Thursday, 22 October 2015

My recommended facial oils for dry, combination/normal & oily skin types

Facial oils can do wonders for your skin. However, knowing you skin type is really important when choosing a facial oil in order to keep your skin happy and perfectly balanced.

I get asked a lot of questions regarding facial oils for different skin types so here are some of my recommendations for those with dry, combination/normal and oily skin types!


Dry skin



The Body Shop - Vitamin E Overnight Serum-In-Oil (£15)


Pai – Rosehip Bioregenerate Oil (£22)

Clarins - Santal Face Treatment Oil (£33)


Decleor - Aromessence Marjolaine Oil Serum (£44)

Josie Maran -  100% Pure Argan Oil (£39.50)

 


Combination/normal skin



Kiehls -  Midnight Recovery Concentrate (£36)


Emma Hardie - Brilliance Facial Oil (£31)


REN - Vita Mineral Omega 3 Supreme Skin Face Oil (£25)

Aurelia - Cell Repair Night Oil (£45)

Clarins-  Blue Orchid Face Treatment Oil (£33)


NUXE -Huile Prodigieuse Multi Usage Dry Oil (£17)

Oily skin

 

Sunday Riley - Artemis (£66) 
Manuka Doctor - Normalising facial oil (£19.99)

Clarins - Lotus Face Treatment Oil (£33)




Dr. Hauschka Normalizing Day Oil (£25.50)



AromaWorks - Balance Face Serum Oil (£45)

Thursday, 8 October 2015

Acid exfoliators.. where have you been all my life?!


I have spent many years of my life thinking my skin would only be really clean by using an abrasive exfoliator. Until only quite recently, I have realised that it has actually been doing my skin more harm then good. Whenever I used an exfoliator with beads/particles, my skin was nearly always left red and irritated. I don’t have particularly sensitive skin so I never really knew why that happened. It was also the reason that I had little bumps just under my skin, I would continue to use the exfoliator to try to get rid of these… a never ending cycle really! On top of that all that, scrubbing my skin made any existing blemishes more tender which nearly always lead to scarring as a result… great(!)


 A little while ago I just stopped using abrasive exfoliators altogether. I finally realised that more gentle, but effective, cleansers would make my skin feel clean and refreshed but never left feeling stripped or tight. Balm and oil cleansers removed with a muslin/flannel in the evening and cream or gel cleansers (some foaming cleansers.. not all!) in the morning are now my skincare routine essentials. It took me a while to get used to not literally scrubbing my face, years of habit I guess! I have to admit, I did recently buy the ‘indeed labs powdered exfoliator’ and even though this is a very gentle exfoliator I have noticed my old skincare concerns starting to appear again.

 Nowadays I choose to exfoliate my skin by using liquid products which contain AHA’s (glycolic and lactic acids) and BHA’s (salicylic acid). If you have read my post on Alpha-H’s Liquid Gold (containing glycolic acid) you will know how much this has transformed my skin. I still continue to use it every other night and definitely notice a difference if I don’t use it for a while. Everyone who reads Caroline Hiron’s blog will know how much she raves about acid exfoliators.. and she is never wrong! They really are the most effective way of brightening and smoothing skin by sweeping away dead skin cells. As some acid exfoliators can be quite potent, your skin may feel quite tingly but should never feel burnt. Therefore, if you do have sensitive skin then I would suggest using mild versions of BHA’s to begin with.  It’s also really important to hydrate the skin after use as well as using an SPF on top during the day (this should be done anyway!). Below are some products that I have used and/or would recommend;

 
Alpha-H’s Liquid Gold (obviously!) - £31 for 100ml/£45 for 200ml

Clearasil daily clear superfruit refreshing pads (I like to press these pads on my skin as opposed to swipe it across my face.. they are a bit scratchy!) - £3

Clinique’s mild clarifying lotion (a very gentle but effective exfoliator, keeps the skin balanced) - £16.50

