Sensitive skin Archives

Posts Tagged ‘Sensitive skin’

03
Mar
2015

Anatomicals Skincare Review (and it smells like heaven)

Its not everyday you blow your food budget on buying skin care at the supermarket, or at least it shouldn’t be. But when my flatmate bought home the lilac body lotion from the Anatomicals skin care range, I became a little obsessed. Flash forward to Edd’s shocked face when I loaded up our trolley with these beautiful items instead of our normal vegetables. Necessary purchases (promise).

Seriously though, after loving the scent and moisturising ability of the lilac lotion I wanted to try a few other products and then see how they fared with my sensitive and rather unreliable skin.

The Seven Deadly Skins Melon | Body Scrub NZ$10.99

This would be my least favourite of the 4, but still something I would happily repurchase. Although it doesn’t last too long, this scrub is scented pretty substantially with melon (I get a honeydew scent but my melon smelling abilities may leave a lot to be desired) so if you aren’t a big fan of those kind of scents…get another scrub. The reason I did enjoy this pumice body scrub was because although it does the job well it wasn’t too harsh on my skin and I find I can use it a couple of times a week to keep my skin smooth without it freaking out. I love to focus this on my legs where the skin can use a bit of extra help.

Help the Paw | Vitamin Rich Hand Cream NZ$9.99

The hand creams I have tried are my favourite products in the brightly coloured offerings by Anatomicals and of the hand creams this fruity one is my absolute winner. Seriously, this ticks every single box for me with a hand cream. Apart from the fact that it smells like I washed my hands in fruit salad (in a delicious way…not a gross way), this absorbs super quickly into the skin making it perfect to apply during the day. Despite it being fragranced, it has never irritated my skin like some other hand creams. If you don’t like strong scents then you might prefer the next option, but for me its perfection and people around seem to become obsessed with the wonderful smell of fresh papaya.

The Cream of British Society | One’s Favourite Hand Cream NZ$9.99

This is another fabulous hand cream, again full of the good stuff (Vitamin E and shea butter) and not at all greasy. This one is the perfect option if you want something that is moisturising and rich without being fussy, but you also want something that doesn’t have a strong scent. This is very lightly fragranced with white tea (a little bit musky) which is pleasant but also really subtle. Other than the scent there isn’t much difference between the two hand creams and they are both amazing. I like having two because I almost always leave one somewhere weird. Now I just need the third one…

Not Another Rough Day Please | Vanilla Body Lotion NZ$10.99

Lastly, I grabbed a body lotion to try and get a bit of a feel for a few different products (just the essentials…). I was tempted to pick up the lilac lotion which I already know I love but chose to try this one instead and it was only partially because I love blue. The body lotion is good but didn’t blow me away as much as the hand creams. It’s a pretty light moisturiser but still gives my dry skin plenty of hydration. Again, because it’s not super thick it absorbs quick and doesn’t leave any greasy residue. The vanilla scent is delicious and to my pleasant surprise its not too overpowering and is quite subtle once it settles into the skin.

Overall Review

The products in the anatomicals range are priced between $9.99 to $11.99 which is not on the crazy cheap end (especially when paying $11 for a hand wash) but for me is pretty acceptable considering how much I love the quality of the product and the overall branding/packaging (I’m a sucker for good container, a delicious smell and a funny pun).

Apart from the fact that everything looks amazing, smells incredible and has hilarious little backstories, the products do the job well and nothing irritates my unreliable sensitive skin. This automatically gives them a giant tick in my book.

The hand creams are my pick of the products tried so far (and may be the only hand creams I buy from now on) but there was nothing disappointing and I’m already planning my next purchase.These can all be picked up at your local supermarket which is great because its so handy but also terrible because its so easily to accidentally chuck a whole heap into your trolley to hide amongst the cauliflower.

Check out Anatomicals over on their website or on the New Zealand Facebook page.

Have you tried any of the Anatomicals range? If so what did you think?

*This post was not sponsored and all of the products were (unfortunately) paid for in lieu of real groceries.

01
Apr
2014

Moisture Boost with Antipodes

categories: Beauty, Beauty Favorites, Saving My Skin

Hi All,

So lately my skin has been better than ever. My face is even in tone with no pesky redness, hydrated and radiant. I honestly can’t remember the last time my skin was this good without medication.

The reason why? A cheeky little duo that was released in stores today by one of my new favourite brands, Antipodes. Their new Moisture Boost Mini’s contain a duo of two miniature sized products that work together to create moisturized and hydrated skin.

My skin has been loving the combination of these two natural products and I can see this becoming my staple skin care routine for sure.

So what are these two products?

1. Divine Face Oil with Avocado and Rosehip (10mL) – the first step in this mini skincare regime is applying this organic face oil over the face and neck area. This oil absorbs really well into my skin and immediately hydrates it.

