morning skincare routine

Current Favourite Cleansers

- Vicki 5 Comments
Four favourite cleansers

Four Favourite Cleansers

Clinique Take The Day of Cleansing Balm

I have two balms to talk about in this post & the Clinique one is the first balm cleanser I have ever tried. It has been a love story ever since. This is such a lovely product to take your makeup off with because its so gentle on the skin. I take a 10p sized amount and really massage that into my skin to breakdown the makeup and help loosen all the grime from the day. The balm starts off in a solid form, once you start massaging it in to the skin it turns in to a fluid oil.  I use a warm cloth to remove the product and all my makeup and grime. My skin is left soft and clean, Its a HG product for me.

Pixi Nourishing Cleansing Balm*

This is another fantastic balm to oil cleanser, you need a little less product and I find if you use too much of the Pixi one its a lot harder to remove the oily residue. If you use just the right amount this is a really nice nourishing cleanser that removes your makeup with very little effort. With these balm cleansers make sure you take the time to massage them in to your skin, I spend a good couple of minutes doing this. This balm contains sweet almond oil, shea butter and vitamin E, so as well as removing makeup & impurities this leaves your skin silky soft, hydrated and soothed. I really couldn’t pick a favourite out of the two but I think the Clinique one is slightly less greasy on the skin but the Pixi one is better if you wear heavy eye makeup.

Makeup Cleansers

Korres 3 in 1 Cleansing Emulsion

This says to use a cotton pad to rub this on to your skin, I like to use my hands and massage the soothing, cooling milky formula on to my skin. I do wash this off and its really good for the days when my skin is irritated or feeling especially dry, the soothing formula helps calm and hydrate. I wouldn’t repurchase this as Its not great at removing makeup, I would only use this in the morning or on days I don’t have makeup on. I much prefer my trusty Liz Earl Clean & Polish.

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Grapefruit & Patchouli

I always have a bottle of the original C&P on the go, this is a cleanser that never lets me down. I haven’t used any of their limited edition scents and I’m kicking myself for not getting one sooner. This Grapefruit & Patchouli version smells so fresh, fruity and uplifting, I love to use this in the morning. Cleanse and Polish is a cream cleanser that you apply to dry skin and take off with a warm cloth, its great at removing makeup but I like to use it in the morning because the scent is just perfect to wake me up.

Cleansing Balms

What cleansers are you using in your routine?

Skincare Edit

- Vicki 8 Comments
Skincare Favourites

Skincare Edit

I adore skincare, I love discovering new products, and I’m trying to find a routine that works for me. I’ve been stressed for a good 18 months now, and it’s taken its toll on my skin, so I’ve been trying to use products that look after my skin and that give it nourishment and help it to combat this stress. The products I’m talking about today are just a cross-section of what I have been enjoying lately and what I use on a regular basis.

Sanctuary Spa Intensive Heel Balm – I’m someone who gets really dry heels and I like to have soft sandal ready feet. Not that we get much opportunity to wear summer footwear in the UK, but we all want to have nice feet, right! This heel balm is lovely, if you spend a little time to massage it in at night you will wake up with soft smooth feet. It isn’t greasy and is extremely hydrating. I like it a lot more than the Soap & Glory Heel Genius, as I find that too greasy.

Caudalie Lip Conditioner – This is so nice to put on when travelling as it’s very moisturising. I used it on a long haul flight and my lips didn’t dry out at all. It doesn’t have SPF, so I wouldn’t recommend using it during the day, but as a pampering lip conditioner it’s fantastic.

balance Me Pure Skin Face Wash* – I’ve been using this for about 6 weeks and I love it. It’s good at removing every last trace of makeup at the end of the day. I use it with warm face cloth and I find it calming and soothing for my skin. It is very gentle.

Skincare Edit

Pixi Glow Tonic – I bought this bottle in April after reading a review from Caroline Hirons, and I’ve used it every day since I bought it. It leaves my skin feeling so clean, and I swear it’s helping with my acne scaring. It’s alcohol-free and doesn’t try out the skin or leave it feeling tight. My skin is very sensitive and on the slightly older side, and this works well for me. I highly recommend it if your skin is looking a little dull.

Aesop Parsley Seed Serum – Anyone that has read my blog for a while will know that I would sell my soul for a bottle of this. It is my number one go to serum. I use it at night when my skin is feeling sensitive. It is so soothing and hydrating. This bottle (which I adore) has lasted me well over a year. It’s an investment you won’t be disappointed you made. It is Aloe Vera based and has a great range of botanical extracts which are perfect for sensitive skin and skin that’s in need of nourishment. This serum doesn’t sit on top of the skin, it is absorbed so fast and feels amazing. I think I’m its number 1 fan.

