- March 07, 2024
A Month In Beauty, February.
This is currently my main exfoliating product and whilst it can be used morning and night, I tend to use it more at night after cleansing and it does wonders at keeping my breakouts at bay and overall keeping my skin balanced.
I will continue to use this product and I like how it has streamlined my night routine, once I finish this bottle I will definitely be repurchasing.
Saint Louve 15% Vitamin C Lustrum Serum: I have been using a Vitamin C serum as part of my morning skincare routine for years now and for me, it's a non-negotiable, the current one that I am using and loving is this one from Saint Louve.
It uses five forms of Vitamin C along with Ferulic Acid and other amazing antioxidants and brighteners to provide the skin with antioxidant protection and does wonders at keeping the skin even and bright.
I have some pigmentation around my eye area on the sides of my face and this has done wonders at fading it, I like knowing that I am getting antioxidant protection on a daily basis and this serum has been an absolute joy to use.
Aesop Hwyl Eau De Parfum: When I was in Brisbane at the beginning of this year I went into the Aesop store in Queens Plaza as it's my goal in life to visit any Aesop store wherever I am and was amazed at how beautifully designed the store was, as I had some time to have a proper browse I picked up a couple of essentials and always asked one of the girls there to talk me through some of the fragrances.
We tried a few different ones and I liked quite a few but Hwyl was the one that struck me the most, it's a huge departure for me scent-wise as I tend to like more cologne citrus scents and this scent is very smoky, spicy and green but I absolutely love it and haven't been able to stop wearing it since I brought it.
It has notes of Cypress, Frankincense and Vetiver and has that clean skin-like smell to it, I highly recommend you pop into one of their stores to first try this scent but also marvel at the design and styling of their stores.
Tomorrow-Today Beauty Tech Protect Serum: There's no denying how much time we are spending in front of a screen, and I can attest to the fact I am definitely looking at a screen more often than not, luckily Tomorrow-Today Beauty has created a product that can at least help with this issue.
They have created a serum that contains ingredients to protect your skin from blue light whilst repairing it, it also contains a whole host of hydrating ingredients that give your skin an immediate glow and does wonders at keeping my oily-combination skin hydrated throughout the day.
It feels lovely on the skin and sits well with my other products and under makeup, I either use it before my moisturiser or as the last step in my routine almost like a finishing serum or primer. It's a great idea and I look forward to seeing what they do next.
Dermalogica Phyto Nature Oxygen Cream: A moisturiser can seem like a pretty standard product when it comes to talking about skincare routines but for me, it's important to use one that works well for my skin type, as someone with oily-combination skin I still that need that hydration from a moisturiser but without it being too oily or pore clogging.
Dermalogica moisturisers always suit my skin very well and this Phyto Nature Oxygen Cream is a product I keep going back to as it offers my skin the hydration it needs whilst remaining light as doesn't make my skin feel oily after I use it, it also sits well under makeup and with my other products.
I find it quite firming too, I feel like it gives my skin a nice bounce to it and a lovely glow. Another product from Dermalogica that I would continue to repurchase.
Simon x
*Some products mentioned in this post have been gifted to me via the brand and some have been purchased by myself, as always all my reviews are my honest opinion and all images and words are my own unless otherwise mentioned.
- January 16, 2024
Sky Derma Clinic.
Bonnie is really knowledgeable on all things skin and treatments and does an amazing job at looking at my skin and basically telling me what I need, I have said in the past that as a Melbournian there are a few people you can really trust, one of them being your facialist and in this scenario, I trust Bonnie more than anything to take care of my skin.
I came into the clinic with my main skin concerns being breakouts and texture irregularities, another main concern being these small white bumps that were scattered over my face which we discovered were actually Sebaceous Hyperplasia.
I have had a few treatments with Bonnie now, a milk peel and a TCA peel to combat my hyperplasia which I immediately saw results from as the peels helped to dramatically reduce their appearance and actually get rid of some of the bumps. Both treatments had been followed by an LED light treatment which I have done regularly and does wonders for my skin.
Alongside my treatments, Bonnie has also recommended some products from Dermaceutic and Biopelle which I have loved and will give a quick run-through below.
Biopelle Tensage Antioxidant Defense Serum: Essentially this is an antioxidant serum that uses Vitamin C which is a well-known brightening ingredient, Ferulic Acid and Growth Factors which all work together to protect your skin against environmental stresses. I feel like when I use this serum it really does form a barrier for daily stresses and it sits well with my other products.
Dermaceutic Actibiome Acne-Prone Skin Night Cream: A moisturiser that exfoliates your skin overnight helping with breakouts and skin texture, it uses a blend of Salicylic Acid and Glycolic Acid to gently dissolve away dead skin cells and does wonders at smoothing out my skin texture and keeping my breakouts at bay. I have to be careful with moisturisers as they can sometimes clog my skin but that isn't the case with this one, it works very well for my skin.
Dermaceutic Dual+ Anti Blemish Serum: I love this serum because, for my skin that is used to using active products, it feels more gentle on my skin as sometimes I find when products are targeted to breakouts they can be quite harsh but I don't find that with this serum at all. Another thing I love is that whilst it does target breakouts it also uses ingredients that help to fade the pigmentation left behind from spots which is something that I struggle with so knowing that this serum does both is why it remains a favourite in my routine.
Dermaceutic K Ceutic Post Treatment Cream: This is a great product to use on a daily basis but especially after any sort of skin treatment, it also has a slight yellow tint to it which is good at covering redness and does slightly even out your skin tone with the tint.