2. Vanilla Pod Hydrating Day Cream (15mL) – Step two is to apply this beautifully scented vanilla day cream which contains manuka honey for helping prevent blemishes and anti ageing antioxidants. When this is applied over the top of a thin layer of the face oil the combination leaves my face deeply moisturized and radiant for the entire day.

Although these two products work great at as a combination I love each of these products by themselves as well. I often use the face oil at night before bed because I love waking up to skin that looks healthy and nourished. The day cream is a perfect moisturizer for my skin in the morning as it hydrates without feeling heavy or greasy and my skin stays smooth and moisturized for the entire day.

I can’t think of anything negative about these two products and I am 100% sure I will be purchasing another mini duo to take travelling as well as the full size products to use as part of my daily skin care routine.

These mini duo packs are a great way to try out these products without committing to something new that might not be perfect for you.

At $19.90 the price is very reasonable and despite their size, go a long way. I have been using mine daily for almost a month now and am only about half way through. They are also limited edition so get in there and try them while you can!

You can buy these directly from the website or from stores like Farmers and selected pharmacies or health stores.

Disclaimer- I was kindly given these to try by Antipodes however I was under no obligations and all of the above opinions are 100% mine after enjoying them for the last few weeks. My skin is extremely difficult to please so when I find skin care that doesn’t make it worse and instead works exactly how it claims I couldn’t be happier to share my opinions

29
Oct
2013

Tuesday’s Top Ten: Lush Lusts

categories: Makeup and Beauty, Tuesday's Top Ten, Uncategorized

Hi All, Happy Tuesday!

For this weeks Top Ten post I thought I would do a quick round up of the ten Lush products that I am currently lusting over (by which I mean each week I got into their store and investigate then leave wishing I could buy them all). I have recently gotten more interested in Lush and I think it is because my skin just doesn’t seem to react well to much any more and so natural products have become more appealing. I also love Lush as a brand that is cruelty free and vegan (and the ladies at the Queen

Street office are super nice too!). To be clear, not affiliated or sponsored anyway, as per usual. Just a little obsessed…

1. Dream Cream: Top of my list and a product I plan to buy ASAP is this soothing body lotion for sensitive skin. A best selling product and after being given a sample last week I now understand why. Filled with good stuff like chamomile and lavender this smells good but feels even better. Not cheap which is why I put it off but a little goes a long way so I think it is probably well worth it. $37.90 for 240g

2. Dreamwash: Another product that I have a sample of and have already enjoyed briefly is this shower soap that is, once again, soothing and suitable for dry, red skin. Full of all my favourite things like chamomile, calamine, lavender, aloe vera and essential oils I am a big fan. A little bit expensive for a shower wash, at $28.90 for 250g so not something I would straight away shell out for.

3. Rose Jam Shower Gel: Staying on the tune of shower products, this shower gel is a gorgeous new Christmas product, scented with rose and lemon. I originally was lusting after snow fairy but after comparing scents I much prefer this slightly more subtle rose scent and find snow fairy a little sickly. $22.50 for 100g, other sizes also available.

4. Santa’s Lip Scrub: I already love the lip scrubs and am currently using the Mint Julips one (which smells amazing) so naturally I was drawn to the limited edition Christmas lip scrub which tastes of cola. Although this is a relatively simple product, at $12.50 it isn’t too expensive and would make a great gift paired with the lip tint below…

5. Santa’s Baby Lip Tint: A red tinted lip balm that is perfect to use after a little scrub and provides a moisturizing red tint with the flavour of a cola. A great combo with the scrub above, and at $12.50 is a nice treat or gift.

6.Aqua Marina: This is another sample of a popular cleanser that I have yet to try. A pink mousse wrapped with seaweed it is definitely unusual but contains calamine and aloe vera to make it suitable for sensitive and irritated skin, soothing and cleansing. Excited to try this. $18.90 per 100g.

7. Sexy Peel Soap: I love Honey I washed the Kids but this strong citrus scent still outranks it as my favourite soap at Lush. I haven’t bought any but can’t wait to try it properly as the scents of lemon, grapefruit and lime are perfect for waking up to face the day. Yum. $7.49/100g

8. Angel’s Delight Soap: On the tangent of soaps, my favourite new soap is this sweet, colourful one. With cents of tangerines and gardenias the result is a sweet, floral and citrus scent. But mainly I just want it cause its pretty. $7.50/100g

9. Lemony Flutter: I don’t why I don’t own this product yet. This is a popular thick cream that is mainly used for softening cuticles but can be used basically anywhere dry. I love nail creams and seeing as this one is citrus scented (notice a pattern) I am a big fan of this one. At $19.90 for 50g it may seem experience but I know a little goes a long way (I always sample this when I pop into the stores).

