Complete Cleanse with Olay Regenerist Advanced Cleansing System

I recently have the opportunity to try to newly released Olay Regenerist Advance cleansing system and will share with you my experience today. If you’ve been hankering for a Clarisonic but can’t justify the high price for it, then this might is the right product for you to try and see if brush cleansing system is right for your skin.

Olay Regenerist Advanced Cleansing System

Whilst it’s name is a mouthful, the product is essentially a waterproof handheld device with a rotating soft brush head used to cleanse your skin.

It's battery operated, taking two AA sized batteries which adds some sturdy weight to the light plastic casing of the cleansing brush.

For first use, you place the batteries into the detachable base and then  clips it back up into the body of the unit and the click in the brush head. On the body, there are two buttons: the larger on top toggles to power the unit on and off and the smaller bottom one controls its speed - low or high.

I usually use it on the high setting that produces gentle circular rotation at up to 350 revolutions per minute but is gentle enough that I don’t feel it it's overly exfoliating my skin.

In terms of cleansing, I always remove makeup first before using the brush as I find the idea for makeup remnants rotating across my face not doing much in terms of achieving a good cleanse.
I wet the brush head, apply cleanser to skin and then turn on the device and slowly move the brush across the face for about a minute.

Performance wise, it provides a deeper cleanse than manual cleansing by being able to dislodge dirt and oil out of pores better due to the fast rotating brush bristles that help to gently exfoliate (as opposed to using a cleansing cloth that can drag roughly across skin). Using it with the included Olay Regenerist Skin Renewal cleanser which has silica micro polishing beads to buff skin, I thought it might be too harsh but surprisingly  it left my face was soft, supple and clean afterwards without any hint of rawness at all. My skin texture has improved over the past two weeks with a even skintone that is smoother and more refined.

I find the brush also great for reaching crevices around the nose and like to use it without a cleanser over the dry lips to help scrub off  any chapped skin.

I’ve used the unit for two weeks not and the batteries show no sign of running out of juice yet so cannot give you an indication of how long a set of batteries will last but it doesn’t hurt to have a spare set handy in case you run out mid way through a cleanse.

How does it compare with Clarisonic?

Lookwise, they are different in design and weight wise, being battery operated and smaller, the Olay Advanced Cleansing System is slighter lighter than the Clarisonic Mia.

From a usage point of view, I find that Clarisonic vibrations are very strong across the Mia and Plus/Pro versions and I can’t use the devices on daily basis before it makes my skin too sensitive.
The Olay Advanced Cleansing System is a lot more gentle on my skin compared to the Clarisonic (especially the Pro version) and I actually prefer it for daily cleansing as it doesn’t aggravate my skin as much.

With the Olay Advanced Cleansing system, once daily use (at night) has so far not been a problem as it isn’t as highly powered.  Don’t get me wrong, I still think the Clarisonic is great (my previous reviews on them are here), but I can’t use it daily without it being too much for my skin. For less than a quarter of the price, I think the Olay device is far better value and delivers equally effective pore cleansing results at a more gentle pace.

Olay Advanced Cleansing System available at Priceline, Chemist Warehouse and selected pharmacies RRP A$32.49. Two-pack replacement brush heads are available for A$9.99

This featured product was provided for editorial consideration.

Guinot Biological Peeling Radiance Gel for Baby Soft Skin

I'm always looking for a good cleanser to add to my morning routine. Usually I look for products that are AHA (alpha hydroxy acids) based as I find that those products are more effective in removed dead skin cells that build up over time that can dull skin complexion and a cause of dry flaky skin.

One such product that I've recently had the opportunity to try out is now on my favourite list.

Guinot Biological Peeling Radiance Gel - 50ml

Guinot Description: 
A gentle facial peel the exfoliates by softening the keratin kinks between dead skin cells. Fruit acides dissolve the dead skin cells.

My View: 
This is a light gel with a pearlescent sheen when it comes out of the tube.  It also has a pleasant floral scent that can be a bit strong for some but I personally didn't mind it.

It contains AHA made from can sugar, apple and citrus to gently exfoliate and Green Tea extract as an anti-oxidant to protect cells from being damaged through oxidisation. It also has shea butter and glycols to help soften skin.

You apply this onto dry skin on your face, contours of the eye and neck and then in circular motion, rub this  into skin until it becomes a clear liquid and with a slippery texture with an oily sheen on the skin (this takes about 2 minutes for the whole face). The product does rinses off completely away with lukewarm water without any residue.

Oily sheen texture after working the peel into skin. 

I find that this is a great exfoliator for gentle skin because its not a scrub which can irritate sensitised skin and can be use quite regularly.

As for result , immediately after use, my face feels as smooth as a baby's bum afterwards and looks clear and radiant. It is soft and velvety to touch and an improved in clarity where any rough or dull skin is removed as old cells are rubbed off and new skin cells are revealed.

