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!

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!

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!

In The Spotlight // Antipodes

On the scene of green beauty brands, Antipodes is well at the forefront. They're a brand I constantly want to try more from and from trying a few of their products over the past couple of years, I definitely have some favourites! More recently though, I was sent a few of their hero products, as well as a new serum. My skincare routine for the past month or so has been Antipodes-heavy, but I have to say, my skin is looking pretty good! Keep reading for a round-up of mini reviews on the Antipodes products I have.

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!

Moisture Minis

Antipodes is a brand I've always heard so much about, being certified organic and using all natural ingredients, and one that I've always wanted to try products from. When they released a couple of limited edition mini sets, I knew I had to get my hands on one! They proved to be popular and I managed to snag the Moisture Boost Minis on sale, which features deluxe sized samples of the Vanilla Pod Hydrating Day Cream and the Divine Face Oil.

Antipodes Vanilla Pod Hydrating Day Cream

The packaging of this is adorable, it's a petite metal tube that holds 15mL of product. I absolutely adore Antipodes' packaging style, and it well reflects the brand's natural ethos. The smell of this moisturiser is INCR-EDIBLE. It's just so delightfully delicious,  vanillary but comforting and almost a bit jasminey? Basically, it's amazing. So much so that when I used it at a sleepover, my friends were like "what is that smell?!" and I was like "ma moisturiser" ;)

Anyways, I've already featured this in a favourites post so y'all know I love it. The texture is quite thick and creamy, but easily rubbed into the skin. I find that it absorbs almost instantly and leaves skin feeling soft but dry to the touch, if that makes sense. It's so deliciously moisturising, but miraculously, sits really well under makeup, never making my skin feel oily or weighed down. A day cream that's lightweight yet uber moisturising? Yes please! I've since finished up the whole tube, and would definitely repurchase in the future!

Antipodes Divine Face Oil

The packaging on this one is equally as adorable. The teeny tiny bottle holds 10mL of product with its own lil' dropper, making it perfect for travel! I did actually take this on my one week trip down to Melbourne and it worked really well. I'll definitely be keeping the bottle and refilling it for travelling. 

As for the oil itself, I'm not sure it really wowed me to be honest! To be fair though, the extreme weather difference of Melbourne really took its toll on my skin! It was extremely dry and exposed to wind a lot of the time. I used this oil every night and occasionally in the morning, and I can't say it really helped my skin that much unfortunately! I was also using a different moisturiser though, so that needs to be taken into account as well. I'm not really a huge fan of the scent, though facial oils never really tend to smell that great! It isn't by any means a bad oil, it did moisturise my skin, sink in well and it didn't leave my face feeling greasy at all, it's just that I have others that perform much better. I haven't had the chance to test it in Brisbane weather conditions, mostly because I'm saving it for travel, but I will definitely report back when I do! 

So overall, one hit and one...miss(ish). There's no denying though that I still really want to try out more of the range! You may still be able to get your hands on the mini sizes at Priceline, but Antipodes is actually 20% off at Priceline at the moment so do take advantage!

Have you tried anything from Antipodes?

Good Enough to Eat

So, that title may be a little deceiving, BUT, a motto of natural skincare brand Vanessa Megan is, "you should never put anything on your skin you wouldn't eat!". The brand's products must have pretty great ingredients right? Right. I have to review a couple of her products; the Rosehip Revitalizing Face Oil* and Peruvian Flower Hand Cream*. 

Peruvian Flower Hand Cream

A little about the brand first, it's pretty great. They are Australian, natural and organic, cruelty free, their packaging is 100% recyclable, and much more. You can read more about them here, but they really are an awesome brand, with their products totally reflecting that. The packaging is simplistic, yet beautiful. The boxes are super informative, not only listing a description of the products and ingredients but also the benefits of key ingredients. Both bottles have handy pumps to easily dispense product, however I do wish the oil came with a dropper, the pump can sometimes squirt product out willy nilly. 

Rosehip Revitalizing Face Oil* (30mL, $29.95)

The first thing that HIT me with this product was the scent. It has a very strong, and I ain't gonna lie, overwhelming scent. It's a rosehip oil blend containing other ingredients of rosemary, lemongrass and vetiver. The scent is undeniably lemongrass, which I'm not really a fan of to begin with. The scent is so strong it almost feels like it's tingling the skin? It's actually not, though it smells like it's tingling...am I even making sense right now? Thankfully once the oil is applied and blended into the skin, the scent dissipates - I don't know if I could handle it otherwise!

