Skincare of the Week - 13 December 2015

Not a hugely exciting week skincare-wise, admittedly - I'm still ill and still look like death warmed up (if death was into the fourth week of a cough that makes them puke at regular intervals, that is) - but I did get my Caroline Hirons Skincare box this week, so from Tuesday onwards you can see the Tata Harper Rejuvenating Serum, and the Dr Dennis Gross Retinol Eye Cream have been added to my regular rotation.   I can't judge their results yet - indeed, it would be unfair to do so, seeing how grotty I look generally at the moment, to be honest - but they're a nice addition to my routine and I'm looking forward to seeing how they work generally once I recover.  The box was a good one though, especially as I got back ups of some longtime faves, the May Lindstrom Blue Cocoon Balm, alongside the Zelens PHA+ Bio Peel Resurfacing Pads, in the box too.  But more about those products in particular later this week.

I also added some Hydraluron back into my routine, both in the serum and the moisturising jelly formulation. I do like a bit of hyaluronic acid in my routine, and I like Hydraluron very much - I especially like the moisturising jelly as a great hydrating moisturiser for oily/combination skin that doesn't need an oily cream over the top as well.  They were on offer at Boots recently, £30 for the serum, the jelly and a box of sheet masks for £30, which is a humongous bargain!  I may have bought a couple of them!

I think my dreadful cough is on the wane now, hopefully I'll be back to looking like a human by Christmas ...



The Fine Print: Stuff and things from my cupboard and that.


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Skincare of the Week 8th November 2015

A bit of a mixed bag this week, skincare wise.  Looking at the pictures all in one place kind of makes it clear that I have certain patterns in product usage - Pixi Glow Tonic, for example, I tend to use for two days then swap to Clarins Gentle Exfoliating Toner.  The one product I've used consistently this week has been Medik8 Red Alert Serum, which I'm liking more and more the more often I use it.  I find it gentle and soothing, and my redness, particularly in the mornings is much reduced.  Doesn't make any difference to my redness when I drink booze though ... oops.  I really like the Skinceuticals moisturiser too.  It's quite a lightweight texture, but it is still plenty hydrating on my combination-oily skin, without leaving a greasy residue.  I'll write more in detail about both these products soon, and there's a full review of the gorgeous Votary Cleansing Oil upcoming too.

I've picked up some more of the Pixi Skintreats range this week, as I've been incredibly impressed with what I've tried from the range so far and I was intrigued to try more - you can see the Milky Hydrating Mist and Glowtion Day Dew in Thursday's picture, but I also have the Glow Pads and a couple of other bits as well. And I'm trialling some new things from Dermalogica and Murad over the next two weeks, it's all go on the skincare front, but I'm looking forward to trying them out!  Have a few more Christmas-themed posts coming up this week first though ...

 The Fine Print: PR samples and purchases


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Skincare of the Week 11.10.15

No blog posts last week because I was unwell last Sunday and I simply couldn't face writing in the slightest.  I still kept up with my skincare routines though, because I do (occasionally) have standards ...  The routine above was a night-time one mid-week, from when I had a congested chin - complete with zit!  I haven't had a zit in a couple of years now!  Stupid hormones - I'll be reviewing the Pixi Skintreats Glow Mud Cleanser in full tomorrow, but I found that a mixture of the Overnight Glow Serum (a gel formula with 15% glycolic acid) on the congested areas and the Nourishing Sleep Mask (which contains lavender and hyaluronic acid) on everywhere else really, really helped.  The zit was only in place for a day or two, which was nice...

Another night-time routine later in the week had me trying these Elizabeth Arden Skin Illuminating Advanced Brightening Night Capsules, and I'm looking forward to using these a couple more times, as the texture of the formula is fabulous, and I was left with lovely velvety smooth skin in the morning.  Hopefully they'll be like that every time!

For more daytime routines, please join me after the jump.

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 ...

Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel

Long-time readers will know I don't always see eye-to-eye with gel-based products, usually finding them a little too harsh (many gels have an alcohol base, which my skin doesn't always appreciate.  Gin, on the other hand ...) for my stupidly sensitive and extremely prone to redness skin.  So I approached Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel very warily.

I needn't have worried, for this is a delight, not actually being a "gel" in the traditional sense at all, more like a soft oil-based balm.  It is deliciously scented with rose in a way that even my poor, tortured nose can detect, which I really like. However, Oskia products always smell delightful, I recall being happily surprised by the scent of their Micro-Exfoliant balm (sherbet lemons!) the first time I used it.   In this way, Renaissance Cleansing gel does not disappoint.

The peachy pink "gel" softens into an oil texture when massaged over dry skin, it provides great slip,  and is good for a quick massage.  It's quite a light-textured oil, and slightly sticky in use, however,  when warm water is introduced it emulsifies into a light milk, and that makes it very easy to remove from the skin with a cloth, or it is easily rinseable through splashing, if that is what you prefer.  I don't use this for makeup removal, preferring Renaissance as a morning cleanse, but I think you'd need a separate eye makeup remover with this one.

Oskia contains MSM, a sulphur-containing compound which helps with skin healing, and the cleanser further contains pumpkin AHAs, and vitamins b2, A, C, & E, alongside Starflower oil, so leaving the gel on your skin for a few minutes before rinsing will allegedly give a brightening effect, I've not tried this, as I habitually am running short on time in the mornings, but the ingredients are nourishing and good for a mild exfoliating effect, even though they will only be on your face a short time.

I'll be investigating more from Oskia, this I can tell ...

The Fine Print: A CEW Product Demonstration evening 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.


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Review: Oskia Micro Exfoliating Balm

I said yesterday that I don't double-cleanse as a rule, but when I do, I prefer my second cleanse to be a scrubby one.  This Micro Exfoliating Balm from Oskia is just perfect for those "need a deeper cleanse right now" moments.

Oskia products are rich in a sulphurous compound known as MSM, which has lots of skincare benefits for all kinds of skin, particularly sensitive skins, and the Micro Exfoliating Balm also contains  sweet almond oil, rosehip oil, and kukui nut oils, alongside zinc and vitamin E.  As you can imagine from this list, it's very healing, and feels wonderful on the skin,

Opening the jar, you're greeted with a cheerful effervescent scent, reminscent of sherbert fountains, it's lovely!  The balm itself is white and is full of tiny, tiny grains which are barely visible to the naked eye (that'll be the "micro" component then ...).

To use, you scoop out a tiny amount from the jar, emulsify it slightly between your palms, then massage - gently - the resulting grainy oil to your face.  Then, you add a little water to the balm, which will turn it into a milky lotion, and continue massaging into your skin.  Personally, I use the pure balm on the t-zone area, then, once I've added a little water, I move ono massaging the rest of my face, as that usually need far less exfoliation than the t-zone.  Please don't get it in your eyes though.  Remove it either by rinsing or with the facial cloth of your choice.

For a gentle, yet thorough exfoliation, it's hard to beat this little jar of loveliness.  I do think it's a little over-packaged in all honesty - I was disappointed at the size of the jar when I opened the box, I can't deny it -  but I like the fact that the products are as natural as possible, and the entire range is safe to use throughout pregnancy, unlike quite a few more essential-oil based ranges.  I'm not expecting, by the way, but this sort of information is always handy for some of my readers who might be.

Again, following on from yesterday's balm, this is another pricey one at (again) £46 for a 50ml jar, (which should last a good few months, even with regular use) but this is definitely a product - and a company - that gets the Get Lippie seal of approval. 

Fine Print:  PR Sample.


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