I also found that using the peel helps with speeding up the lightening of the scar marks due to improved efficiency in the cell renewal process.

I use this facial peel 2 to 3 times a week in place of my normal morning cleanser depending on the condition of skin and it's my go-to facial cleanser if I suffer from flaking skin as it sorts out the problem out in the first go.

Tip- try use this peel once a while on the back of your hands for the smoothest paws in town- you'll see the layer of dead skin cells that gets rubbed off like magic.

RRP A$57 Guinot spas/salons or online at Adore Beauty.

This featured product was provided for editorial consideration.

Face Off: Clarisonic Mia v PRO

Working in the IT field professionally, I’m quite a gadget geek. So when it comes to beauty gadgets, I’m pretty much all over them!

Before the Clarisonic cleansing brush officially made its way onto our southern shores, I had one imported (thank you online shopping) because I read so many rave reviews on it from overseas (predominately US) sites and forums. I was convinced all my skin break out problems could be solved by it. You can read about my original review of the Clarisonic PRO here.

3 years on, the Clarisonic craze has arrived into Australian shores and many out there are coveting this lush tool and deciding whether to make the investment and buy one.

So when I was recently sent a Mia for review, I thought I need to do an updated post. This time, a comparison between the Clarisonic PRO/PLUS and the Mia! I want to be able to provide some guidance to those out there deciding on which to get as I don’t see many comparison reviews available.

What is a Clarisonic? 
What? You haven’t heard about it… tsk tsk. Well OK, let me give you brief summary.
Basically it’s a rechargeable and waterproof hand held tool with a brush head attachment that you use to cleanse your face.

Its selling point is that the brush bristles don’t rotate but instead vibrate 300 times per second to dislodge impurities from the pores and remove dead skin cells.
There are various brush attachments of different softness to suit different skin sensitivity levels and even a body brush if you buy the appropriate version of the Clarisonic tool.

In the Australian retail market, you can purchase the Clarisonic Mia or the Clarisonic Plus. I don’t own the Plus, but I have the PRO and they both look and functions the same except that the PRO has one more speed setting than the PLUS. So I will review the PRO as if it's the PLUS.

Physical Differences
Side by side, you can see the Mia is the baby sister of the PRO/PLUS. It’s smaller, cuter and in my case, a limited edition pink version compared to the classic white of the PRO.

Front and back of the Clarisonics - without brush attachments

The Mia is also 50g lighter (195g v 245g without brush attachments). Both fits ergonomically on the hand but on my smal palm ,the Mia feels more comfortable and slightly easier to grab.

There are fewer buttons on the mia and the light (charge) indicator is embedded inside the case of the device and can only be seen when charging.

The charging mechanism is also different. The PRO sits in a cradle to be charged whilst the Mia is attached to the base with a magnetic charger. I prefer the PRO as the cradle acts as a home for it after use.

Functional differences

The PRO is the Rolls Royce of the Clarisonic range – with 4 different speed settings (the PLUS has 3) and capable of taking on a (optional) larger body brush attachment to be used in the shower. It has a default 1 minute running cycle for use but can be changed to 2 minutes with facial brush attachments. It also beeps at set time intervals to help you with time allocations on each part of the face you use it on.

Body brush and different face brushes

The Mia has one button – On or OFF with one speed setting (which is comparable to the lowest setting on the PRO – what I call the gentle mode). It doesn’t have any fancy beeping timer and automatically turns itself off after 1 minute of use. You can’t adjust any of these preset settings. It's one of the simplest tool to use and follows the motto of KISS - you just cannot stuff up during use.

Both products also came with sample (30ml) size facial cleansers to start you off your clarisonic cleansing journey.

Differences in Action
I use the PRO in the shower and to cleanse the face and then change to a body brush and give my back a good squeaky scrub as well. With the body brush, the device runs for 3 minutes before it switches itself off (you can turn it back on) and there are 2 different speed setting. I don’t really care much between the 2 setting and use either interchangeably.

I get the best cleanse on my body when using it and it helps keep my bacne breakout in check. You’d think I would do this more often since it’s so good. But in reality, I only do this once or twice a week. Why? Because it’s time consuming slowing using the device to scrub such a large surface area on your body. But the main killer is that it depletes the battery of the PRO significantly. On one charge I can only get 2 showers worth of face and body cleansing (about 15 minutes use all up) before having to charge the device for 24hr before its next use – very annoying!

Mia with face brush and PRO with body brush

On the Mia, I use it once every night for 2 whole weeks and the battery is still going strong (about 14 minutes use)! Clearly it’s a winner when you are taking it with you for travels. So although they both run for about the same time, but because of differences in use, the PRO battery capacity is clearly inadequate.

Mia v PLUS/PRO - which one should I buy?
It’s up to you but here are my observations and thoughts that might help you decide.

