Beat the Grease with Dermalogica Skin Refining Masque

Lately, my face is getting oilier skin than normal due to the fluctuating weather of hot and cold and air-conditioned office environments adds to the havoc. My skin is in overdrive trying to compensate for the weather and in the process making a greaseball in the mid afternoon.

So here a product I enlist to try and rebalance the skin in this crazy weather.

Dermalogica Skin Refinining masque

Description:
A skin-clarifying masque with oil-absorbing kaolin and Bentonite clays plus zinc oxide to remove impurities and refine the skin’s surface, helping to reduce oily-skin breakouts.
Soothing botanical extracts of mallow, arnica and cucumber help soothe the skin while purifying nasturtium, lemon and ivy help revive dull skin. Contains no artificial fragrance or colour.

This clay mask dries up on my skin in 15 minutes and does an amazing job of drawing out oil and keep my skin looking less shiny thanks to clay and titanium dioxide combination.

Unlike other clay mask I’ve tried, the sebum controlling effect last about 2-3 days before the grease starts coming back into my skin so I’d recommend using this mask 2 times a week if you have extremely oily skin or once a week if you only have minor sebum issues you want to control. I currently use it weekly and apply another moisturising mask at the end of the week.

Dry skin types may want to skip this masque and try a more hydrating variety instead (try Dermalogica skin hydrating masque or intensive moisture masque).

As for skin refining properties, I haven’t really noticed much to be honest and prefer to use the Alpha-H smoothing and perfecting mask to refine my skin texture instead (the glycolic acid seems to agree with my skin more).

If you want to look less of an oil slick, then this will be the right facial mask for you.
75ml RRP A$59 at salons, selected David Jones stores and online at AdoreBeauty or the Facial Company.

Do you use facial masks? How often would you apply a mask?

This featured product was provided for consideration.

SOS For Winter Skin

Winter is notorious for cold conditions that dries out the skin. Add to that mix the sudden changes in temperatures as you head from heated indoors environments to plunging outdoors temperatures and you're bound to have a recipe for dry flaky patches and wind burnt chapped lips, all of which are symptoms I'm experiencing lately.

I've been using the following products to combat the windburn and drying effects of constant extreme weather changes in an attempt to restore moisture back into my skin and lips.

Dermalogica Skin Hydrating Booster 30ml*

• Packed full of hyaluronic acid (which is able to hold up to 1000 times its weight in water) and glycerin (a humectant), this gem binds moisture on  skin to keep you hydrated for hours on end.
• Restores moisture balance and revitalises skin and helps reduce and soothe the dry patches on cheeks and those sore runny noses. 
• A clear slightly viscous liquid, it is scented with lavender essential oils that also helps to calm skin from irritations and quickly absorbs to give baby soft skin - no joke!
• Also contains panthenol for tissue repair and algae extracts to restore the moisture balance. 
• You don't have to have parched skin to use this, if you're your skin is feeling tight or dry,  it's enough reason to pick this up and apply before your other normal skincare products to bind in the moisture content and relieve you from dry patches and lines, especially under the eye area. 
• Best used after washing on slightly damp clean skin to lock in all that glorious moisture content and you only need a few drops to get instantly softened skin.

Ingredients listing:

RRP A$100 at selected salons or cheaper online at the Facial Company.

This is a FITE product and its sale will help fund a female entrepreneur in a developing country. To find out more, visit www.joinFITE.org


Clinique Comfort On Call 50ml 

• This heavy duty cream is used to relieve seriously dry skin, and by serious I mean the wind-burnt dry cracked skin type of serious. 
• Given its its richness (a rich body cream texture), I recommend using this creamy balm at night as it's probably too heavy to use during the day, especially if you intend to apply makeup over your skincare products and take a bit of time to fully absorb into skin. If you're outdoors in the extreme weather during the day, then use it during the day as well - just make sure you top it with sun protection. 
• Contains olive fruit oil, shea butter to deeply moisturise, citrus jabara fruit extract to calm and trace amounts of hyaluronic acid to keep the moisture in. 
• Creates a barrier after application to prevent further damage and help to keep skin's moisturised whilst it soothes redness and irritations from extreme weather and reduce flaky skin. 
• Like all other Clinique skincare products, it is fragrance free and relatively scentless, which helps for those who are easily senstised by fragrance in their products (I'm usually not but when skin is irritated, anything can happen). 
• I don't use this every night, only when I find my skin very dry and would use for a few days during that period before converting back to my normal lighter moisturisers. 

