The Best of 2017 // Skincare

It's basically February but apparently I'm still stuck in 2017? It is late, but I'm finally rounding out my 2017 favourites with my favourite skin care products. Check out my makeup faves here! I haven't done an updated skincare routine in a long while, so think of this post as products I've been using recently, as well as my favourites!

Empties #13

Hellloooo... is this thing on?! Long time no see peeps! I'm back from my longer-than-intended hiatus! The past month or so has been absolutely hectic for me and I seriously had no time to even think about blogging, let alone actually taking photos or sitting down and writing a post! I've been absolutely slammed with assessment (it's been my biggest first half of semester ever), not to mention it was my sister's wedding on the weekend! It was a very DIY wedding so the days leading up to the wedding were super busy setting up the decor and the venue (and then cleaning up after!). I did her makeup on the day - along with mine and my other sister as we were bridesmaids - which was quite stressful but still super amazing! I do plan on doing a post on the products I used because I was really happy with how it turned out - I'm just waiting until the professional photos come in! Anyway, I'm coming at you today with an overdue empties post. I was going to do this a few weeks ago but I realised I didn't actually have a lot of empties, but a lot of things were aaaalmost finished so I used those suckers up! I've got a lot of products to go through so I'll try and be as brief as possible!

In the Spotlight // Kelapa Organics

Ah...remember coconut oil? The miracle product that had everyone slathering it all over their bodies and swilling it in their mouths? Turns out, it actually is good for something - skincare! It just won't solve all of your problems ;) . Not too long ago, Kelapa Organics popped up on my radar; a Melbourne-born brand that is 100% natural, uses organic ingredients, is cruelty free and has environmentally friendly packaging. Their hero ingredient is, of course, coconut oil which explains their name 'Kelapa' which means coconut in Indonesian, as Tannya very helpfully pointed out! They very generously gifted me three products to try out; the Cream Cleanser, Face Oil and Night Cream which I have been using for the past few months and am here to share my thoughts on!

Glycolic Glow Getters

One of the ingredients that I've really come to love in my skincare-trying adventures is glycolic acid. For me, it's an absolute must in my routine - my skin would suffer without it! If you aren't familiar with glycolic acid already, it is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that works to gently and effectively remove the outer layer of dead skin cells. It's especially great for anti-ageing, and evening out skintone by lightening pigmentation like acne scars which I am extremely prone to! It's also extremely important to wear SPF when using a chemical exfoliant like glycolic acid. I thought I would dedicate a post to the glycolic acid products I'm currently using!

Skincare // Current Cleansers

It's been a while since I've outlined any sort of skincare routine on the blog, so over the next few weeks I'll be going over all the skincare I use day and night! Now, I use a lot of cleansers. So much so that if I were to put these in my day/night routine posts, they would be so long! So, I'm dedicating an entire post to them. I'll be sharing with you the products that I use to remove my makeup, cleanse and exfoliate my skin!

Battle of the Balm Cleansers

As I've mentioned a few times on the blog, cleansing balms and oils are my favourite way to remove my makeup and cleanse my face! I couldn't live without them! I've experimented with a few cleansing balms in the past, namely from The Body Shop and Lush (Ultrabland is an HG!). I have two new additions to the collection though; Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm* and Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm, both of which I've been wanting to try for ages! Since these are the two I have on rotation, I decided to put them head to head in a comparison post - I mean they basically have identical packaging too!

The Beauty Lover Tag

I want to start this post of by both thanking and APOLOGISING to Holly! She created this tag and very graciously tagged li'l ol' me...like 5 moNTHS AGO. It's taken me waaaaay to long to do this! There are a bunch of tags I've been tagged in that I haven't yet done...one of which is the Procrastinating blogger tag - fitting much? Also thank you to Lauren who tagged me as well! Anyway let's get into it! My answers are probably going to be a bit rambly and haphazard so bear with me! I haven't done a tag in a HOT minute. 