• You really don’t need 3 or 4 speed settings to cleanse your face. Really! One option is more than enough. If you want to use different intensity or to suit different skin types, then get different brush head attachment that cater for normal, sensitive, or delicate skin. I like the delicate brush attachment best as it’s the most gentle and prefer to use the brush for a 2 minute cleanse instead of 1 minute. - Do you need a fancy brush to cleanse your body? Probably not. A good body brush can do an equally good job. And you don’t have to worry about the battery dying in the middle of a body scrub as well. 
• Having the luxury of both, I now use the mia to cleanse my face and the PRO soley to cleanse my body weekly. But if I was to start from scratch, I’d stick with the MIA. The constant 24 hr charge required by the PRO is a turn off for me. 
• Cost of product. The mia is the entry level product and priced more than $100 cheaper than the PLUS/PRO. Cheaper doesn’t mean bad. Here, it just means fewer functions. So, if you don’t need the additional functions, you shouldn’t need to pay for it. 

The Mia is $139 (US $119) whilst the PLUS is $265 (US$225). Face and body brush attachments are priced at $29 (US$25). Available at David Jones, Myer, and cheaper online at The Facial Company.

So as you can see, the Mia is clearer my preferred Clarisonic, it’s cuter, more fit for purpose and more value for money – all the things that make a gadget great!

Whilst the Clarisonic Mia was provided for consideration, the PRO was purchased by me.

Wonder Water: Bioderma Crealine H2O

When you think of removing makeup, especially heavy eye makeup, you would always think to reach for your makeup remover or oil cleansers to do the task, wouldn’t you?

Well that was my theory until recently when I was introduced to a cleansing water that has consistently on the favourite list of celebrities (Kylie Mingue, Gemma Ward) and makeup-artists alike and can often be seen the back stages of fashion week.

The Bioderma Story:

In 1977, French brand Bioderma was launched by a skin pharmacist to bring bio-dermalogical products to help skin better perform its function. It boasts ingredients in its products that mimics the function of your skin’s own biological systems and creates the best and is recommended by leading dermatologists and pharmacists all over.

Bioderma has now made its way to the Australian shore and currently has 3 lines of products to address the most common skin concerns - oily skin (Sebum), sensitised skin (Crealine) and extra dry/eczema skin (Atoderm).

And last month, I was introduced to Bioderma’s product range and best selling product- their cleansing water that sells a bottle every 8 seconds aound the world!

Here’s a closer look at this wonder water:

•  This is a non-rinse water - so is great for those late nights home when you need to remove makeup but can’t be bothered with washing up. Just a cotton pad soaked to remove the makeup and a another clean pad with the crealine water to pick up any residues and your skin is clean soft and soothe again (I always believe in double cleansing – even if it is the non-rinsing variety!)
• It cleanses the skin of impurities thanks to the power ingredient ‘miclles’ which attracts oil/grease and keeps skin soft and feeling refreshed.
• Has soothing ingredients of cucumber extract to relieve skin of any tightness or discomfort and is alcohol, fragrance and paraben free with the same pH as skin to keep skin balanced.
• Removes all foundations easily and majority of eye makeup, including most waterproof mascaras. The only issue I found it took more effort to remove the Kiss Me Heroine waterproof mascara (my HG mascara) which just does not budge during the day and required longer contact with the wet cotton pad against the eye and few more wipes to remove.
• The most impressive thing for me was its ability to clean up eye liner and pen marks, look below and at my hand and after 2 slow swipe of the cotton pad, the writing has all but disappear. Suitable for sensitive skin as it is super gentle and you after using it to cleanse your face, you can immediately apply your skincare.

Pen marks removed in a few gentle wipes

 Overall, I love the Crealine H20 cleansing water. Having been used to cleansing my face with water most of my life, the no rinse philosophy took some getting used to but I felt it left my skin softer and less dry.
No wonder it’s an international best seller with the impressive statistics of one bottle being sold every 8 seconds!

Simple ingredients

 I’m glad Bioderma has made it into the Australian market to offer us fantastic products that has been enjoyed many in the international shores. Now that it’s here, I cannot wait to try out its other lines, particualary the Sebum line for oily/combination skin.

Crealine H20 250ml RRP A$39.95 - Bioderma products is available from selected Melbourne and Sydney pharmacies and will expand to other states soon. For stocklist details or direct orders you can contact the company enquiry. Their new website will also launch very soon and I'll update with info when available.

This featured product was provided for consideration.

Put the moisture back into skin with Jurlique Rose Moisture Plus

With the dry Autumn weather and constant bombardment of the air conditioner at work, I like to add back moisture into skin. I also like to use intensive mositursing products after using clay masks.

Jurlique Rose Moisture Plus Range

As you know, I’m a total sucker for rose scented products so it’s not a surprise that I love Jurlique’s Rose Moisture Range. I love it even more now that they have release the Rose Moisture Plus range - a cream cleanser, moisturising cream and facial mist all with antioxidant complex to help prevent the early signs of premature aging.