Ingredients listing:

RRP A$83 at Clinique counters.

Dermalogica Climate Control Lip Treatment 4.5g

• This little lip balm is a godsend for my perennially dry lips which just cracks during winters. Seriously no amount of  daily exfoliating has stopped my chapping, it has only minimised it. With this lip treatment, I have only minimal exfoliating work to do at night - hallelujah!
• Contains Anti-Ozonate Complex to heal cracked, chapped lips and leaves a protective waxy film that prevents moisture from leaving and harsh extreme conditions from further drying up lips and gives hours of protections before any re-application is needed.
• Although fragrance free and goes on clear, there is a light but distinctive medicinal taste (most likely due to the Alkyl benzonate) to this balm which reminds me of zinc stick. It's not a deal breaker for me and honestly you shouldn't be licking your lips anyway as it dries them out even more so the taste should act as a deterrent for you lip-smacking people out there.
• Also good for bits of rough skin like finger and sore red noses or anywhere that needs soothing and protecting. 

Ingredients listing:

Helianthus Annuus (Hybrid Sunflower) Oil, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Ozokerite, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) Fruit, Lecithin, Oils Of: Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ, Citrus Aurantium Amara (Bitter Orange), Geranium Maculatum, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed, Superoxide Dismutase, Bisabolol, Extracts Of: Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon), Fumaria Officinalis, Fumaric Acid, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel, Lavendula Angustifolia (Lavender), Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf, Trifolium Pratense (Clover) Flower, Echinacea Purpurea, Symphytum Officinale, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower, Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Fruit, Boron Nitride, Titanium Dioxide, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Silica, Butylene Glycol

RRP A$19 at selected salons or cheaper online at the Facial Company.

Botanics of Australia (BOA) Intense Moisturiser with Lilly Pilly 225g*

BOA is an Aussie skincare and haircare brand that I've recently been introduced to. Interestingly, although the products are made in Australia with local signature ingredients, it is only marketed to and sold to international overseas consumers (weird how they think locals wouldn't love to use these local products too!). The good news is it's available online for purchase locally, is well priced with a good product range and from the products I've tried so far, are fabulous and value for money.

• This moisturiser is a whipped cream texture and is between the richness of body butter being lighter and softer but richer than body lotions. It has a delightful warm sandalwood fragrance and feels luxurious when it melts upon touching the skin. 
• My favourite part is that it's non-greasy and fast absorbing - it has a similar texture and feel to the L'Occitane Rich Renewal Cream that I love and comes in a nice big jar that is easy to scoop out the product to apply copious amounts of all over the body.
• Contains grape seed oil, Cocoa butter and Shea butter for intense moisturisation with lilly pilly, an Australia native fruit  that is packed full of vitamin C and fruit acids to assist with skin firming.  

Ingredients listing:

RRP A$17.95 or  cheaper online at FashionAddict.

Do you change your skincare regime for the seasons? 
What products are you currently using?

Products marked * were provided for consideration. All other products were purchased by myself.

5 Eye Creams You Need to Know About

Our eyes may be the windows to our soul but they are also is the first area to show the early signs of aging and fatigue with dark circles, puffiness, fine lines, and wrinkles.

While nothing beats a sound 10 hour sleep and sun protection to help prevent these problems, there are some great products on out there to help you keep your peepers looking fresh and rectify the tell-tales signs of tiredness and premature aging.

1. Dermalogica Intensive Eye Repair 15ml 
Winter dries out my oily combo skin and I'm currently experiencing a bout of dry patches across my face and the skin under the eye area is rather dehydrated.

Enter this little gem from Dermalogica, an ultra rich gel but not heavy or greasy on skin, it instantly hydrates skin to eliminate fine lines and crepiness and keeps the skin moisturised throughout the day.

Contains a cocktail of antioxidant-rich ingredients like cucumber extract, arnica and wild yam extract, vitamin A, B5, C, E to fight free radicals as well as help repair prematurely aging skin. It also primes skin to help makeup sit on skin better rather than sink into the fine lines.

This is a FITE product so its sale will help fund a female entrepreneur in a developing country. To find out more, visit www.joinFITE.org

RRP A$71 at selected salons and at the FacialCompany.

2. Olay Regenerist Anti-aging Roller 6ml*

Click the end of this anti-aging pen to dispense the product out and then massage it into the under eye skin area with 3 precision massaging rollers. You will be greeted with instant coolness against your skin from the metal rollers whilst the massaging action improves blood circulation around the eye area and allows the caffeine and vitamin E infused serum to be delivered deeper into the skin to reduces eye puffiness. Before you know it, you'll be de-puffed and looking wide awake. 

