The month of March has been a very interesting one to say the least. As you many have noticed from my image above, my favourites this month are in fact ALL skincare and haircare and not make-up for change. This is because I haven't really been wearing makeup due to the fact of having been in hospital, ill health and recovering at home so you could say my skin and hair have been the main players and it has been so nice I have to say! Just letting my skin breathe, really nurturing it and letting it have a little 'va-cay' but it has really opened up my eyes to some incredible products that have delivered incredible results in my time of need.
If you read my last blog post , you shall know all about my skin horrors of the previous month from having been injected with all types of medications and the products that I used that helped to save my skin. They too are indeed all favourites of mine but now my skin has settled down I have got back to my regular daily routine to keep my skin as healthy as it can be. So let me share with you what loves are most definitely worth knowing about ...
Having trained and worked as a skincare specialist for most of my career, skincare is still very much a huge love and big part of my life and I always strive to never stop learning, because just like modern medicine, skincare never stops advancing. If you aren't aware of who Dr Lancer is, he is in fact one of Hollywoods top dermatologists most famous for being known to treat celebrities such as Victoria Beckham and Kim Kardashian. I don't usually go in for the whole celebrity endorsement kind of thing but the fact that they genuinely raved about him with no sponsorship involved, made me want to know more! He does have his own skincare line sold online & in UK branches of Space NK but I am yet to try. I have only just started this book but I am already 100% hooked. The thing I like the most is that the book is solely all about the skin and anti ageing. It is not him trying to sell you 'his brand' in fact it is the opposite as he lists a lot of brands and products that he personally thinks work very well and in all price brackets too so from budget to very high end. I was very happy to see that most of his recommendations were some of my all time favourites! If you are into skincare or would like to know more about everyday concerns and issues when it comes to our skin then I recommend having a read. I must admit, I don't read half as much as I used too as it takes a lot to keep me interested enough to keep reading, but I know this one shall be finished in no time. It gets you hooked!
I have mentioned this cleanser before on the blog but having used up previous cleansing oils I still had in my stocks, I have gone back to this wonderful product. Out of all cleansing balms that I have tried over the years I have to say this one still beats them all. I do love the very popular Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm but for me, this one is the one that I would go to first. The balm has a Lavender and Chamomile aroma and the moment I inhale it I feel I have been transported to a spa, which is what I think I have said in previous posts, but it's true! It is made from 100% natural oils and contains the very powerful anti-ageing ingredient Padina Pavonica, as well as Optimega Oil, Starflower, Elderberry, Rose and Mimosa. It sends me into a trance which instantly de-stresses me and makes taking off make-up a treat. After using this my skin just glows and looks and feels incredible. It is suitable for every skin type and can be even used as an intensive relaxing mask too. All this from a cleanser ... pretty damn special I say! (This is the mini travel size above so you can always have it with you!)
If you follow my Instagram, you shall have seen that I have some exciting new skincare products from Radical to try as I fell in love with their Instant Revitalising Mask (review here) and so far I am loving this brand. I shall post a full review about the skincare soon but a product that has stood out for me from that is these exfoliating pads. They are pre-soaked pads containing AHA and BHA multi fruit acids that gently exfoliate the dead skin cells to promote a new skin cell turnover, making your skin ultimately look more glowing, radiant helping to diminish fine lines and wrinkles. You have two types of exfoliators, manual grainy ones and ones like these that do all the work for you and tend to be far more effective. Using them is simple; just use one of these pads all over the face every evening after cleansing. Even after just a few nights of using them, my skin was visibly glowing, felt baby soft and my pores on and around around my nose were visibly reduced. I can honestly say I am amazed by this product! It has actually got to the point where I am already thinking I need a back stock as I don't want to be without these in my skincare routine having seen the massive difference they have made. They really help to get rid of those annoying red marks that blemishes leave behind and make exfoliating your skin so easy. I can see now why they are always a sell out because they are amazing; Hence if you see them in stock, grab some!
