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!

Biology for the Body

I'm always on the lookout for burgeoning Australian brands to try, so I was super excited when I was introduced to some products from Biology, an Australian-made brand that utilises natural ingredients for clean formulas, are cruelty free and environmentally friendly. They have a range of hair, body and spa products with ranges for sensitive skin, as well as ones that utilise aromatic essential oils for a therapeutic, spa-like experience. I was very kindly sent their Ultra Hydrate Body Butter* and Skin Smoothing Body Buff*, and they've pleasantly surprised me indeed.

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!

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!

Out on a Limb

It's tan time! Lawl jks. But not really, because guiz, I've been experimenting with fake tan. Wot a shocker. I really don't have any desire for fake tan because I'm tan enough for my liking, and diddly damn it seems like SO much effort! I've watched enough useless "Tanning 101s" to know that much. I did, however, want to even out my terrible ombre shirt tan for my formal, so I dug out my sample can of the Le Tan Wash Off instant tan in Bronze. I utilised all the knowledge I had gained from said tanning videos, and went in with some proper skin prep beforehand.

L-R: Breakfast Scrub, Body Milk

Wash Off sprayed

Wash Off blended (can ya even tell)

Soap & Glory The Breakfast Scrub

One thing I do know about tan, is do not try applying it to dry skin. It'll cling, be obvious and just plain ratchet (I'm guessing). So, as a bit of an excuse, I ventured out to purchase a body scrub. I've been wanting this one for ages but could never justify it. It's already made it into a favourites post, so it was a good purchase indeed! This shiz smells divine. Sugary, maple syrup deliciousness confined in one glorious tub that gives a pretty dang good scrub (yaaaass got tha rhythm and rhymes). I thought that this might be messy to use and the sugar bits would just fall all over the shower floor, but actually the stuff hangs together in a gritty paste, and scrubs the skin really well. My skin feels super soft and smooth after use and prep for dat tan ;)

Decleor Moisturising Body Milk*

After I hop out of the shower, I smother this dang thing all over my bod. It's a really lightweight lotion consistency that doesn't feel heavy or greasy on the skin. Definitely lovely for using in the hot weather, and I think good for applying tan on top. You wouldn't want anything too slippery right? It leaves my skin feeling moisturised indeed. It's also got quite a pleasant uplifting scent.

Le Tan Wash Off Instant Tan in Bronze

So clearly I'm not going for any gradual or lasting tan here. I really just wanted something easy, that was going to be a quick fix for the day. I was originally going to purchase Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs but remembered I had this guy sitting in my cupboard. I got it through a company called Pinch Me which pretty much sends out free samples for people to try and answer questions about. You guys know how much I love free stuff. But anyways, this guy fit the bill perfectly! It might look super dark, but as you can see, it blends really easily into the skin with hands, leaving a tint of colour that isn't streaky at all, and really looks quite natural. I'm lucky that the shade is pretty much on par with my natural skintone (they have two darker shades as well), so I could even out my pale-ass shoulders easily. It lasted through a hot night of dancing and shenanigans and as promised only came off with water and soap. Good stuff! Smells pretty nice too haha!

While delving into tan was a fun experience, I doubt I'll be doing it on any regular basis. Special occasions only really! Can you be bothered with fake tan?

*Product sent for consideration.

Fab for Radiance

Hello humans! Today I have a skincare review coming at ya of the First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads. If a product has the word 'radiance' or 'brightening' in its title, I'm there. This brand has been getting a lot of hype lately, and when I saw these on clearance, I snapped 'em up as they've also been getting a lot of attention, mine included.

I really like the packaging and brand aesthetic, I think it's super cute. They outline the benefits/uses of the product clearly. The tub contains sixty pads which I think is a great amount. Each pad is very generously soaked with product, so much so that I cut my pads in half. I hate to be wasteful and I feel like there is so much leftover if you only use one pad, and also of course, I'm getting more bang for my buck! Half is more than enough for both your face and neck, going over twice! The actual pad has one flat side, and the other with circular bumps that help exfoliate further.