Moisturising Cleanser: 100ml - RRP A$32
A lightweight, high performance cleanser with an antioxidant complex and skin conditioning ingredients that help moisturise and protect the skin to address signs of dehydration.

I use the cleanser after rinsing off the mask and daily for gentle foaming action that adds hydration back into my skin after makeup removal in the evenings or when my skin is feeling tights in the morning. It leaves my skin feeling incredibly soft, supple and smooth and I swoon at the scent every time I use it.

Moisturising Cream: 40ml - RRP $A52
A rich, high-performance moisturising cream that provides the dual benefits of hydration and antioxidant protection with powerful plant oils and an antioxidant complex to help address signs of dehydration and premature ageing.

After any treatment serums and lotions used, I layer on the Rose Moisture Plus moisturising cream for a luxurious creamy feel that easily absorbs into skin and provides hours of deep hydration to skin.

It also contains anti-oxidants (tea tree, rosehip and soy proteins) to protect skin from environmental factors but for my skin, it need stronger anti-aging products and if I’m heading outdoors, a separate SPF product is always layered on top.

Tip: I also love using it to condition my lips as it’s has great hydrating properties and results are similar to that of the Guinot lip conditioner.

Rosewater Balancing Mist -  500ml RRP A$30
A daily hydrating mist featuring the relaxing scent of rose that restores and hydrates the complexion and is ideal for normal/combination skin types.

For added moisture the Rosewater Balancing mist contains aloe vera and rose essential oils to help keep skin cooled, fresh, lightly scented at a spritz of the bottle. It also makes for a wonderful for setting spray as the mist is so fine, it doesn’t cause any streaking or blotching of your carefully applied makeup.
Tip: Keep the spray in the fridge for an even more refreshing coolness in hotter climates.

Right - so I have my hydration sorted, I can spend more time perfecting my makeup application on a smooth and hydrated base.

Jurlique is available in David Jones, Myer stores and online.
This featured product was provided for consideration.

Kose Softymo Airy Whip Cleansing Facial Wash

Despite living in Australia and them being not readily accessible,  I'm finding that I'm enjoying using Asian brand products in skincare. Most of the time I find that they are more suitable for my skin type and address many of the typical Asian skin concerns. Today’s skincare review is on a Japanese facial cleanser that is a part of my regular skincare routine.

Kose Softymo Airy Whip
Description:
Fine and rich foam, which gently cleans away the dirt on skin. It feels like a spa treat to face.
Spray-foam design, it has the finest foam, which is gentle and does not cause any irritation to skin. It has 5 natural plant moisturizing ingredients, which leaves skin supple afterwards. It has a delightful floral scent. It can be pumped around 100 times.

• This is a foaming cleanser reminds me of the Dove foaming makeup remover. In fact they have a similar scent and the only difference I can visually see is that Airy Whip has finer foams.
• The dispenser is very responsive and a light gentle press gives a stream of airy moussey foam. These foam are very fine and rich and it feels very soft when rubbing it around the face. I love how there is no need to lather up and your skin feels caressed by a million bubbles when using this product for cleansing and doesn’t sting when the product gets into the eyes.
• I use this in evenings after removal of makeup to clear off residues of oil, makeup and the makeup remover itself and find it to be a highly effective cleanser, rubbing it into my face in circular motion until the foams disappears.

• My skin feels airy soft and light, not too dry or tight. In my opinion, this cleanser works best for oily/combo skin as it helps to remove excess sebum but if you have dry skin, I would think this cleanser could be drying as it is such an effective cleaning agent.
• As for ingredients, I’m not too sure as it’s printed in Japanese at the back of the can. Any Japenese readers care to help me check the translation? I’ve used Cosdna to find a translated list it and came up with the following although I can’t be sure of its accuracy.

Ingredients: Water, Butylene Glycol, TEA-Cocoate, Cocamide DEA, Lauryl Betaine, Equisetum arvense, Pinus Sylvestris Cone, Lemon extract, Rosmarinus officinalis, EDTA-2Na, PEG-3 COCAMIDE, PEG-6 COCAMIDE, Polyquaternium-39, Sodium chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Propylparaben, Methylparaben, Fragrance, Lpropylene Glycol, Whip Extract

Airy whip Ingredients in Japanese - anyone can confirm the translation?

For those that love the feel and freshness of foaming cleansers, Airy Whip is definitely something to try out.

Kose Softymo Airy Whip 180g RRP ~A$12 | US$13 . This was bought from Sasa.com but it seems to currently be out of stock and you may have to try ebay for those of us who are not in Asia where it’s readily available.

What type of cleansers do you like using?

Daily Cleansing with Nivea Visage

Today is about three cheap and cheerful products I've recently tried and added to my cleansing routine.

