I'm Back! Review of Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Daily Facial Peel

Thanks for hanging in there with me guys, with the help of some beautiful flowers, antibiotics and my trusty Dimetapp, I'm feeling much better!

Given that I'm returning to the outside world, it was time to call on a heavy-hitter in the skin department, the Dr Dennis Gross Peel Pads. This isn't a daily product, or even a weekly one for me (sensitive skin) but the best thing when I need a really deep chemical exfoliation, after a week of heavy makeup, sunscreen or I just want to feel as fresh as I can be. 

In a nutshell

Pros: A deep, deep clean

Cons: Can be harsh, don't overuse it!

Price:  $124 for 30 uses

Purpose: Exfoliant

Packaging: Two white pots, or the smaller package, two compartments

Re- Purchase? Yes., I use them so sparingly that the price is justified. 

Firstly, yes they're expensive. I originally bought the 10 use only to see how I went, but I will be going back to buy the 30 when I run out. I use these so sparingly, (once per week at most, sometimes once per fortnight) that an initial splurge is justified, but these are not your daily peel. 

Another reason they're not your daily peel if you're in your 20s is the strength, I spoke in length about chemical exfoliation in this post, but basically, this product is designed for either mature skin, or very acned skin. For that reason, if you're down the more mild end of the spectrum (ie, younger and just a few spots) you don't need to go hard on this product. 

The package boasts 40 anti aging ingredients, they're not wrong. Basically, everything you want to strip your skin down and start it refreshing itself is in here, Acids, Retinols (the strongest and only medically proven anti-ager) all the good stuff. As I said, strong this is the closest you'll get to a proper facial peel at home. If you get any dryness or flaking you're overusing the Retinols, and you need to ease off. 

They come in great packaging, either two jars that sit on top of eachother, or the smaller size travel types, which has two compartments. Easy peasy, start with the first side, use the first side, then they say to wait 2 minutes before using the second one. I usually do the first, then brush my teeth, moisturise my arms and legs, then go back in for the second. 

Nice little cotton pad, nothing fancy, unfold it, swipe it all over your face neck and chest, then flip it and do the same. Keep going until it feels dry. Due to the strength of the product, I completly avoid my eyes and delicate areas, and focus more on areas I might have spots, or be prone to breaking out (jawline, nose and chin for me)

I do not obey the package, which says not to clean off. I've done this once, and my skin felt very brittle and dry. Instead I spritz my face, although this is probably reducing the efficacy of the peel, it's plenty for my young, sensitive skin. I would suggest doing this, at least when you first start, to see how your skin goes.

Even though I'm clearing off after, my skin still looks amazing soft, glowy and refreshed the next morning, a must the night before a big-do (although not if you've never used them before! too risky!)

Also, I tend not to follow up with serious anti-aging products, my skin frankly doesn't need a proper chemical peel once a week, it would just be excessive. If I'm having a very shocking skin day, I might use a serum with Retinols as well, but then a soothing moisturiser, but generally I use a nourishing serum, with lots of vitamin C, as my skin is primed and ready to soak up all the goodness. 

Overall, A really really good exfoliation, it's pricy, but if you use sparingly, I think a worthwhile investment. 

Acid? Chemical Exfoliant? What You Need to Know as a 20something feat OITNB.

It's been a while since I got around some good gifs and basic skincare tips, and this one is an absolute doozy, a skincare game-changer, plus I'm using gifs from one of my all-time favourite shows, Orange is the New Black

Hands up if you thought exfoliating was rubbing your face with plastic bead thingys?

Yeah. Nah. I was in that camp too, uuuunnntiiiiilllll.

You see, we exfoliate because as our skin gets older, it becomes worse and worse at replenishing itself. But it's not just as easy as physically scraping away at our skin. Skin is complex, and muti-layered, it's not just a matter of scrubbing skin like dirty dishes.

If your skin could talk, it would tell you....

So, what's the best way to exfoliate?

The thing that's just going to get rid of the old skin without scrubbing off the good stuff?

Chemicals!

I know, that sounds scary! But the truth is, they're not the type you clean your bathroom with. Chemical exfoliation is a process which uses naturally occurring acids, to exfoliate your face.

So really, they should have called it naturally-occurring-acid-exfoliation, but I suppose that doesn't have quite the same ring to it.

