Skincare Routine

Each time I am in the midst of a ‘good skin’ month, I feel the urge to post a round-up of the products that I’ve been enjoying. Despite suffering through what I believe was an allergic reaction to my hair mask (exacerbated by constant scarf wear!) I have been happy with the texture of my skin and am thankful for a range of products for helping me out in that respect. Since I am consistently rotating my skincare in order to review products on this blog, many are press samples or things that I only use for a 6 week period to keep the reviews coming. Just something to keep in mind!

In terms of my morning routine, I like to keep it quite simple and use cleansing water like Bioderma Crealine h20 to rid my skin of any remnants of my nightly routine. I’ll be honest and say that this isn’t always a step I undertake daily as I can be quite lazy in the mornings! I then pop on a full pump of Cetaphil Derma Control SPF30+ moisturiser*, which is broad spectrum and non comedogenic. This keeps my skin smooth and helps prevent acne whilst providing UVA/UVB sun protection. I find this to be a great moisturiser and I’m glad that the lightweight bottle is pump action and cheap enough when it comes time to repurchase! While this sinks in, I begin applying my eye makeup, then move onto applying primer and the rest of my makeup routine.

At night, I take a lot more time caring for my skin. I begin by removing my eye makeup before I hope into the shower, with Maybelline’s City Rescue makeup remover which I am about to run out of. I then use Dermalogica Precleanse* and Antipodes Grace cleanser* while I shower. I am still having a love affair with Precleanse, and am enjoying the touch of class that Antipodes brings to my bathroom. I find the creamy formula of Grace to still be quite lightweight, and it doesn’t add any oil or shine to my skin as I at first thought it might. I do still prefer my Soap & Glory Fab Pore Hot Clothcleanser* though, as I find it leaves my skin softer and smells a little nicer than this luxe metal tube. I switch up my facial scrubs quite often, and right now I’m using the Dermalogica Skin Prep scrub* (sample tube).

After cleansing, I move onto layering a few treatments and serums depending on how my skin is acting that particular day. I suffer from a little bit of acne, and so without these treatments my skin acts a fool! Mario Badescu is wonderful for acne prone skin, and I rely on the Buffering Lotion to take care of my bumpy forehead and deep pimples, while the Drying Lotion stops the spots about to erupt in their tracks. I also love La Roche Posay Efflacar Duo to keep my skin acne free overall, and will definitely be repurchasing when this tube meets its end. I sometimes use Lacura Hyaluronic Gel to help suck some moisture into my skin, but lately I’ve been favouring my Kosmea Radiance 24/7 Youth Boost*.

To end my skincare routine, I take time massaging in a night cream to moisturise the dry patches of my face. I was using a lightweight lotion during the heat wave we experienced earlier in the year, but now that it is chilly I have cracked open my tub of Aveeno Positively Radiant Intensive Night Cream*. Such a lovely name, isn’t it? I found the texture of this really strange, it is sort of like curdled yoghurt, and at first I doubted how hydrating it would be. Happy to report that I was way off, you need the tiniest bit of this to cover your whole face and it works so well at hydrating without being heavy or breaking me out!

 

 

Phew! That rounds up the skincare loot that has been slapped on my mug lately. Now it is YOUR turn! What products do you swear by for your skin?

 *Items provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

 

 

 

Willow for Dermalogica

There isn’t much I love more than beauty products and dreaming about designer brands, so as you can imagine I get quite excited when the two combine. At a recent launch event I was introduced to the brand new gift with purchase that Dermalogica have set up with fashion house Willow for the month of April, and I was really impressed with the quality of the goods! Usually GWP’s come in a great makeup bag, but this is the first I have come across that include a genuine, buttery leather clutch with some travel sized samples tucked inside. I love structured bags like this one, I definitely prefer it to a long line clutch so I was elated to take one of these designer bags home with me on the day. This clutch is yours with any Dermalogica purchase over $100, and being a fan of a stack of Dermalogica products I thought I would tell you which ones are the best!