It also has dimethicone to fill in lines and smooth over wrinkles to give a more youthful under eye area appearance.

RRP A$49.99 at supermarkets, Priceline and most pharmacies.

3. Kiehl's Ultimate White Darkness Diminishing Activated Eye Treatment 15ml* 
Now that you've sorted out the hydration and puffiness, attack the dark circles with this potent eye cream that will gradually fade darkness with vitamin C, plum fruit extract and glucoside. You will have to be persistent with this cream as it won't give you results overnight but you will get that brigthened translucent under-eye skin in 3 weeks time. It also gives very excellent hydration to dry, tired eyes.

RRP A$62 at Kiehl's counters or Kiehl's Online.

4. Elizabeth Arden Prevage Anti-aging Eye Serum 15ml
The holy grail of all eye creams. That is all.
Oh alright, I'll elaborate. I love this eye serum because when I wake up in mornings after using it the night before, I have next to no sign of puffiness in sight. My dark circles are lighter, the skin in my under eye area is firmer, hydrated and fine lines are barely visible - all thanks to the 0.5% idebenone formula that my skin is such a fan of. If I didn't have a mortgage, I'd be hauling this by the truckload to use forever.

RRP A$165 at Elizabeth Arden counters

5. Peter Thomas Roth Power K Eye Rescue 15g
Given my very bad dark circles, I'm always trying to find quick fixes for them and this was one of those purchase I wish I hadn't made.  Lured by the promise of vitamin K (at 5% concentration which this clearly isn't, it's proven to fade dark circles and help treat bruises) and flanked with a stellar line up ingredients such as vitamin c, green tea, kojic acid, arnica and CQ10, this rich gel was too hard to resist.

I admit I enjoy bursting the CQ10 micro-capsule when rubbing the gel into my under eye skin and although it is a good eye gel in all other aspects, it just didn't do the one thing I wanted it for - reduce dark circles.
For the price, I want to see results pronto but  after 1 whole week of use, my skin just didn't respond. I didn't see improvements in darkness nor was it any better at reducing puffiness than the Olay eye serum so yes I'll be holding a grudge against Mr. Thomas Roth for this particular eye treatment.

Personally, I would choose the others eye serums before forking out such an exorbitant amount that didn't deliver more than its budget-friendly counterparts.

RRP A$125 at Kit Cosmetics counters or Mecca Cosmetica.


Out of the five, you all know which is my favourite but a close second is the Dermalogica Intensive Rich repair for it super hydrating properties whilst the Kiehl's Darkness Diminishing Activated eye treatment is slowly winning me over as I start to see results of lighter dark circles.

Do you use eye creams on a daily basis? What are your favourite eye creams?

Products marked * were provided for consideration. All other products were purchased by me. 

My Morning Skincare Routine

Having used so many beauty products over the past few years, I'm known be very fickle and don't really have a very set skincare routine. Add to that, my routine invariably have to change whenever I have to test a new product as I have to stop what I'm using and try the new product for a period of time for complete a review for it.

Despite all the chopping and changing in products, the basic elements of my daytime skincare routine is always the same: cleanse, serum, treatment, moisturise and sun protection. I don't use a toner as my hydration comes from the serums and treatments and don't believe toners should be used to remove cleansing residue if the cleanser was a good enough product in the first place.

Today I thought I'd share with you what I'm currently using in my day routine, some of which are products I've used on a long term basis and others are products I'm currently putting on trial.

For reference, I have oily/combination skin in my T-zones and cheeks but am also prone to very dry skin despite producing alot of oil. My skin consultant once said I have a masked dry skin condition as most people think I'm straight up oily skin but if I wash my face, most people would immediately say I have dehydrated skin (and I totally blame the office air conditioner for making the situation worse).

Click to enlarge to see details

1. Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel 500ml RRP A$87 - gentle yet effective enough to wash off dirt,  grime an and even makeup. I use this exclusively when I had a peel performed as it's non irritating and soothing on the most sensitive skin with the calming lavendar essential oils. one of my HG cleansers.  I use this with and without the clarisonic facial cleansing brush.

2. Kiehl's darkness diminishing activated eye treatment 15ml RRP A$62* - I'm currently putting this eye cream to the test to see how much it helps with my dark circles from poor circulation and lack of sleep. So far I've noticed reduced puffiness and brighter eyes from the light reflecting particles in the formula. I've yet to see much in terms of darkness reduction after 3 weeks use.