New In // Skincare

Before I get into the post, Merry Christmas everyone! I hope y'all have a joyous Christmas break filled with fun, family and FOOD. I also hope you guys are having a better Christmas Eve than me...I'm working all day today unfortunately (hella unexcited as I type this up the night before). Working retail during Christmastime is the WORST. I'm kinda sad I didn't do any festive posts this year, I usually do a NOTD post or something but I just haven't had time, nor have I really felt that festive! Oh wells, everyone and their dog has gift guides and holiday tutorials up anyways! Today's post is just a roundup of some new skincare I've been trying lately. Sort of a haul but with mini reviews!

Elemis Skincare

Elemis is not a brand I hear a lot about, but one I've always been curious about! They are a leading luxury skincare brand from the UK that offer an array of skin and body products. I was so excited to see that they had a display set up at Obsession 2015 and the two lovely Elemis gals gave a few demos of some of their key products, all of which felt amazing! Our hands were extremely soft afterward ;) In our goodie bag, they kindly included four deluxe sized samples for us to try; the Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Facial Wash*, Papaya Enzyme Peel*, Cellular Recovery Skin Bliss Capsules* and Pro-Collagen Marine Cream*. I've been using these products for the last couple of weeks, and am ready to report back!

Mauboy Approved

As you guys may or may not know, I am very much a fan of the Australian, all-natural brand Vanessa Megan, so it shouldn't have been a surprise to hear that homegrown talent Jessica Mauboy swears by a few of their products too! I was kindly sent a few of Jess' faves to try, and here are my thoughts on them!

A Sumptuous Cleanse

Cleansing balms have really had their moment in the spotlight lately. It all started with the Emma Hardie one, and slowly, but surely, quite a few other brands have jumped on the bandwagon with their own versions. One of which is The Body Shop. Their Camomile Sumptious Cleansing Butter has also been doing the rounds, keep reading for my thoughts!

It is packaged in a rather shallow screw top tin containing 90mL or 76g of product - which actually isn't that much! Might explain why I'm speeding through it at such a rate...I've actually hit pan on it already after using it for around 3 months on a not-so-regular basis. 

It claims to gently remove all types of makeup and leave skin feeling clean and soft. The texture itself is quite butter-like. It melts into the hands into a sort of oily texture. It's not quite an oil as it definitely feels dry in a way? It almost feels a bit silicone-y? Hard to explain, but it does remove makeup very well. When massaged over the skin, it eliminates both face and eye makeup, including waterproof products. I generally double cleanse with this product, first to remove the makeup and them to actually cleanse the face, rinsing with warm water and a face cloth. I actually would not agree that it leaves skin feeling "petal soft", in fact it actually leaves my skin feeling dry. Usually with oil type products, my skin is left moisturised, however this does not have the same effect. It doesn't leave the skin feeling dry or stripped by any means though. 

The butter does have a bit of a scent, which I actually really like. It's soft, fresh and clean, inoffensive however it may irritate sensitive skins. I doubt it though since it is marketed toward all skin types. One of the ingredients I was actually quite wary of, and was one of the things that put me off buying it initially was Shea Butter. Shea Butter is supposedly an irritant for acne-prone skin, clogging pores or something but after reading barely any bad reviews, I decided to pick it up. I have not experienced any irritation with my skin, nor an increase in acne. My skin has been really lovely! And besides, I have other products like moisturisers that contain Shea Butter and they don't bother my skin, so don't be put off by it!

Overall, a really lovely product that works well as both a cleanser and makeup remover. Honestly, it feels like a drier cleansing oil in a balm form. While I do really like it, and find it does an amazing job, I'm not so sure I would repurchase (immediately, at least), just because it does leave my skin feeling slightly dry after use. It retails for a new, lower price of AUD$21.95 here so do check it out!

Have you tried the Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter?

