Here be skincare reviews!

I haven't written a blog post for a very long time because I wasn't really inspired by anything enough to wax poetically about it. But! The past year I have tried several skin care products, and I felt that I should talk about some of them, as they have really made a difference to my rosacea-plagued skin. Thus, here are a few quick reviews for products I've recently used and really liked for the most part:

✿✿✿ 1) Start Over Eye Cream by Sunday Riley ✿✿✿

This is a quite pricey eye cream, however, the bottle is 30 ml which is double the amount that almost all eye creams have.The texture is not thick, and very pleasant to apply. I didn't notice any reduction in lines or crows feet, however, my under eye area felt fresh and very hydrate after each application. All in all, a worthwhile purchase in my opinion.

✿✿✿ 2) Effaclar Duo by La Roche-Posay ✿✿✿

Many beauty bloggers have sung the praises of the Effaclar Duo and not undeservedly. It's a treatment for blemishes but doesn't feel harsh on the skin. It can be applied topically, but when my face is particularly pimply, I like to apply it all over. This product definitely works over time, but I don't think it's something to be applied on a daily routine for a very long time as it probably has some very potent ingredients, but for emergencies it's great. It needs to be followed by serum or moisturizer because it's drying, but those with very oily skins could probably get away with applying it solo in their night time routine and then going to bed. 

✿✿✿ 3) Ceramic Slip Cleanser by Sunday Riley ✿✿✿

This a very nice cleanser; it doesn't foam very much, and it doesn't have a great scent, but it has some good ingredients that promise to refine pores and boost collagen.  I don't think my pores will ever be refined (they are *that* big), but this cleanser definitely brightned my skin (probably because of the Vitamin C), not to mention that it didn't aggravate my redness in the slightest. Love!

✿✿✿ 4) Red Alert by Medik8 ✿✿✿

This is an oil that helps with the inflammation in sensitive and redness-prone skins. I was hesitant to try an oil, but at some point my rosacea had flared up with a vengeance, so I caved in and gave this a go. I did have a pimple or two when I overdid it with this, but the benefits I got in terms of calming the redness were great. It does calm the skin, and I find that I get better results (pimple-wise) when I apply it sparingly and not saturate the skin. If you have a very dry skin you'll probably have to follow up with a moisturizer, but if you suffer from rosacea, inflamed, and angry skin, you should definitely give this a try.

Do you have any recent discoveries (or long-term affairs!) with any skincare products? Do share!

Skincare regime targeted for rosacea/sensitive skin types

I finally found a skincare regime that produces results and doesn’t aggravate my rosacea and skin sensitivity. If you suffer from rosacea and/or sensitive skin you’ll know what I mean – virtually every product makes things worse by way of additional redness and break outs. But the products I’ll describe below have had a calming effect on my skin, helped with the inflammation and did not break me out in the slightest. I’m chuffed to the point that I want to write to the companies never to discontinue them!

Rodial Dragon’s Blood range

What initially drew me to this range were the claims of anti-inflammatory properties in the products. I’ve never heard of Dragon’s Blood but according to Rodial it is an anti-inflamatory agent that reduces redness. I got the Hyaluronic Mask, Scultping Gel, Hyaluronic Moisturiser and Hyaluronic Tonic and I have to say that the moisturiser, mask and tonic are excellent. Ironically, the sculpting gel which contains the most concentrated amount of Dragon’s Blood (and is the most expensive) didn’t work for me at all. But the other three products are very worthwhile in my opinion. 

The moisturiser has an SPF15 and medium consistency. I think part of the reason it made my skin looked calmer is because it is really white pigmented (probably because of the SPF) and that helps to diffuse the redness on my face. The tonic was a big surprise in the sense that it’s very gentle and does calm my skin after the ordeal of cleansing (seriously, my face looks like a beetroot when I towel dry it after washing). It has a pleasant rose aroma and doesn’t irritate me at all. The mask is gel-like and has a very nice texture that absorbs easily. If you decide to leave it on, instead of wiping it away, make sure not to use too much because it tends to roll up in flakes. All these products contain hyaluronic acid which is a great bonus for those of us concerned with aging issues, but it’s the calming properties that made me go back and re-purchase the moisturiser, mask and tonic. I have tried so many redness targeted products and none were as good as these. The redness does return during the day mind you, but I found that over the past 3 and a half months that I’ve been using these products, my skin is somewhat calmer and I have less flare ups.  Until a better rosacea treatment comes along, the Dragon’s Blood range is my holy grail!

