Super Facialist by Una Brennan Vitamin C+ Renew Cleansing Oil, £10.99 for 200ml.
It's no secret how much I love and trust the Super Facialist by Una Brennan range, specifically the Tea Flower products designed to combat combination and oily skins. I've had good experiences with both the Foaming cleanser and the mattifying moisturiser (I've gone through several tubes of this myself and also carry it in my makeup kit) so when I saw a product that I hadn't spotted before, I had to give it a go.
I am a cleansing oil newbie, and I haven't been disappointed, infact I'd say I am pretty much converted and will be seeking to use them more. Many of you who have oily or combination skin similar to mine might have been worried or put off by the word 'oil', sending you into panic with visions of greasy skin and clogged oily pores, however with the cold weather change setting in, it's important to maintain and lock as much good moisture into your skin as possible, and using a harsh or foaming cleanser is probably not the way to achieve this (though of course there are exceptions).
This cleansing oil lathers a little, into a soft layer of small bubbles when massaged onto the face with warm water. It rinses off easily and doesn't leave a greasy film behind, which is what I was most concerned would happen. Alas, it doesn't! In the evenings I double cleanse with this and my skin is left feeling soft and nourished, not dry or tight. It has quite an overwhelming scent, sort of citrusy, though my fiance did insist the other night that I smelt of oranges. Either way, it's pretty fruity. My skin is never perfect (I'm hoping my new Clarisonic Mia 2 will change this) but this cleanser has certainly calmed my, at times, irritated and sore skin and seems to balance my oily t-zone. It hasn't tightened my pores, which is one of the reasons I like her foaming Tea Flower cleanser, however I reckon they could make a pretty sweet duo. It is gentle, and something I would recommend to all skin types.
As with all of the Una Brennan range, it is free from nasty ingredients such as mineral oil and parabens. The majority of my skincare regime is completely free of these ingredients generally, I have absolutely no desire to go out and buy a £40 Clarins moisturiser bursting with the stuff. This one contains lots of seed oil extracts- sunflower & olive along with more exciting passionfruit, cucumber and rosehip.
PS I've been absent again. Thankyou for putting up with me and for continuing to read my blog, I spent a few weeks back and forth to London (makeup lyf- assisting on a very exciting campaign that I will tell you more about on its release) and then been ill for a week and a half inbetween which has been boring as hell. i.e. not ideal circumstances for blogging, but I am feeling better and looking forward to sharing more stuff with you over the coming weeks!
Thanks for reading,
E.
L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil, £17.50 for 250ml.
Following on from my post about chemicals and ingredients in skincare last Monday I thought it best I review a product that is free from all of those I listed. L'Occitane Almond Shower Gel is easily accessible- it is available from L'Occitane shops & their website and is also stocked in larger Debenhams stores and online too.
It is a luxury showertime treat, being fairly pricey at £17.50 for 250ml, however I imagine this is partly due to the ingredients- it is free from SLS which is a very cheap 'bulking' product to make bath time products foam and is normally second on the ingredients list of most shower gels (proving it's high content.) The absence of SLS leads me to think the ingredients including in this shower oil are premium or of good quality and therefore worth paying a little extra for.
Lets get down to the details. In my head I was expecting what is the often assumed almond scent in artificial products- that potent smell like amaretto or marzipan. It's a smell I love but I appreciate that the scent of this almond oil is more true to life and less synthetic, it is very subtle and almost nutty, a lot more elegant and a lot less overwhelming. An element of sweetness remains but this isn't overpowering, resulting in a product that both males and females can use without worrying about an after-scent seeming either too masculine or too feminine.
The oil in consistency is runny, as expected. Both it's liquidity and colour could easily be likened to olive oil! I was worried about an oil feeling heavy on the skin or leaving an icky film behind but thankfully this product does neither of these things, it lathers up in a natural, not overly bubbly way and washes off easily leaving skin feeling cleansed and smoothed.
Something I have noticed since using this is my skin seems calmer. I have never thought that I experienced skin sensitivity, particularly on my body but I had noticed recently that after showering my back and legs would become so itchy. This had just become the norm and to be honest I hadn't put two and two together (duh!) and am now certain that something in my old shower gels was irritating the skin in these areas.
I know this product has a certain amount of 'blogger fame' and while I am always a bit wary of such claims I can honestly say that this is worth the hype. It is lovely to use, though understandably a higher price tag than many would like to pay for a body wash. However if you are concerned about SLS, parabens and so on, I would urge you to give this a go- I love it.
Let me know if you have used or continue to use this product. If you can recommend any other shower products that are free from SLS etc then please do let me know as I am really keen to try more!
Thanks for reading,
E.
Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment, £3.40 for 10ml from Hairtrade.com.
I have never used an oil specifically designed for hair before so I am just a wee bit late to the party. My hairdresser has used Morroccan Oil on me with every visit but I have never taken the plunge so when I had the opportunity to try this Macadamia Oil I jumped at it! They're similar in consistency- a fairly thick oil that doesn't weigh down the hair or make it greasy- which I think is always a concern when dabbling in hair products, especially something oily. It absorbs into wet hair and makes drying time quicker too.