These products are all sold at Sky Derma Clinic and I would highly recommend looking into them.
Sky Derma Clinic is located at 7/439 Docklands Dr, Docklands VIC 3008 and their website is www.skyderma.com.au.
Simon x
*Treatments have been gifted to me for content inclusion but as always all thoughts and opinions are my own.
- January 15, 2024
The Newest Beauty Products In My Beauty Cupboard.
Wyuna Botanicals Wild 'n' Minty Cleansing Balm: If there's one product that I will always trial it would be a cleanser, firstly I find them the easiest product to trial as I pretty much know from the first use whether or not I will like the product and in the case of trying this one from Wyuna Botanicals I immediately knew I would love it.
Firstly not that I have anything against pot packaging but it is nice to see a cleansing balm come in tube format as it does make it a lot easier and you don't have to put your hands into a pot to use it, this product is thinner in consistency to the cleansing balms I have used in the past but I actually like that feature about it, I find that it melts into an oil quicker and has more slip to it meaning that I can really massage it into my skin.
It does wonders at removing makeup with a beautiful blend of oils that also help to treat your skin whilst cleansing it, If you want to use it as a makeup remover it works wonders but for my own skincare routine I like using it as a main cleanse or second cleanse as I like knowing that my clean skin is getting all the benefits of it, it's also just a really nice luxurious product to use and I enjoy using it.
- January 02, 2024
2023 Beauty Favourites.
- December 03, 2023
The Power Of Pre, Post and Probiotics.
*Emma Lewisham Supernatural Blemish Serum: Everything Emma Lewisham does turns to gold and this latest launch proves that fact, I haven't been this excited for a product to launch like this one for a very long time and luckily the wait was worth it.
It can sometimes be hard to see results from skincare products straight away but with this product, after a week of use I could notice a huge difference in my skin, my skin was hydrated, even-toned, and overall just felt smoother and calmer.
This serum's hero ingredient is a Probiotic that helps to fight breakouts and with continued use will help hydrate your skin, balance breakouts and keep your skin hydrated and healthy. My skin had a nice glow to it while using this product and it always felt nourished, it's a product I really enjoyed using and one that I know will easily slot into my skincare routine and want to keep using.
- November 22, 2023
The Fragrace Brands You Need To Know About, Part II.
OCMA: This brand is the newest fragrance brand that I have personally tried, and as someone who has been wearing and testing perfumes for the last twenty-ish years I can honestly say that they are very unique and unlike anything else I have tried before.
There are currently five scents in the range ranging from citrus, floral, spicy and green and I can say that there would be something for anyone in the range, my personal favourite scent is Sun Phaser which is a citrus scent that reminds me of suncream and being on the beach as a kid on school holidays.
The scents currently come in 10ml travel sprays which I like because it's often hard to find travel-sized perfumes with a spray which I personally prefer to rollerballs, they easily fit into any bag and are great options to take away with you on holidays or for travel.
Aerway: Aerway is a fragrance brand that creates scents that are meant to lift your mood and relax you, this is actually something that spoke to me as fragrance does make me feel happier and does lift my mood, I wear fragrance every single day no matter what I am doing, even if I am not leaving the house I will wear fragrance.
I feel like this makes me feel more put together and it sounds crazy but I feel somehow lost if I am not wearing a scent, I also like to top up my scent throughout the day and I do feel like it signals something in me that boosts my mood, it almost refreshes me in a way.
The scent that I have currently been trialing is Rise+ which has citrus, sandalwood and amber amongst other notes, I love citrus scents and I do find them very uplifting and I really enjoy wearing this scent.
Mr Hux: Mr Hux is a fragrance brand that I discovered this year and it had a lot of anticipation around its launch and I was very excited to see what the brand looked like and what the scents smelt like, I was lucky enough to of received their discovery kit which contains their four current scents and the brand very kindly sent me a full-size bottle which was Silhouette which I immediately loved.
The scents from the brand range from citrus to woody to floral and each scent is unique in its own way.
Malin + Goetz: Malin + Goetz have had fragrances in their range for a long time but I feel like their fragrances can sometimes be overlooked and in my opinion are underrated, and I mean that statement as a complete compliment to them. They only have a handful of scents to choose from but all of them are really high quality and beautiful scents to wear, no matter what scent I have tried from the range it has never smelt too sweet or too overly clawing when you wear it, to me they remind of typical cologne scents that are light and last well on the skin.
I find this range is popular for its body and skincare products but I recommend trying the scents if you happen to be by a counter or store as they are all lovely and I am sure you will find one that you like.
My favourites are Bergamot and Vetiver as I love citrus scents and I also really like Strawberry which isn't as sweet as you think it would be but I actually like that, it's that almost skin scent that is trending at the moment and whilst it's not something I would normally go for, I actually really like it.
Jo Loves: Jo Loves is a fragrance brand that has been around for a while now and was created by Jo Malone herself after she left her namesake brands many years ago, especially in Australia as the brand is only available online I feel as though it isn't as well known but I honestly feel like it should be as I have really fallen in love with the scents.
I started by purchasing their discovery set which contains five of their fragrances, I enjoyed all of them but the ones that stood out to me the most were Pomelo and Mango Thai Lime.
Pomelo has become one of my favourite scents and I have also purchased the corresponding body products, I love the way the scents sit on my skin and how well they last. The range in Australia is currently available at Adore Beauty and if you google the brand they are stocked in a lot of different international stockists.
www.joloves.com
Simon x
- November 14, 2023