The most commonly used chemical exfoliants, are AHAs and BHAs. I suppose now I should tell you which is which, and what they do, but the lovely Zoe Foster Blake has already done that so brilliantly, you can just click here. 

The wonderful thing about acid/chemical exfoliation, is that it realllly works. Not only will your skin be less likely to break out* and receptive to any product you put on afterwards, it will look brighter, and so marvellously glowy that it becomes somewhat addictive.

Possibly you'll also develop a bit of a strut.

The only problem with strutting-around-all-glowy-skin is that at 20 something years old, your skin isn't too bad at exfoliating itself.  And a lot of these products are designed for 40-50 something skin, which needs more help to exfoliate.

If you've got 20 something skin, which is not too bad at exfoliating itself, with the exception of the odd pimple, if you go too hard on the acids, your skin will go from woohoo to boohoo pretty quickly.

Or in skin terms, you may find yourself red, aggravated, rashy dry or flaky. This will be particularly exacerbated if you're using other products with AHAs or BHAs on top of them (aka skin clearing products, or anti aging products)

Basically, if you go too hard, you'll overstrip yourself into a red hot mess.

So what to do? By all means get around some chemical exfoliation, it's great if you've got acne, any scars or marks, or just to prep your skin to get maximum efficacy from your serums.

Just don't go too hard.

I use a very gentle exfoliant 2-3 times per week. I love the Go-To Skincare Swipeys and would absolutely recommend them as a first-exfoliant for anyone interested. Not only are they easy to use, in a cute little coral jar, and delicious smelling, they're one of the gentlest acid exfoliants around, and very reasonably priced for such an active product.

 Now I've been exfoliating for a while, I've also invested in a more intense product  in case of emergency- Dr Dennis Gross Peel Pads are great, but super dooper strong.

I would also recommend that you be vigilant about re-neutralising your face after use. I know that not all products recommend it, Go To Skincare advises users to rinse off, while Dr Dennis Gross doesn't. In my experience, if I don't, my skin feels uncomfortable and fragile. Imagine that the acids have your face all fired up. That's fine for now, but if you don't tell your skin to slowly calm down again, those acids might keep working away over night. A spritz of some kind of toner, or even a quick run over with a hot cloth does me fine.

One of the best things about chemical exfoliants, is that they're easy peasy to use, because the majority come in cute little swipeys/pads/whatever you call those cotton discs.

So it's just a matter of swipey swiping with one side of the pad all the way over your face neck and chest until it feels dry, then flipping to do the same on the other side. Because I'm prone to hormonal pimples, I'm always sure to reach right to the edges of my face and jawline. Or, as Taystee says

That's all I've got on chemical exfoliants. I must say, I notice a huge difference in my skin when I use them, but you do need to get the balance just right in your routine.

Plus they've got a bunch of other weird uses, like clearing up ingrown hair areas, removing injury tape stickyness and disinfecting any open spots you might have.

I would recommend starting with a nice gentle one, before moving up to more significant peel-age. Also some sting is good, pain an tight face is not.

But two times a week, swipey swipe = happy days.

What's in my basket? Springtime Skincare Favourites

Happy Monday! Hopefully someone is out enjoying the sunshine, even if I'm not. You might remember way-way back when, I posted my solution to organised skincare- a basket. 

The other day while I was reorganising things/playing a game of 'product tetris' I decided to lay everything out, and elaborate a bit more on what is currently in my skincare basket. 

These are things I use daily, or at least regularly enough to warrant promotion out of the cabinet to the basket.  I like to think each serves a different (and justifiable) purpose to warrant their spot in the basket, which I'll detail down below. I'll link where I've done reviews- but doing this has reminded me I need to do a lot more! (REN serums and acid exfoliants to come soon!) 

Just realised- my headbands made the first photo (top left) they're for....uh... keeping the hair off your face. Extremely high-tech. 

First little group is things for getting my face nice and clean. I've got....

The Gentle, Softening One- The Body Shop- Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter 

The Scrubby One- Lush- Angels on Bare Skin Facial Cleanser 

Hardcore Acid Exfoliant (once weekly at most)- Dr Dennis Gross- Alpha Beta Daily Face Peel

More Gentle Acids (twice weekly)- Go To Skincare- Exfoliating Swipeys

Heavy Eye Makeup/Lipstick Remover- Bioderma 

(I've also got a big pump-pack of Sukin Sensitive Cleanser which is my all purpose cleanser)

On to the serums. I possibly have a few too many of these, but they all do something a bit different! Plus, as the most active, concentrated element of my routine, I figure they're worth splurging on. 