Biologique Recherché's Lotion P50 - £52 (the ultimate acid exfoliator! Quite hard to get hold of, but you can order it through BR’s UK website)

 Nip+Fab's glycolic fix night pads extreme - £15 (currently on offer ar Boots for half the price)

Pixi's glow tonic (an afforardble but highly rated product) - £18

Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner  (to be used once or twice a week) - £25

First aid beauty's facial radiance pads (can be used daily) -  £22 for 60 pads 

Aveda Botanical Kinetics Exfoliant - £18


I hope you found this post helpful! As always I would love to read your thoughts and comments! :) 

Xoxo 

Mini review: Clearasil Refreshing Superfruit Pads

I first heard about these pads from the skincare guru that is Caroline Hirons and soon started to see other skincare bloggers use them too. I haven’t used a Clearasil product in a few years, I always associated them with only catering for teenage/spotty/oily skin types so I thought it would just be too harsh and overly drying for my skin. However, I saw them on eBay for £2.50 (including delivery) and quickly snapped them up!

 


The product is described as ‘gentle exfoliating pads help prevent blemishes for radiant skin day after day.  Containing a blend of raspberry & cranberry extracts, known for their antioxidant properties and Vitamin B3.  These exfoliating pads are infused with a refreshing fragrance you will enjoy using every day’. The formula also has 1% salicylic acid included.

 



The pads come in a tub and are pre-soaked with an exfoliating ‘waffle’ like texture. There is a quite a strong fruity scent which some may be put off by but I personally don’t find it offensive. They are suitable to use morning and evening but I only really tend to use them in the morning after cleansing as they feel refreshing on the skin. They do a good job of gently treating any current blemishes (with the help of the salicylic acid) and keeps the skin in a nicely balanced and smooth too. I don’t find these pads to be drying, instead my skin feels quite soft and plump after use. There’s a slightly sticky feeling at first but this soon goes away and gives a really nice base for layering your moisturiser on top. My only gripe is that the texture of the pad is quite rough so it feels scratchy.  I therefore dab the pad on my skin on rather than swipe it across my face. I like to hold down the pad on any blemishes to let it really soak in.

 


Overall, I am impressed with this product by Clearasil, it’s great to see an effective formula at a budget price making it amazing value for money. If you are new to acid exfoliating/toning, I would really recommend them and they are gentle too so would suit most skin types.

As always, please feel free to leave any comments of questions!

XoXo

Emma Hardie Amazing Face Natural Lift and Sculpt Moringa Cleansing Balm

I was lucky enough to win the Emma Hardie Amazing Face Natural Lift and Sculpt Moringa Cleansing Balm in a giveaway contest by Beauty By The Geeks (I love their blog and Instagram page too!)





I have used it roughly every night for 3 weeks now so I thought a review on this was much needed. This cleansing balm claims be ‘a balanced daily cleanser that thoroughly cleanse deep in the pores, moisturises and calms all skin types. Grape Seed Oil and sweet almond oil rich in essential fatty acids help to plump and soften. Moringa seed extract, wild sea fennel and vitamin E balance, purify and help to minimise the appearance of open pores. Essential oils of orange, neroli and mandarin rejuvenate and revitalise the skin whilst calming the senses. Jasmine and rose help to recondition dull, dry, dehydrated and mature skins'. 

 The product comes in a heavy glass jar which looks and feels luxurious. I quite like that you can see all of the product and you can scrape every bit out of it too! The texture is quite solid when cold but becomes much softer when its warmed up in the hands. The scent is quite heavy with the main ingredient, moringa. This along with other flower and plant ingredients makes it smell very exotic and reminds me of India strangely! To use the balm, I take a small amount and lightly warm it in my hand before applying it to my face. The consistency then turns to what is very similar to an oil and massages into the skin beautifully. As I use it in the evening, I like to take to take a bit of extra time to really work it into my skin. The product comes with a cleansing cloth which is dual sided, one side is muslin which is to exfoliate dry, thickened and congested areas and the other side is micro-fibre for more delicate areas. I really like this cloth and its great quality too and it is perfect for removal. That being said, on days where I put this cloth in the wash, I use other muslin clothes that I have accumulated and they seem to do a pretty decent job too.




