Review: Pond’s Cold Cream

Woe is me; my favourite Clinique Take The Day Off makeup remover runneth low. So where’s a girl to go to obtain a makeup remover that does the job without busting a large hole in her wallet?

I went scouting around, annoying my girlfriends and pestering them for recommendations. Finally, one of the girls suggested I try Pond’s Cold Cream. She (who has dreamily flawless skin – just like her mother and grandmother, grumble, some people have all the luck) said it was one of her family’s age-old secrets to effortless, simple makeup removal while keeping skin supple and soft, and added that Kylie Minogue swears by it (and she looks pretty amazing for her age).

Ponds Cold Cream – Photo courtesy of Google Images

Normally, anything cream-based does not jive with my oily skin. However, since my skin took a particularly alarming and intense turn for the worse in the last month or two, I ran back to a dermatologist and am officially back on my second round of Ro-Accutane (yes ladies, it’s not unheard of to have relapses and to give it a second go – I will be writing a more comprehensive post on Ro-Accutane soon so keep your eyes peeled), going through the symptom motions I was once so familiar with: increasingly sensitive and dry skin, eyes and lips. It was on this basis that I decided to give Pond’s Cold Cream a try.

So how’d it fare? My take, and photographic evidence, after the jump!

So what does Pond’s say this Cold Cream is supposed to do?

Gentle yet effective deep cleansing action removes hidden dirt and make-up, even stubborn waterproof mascara. Its special blend of ingredients softens as it cleanses in one simple step so your skin feels smooth and radiantly clean & never tight or dry.

Does it live up to this claim?

Frankly speaking, this thick, consistent white cream (that smells strongly of roses, as many classic facial creams or talcum powders do) is easily one of the best makeup removers I have ever come across. And here’s proof. Just for the purposes of this post, I decided to put Pond’s Cold Cream to the test.

Part I

L-R, clockwise: Chestnut-copper eyeshadow with shimmer from L’Oreal Penelope Cruz Star Secrets Kit, Cyber Colors Auto Glitter Eyeliner Pen in 01 Black, silver eyeshadow from Maybelline Diamond Glow by Eyestudio Eyeshadow Palette in 03 Gray Pink, CoverGirl Lash Blast Volume Blasting Mascara

I came down hard and swatched the back of my hand to death for this photo. The lighting actually makes the colours appear less pronounced than they were in real life, and I found myself looking at my ‘artwork’ afterward going “Man, this cold cream doesn’t stand a chance”.

Part II

I applied a five-cent coin sized dollop of Pond’s Cold Cream on the back of my hand and massaged it in with my fingertips in a gentle circular motion to loosen the makeup. About 10 seconds later, this is what the back of my hand looked like:

Mmmm, icky residual goodness.

I was pleasantly surprised and quite amazed that the makeup melted away in seconds with barely any effort on my part! Normally, with any other makeup remover I’ve used, there’d have been a fair bit of rubbing involved.

Part III

Finally, as per the instructions on the back of the jar, I used a warm damp washcloth (you can also use a tissue or wash with warm water) to wipe the residue away. The result was this:

All gone! I couldn’t believe it myself.

Afterward, my skin felt comfortable, moisturised, and smooth. No redness, no splotches, just calm happy skin. My pores didn’t feel clogged (and in any case, as part of my routine, I cleanse my face after makeup removal anyhow so there’s no issue there) either.

Pour conclure, what a great little product! I love that it is efficient, effortless, and leaves skin feeling and looking good. It just goes to show that some old classics are classics for a reason. I have a feeling that I will be using this for a while.  I bought my 100ml jar from the health and beauty section of my local supermarket (Watsons and Guardian in Singapore do not carry Pond’s, apparently) for an ultra pocket-friendly SGD6.

A quick note of warning to end though – this product contains beeswax, so if you’re sensitive to it, this might not work for you.