Nivea Visage Daily Essentials Gentle Cleansing Cream Wash - 150ml 

• Creamy and gel like in texture, this cleanser is extra gentle on skin as it's been formulated for dry and sensitive skin types. 
• Comes with the signature Nivea cream scent and has almond oil and calendula extract which moisturises and soothes irritations. 
• Has tiny pink spheres of moisture beads that burst on pressure to deliver added moisture so there is never any dry tight feeling after washing. 
• This gentle cleanser washes more like a creamy cleansing milk and doesn't lather up at all which I'm preferring these days as I find them not as drying on skin. 
• I use this in mornings and after removing makeup at night and it leaves skin soft, smooth, hydrated and refreshed afterwards.

In a nutshell: At a great price, I can see this being added permanently to my facial wash collections I have on rotation. RRP A$9.98



Nivea Daily Essentials Gentle Exfoliating Scrub -75ml

• This is a gel textured cleanser with blue micro-bead full of pro-vitamin B5 that bursts upon contact to moisturise skin and whilst the crystalline particles effectively exfoliate and help dislodge dead cells on the top layer of skin. 
• With a pleasant light refreshing fragrance, it actually reminds me of the Hazaline snow scent that I love so much. 
• Not too harsh, the scrubbing particles are very fine so I didn't find this irritated my skin when its rubbed in gentle circular motions or experience any dryness after using the product. In fact, my skin always feel hydrated afterwards.
• Recommended for use 2-3 times a week, I actually use this in mornings every second day to help keep any dry patches and flakey skin under control. 

In a nutshell: this is great exfoliator to keep skin looking fresh and new. RRP A$8.81


Nivea Daily Essentials Refreshing Facial Wash Gel - 150ml 

• This gel cleanser doesn't lather up so is great for anyone who doesn't like foaming type cleansers. Contains lotus extract, vitamin B5 and E to hydrate, it gently cleanses skin of dirt, oil, grime and light makeup without stripping moisture levels or drying it up and giving that tight skin feeling. 
• On its own, it doesn't clean off heavy makeup effectivly enough without a second wash so I would advise getting into the good habit of removing makeup first as that's the primary job of a makeup remover, not a cleanser. 
• Again with the signature Nivea scent, this what I call a good a basic cleanser that is suitable for daily use on normal and oily skin types. I like this cleanser but I do find it a bit plain and not that refreshing as the product claims so would like to see it jazzed up with a special scent  for a more invigorating feel. 

In a nutshell: good basic cleanser for those who don't like foaming type cleansers. RRP A$9.97

I love the packaging of these affordable 3 cleansers as it makes them so easy to use. My favourite would have to be cleansing cream wash followed by the exfoliating scrub. It leaves my skin incredibly soft and smooth and I just love squishing those micro-beads during a wash!

Nivea cleansers are available in supermarkets, Priceline, Kmart, Target, Big W and selected pharmacies.

These featured products were provided for consideration during the ABBW.

Grown Skincare: Facial Exfoliant, Facial Masque, Facial Moisturiser

Grown is an Australian skincare company that prides itself in bringing botanical beauty products to everyday life. For those who aren't familiar with the brand, here's a quick low-down.

• Home-grown Aussie owned and made organic bio active products across its entire range. 
• Being an organic alchemist company, all their ingredients in their products are naturally derived and pass all the stringent requirements to be able to be certified organic. 
• Produce products that are free from sensitivity causing additives such as lauryl sulfates, glycols, petrochemicals, artificial fragrances, synthetic colours, silcones and parabens or animal derivatives.
• Against Animal Testing and instead opt for clinical trials to show proven results of the harmonious marriage of nature and biological chemistry.
• Dermatologically tested to avoid skin reactions. 
• Use environmentally-friendly and recyclable packaging that is also created to protect the delicate ingredients inside. The amber glass bottle designs harks back to the early 20th alchemist ears and are used to guard against UV oxidation of the product  and aluminium tube to prevent air getting into creams and lotions and spoiling it or decreasing its potency. 

I recently had the opportunity to road test their balancing facial moisturiser and 2 other items from their limited edition Winter Repair Kit RRP A$99 (A$142 value) which includes a facial exfoliant 75ml, a masque 65ml and a serum 25ml all boxed in gold and ready to gift or spoil yourself with.

Facial Exfoliant: Peppermint, juniper berry & jojoba 75ml A$44

• This refreshing facial scrub has the finest jojoba micro-beads to gently exfoliate skin and move along those dry patches dulling skin - a saviour for my flaky winter skin due to use of retin-A and Jen's Idebenone/NAG serum.
• Contains refreshing peppermint out which is cooling but be careful using this when you have broken skin as it can sting a little. Pink Grapefuit and juniper berry oils in this exfoliating cleanser helps to detoxify and sooth the face. 
• I like how this cleanser doesn't leave a residue and none of that too tight over drying feel and preps skin for the moisturising step. 