3. Shu Uemura Whitefficient Whitening Essence 150ml RRP A$115* &  4. Lancome Blanc Expert Whitening Activating Spot Eraser 30ml RRP A$118* - I alternate between these two whitening treatments on most days or use one in the morning and the other at night. The main reason for using whitening products is to brighten up my complexion and prevent the sallowness from creeping in. I'm also trying my hardest to fade some pigmentation I have around the eye area.

I find Shu Uemura's Whitefficent essence spreads better on the skin but can leave a sheen so is better suited for dryer skin or the winter months and It works well as a primer. It contains algae extract, prune extract and Ellagic acid which help to block melanin production and brighten the skin.

Lancome's Blanc Expert is water-based and is instantly absorbed into skin without any tacky or greasy feeling. It contains a proprietary Melanolyser technology to break down the melanin in skin and fade the dark spot.

Both products give a luminous radiance to skin . There is very some lightening on my pigmentation spots with 4 weeks use of it but it is more efficient with fading blemish marks and those disappear in 1-2 weeks on my skin.

5. Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Serum 50ml RRP A$49.99^- is my go-to daily serum that effectively plumps and hydrates my skin, while working to softens and fills in fine lines. Best of all it is affordable enough that I don't need to take out a second mortgage to keep using this on a daily basis.

6. Priori Cellular Recovery Serum 50ml RRP A$220 ^- When I feel my skin's particularly dry or irritated and needs a boost of radiance I would use this instead of the Olay Mirco-sculpting serum. Being water based, it is lightweight and instantly absorbed into skin, leaving it nourished, super hydrated and never ever greasy. It contains enzymes and liposomes prevent and repair cellular damage to help with the anti-aging process and firms the skin. This was one of the products used when I recently had my fraxel laser and it was soothing and calming to use. I have to say for the price, I expect to see more results but sadly I don't. I still really enjoy the product though I'd love it more if the price tag wasn't so hefty (thank goodness I received this from a competition prize!).

7. Neutrogena healthy defence daily moisturiser with Helioplex SPF 30+  for combination/oily skin 40ml RRP A$16.49 ^- a good moisturiser sunscreen that is affordable and suitable for oily and combination skin and doesn't have the white cast issues that other sunscreen products have. It's not too rich and rubs easily into skin although it's not as oil controlling as it could be. It works well during the cooler months on my skin and given I already treat my face with other serums and treatment products, this basic moisturiser sunscreen meets all my needs and gives me basic hydration and stable high sun protection. It's the last skincare product I put onto my face before I slap on my makeup.

8. Lanolips Lemonaid Lip Aid  RRP A$15.95 - my favourite lip balm/treatment product - I've tried the other lanolips and although nice, they didn't make much of an impression as this 70% pure lanolin balm. It helps to sooth and smooth my dry chapped lips, keeping them moist and soft and makes lipstick application more even and smooth. I love the tangy taste and scent of the lemon essential oil and it acts as a natural exfoliant to keep flaky lips at bay too. This is a limited edition product and it's still available in the Myer and DJ stores I visit in Melbourne but I'm going to be stocking this right up - just in case you know.

My star products that I would never swap out (or would quickly come back to) is my Dermalogica cleanser, Lancome Blanc Expert Spot Eraser,  Lanolips Lemonaid lip aid and Olay Regenerist Micro-sculpting Serum. They are my HG skincare products.

Next up, my night time skincare routine...

Products marked * were sent for consideration. 
Products marked ^ were competition prizes or gifts from generous friends. All other products were purchased by yours truly.

Battle of the Daily Exfoliants- Alpha-H v Dermalogica v SHE

I can't get by most days without using an exfoliator to cleanse my face because it's the only way to have my skin looking fresh and help keep the dry patches at bay.

Now bead or pumice based exfoliators do become a bit too harsh for daily use so it's great that there are alternatives in the market. The best known one would be the powder based Dermologica's Daily Microfoliant and recently the SHE Red-Rice Exfoliating Powder and now Alpha-H has joined the market with its own unique version.

Powder exfoliants are meant to be used on cleanse skin so don't use this with a face full of makeup. You should pre-cleansing face first or just use this first thing in the morning to avoid having to wash your face twice.

Unlike other normal cleansers, these powder based cleansers are meant to be mixed with a tiny bit of water in your palm to make a smooth paste before spreading it onto your area of skin to be cleaned. It took a bit of getting used to for me to work out the right amount of water to use to get a nice thick paste - adding water drop by drop is key.

