Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant Review

Hey All

I'm a big skin care fan and until recently Dermalogica wasn't a brand I had used much except for the odd facial I've had done. After seeing the Daily Microfoliant for sale in a blogsale I couldn't resist. I have oily combination skin that is playing up at the moment and I'm still missing the Murad AHA/BHA exfoliating cleaner (review here) as it was a gentle exfoliator but my bank account says no to that atm! I'm aware that over exfoliation can worsen oil skin so I wanted someone less abrasive than a normal exfoliator and this sounded perfect.

I immediately loved this and I can see me using it all the time. It's a really fine powder that you shake out into the hands and then add water to make a paste before putting onto the skin. It dissolves into the skin so it's not overly abrasive making it suitable for most skin types.
It's formulated from a rise based powder which also has salicylic acid in it. The combination of this and the rice enzymes work together to exfoliate dead skin cells. I love that this doesn't really have a scent as I know it's not packed with perfumes that may irritate my skin. 
This is a great product that I'll definitely be repurchasing for my go to exfoliant (you can find it here). I love that it's gentle enough to use daily and it's really been helping my skin break outs and overall condition.
What's your current favourite exfoliator? Have you used dermalogica?
Love M
xxx

Miss Patisserie Walnut Stone Face Mask

Happy Sunday!

I hope you have all had lovely weekends, I've had a pretty quiet one. Mainly due to the awful weather and it being the end of the month - no money left!
I have had a pretty good pamper session though, and what would a pamper session be without a face mask??

I picked up the Walnut Stone Face Mask from Miss Patisserie just before Christmas. I had seen it in the shop and heard lots of good things so I snapped it up!

This mask contains Rhassoul clay from Morocco to brighten skin. It also contains kaolin clay and walnut stone for exfoliation and to stimulate circulation. I can hydrate my skin as much as possible but I always need a mask or scrub to help keep my skin looking bright and smooth, and luckily for those of us with dry skin the kaolin clay doesn't draw any oil from the skin so stops it drying out further.

All you need to do is mix up to 1 tablespoon of the mixture with a few drops of water and ta dah, you have your mask!
I really like the fact that you make this mask up fresh every time you want to use it, and thanks to the lavender oil it smells really good too.

So when it's all mixed up and on the face what does it look like?

Well it's not thick like other masks, and it actually feels quite thin on your skin but that isn't really a problem as sometimes it feels like your skin is coated rather than being cleaned.

It's also not as scary as some masks!

The Walnut Stone Face Mask comes in at £7.70 for a pot, I've used it 3 or 4 times and its not even half way yet so I'd say that's pretty good. I also really like that you make it up each time by yourself so it's fresh every time. My skin feels much cleaner and the tiny bits make sure it's all scrubbed clean too!

Miss Patisserie also has two other masks in the range; The Mineral Mud and the Pink Clay. The Mineral Mud is the next thing on my list to help with my oily T-zone, it still isn't going anywhere even though I'm 27!

Hav eyou tried the masks from Miss Patisserie? What do you think of making your masks up yourself?

L xxx

Nip and Fab Glycolic Fix Exfoliating Facial Pads

Happy hump day!

Glycolic acid is famed for being great on skin, serious chemical peels done by professional doctors can take off YEARS by resurfacing the top layer and removing wrinkles and uneven skin tone. I love that companies are catching up with this and a lot are creating affordable ranges for the high street containing low levels of glycolic acid for exfoliating purposes.

Nip and Fab have one of those ranges and I've been testing them out.

After the success of the Dragon's Blood Cleansing Pads (review here) I couldn't resist but pick up the exfoliating facial pads.

They claim to unveil younger looking, smoother skin by using glycolic acid, witch hazel, blue daisy  and hyaluronic acid.
Glycolic acid helps to retexture and resurface, witch hazel helps to tone the skin. Hyaluronic acid hydrates and refreshes and Blue daisy soothes and calms.

The tub contains 60 pads that you swipe over your cleansed face once or twice a day.
It's a really easy thing to add into your skincare routine and barely requires any additional time.