As the product claims to lift and sculpt the face, it’s key to use the cloth certain way and this is in a upwards motion from your chin to your temple. You really want to swipe upwards in all areas of the face as well as the neck too, this goes with any cleansing balm really. I have noticed that my face does seem slightly more sculpted and toned but I wouldn’t say this is one of the balms main highlights. The things I love are...
  • One of the best products to use when you want to give yourself a good facial massage and is honestly a pleasure to use
  • Does a great job of removing all make up and it is gentle enough to use around the eye and lip area too
  • Cleanses and purifies the skin perfectly without being harsh or irritating the skin
  • Provides just the right amount of moisture and plumpness to my skin
  • Doesn’t leave an oily/tacky residue (if removed properly!)
  • Rejuvenates the appearance my skin and leaves me with a beautifully clean glow
  • After continued use, my skin is left smoother, more clarified and with an improvement in my skins texture
  • For days when you really need it (or for extra dry skin types),  you can use it as a deep hydration treatment mask by just leaving it on the skin for 10 mins
I think there quite a lot to love really! However, I do have some slight niggles. There are some days where I just feel this is slightly too heavy for my skin. It is summer right now and I do have combination skin (more oiler then dry) and there a days where I want my skin to feel fresh and not so deeply nourished. I think that this will be fantastic the winter where this is much more needed! I have read some reviews that due to all the essential oils, it may cause you to have breakouts. I (touch wood!) haven’t had this problem as my skin wouldn’t be classed as ‘blemish prone’ and it’s not very sensitive either.  As everyone has different skin and it reacts differently to products, I can’t really guarantee that this won’t give you spots but it’s worth checking out to see if you may have any reactions or allergies to the ingredients before you decide to purchase it.  

For those with oilier skin types, I believe that you can still use this product but just more sparingly. I would never recommend anything that strips the skin of every single bit of oil, your skin will just produce more oil to compensate and your left with more oilier skin than you had in the first place. The aim with any cleanser is to balance the oils in the skin, whatever your skin type. The main reason why I use it in the evening is that it does require the extra effort to really get the benefits. I personally don’t have time in the morning for the application and removal processes involved! So if you are after a totally fuss-free cleanser then I’m not sure you will appreciate the time you will have to spend using this. 

As I mentioned, I didn’t have to pay for this product but if I did it would cost me £38 for 100ml. Obviously this is not cheap and if you are in the habit of buying cleansers for a couple of quid then this may seem very steep or just out of your budget. That being said, I do think the product will last you quite some time. In the time that I have used it, I have made just a little dent in it. I would guesstimate that if I used it once on a daily basis then it would last me between 4 to 6 months, which is pretty good in my books. You don’t have to use it every day like I do, even 2 or 3 times a week will really help to improve your skin, this way it will last you even longer too! If you really want to try this cleanser but aren’t quite ready to splurge £38 on this cleansing balm, it may be worth considering trying the ‘starter kit’ which contains a smaller size of the balm (50ml), the cloth and a 15ml age support treatment cream. I just had a look online and M&S are currently offering this starter kit for £18.40 (usually £23) on their website which is very good value for money!

To conclude this review, whilst I really do enjoy using this cleansing balm and works beautifully for my skin, I’m not 100% sure if I would immediately repurchase it after I run out. I love trying out new products and there are still many balms I would really like to try out (such as Eve Lom)… butif all else fails and I’m left feeling disappointed at least I know I can come back to this one!

Hope you found this helpful, if you have any questions, suggestion or comments I would love to read them below!

X0x0