What's on my face this week? 27.09.15

I'm coming to the end of my "testing phase" with a few products right now, and to celebrate I'm going to be having a bit of a skincare week on the blog from tomorrow, so look out for some in-depth reviews from then.  In the meantime, here's some pictures of the routines I've been using.  Above is Monday's faceful, I'd dug out some old Aesop faithfuls from the stash, and you'll be seeing quite a bit more of these now we're heading into cooler weather.

Tuesday's face was mainly blue - I brought my Serozinc back out of semi-retirement - and this was a nice routine.

Wednesday brought back Bioderma, no one does these soothing and healing sprays (especially good for skins prone to redness as mine is) like the French skincare brands.

More after the jump.

Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil

Has the hype died down yet?  Is it safe to emerge?  I'd been waiting for Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil to launch ever since I heard a little snippet on the grapevine about it last January.    It took AGES to get onto market, then by the time I got my bottle, the entire world and his wife had theirs, and they had blogged about it, so I hid my review away until such time as it would be less buried in the avalanche of coverage.

I've been a massive fan of the Sunday Riley oils (and range in general) for a long time now,  and I'm well aware of how long they last (a year's worth of usage in each bottle, easily) so, whilst throwing down that initial £85 was hard - and it was - I knew it was an investment I wouldn't easily regret.  Luna Sleeping Night Oil is a retinol product, and my skin being of a sensitive disposition, retinols have been something I've routinely avoided over the years as every excursion into them has led to redness, flakiness and peeling.  Sexy.

Retinols are derivatives of Vitamin A, which encourage exfoliation and can lead to the reduction of fine lines, pores and wrinkles, which has to be a good thing.  It encourages cell-turnover, which is why it can occasionally lead to irritation on more sensitive skins.

In Luna, the active retinol is buffered by soothing blue tansy oil (though I notice that there is artificial colouring in the formula of the oil, so the deep cerulean blue of the product isn't entirely down to flower essences), alongside other neutral carrier oils, so even my prone to redness skin can handle it.  Blue Tansy is also a major ingredient in s favourite balm of mine, May Lindstrom's The Blue Cocoon Beauty Balm Concentrate, and it's a great ingredient for stressed-out skin.

To use, you apply three-to-four drops of oil to your face (a drop or two extra will cover your neck and décolletage, too) after cleansing at night, then follow it up with the moisturiser of your choice (I double this up with the Blue Cocoon every time) and wake up to smoother, younger, plumper, fresher-looking skin.  Seeing my skin in the bathroom mirror after a night using Luna is always a treat (shame it's still the same face, but you can't have everything), things look fresher.  More even, less red.  I haven't noticed any particular difference to my wrinkles - I'm, ironically, not very wrinkly considering my status as an OLD LADY of blogging, but there you go - but my skin does, very much, look better after using it.

I've started off using Luna Sleeping Night Oil twice a week, and I'll probably end up using it every other night at some point - I have a feeling using it more often will lead to irritation.  So far, three months or so in, I've yet to see any dryness, redness or peeling as a result of use, and I'm very happy about that.

So, was it worth the hype?  In my eyes, yes. Is it worth the £85 price per bottle?  It's undoubtedly expensive, but for visible results whenever you use it, it's hard to beat.


The Fine Print: Purchase


This post: Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil originated at: Get Lippie All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post at Get Lippie, then this content has been stolen by a scraper

Skincare of the Week 13.09.15

Last Sunday was a very stressful day, so I ended up giving myself a mini-facial in the middle of the day.  Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel was soothing with its rosy softness, then I slathered myself in Aveda Intensive Hydrating Mask for the rest of the day.  I love this stuff, oil-free, it is instantly cooling and soothing (I keep mine in the fridge.  That reminds me, I need a bigger fridge), and leaves you plumped up and less red and angry-looking.  As I'm approximately 2/3rds sheer grumpiness, this is a minor miracle, I'm sure you'll agree.