Alpha-H Gentle Daily Exfoliant* - RRP A$59.95 for 50g

• This doesn't come with instructions but before the first use, you have to open up the lid (not the cap on the top) and take out the plastic seal inside to allow the powder to flow out from the lid, but after that, the unique packaging will dispense precise amounts of powder for each wash and avoid over pouring - bonus points for this
• Is actually a clay powder based product compared to the other 2 powdered exfoliants. There is no odour when using this cleanser. 
• Contains enzymes from pineapple and papaya extract which is activated upon contact with skin to do the chemical exfoliating work. 
• After massaging it in circular motion for a minute to rub of dead skin cells, I use this as a mask by leaving it on my skin for another 4 minutes on a weekly basis for it to work as an enzyme mask to give me an exfoliating boost. 
• Has only 6 ingredients: Kaolin, Sodium Diatomeae, Bentonite (another clay type), Carica Papaya Extract, Ananas Sativus (pineapple) Extract, CI 77891 (aka titanium dioxide) - I love simple products. 

Results
I heart the smoothness of skin after use. blackheads are reduced and there is not a single dry patch in sight.  Skin has a brightened complexion with a healthy radiance after 2 weeks; it's also very gentle and non-irritating even with the enzymes at work.
The clay base also seems to help control oil production and I don't get as greasy anymore during the day.


Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant - RRP A$83.50 for 75g

• Rice powder based powder, it contains cellulose and can get clumpy in skin when over worked during the massage phase and is less smooth in texture than the Alpha H version.
• Ingredients listing reads like a cast of thousands - Microcrystalline Cellulose, Talc, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Colloidal Oatmeal, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Starch, Extracts Of: Arctostaphylos Uva Ursi Leaf, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Fruit, Oryza Sativa (Rice), Ginkgo Biloba, Camellia Sinensis Leaf, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice); Essential Oils Of: Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Peel; Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Limonene, Allantoin, Salicylic Acid, Aspergillus Ferment, Papain, Pca, Allyl Methacrylates Crosspolymer, Cyclodextrin, Methylparaben, Titanium Dioxide 
• I'm a strong believer that simple is best but there are similar enzyme ingredients papain (c.f. Papaya extract from Alpha-H) in the lists. 

Results 
Very comparable to Alpha-H, giving soft smooth skin after use and does a great job with dry patches and black heads too. There is less skin brightening properties immediately after use and doesn't help with sebum control for me. If these aren't your concern then Dermalogica would be a better alternative as it is actually cheaper gram per gram to Alpha-H.


SHE Red-Rice Exfoliating Powder -RRP A$19.95 for 50g

• Is not an enzymed based power and instead has rice vinegar and lemon peel oil to refine pores. 
• Texture wise, although the powder looked very similar to Dermalogica's microfoliant and is rice based, upon mixing with water you can tell it isn't as finely milled. There are actually minute grains of rice in this product and it works more like a scrub than a powder exfoliant when massaged on skin. 
• Comes in a cardboard based container with no dispensing control mechanism so you will need to carefully pour your own amounts. 
• Ingredients is also a lengthy read: Zea mays (Corn starch), Sodium potassium aluminium silicate, Guar hydroxypropyl trimonium chloride, Kaolin, Disodium lauryl sulfosuccinate, Oryza sativa (Rice) extract, Sodium methyl cocoyl taurate, Red rice vinegar, Citrus aurantium bergamia (Bergamot) oil, Citrus limon (Lemon) oil, Cananga odorata (Ylang ylang) flower oil, Silica

Results

I found this powder scrub quite harsh on my skin as the rice granules were very hard. It left my skin feeling smoother but also slightly raw and is definitely a poor comparison to the other 2 products. I would only recommend this product as a facial scrub and not a exfoliating powder so am disappointed with its misleading name. 

The corn starch in SHE makes it look smoother than Dermalogica but the rice granules don't dissolve

Verdict
I would have to say the clear winner in my books is Alpha H, it doesn't get too clumpy when I over rub it onto skin; the clay base helps with oil control and it gives the best results in terms of skin softness and improved clarity. Dermalogica is a very comparable and close contender so its really up to personal preference on use of the two. SHE is at a lower class than the other 2 products and not very comparable in terms of texture of the product or the results achieve during use although it is alot cheaper in price as well.

Alpha H and Dermalogica are available at selected salons, pharmacies and online at the Facial Company
SHE is available at selected Priceline and pharmacies or online at SHE Australia online.

Products marked * were provided for consideration. Others were purchased by me.