The Super Luxe Serum- REN Rose Synergy O12 Restoring Facial Serum

Economical Night Serum- Sukin Purely Ageless Intensive Firming Serum 

Anti-Aging Serum- Olay Regenerist Night Resurfacing Elixir

Splurge-ish Daily Serum- REN Radiance Perfecting Serum

Economical Daily Serum-  Rosehip Plus Rosehip Oil- this is the one I meant to take to Port Douglas, as replacement for my A'Kin one. 

I'm still on the search for a perfect moisturiser, but here's what I'm working with at the moment

All Purpose Gentle Night Time- Swisse - Sensitive Vitamin E Face Moisturiser 

Day Time, with some SPF- Aveeno - Positively Radiant Daily Moisturiser

Anti-Aging Night Time-  First Aid Beauty- 5 in 1 Restore Cream Age Delay

General light weight moisturiser for daytime? Still searching! I've just picked up two Lush moisturiser samples, to consider (Imperialis and Celestial)

Finally, things that can't really be categorised and stand by themselves. 

Mask-  Puretopia - Purify and Renew Deep Cleansing Clay Mask

Refreshing Face Spritz- Lemongrass House-  Green Tea Toner

Eye Cream-  Kiehl's- Avocado Eye Treatment- 

And here they all are! More detailed reviews to come, but for now, that's a snapshot of the kind of things I'm loving this Spring, that warrant a prized basket-position. 

Product Review- Puretopia Purify and Revive Deep Cleansing Clay Mask ( plus my facemask routine)

Back to real life and regular posting, this time with a face-mask review of the Puretopia Purify and Revive Deep Cleansing Clay Mask (what a mouthful!). Down the bottom I'll also run through my general routine with masks, when I use them, why I use them etc. I really like a mask, as a way to press the re-start button on my skin a bit. Clay is great for drawing out any toxins or impurities, and making your skin receptive to whatever you put on next. Clay masks are a bit harsh in their effectiveness, so for that reason I only do one once per week, and not on the same day as an acid cleanse. 

In a nutshell

Pros: Good ingredients, ethical company, terrific price

Cons: A little harsh on the skin. 

Price:  $14.99 for 125 ml

Purpose: Clay mask, for use once per week. 

Packaging: Functional, easy to use, easy to travel with. More hygenic than a pot style mask. 

Re- Purchase? Yes, although I may also look for a less harsh one. 

Review

The good thing about clay masks, is that the active ingredient (clay) is dirt cheap to produce. So you don't have to shell out much, for a decent product like this one. 

I really liked what I saw on the packaging, Sulfate and Paraben free, and with some terrific ingredients: Niacinamide which is killer for fighting spots (Which is why I grabbed this mask for my Spotty Skin SOS), Rosehip which is a terrific antioxidant to even out skintone and treat any scars or marks, and Shea which is a deep moisturiser plus Kaolin Clay which is the standard for clay mask clay . All up, the specs looked good. 

I was also pleased with the tube packaging- although it might be easier to control how much you get out of a tub, I don't love digging around in the same pot with my fingers each time. It doesn't seem hygenic as a tube where the first time you touch the product, you're using it. That said, if this was a more expensive product, I'd worry that the last scerricks could be wasted in the tube. Overall, for a cheapie, like the tube.

It's a softer, think moisturiser type consistency, which is a bit different to other masks I've used. Plus it's white, which is quite good if you're trying not to stain your washcloths. 

While it may come out of the tube looking soft and gentle, this is quite a strong mask. You will get a tingle when you apply it, so I would suggest carefully avoiding your eye area, and not using it on sensitive skin.

After a few seconds, it will dry to a more subdued white mask. I've now realised the only times my face appears on this blog is under a mask, sorry 'bout that.

Give yourself 10-15 minutes to go and relax You'll most likely find me watching Please Like Me or The Dreamhouse on iView. 

After the ten minutes, I use two goes of a hot washcloth to clean this mask off. The first go around I pick up all the physical traces of the mask, then I go in again to make sure it's all gone.

I've noticed that I'm a bit pink once this mask has come off, which I put down to the strong Niacinamide.I haven't had any ongoing irritation from this mask though, so I just take precautions (not using on sensitive skin, and only once per week). 