First off, you NEED the Precleanse! Originally reviewed here , this is a runny oil substance that whisks away makeup and prepares your face for your cleanser. I am addicted to this and find it super hard to cleanse without it now that I’m hooked. Another product I love is the Skin Prep Scrub and the Daily Microfoliant. If you prefer physical scrubs, Skin Prep is the way to go as it is chunky but still doesn’t aggravate the skin. Those who love chemical/fruit enzyme based exfoliants should go for the microfoliant, which is a powder that you work into a paste and it eats away at the dead skin cells for you. Both are great and I alternate them depending on which I can be bothered reaching for, so they are great options to get you on your way to earning this amazing gift with purchase.


Now mark your diaries, Aussie ladies! To celebrate the exciting collaboration, Dermalogica are holding an event with champagne, canapes and free on-the-spot treatments in the cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. I’ve popped the details and invitation below, and will hopefully be making my way down to the Melbourne launch to play with some new Dermalogica products and perhaps get my face mapped!

 

Let me know what YOUR favourite Dermalogica product is in the comments below, or tell me about a product you’ve tried from the brand. Are you planning on heading down to see the amazing Willow clutch in person?

*I was a guest of PR for the Dermalogica event and was gifted the clutch and travel sized products while there. Honesty, always.

Dermalogica Precleanse + an exciting price drop!

Don't get me wrong, I had heard rave reviews about the Dermalogica Precleanse* from fellow beauty bloggers, but for some reason it still slipped under the radar for me. To be honest, Dermalogica in general was a favourite of many I knew, and until the middle of last year I had only really skimmed to surface of their product range. I enjoyed using the Microfoliant*, but it wasn't until the Precleanse met my face that the love affair truly began.

 

The premise of this is something that some disagree with, but the notion of pre-cleansing truly is something worth trying for yourself. Foundations are now lasting longer, primers are gaining popularity and sunscreen is an everyday necessity, so 'double cleansing' or using a precleanse is an easy way to ensure you are thoroughly cleaning your skin before applyling your serums and moisturisers. I use a dedicated eye makeup remover on my lids and lashes, before using precleanse and my cleanser in the shower. You rub this oil over your (dry) face, add some water to emulsify and work it into the skin before it easily rinses away. I prefer this over other oil-based cleansers I have used, as it leaves my skin happy and clean without drama.

Dermalogica Precleanse is pretty much a citrus scented addiction, as my skin never feels totally clean unless I've used this before my regular cleanser.

Now that the price of Dermalogica products have dropped in Australia, I will be repurchasing a 150ml bottle for $43.35 from Adore Beauty when this one runs out. Shouldn't need to repurchase for quite a while though, as this bottle lasts for ages!

What do you think about the idea of precleansing? A necessity , or just another step in your already-too-long skincare routine?

*This product was provided for consideration, but opinions are all mine. Honesty, always.

Alpha-H Age Delay Cleansing Oil // Product Review

I wear a full face of makeup most days, and so feel the need to double cleanse in order to ensure my skin is totally clean when I hop into bed each night. I was sent a sample tub of the Age Delay Cleansing Oil from Alpha-H, which I used each night in the shower (after removing the bulk of my makeup with a designated makeup remover) This cleansing oil is a balm-like consistency that is infused with sea buckthorn and smells of a mix of rosehip along with other floral and fruity scents. 

I massage the balm all over my face before using water to emulsify it, and though they recommend removing this balm with a cloth, I tended to just use water as I followed it up with another cleanser anyway. This stuff melts away makeup and dirt and nourishes my skin, leaving it super soft. If you don't remove the balm with a cloth there will be residue left behind, but it is pleasant and hydrating (perfecting for the aging skin that it is targeted towards!) and so I didn't mind this at all.

The full size product comes in a tube and retails for $49.95 AUD. Once I've burned through some of the other cleansers I have to trial, I will be buying a full size of this. It is not often that skincare grabs my attention as much as this has, and suffice to say I am very impressed.

Have you tried anything from the Alpha-H brand?
What do you recommend I try next?
Do you precleanse often?

*This product sample was provided for review, but my review and opinions are unbiased and honest, as always.