In a nutshell: Very gentle yet effective exfoliator that keeps flaky skin under control.

Exfoliant Ingredients 

Facial Mask: Deep purifying wheatgerm ginkgo & Cranberry 65ml RRP A$39

• Clay based masque for deep cleansing and detoxifying.
• Star ingredients of antioxidants cranberry seeds, ginkgo and pro-vitamin B5 to protect against cellular stress and help purify the skin, and wheatgerm oil which is essential fatty acid rich with vitamins A,D,E helps replenish moisture back into skin. 
• instantly cools and calms skin when this is applied onto skin. I detect a whiff or fresh geranium roses and some sort of essential oil when applied to skin. 
• Left for 10 minutes before washing off with warm water, it left skin feeling soft clean and velvety smooth. There was no drying effects usually associated with clay masks thank to the moisture rich shea and cocoa butter formula while absorbing excess sebum to give you oil control. 
• I didn't notice a firm or lifted feeling but did experience refined pores and brighter, more even skintone were immediately evident. 

In a nutshell: Just the perfect masque for a midweek detox or weekend purfication session.

Masque ingredients

Facial Moisturiser: Matte Acai-berry and Borago 40ml RRP $59

• This light gel-light moisturiser is non-greasy and goes on skin like silk, leaves it matte without a hint of oil and is a great base of makeup. 
• The balancing formula contains acai-berry essential fatty acids and vitamins to protect, lycopeins from tomatoes and aloe to ward off free-radicals and promote healthy collagen production and sesame oil for sebum control.
• Does an amazing job of mattifying my normal/combo skin and kept the shinies at bay all day long -very impressed. If this also had SPF I think it could be elevated to HG status for me.

In a nutshell: Provides good hydration and excellent sebum control all day long. It's my current favourite daytime moisturiser.

Moisturiser ingredients

If you are interested, the Grown Winter Repair kit RRP A$99 (valued at $142) is a valued packed kit which is still available at your local stores.

Available nationally through David Jones, selected MYER stores (city stores), and selected beauty salons, and pharmacies or online at Grown.com.

These products were provided for consideration.

My Evening Skincare Routine

Following the morning skincare routine post, I will continue today with the products that I use during the evenings.

My routine is simlar to my daytime routine, in fact I would use some of these items morning and night and it's only out of preference that I showcase them in the evening routine post. I start off with removal of makeup and then follow up with cleansing before treatment and moisturising. 

1. Lancome Bi-Facil 125ml A$48

Activate this 2 phase solution (by shaking it before use) and it works its magic to eraser everything off your skin swiftly and gently. No waterproof eye liner or cream and emollient makeup are no match for it. It also leaves a conditioning residue on skin aftewards and has an subtle lingering rose scent.


2. Invisible Zinc 12% Glycolic Cleanser 200ml $35 
Help slough away stubborn flaky skin and reveal a glowing face with this AHA based cleanser. It effectively removes makeup residue and was made to remove water resistance products (though I won't advise trying to remove eye makeup with it as it may sting your eyes). It has a slight fermented pinapple scent (from the AHA perhaps) and can also be used as a treatment mask by leaving on skin for 5 minutes to help clear breakout prone skin and helps give skin a clearer complexion.


3. Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronised Recovery Complex 30ml A$105
Little wonder this wonder serum has won so many awards from Marie Claire to InStyle in 2010 and Glossacars this year. It is a great prep for skin by plumping and hydrating it and protecting it from free radical damage and improves uneven skintone after a period of use. Slightly sticky upon application it dries off to a matte feel and soothes and calms irritate skin (was a god send with a recent breakout I had).


4. Elizabeth Arden Prevage anti-aging eye serum 15ml A$165 

Very effective with de-puffing eyes and lightening dark circles, I use this at night and in mornings when I don't get enough sleep and my peepers are feeling super dehydrated. Containing 0.5% idebenone, the most powerful antioxidant discovered to date, it does a great job of brightening up the eye are and filling in fine lines so under eye makeup just glides on rather sinking in. 


5. Elizabeth Arden Prevage Face Advanced Anti-aging Serum 30ml A$195* 
My absolute HG serum to date - also with 0.5% idebenone, it clarifies, firms and plumps skin and evens out skintone and delivers on every promise it makes. A canary yellow cream that's silky in texture, a little goes a long way as it spreads very well. I cannot tell you enough how much I love this product, I used this morning and night when skin is sallow and dull and needs extra TLC by giving me radiance and glow as if I've had a lot of restful sleep. I've now finished my bottle and am about to restock.


6. Dr. Lewinn's Oil Free Day and Nigh Cream 56g A$64.95 
This pale yellow gel-like consistency cream is great for hydrating the skin without adding any oils to it. Non irritating it is particularly great for sensitised skin that's on the heal from chemical peel or burns (I used this after my recent fraxel which would be similar to having burnt skin).