After a stressful Sunday, I needed a treat come Monday morning, and when that happens, I reach for the Zelens:

I've been trialling the Intense Defence serum for a few weeks now, there's a full review of it upcoming, but I like this.  I like this a lot.  If you have tendencies towards sensitivity and redness (as I do), you'll probably like it too.  I paired it with the Z Recovery Intensive Repair Balm, as that is probably my second-favourite Zelens product of all time.  A non-greasy balm (actually more of a rich gel-texture) this nourishes and just makes skin look fab after using.  Any time my skin is a bit stressed, or dried out, or over-stimulated with active products, I reach for this, and my skin is usually much the better for it after one application.

A tiny catastrophe on Tuesday when I couldn't find either my Bioderma Crealine spray OR my beloved La Roche Posay Serozinc, so I had to dig out my Caudalie Grape Water.  I actually like the grape water, but the other two are much better for my rosy-redness, so it wasn't really the end of the world.  I added in the Ren Rosa Centifolia Cleansing Water, as, for some reason, I woke up with mascara smudges.  My waterproof eyemakeup remover has gone walkabout, and I paid the price on Tuesday.

More about this routine (and why it was so special) after the break ...

Skincare (and other stuff) of the week 06.09.15

Because I'm knee-deep in the middle of a proper skincare testing period, the only things I've really been changing around at the moment are my cleansers, and the four in these pictures this week really are amongst my most favourite cleansers of all.  From the slightly minty-fresh (but not overpowering or drying) balm of Zelens Z Pure Cleansing Liquid Balm to ...

The fragrance-free, industrial-strength, but still silky and gentle Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Oil to...

 ... the rosy deliciousness of Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel (which I always think is a little misnamed, as it's actually a lovely nourishing balm-texture)

To the luxuriously decadent and divine-smelling Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm, which is, without doubt, a desert island product of mine.    The two products I'm actively trialling at the moment are the Zelens Intense Defence Serum, and the Omorovicza Blue Diamond Eye Cream, in case you were wondering.  The Elemental Herbology Calendula and Rose Damask Sensitive Skin Facial Moisturiser is a oldie, but a goodie that I rediscovered on riffling through the beauty cupboard recently.  I like it a lot.

Over on Instagram (where you can find me here, btw), I've also been sharing my lipstick and perfume choices for the day.  I always think of both fragrance and lipstick as the real finishing touches to my outfit (and beauty routines!)  and so they go together in mind.  These are the main ones from last week:

I had a meeting with the Jo Malone London team last week so I went with what is one of my most favourite Jo Malone London fragrances: Vanilla and Anise. For those occasions where you want to smell like a sexy dentist, this is a must.  There are cloves alongside the anise, and this is an unusal and spicy cologne from the range.  I had a sniff of Mimosa and Cardamom in my meeting, and keep an eye out for my thoughts on that soon.  The lipstick is Laura Mercier Lip Parfat in Raspberry ripple, a lovely pink-nude shade on my lips.

 I've been a bit obsessed by Juliette has a Gun Gentlewoman since June, when I got my bottle.  The smell of a hot and soapy body fresh from the shower, sweetened by a tiny bit of marzipan in the base, this is a gorgeous fragrance.  I paired it with Charlotte Tilbury Red Carpet Red, because I could.  And that's that.

This was Succus Eau Arborante by Liquides Imaginaires. Inspired by woods, this is a bright and lovely but still warm woody floral, and the opening reminds me hugely of rhubarb.  I like it a great deal.  I paired it with Laura Mercier lipstick in Healthy Lips as that always reminds me of rhubarb (cooked though, this time) too.  A lovely pairing.

And finally, because it was Friday, and Friday is the beginning of the weekend, I wore Fresh Sake.  I'm surprised at how much I like this one, I admit.  It's quite a simple floral fragrance, quite fresh, a bit clean, all the things I usually like, but don't love, but whenever I wear this I can't stop sniffing myelf.  And it lasts really well, too.  Lip colour was Laura Mercier Lip Parfait in Cherries Jubilee, which has rapidly become a new favourite!

How has your week been?


 The Fine Print: PR Samples and purchases, all mixed up.  Like their owner.


