Monthly Archives: July 2018

You may remember that in mid-December I started trialling the Regenerist Luminous Serum and Regenerist Luminous Brightening & Protecting SPF20 Moisturiser, both new products from Olay*. (If they haven’t reached the shelves yet then they will be with you very soon, I’d imagine.) I thought that I’d do a mid-way-ish update and fill you in on what I’ve found out about the Sepiwhite ingredient, lauded as one of the two main actives in the serum, because I wasn’t too sure what it did or how it worked.

So just to recap; I was to use the entire Regenerist Luminous range for 30 days and record my results. No other skincare, though I have been using the Regenerist Skin Perfecting Cleanser because there isn’t a dedicated cleanser for the Luminous range. (If Olay brought out a gorgeous, massagey balm cleanser I would literally be in my element.) Routine: cleanse, serum, eye swirl (see previous Olay post for more details on the range) and then either the Skin Tone Perfecting Day Cream or the SPF Moisturiser, depending on my situation. (I’ll be honest, there haven’t been many opportunities to test out the SPF yet!)

Handy dropper application…

Thoughts so far? A massive hurray for the serum. It’s just lovely. I have always felt that the moisturiser on its own doesn’t give me enough of the hydrated feel that I like – though my skin never seems lacking in moisture, it just doesn’t have that dewy, juicy finish that I always crave. On the one hand, that’s great if it’s a moisturiser designed to suit all skin types (which it is) because it’s a lovely finish for oily and combination skin, but if you want your moisturiser to feel very nourishing and rich then the “dry touch” feel isn’t the most desirable. (Perhaps a version for dry/very dry skin would be a good addition? I’d definitely go in for some of that!) Anyway, all this is kind of irrelevant with the addition of the serum because it is so plumptious and silky to apply and really makes my skin feel hydrated. I can see it being a product that will slip easily into my skincare routine post-trial; I’m a big advocate of serums anyway (see post here for more on serums) but when they have targeted effects like this one it’s a great way to make noticeable changes to your skin without having to buy a heap of new products.

I’m applying my serum – and reading your mind.

Talking of targeted effects, the Regenerist Luminous Serum has been designed to even out skintone, both by managing the production of excess melanin (the pigment that looks dark on the surface of the skin; if there’s an excess then you get darker patches, or dark spots) and tackling the dark spots once they’ve appeared. So, both prevention and a bit of damage control. Hero ingredient for me, as I mentioned in the last post, is Niacinamide, which is a bit of a skincare superstar, doing all kinds of wondrous things. (Read more here.) But since the start of the trial, I’ve been reading up a bit more on this Sepiwhite, otherwise known as Undecylenoyl Phenylalanine. Try saying that after a Christmas Sherry! I had never heard of this ingredient, but when I started researching there seemed to be quite a buzz around it. It’s supposed to be really rather effective at helping to improve skin-tone, especially when combined with our old pal Niacinamide. Good news if you’re tackling a bit of unevenness, and it’s also a brilliant one to apply in the morning before you go in with your SPF, as although it doesn’t provide any UVA/UVB protection, it’s there beavering away to keep your melanin production nice and steady.

Right – onwards with the rest of the trial! You’ll notice that I’m quite considerably over the half-way point; I should tell you that for the first week or so of the trial I was really under the weather and hardly even got out of bed, let alone applied much skincare, so I thought it only fair to start it again properly the week after. Remember that I’ll be giving away a whole shedload of Regenerist Luminous for you to try in the final video post, so keep a lookout for that.

Find the Regenerist Luminous range at Boots.com.

Read the first trial post here…

*this trial and the associated posts are sponsored by Olay.

The post Olay Regenerist Luminous Serum Trial: An Update appeared first on A Model Recommends.

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Smashbox’s Photo Finish Blemish Control Primer has been very swiftly promoted to my “hall of fame” level – or “holy grail” status, as I think the proper term might be these days. It’s outstanding, this primer, in that it addresses a concern that deeply affects many women but it does this without going in for any overblown marketing spiel or farfetched claims. It’s a skincare product (more than just a primer, as it modestly states on the tube) that helps to fight blemishes and blackheads and keep acne-prone skin under control as well as creating a beautifully smooth base for makeup application. The salicylic acid in the formula exfoliates the skin and keeps it clear, working away beneath whatever you decide to put on over the top, so you don’t have to go through that worrisome process of wondering which of your foundations might break you out. The rest of the ingredients help to hydrate (without adding oil) and prep the skin for foundation.