Aesop Parsley Seed Serum

Aesop Parsley Seed Anti Oxidant Eye Serum – After falling in love with the face serum, I just had to try the eye serum from the Parsley Seed range. I have this sat on my desk and I use it when my eyes are feeling tired or when I’ve been sat at the computer for a long time. It contains a high concentration of anti oxidants that are easily absorbed. The under eye area is so sensitive and gets dehydrated very quickly, this serum combats that and is silicon free. I do like it, but my heart belongs to the face serum.

NEOM Moroccan Blush Rose Hand Cream – This is on my bedside table at the moment and I use it each night before bed. I’m trying to get better at using hand cream and if I have one by my bed I remember to use it. This NEOM one came free with a magazine a while ago, and I just love the scent, it reminds me of summer.

Skincare

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream* – How amazing and versatile is this stuff! I use it on my lips before I go to bed, and I also massage it in to my cuticles. It’s very hydrating and works wonders. I need to buy a tube for my handbag, so I have one on the go too.

Origins Dr Andrew Weil Mega Mushroom Skin Relief Treatment Lotion – I am a huge fan of all the products in the Mega Mushroom range, and they worked wonders at helping with my red skin. That has cleared up now, but I have still been using the lotion on occasion. I put some on to a cotton pad when I get out of the shower, and it is very calming in my skin. I love the smell of the Mega Mushroom Range, it smells so botanical, grown up.

So that’s a quick run down of a few skin care products I have been using these past few months. Have you tried any of the products I have mentioned? Or do you have a product to recommend that you have been loving?

Products marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I have received at events. I am under no obligation to review them on my blog. However, if I do the reviews are 100% my own.

Origins Skin Tone Correcting Serum

- Vicki 3 Comments
Origins Skincare Serum

Origins Brighter By Nature Skin Tone Correcting Serum – That’s a mouth full, isn’t it. I just want to say a few things about this, really. First off, I’m a lover of serums and have a fair few on the go at any one time as I really like the way they make my skin feel. My skin is often quite dry, and it just drinks up a serum. They sink in, and it feels like they’re doing all manner of great things (I hope they are too).

So this Origins one is quite amazing, it claims to be a skin tone correcting serum. My skin isn’t too bad in this department, but it did have some old marks (not scars) where I’d had a blemish or two, and it had left a dark mark on my skin and this little serum has helped over the past 4 weeks to even out the skin tone on those areas. It’s also great on dull skin too, I’ve been spending a lot of time in a yucky air-conditioned hospital over the past 6 months and my skin was looks so awful, just utterly dry and lacklustre. This serum along with the Origins Checks and Balances Cleanser which I blogged about here have really helped my skin and it’s looking more healthy and fresh. I feel like my old self.

This serum is really non-greasy and soaks into your skin, leaving it feeling smooth and hydrated. I highly recommend this if you need to put a little life back into your skin. I’d love to hear any other recommendations you have for Origins products.

Origins Checks & Balances Frothy Face Wash

- Vicki 5 Comments
Origins skincare gift set

This face wash came as part of a Be Bright Origins Gift Set. You get,

  • Brighter By Nature High Potency Brightening peel pads
  • Brighter By Nature Skin Tone Correcting Serum
  • Starting Over Age-erasing oil-free moisturiser with Mimosa
  • Checks & Balances Frothy Face Wash

I will review the other products separately. I just wanted to say how much I’ve enjoyed using the Frothy Face Wash. I use this in the morning in place of my Jurlique Cleanser (I still use this in the evening). I have to tell you that you need the SMALLEST, I can’t emphasise enough that you really need a pea sized amount of this to wash your whole face. This 50ml tube is going to last me ages.

This stuff lathers up like nothing else, it’s crazy, it certainly lives up to its Frothy namesake. It also smells so fresh, like mint, so if you like the smell of mint you will love this. Once on your face it feels like a creamy face mask, it’s quite a thick consistency – not that it hardens or anything like that. Once rinsed off it leaves your face feeling smooth and tight, not dehydrated, but your skin feels firm and really clean. It has a luxurious feel to it, which is nice as often face washes strip your skin of moisture and clog pores, but this doesn’t do that. It gives you a deep clean and leaves your skin feeling great.

I have very sensitive skin and found this face wash was very gentle and soothing, the creamy texture leaves your skin feeling moisturised and fresh. My skin has been blemish free and my t zone has been a lot less oily. The sample size in the box is 50ml, but you can purchase this separately

I really recommend this for dull, tired looking skin – give it a go.