Tag Archives: beauty

Under Eye Treatments

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hey hey everyone, I hope all is well!

Today’s post will mark my ‘clinic journey’ of trying to improve my concerns with my under eye area. Before we jump into it, a bit of background

I have hollowness under my eyes coupled with fine lines and mild creepy skin that I have had forever, even from my teenage years! I also get dark circles and eye bags quite easily because I never sleep early & I don’t get enough sleep lol. I was fine with these issues before as they didn’t really affect my makeup, i.e., I could get away with using as much concealer & powder I wanted without dealing with creasing & separation so whilst it bothered me, it didn’t bother me as much. Fast forward to 2022, I started noticing my concealer creasing very quickly when I did my makeup. I was using the same products so I didn’t understand what was happening but I switched products and got some new concealers & powders anyway, hoping to fix the issues I was now facing but I didn’t get any better results.

I then also noticed my eye area was a little bit worse as I’m getting older: my eye area was drier, a bit more sunken but the fine lines remained the same so I knew this was probably the culprit . I had to stop using concealer all together(thicker concealers especially) and switch to a lighter shade of foundation to highlight & brighten my face. I also switched to using powder foundation to set my undereye. This worked for a while but the creasing and separation came back no matter what technique I used ( and I tried so many hacks/tips). I also felt like I looked tired and much older because of the dark circles and hollowness – this was when I started to be very bothered by it.

In 2023 I had a consultation to discuss undereye filler and any other treatments that would be beneficial but I was told I might not be a candidate for filler right away because of my skin quality but that I should complete a few sessions of microneedling with nctf booster then come back for filler discussion. I ended up just doing 1 session of the microneedling and put everything else on hold. Last year I decided again to actually try and treat my eye concerns because its now gotten to the point where I’m extremely unhappy with it. I’ve looked at a lot of clinic options and I think I have narrowed it down to a few I want to begin with.

I’ve also refined my under eye routine. It’s so crazy that as much as it bothered me I actually never got dedicated products for it lol (Its almost like I spent so much time been bothered and worried about the issue but not enough time actually trying to fix it). I would use the serums and creams I was using for my face in my eye area but didn’t take time to properly get better formulated eye creams. That has changed. As I have dedicated this year to trying out different clinic treatments I want to make sure my skin quality and eye skincare routine is up to par. I’m now using the same actives I use for my face for my eye area: I use the c tango eye cream which has vit c & peptides in the AM and in the pm I’m using retinol based eye cream ( currently switched to the Haruharu eye cream for now as part of my challenge).

Treatments & Expectations

Based on the 3 consultations I have had so far and lots and lots of reading, I’m thinking of polynucleotides, prf/prp or sunekos eyes and fotona smooth eye laser. The laser is the most expensive option so I will save up and probably get that later in the year or next year. I want to start the polynucleotide treatment asap (at least 2 or 3 sessions), give it a few months to notice results then try prp/prf or sunekos.

I know that I have to go through a lot of trial & error before I get the results I’m seeking. I’m been cautious and very realistic on what I can achieve, I know my issues are mostly genetic with some lifestyle influences which means I wont get 100% improvement with the issues but I think 30-70% improvement is achievable and realistic.

I am also making sure to go to qualified and well reputable clinics/injectors for any of these treatments. I’m following my shortlist of places on socials and I have actively been engaging with them.

My first treatment is actually coming up shortly and I will be sharing this with you soon. I’ve been taking lots of pictures so that I can also keep track of progress. Baseline pictures below, I can definitely say looking at these pictures that the C tango eye cream has helped a lot with my dark circles!

PS- I will be doing full reviews for all the eye creams in the pic!

If you have similar issues to mine or just interested in under eye treatments then I hope you find this series helpful! When I’ve been searching for these treatments I always look for what the treatment looks like on dark skin because I want to see how the bruising/downtime etc looks like on my skintone. Especially with the laser treatments as I know we need specific lasers for our skintone.

I’m excited and nervous!

catch you soon!

Naturium Vitamin C Complex Serum Review

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hey hey people! I hope all is well with you.

Today’s post just highlights the importance of 2nd chances and why we should be giving people and products (lol) one * within reason lol

Today I will be reviewing the vit c serum from Naturium. This came in the Spacenk 2024 beauty advent calender

Let’s begin

This is a vit c complex serum which is formulated with highly stabilized l-ascorbic acid vitamin C complex, sodium ascorbyl phosphate and a bioactive fruit blend that helps defend skin from environmental stressors, promoting healthier-looking skin ( from website)

I started using this on 22nd Dec and run out of it on the 2nd of Feb so it lasted 6 weeks. I mainly used it in my am routine but also a few times in my pm routine. I experienced no irritation with it.