4. ELEMIS Pro-Collagen Advanced Eye Treatment Serum
Again I have mentioned this product previously in other posts but this month it has really stood out for me as I have seen great results from this eye treatment. When it comes to eyes, I think we study the results of what we use more than any other product and expect a lot from it as we all strive to hide any signs of age or tiredness, so eye creams have a lot to live up to. There aren't many that I have fallen 'completely' in love with enough to want to repurchase them, apart from La Prairie and now ..... Elemis. Being a serum, this light gel is a little miracle worker at targeting puffiness, dullness, lines, wrinkles and hydration. I apply one small drop onto my ring finger then tap both ring fingers together and pat around both eyes and then use any excess around my lip area too. This has really helped brighten up my eye area as they have looked quite dark of late which is something I don't usually suffer with but it's all down to poor circulation, lack of sleep and my anaemia. My eyes just look better, less lined and more hydrated which all together makes me feel a little more humane with or without make-up!
Again, I have mentioned these products a few times on my blog but with good reason as these have both been my holy grail moisturisers for almost a year now. I am onto my second Marine Cream Ultra-Rich and my skin just laps up all the ELEMIS goodness. Pro-Collagen Marine Cream is designed to reduce the depth of lines and wrinkles, improve skins firmness, tone and hydrate, all in 15 days and I can confirm it ticks every box. Even though my skin is normal/combination I actually prefer the ultra rich version instead of the normal as it's not too heavy for me and works better on my skin. As I said I am onto my 2nd jar as this is my number one choice for moisturiser and I cannot recommend it enough. The Pro-Collagen Oxygenating Night Cream is designed to firm, smooth and replenish to help with your skins regeneration process ie. helping your skin to improve use after use. This one is suitable for all skin types and is a nice 'not too heavy, not too light' consistency. I can honestly say when I wake up in the mornings my skin feels so hydrated and it glows and I can feel the goodness that has been done as I have slept. These have really helped my skin to come back to life and I am so happy to have discovered such a great team.
This product featured in my last blog post as one of the saviours that helped again, get my skin back on track. It is a superb hydrating mask that can be used weekly and even daily if your skin is severely dry or dehydrated then this shall give it that boost of hydration that it needs to help your skin fast. It's a lovely texture and super easy to use and add into your skincare routine. I let this completely absorb into my skin then just use a toner to remove any excess, but there hasn't been any as my skin has drank it all up! A fuss free way of getting hydration into your skin especially great for those times of sickness and ideal for using as an in-flight mask as it's hand luggage friendly and you won't look silly as it goes on quite clear so you could wear this long haul and let it totally absorb into the skin. I highly recommend trying the one!
7. Uriage Roséliane Colour Corrector Stick
I didn't want to repeat all from my last blog post as again this was mentioned but it was a great pharmacy find from last month seeing as colour correcting is a big trend of late and this one is a bargain compared to some higher end makeup brands and this one is a skincare product too! It's a green colour correcting stick that counteracts any redness on the skin. It is very green so you have to blend it well but being super creamy this is so easy to use. It is so handy to have and makes a big difference to your complexion by neutralising any red tones. I love this little guy.
This is a cult hair product that has been around for years and I must admit the first time I tried this I wasn't really a fan so I gave up, but whilst recovering at home I 'may have got addicted to watching QVC beauty' (lethal channel) and realised that I had been using it all wrong! This made me raid my stocks to get mine out and try it again and my god, I am hooked. It is incredible. In case you don't know what it is, it's a highly concentrated hair treatment designed to smooth, moisturise and protect the hair improving the strength, shine and stretchability of your hair leaving it less brittle and dry. It also has sunscreen which I think is incredible as so many products don't! You use this before you wash your hair so you have dampen your hair down, apply the treatment in sections, work it in then leave it on for as little or as long as you like. The longer you leave it, the better. You can even sleep in this by wrapping your hair in a towel then washing the next morning. I leave it in for at least an hour and even by then, my hair feels so smoother, stronger and healthier and I have noticed a huge improvement from using this before each time I wash my hair. I cannot believe I have been missing out for so long! If you love hair masks - you shall love this.
You can see that ELEMIS is definitely a brand that I love and always highly recommend as I continue to discover more and more from the brand. I do love when you find a brand that just works and you believe in it as it makes taking care of your skin much more of an experience. I love skincare as you can tell so I am enjoying incorporating other new brands into my skin too as I find mixing up your brands just makes the elimination process easier by knowing what really works best for you.
Hope you like my choices!