Skin Renewal

Recently I was offered the opportunity to try some products from ECO, an all natural brand committed to delivering salon quality products at affordable prices. They offer skincare, haircare and body products. From what I've seen, a rather small selection of their products are available at Target, but are also available to purchase online, so definitely check them out! I opted for the Natural Skincare Hamper of the Renew range so I could get a good idea of ECO's products! It was packaged beautifully BTW, definitely would make a lovely gift! It also includes a 15mL Rosehip oil which I haven't tried yet, but contains your standard 100% organic Rosa Canina oil. Because it's a plastic pump bottle, I reckon it would be great for travelling.

L-R: Cleanser, Toner, Moisturiser

Although the Renew range is labeled as anti-ageing, it doesn't contain any crazy ingredients but rather really aims to help hydrate, soothe and nourish the skin. All three products have the same packaging; slim bottles with a practical pump dispenser.

Renew Cleansing Lotion*

As the name suggests, this is very much a creamy cleanser with a rather thin lotion texture. It feels quite nice on the skin, like any typical cream cleanser. It contains really lovely ingredients like Calendula to help even skintone, Sweet Almond oil to nourish and Vitamins B5 and E to minimise fine lines and wrinkles. I've been using this as my morning time cleanser and I find it works well to refresh my skin, cleansing well without leaving my skin feeling dry or stripped! I have also used it in the evening though to remove makeup by double cleansing and using a washcloth to remove and I found it decently effective. It did remove non waterproof mascara, albeit not excellently. I much prefer thicker/balmier/oilier cleansers for using in the evening, but this is lovely for the morning. It has the slightest scent but nothing offensive or irritating to my skin.

Renew Treatment Toner*

The texture of this toner baffles me. It's unlike your typical watery/liquid, but more so a very thin liquidy gel? It's so hard to explain and quite odd, hopefully you can tell from the above photo! I still apply it using a cotton pad and sort of dot it over the skin and blend in but I feel like you could also apply it with fingers? It feels so weird applying toner with fingers though! Regardless, I think it's a really lovely 'toner'. It absorbs very quickly into the skin, and leaves it feeling soft and slightly hydrated. It contains Cucumber and Rosehip extracts to hydrate and soothe, and Vitamin E to provide powerful antioxidant protection.

Renew Moisture Cream*

This is the one product I'm really not a fan of, mainly because I just don't find it very hydrating, or hydrating enough, even for my combo/oily skin. I can't imagine it being enough for dry/mature skins! It's more of a lotion consistency that is actually very lightweight. As you rub it in, it feels really nice and like it's offering a lot of moisture. But then, it absorbs into the skin very quickly, almost like it's evaporated and leaves my skin feeling rather dry. I definitely noticed a difference in comparison to my other moisturisers. Even when I used this with a facial oil, when I went to bed that night, I could feel that my skin wasn't hydrated enough for my liking. When I use this in the mornings, my skin also tends to feel dry throughout the day under my makeup. Maybe this will be more effective in the warmer months when my skin isn't craving as much moisture but we'll see. Overall I definitely think there are better moisturisers out there.

The hamper retails for $49 and you can buy the products separately though it's a better deal in the pack. If you are interested in purchasing the pack, you can enter the code SW20 for 20% off the hamper! The code is valid till the 31st of October. Overall I do quite enjoy the ECO products, and I think this is a great way to try out their products. For being all natural and fairly affordable, they're definitely a brand to check out.

*Products sent for consideration.

Not Bland at All

I've long since moved past the foaming gel cleansers targeted at acne that only left my skin feeling dry, and worse than before, onto thicker, creamy cleansers that moisturise and cleanse the skin deeply. I've reviewed a few hot cloth cleansers that got me started, and I'm now moving onto more of the balm variety! Today I'm here to share my thoughts on Lush's Ultrabland facial cleanser, and contrary to it's name, I don't find it bland at all.

