Friday 21 January 2011
Sunday 2 January 2011
Winter Skin Care Regime
Happy New Year All!
I hope 2010 served you well, but here's to hoping 2011 will be the best year yet.
2010 was quite a good year for me, plenty of ups and downs, it has been a bit of a roller coaster and to be honest I am quite glad to see the back of it.
Next year marks my university graduation and a wobbly step into the big bad world. I plan to move down to London which I am extremely excited about, as much as other people hate it, I love the rush of the city. A sigh of relief for a fresh start and a new beginning!
But anyway! Enough of the jibber jabber and on to more pressing matters...
I thought I would share with you some newly discovered skincare. The cold winds and blasting radiators have taken their toll on my skin and in my effort to save it, I have also made a new year resolution to make this a long term thing.
A commitment thang.
Gone are the days of product promiscuity, late night make up that stays on till morning, flings with exfoliators and facing the day without any protection. If you are cringing as you read this, know that I am too.
Let's start with cleanser. I find it very difficult to find a cleanser that suits my skin. I have sensitive skin in that my cheeks can get very dry, sore and irritated if I use anything too strong, but at the same time I have somewhat combination skin with an oilier T zone.
In an earlier post, I spoke about the Garnier Grape Seed line, at the time I loved it and I really wanted to love it, but in the long run aside from clearing my spots and making the majority of my skin soft, it unfortunately make my sensitive skin react, so once again I was on the search for something else.
I then went on to a cream cleanser from The Body Shop Vitamin E line. I highly recommend this, particularly if you are on a budget. The products are gentle, hydrating and really nourishing on the skin. But then I finished my bottle and again found myself in the Boots skincare aisle, and here we are. Why didn't I just twaddle into The Body Shop and repurchase? I don't know! The vitamin E is good, but I was in search of something better.
I had heard some great reviews of La Roche Posay skincare, their SPF line in particular is famous for the 50+ protection (a possible next purchase). But the best thing I've heard about this french line is that they do exactly what they says on the tin. No frills, no bubblegum watermelon scents, no strawberry seed extract plucked from the heights of mount vesuvius, no fancy pink polka dot packaging.
Just good quality dermatological goodness.
So I was intrigued and I purchased the Physiological Cleansing Gel, which is for normal to combination sensitive skin.
It smells a bit like hair gel to me, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but it's a clean pleasant enough smell.
I like the bottle, and the simple packaging. Normally, not a fan of pump bottles as they are not usually travel friendly, but this one has that useful lock that stops the product from spewing all over your suitcase.
After about 2 weeks I'm feeling quite positive about the results too. My complexion seems much brighter and it has done a very good job of evening out my skin tone. It has also cleared all the small impurities on my forehead (nice!), leaving my skin much smoother and clearer.
However, I have also broken out, quite a few times, in one or two big spots, which is very unusual for me. Thankfully, they have gone away quite quickly and I don't have any at the minute, so I'm hoping this is just a teething problem, my skin getting used to something different, or the cleanser getting rid of all the gunk in my skin once and for all. Fingers crossed this is the case, because apart from that I really like it.
Next up is toner. When I was using the Body Shop cream cleanser, because it is meant to be wiped off with cotton and not washed off, my toner was important as it would remove any excess. However now that I'm using a soluble gel cleanser, I use it to cool my skin and close my pores. At the minute I'm using Neal's Yard Lavender Water Tone.
I've only just discovered serums recently but have been really impressed with their results. As many moisturizers make my skin really sticky and sometimes block my pores, serums are much lighter and seem to soak into my skin much more easily. Needless to say, I will be trying out more of these; has anyone tried the Estee Lauder Overnight Repair? I have heard good reviews so am curious to try it.
Serums and only a light moisturizer have taken over my nighttime regime, but for the day I need something with SPF. Wearing SPF daily will reduce the long term sun damage on your skin, UVA and UVB rays are still strong on cloudy days, so I am trying to get into the habit of while I am young and relatively wrinkle free.
What skin products are working for you this winter? Do you have any new years resolutions?
x
I hope 2010 served you well, but here's to hoping 2011 will be the best year yet.
2010 was quite a good year for me, plenty of ups and downs, it has been a bit of a roller coaster and to be honest I am quite glad to see the back of it.
Next year marks my university graduation and a wobbly step into the big bad world. I plan to move down to London which I am extremely excited about, as much as other people hate it, I love the rush of the city. A sigh of relief for a fresh start and a new beginning!
