Fail: The booger and why stores have samples

When you are starting a skin care regimen, it is very easy to mess up. A lot of trial and error are made that even some of the products end up being discarded (or given away), even if the product costs a lot.

My little product mishap happened more than a year ago. My sister told me her friends from Korea buy tea tree oil to be used as a spot treatment for acne. She claimed that the oil worked overnight and that it works so well, there will be no trace of the pimple by the next day. 

So for science, I decided to buy this tea tree oil from the local The Body Shop. I did a little Goggle-ing prior to the purchase and apparently, tea tree oil generally is good for acne. 

This little magic bottle cost me around 500 php. 

The first time I tried it, the pimple did not magically disappear overnight. Wala lang. When I was looking at the mirror, it felt  like the little bugger was laughing at me for being such a sucker and throwing all that money for nothing. But I was undaunted. Maybe my skin was still adjusting to the formula or something.

The second time, a month after the first bout, a pimple finally magically disappeared overnight using the magic oil. Hooray! Hindi ako lugi, hindi ako uto-uto! Woo! As a result of this victory, I continued my use of this product. 

On the third time I used it though, the reaction was similar to Day 1. None. Again. But, as I did not want to admit to myself I bought an unsuitable product, I used it again on the same pimple. The next day, I was surprised. That normal looking pimple of yesterday, hanging happily on the base of my nostril, was now swelled up, yellow-green, about 3 mm in diameter (get a ruler if you can't visualize) - basically, a pimple who happens to make his booger cosplay work perfectly because of its position. 

You know how we are supposed to make eye contact with the people we are talking to? Yeah, so my co-workers must have forgotten that unwritten rule. Kaya inuunahan ko na. I had to explain to a few that my nose is clean, and what they're seeing is just a pimple. My boyfriend teased me for days I had that pet, and would jokingly not want to look at me. 

Thankfully, in two days (stopped using the product after the booger thing), the pimple dried out and luckily, with little hyperpigmentation. Turns out I was irritated by one of the ingredients and my pimple would have been fine if I had left it. 

Lesson learned, shops most of the time put those samples on display so the customer can try the product first to make an informed purchase. These samples may be used for a spot test patch to check for irritations and such. Saka, hindi ka naman magmumukhang kawawa kung gagamitin mo ang sample para subukan ang reaksyon nung produkto sa balat mo... Unless of course you're always at the shop "testing" the product for weeks. 

Also, don't rely too heavily on reviews. I mean, even highly controlled medicine can have allergens that can affect some very unfortunate people. Products work differently on people. A lot of reviewers were raving about this oil, but unfortunately for me, it's not meant to be. It's like meeting THAT dream guy and you swore you would do anything to be with him until you had a whiff of his halitosis. Fortunately, product testing for skin care products is not that much of a hassle. Just be courteous with the SA's of your beauty shop depot and you're fine.

TL;DR: Use those samples!