Desert Island Skincare

I was wondering, briefly, what I would take if I had to pare down my skincare routine right down to its very, very basics.   I get lots of people mentioning that I use a wide range of products on my skin, and if I think that's a good idea, bearing in mind that my skin is quite sensitive.  My reply is usually that whilst I do rotate products quite a bit, I tend to stick to tried and trusted favourites, and just swap in one new product into my routine at a time.  If you follow me on Instagram at all, you'll see my morning face routines on the day, and there's usually a core of products that I use, and only swap one product or so a day.

Picking my core, desert island skincare was difficult.  Very, very, very difficult.in the end, I narrowed it down to these nine items, and I made them mostly old favourites, because, whilst I've trialled some amazing skincare - some that I'm convinced will be future classics, I haven't been using them long enough to see if they make the "repurchase" hall of fame.  All of the products featured here, with the exception of one, have passed that particular hurdle, and in spades. 

First things first, cleansing.  I picked two cleansers, one a basic no frills, no scents, no luxury cleanser, which is perfect for sensitive skin, and also makes a great makeup remover, and that is Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Oil.  I've not reviewed this yet (but I will), but I love it for days when my skin is acting up, and I want something that my skin won't - can't - react to.  For a cleanser that is the exact opposite, that is luxurious in every single way, smells divine, beautifully textured, and fantastic for a second cleanse, I chose Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm.  Follow the link for a full review.

Toner.  There was only ever one "toner" on this list, and that was, of course, La Roche Posay Serozinc.  I play with others, but the zinc in Serozinc makes all the difference to my skin.  For an acid tone, however, I chose Zelens PHA+ Bio Peel Facial Resurfacing Pads because they are glycolic-free, and my skin tolerates them better than any other acid toner on the planet.  There is a rumour going around that I only bought the Caroline Hirons Beauty Box recently because I needed to stock up on these, and I only wish I could deny that ...

Serum-wise, I went with Artemis by Sunday Riley.  This was an incredibly difficult choice, and I uhmmed and ahhhed about putting Hydraluron in its place instead. In the end I went with Artemis because it is more of a multi-purpose product, which you can use as an oil or a serum, and it's anti-inflammatory qualities make it a great product for skin prone to sensitivity or redness, like mine. I'd miss Hydraluron though.

I guess you could also call  May Lindstrom's Blue Cocoon a serum, but it's a balm that turns into an oil, and it's fantastic for sensitive skin.  I use it whenever my skin is flaring up, or when it needs a little extra protection, either from products or from the weather.  It's truly a desert island product in that I can't imagine life without it.

Speaking of balms, the Nuxe Reve de Miel never ever makes it onto my skincare of the day posts, but it is a product I use every single day without fail. It softens the lips beautifully and prepares them for lipstick perfectly.  I love the matte texture, and this version, "Love" has a lovely orange flavour, which I like more than the original honey version.

For eyes, I chose Omorovicza Blue Diamond Eye Cream, which I have enjoyed using a great deal this year.  Whilst I wouldn't describe it as my holy grail eyecream - which I'm not sure exists, tbh - it is a very, very good eyecream.  Except the price will make your eyes water ... 

And finally, moisturiser.  Now, I'm pretty much of the opinion that if you get everything else right, you can use pretty much anything as a moisturiser, to be honest, but I make an exception for this, Kate Somerville Goat Cream.   Moisturising, soothing, and also gently exfoliating (it's packed with lactic acid) this is a moisturiser beyond compare.  I can't wait for Kate Somerville skincare to come back to the UK.  I hear rumours that it's on the horizon, and, as soon as I hear anything confirmable, I'll let you know.

So there you go.  If I could only use a few products, these would be the ones I would choose. I think. What skincare products couldn't you live without?


The Fine Print: PR Samples and purchases


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Skincare of the Week 25/10/15

 It has been a long and busy week here at Get Lippie, and my lifestyle has shown a bit in my skincare choices, I've swapped to a more hydrating routine, and I've slipped a few new products in too.  I'll be concentrating on some night-time routines this week.  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


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Sunday Riley Artemis Hydroactive Cellular Face Oil

At this time of year, I always think a decent facial oil is an essential rather than an optional ingredient in your skincare regime, they add an extra level of protection to your skin in the wind and the rain and the cold, and they are a godsend on chapped and sore skin.  I have a few that I rotate (Clarins is an exceptional source of affordable facial oils on the high street, btw), but recently I have fallen, hard, for this little bottle of oily goodness.

A clarifying oil, with claims to be balancing (it also claims to be lemon-scented, but more about that later), it contains black cumin seed oil, pomegranate seed oil, lemon ironbark and lemon myrtle oils alongside milk thistle seed oil.  It's quite a thick and sticky oil, which you'll only need two or three drops of for your whole face and neck, and it is a bright and cheerful sunshine yellow both in the bottle and out.  The major claims for the product include soothing redness and irritation, it's an anti-inflammatory, and it is also said to neutralise the bacteria that causes spots!

Since I've added this to my regime, in place of other, thinner and lighter oils, I genuinely have noticed that my continual redness, which is the bane of my life, has been both less frequent to arrive and shorter-lived when it does actually appear.  In fact, there have been a couple of days when I've felt able to go without foundation, something previously unthinkable in the winter months!  It sinks in easily, even though it's rather sticky, and this is a blessing given the major "problem" with the product, which is:

The smell.

Actually, the smell is a major factor when it comes to any Sunday Riley oil, and it is both a blessing and a curse ... Sunday Riley Artemis oil smells like a broccoli graveyard farted on your face. (as does Juno, btw)  It doesn't last long at all, it's gone almost as soon as you apply, but even with my currently lessened sense of smell, it gives me pause before applying it.  Now, that out of the way, I actually quite like the fact that Sunday Riley doesn't bother adding a whole bunch of unnecessary essential oils to a product like this just to disguise the fact that the actual active ingredients don't smell the nicest.  It's refreshing that all the ingredients in the formula are there because they have a job to do on your skin, rather than on your nose.

The smell has an added benefit too, because you'll use less of it than you normally would an oil product, and when you consider that the bottle costs £98, this isn't such a bad thing!  I've used mine daily for three months, and I've barely made a dent on the 30ml bottle, I estimate I'll get at least a year's use out of it.  I'm lucky, mine was a gift, but I would definitely re-purchase this once it's run out.  I used to use Juno, and I loved it, but Artemis, for my money, and my sensitive, reddened slightly combination skin is even better.

You can buy Sunday Riley Artemis Hydroactive Cellular Face Oil from Cult Beauty

What's the worst-smelling beauty product you've ever used?

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