7. Vitacreme B-12 50ml US$25.60 (purchase via sasa.com)
I've been using this highly popular moisturiser since last year as it was the rage across the Asian community. A unique pink cream, it has vitamin b12 which assists with cell regeneration and promotes healing. I found it to be an excellent moisturiser for both day and night, keeping skin well hydrated and soft and is great for sensitive skin. It can be slightly too oily for oily skin types to use during the day but would suit night use. I didn't find that it did anything beyond what great moisturisers do and didn't feel that the vitamin B12 sped up blemish healing or fades the marks any faster than other good moisturisers but I do enjoy this cream and is impressed by how well priced it is.

My HG products from the above bunch would have to be the Prevage eye and face serum - it's the bomb of all skincare I'd tried so far. And Bi-Facil has been my all time favourite makeup removers.

Products marked * were sent for consideration. 

All other products were purchased by yours truly. 

Review: Dove Foaming Makeup Remover

Removing makeup at the end of the day is the first step of my evening skincare routine to prep it for the active skincare products I put onto my face. Being a year older (and wiser), this routine is more important than ever.

My favourite makeup removers are the 2 phase types (eg. Clinique Take of the Day, Lancome Bi-Facil or Face of Australia Gentle Makeup Remover) where you have to shake the product to emulsify them before use as I find them more effective at removing stubborn eye makeup - especially the waterproof varieties.

So when I heard there is a new type of makeup remover in the market, I just had to check it out to find out more about it.

Dove Foaming Makeup Remover

• Liquid in bottle, the unique formula turns to foam upon pumping it out of the bottle. 
• Can be applied to dry or wet face to remove makeup by massaging the foam onto skin to break the makeup down and then rinsing it off with water. 
• I find that 2 pumps is adequate to cover my whole face and I use 1 more pump for the eye area as the heavy makeup there needs more foam to remove the eye products. 
• Foaming remover feels like cotton wools carressing face and is pleasant to use with a nice fresh fragrance. 
• Does a great job with removing grime and makeup from face with ease of use depending on makeup formula (with more foam required for waterproof or emulsifying lip products) 
• The foam is not tear-proof - this means if you do get it into your eye, it does cause mild irritation so be careful when taking off that waterproof mascara. 
• Can almost double up as a cleanser as well as it leaves skin cleansed and soft and non-tight feeling. However, it is slightly greasy  after washing face and as I like to double cleanse, I follow up it with a quick cleanse with normal cleanser afterwards (I do use less cleanser though).

A pleasure to use and if you like the feeling of soft cottony foam removing makeup from your face, then this is something you should look into.  It isn't as effective as the 2 phase emulsion type removers but it is certainly more enjoyable to use and I like the fact that it is a cleanser as well.

What is your favourite makeup remover? 

RRP 150ml A$10.99 at Priceline, Supermarkets and selected Pharmacies.
This product was provided for review.

Review: Shu Uemura Fresh Cleansing Oil

There are facial cleansers and there facial cleansers. Some work better for different skin types but basic skincare starts with cleansing. We've all tried the foaming ones, the gel and the cream ones ones but most of us would rarely think of using oil to clean our skin would we?

It seems bizarre to use oil based products to cleanse your skin but in chemistry, oil dissolves oil so makeup, sebum on our skin litterally will slides off with the use of oil cleansers.
Not only does it give the most thorough cleanse but oil cleansers is it doesn't strip your skin of its natural lipids so doesn't give you that tight and squeaky clean feel after washing.

The most famous oil cleansers are from Shu Uemura as they are the pioneers of bringing this formulation to the market in 1967 and is so popular, a bottle is sold every 20 seconds around the globe.

Most recently Shu Uemura has released another cleansing oil to the range to give you the pore less look.

Shu Uemura Fresh Pore Clarifying Gentle Cleansing Oil

• Infused with sakura leaf extract -sakura is Japanese for cherry blossom which soothes with its anti-inflammatory properties to reduce irritations and skin redness.
• Other worthy-mention ingredients include LHA (a salicylic acid derivative) and cherry extract (a natural AHA) to remove dead skin cells and help gently refine and improve skin texture.
• suitable for all skin types including sensitive skin and has a fresh fruit scent. 

Directions for oil cleanser use:
Start with dry hands and face, and pump 3-4 pump of product onto hand
spread product all over face, gently massaging it into skin
Add a few drops of water to face to emulisfy the oil (watch it turn a milky white colour)
Rinse off completely with luke warm water.

Results:

• No makeup is match for this, not even waterproof mascara disappears after one wash with this so you can actually skip the makeup removal step (although you will have to use more oil cleanser to get a proper clean)
• leaves skin feeling balanced, and purified - none of that tight dry feeling at all. 
• Over a few weeks use, pores do appear to look less visible after daily washing. 
• Also perfect for cleansing those stubborn foundation/concealer stains from makeup brushes - the bristles come up white and clean after 1 wash 90% of the time - it's my new HG makeup brush cleanser. 

