin problems have subsided. The below photo is taken after applying my daily regime.
My skin is no longer irritated, my stubborn blackheads and the rashes around the side of my nose have been reduced significantly, and so do the oil clogs under my eyes. More importantly, the light pigmentation on my left cheek that was captured on 11 February 2020 has disappeared completely without any expensive and time-consuming aesthetic treatments! I finally see the glowy skin effect without having to wear makeup at all.
As an ex-beauty writer, I’ve use countless skincare products. Some were great, but none of them has provided me with the confidence to walk out of the house without wearing a foundation. Until I started using DR’s Secret.
After eliminating most of my skin issues, we added neck wrinkle care to my daily regime. And on my 6th-month point, I noticed that the neckline which I have had since 5 years ago started fading away! So far I am using the products daily and I must admit I am a total DR’s Secret convert now!
I had never imagined myself being able to go totally foundation free, so the positive outcome came as a pleasant surprise. I really can’t stop admiring that radiant skin of mine. At this point, I believe doing away with makeup did help to facilitate a better outcome and the fact that I decided to splurge on that SGD 863 LIF Device helped to accelerate the performance of the products too.
p.s. I got my LIF device the 2nd month into using DS products. So the first month was just purely the products, and the subsequent 3 months are the result of products + LIF device. It does help to penetrate the products deeper into my skin layers, and I believe that is also the reason why I see greater improvements compared to my peers. If you are not seeing results, highly likely that you missed out on these 4 important tips & super basic rules when you are using DS. So do read them up!
MY TAKEAWAY
Do I find the products efficient?
To me, this set of products has shown great efficiency and delivered the promise – I was able to go totally foundation free, which is great as wearing a mask is mandatory in Singapore nowadays due to the pandemic.
By the way, did you know that makeup worn under a mask will contaminate the fabric of the surgical mask, making it a less effective barrier to filter out the harmful pathogens in the air?
You see results within 4 months but why have I yet to see any?
Patience is vital when it comes to skincare. I can’t stress this enough. Typically, one will see some results after regular use for 6 months. While for certain skin types, the positive outcomes might only kick in after 1 year of ongoing usage. Every skin is different. The environment, nutrition, pollution, lifestyle choices, smoking or second-hand smoke, the products we use before using DR’s Secret, and the facial program we signed ourselves up with may have caused irritation and are detrimental to our skin.
My take is to check in with your Skin Buddy if you already have one. Share your concern, and make sure you are lathering the cleanser correctly, verify your application method, confirm that you are using the exact recommended dosage and if you are using the Miraglo exfoliation cloth correctly.
By the way, after seeing the result myself in 4 months, I’ve officially become a Skin Buddy with DR’s Secret. If you do not have one and would like to ensure you are doing your DR’s Secret skincare correctly, please reach out to me via IG direct message! 🙂
PRICING
During my time (February 2020) there were some promotions and I got the entire set and was given a full-sized cleanser for free. The updated promo is as follows –
Please note that the price of the package does not include considerations of your skin type, skin condition and skin goals. And to target each individual’s skin concerns and ultimate goals, you may have to top up a few ala-carte items as DR’s Secret is fully customisable based on your skin condition. Also, this does not include member-exclusive discounts, birthday benefits and free gifts that are updated on a monthly basis! If you wish to find out more about the promotion for the current month, please reach out to me!
*To get your personalised skin care regime & recommendations, Buzz me at @pheurontay on Instagram and I’ll explain it to you!
One Last Tip From Me:
Make your purchase directly with the Skin Buddy of your choice. Your buddy will guide you through the entire purchasing process so that the system will validate your buddy relationship. This will ensure the service you get and you’ll be able to leverage your skin buddy’s product knowledge to guide you through your journey to foundation free.
If you purchase the products online (through random sellers on Shopee, Lazada or Carousell), you risk buying counterfeit products (yes! there are a lot of counterfeits in the market and you don’t want a drama), and there is no guarantee that the seller will take care of your skin or update your regime as and when you need. DR’s Secret only sells products through its official channels and official skin buddies. The transaction with skin buddies should also go through official channels too!
Disclaimer:
- Although I am currently a DR’s Secret Skin Buddy, this does not detract from the fact that DR’s Secret is an effective product, a brand that I love and use on a daily basis.
- The article is recreated on the blog to document my personal review using the products. The content first appeared on my continual IG stories review in March 2020.
- This is NOT a sponsored post. I paid for the products.
- This content is copyright protected. Please note that all photos (unless otherwise stated), as well as the write-up, is produced and owned by Pheuron Tay. For sharing purposes on your respective channel, please request written consent from me, or use the official sharing button below the tags on your social channels.
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Things You Should Know Before Purchasing Your DR’s Secret Products
4 Important Things To Note If You Want To See Improvement Using DR’s Secret
DR’s Secret Application Guide: Are You Applying the Right Amount?