REN ClearCalm3 cleanser

This cleanser was out of stock of a long time because of a lack of ingredients, according to a few sales associates that I’ve spoken to (yes, I went to a gazillion stockists trying to hunt this down) and I was very upset because it’s my absolutely favourite cleanser. But thankfully now it’s back on the shelves and kudos to REN for not compromising their quality and deciding to wait to cultivate the proper ingredients. I must have repurchased it about 5 times now and I swear by it. It is a clay based cleanser, targeted to blemish-prone skins. If you are looking for a moisturizing cleanser it might not be the one for you, but as I have oily skin it doesn’t strip it off moisture and does a great job of keeping it clean and fresh feeling.

HealGel Intensive 

This is a treatment gel for localised skin problems that promises to repair and soothe scarred or post-surgical skins. It also doubles as a make-up primer. I’m on my second bottle now because the first one went by in less than 3 weeks as I made the mistake of applying it all over my face. I call it a mistake because it’s a pricy product (and only 30 ml per bottle) so it’s not viable, for me at least, to use it all over the face, although if I had that luxury I definitely would. It has a very light texture that disappears on the skin, so a moisturizer on top is necessary for those with dryer skins. I had 3 huge marks (courtesy of a bad break-out that I suffered last year) that refused to leave months after the spots had cleared and they have become slightly smaller recently. Maybe it’s because it was their time to heal (as I get older it takes longer and longer for blemishes to clear and some are so stubborn that stay for months!) but as they have been there for almost a year now I’d like to think that it was the HealGel that prompted their shirking. They are still very visible but I really do think they have shrunk somewhat. 

Elemis Papaya scrub

The reason I’m using this scrub is because it is enzyme-based, meaning that the dead tissue is sloughed off by virtue of enzymatic break down and not mechanical abrasion by beads. I always steered clear of scrubs due to my rosacea (I learned the hard way after a peeling session that left me looking like a pizza!) but this scrub doesn’t aggravate the redness and is very gentle.

If you have rosacea issues, I highly recommend the Rodial range, and if you do use it please let me know what you think. I’ll continue with this regime but I want to find a way to incorporate anti-aging products as well. Please share any recommendations that you might have about gentle anti-aging serums, I would love to know!

June Favourites

1. Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Rebelle

This is more hydrating than the regular Rouge Coco line but it's more sheer as well. 

The colour does not translate the same on the lips as it looks on the stick -it's more 

pink/red than red. But the fact that it's sheer and a tad glossy makes it perfect for 

the summer time!

 

2. Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Hair Treatment

I love this hair mask. It's affordable, smells great and does the trick of untangling
my unrully hair, leaving them soft and manageable.
 

3. Concentrated Reconstructing Serum by Algenist

I purchased an introduction kit by Algenist from my local Sephora that included a
face cream, an eye balm and a 15 ml bottle of the serum. Having tried all of them I
have to say the serum was my favourite by far. Light texture which still managed to
 moisturize my skin that I sometimes skipped adding moisturizer on top. I didn't see
any improvement on fine lines but that was probably because I only had a small bottle
and didn't use it long enough. If it weren't so expensive I'd definitely buy the full size.

4. Sun by Jil Sander

This is my go-to summer perfume. It's very light but still manages to leave an 

impression and it's perfect if like your perfumes to be discreet and not too overpowering. 

The notes in this one include iris, ylang-ylang, heliotrope, carnation, vanilla, while 

tonka, cedar and benzoin.

5. Kerastase Elixir Ultime

A hair serum that smells divine (though if you don't like heavily scented hair products 

this might not be for you) and has a sleek oily texture that you warm up between your 

fingers and then apply to the hair as a conditioning treatment. I have colour treated hair 

and this takes out the coarseness and makes them look healthy and shiny again.

April Favourites

1. REN Clearcalm3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser.

This is a face cleanser by organic skin care brand REN. It is clay based, meaning it doesn't really foam up, but it does a marvelous job of drawing out impurities from pores and leaving the skin feeling extremeley clean. Suprisingly enough, it doesn't dry me out at all which is definitely a bonus! I'm on my second bottle and I see myself getting a new one when I run out.

2. Crabtree & Evelyn Gardeners Hand Therapy

I got this as a gift from a friend and I really love it. It's a very thick cream with a lovely, unique scent that soothes my hands even on the coldest days. Even though it has a very rich texture it absorbs nicely into the skin, leaving behind a waft of aroma.