Overall, a great price for a good performer. I've found that my skin improves after using the mask, and using it regularly helps to keep blemishes away, although I'm still cautious about not over-using it, given the tingly feeling and my skin's sensitivities. 

And now.... My Face Mask Routine

I do Facemask Thursday as I like to think I'm clearing out work-week-gunk and getting my skin excited for the weekend, plus on Thursdays I don't usually have much on, compared to Friday nights. I figure, if I've gone to all the effort of a mask, I'm not going to put makeup back on my poor face. 

On a Thursday I will

1. Cleanse and remove makeup

2. Apply the mask to clean skin, wait requisite time etc

3. Remove the mask

4. Cleanse again 

5. Apply serums then moisturisers etc

I do this because my skin can be quite sensitive, so while I like the effectiveness of a mask, I don't want it lingering on past the ten minutes. Plus the mask prepares my skin nicely to suck up all the goodness from whichever serum I apply next. 

So that's all from me about masks- if nothing else, they make a nice afternoon/evening of pampering, and an excuse to put your feet up for 10 minutes and relax. 

Holiday Skin- Part I- New Purchase Reviews- Sukin Purely Ageless Intensive Firming Serum, Swisse Sensitive Vitamin E Face Moisturiser, Essano Rosehip Oil

Apologies for the mini blogging break, I've just spent from a week at the beach with family where I went on a bit of a phone/ laptop detox. 

But I'm here at the airport, with a whole lot of holiday/ sun care skin tips, all ready for us to start heading into warmer weather (please Melbourne, give us some sunshine!) 

First up, three new purchases for my trip. I had 3 requirements when packing for this trip/ buying skincare.

1. Low maintenance, for a week away with family and lots of kids, I wanted a quick routine I could stick to without feeling like the most high maintenance person around, or giving up on it in favour of pool time.

2. Protect, knowing that this was the first time my winter skin would be seeing sun, I had a goal to minimise any damage. Plus my skin tends to get cranky after regular sunscreen  application (sunscreens post coming later) so I wanted to minimise damage. I was particularly interested in getting my hands on some antioxidants, as they're dynamite in preventing redness, agespots and other sun damage. 

3. Economical, as I was leaving my more expensive products at home, I was looking for cheap, pack-able alternatives that would do the job, without taking up too much room in my bag, or causing me grief if they broke in transit. Also, they can all be grabbed from your local chemist at the last minute. 

Here's what I picked up

Sukin Purely Ageless Intensive Firming Serum

Swisse Sensitive Vitamin E Face Moisturiser

Essano Rosehip Oil (with Acai Berry Extract)

And here they are, festively laid out on my beach towel (ignore the yucky front part of the moisturiser- do Chemist Warehouse stickers drive anyone else crazy trying to get them off?) 

I'll do a mini-review for each one, bear in mind I've only be using them for a week, and I'm reviewing mainly based on their suitability as a travel product. 

In general, I was really happy with my skin this trip. My skintone stayed nice and even and not red during my holiday which was great, and I didn't get any of the sunscreen breakouts that I can be prone to (although I credit this more to washing thoroughly than product- again, another post) I was careful to keep my face out of the sun, but all up, very happy with my skin at the end of the trip. 

(source)

Sukin 

Price: $23.95 not the cheapest botanical serum you'll ever buy, but I think quite reasonable for a night-time serum, especially one with a range of active ingredients (compared to basic Rosehip) and no mineral oils or other cheap fillers. 

Packaging: It is in a glass bottle, which is slightly less convenient, however the pump pack top more than makes up for this! Hooray for those of us who can never get those dropper-apparatus right!

Purpose: A double hitter, has a range of antioxidant ingredients (Argan Oil, Goji Fruit, Acai, Vitamin E) to treat any skin damage- great for skin that might be tempted to pigment in the sun, plus Cocoa Butter for moisturising. Because it's so moisturising, I've been using it as a night-time serum. 

Review: Firstly, the smell. It's quite intense, a vanilla-y herbal smell, that took me a little while to get used to. There's no added frangrances or any irritants- that's just the natural botanical fragrance. But it's a strong one, and those who don't like strong smelling products, or are allergic to essential oils should probably steer clear. It goes on really nicely, as a milky gel like fluid, one drop from the pump top is perfect for the face, it's nice and thin so a little goes a long way. It is very moisturising, due to the Cocoa Butter, so I would use it at night only, I suspect it would feel a bit heavy for the day. I did notice my face felt a little tighter and heavier after I applied it, but not too bad. I occasionally layered this on top of the Rosehip oil in the evening, if my skin was looking a bit ragged. 