10. Vanillary Solid Perfume: Ending with something quite different, I have been umming and ahhing over the Lush perfumes as I do tend to react a little to normal perfume and the idea of something organic and natural is very appealing. This little solid perfume is scented of, you guessed it, vanilla as well as jasmine. The end scent is a warm and grown up vanilla perfume, perfect for winter (but not so much for the season we are just entering). At $10.90 for 12g its not a huge commitment and so may be worth a try for those who like vanilla/burnt caramel scents, as I do.

Whew, I would happily go broke to own all ten of these (edd may not so much). What are the Lush products you lust over?

13
Dec
2012

Looking after my skin! (Skin Care Routine)

categories: Beauty

Hi All! I have had these photos for a little while and I am finally putting up my skin care routine! I love reading other people’s posts on how they take care of their skin so it made sense to do my current one. My skin is super sensitive and very dry so I am pretty careful about what I use and tend to stick to what I know most of the time to avoid reactions. The other point I should make is that this is my skin care on a pretty tight budget, with products that I know I can afford to repurchase (not always the case however). If I had more to spend I would love to use better skin care products but at the moment it’s not really feasible and I am pretty satisfied with how all of these work.

First up here are what I use to take off my makeup. The Garnier Clean Sensitive Facial Wipes are my best friend most of the time as I am notoriously lazy when it comes to makeup removal but the Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover is what I use for stubborn eye makeup.

I like to do face masks at least once a week and these are the two ones I often use. The Goji Berry Facial Hydration Mask is one I buy in single packs for around $3.50 each (I should really just get a full size) however I often spread the pack over two treatments as I find there is more than enough gel product. I think this mask is great for dry skin as my face feels soft and hydrated for ages after I use it. I also was happy that I had no negative reactions to it which I have had to other face masks. The Meaningful Beauty Clay Mask is one I got ages ago from my Mum and only started using a wee while ago. This is less of a moisturizing mask but does a great job at clearing out my skin and giving it a very clean and clear look. I also find it helps with my redness which I get a lot of on my face. I feel like this product is pretty expensive so not sure if I will repurchase or just find a similar alternative.

For Cleansing I have a couple cleansers I like to use regularly but this one is always in my bathroom because it’s gentle on the skin and a creamy consistency that doesn’t leave my skin feeling dried out at all. A great gentle cleanser for the skin but not the best for removing heavy duty makeup which I tend to do with makeup wipes or remover beforehand. The price is around $10 at the supermarket so very affordable as well which is important on my current budget. Another one I love to use is the Nivea Essentials cream cleansing wash.

Following cleanser I apply toner over my face and neck area with a cotton pad and this one is a definite favorite. I love this range from Nivea but this is the only one I have been using long enough to really consider a core part of my skin routine. I love the fresh, cucumber scent and find it doesn’t irritate or dry out my skin very much. Again, I think this product is around $10 at the supermarket (on sale maybe) and so one that I can repurchase without freaking out.

Next step is the most important for my poor dry skin…Moisturize! These are my two main moisturizers. The Olay Moisturizing cream (for sensitive skin) is my favorite (also by chance the cheapest which is probably a good thing) as it is thick and very moisturizing however this also means it can be a little annoying on a hot day. During summer it tends to be relegated to night time moisturizer whilst the Daily Face Cream by First Aid Beauty is a little better for day as it’s thinner on the skin. Neither have a sun protection factor which is annoying but although not mentioned here I do wear sun protection most of the time. Both of these are good for sensitive skin (the whole range at F.A.B. is made with sensitive skin in mind which I LOVE) however I do get a little bit of an uncomfortable tingling sensation on my skin sometimes which doesn’t happen with the Olay. Anyway, both are moisturizers I would highly recommend for people with similar skin. Price wise the Olay is around $11 and the F.A.B. is quite a bit more, in the $25 range maybe?

Last up I have my two eye creams. I never used to bother with eye creams but a while a go I was given the Loreal Collagen Eye Filler and started to use it daily. I like this product because it has a slight brightness which really helps reduce my under eye circles and darkness. For me it is quite moisturizing but I wouldn’t know much about wrinkle disappearance just because I am terrible at keeping track of my eye wrinkles haha. The Dr Lewinn’s is the main expensive product on here (around $30 I think from the Supermarket) however I do think it is a very good eye cream in terms of moisturizing but less great at short term disappearance of under eye circles and what not. I also think it does a better job at helping reduce wrinkles as even I noticed a small difference when I started using it. Although it is more expensive than the L’oreal I think it is a better eye product however I do love them both for slightly different reasons.

So those are my key steps and products involved in keeping my rather iffy skin under control. I’d love to hear what any of you guys use on a day to day basis for skin care and any reccomendations you might have so please feel free to leave a comment or tweet me @liz_lock