Make me GLOWWWWW
Have I mentioned that I’m having a moment right now with skincare and my bathroom beauty cupboard? Because I’m not sure that I’ve mentioned it before? LOL. Yes, yes – we’re back in the bathroom and I’m going to take this opportunity to talk about some new skincare finds. I’m always a little hesitant to switch things up in my routine if the going is good, so these days I go for a less is more approach when it comes to giving new skincare bits and bobs a go. I keep everything else the same as a control and then add in a new find singularly for a week or two or until I can pinpoint exactly how it’s working (or in some cases doing absolutely nothing) and work out where it fits in my routine and how best to work through it. Doing things this way means that it can take months to shift through it all, but the cautiousness is (usually) repaid by skin that doesn’t give me the angry middle finger for slapping on a whole new routine at once, which is usually accompanied by red cheeks and a pimple constellation on my chin. So it’s all good and I’ve happily sunk in to this slow and steady approach. Results just in…
OK, let’s have a chat about Clarins – they’re the sneaky ones you see. Without realising they’ve been sturdy pillars in my routine for years and formulate some non-negotiables in my routine like the Instant Eye Makeup Remover and the Face Self Tanning Lotion. They’re always there, quietly pumping away and ridding me of all remnants of waterproof mascara and giving me a non-tangoed glow. Well I think they’ve just gone and done it again. This time though they’re tackling the delicate spots – eyes and lips. The Hydra-Essentiel Moisturizing Reviving Eye Mask (OUT SOON!) is a truly delicious product, especially for us lasses and lads who have to deal with an under eye area that can sometimes have the texture of sandpaper. It’s instructed to use as a 10 minute speedy mask, but I apply a small amount of it as my eye cream step morning and night. It sinks in well, without being too rich or greasy, but really feels like it’s hydrating the area so that concealer melts in like a dream on top. The other hydration-helper is from the same range, the Moisture Replenishing Lip Balm which doesn’t sound like the most exciting product – it’s a balm!? – but it’s one of the best lip products I’ve used in a long while. I actually get excited to put it on every night and sometimes sneak in a midday application too. Thick, but not sticky and it kind of smells like blackcurrant liquorice. I’m into it.
Right – Herbivore, have you heard of it? It’s a Seattle-based brand that husband and wife duo – Julia and Alex (look at ’em – how cute do they look!?) began creating from their kitchen. The big news is that the indie brand has made it’s way to U.K shores FINALLY and is now available from Space NK. I’ve given a few things from the brand a go before as I’d managed to get my hands on some during trips to the U.S and let me tell you, I’m impressed. The product that I’d got my mitts on before was the Lapis Balancing Facial Oil which is dreamy, whatever your skin type. Previously when I’d used it I’d been more on the oily side and now as a dehydrated gal this felt just as special on my skin; sinking in quick but delivering glow without a hefty dose of shine.
It’s good, but there are two products that are fighting for the top spot for me. The first is the Rose Hibiscus Hydrating Face Mist. I haven’t used a facial mist in yonks and I’d completely forgotten about the brightening properties that can come in really handy around lunchtime when I start to look like a prune. It’s such a great makeup refresher/general skin perker-upper. Then there’s the Moon Fruit Superfruit Night Treatment which Kaushal recommended and has made a dramatic difference to my skin’s texture since I started using it. It’s does a bit of everything this stuff; it resurfaces with fruit enzymes, hydrates with butters and Hyaluronic Acid and soothes with Aloe. It does it ALL. The best bit is that you can cleanse your skin, throw this on and be done. I like to do it as a mini treat for my skin once or twice a week, when I’m feeling a little rough, quite literally, but I haven’t got time to mask.
Finally, there’s good ol’ Kiehl’s, who again – much like Clarins – already take up a large proportion of my everyday skincare line-up. However, there are two new items to chat through that I’ve been using since I had the chance to go visit Vietnam with them (vlog coming SUNDAY!) and they have been noteworthy additions in my routine. You know how sometimes you just feel a little lacking in the elasticity department and you don’t quite know how to resolve it? Well, when I’m feeling like that I apply the Ginger Leaf & Hibicus Extract Firming Mask on freshly cleansed skin in the evening. You don’t need a lot of it – a little goes a long way – and it works best with nothing underneath, or just a light layer of oil if you feel like you need an extra dose of moisture. Come the morning I feel like I just look a little ‘fresher’ and less puffy in my face. It’s a miracle worker. Then there’s the literally-just-released Glow Formula which I knew I would LOVE before I even tried it. Their first makeup/skincare release that works as a radiance-boosting primer, whilst actually doing exactly that with repeat application over time. WIN, WIN. It gives a pearlescent glow which I like under foundation, worn on its own or patted on as a subtle liquid highlighter too. Instantly makes me feel like J.Lo? SOLD.
Photos by Lauren Shipley
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