My skin looked very hydrated and happy in the morning, particularly if I layered it with Rosehip, I had no reactions or breakouts from this product, and I'll continue using it when I get home. Overall, a reasonably priced serum for a non-oil product, and one I'll happily incorporate into my night-time serum choices. 

(source)

Swisse

Price: A very reasonable $14.95 which made me sure it would have mineral oils or other nasties, but not at all. A steal! 

Packaging: The tube is great for travel. It's less than 100mL so can be taken in hand luggage, and I used it liberally during my flight. It's not breakable or likely to get too messy. Sure it's not so glamorous, but for a travel product, packagin is spot on. 

Purpose: A big drink for sensitive skin. Contains a range of nourishing ingredients, namelyVitamin E and Olive Squalane plus Plantolin, Chamomile and Oat to sooth the skin and calm any redness or irritation. 

Review:
I dithered between this and their more general moisturiser, but decided that the sensitive one with all their anti-irritant ingredients was the best choice in case of sunburned skin. It's quite a thick moisturiser, no scent or colourings, but the fact that it really sat on my face meant I was more likely to use it at night only. For such a reasonably priced product, I think you have to make some concessions, which in this cases were 'face feel'. Having said that, I don't mind the feeling of a heavier, nourishing moisturiser at night, and I think this one was particularly good in keeping my skin nice and calm and hydrated after long days in the sun.  I'll be keeping this on hand for travel, particularly on the plane, as I think it forms a great barrier for dehydrated skin, however, next time I travel I'll be bringing a lighter, day moisturiser as well. 

(Source)

Essano Rosehip Oil

Price: $19.95 which is down the reasonable end of standard for organic Rosehip Oil.

Packaging: Ah! The glass jar and the eye dropper again. I think I'm going to have to accept that this is standard in the Rosehip world. The dropper has a wider bottom than I'm used to though, and so was slightly more difficult to use a small amount. 

Purpose: Rosehip is a terrifically strong antioxidant alone, and this one has the extra Acai which adds to the antioxidant effect, and serves as a preservative to keep the Rosehip fresh. Layer under moisturiser and sunscreen in the morning, to prevent sun damage, and at night if you're trying to reverse some damage done that day. 

Review

I have a confession, I actually bought another Rosehip Oil that I was very interested in, then left it at work. So this was the result of a quick dash to Coles the day before I left. I didn't love the consistency of this product, it was stickier and heavier than other Rosehip Oils that I have used previously, and didn't seem to be absorbed as well by my skin. I felt particularly uncomfortable using it on my decollete as it just seemed to smear around. It was also a much ligher colour, which my research tells me indicates a less potent, lower quality Rosehip Oil. So unfortunately, a thumbs down for Essano. 

That's all for my new products and reviews, I've got a few more holiday skin posts up my sleeve (updated cleansing routine, sunscreen reviews etc) then it's back to normal posting. 

Until then, there's a dodgy airport coffee calling my name. 

Serum? (with drawings!)

When serums hit the market, all of us who were confidently following the old cleanse-tone-moisturize routine made popular by the Clean & Clear of our youth were thrown for a bit of a loop.

Suddenly serums were on every pharmacy shelf and beauty blog, and I was left scratching my head wondering what were they, when to use them and, was this the end of the road for moisturizer?

I’ve come up with an analogy for the two products, which helps you remember when and why to use them (spoiler alert, you need to use both) which hopefully is somewhat helpful, or at least good for a giggle at my drawings.

Imagine that your skin is going for a night out at the pub, except instead of getting hammered, your skin is hoping to repair itself in a classic case of nursing your problems at the local.

Serum is like a shot, it’s crazy concentrated and has the active ingredients only.

You take shots with the intention of putting maximum alcohol into your body, with minimum effort. Your skin uses serum to get maximum active effect to treat problem areas. For example, a serum might be designed to reduce scars and even skin-tone, work on fine lines and wrinkles, or even target acne. Popping a serum on your face first is the equivalent of taking a shot at the start of the night, it gets things off to a great start with a huge concentration of active ingredients.

After your shot, you want something less intense and enjoyable, like a mixed drink, or, in your skin’s case, a moisturizer.