Have you tried oil cleansing before? If not Shu Uemura is currently giving samples of this product out in David Jones city stores. Print out this voucher and redeem away and try this out for yourself. Warning - you will be hooked.
sample offer valid till 31st May whilst stocks last.  

150ml/450ml RRP A$55/A$110 in Shu Uemura counters at city David Jones stores.
This product was sent for consideration.

Review: Dr. Lewinn's Synergise Range

Dr. Lewinn, one of Australia's leading skincare brand has recently launched a diffusion range to cater for the younger and more budget conscious consumer by putting it into assessable Coles supermarkets shelves.

The range, known as Synergise is an anti-aging range design to be fuss free and easy to incorporate into women's everyday life without it taking too much time, effort or cost.

As the adage goes, an apple a days keeps the doctor away. The Synergise range takes this up literally and features in all its product star ingredients Swiss Apple stem cells for its regenerative and protective properties to you maintain the fresh youthful look for longer.

Other ingredients within the range include anti-oxidants such as Acai Berry extract, Green Tea extract, Pomegranate extract and anti-ageing peptides Matrixyl 300, which is known to reduce fine lines and promote healthy radiant skin.

The entire skincare range includes
Facial Scrub 150mL RRP A$19.95
Cream Cleanser 150mL RRP A$19.95
Foaming Cleanser 150mL RRP A$19.95
Alcohol free Toner 150mL RRP A$19.95
Mask 100g RRP A$34.95
Day Cream 50mL RRP A$39.95
Day Lotion 50mL RRP A$39.95
Tinted Moisturiser SPF 30+ 50mL RRP A$39.95
Eye Cream 15mL RRP A$39.95
Night Cream 50mL RRP A$39.95
Eye Make-up Remover 100mL RRP A$14.95

I had the opportunity to check out the below products in the range last month. 

Synergise Foaming Cleanser

• Light foaming, I use this with my clarisonic for the deepest clean. 
• Has a refreshing apple fragrance which is very pleasant and is non-irritating so suitable for all skin types, even sensitive. 
• Removes makeup, oil and impurities and leaves skin feeling super soft and soothed. 
• Isn't too drying or moisture striping like some other cleanser which can leave skin feeling tight after use. 
• Not too sure how anti-aging this cleanser is as most of the antioxidants and active ingredients are only on skin for a minute and washed off. 

Synergise Facial Scrub

• Comes a cream base scrub with fine spheres of exfoliating bead which are less harsh and unlikely to scratch skin to reveal softer, fresher new skin. 
• Great for use in showers not just on the face but neck and decollatage areas as well to remove dead skin cell build up, impurities.
• Provides an invigorating massage with the exfoliating beads and leaves skin feeling smooth and baby soft. 
• There is no tight skin feeling after using this so it does not over strip moisture from skin and I would recommend it for all skin types, even sensitive skin. 

Synergise Toner

• Helps removes any stubborn residue traces of impurities that cleansing may miss.
• Re-hydrates and softens skin, I like to use this immediately after cleansing my face to ensure my face is not striped of moisture during the wash. 
• Although I don't normally use a toner after cleansing and instead opt to use serums to increase my hydration level, this toner gives an added level of hydration to my skin leaving it feeling super hydrated, soothed and rebalanced, ready for other skincare creams and serums to be used on top of it.

Synergise Eye Cream

• Is a very light fluid cream that has a very very faint fermented apple scent (unlike the rest of the Synergise range which has a more fragrant apple scent).
• Easily absorbed into the eye area to instantly hydrate the skin in that delicate area. The immediate results from the hydration also reduces visible fine lines and crepiness. 
• Does a good job of reducing puffiness on my eyes but not much change on dark circles. 

Synergise Day Cream

• With a delicate fruity scent in a jar packaging, those who are concern about hygeine may want to use a spoon to scoop the product out for use (on the plus side, it means no product is wasted and you can use every bit of it from the jar). 
• Has a relatively light in texture for its richness, it is alot richer than the day creams I'm used to. It take a few rubs to be absorbed into skin and leaves a slightly sticky feel and gives a dewy finish with the stickiness going away in 5 minutes time. . 
• Leaves skin feeling soft, hydrated, slightly firmer to touch with a more even complexion. 
• Has no/little sun protection so you will need to top it up with and SPF product after this (try it with the SPF 30+ tinted moisturiser). 
• Suitable for normal to dry including sensitive skin types 

My star picks from what I've tried so far from this effortless skincare range would be the facial scrub and eye cream.

Have you picked anything from the Synergise range from Coles yet? What are you most excited to try out?

Dr. LeWinn's Synergise range is available now exclusively at Coles Supermarkets. 

Products marked * were received for review as part of BeautyHeaven's trial team.