This post: Skincare (and other stuff) of the week 06.09.15 originated at: Get Lippie All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post at Get Lippie, then this content has been stolen by a scraper

Josie Maran Bright and Beautiful Collection

You know those nights when you're accidentally awake at 4am and find yourself mindlessly perusing QVC?  Well that happened last week, and two days later, I found the Josie Maran Bright and Beautiful TSV (today's special value) on my doorstep.  I've been pretty impressed actually, and thought you might like to see it too.  Click to read more:

Dr Perricone No Makeup Skincare

The last time I published a review of Dr Perricone products ... well, let's just say it did not go down too well, so it is with some trepidation that I come to write about them again! I have found myself intrigued by the No Makeup Skincare range for a while now, so, rather in spite of myself, I found myself forking over a bunch of cash in John Lewis recently for the core products, and wondering how I'd get along ...
  

Skincare of the Week 09.08.15 (sensitive skin special edition)

My face was not happy this week, so I had to break out my emergency skincare SOS treats.  After using Ren's Flash Rinse One Minute facial, I had a burning face for several hours, and last Sunday brought an irritated rash so it was time to drop essential oils, stop exfoliating, and avoid perfumed products as much as possible. The Darphin Intral toner is one I always keep in the cupboard for when I've been over-stimulating my skin, and the Clarins Skin Beauty Repair should be in the arsenal of anyone who ever gets occasionally iritated skin, it's magic for soothing and repairing.

 The Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Oil is also fabulous for sensitive skin, containing no essential oils or perfumes, yet it is tough enough to remove anything that you care to spackle onto your face, including waterproof mascara or sunscreen without irritating.  Get some!

Melvita's flower waters are beautiful and deeply soothing on stressed skins, but they're dilute enough not to irritate.  Darphin camomile oil is practially the only essential oil I'll let anywhere near my skin when irritation strikes, it's a marvel.  This routine, with the Zelens Z Recovery Intensive Repair balm, was a nighttime one.

Another night last week, and I added in the new Vichy Idealia Skin Sleep gel-balm.  It's meant for sensitive skin, but it is perfumed, I noticed.  One use really isn't enough for a full review, but I liked this, without loving it (I have a few other night creams that make a bigger difference the next day), but I'll give it a few more uses and see if my liking improves.

The weather got sunnier yesterday, so I did a really simple routine with my much-beloved Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel, and the Chantecaille Bio Lifting Cream that I've been trialling for a while now (which I'm going to cry about finishing because it's £325 for a full-sized pot, and I LOVE it) alongside SPF.  This year I'm mainly wearing the Omorovicza Mineral UV Shield (SPF 30) because it is nice and light and makes a nice base for makeup and I've been pairing that with Alpha H's new Absolute Eye Cream which is fabulous, and contains SPF15!  More about a couple of these in a later post or two ...

And finally, this is my current favourite night routine, which, once my skin had calmed down enough, I was happy to bring back to my routine, and it's this:

Alpha H Liquid Laser Super Anti-Aging balm, which smells amazing and leaves your skin like velvet the next day, and Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm which is, frankly, probably the best cleansing balm in the world.  And it's black, which automatically makes it better than everything else.

So there. 

The Fine Print: A mixture of PR samples and purchases.


This post: Skincare of the Week 09.08.15 (sensitive skin special edition) originated at: Get Lippie All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post at Get Lippie, then this content has been stolen by a scraper

Omorovicza Refining Facial Polish

  
A few years ago, I fell deeply in love with a cleanser, so deeply in fact, that I hoarded the final few millimetres in the jar for three years, saving it's use for only very, very special occasions.  Recently, I was lucky enough to be reintroduced to the entire Omorovicza range (and that heavenly cleanser) and this product has become a little obsession recently as a result.

A bright emerald green from the algae and the copper in the formula, Refining Facial Polish is both a chemical and physical exfoliant, lava powder provides the physical (grainy) exfoliant, and there is a selection of fruit acids in here too, which provides the chemical exfoliating effect.

To use, you massage (lightly!) over clean, dry skin, taking time to admire how it fades from deep, deep kermit-with-a-suntan green to a pale pistachio as you massage:

You're welcome

Then, once the dark green has completely disappeared and your face is fully covered, you can either leave it as a mask for two minutes (taking selfies at this point is completely optional, I assure you) or simply skip the mask step altogether and rinse off completely and follow with serum and moisturiser as normal.