Basically, these pads aim to exfoliate, tone and brighten the skin. They contain both lactic and glycolic acids to chemically exfoliate the skin, though they are supposedly gentle enough to be used daily. They also contain Cucumber and Indian Gooseberry to tone, and lemon peel and licorice root to brighten. The ingredients really are lovely and super effective it seems! They do feel quite gentle and I have experienced no irritation at all, they don't sting at all. However, in some cases, my skin can feel a bit itchy after using this, but I think it's just craving some moisturisation. I've been using these every night for the past few months and have to say, I do think I've noticed a difference! It is always hard to tell with things like brightening, and scar fading, though I would say that I've noticed my skin to overall look a bit brighter and with a smoother, more refined texture. I think also it has helped speed up the fading process of scars left from acne marks, slowly but surely. Do keep in mind I'm still using other scar fading products!

Overall, I really love these toning pads and I think they do an excellent job as an everyday toner, whilst also helping with exfoliation and brightening. Definitely a lovely product to add to your routine! I'm not sure if they still sell FAB at David Jones where I bought mine, since they were clearancing a lot of their stock, but they are sold on various websites including Beauty Bay for AUD$33.80!

Spa Perfect Scrubbin'

I am quite big on the whole exfoliating front, whether it be chemical or manual. I have a lot of dark spots, and acne scars (as well as acne and a rather uneven skin surface) and exfoliation definitely helps in that department. It helps unclog pores, as well as sloughing away dead skin to reveal smoother and brighter skin. The sole scrubby scrub I've been using for the past few months has been the Sanctuary Spa Brightening Facial Radiance Exfoliator and it's time to share my thoughts on it!

The packaging of this scrub is nice and practical - a slim plastic tube with a green flip-top lid. I actually also really like their branding/titling of the product, how it is clean and minimalistic.

What drew me in straight away to this scrub was it's name - Brightening Facial Radiance Exfoliator. A lot of scrubs are marketed towards pore-unclogging and acne-prone skin so this was a nice change in claims. Another incentive that I found with this product was that along with "Ultra-fine apricot granules and grape seed" that help exfoliate and refine the skin, there is a "trio of pumpkin, pineapple and papaya extracts [that] work naturally to help increase cell renewal", sort of like a chemical exfoliant. The citrus-y components give the scrub a very nice light, slight citrus-y refreshing scent that I quite enjoy. They say it's been "naturally fragranced with plant extracts and essential oils" but it could be a trigger for those of you with particularly sensitive skin. 

The actual scrub has quite a gel-y base but one that doesn't foam up at all, but sort of just acts as a slippy base to carry the granules. I wouldn't say that the granules are "ultra-fine" but actually quite gritty, which you can see in the photo above. They aren't scratchy or 'sharp' but they can be quite rough. They say you can use it 2-3 times a week which I would agree with, but I wouldn't suggest any more than that. That also, of course, depends on how vigorously you are scrubbing. I tend to just go around the face with slightly more than a pea size, in circular motions for about thirty seconds or so. I then like to leave it on my face while I wash my body just so I can give the fruit extracts an opportunity to do some exfoliating. After rinsing, my face feels quite soft but also a tad dry. It also looks a little red but that is to be expected with the combination of friction and warm water. My skin isn't irritated or aggravated afterward at all.

This has been a lovely scrub that I've been using 1-2 times a week. The results I've seen haven't been drastic but I do think that a manual scrub is essential, and I like this as I know it's doing more than just ridding my skin of dead cells. My skin is softer and I will admit slightly more radiant-looking after use, and with consistent and prolonged use, I think it will help with the fading of scars. Overall my skin has been in pretty good condition since starting using this, and a scrub I will continue using, and update progress later or in an empties post! It retails for AUD$19.99 at Priceline.

Exfoliate and Brighten

It's been a little while, but I'm finally writing my review on the Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner*. I've been using it for the past three months or so (though I didn't take it travelling) and I have definitely formed my opinion. This toner is very much raved about and hyped up in the beauty community and for good reason.

The toner is packaged up in a substantial feeling plastic bottle with a lid that twists tightly shut. The 'hole' that the toner is dispensed through is effective enough though the bottle is not very 'squishable' so you sort of have to wait for the product to drip out - it's not at all an impracticality though. You won't get an excess of product coming through which is a plus.

This toner claims to be a gentle chemical exfoliant that will brighten the skin's tone, smooth skin texture and refine and tighten enlarged pores. It contains glycolic acid which is an alpha hydroxy acid that exfoliates the skin and helps to remove the dead skin cells on the outer layer of your skin. The toner does contain alcohol, but the next ingredient along is glycerin which prevents the toner from being drying on the skin. Glycerin is a humectant which helps retain water in the skin, therefore helping keep the skin from feeling dry. Despite the directions for use of 1-2 times a week, I have been using this every night and haven't experienced any issues. I don't have sensitive skin at all so please be weary. I apply it with a cotton pad and don't experience any stinging or irritation and find it quite comfortable and refreshing on the skin. It also has a very pleasant, light scent that doesn't bother me at all.