So, I wouldn't exactly describe this as a cleansing balm, and Lush seems to have described it just right, as a "rich, soft, oily cleansing cream". It has a very thick, almost paste like consistency. It's not a balm which I would usually associate as melting into an oil. With Ultrabland, as you work it into the skin, it almost absorbs and melds leaving an oily residue/film. While that sounds really unappealing, and what I would assume is the main turnoff for most people, it's actually what I love most about it. The residue isn't uncomfortable feeling at all, or oily to the touch, it just leaves your skin feeling incredibly moisturised. It also leaves my skin with a rather radiant, healthy and moisturised glow! If you're really antsy about the residue, it pretty much comes off in the toner stage anyways. Because of it's very thick consistency, it is quite a labour-intensive product. You really get a bit of a workout massaging this into the skin! It doesn't feel bad at all though, you  aren't tugging at the skin, just more so really getting down in there, which is also why I think it's so effective at cleansing. 

I tend to use it on dry/damp skin, because I find getting it too wet seems to thin it out. I use about a pea sized amount and massage it for a minute or so - I really go to town. It doesn't sting the eyes at all. I then let it sit on my face while I do other things in the shower, then use a wash cloth to remove it. Just rinsing isn't going to cut it, you need some sort of wiping/friction action to work the product off because it is so thick and almost...adhered to the skin. There's no need to get rough though! The cream also has tiny crumbs(?) in it that I find give the most gentle exfoliation.

Personally I haven't used it with a full face of makeup because I have the smaller tub and want to preserve it for as long as possible, so I only go in with it once, after I've removed the majority of makeup with a wipe/cleansing oil. If using it alone, you would need to double cleanse. The ingredients Ultrabland contains are really lovely; the oils help moisturise, but the main selling point is the beeswax and honey. Beeswax is apparently very good for removing makeup, and I've heard that honey is quite antibacterial and helps with acne prone skin.

I have to say, my skin has been in very good condition since I started using this, and while I don't use it everyday, I can attribute some of that good-skin-ness to this product. I have combo/oily skin and don't find it too heavy at all. I definitely think this would be beneficial for all skin types. If you can't tell, I really love this cleanser! The 45g tub retails for $17.95 and the 100g for $28.95.

Polish me Clean

Hey guys! Today I have another skincare product from Sanctuary Spa to review. It is the Brightening Facial Polishing Hot Cloth Cleanser and is from the same 'line' as the Brightening Exfoliator that I reviewed last month. I picked this up after reading decent reviews, and it being one of the few hot cloth cleansers on the drugstore market here. The only other hot cloth cleanser I've tried is the Fab Pore one from Soap & Glory which I did really enjoy, so we'll see how this one measured up.

Packaging wise, it comes in a standard white tube with  screw top lid. It's practical and minimalistic, I really like the silver on white writing.

If you're unaware of what a hot cloth cleanser is, it is essentially a thicker cream cleanser that you work into dry/damp skin and massage/wipe off with a hot, damp face cloth. The Sanctuary Spa cleanser comes with a Muslin cloth, but it's nothing special. I prefer to use a thicker face cloth. The texture of this particular cleanser is pretty similar to that of the Soap & Glory, creamy and thick, but not actually that dense. Once you spread and work it into the skin, it tends to thin out quite a bit, especially the wetter your skin is. It also does have a scent, I can't really pin point it but it's almost tea like? Slightly floral and herbally, but slightly spa-like at the same time. It's not overly offensive, but I'm not the hugest fan of it.

Because the cleanser tends to thin out, I don't find it that moisturising or especially effective at removing my makeup. I double cleanse with this to get all of my makeup off and that tends to be sufficient. It leaves my face feeling slightly dry, not tight, but definitely not as soft or moisturised as the Soap & Glory one did. To be honest, my face doesn't feel great after using this cleanser. You know the feeling, when you just can't wait to slap on a moisturiser. Yup, that. As for the "brightening" effect, I definitely don't notice that it does anything to brighten my skin in any way, or give me a 'glow' at all.

My skin has been in pretty good condition since using this cleanser for the past 5 ish months, but I'd more so attribute that to other skincare products I'm using. I don't believe this cleanser has done anything special for me, it's not terrible, I mean it cleanses my skin decently and I'll finish the tube, but I definitely won't be repurchasing. I've definitely become accustomed to cleansers that leave my skin feeling soft, at the very least, and in the case of Lush's Ultrabland, super moisturised.

