Skincare Shake Up January

Skincare Shake Up January

Welcome to Skincare Shake Up January  – a series I started last month (if you’d like to read the skincare I was using previously to this have a nosey HERE).

I like to try out new skincare as I am constantly looking for products that help to control and manage my rosacea. Although I have lots of products that I love, I know that some of them aren’t perfect and some aren’t suitable for other people. So I continue to test. I typically like to try out skincare for about a month as this gives you a really good idea of how it suits your skin. It annoys me no end to see bloggers trying a product and saying ‘after 2 days my skin is totally transformed!!” *eye-roll*.

So let’s crack on with the products I was using last month!

I’ll start with my morning routine: I cleanse my face very quickly with Bioderma Micellar Water and follow up with the Clarins Gently Exfoliating Toner (these are staples at the moment so they don’t change).

La Roche-Posay Hydraphase Intense Serum – this stuff is seriously good. When I forget this step I feel it as I think it just makes anything you put on top of it work so much harder. It’s a gel and feels very soothing to apply. It sinks in super quickly and doesn’t leave a residue so is great under make up. I’ve raved about La Roche-Posay but just a brief overview: wonderful for those of us with sensitive skin and very reasonably priced for the quality. You can get it HERE.

The Body Shop Vitamin C Daily Moisturiser SPF 30 – I don’t think I’ve used any skincare products from The Body Shop since I used their Tea Tree range when I was in my late teens (this was before I knew I had rosacea and didn’t understand why my skin hated it!). I had heard that Vitamin C is a good ingredient to look out for if you have rosacea as it’s meant to help strengthen blood vessels which can help discourage them from dilating as much (resulting in fewer or less severe flushes). In-ter-est-ing. I was initially wary as anything with a strong citrus scent usually makes me flare up but this hasn’t caused any thankfully! It’s quite a thick moisturiser which I’m not the biggest fan of. I prefer milky/gel formulas as they are better suited to my oily skin although I think this would be ideal if your skin is on the dry side. It sinks in quickly and smells lovely! I can’t say I’ve noticed a reduction in redness or flare ups but it’s a great moisturiser by itself, plus it contains SPF 30. You can get it HERE.

Evening routine:

My first cleanse was with the (deep breath) Super Facialist by Una Brennan Vitamin C+ Brighten Skin Renew Cleansing Oil. If you’re a regular round here, you’ll know I love taking off my make up with cleansing oils. It feels so pampering and luxurious and is fantastic at breaking down and getting rid of make up. This feels less oily than others I’ve tried, which sounds strange – surely an oil is an oil is an oil? But this feels thinner, more lightweight, and once you wash it off you can’t feel it on your skin (this may be a positive or a negative depending on your personal preferences: perhaps people with dry skin might prefer an oil that leaves a cocooned feeling afterwards).  Ingredients include Vitamin C (obviously), olive, Vitamin E and all of the following oils: rosehip, cucumber, grapeseed and rosemary. These ingredients are focused on healing, strengthening and soothing so it’s perfect for sensitive or harassed skin. You apply to the skin, work it in (it’s even great on eye make up and is non-irritating), then when you’re ready to remove you simply add water to turn it to a milky emulsion and it washes right off. You can buy it HERE.

My second cleanse was with this Murad Soothing Gel Cleanser, which is from their Redness Therapy range which I didn’t even know existed. I was chatting to the very helpful lady at the Murad stand in Debenhams and told her I had rosacea and what would she recommend and she produced this from the secret drawer. So when you’re looking for skincare, always ask for help as often the less-mainstream products are hidden away! I’ve really enjoyed using this cleanser. It’s a thick gel formula that leaves the skin feeling very fresh without that stripped, tight feeling (it contains Liquorice root extract which is used for its anti-inflammatory and soothing properties). The only thing I wasn’t too keen on was the little beads suspended in the cleanser – these are there to lightly exfoliate and are described as ‘moisture-enriched’ but I try to avoid anything with beads as they’re not great for the environment but I think a lot of brands are now phasing these out. I am definitely interested in trying more from the Murad Redness Therapy range, let me know in the comments if you would recommend anything! You can buy the cleanser HERE.

At a recent event run by We Are Thirty Plus, I was given some products by SkinCeuticals to try. The first is the SkinCeuticals Retexturing Activator*, a ‘bi-functioning resurfacing and replenishing serum’. It contains Urea (as opposed to BHA or AHA which other similar products have) which exfoliates and softens skin. I have skin that tends to go super scaly (thanks dermatitis) so regular chemical exfoliant is a must for me so anything that encourages cell turnover gets a thumbs up in my books. It’s worth noting that as this product contains air- and light-sensitive ingredients you should aim to use it up within 3 months which is probably easy as it’s only 15ml but you do only use a few drops at a time. I can only find one place online that sells SkinCeuticals in the UK and I’ve never shopped there before: HERE. It looks like the RRP is £79 which is steep so I may stick to my Alpha H Liquid Gold for now!

The second SkinCeuticals product I was given to try is the SkinCeuticals Metacell Renewal B3*, which is apparently a ‘comprehensive daily emulsion to correct early symptoms of photoaging for a reclassified tone and retightened surface’. Photoaging here refers to sun damage which I don’t have much of thankfully – mostly due to extremely pale sensitive skin which hates the sun! This gel-cream’s star ingredient is niacinamide which works to improve skin texture, hyperpigmentation and fine lines. I was concerned to see so many fragrances and potentially irritating citrus oils included in this product but they didn’t cause a flare up on my sensitive skin. It has an oil-in-water formula which means it’s a lovely product to apply – smoothing, soft and silky on the skin. Again, I’ve not used this website to purchase products but you can buy it HERE. Its RRP is £96 which is staggering. Although I found that it made my skin feel slightly firmer and it boasts some impressive ingredients, I think this may be better suited to an older age bracket.

L’Oréal Paris Extraordinary Facial Oil – After the high-end price points of the last two products, lets finish on a high-street gem. This oil was given to me as part of my leaving present at my old job (a big bag full of beauty products – they know me so well!) I have a huge collection of half-empty facial oils as I just cannot stop buying them. Similarly to facial cleansing oils, I just love the pampering aspect of them. They make my skin feel incredible and this one has quickly become a favourite. It contains 8 essential oils including ones that are great for sensitive skin such as rose and camomile. You can apply this in either your morning or evening routine but I am always in a rush in the morning so prefer to pop it on as the final stage in my night routine. It’s a dry oil so it sinks in very quickly so you don’t ruin your pillows! In the morning my skin is so soft and feels really well looked after. You can buy it HERE.

Well. That went on for a bit, didn’t it? Sorry for rambling, it turns out I had quite a lot to say! A mixed bag there: some keepers, some that aren’t for me. See you next month for the next Skincare Shake Up – I have some brands I’ve never tried before to introduce which is very exciting!

Lex

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