The main purpose of a moisturizer is to hydrate, and protect your skin from the outside elements. A moisturizer can also contain active ingredients, but they’ll be mixed in with hydrating ingredients, so less intense, like a mixed drink. By popping a moisturizer on top of your serum, you build on the active ingredients already there, but also hydrate and protect your skin, so it feels lovely and soft.

In summary, your serum (shot) is the most potent ingredient, it goes straight on clean skin for maximum effect and you only need a tiny bit. As this is the most active element, if you’re going to spend money, spend it on a good serum. 

After your serum comes moisturizer (mixed drink) whose job is to hydrate. You can choose one with active ingredients in it, or a purely hydrating moisturizer. The active ingredients won’t be as potent, so if you’re on a budget it isn't worth spending as much as you would on a serum.  

Now, just in case you can’t get enough of my drawings, here’s the whole thing in a cute printable.

Product Review- A'kin Cellular Radiance Serum

I'm really glad to be starting the review portion of this blog, and just in the nick of time too- as I'm about to run out of this product. The A'kin Cellular Radiance Serum was the first serum I purchased, when I decided to get serious about skincare. 

(from the A'kin website)

I actually intended to purchase a rosehip oil, as I'd never used a serum before, and I knew that was a holy-grail ingredient in natural skincare, that wouldn't be too pricy. 

Typically, once I walked in the door of the pharmacy, all my plans went out the window, and I became overwhelmed by the choices. Australians are spoilt for choice when it comes to quality, organic or natural skincare lines. Did I want plain rosehip? Organic rosehip? Rosehip with antioxidants or straight up?

The A'kin product seemed like a good compromise- as a collection of all the ingredients the others touted, it boasts a whole raft of terrific active ingredients including

- Pomegranate extract

- Rosa Canina (rosehip) extract

- Chamomile extract

- Vitamin E

- Vitamin A 

plus the mysterious Seabuckthorn extract, which I'm yet to research, but it's just the best word to say 'Seabuckthorn', 'Seabuckthorn'

I digress, back to the review.

External

Lots of badges on the packaging to let you know that the product is paraben and sulfate free, Australian owned, does not test on animals and is generally a good person to have around for dinner. Maybe I made the last bit up, but it's clear from the packaging that this product is ethically made, and contains high quality ingredients, which are organic where possible. There's no synthetic fragrance or other nasties so it's suitable for all skin types. 

The active ingredients above show that it's absolutely chock-full of antioxidants, which are the natural skincare power ingredients, they keep the baddies (free radicals) out, and help the goodies (your skin cells) repair faster and generate collagen.  

The product is packaged in a glass vial, which is quite typical of these types of natural serums. It also has that typically un-fragranced 'natural' smell, which I believe is mainly the rosehip oil smell . I don't mind it at all, although my boyfriend initially wasn't a huge fan. 

The bottle contains an eye-dropper for application which, to be honest I find a bit tricky. I tend to suck up a little too much product in the dropper, which is possibly why I've used this product relatively quickly (the bottle has lasted me around 3 months) 

Additionally, the product itself is quite thin, making it quite easy for it to fall from the dropper between your fingers, instead of on your fingertips for application. 

Use

Having whinged about the thin consistency of this product, I'm actually going to also list it as a positive. The product is an oil, but is nice and thin and feels very non-greasy on the skin. This is possibly because it's free of synthetics and mineral oils, so everything sinks into your skin quickly, instead of sitting at the top. 

I quite liked the yellow-ish colour, as it gave me a faint glow. I particularly noticed this when I came back from my holiday with a tan which seemed to look much more prominent if I was wearing the serum. However, if you prefer not to have a gentle yellow glow, this may not be the product for you. 

I experienced absolutely no irritation or reaction to this product, which I was very pleased about, particularly as I took it on holiday with me, and used it on sensitive slightly sunburnt skin. 

Didn't notice any significant changes in my skin, apart from an overall look of 'healthiness' which I was very happy with, I think that to seriously fade scars or change pigmentation, non-natural prescription products are probably more appropriate. 

In a nutshell

Pros: Great antioxidant rich ingredients, ethically made, absorbs nicely into the skin

Cons: Slightly difficult packaging- particularly the eyedropper and thin consistency

Price:  $40 for 23mL

Purpose: Natural, hydrating oil-based serum, full of antioxidants. 

Packaging: Attractive, but somewhat tricky to control usage amount- glass jar and dropper.

