SKINCARE SHAKE UP

One of my pet peeves in blogging is seeing people who’ve tried a product for a few days or a week and are saying it’s *transformed their skin*… sorry, but that is complete piffle. A great serum can inject some much needed moisture, a face mask can plump out some fine lines… but your skin needs longer than that to make a real change. I try to test out skincare for at least 2 weeks but typically it’s more likely to be a month. My rosacea does react to some products, in which case I would stop using them immediately. To clarify, I don’t mean a bit of tingling or a minimal flare – sometimes these are just your skin acclimatising to a new product – but you will know your skin and what it can withstand. I soon know when it’s time to get rid of something completely!

Enough waffling! Let’s get to the nitty gritty.

THIS MONTH’S SKINCARE SHAKE UP CONTAINS:

Hipitch Deep Cleansing Oil – this contains orange oil, eucalyptus oil and mineral oil, all of which rang alarms bells for my rosacea. However, this is wonderful stuff. It has quite a strong citrusy smell which I liked, and is super easy to use: you just massage into your skin and it dissolves all traces of make up, even waterproof mascara. I remove with a wet flannel but I did find that left some residue on the face which I didnt mind as it stopped my skin going tight and itchy after cleansing, but it’s something to bear in mind if you have spot-prone skin. It’s also fairly runny so be careful when pumping it out. I bought this in Japan for about £3 (!), but you may be able to pick it up online.

Second cleanse time! I always do a double cleanse as it just works for me: the first cleanse gets all my make up off, while the second starts the targeted skincare my skin needs. For the past 2 months I’ve been flip-flopping between two very different but equally great cleansers.

The first is the Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel*. It’s a thick gel consistency that instantly breaks down into an oil on the face and turns milky when water is added. If you have sensitive skin like me, it’s worth noting that the ingredients do include pumpkin enzymes. These help to gently remove dead skin cells to brighten the complexion but could irritate your skin. To be safe, I employed my usual new product trick: I tried it for the first time on a Friday night, that way I could have hidden all weekend if I had had a flare up. Luckily, there was no irritation and I have been seriously loving it! You can buy it all over so take your pick (or look for sales!): Direct from Oskia, Look Fantastic, Beauty Bay, Cult Beauty, Space.NK.

The second is the Trilogy Make-Up Be Gone Cleansing Balm*. This includes rosehip, mango and coconut oil which makes it a winner by scent alone in my opinion. If you’ve not used a cleansing balm before, I highly recommend them. They feel so luxurious and pampering that I really look forward to using them at the end of the day. It’s a hard block and you use 1/4 of a teaspoon at a time, which means this pot will last for ages. As soon as the product touches your dry skin it starts to melt so it’s easy to massage into your skin. This is a cleansing balm designed to remove make up, but I’m not a fan of using balms around my eyes – just personal preference. When I’ve finished massaging my face I use a damp flannel to remove the oil, leaving my skin feeling pampered and soft. 

The last product in my Skincare Shake Up is the Weleda Soothing Facial Oil* from their Almond Sensitive Skin range. Weleda have been on my radar for a while but I didn’t know that they had a range specifically for sensitive skin. The inclusion of almond oil means these products not only prevent water loss from the skin (great for those of us with combination or dry skin) but it also works to strengthen the skin, repairing damage and working to prevent issues in future. You only need a few drops, and as it’s winter I’ve been applying this on top of my moisturiser.

So that was my cleansing skincare shake up regime – I’ve since moved on to the next exciting products so keep an eye on the blog next month for January’s Skincare Shake Up.

What are you favourite products at the moment? What kind of cleanser do you prefer: oil, balm, gel, cream? I always love chatting about people’s regimes!