I have been impressed by this. It keeps the ends of my hair feeling soft and nourished rather than frazzled after a blow dry and the ends remain silky soft until I wash my hair next. It doesn't leave behind an icky residue and is so easy to use! It does contain silicone which is my only gripe with this product (thanks to Fran for pointing that out). Similarly to Moroccan oil I feel they are branded and marketed as natural products, and while they do contain natural products, they're not 100% one ingredient. It can be a little misleading but I imagine wouldn't bother most people, hell it doesn't bother me as long as it does the job, I just think something called 'Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment' sounds a little more pure or organic than it probably is.
You can buy it for only £3.40 for a 10ml sample, a size like that is an excellent way to try out hair oils without spending around the £30 mark for something I wasn't sure I would really like or take to using. P.S. don't assume that this is only for over processed, frazzled or heat damaged hair. Hair oil is suitable for all hair types (including oily) and will help maintain a soft and polished finish!
This product was sent for me to review. Hairtrade.com is one of the UK's leading online retailers of hair extensions, hair care and beauty products. You can order this product by clicking here
I've not bought from The Body Shop in ages so was well due a visit. I got a 50% off code to use online but it expired before payday which was a huge shame as I had quite a few things in my basket. I decided what I really wanted to try and just went and got them, thankfully I've not been disappointed!
Banana Shampoo £4.50 for 250ml- While this doesn't lather particularly well (only on the second wash) it does cleanse the hair and rinses easily. I love the sweet banana smell but it isn't overpowering or too heavy.
Banana Conditioner £4.50 for 250ml - This creamy product feels good on my hair and keeps it really soft. Unfortunately it doesn't help with my knotty hair (anyone have any tips for knotty hair? The tangle teezer does nowt for me.) It is like banana puree in consistency, I always feel like I should be feeding it to a baby, not putting it on my hair! This is light and gentle enough to put all over the hair should you wish to.
While this shampoo and conditioner duo don't particularly brighten or make my hair glossier, it is the softest I have felt it in a very long time. And I'm talking baby soft, people! The natural ingredients must be nourishing it nicely and both wash out well, there's no heavy feeling to my hair (which I hate!) and no residue left behind, they both seem very gentle and for this reason I give them a thumbs up and would definitely recommend them to people who may suffer with a sensitive scalp.
Beautifying Oil in Coconut £9 for 100ml- Yes, so far so good with this one! I'm not sure it has done much for my hair, but it makes my skin feel smooth and soft and doesn't take too long to soak in so is great to whip on after a morning shower. I absolutely adore the smell this leaves on my skin; it's feminine, warm and tropical so is great used on it's own but it also doesn't react to any perfumes I've applied afterwards. The skin loving ingredient of marula oil also contains anti oxidents which is a bonus! I imagine this would be lovely to take on a summer holiday to top up that 'holiday smell' and keep the skin looking supple.
Do you use any of these? Are you a fan of The Body Shop?
Jao 'Goe Oil', £30 for 85g.
Jao are a company committed to producing 100% natural, multipurpose products. When I saw Goe Oil on a stand in London Liberty's with the words 'oil' 'multipurpose' and 'natural' I knew I had to have it. A quick whiff of it's Tahitian Monoi scent (to me this smells like sweet lemon) and it was sold!
The ingredients:
Goe Oil contains 28 different natural plant oils and butters including Jojoba, Avocado, Chamomile, Rose Hip and Mango butter. It's completely free from any naughties such as parabenns, mineral oils/petroleum and artifical perfumes.
It contains a very high concentration of Jojoba Oil which is likened to human sebum. Sebum naturally protects our skin and hair, so by including a natural equivelant this product actually replaces the oils and sebum that we lose through age and environmental stressors, keeping our skin healthy and plump!
The uses:
Jao describe their product as a 'lifesaver'. Here are some of the uses that they believe Goe Oil is perfect for- softening cuticles and rough skin such as elbows and feet, hair styling, to soften freshly shaved legs, eye makeup remover (this I am yet to try). chapped skin and to make bald heads shiny (again, not one I can comment on.)
I can't use this every day because the absorbing process is lengthly, I have to allow around 40 minutes for this to soak in to a point where I can then get on with my day without feeling oily or sticky! It's thicker than other oils I have used, it comes out of the tube a solid butter but melts to oil when it is warmed on the skin. Once it has soaked in, my skin feels unbelievably soft and the beneficial effects can be felt days later. I'm currently using this once a week, and topping my skin up with lighter oils inbetween (at the moment I am using The Body Shop Coconut Beautifying Oil)
So far so good?
So far, so completely good. I love the feeling of applying this product to my skin. I love the smell and it's softening, nourishing effects. I'm going to continue using it and I think I'll do an update post in about three months time to let you know how I am finding it and if my skin has improved.
If you're interested in Jao's story you can read about it here. If you wanted to buy Goe Oil but aren't local to Liberty then I have seen this available on Amazon.
Do you use Goe Oil, or would you be tempted to by this? What are your favourite oils?