When I used to get my random blemish outbreaks, I would be absolutely petrified to put any makeup on. I went through whole phases of blaming certain products for my spots appearing, or at least convincing myself that they were making the situation worse when I applied them. And if you use lots of different things (as I did, and do) it’s really hard to know which makeup items – if any – are exacerbating the situation. How fabulous to find a makeup “first step” that is actually an effective BHA exfoliant as well as a great primer – it’s like a bit of skin insurance that makes you feel far more confident about getting on with the rest of your makeup routine. Spots and blackheads taken care of, box ticked, on with the rest of the day.

My adult acne…

I’ve tested this primer underneath makeup and as a standalone skincare product; it excels in both respects, though it has that silicone-slip that admittedly, for me at least, makes it far more suited to being a primer than a leave-on treatment. It leaves a really silky-smooth finish that’s matte enough to be a boon for oily skins, yet it doesn’t feel drying on the skin or at all tight. I’ve taken to using it every day during the dratted PMT/PMS week and can’t really find anything bad to say about it whatsoever.

Lots and lots of people write in asking for BHA exfoliant recommendations (BHAs are the types of acids that really do a deep-down job on the pores, so perfect for preventing and treating blackheads and spots) but I find good ones to be a little thin on the ground. I do love Effaclar Duo+ and it works amazingly on my skin at night or on makeup-free days, but this More Than Primer: Blemish Control is a top, top choice for daytime. I apply it straight after serum (though some might prefer a moisturiser in between) and before my foundation or tinted moisturiser.

Blemish Control Primer from Smashbox is £28 from Boots.com. When I reviewed this on Youtube, there were plenty of people with “better” primers that they urged me to take a look at; NONE of them had any ingredients that would fight blemishes and certainly no ass-kicking salicylic acid! I’d say that this is a pretty sturdy choice.

More skincare for blemish-prone skin…

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The beauty world seems to be overrun with samples and miniatures at the moment – beauty boxes, advent calendars and special gifts-with-purchases that just seem to be getting more and more swanky. It’s like battle of the travel sizes!

Many people are put off by the mystery element of these beauty boxes and calendars (though it’s pretty easy to find out the contents, some brands release different versions so that you’re not quite sure what you might get) and for them, the idea of a luxury “kit” might be slightly more appealing. You see exactly what you’re going to get, and the products are carefully curated so that there’s something for every stage of the beauty regime. Although for other people the mystery element is exactly why they buy in the first place – it’s a bit like product roulette.

So for those who want to sample brilliant brands without any risk-factor, there’s this: Net-a-Porter’s “Holiday Kit“. It contains fifteen gorgeously decadent beauty products from luxury brands including Oribe, Omorovicza and is pleasingly high-value. The £89 price-tag is covered by the shampoo and conditioner alone – the Oribe Gold Lust shampoo and conditioner together are worth over £90 (I’m expecting truly WONDROUS things from them, I don’t think I’ve ever used a £46 shampoo before!) – and there are  full-sizes of Burberry’s Fresh Glow highlighting pen (£25), Smith & Cult’s Lip Gloss (£20) and Joya’s “Foxglove” roll-on parfum (£20).

The rest of the products are the kind of size that is easy to disregard until you work out what they’re worth based on price per ml – 5ml of Sarah Chapman’s Skinesis Overnight Facial, for example, is worth £15, and so is the moisturiser sample from Radical. And there’s loads more  – a half-size Elasticizer Pre-Shampoo treatment, a gorgeous little Baume de Rose from By Terry and one of my favourite bath oils, the Inner Strength from Aromatherapy Associates. The oil is beautifully presented in a Christmas star box, just in case you need to find someone a last-minute stocking filler on Christmas Eve. Not that I’d ever let mine go to someone else, I’m a non-sharer when it comes to my special oils…

You can find the Holiday Kit at Net-a-Porter here for £89 – if you regularly use the Oribe shampoo and conditioner (I’m guessing you also bathe in champagne! Leave me a comment below, I’m intrigued!) then this is a whacking nice bonus to receive with your stock-up. For everyone else, this is a great high-value taster kit – there’s not a single dud.

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