Re- Purchase? Yes, a great all-rounder at a good price. 

Daily Routine (Clean, Treat, Moisturise)

Before I get into some serious product reviews, I'm going to quickly run through my routine. I won't list any specific products here- just the basic steps and what kind of product I use when.

When I was researching routines I initially got quite confused about which order to use products in.

I had a breakthrough when I realised I could group products into 3 categories- clean, treat, moisturise. 

By sticking to that classification and that order, I've managed to bring in a range of new products, and stay on top of when to use them based on whether they clean, treat or moisturise.

To make this blog easier to read, I'll be splitting all skincare products into those three categories. I find it's easier to both stick to a routine, and also to know when to buy of something if you think in terms of categories, not individual products. I've got a slightly different routine for morning and evening, so will list both with the help of some cute Disney gifs.

MORNING

1. Clean 
- Headband on, and make sure I've got a clean cloth ready
- Run the water quickly to make sure it's hot to touch, but not so hot I can't put my hand underneath it
- Massage a very gentle cleanser onto dry skin, then dip my fingertips back in the water, so I can create a bit more of a lather* in my massage.
- Run my cloth under hot water, and wring it out, place it over my face and let the steam soak in for a quick moment, before gently wiping the cleanser off. I usually repeat this step twice or three times, mainly because I love the feeling of a hot cloth on my face.

2. Treat
- I quickly spritz with what used to be known as toner but is really a hydrating mist, this step is mainly for the nice smell and refreshing feeling.

- Serum- I tend to use a cheaper serum that's more hydrating and general antioxidants than targeted treatment, mainly because I assume it will cop a bit of wear-and-tear during the day, and not have as much chance to be effective.

3. Moisturise
- I like to layer a light moisturiser, and then an SPF product (if it's sunny).

I think moisturisers with SPF do neither job particularly well. They'll often only contain a low level SPF (usually15) but then they don't moisturise as well either, because the main ingredients are SPF related. Also, because my skin can be a bit sensitive, I like to put a layer of moisturiser between skin and SPF so I'll use separate products for each.

After this I'll layer makeup, or head out as is. 

PM

1. Clean 
- Remove any heavy eye makeup- I soak two round cotton pads in eye makeup remover and place them on my eyes. Leave them there, applying a bit of pressure for a minute or two, then gently wipe off. The idea is that there's no rubbing or excessive wiping on the gentle skin around your eyes. If I'm wearing very bold lipstick I'll also wipe a pad with remover along my lips.

Note: This is just a first step to get major gunk off, and stop black lines or lipstick going on my wash-cloths. Not all the makeup needs to come off at this stage, just the most heavy duty layer.

If no makeup, or just standard, daily makeup- start clean here. 
- Cleansing balm- a deeper, more moisturising clean that the cleansing liquid I use in the morning, again I start on dry skin, then slowly incorporate wet fingertips so I can do a little massage and lift of all the grime, SPF and makeup from the day.
- Take balm off using hot cloth technique.

- Second cleanse- using cleanser. I only do this step if I've been wearing makeup or SPF, as a final step to get every last particle off my face. I use a face cloth to take it off in the same way.

- 2-3 times per week I exfoliate using acid based exfoliant pads, to make sure all my dead skin cells are cleared off, and my skin is replenishing nicely.

2. Treat
- Firstly I gently dot an eye cream around my eyes, as if I don't do it now, my eyes will soak in the serum and general moisturisers instead, and any eye-cream I apply will be wasted.

- Serum- here I can get a bit more heavy duty. I tend to rotate through depending on my skin concern. Typically in my basket I'll have a general mid-range antioxidant serum, a moisturising oil-based serum and some kind of treatment serum (my treatment focus at the moment is to even skin tone, but more on that later) and choose based on my skin condition.

- I'll also apply any pimple treatment products at this stage if necessary (on clean, dry skin, under the serum).


3. Moisturise
- I'll usually rotate through a stronger, anti-aging moisturiser, and a more general hydrating night cream which I massage into my face, and down my neck and decolletage.

-Some kind of moisturising lip treatment from the stash by my bed

And then it's goodnight, sweet, product scented dreams. 

*when I say lather I don't mean foam- nothing natural foams or bubbles too much, if you're getting that result you're using something with mad amounts of chemicals, which are doing more harm than good. Here I'm only referring to a sort of milky feeling with a few small bubbles. 

(Disney gif source)