Experience

This is a lightweight serum that feels hydrating on the skin. I really like that it sinks into the skin with ease and doesn’t have any stinging sensations you can get with vit c serums. The brand directs users to use a pea sized amount but I have to tell you I used more than that- 2 to 3 pumps over my face neck and chest then hands with whatever was left

Performance? yes it delivers! I love vit c serums because they work to brighten the skin whilst protecting against environmental aggressors! This serum feels nice on the skin and a pleasure to use. After 2 weeks of use, my skin was glowing and overall my complexion just looks healthier! The serum is a combo of different types of vitamin c: ascorbic acid & SAP and fruit blends also known to have vit c. It also has aloe vera leaf juice which I have come to love for its hydrating properties esp for my hair! Look at my skin!

Verdict

oh how I miss vit c serums! I’ve been using the Paula’s Choice super antioxidant serum for a while and I really enjoyed it but I wanted to use Vit c serums again! This serum just reminded me why Vit c is the gold standard for skin brightening and a glowing complexion. The serum is well packaged to protect against the unstable nature of pure vit c, so it didn’t oxidize in the time I was using it.

I’ve used my fair share of vit c serums in the past and I can say this is up there with my favorite ones! I’m genuinely surprised by this product because I HAD written off Naturium as a brand! I have previously tried 3 of their most popular best selling products and they were so disappointing so I thought to never try the brand again. With this coming in the advent calendar I had no choice but to give it a 2nd chance and I’m really glad I did! I’m thinking of trying their peptide serum now ( even though I HATE their peptide eye cream lol) because of this.

I highly recommend this and will purchase this again!

the serum is available from Boots or Spacenk

HaruHaru Evening Routine

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How’s everyone doing? Good I hope!

Next up in my HaruHaru wonder challenge is my evening routine. Does anyone else feel like the evening routine is more exciting and serious than the morning one? lol

I’ve been speaking about my collab with HaruHaru for the last few weeks. You can find more on the challenge here and my AM routine here.

For my evening routines, I like to focus on repair and treating my skin concerns so I reach for the ‘heavy duty’ actives. Of course we have to keep that skin barrier in tip top condition so I also make sure to properly cleanse & hydrate the skin. My current PM routine with HaruHaru is

Double cleansing with the deep cleansing oil & the moisture 5.5 cleansing gel. I double cleanse when needed e.g. makeup days or running errands. If Ive been home all day a single cleanse is usually enough

Tone with the black rice toner

eye cream is the black rice and bakuchiol cream- this is a new product to me so looking forward to how it works on my skin. my under eye is problematic – im hoping for good results

Treatment serums- Im using the dark spot away serum & the new retinol night serum. I’m an experienced retinol user so I can get away with using this on most nights but I’m planning to use this 3-4x a week and stop on days where i use an acid. This is a great one for new retinol users as the conc is low so it feels very gentle on the skin with no irritation.

I’m looking forward to what the dark spot serum would do. I was using the niod multi brightening serum just before this and was getting really good results. hopefully this dark spot away serum can make a different.

for my pm moisturiser I am using the centella phyto & 5 peptide cream. Again i really liked the moisturiser i was using before so I’m hoping this works just as well.

2-3x a week i like to exfoliate so i will be using the triple aha cleanser OR an acid based serum.

its been a week since i started this new routine and so far its going well. With any new treatment serums, I always start slow, so that’s 1-2x in the 1st week spaced out then gradually increase usage. I’m not really expecting any massive differences from these serums now. The products layer well and its been easy to add them to my routine. This is my initial routine and if i feel like changing anything or something is working right i will do another update!

Catch you laterrr

stay safe

Dose by VH Alpha Arbutin 2% and Kojic Acid 1% Serum Review

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hey hey, you good? I hope all is well.

I have an exciting review today for you. Having hyperpigmentation means I’m always on the hunt for a treatment serum to help deal with it. There are many serums with even bigger claims and I really enjoy looking for new serums to try.

Today I will be talking about the Alpha Arbutin 2% and Kojic Acid 1% Serum from Victoria Health. Dose is Victoria’s Health own brand and their aim is to provide solutions for various skin concerns that deliver results. The Alpha Arbutin 2% and Kojic Acid 1% Serum is designed to fight to help target uneven skin tone, dark spots, age spots and post blemish marks, together with 1% Kojic Acid, a powerful antioxidant and skin brightener.