The oil itself is quite thick in texture (sorry I forgot to photograph it!) and I usually use one pump mixed with moisturiser. It doesn't leave my skin feeling or looking greasy, but rather very glowy and feeling very hydrated. Not that I really care if I look like a grease-ball though - I only use it at night when I'm moping around the house. Much like a lot of other face oils, it's very hydrating. The ingredients supposedly help with anti-ageing, evening skin tone, skin firmness, minimising pore size and more. I can't testify to many of these claims, though overall I've been really happy with my skin lately! My acne scars are slowly but surely fading and it hasn't been very spotty lately either.

Peruvian Flower Hand & Body Cream* (50mL, $29.95)

This has already made it's way into a monthly favourites post, so y'all know it's good stuff. The texture is almost whipped, though still super creamy. I find one pump of the stuff is just enough to moisturise the hands adequately. It's the right amount to not have super slick hands, therefore sinking and absorbing into the skin quite quickly, leaving them feeling quite nourished. The texture isn't too rich or greasy to begin with, so it doesn't leave much, if any residue on the hands! I've been using it every night, and while I don't have particularly dry hands to begin with, this has definitely left my hands feeling super soft, noticeable even after my first night of use! It should do, considering it contains lovely, hydrating ingredients like shea butter, jojoba oil, coconut oil, aloe vera and vitamin E.

Perhaps the most notable thing about this hand cream though, is its scent. It contains various essential oils that overall, give it quite a unique scent, one that I can't quite pin down. I can definitely detect hints of lavender and a slight citrusy tang. It may not appeal to everyone, however I have grown to really like it. It's not too overpowering, though is very spa like and sophisticated. The essential oils used also have added benefits. Mandarin essential oil is known to banish depression and anxiety, lavender essential oil balances the central nervous system and vanilla oleoresin is calming and known to reduce stress, promote sleep and an uplifting mood. Sounds glorious hey? I'm not sure I can attest to those precisely, but inhaling the scent before bed is definitely calming, and I think I may have even been sleeping better!

Overall, using both of these products has been a pleasure really! They're just so dang lovely. Though I don't see much difference between face oils, the Vanessa Megan one is a good 'un, and the hand cream is just beautiful, even if just for the scent!

*Products sent for consideration. 

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?

A Rosy Outlook

Hey guys! Today I have a review on a product, not necessarily this one, but in general that has garnered a lot of hype in the beauty community, and that is Rose hip oil! The one I'm reviewing today is from Kosmea, it's their Skin Clinic certified organic rose hip oil. 

Lately, rose hip oil has become super popular and in general a more mainstream and easily accessible product. As the name suggests, rosehip oil is the oil extracted from the hip of the rose and it is high in essential fatty acids, vitamins and antioxidants. It helps moisturize the skin, fade scars, wrinkles and contains a multitude of other benefits for the skin. The Kosmea Rose hip oil contains Rosa Eglentaria oil, as opposed to Rosa Canina which is generally more common. I believe there is little difference between the two species, if you do know how they are different, let me know in the comments! 

The packaging is quite standard, but nice and practical; it comes in a glass bottle with a pipette/dropper. The only other Rose hip oil I've tried was from Trilogy and I found the oil would seep up from the bottle onto the cap and it wasn't very efficient. The Kosmea one though is much better, I've even travelled with it and it hasn't leaked at all.

The oil itself is quite a vibrant amber shade, different to any other Rose hip oil I've seen. It does leave a tint to the skin, but since I only use it at night I don't really care. Also it absorbs into the skin quite quickly, so it's not too noticeable. Speaking of, I found that it absorbed quicker than the Trilogy which tended to make me look oily without really ever fully feeling like it had sunk in (to the point where my face didn't look shiny). The Kosmea is shiny upon application, but I feel it sinks in really well, and my skin produces its own oils thereafter. 

I apply this at night by mixing 3 drops in with my moisturiser so that it is easier to spread over the skin. It's not that it's 'hard to spread' but I feel like I achieve a more even coverage of the oil when using a cream base. I find that the oil is very hydrating though, more so than if I were to use my moisturiser alone. I have been using this for a decent amount of time (2 months) and can't honestly comment on its effects on my acne scarring. This is due to the fact that I've been using a number of other products that help with fading scars. My current skincare routine (posts of that will be up soon-ish!) has been serving me well, and since using this oil, I've been noticing less breakouts and an overall healthier appearing skin. It is soft, smooth and supple and with this and a combination of other products, I do think it has helped reduce scars and redness - though not to the point of complete disappearance. My skin hasn't had a single dry patch at all!

Though it is one of the more expensive Rose Hip oils on the market at $21.99, I definitely prefer it to the Trilogy rose hip oil and feel it's more effective. Rose hip oil has become a staple in my routine, and I recommend everyone use it as it provides so many benefits - even if you have the oiliest of oily skin! From many bloggers' experiences, it can even help decrease oil production.

Have you tried this Rose hip oil? What's your favourite?