Current Skincare Favourites!

I am, I confess, a skincare-oholic. I love products, lotions and potions that promise to make my skin clearer, brighter, younger, firmer. I am ruthless, though. However appealing a product may be, it has to work to become a permanent fixture in my skincare regime. So many products give me blackheads and blocked pores, so I have to be very careful to only use noncomedogenic products and oils. That being said, I think I've found a pretty effective regime, so I wanted to share it with you!

Make up removal

I love Superdrug's Clearly Youthful Cream Cleanser for removing my make-up at the end of the day. It dissolves my makeup with ease, plus it contains AHA/BHAs to give my skin a bit of an exfoliating boost. When my skin is feeling dry or rough, I leave it on for a minute before wiping it off with a warm wet flannel. This cleanser is not supposed to be used on the eyes, so I rub a little petroleum jelly over my eye make-up before wiping it off with my damp flannel.

If I'm super tired I will use a wipe to remove my make-up. I usually use Superdrug's Micellar Cleansing Wipes, but lately I've been trying Faith In Nature 3 in 1 Facial Wipes, which are good, but I'd prefer if they were fragrance-free.

Cleansing

Paula's Choice Skin Recovery Softening Cream Cleanser is amazing. It's a gently foaming cream that cleanses thoroughly, yet still leaves my skin soft and supple. I use this morning and evening, with my Superdrug Konjac Sponge or a flannel if I need extra exfoliation before makeup application.

Serum

I'm currently starting to see results from Active Solutions Vitamin C Serum from Sr-Skincare. Vitamin C has such a potent effect on the skin, it can reduce the appearance of sun damage, boost collagen and promote skin healing, plus it helps protect your skin from oxidative damage. I use this morning and night after cleansing. Twice weekly I mix in 1 pump of Paula's Choice Clinical 1% Retinol Treatment. I've definitely been noticing an improvement in fine lines.

Moisturiser

Even though my bottle has clearly been through the wars, I've had great results from using Hemp Oil to moisturise. It's noncomedogenic, super moisturising, plus it helps regulate oil production. 

Sunscreen

I believe the most powerful anti-aging product is always going to be sunscreen - that's why I'm on the factor 50 all summer long! This summer I've been using Kiss My Face Face Factor SPF 50. I really like it, but I do wish it was fragrance-free. 

Lip Balm

No skincare post would be complete without lipcare! 

Lately I've been loving Pacifica Color Quench Lip Tint in Vanilla Hibiscus. I get super dry lips, and this is so creamy and moisturising I can't help but slather it on all day! It's supposed to be a lip tint, but it's so translucent it doesn't really add any colour at all. I would consider one of the darker colours to actually give my lips a tint, but I'm fine with using this like a regular balm.

If I'm leaving the house I'll use Superdrug's The Little Protecting Pink Tin SPF 15 before my lipstick. Sorry, mine's got bashed up a bit in my bag!

Mask

A firm favourite of mine is the Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay Mask.

You just mix it with a little raw apple cider vinegar to form a paste, then apply to clean skin and let dry. It's really great for unblocking stubborn clogged pores. I would recommend using it at night, though, as it leaves you with a slight pink flush! I like to mix in some oats to make it more moisturising.

So those are my skincare favourites! Feel free to leave your vegan skincare favourites in the comments!

Til Next Time,

Emma

xXx

PSA: Don't Use Old Products & Review: Oz Naturals 20% Vitamin C Serum

Any online shopper knows the feeling. That frustrated impatience you get while waiting for an order to arrive. Uggh, come onnn, I want it noooooww! The week before last I was waiting for my new sunscreen, and my Oz Naturals 20% Vitamin C & Amino & Hyaluronic Acid serum*. THE AGONY. I was especially irritated because the sun had really started to shine, and my SPF 20 moisturiser had ran out. I needed to do something because I had to leave the house, and sunlight cannot be allowed to touch my unprotected skin. I will get wrinkles. I will get a tan and then my face won't match my make-up, let alone the rest of my body. Rummaging in the bathroom, I found my tube of SPF50 face lotion from last year. I thought to myself. "It's a year old, but I'm sure it'll be fine." Those were my famous last words.Three days later and my face was a bumpy mess of blocked pores, blackheads and angry red dots. 

My reaction when looking in the mirror.

Conveniently my orders turned up, but at that point I was too scared to try anything new out and anger the skincare gods further. I patch tested them, one behind each ear, and tried to sort out my facial mess using the oil cleansing method (sunflower oil) and also my Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay mask. 

After a few days of this, the blocked pores were clearing up, but the red spots were as angry as ever. So I figured it was time to try out my new Vitamin C Serum from Oz Naturals.

The packaging.

The serum is a clear liquid, which is quickly absorbed into the skin. Importantly, it contains ferulic acid, which helps stabilise the vitamin C so that it doesn't oxidise too quickly, losing its efficacy.  You are supposed to let it dry before applying moisturiser, and it dries fast with no sticky texture. 

It comes in a brown glass bottle, to protect the serum from UV rays. The dropper means you can accurately control how much product you want to dispense.

I've been applying it morning, before my (new) sunscreen, and evening, before my night cream. It's not terribly moisturising, but I don't mind as that's what my moisturiser is for. As long as it's not drying, which it isn't. There is no discernible scent, and it plays well with my sunscreen and makeup - some serums can ball up when you apply products over them. 

The serum - clear, and very liquid. Dries quickly and doesn't ball up under other products.

I've been using it for a while now, and I really think it's helped the red spots fade much faster than spots usually do for me. My skin usually gets hyperpigmentation for months after a zit, but this seems to be greatly reduced in the short time I've been using it. I have also noticed an overall brightening effect, which I'm rather pleased about!

Unfortunately, I haven't noticed any improvement in my fine lines, or dark circles. During my online research, I may have found the reason. From a post by 'shewh0mustnotbenamed' on reddit's skincareaddiction -

"SAP isn't as good at stimulating collagen synthesis as L-ascorbic acid (LAA) or magnesium ascorbyl phosphate (MAP). To achieve the same amount of stimulation of collagen synthesis, the amount of SAP used must be 10 times the amount of LAA that would be used (Source: [1]).

...

SAP has anti-acne properties (Sources: [1] [2] [3]). AFAIK, LAA and MAP don't."

Oz Naturals Vitamin C Serum contains vitamin C in the form of sodium ascorbyl phosphate, or SAP. This explains why it has been great for my zits and marks, but had little affect on my dark circles and fine lines, which require the collagen boosting forms of L-ascorbic acid or magnesium ascorbyl phosphate. 

My conclusion 
Oz Naturals 20% Vitamin C & Amino & Hyaluronic Acid serum is a good product for sufferers of acne or post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. However if you primarily want a vitamin C serum for anti-aging or dark circles, I would try a serum containing one of the other forms of it. Would I buy another bottle when this runs out? I'm not sure, I do like the results, but I'm looking for a product to boost my collagen levels, which I don't think this one does enough. I'm thinking of trying the DIY Vitamin C Serum next.

Oz Naturals 20% Vitamin C & Amino & Hyaluronic Acid serum is £15.95 at Amazon UK.

Til Next Time,

Emma
xXx

*This product was sent to me for review purposes. My reviews and opinions will always remain unbiased and impartial. Please see skimlinks disclosure in the sidebar.