But anyway! Enough of the jibber jabber and on to more pressing matters...
I thought I would share with you some newly discovered skincare. The cold winds and blasting radiators have taken their toll on my skin and in my effort to save it, I have also made a new year resolution to make this a long term thing.
A commitment thang.
Gone are the days of product promiscuity, late night make up that stays on till morning, flings with exfoliators and facing the day without any protection. If you are cringing as you read this, know that I am too.
Let's start with cleanser. I find it very difficult to find a cleanser that suits my skin. I have sensitive skin in that my cheeks can get very dry, sore and irritated if I use anything too strong, but at the same time I have somewhat combination skin with an oilier T zone.
In an earlier post, I spoke about the Garnier Grape Seed line, at the time I loved it and I really wanted to love it, but in the long run aside from clearing my spots and making the majority of my skin soft, it unfortunately make my sensitive skin react, so once again I was on the search for something else.
I then went on to a cream cleanser from The Body Shop Vitamin E line. I highly recommend this, particularly if you are on a budget. The products are gentle, hydrating and really nourishing on the skin. But then I finished my bottle and again found myself in the Boots skincare aisle, and here we are. Why didn't I just twaddle into The Body Shop and repurchase? I don't know! The vitamin E is good, but I was in search of something better.
I had heard some great reviews of La Roche Posay skincare, their SPF line in particular is famous for the 50+ protection (a possible next purchase). But the best thing I've heard about this french line is that they do exactly what they says on the tin. No frills, no bubblegum watermelon scents, no strawberry seed extract plucked from the heights of mount vesuvius, no fancy pink polka dot packaging.
Just good quality dermatological goodness.
So I was intrigued and I purchased the Physiological Cleansing Gel, which is for normal to combination sensitive skin.
It smells a bit like hair gel to me, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but it's a clean pleasant enough smell.
I like the bottle, and the simple packaging. Normally, not a fan of pump bottles as they are not usually travel friendly, but this one has that useful lock that stops the product from spewing all over your suitcase.
After about 2 weeks I'm feeling quite positive about the results too. My complexion seems much brighter and it has done a very good job of evening out my skin tone. It has also cleared all the small impurities on my forehead (nice!), leaving my skin much smoother and clearer.
However, I have also broken out, quite a few times, in one or two big spots, which is very unusual for me. Thankfully, they have gone away quite quickly and I don't have any at the minute, so I'm hoping this is just a teething problem, my skin getting used to something different, or the cleanser getting rid of all the gunk in my skin once and for all. Fingers crossed this is the case, because apart from that I really like it.
Next up is toner. When I was using the Body Shop cream cleanser, because it is meant to be wiped off with cotton and not washed off, my toner was important as it would remove any excess. However now that I'm using a soluble gel cleanser, I use it to cool my skin and close my pores. At the minute I'm using Neal's Yard Lavender Water Tone.
I really love this. It is so soothing and it smells divine. It has a gentle creamy lavender scent which makes me really enjoy using it, and I feel that it really helps soften my skin too.
The next thing I use is a serum: Neal's Yard Soothing Starflower Daily Essence (what a mouthful). I tend to use this only at night time, in place of a moisturiser or doubled up with my Simple replenishing moisturiser, as I feel it gives my skin all the goodness it needs to re cooperate overnight and it helps with my sensitivity. Because it has such a light consistency if my skin is in need of more hydration I will also use this during the day.
Serums and only a light moisturizer have taken over my nighttime regime, but for the day I need something with SPF. Wearing SPF daily will reduce the long term sun damage on your skin, UVA and UVB rays are still strong on cloudy days, so I am trying to get into the habit of while I am young and relatively wrinkle free.
This is the other product I got from La Roche Posay, Fortifying anti-redness moisturizer with SPF 15. Great for my sensitivity and for protection. It is a nice consistency which absorbs quickly, creating a smooth surface and an excellent make up base. I think this has helped to get red of those nasty red spots I was getting to begin with, and any red blotchyness I get from having sensitive skin. So I'm really impressed with it, apart from it doesn't have a particularly nice smell. It smells quite medical, which I'm not a fan of, but I suppose under makeup this won't really make a difference.
I think I will try some more of the La Roche Posay line, but they are quite pricey for the moment I am quite happy introducing products slowly to my routine as it means I can see what products are doing what. So far so good, considering I am spending so much time next to a radiator, things seem to be working and my skin is feeling soft and moisturized.
x
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