Product review: Egyptian Magic Cream
Wednesday, 18 March 2009
This probably sound really corny but this product always get me singing the song Walk Like An Egyptian by The Bangles complete with silly dance moves. This is why both my husband and my son are very well acquainted with this product and they know it’s called the Egyptian Magic Cream.
And although I usually test skin care products for a month before I review them, I am making an exception for this product. Well, it’s called the Egyptian Magic Cream for a reason and if it’s to work magic, then it’s fair that I should expect it to perform some sort of miracles in a shorter span of time then most skin care products isn’t it?
Received kudos from press and celebrities
With so much hype and kudos received from celebrities such as Madonna, Oprah Winfrey, Kate Hudson plus the raves from the ladies at Makeupalley.com, the million bucks question is – is this really a magical all-purpose skin cream?
I think the problem with products that receive too much praise is that your expectations are instinctively raised above the bar. In another words, expectations can fall short a lot more and in the end, you may end up being disappointed not because the product didn’t deliver, but because you were over wishful!
Formulated with natural ingredients
First off, the Egyptian Magic Cream is a very curious product. It is said to be an all-purpose skin cream “made with the blessings and guidance of their ancestors and with pure ingredients of olive oil, bees wax, honey, bee pollen, royal jelly, bee propolis and Divine love.” I’m suspecting that some ingredients are not listed but their claims about the product being natural is probably true because of the way it smells and the fact that this cream attracts ants! And the packaging is almost cultish and totally reminds me of Dr Bronner’s Magic Soap.
Oily texture and weird smell
In terms of appearance, the Egyptian Magic Cream is a tad similar to unrefined shea butter. But upon contact, this cream is soft, a lot oilier and melts quickly when rubbed. You don’t have to use a lot of it each time and a little indeed goes a long way. But, this stuff smells really weird. I can’t describe it well but it smells a little like the brown sugar which I use every morning in my tea. It’s not unpleasant but it’s not likeable. In fact, I’ll say I still haven’t gotten used to the smell after 3 weeks of usage.
Works like a normal moisturizer on the face
Someone said that the Egyptian Magic cream gives her the same glow as Creme de La Mer. I wish I can say the same but nah. This cream does nothing special for my face. If anything at all, I’ll say it’s just a normal facial moisturizer. The good thing is that while the cream feels oily, it sank on my skin quite well. A little greasy initially but all of that was quite well absorbed after 20 mins or so. I didn’t suffer any abnormal breakouts during the interim I used this cream either. But I have to say I love this cream on my hands because it makes them look real soft and smooth instantly!
No instant relief for my acne nor body spots
I think my disappointment with this cream is that it didn’t heal my acne as instantly as I expected it to due to the many positive reviews I read at Makeupalley.com. It dried up my acne to some extent and stopped the spot from erupting again after awhile but it did nothing to heal the scars for me. In addition, I wanted to use this cream to heal some red spots on my body but again, I don’t see a lot of improvement over these 3 weeks. One of the spots sort of faded on initial application but after that, nothing more happened.
Provide excellent relief for insect bites, rashes and sores
However, it worked well to relieve my skin from itch and rashes from an insect bite. In addition, the Egyptian Magic Cream worked wonders for my son who developed something of a cold sore by the side of his mouth. It was bleeding because he kept scratching it but overnight after I applied the cream on him, the spot dried up like what you see in the first picture and in two days, the spot was smooth again as seen in the second picture. I would say shea butter has the same effect but it certainly doesn’t work as fast as the Egyptian Magic Cream in a case like that.
Overall summary
I agree that this Egyptian Magic Cream is quite a useful balm and contains some excellent healing properties. But I don’t really find it entirely magical in terms of results. It really depends on the skin condition and the problem plus maybe the weather too. Hence, I wouldn’t recommend you to buy this at S$79.90 at True Colors. Instead, if you really want this, then buy it at half the price via sprees. I paid S$38.41 for mine, which is quite a steal.
And ladies who have used this cream, please share your experiences because I know some of you (like Dee) have better luck with it.
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Posted in Body, Face, VivaReviews | 25 Comments »
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March 18th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
Thought I’ll share my review here as well. =)
I have severe acnes on my chin and using this cream at night helps to reduce redness and pain instantly. As for my friend it took her abt 2-3 days to heal, so I guess it depends on the skin as mentioned by Sesame.
