Belo Essentials Skin Hydrating Whitening Facial Wash

I've never been tempted to become "Belo-fied" before in my life, but my skin had been going through a crisis recently. Fine breakouts were showing up to the sides of my nose and there was also a noticeable redness. It got to the point that I was Googling what could have caused the irritation. Finally, I was feeling open-minded enough to try Dr. Vicky Belo's for-mass-consumption range of beauty products.

To those who are unfamiliar with Vicky Belo's work, you could say she is the Philippine equivalent of LA's Dr. Lancer, dermatologist to the stars. That also means that her services come with a very hefty price tag, so I wasn't much of a fan. On a girl's day out, Eva (of Uvla Store fame) told me she used Belo Essentials Skin Hydrating Whitening Face Wash because she considered it similar in quality and effect to Neutrogena's classic amber-colored cleanser. According to her, anything other than a clear gel type of cleanser made her prone to skin irritation.  The recommendation stuck with me until a week later, when I finally gave in and picked a tube up from a nearby Mercury Drug.

By Philippine market standards, this 100mL tube of PHP 120+ face wash is considered affordable. It's a soap-free gel formula with a blue-green tint that's also hypoallergenic and dermatologist tested (by Belo, duh!). There's a mild scent that I consider clean and relaxing, if slightly feminine. It also promises to whiten in just 7 days because that's a national obsession here.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="432"] The ingredients are so hard to read[/caption]

Generally, when it comes to cleansing, people tend to believe that the more a face wash becomes sudsy, the more effective it is at stripping away impurities. Admittedly, even I feel the same way. Such is not the case with Belo. The gel has to be rubbed between wet hands thoroughly in order to produce only a slight lather. That's why I tend to squeeze out two pea-sized drops versus the one pea-sized drop that usually does the trick with other brands of face wash that I've used.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="378"] Clear gel goo that looks blue-green inside the tube[/caption]

My face feels clean and oil-free post-rinse. There's a pleasant minty sensation equivalent to what PH Care Cool Wind does for the lady bits. (Hehe.) It's non-drying because my face doesn't feel tight afterwards and doesn't re-grease any faster than usual. In short, it's a good product worthy of the hype. Here I was thinking that making a mass-consumption line on Belo's part was merely a ploy to sell generic, so-so products for slightly elevated prices because of her bold "Belo-fied" campaign. Well, I'm glad to have been proven wrong.

I'd give it a 5/5 rating for being affordable and oh-so-gentle on my abused skin. Don't mind the just-okay packaging.