Once rinsed, your skin will be smooth and soft, and free from any rough patches.  There's a slight tingling sensation on the skin whilst in use, as you will get from most acid-based exfoliants, but it is very slight, and passes as soon as you rinse the product from your skin.  Omorovicza recommend this for all skin-types except the very sensitive, and I'd go along with that.  It hasn't irritated my sensitive skin, but I have spent years accustoming myself to acid peels, so I may not be typical.  I love how velvety soft this polish leaves my skin, and I'm having a hard time rationing myself to using it just once a week.

Omorovicza Refining Facial Polish costs £65, and is available from http://www.omorovicza.co.uk

The Fine Print: PR Sample

This post: Omorovicza Refining Facial Polish originated at: Get Lippie All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post at Get Lippie, then this content has been stolen by a scraper

Skincare of the week ...

Or, my week on Instagram, basically.  I've been doing a project and messing about with a new camera, so my instagram has been full of pictures of skincare.  I thought you might like to see them too - although, if you don't already follow me there, whyever not?

Skin has been a bit parched lately, so I've been doubling up on the hyaluronic acid serums recently.  Loving the First Aid Beauty pads (very mild, so good for stressed skin), and the moisturising RMK toner.

Another parched day, so more doubling up of serums, this time hylamide with Vichy, and bringing back my beloved Zelens cleansing balm.

Nighttime treats, the rosy goodness of the Oskia Cleansing Gel, coupled with Good Genes for brightening, and I finally remembered my eye cream ... I'm horrific for forgetting my eyecream.

Another morning routine on a less parched (rainy) day.  Old favourites abound.  The chantecaille will be released in October, and a full review will be coming soon.

A simple nighttime routine, the Omorovicza facial polish will be on the blog on Wednesday.

Yeah, sorry.  I just like this picture, and Artemis is a BIG favourite.

A simple but effective routine for a lazy Saturday around the flat ...

I like this routine so much, featuring a couple of really old favourites - the May Lindstrom Blue Cocoon and Omorovicza  thermal cleansing balm, and something I'm developing a real crush on, the Sunday Riley blogger favourite (which I bought, btw, it's not a sample) Luna oil.

Any questions?  You know where the comments are ... how was your week in skincare?

This post: originated at: Get Lippie All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post at Get Lippie, then this content has been stolen by a scraper

Hylamide SubQ Anti Age and SubQ Eye Serum

More colourfully packaged skincare for you today, but this time for your face.  I've been trialling the much-hyped Hylamide face and eye serums for a few weeks now, and it's time to share my thoughts of each.

Deciem make a huge range of specifically targeted hair and body (both for internal and external use) products now, but the Hylamide range is the first face-specific produce they have released.  Hylamide SubQ is, at heart, a hyaluronic-acid based serum, designed for dehydrated skins. Practically 99% of people have dehydrated skin to some degree, so almost everyone can benefit from a hyaluronic acid-based product somewhere in their regime. 

 Housed in medicine-style bottles with a handy dropper, which makes using just a couple of drops very simple, the Hylamide products are both cutely and usefully packaged.  Containing five hyaluronic acid from five different sources, alongside copper and peptides, both serums are meant to be multi-tasking, tackling other concerns alongside simple dehydration, such as fine lines, both surface and deeper level hydration, they both work on firmness and evening out skintone too.  The eye serum also works on puffiness and dark circles.

Both thin and light serums, Hylamide SubQ is watery feeling, and you only need three or four drops to cover your whole face, whereas Hylamide SubQ eyes is slightly thicker and more milky, and you only need one (big) drop to cover both eyes.  Both leave your skin feeling refreshed and silky, and they sink in almost immediately, not leaving any residue at all.

Before I go much further though, I have to admit that the eye serum stung like :redacted*: well, it stung a LOT, but it didn't produce any signs of allergy aside from the burning, and didn't cause any redness or irritation, and if  I hadn't had to stop use early thanks to the burning, I suspect I'd have liked the product a lot more.  This is the first eye product I've tried in years that has stung, so it may be one for my sensitive-skinned sisters to avoid at all costs.  As it was, I was more than a little disappointed that I did find I had dehydration lines during the day on several occasions where I'd had less than optimal sleep when I was using this, so giving it up wasn't too hard, in all honesty.