Experience

I’ve known about Victoria health for a long time, do you guys remember when the ordinary skincare first came to the UK? VH were one of the retailers to first stock the brand! I didn’t know they now had their own skincare range( I think the garden of wisdom brand was theirs too but I’m not too sure). Anyway whilst looking for a new treatment serum I found Dose and was really intrigued by the ingredients at that price point.

I used the serum for about 7 weeks in my evening routine last year with no irritation issues. I also appreciated how easy it was to add to my routine, I used it with retinol & acids with no issues. It layers well with creams and I had no issues with pilling.

The serum is a bright yellow gel textured serum with no noticeable scent and doesn’t stain the skin.

Does it deliver on claims?

My baseline picture was taken on the 28th of Sept however between that date to when I started using the serum on 2nd November I wasn’t using any other treatment serum for hyperpigmentation. I used the serum from 2nd Nov to 22nd Dec 2024

I wanted the serum to target a stubborn patch of pigmentation near my jawline and I can say it did work to lighten the intensity of the spots but not completely get rid of it which is understandable. I also felt like my skin in general looked brighter which I liked. I have ‘lighter’ dark spots on my cheeks which it didn’t get rid of however I just feel I would probably have to laser/ have a chemical peel to get rid of those as nothing has been able to completely get rid of them so far.

Verdict

I do like this serum and I was pleasantly surprised with my results. That stubborn patch of pigmentation did lighten a bit and overall my skin was left brighter. I also liked the range of skin brighteners in the serum: vit c, alpha arbutin, niacinamide & kojic acid as well as glycerin & Lactobacillus Ferment. I always try to get treatment serums with a mix of brighteners because hyperpigmentation is so difficult to treat. Alpha arbutin has never worked for my skin alone but in combo with other ingredients it seems to work.

The customer service from VH is outstanding. I emailed to ask if my serum was oxidized as I was taken aback by the bright yellow color and I got a reply straight away confirming it was ok to use! I also had no issues with ordering and shipment

Will I recommend this serum?- Yes. This is an effective hyperpigmentation serum with a range of well known ingredients that work to brighten the skin over time as well as some skin conditioning ingredients. if your pigmentation isn’t as deep/stubborn as mine then I have no doubts you will get much better results. It goes without saying, SPF is KEY when dealing with pigmentation issues and should be worn everyday. Try to avoid direct sunlight where possible. Dealing with the root cause of the issues causing pigmentation rather than pigmentation itself is the best cause of action. However, I do understand that sometimes there isn’t much that can be done in some cases. This year I focusing on treating my underlying causes and I will be sharing some of the clinic treatments I will be doing

The serum is available from Victoria Health for £18

catch you later!

HaruHaru Morning Routine

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hey everyone, I’m back with another post! I hope everyone is doing well.

In my previous post, I spoke about my new 30 day skincare challenge with HaruHaru Wonder! They sent over a bunch of stuff for me to test out so for the next 30 days, my routines will consist mostly of their products.

Before we get into my new morning routine, a bit about my skin. I have normal to combo skin that feels a bit drier in the winter months. My main concern is hyperpigmentation and I am always on the hunt for something to treat this and to brighten my overall complexion. I also like to maintain good skin health by keeping my skin barrier intact and my skin well hydrated.

My new challenge started on the 1st of Feb and here’s my current AM routine with HaruHaru Wonder!

Cleanse with the black rice moisture 5.5 soft cleansing gel. This promises to balance the skin & leave it clean and moisturized

Tone with my fav black rice hyaluronic toner. I use the alcohol & fragrance free version.

My eye cream, vit c serum and & peptide serums are the same. I’ve been using the the DE C tango eye cream, the Sunday Riley Riley ceo glow oil and the ordinary multi peptide & HA serum

AM moisturiser is the 5% niacinamide radiance gel cream

SPF is the Moisture Airyfit Daily sunscreen SPF50+ PA++++. I’m really excited for this because you know I love a good sunscreen and I’ve tried some really nice ones from k beauty. I’m looking to see how this will compare. Of course I will be doing a sunscreen try on & demo- will it be cast free on dark skin?

So far, the products feel nice on my skin and layers very well with 0 pilling. I’m looking forward to using them more! I’m following my standard method of trying new products, start using them slowly and build to everyday use as my skin gets used to it. This helps to mitigate any purging or irritation. Ive had no issues so far!

The condition of my skin now is really good. I’m enjoying smoother skin and it has an overall healthy glow due to my previous routine. HaruHaru has some big shoes to fill!

I will talk about my new evening routine in my next post- stay tuned for that!

Happy new month!