3. Dr. Wu Anti-Oxidant Whitening Lotion With Fullerene RS

I didn't really know anything about this lotion before I purchased it, so I didn't know what to expect but now having used up all of it I can say that it's a very nice product. What I love most of all is the texture: it's neither too thick nor too runny, it gets absorbed like a charm, and it's a joy to apply. I haven't noticed any whitening effects per se, but my skin is moisturized and plump and I have peace of mind knowing that the lotion has anti-oxidants inside that MUST be doing some kind of work, fighting the anti-aging good fight ^_^

4. Bumble & Bumble Leave In Conditioner

My hair is super tangly so I'm always in need of a leave-in conditioner to be able to comb it through. This one by Bumble and Bumble is light with a very discreet scent, does not weigh my hair down and makes my it quite manageable. Thumbs up!

5. Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer

I decided to buy this after all the good reports it was getting online and it lived up to the hype. A while ago, I had a massive break-out with embarassingly huge pimples and this concealer helped me through it. It sets fairly quickly on the skin so you should work quickly with it but once on, it doesn't budge. I wore it for more that 10 hours straight and it was still working its magic!

Tag: The products I am currently using

I came across this tag recently and decided to fill it in because tags are fun and oftentimes surprisingly informative reads. Please go ahead and add your own version to your blog (or in the comments section, if you prefer) as I am really curious to read about your choices!

Face

❥ Cleanser: Gel Surgras by Dermagor
❥ Toner/lotion: Magnolia Brightening and Firming Lotion by Naruko
❥ Serum: Concentrated Reconstructing Serum by Algenist
❥ Cream/Moisturizer: Skin Plast by Dermagor
❥ Sunscreen: Senka SPF 50 by Shiseido
❥ Facial mask: Mint Collagen Mask by My Scheming

Body

❥ Shower gels/soaps: Douche Creme Lait de Vanille by Le Petit Marseillais
❥ Hand cream: Vitamin E hand Cream by Boots
❥ Lip balm or lip treatment: Shea Butter Lip Balm by Korres
❥ Perfume: Sun by Jil Sander

Hair

❥ Shampoo: Tsubaki by Shiseido
❥ Mask: Elvive Triple Resist by L'Oreal
❥ Leave-in conditioner: Elixir Ultime by Kerastase

Make-up

❥ Primer: White D-tox Make-up Base by Biotherm
❥ BB Cream: Clear Smooth BB Cream by Maybelline
❥ Powder: Pressed Powder by Paul & Joe
❥ Concealer: Lasting Perfection by Collection 2000
❥ Eye Liner: Aqua Eyes by Make-Up For Ever
❥ Lipstick: Matte Lipstick in 'Lady Danger' by MAC

Review: 'Liquid Gold' by Alpha-H

 

                Glycolic acid is a type of alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA), which is widely used in the cosmetic industry as an exfoliant.  Until recently, my usual method of exfoliation has been the mechanical sort, where you use a scrub with tiny spherical particles to remove the dead cells off your skin. This however, always caused my skin redness to plummet to beetroot-like shades, and tiny broken capillaries to appear on the sides of my cheeks. That was the reason why I decided that I needed a new peeling method. As Ruth from ‘A model recommends’ swears by Alpha-H’s ‘Liquid Gold’ to keep her skin in top shape (and she has wonderful skin!), I decided to try chemical exfoliation out.

                ‘Liquid Gold’ is a refining exfoliant with glycolic acid, silk proteins, and licorice extract.  It is a clear liquid that you are supposed to apply on cleansed skin every alternate night, followed by your moisturizer, or on its own for an intensive treatment.  I have just finished the bottle and unfortunately concluded that this product is not suitable for my skin. It has caused localized break-outs every time I used it (I stopped using it for a while to ascertain the cause of the break-outs, and they were definitely due to the ‘Liquid Gold’). My complexion did brighten overall but this could also be attributed to the fact that I was taking a multi-vitamin supplement at the time. The application was easy, similar to the way you apply a toner and I experienced tingling sensations afterwards.

                As a final note, I asked Dr. Schultz from 'DermTV' whether glycolic acid would be advised for those with rosacea (I have mild inflammatory rosacea myself) and he replied that it should be okay if one started slowly, from a concentration of 8% and less, so keep this in mind if you decide to use glycolic acid and you also happen to have rosacea.