I've been using these morning and night for the last few weeks to help a few scars I have on my face. Glycolic acid is known to help with resurfacing and aiding scars to fade. After the acne I had a few years ago I still have a few red marks on my jawline and my recent allergic reaction has also left some bumpy marks that I'd like to reduce or hopefully get rid of completely.

Over the last few weeks my skin texture has definitely improved. I can say that my skin has become smoother and clearer as a result of using these and possibly my scars have faded too. It's hard to say that they will completely go without a much stronger glycolic acid product but I'm hoping it will help in the long run!
These are so easy to use that I'm willing to keep them in my daily routine and see if they have a longer term effect. I've also picked up the Glycolic Fix Serum to try out too, it has 4% glycolic acid so hopefully between the two and using the cleanser my scars will fade and disappear!

What do you think of glycolic acid and its resurfacing properties? Do you think it should be more easily available on the high street?

Don't forget that when using glycolic acid you need to keep your skin out of sun light or at least protect it using a high SPF as your skin becomes much more sensitive.

L xxx

Save, Spend, Splurge: Facial Exfoliators

Morning lovelies!

M has written a fair few 'Save, Spend, Splurge' posts previously and I had these three facial exfoliators that I just had to compare. All are very similar but differ in price....are they worth it?

Soap and Glory's Greatest Scrub of All - £9 125ml

Antipodes Reincarnation - £20.99 75ml

Origins Modern Friction - £33 125ml

S&G's Greatest Scrub of All contains smooth boost spheres that 'pop open' when you press them. These are made from silicon and contain salicylic acid when you pop them so it's like your own DIY microdermabrasion.

It's a white cream with what feels like a powder the consistency of sugar granules in. It feels rough on your hands but not on your skin especially when it was wet, makes it a lot easier to exfoliate your face without anything too harsh.

I quite liked this, especially for the price. It doesn't have an overpowering smell and my skin did feel like it had been scrubbed (in a good way) and felt clean and free of oil, dirt and residues.
The packaging is cute, witty and easy to like, plus its dermo tested and from the UK. There's not a lot to dislike in this product!



Next up is Antipodes Reincarnation Pure Facial Exfoliator.

This packaging is totally different; its a very grown up cream tube made from recycled materials and has a black lid. It's a whole lot more grown up and kinder to the environment.

The scrub itself is cream coloured and contains the tiniest particles I've ever used in a scrub. They're actually jojoba beads and the other main products in this exfoliator are all natural including avocado oil, calendula oil and carrot seed.

Again this is applied to damp skin and my skin feels cleansed and my newer cells shining through after the duller older ones have been removed. You can barely feel the particles sloughing off dead skin which is really good especially for sensitive skin.

Lastly we have Origins' Modern Friction, which is self titled as 'Nature's gentle dermabrasion'.

I have to agree as this is the first product I bought from the three shown in this post. It's again a thick white cream containing Rice Starch to slough away the lifeless skin and Lemon Oil to aid illumination.

This can be used on wet or dry skin; dry skin for a more concentrated scrub and wet skin for those who are more sensitive. The scrub doesn't feel rough on your skin even when used on dry skin and not only does the skin feel smoother it looks visibly more uniform.

It was a hard task to decide which of these i preferred more. When looking at the figures and sizes of the products, the Antipodes Reincarnation exfoliator was actually more expensive as the original price was for a 75ml tube and not the 125ml that the others were. It actually works out at £34 for 125ml so is pretty much the same as Origins.

It's a hard choice but I think that with skincare it always ends up being the most expensive that wins out. I do think skincare is worth splashing out on, and Im yet to find a product from Antipodes or Origins that I haven't liked, hasn't been worth the money, and hasn't lasted considerably longer than other products that are cheaper.

S&G is a great scrub and I will continue to beg my mum for the sets at Christmas.....but I think in this case the Save option has been beaten by the Splurge options.

Do you think skincare is worth spending on? Or are you not bothered and would prefer to save your money for shoes?

Have you tried any of these exfoliators? Which one did you prefer?

L xxx