I've found my skin has definitely benefited from the use of this toner. I noticed in a matter of days that my skin felt really smooth and the redness in my acne scarring was slightly reduced. I had previously been exfoliating my skin manually twice a week, and with this added into my skincare routine additionally, I've noticed my skin in general has been in better condition. I haven't noticed drastic reductions in my dark spots and scars, though I've learnt that this sort of thing takes time, but I have hope that with continued use it will help fade them. I think the more regular, gentle exfoliation has also helped with acne and any active breakouts, both helping to prevent the bacteria related spots and to help them clear up faster. I think the salicylic acid included helps. I haven't noticed any tightening of enlarged pores, but I don't have very large ones to begin with.

I will keep you guys updated as I continue to use this (I've only gone through about a centimetre of the product, so I think it will last a while yet) but so far I really like it and think it has done a lot of good for my skin. I think it's a great way of helping with cell renewal without having to use manual exfoliators which can be rough on the skin. I've noticed these chemical exfoliants have been 'trending' in the beauty world lately and I'm hoping more continue to be released, especially from lower end brands. 

Have you guys tried the Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening toner* or any like it?

*product was sent by RY.com but chosen by me

Skincare Routine | The Extras

Today I have the final installment of my little skincare 'series'. I have also posted my Morning routine and Nighttime routine. In this post I will be talking about all the little extra products that I don't necessarily use daily, but are vital in my skincare routine!

First up is makeup removal!

I don't wear makeup everyday and depending on how heavy my makeup is will determine what product I use. Sometimes my cleanser is enough if I'm wearing light makeup.

Bioderma Sensibio Micellar Solution

Here is everyone's favourite makeup remover! While I really like this product - it removes makeup whilst feeling just like water - it's very expensive. Also, it doesn't remove waterproof mascara or eyeliner well. I find it most effective for face makeup as it doesn't leave my face feeling dry. I have a full review here.

Beauty Care Co Green Tea Facial Wipes

Facial wipes are not wholly recommended in the beauty community which I agree with, to a point. I don't recommend using solely these to 'wash' your face, but I use them to remove my makeup before going in with a proper cleanser. These are very cheap ($2 for 30) but I also find them quite effective. Bearing in mind I haven't tried any of the more upmarket kinds (let's be real, I would never pay $7 for wipes), I find these wipes to be rather soft but a little on the dry side. They still remove makeup as well as the bioderma (not waterproof mascara).

I actually forgot to photograph what I use for waterproof eye makeup but in my last favourites I mentioned olive oil which has been surprisingly effective. It does leave an oily residue but this can be somewhat decreased by diluting it with water.

I've also been trying out the Hada Labo Cleansing Oil, so far so good! I'll have a full review up soon.

Garnier Pure 3in1 Wash + Scrub + Mask

I use a manual scrub for my face about twice a week. I find that this is a really nice consistency. It is still rather gentle and has sort of a paste consistency. It's like a cream filled with granules that aren't too small or too large but really feel like they are polishing away dead skin cells. My skin does look and feel better after use, and with the inclusion of salicylic acid I find it helps with acne. It's also effective as a mask.

I've already done a post of the clarifying masks I like to use which is here so I won't bore you with the nitty gritty. I like to use a clarifying mask twice a week to really cleanse my face and get rid of a week's worth of yucky. I also like to use them the night before any special ish event as they help my skin look much better! While my favourite is the Origins Clear Improvement (review here), I have grown more fond of the Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque.

Origins Drink Up Intensive

I don't use this mask on any sort of regular basis but I use it whenever my skin is feeling particularly dry or needing a bit of a pamper or boost. It's essentially and uber moisturising cream which they call an overnight mask. I wake up with my skin looking plump and hydrated! I don't own the full size (this little tub is courtesy to Cherie - thank you!) but one day definitely do intend to purchase!

So that's pretty much everything you need to know about my skincare routine! I'm very happy with it currently but my new found obsession with skincare has resulted in an extremely long wishlist.

What are your favourite skincare products?