The result was good and I was very happy with the product itself. As for my marks it slightly fade away slowly and the thing I like is the feel of my skin. Soft and dewy after face wash! =)
The most concern to me is my acne and the redness of my skin. No doubt, this cream works without concealing too much of makeup just to cover them. It is definitely worth to try!
Dee: It’s great it works for you. I really like this on my hands – soft like what you said.
March 18th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
i suppose this is what skin care products are about. one man’s poison is another’s elixer, and the usefulness of the product to target a certain problem is not always consistent. for example, i purchased living nature’s rescue gel which was touted as an effective solution to pimples and acne and an all-rounder. while it was not exactly a miracle worker for pimples, it showed much more effective results on my rashes (and my friend’s rashes. i happened to have the bottle in my school tote and let her try when her rashes flared up). but will i purchase it again for combating pimples? probably not…
Raelynn: I suppose we also need to take into account the cause of the acne as these products may work for some type and not for others?
March 18th, 2009 at 10:45 pm
Hi, can I enquire from which spree website did you get the cream from? I’m interested to get some:) Thanks!
Chev: Check out the sprees at Spreesgalore here http://community.livejournal.com/spreesgalore/. I just saw one for Egyptian Magic Cream yesterday I think but it’s not the same one I bought from. The price also seems cheaper.
March 18th, 2009 at 11:19 pm
yes i agree we need to factor in that as well =) i’m curious.. is there actually anything that really works for hormornal acne? aside from antibiotics and birth control pills which are just short-term solutions…
Raelynn: Some pple say consuming evening primrose oil but I’m not sure…I used to have them at my chin but not so much now.
March 19th, 2009 at 8:18 am
Yea I’m interested in a spree as well. Anyone out in Melbourne by chance??????????? o.O
Dee: Ah…the sprees are all Singapore-based. I understand you can also try getting the cream via ebay sellers.
March 19th, 2009 at 8:52 am
I agreed with your comment on the smell. It is very weird scent.It is pretty helping my skin recovering from the flaky and dry patches on my skin. Yet, as said it is not a wonder cream so it took about a week to have full recovery.
I bought it less than 30 SG dollar in some of the spree in live journal. Perhaps those interested might check out there.
Min Sin: Wow, less than 30 including shipping? That’s a fantastic deal! I know the price is lower in some sprees but this price is very attractive!
March 19th, 2009 at 8:52 am
Hi vivawoman,
Have you heard about Steam Cream before?
Min Sin: Steam cream? No, never heard of. Sounds interesting though…
March 19th, 2009 at 9:11 am
I heard it works on new scars and doesn’t really have effect on older wounds or scars. Probably that is why it works better for your son?
Miki: My scar is brand new too. I just think it didn’t work for my skin type…
March 19th, 2009 at 9:19 am
hmmm so this works better as healing balm instead of moisturizer?
in that case, it is always handy to have something like this around 
Prettybeautiful: Yes, you’re right. More like a healing balm.
March 19th, 2009 at 11:47 am
i read raves about this in various forums and have been waiting for detailed review. so glad you made this post, now i have clearer picture of it. thank you!
oh ya, as to the Steam Cream the other reader mentioned, it is this http://www.steamcream.eu , this blogger has great reviews of it too, http://www.musingsofamuse.com/2009/02/steamcream-review-and-interview.html.
Cacaopack: Yes, I read all the raves too and there were so many at Makeupalley! It’s quite effective but I think it’s over-rated. I guess that’s the trouble whenever our expectations are too high. Thanks for the link to steam cream. Coincidentally, another reader posted the link too today.
March 19th, 2009 at 7:15 pm
I got the steamcream. You can find it at http://www.steamcream.com
I came across this item when I was reading up from one of the bloggers.
http://www.musingsofamuse.com/2009/02/steamcream-review-and-interview.html
Well I find it so so. I find it over-raved by the blogger. My face feels sticky after applying and not the instant absorption as the blogger claim. So far no breakout. My friend was not so lucky though. She got some bumps after 3 nites of application. I thought the smell is nice and the container is cute.
Will I buy it again? Well depending bah cos firstly you have to buy min 18 tins in order for the shipping charges to be cheaper. Otherwise it’s a whopping 18 pound per shipment to Singapore. Secondly I am sure there is better creams out there. Just my penny worth of thoughts.
Alison: Thanks for the link! The containers are cute! But it contains parabens although they’re listed at the end. I’ll have a look at what the Muse said about the product. Maybe if the price is okay, I’ll join a spree to get it one day.