The Sanctuary Spa Brightening Facial Polishing Hot Cloth Cleanser retails for AUD$19.95 at Priceline.

Omitted by Oil

Aaah, cleansing oils...the latest phenomena to jump from the Asian beauty world to the Western one! Although the cleansing oil I'm featuring today is from an Asian brand, cleansing oils have been making numerous appearances on the market in the US (drugstore prices!), so it's only a matter of time before they become more widely available here. The oil I'll be reviewing is from Hada Labo, I'm actually not sure what the proper name of this is as it's all in another language...but ya get the idea.

A lot of people might find the idea of smearing oil all over their face a bit disgusting, but when you think about it, it makes a lot of sense for good makeup removal as it breaks down even the toughest of makeup, just as long as it is practical amirite? 

The Hada Labo Cleansing Oil is the first one I've ever tried so I wasn't completely sure of what to expect, but I had high hopes. The texture is oily (duh) but it's not greasy, if that makes sense? I'm drawing conclusions to, like, cooking oils which probably isn't the best but hoping you know what I'm trying to say! The experience of using it is not as unpleasant as you might think, I actually find the worst bit is when you're rinsing it off. Basically, you rub/massage the oil into your dry face to break down all the makeup. Then you mix it with a bit of water to 'emulsify' it. I find the rinsing process a bit messy as the water runs down my arms, gross makeupy-dirty-ness splatters all over the sink, etc. I find it easiest just to wet my hands slightly and go from there. I also find that although it doesn't leave an oily residue after rinsing, some of the water-oil mixture gets in my eyes and blurs my vision which is pretty annoying but I go straight to the shower and wash my face etc, and it clears up. It doesn't sting my eyes though which is a plus! In terms of makeup removal, it removes pretty much everything really well. It breaks down waterproof mascara giving you that panda eye situation, but actually removing the smudgy mess is a little harder. It doesn't come off during the rinsing process so a second cleanse is key (I would always cleanse properly after anyway). Apart from that, I find it really effective and removes basically everything with no discomfort, dryness or residue after.

Although it took a little getting used to, using a cleansing oil to remove makeup has been a really easy, gentle way that gets rid of basically everything! While Hada Labo's version is nice, I feel like there could be better out there, which hopefully I will get the chance to try out!

Have you tried a cleansing oil before? What are your thoughts?

Foam & Cream

Hola! I have another couple of products from the Natural Instinct line to share with you today. They are both cleansers - the Foaming Cleanser* and the Cream Cleanser*. Let's get into the reviews!

Both cleansers are packaged in these practical and aesthetically pleasing plastic tubes! They are colour coded with orange as they are part of the facial line. 

Like I mentioned in my last Natural Instinct review, the brand uses no nasty products and sticks to the all natural ones with heaps of benefits for the skin! Some notable ingredients in each are:

Witch Hazel and jojoba oil in the cream cleanser, Burdock and horsetail in the foaming cleanser, and Rosehip oil and pro-vitamin B5 in both. They are both lightly scented with Essential oils and smell quite similar, natural and unoffensive, I can detect a slightly lavender scent. It actually smells quite similar to the hand cream.

Cream cleanser, Foaming cleanser

The Cream Cleanser* is quite a thick, very creamy consistency. I actually use this similarly to a hot cloth cleanser. It isn't as thick or slightly balm-like as the Soap & Glory but it is thicker than most cream cleansers I've tried. I find it really lovely for either morning or night use. I use it with a flannel and it removes makeup really well. It doesn't leave my skin feeling nourished per se but it doesn't feel dry or stripped at all. This is a really lovely cleanser and I would recommend if you want to try something similar to a hot cloth cleanser, but not as thick. I think any skin type could use this, if you have oily skin and tend to stay away from creamy formulas, don't be afraid of this one!

