Tuesday 6 January 2015

Best of '14: Face, Body & Hair

In 2014 I have gone mostly organic on everything that skincare & hair.

The main reason is because my sensitive skin responses better on purer ingredients. It can be A equals B but B does not always equal A. Or, just because it says it's (mostly) organic it will not automatically rule out sensitivity issues (see here @ Caroline Hirons). I did not experience major breakouts/rash but some products do get more hype than they deserve.

Nevertheless, My best of 2014:

FACE:


Facial Mist:
Sanoflore Veritable Eau Florale in Camomille
 Chamomille has been my herb of choice as a toner: it calms down my skin and smells wonderful in that dried flower way. I've tried some more expensive facial mists (see here) but sometimes a really sensitive skin needs a bit of simplicity.

Cleanser:
Suki Exfoliating Cleanser
It's not my daily cleanser but a favourite of mine for smelling so zesty and giving skin a mild, organic way of exfoliation.

Serum:
Caudalie Polyphenol C15 Anti Wrinkle Defense Serum
This potion with a newer antioxidant has been a wonderful serum with a good antiageing result. Moreover, my skin tolerates it well. This is my 3rd bottle.

Daycream & nightcream:
No real winners nor losers.

Speciality:
Odacité Pure Elements
These blends really target the problem by location (eg: congested pores at tzone & dry skin @ cheeks). I've always been a fan of essential oil/base oil mixtures and Odacité does them well. The only thing is that they are darn expensive, so you could mix up your own too. Sidenote! I've had a aromatherapeutic course so I have some clue, but if you are unsure about mixing: start with 1 drop of the essential oil on 30 drops of base oil. Overusing an essential oil can have a opposite/negative effect, that's why I really recommend Odacite for convenience and having really good organic oils.

Sensitivity/dry spots/Psoriasis/Exzema
Tatcha Indigo Soothing Renewal Treatment
This is one of the few effective products when I break out in dry spots. It's totally expensive but people who break out on the face know what it is like when you just want to hide behind your hair. So yeh...

Lipbalm:
AS.AP Lip Balm 06
Soothing for wintery or crack-y lips. Also gorgeous as a primer for normal lips.

Mask:
I'm gonna jump upon the [instagram] bandwagon and declare I like Leahlani Mermaid Mask. I don't feel the need to post myself clad in green mud while duckfacing & wearing thick mascara/falsies etc. I hope that's ok.  Ps: I'm still a great fan of my Rhassoul mudmasks (here) too.

BODY/HAIR
Bodylotion:
Avène Xeracalm AD bodylotion
This cream has been an excellent cream in un-itching my body. It diminishes the local dryness/patchiness too. I'd also give Tatcha Indigo bodycream a really high vote, but it is expensive and still has a mild citrus-scent that might not be every-sensitive skin's taste.

Hair:
Less is More Neem Scalp Relieve Shampoo & Lavender Smoothing balm
The shampoo diminishes itchiness on the scalp and cleanses beautifully.
The Lavendel Smoothing balm really smoothes stubborn ends and smells like true lavender.
&
Acure Morrocan Argan Oil + Morrocan Stem Cell condioner
A price-friendly organic conditioner that smoothes down wonderfully.

FaceTools:
Yung Yu Roller in Jade facial
I gotten this roller as a freebie with a large Cultbeauty purchase. I've become a fan of facial massages and the Jade is known as a cleansing stone in Chinese medicine. 
 &
Sarah Chapman Skinesis Facialift
This medieval tool of [...] feels more vigorous when used (video here), like those facial massagist people can do when they want to stimulate the connective tissue. Quite effective as my slightly slacking jowl (I'm a slacker, not a real wrinkler) is a tighter baby the morning after. I have the same tool for body but I should use it more.

I'm quite happy to have found a couple of winners that are organic, or at least quite natural. I feel organic skincare gotten a long way and the choices are sometimes overwhelming. I still like to read reviews beforehand, or read up on the ingredients before I try as 'organic' has become some kind of lucrative magicword these days.

2 comments:

PDXBEAUTIFUL said...

Great post!! I have been wanting to try the oils from Odacite!!! I love how you can target specific problem areas. I really need to try out the Acure hair products as I love some of their other products so much! Facial tools have been a huge seller in the Asian market so I was happy to read this post and how the western world is embracing facial massage and its benefits!

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