March 21st, 2009 at 11:10 pm
I bought steam cream in livejournal and it cost me around 25 if not wrong. It is pretty cute packaging. Love it!
Min Sin: Yes, I noticed the packaging are very cute! I wouldn’t be able to resist them. Hmmm…maybe if there’s a spree, I’ll get it.
May 23rd, 2009 at 2:45 am
dermatologists agree that olive oil is NOT good for the skin
sesame Reply:
May 23rd, 2009 at 3:46 pm
Why? I think olive oil can work well on some skin type.
June 12th, 2009 at 6:27 am
Thanks for the feedback! I was in a health food store a moment ago looking for something for my severe eczema and the lady there said she put this cream on her son last night who was scratching & INSTANTLY the itching went away. I found the bottle in southern California for $28.00. I can’t wait to start using it, expect my comment in about a week.
sesame Reply:
June 12th, 2009 at 8:20 am
Hope it’ll work great for your eczema!
July 27th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
I have always wanted to purchase this cream but I have read tonnes of mixed reviews so I still couldnt decide whether or not I should go for it. There are a few who find that the Egyptian Magic Cream breaks them out horribly, especially those with acne prone skin. I am sooo prone to whiteheads, I cant imagine how it’d feel like if I went ahead and bought this cream and end up having to throw it away, wasting my precious $$$ in the process.. LOL
sesame Reply:
July 27th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
You can use it on your hands or feet. And you remind me…I have not been using this cream for awhile now!
July 28th, 2009 at 11:38 pm
hi! its my first time to make a comment or wtite sown something like this.. anyway i wanna ask if you know any product that is good to remove my pigmentation… sometimes i dont feel like going out because of these. its both on my cheeks, quite near on my nose. so no way you can hide it. i tried going to new york skin care, they were asking too much amount from me, to ged rid of my spots. so i went on, coming there for almost 4x, nothing good happened, so stopped and would not be spending more $$$, because its very expensive. i have tried, sheumura, godiva, a lot more that i could not even remember the names.. now im using laneige products, quite ok, but still my spots is noticeable. so im really bothered, been using laneige for five months now. can you suggest a product that can help me? i wanted to try egyptian magic, but as i’ve read the conversation here, its all about acne.. so i dont i’m fit for it. can you help me thanks in advance..
July 29th, 2009 at 12:00 am
Products are quite hard to erase pigmented spots. The only one I had some sucsess with was La Mer Serum (old formulation). I’m not sure if the new one still can do the trick. The other product is John Masters Mandarin Moisturizer. It helped even out.
If your pigmentation is serious, then the only way to get rid of them is through the dermatologist who can laser them off. However, your skin can be more sensitized after such a procedure.
September 13th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
I use Egyptian magic cream since last week, there is a big difference! I had lots of scars on cheek, now i can see it’s fading! i used lots of cream before but this one is really good ! my cheek no more bumps and it helps my skin with a glowing radiant one!
I’ve noticed a big difference on last week and now ! It’s really good this cream! Try it !
October 8th, 2009 at 3:55 am
I was lucky to have bought a sample from Ebay. Bin it since I moved recently to Norway. I think it cost under $5 including shipping from the Singapore to london.
Overall, I find it far too oily and it felt very pore-clogging. I had to get out of bed to wash it off as I find it gross having it on the face and rubbing on the pillowcase. Possibly good for moisturizing hands and legs. However, it leaves a sheen of oil and somewhat made the hands look shiny! Really wanted it to work. Unfortunately I didn’t like it at all.
sesame Reply:
October 8th, 2009 at 10:55 am
It works for some, but not for all. Personally, I don’t use it anymore except for cuts or something. It’s kept for my son – extremely useful for him though.
October 25th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
Hi,
I just wanted to ask a question about a product I’m using and also taking, it’s for my acne/sensitive skin. I’m using zenmed acne skin care product for two month now and I did breakout quite a few times but they to me it’s normal, anyway I wanted to ask if you heard of them? And are some of the ingredients good for clearing acne?
Thanks
sesame Reply:
October 25th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
I’ve not come across this brand but I took a quick look and their ingredients look fairly natural and they use salicylic acid, which is a popular and effective acne treatment in some of their formulations.
Did you notice your acne clearing up after using or increasing? If it’s some minor breakout, it should be fine like what they say as some products are known to purge out the impurities. But if more, then you want to be careful. Maybe you can do a search on the product and see if you can find some reviews on forums?