The Foaming Cleanser* has a very thin consistency as you can see in the photo above. I prefer using this in the morning as I prefer to use more substantial cleansers at night. If you want to use this to remove makeup, I would suggest doing a double cleanse. This is definitely one of the better foaming cleansers I've tried. Others tend to lather a LOT and leave my skin feeling dry, stripped and tight - yuck! This one is different though! It foams up effectively but only a little - you don't end up with heaps of bubbles on your face (and eating them or getting them in your nostrils!). It doesn't leave my face feeling dry at all and I would even go as far as to say that my skin feels slightly nourished after use. So, dry skin could use this guy too! The cleanser freshens my skin and wakes it up in the morning!

I really love both of these cleansers, and I think they are probably my favourites from what I've tried from the brand! The both retail for AUD$9.95 which I think is a great and affordable price for all natural products! I would highly recommend checking these out!

*Products provided for reviewing purposes

Hot and Fabulous

Hullo there! Today I have a review on a skincare product I have wanted for a while and have been using for the past month or so. It is the Soap & Glory Fab Pore Hot Cloth Cleanser. I picked this up because the previous cleanser I was using was a gel foaming one, which as we all know, skincare god Caroline Hirons (who might I add everyone has been talking about lately) would be very dissaproving of. It really didn't do much for the skin and I felt that my skin was quite dry after use. This creamy cleanser is supposed to be very similar to the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish. It has received some really good reviews however I have read a small few that have said this has caused them to  break out really badly so please do be wary!

First up, the packaging is absolutely adorable on this thing! Pretty much all Soap & Glory products are awesomely packaged with punny names and other awesome shiz. I really like the typography on the box and tube, haha. It is packaged in a metal tube, that isn't really metal? It's sort of a plastic metal because it doesn't feel as hard or keep it's shape as firmly as an actual metal (am I even making sense right now?). Anyways the packaging is functional and aesthetically pleasing. :)

The cleanser comes with a muslin cloth which is quite thin and not the best of quality but it does the job. As the name of the cleanser suggests, you use the cloth with warm/hot water to press the product off of the face - giving it a bit of a steam at the same time! It is advised to massage the product into the skin for 60 seconds and leave it on for another minute before wiping it off. I use it at night in the shower and I'm actually not completely sure whether you are supposed to use it on damp or dry skin, but I've tried it both ways and prefer patting my face dry before use. Regardless, it's a lovely experience using it!

The consistency of the cleanser itself is thick and more of a cream-balm texture. It has a scent from the infusion of the sweet almond, orange and lavender oils. The scent is nice, kind of spa-like (not that I've ever been to one) but not overly offensive. I will note though that this may have caused the breakouts, but obviously I couldn't know! Luckily though I haven't had any problems with skin reactions.

Enlarge for ingredients

I find the cleanser works really well to melt away makeup and also I have no problems with it around the eye area, I can get right into the lashes to remove mascara with no stinging or irritation! It removes pretty much everything except waterproof mascara. I think this in combination with the cloth to remove it works super well to really clean the face! I find it has the best feeling after use though! My skin feels fresh, super clean but very soft and moisturised! 

I feel like my skin has benefited greatly from the use of this cleanser, especially compared to my previous one! I think it removes makeup a lot better, doesn't strip the skin but instead moisturises it and therefore helping my skin in general. My skin is combination and this doesn't make it oily at all (but I do use it at night). I also have quite acne-prone skin and this doesn't irritate it at all, but I feel it has helped it! Maybe because it cleans out the skin really well so there is no bacteria there to cause breakouts in the first place. 

I feel this is a really nice, basic cleanser that could benefit all skin types. It cleans really well and leaves the skin feeling lovely and moisturised, overall I highly recommend! I know that my skin has definitely improved since using this. Please do be aware though as I mentioned, this did break some people out really badly. It retails for AUD$28 at Mecca Cosmetica or Kit cosmetics for 100mL of product.

Have you tried this cleanser or anything similar?