However, I have been impressed with the non-eye serum, it is light and hydrating, and I like it very much indeed. It is perfect for adding moisture without greasiness. It is another one of those products where, if you have good skin, you probably won't think it is doing much for you, but you'll notice the difference when you stop - certainly I have found that when I don't use it for a day or two, my skin is noticeably more dull and less hydrated as a result.  I suspect if you have very dehydrated skin, you'd love this, possibly even more than I do.  I like the dropper for being able to use a measured "dose", too, meaning this little 30ml bottle will last a long time. 

Hylamide SubQ Anti-Age is available from Boots and costs £30, where the eye serum will cost £27. 



*Hell 
 
The Fine Print: PR Sample

The Even Finer Print: Hylamide SubQ Anti Age and SubQ Eye Serum We're not featuring full fragrance reviews on Get Lippie at the moment owing to illness - please see The Parosmia Diaries for more.


This post: originated at: Get Lippie All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post at Get Lippie, then this content has been stolen by a scraper

Prismologie at SpaceNK

Intrigued by the invitiation which promised a global launch of a "beauty first", I trekked along to the Knightsbridge branch of SpaceNK recently (it's a hard life), and discovered Prismologie, A colourful and luxurious body care range. Prismologie promises to help lift your mood as well as care for your skin.

Taking the basics of colour-therapy as its starting point, Prismologie has 12 products divided into six colour ways each with a specific mood as its inspiration, and each has a corresponding scent and gem combination in the ingredients. There are signs that Prismologie is also incorporating some aromatherapy, and a little healing crystal therapy into the range, too:

White Beginning - consisting of a body wash and a rich body cream, for contemplation and relaxation.  This range is scented with neroli. and contains micro diamonds.
Yellow Day - a body lotion and a shower gel, to bring radiance and confidence.  This range is scented with bergamot and contains citrine.
The Red Hour - A foaming scrub and a dry oil, for stimulation and passion. This is scented with cedarwood, and contains ruby.
Green Epoch - a hand polish and bath oil, for serenity. With vetiver, and jade.
Pink O'Clock - hand cream and a cream-to-powder body balm for compassion and tenderness, scented with rose, and containing rose quartz.
and finally Indigo Interlude - a foot cream and a massage candle, for stillness and to help relax.  The indigo range smells of oud, and contains sapphire.

The scents for the range have been created sympathetically by Ruth Mastenbroek, and the products, from whichever colourway you pick, smell divine.  The neroli-scented body-cream in particular is absolutely gorgeous, and personally, I'd have adored it if the entire range smelt of it, personally, but all the scents are very good indeed.  I thought the oud in the footcream was an unusual - and brave - choice, but it smells woodsy and clean in this formulation. I think it's a sign that oud really has gone mainstream now though.  I mean, it's a footcream, not exactly the most glamorous of products, lets face it ...

The products themselves aren't coloured to match the (beautiful) packaging  - the range contains no parabens, SLS, mineral oil and are not tested on animals - but they are nice to use, and do what they're said to do on the label.  The White Beginning body cream is my particular favourite, it is rich and thick, and takes time to sink in, but the beyond gorgeous scent makes up for it.  I'm normally a body cream avoider (life's too short, and I don't have dry skin), but I've made a space for this one every day since I picked it up.

I remain sceptical - well I would - on the therapeutic benefits of the range, much as I would with any range that maintains to alter wellbeing through colour, or scent, but it is clear that the founders, mother and daughter team Intisar and Fatima Al-Sabah have produced a well thought through, and very high-quality range of products (every part of the body, right down to the cuticles, is catered for), which is delivered in beautiful, extremely eyecatching packaging.

Prismologie lands in SpaceNK on 12th May, and prices will start at £30.

The Fine Print: PR Sample

The Even Finer Print: We're not featuring full fragrance reviews on Get Lippie at the moment owing to illness - please see The Parosmia Diaries for more.


This post: Prismologie at SpaceNK originated at: Get Lippie All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post at Get Lippie, then this content has been stolen by a scraper